Todays Ironies...

All this reminds me of how much work the incoming Congress and new PRESIDENT --hopefully elected FAIRLY --will have to accomplish!

Joe Trippi on if Hillary can win in March

Tomorrow I am doing an all day training for political leaders in Maryland and we are going to see OBAMA! He is speaking on my campus and we will be preparing the politicians to observe for nonverbal information up until the speech.

GEE I wonder what we'll see......

I saw Mike Huckabee yesterday, and I have to say that I am thrilled to be able to observe such excellent communicators. I believe that the American people are also good observers and can tell when authenticity and clarity of communication are inherent in a candidate.

Oncall and Richard,

This is up your ally. An increase in infant mortality and cancer of those living near the Great Lakes.

Apparently this report has been buried by the Bush admin.

Roy Scheider died. For many he was the star of Jaws and All That Jazz, but to me, he was the Compte de Guiche in a production of Cyrano De Bergerac I did in 1966, in Buffalo, NY. He was the consummate professional, an inspiring performer, and a tremendous actor.

He treated us kids like we were adults, and he expected us to live up to it.

I will always be grateful to him.

Karen,

Is your Obama thing tomorrow open to the public? Or will all of you have to arrive 7 hours early like our friend Fedup had to do?

Karen
Have fun tomorrow!

I guess I got lucky in Birmingham...I got to skip the blocks-long line and walk right in...and sit on the main floor area not that far back from the stage.

It took a good 2-3 hours to get everyone through security and into the arena...that was for about 11000 people I think.

Obama won a Grammy for spoken word version of his books, his 2nd.
Won over Bill Clinton, speaking of ironies.

HuffPo also had a little blurb where Edwards & Clinton secretly met about endorsement/delegates and he will meet with Obama tomorrow.

Funny business.

Have a blast Karen, then come and tell us all, tell us if you get the same vibes you got from JK, and if you trust him enough to work for the people of America and the World Community

Funny business.

Yeah I don't like it myself.

Army Buried Unclassified Study Faulting Iraq Planning

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/washington/11army.html?ex=1360386000&en=cd27b3b4444afd98&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

The Chicken Doves
Elected to end the war, Democrats have surrendered to Bush on Iraq and betrayed the peace movement for their own political ends
MATT TAIBBIPosted Feb 21, 2008 12:00 AM
Page 1 2
Quietly, while Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been inspiring Democrats everywhere with their rolling bitchfest, congressional superduo Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have completed one of the most awesome political collapses since Neville Chamberlain. At long last, the Democratic leaders of Congress have publicly surrendered on the Iraq War, just one year after being swept into power with a firm mandate to end it.
Solidifying his reputation as one of the biggest pussies in U.S. political history, Reid explained his decision to refocus his party's energies on topics other than ending the war by saying he just couldn't fit Iraq into his busy schedule. "We have the presidential election," Reid said recently. "Our time is really squeezed."
There was much public shedding of tears among the Democratic leadership, as Reid, Pelosi and other congressional heavyweights expressed deep sadness that their valiant charge up the hill of change had been thwarted by circumstances beyond their control — that, as much as they would love to continue trying to end the catastrophic Iraq deal, they would now have to wait until, oh, 2009 to try again. "We'll have a new president," said Pelosi. "And I do think at that time we'll take a fresh look at it."
Pelosi seemed especially broken up about having to surrender on Iraq, sounding like an NFL coach in a postgame presser, trying with a straight face to explain why he punted on first-and-goal. "We just didn't have any plays we liked down there," said the coach of the 0-15 Dems. "Sometimes you just have to play the field-position game...."
In reality, though, Pelosi and the Democrats were actually engaged in some serious point-shaving. Working behind the scenes, the Democrats have systematically taken over the anti-war movement, packing the nation's leading group with party consultants more interested in attacking the GOP than ending the war. "Our focus is on the Republicans," one Democratic apparatchik in charge of the anti-war coalition declared. "How can we juice up attacks on them?" The story of how the Democrats finally betrayed the voters who handed them both houses of Congress a year ago is a depressing preview of what's to come if they win the White House. And if we don't pay attention to this sorry tale now, while there's still time to change our minds about whom to nominate, we might be stuck with this same bunch of spineless creeps for four more years. With no one but ourselves to blame.
The controversy over the Democratic "strategy" to end the war basically comes down to whom you believe. According to the Reid-Pelosi version of history, the Democrats tried hard to force President Bush's hand by repeatedly attempting to tie funding for the war to a scheduled withdrawal. Last spring they tried to get him to eat a timeline and failed to get the votes to override a presidential veto. Then they retreated and gave Bush his money, with the aim of trying again after the summer to convince a sufficient number of Republicans to cross the aisle in support of a timeline.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18349197/the_chicken_doves

Just sent this to Krugman in response to today's column.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/opinion/11krugman.html?hp

*****

Paul, the Hillary phenomenon is already a reflection of a "cult of personality". Given her disastrous decision to support, and then become a cheerleader for, the Iraq war, Hillary deserves to be out of any Democratic race, on the merits. It doesn't matter to me that she changed her tune when it came time to run for President. The damage to this nation's interests had already been done. Has al Queda been reconstituted in Pakistan? Yes. Has the American military been wrecked? Yes. Did Hillary stand up to George W. Bush in March 2003, when it became clear that Saddam was cooperating with the weapons inspectors, and no weapons were being found? No.

So why is it that she's not out of this race, on the only issue that truly matters, and that speaks to her fitness to be Commander-in-Chief? Why's that? One, because the support of women who see her affirming their aspirations – which I can live with – and two, because of the Clintonista groupies, and the celebrity obsessed in this country. Hillary's a celebrity, and what we do in America, more than anything else nowadays, is celebrate celebrity.

Putting aside the legitimate concerns that one should have about putting either another Clinton or Bush in the White House, or Hillary's support of expanded Presidential power, or characteristic evasiveness on any number of key issues, I can't imagine anyone in their right mind wanting to put that marriage back in the White House. Did Bill and Hillary, together, really earn a return to the White House? Bill's Presidency looks a heck of a lot better given what came after, but must the only choice that Americans are entitled to be between the problematic and truly horrific?

My candidate in this race was John Edwards. John was essentially ignored, despite the strength of his "positions" across the board, as was Joe Biden, Dennis Kuncinch, Chris Dodd, and Bill Richardson. The media spent the year that preceded the primaries hyping the celebrity candidates - Obama and Billary. That's why we're here at all.

Let me say one final thing. I worked for John Kerry, a flawed but far superior human being to either Hillary or Bill Clinton, for 15 months in 2003 and 2004. I wasn’t paid a penny. If Hillary's the Democratic candidate, and Michael Bloomberg gets into this race, I will not only vote for Bloomberg, I will work for him. The Clintons simply do not deserve a return to the White House. They have been wrong on the crucial issues that matter to me, and their character stinks. And if you don’t think character and virtue are supposed to matter in America, then I encourage you to read the Framers – and discover the emphasis that they put on virtue. The Clintons are as corrupt as the day is long, and in a country of 300 million, I think that we can, and must, do better. Better the candidate that I don’t know that the knaves that I already do.

I don't know about you guys, but the thought of talking about Monica Lewinski for ANOTHER 10 years makes me want to toss my cookies.

The more I think of Billary standing up there, saying how wrong georgie is and what a bad bad man he is the more furious I become. I mean, really, how DARE they?

While Jimmy Carter found his voice, bill was out playing fundraising games with daddy george. While our soldiers died, hillary thought it was important to show us how busy she was with flag burning amendments.

As much celebrity as they have, niether of them were willing to stand up a single time and say 'We will not let you do this to our people'.

As far as I am concerned they can both rot in that place they both lusted after so long. Right beside georgie in hell.

I'm responding to my own thread header...the section about the evangelicals.

In case you didn't click on the link, the article also pointed out some liberal causes that we have in common with them too that I hadn't posted above.

It says, "The study also found that they are more interested in environmental causes, improving health care and combating poverty than their parents."

So...there you have it.

We are narrowing the divide. It looks like the younger evangelical isn't automatically a Republican anymore.

I think it's great to hear because I know many athiests and religiously-loyal people who all agree on those issues too.

Did you see the primary results for Louisiana?

A full half of republicans also claimed to be evangical. The highest concentration of them in any state so far. Also the highest concentration of 'conservatives'.

The younger evangicals are no longer automatically 'republican', but that does not make them less dangerous, it makes them MORE unpredictable. More free to embrace free floating radicalism.

More liberal than their parents, yes. But for that group, John McCain is a LIBERAL.

Reading the above I can see why the Clintons have high negatives.
I would simply vote for her as I did for him twice and for Gore. I didn't give them money or work for them, but they weren't Republicans so I voted for them and I would do it again.

Karl Rove is donating to and advising McCain and I am not giving them more ammo.

By the way, McCain's "win" in WA state (where only half his delegates were from the caucus - the rest have yet to be won in the primary, which is a "beauty contest" for the Dems, since we are done) - anyway, McCain's "win" here - is being contested by Huckabee. It turns out 73% of the electorate voted AGAINST McCain, but that was split among Romney, Huckabee, Paul.

We need to be thinking about winning races. Coat tails.
Getting out the vote.

This is from someone who was there (Bill in Portland Maine, from dKos)

46,000 voters, including 4,000 who cast absentee ballots, participated in the caucuses, easily breaking the record of 17,000 from 2004.

Now need to get all those and more to the polls and make sure there is a nominee who can do that.

The best way to not have it be Hillary Clinton is to get out the vote in the upcoming caucuses and primaries. Texas and Pennsylvania are especially important. Also, there must be a way to be pro-active to make sure MI and FLA can't be counted.

We need to be pro-active in general, not reactive. Teresa Heinz Kerry once told me that and I believe it very strongly.

As for the evangelicals who think McCain is too conservative, if Huckabee is not in the race later, it's possible they will stay home, pull their phone calling and volunteering. Even if they vote for him in the end, their labor will be gone and that is a blow. It's essentially what I did with Clinton and Gore. I thought they were too conservative but voted for them, did not work for them. Gore actually became less conservative after he was out of office.

Here is what I mean about coat tails.

The Cook Political Report projects 12 Senate races - 10 we need to get, 2 to defend. Some people add Idaho.

Alaska. Obama won overwhelmingly.
Colorado. Obama won overwhelmingly.
Louisiana. Obama won overwhelmingly.
Maine. Obama won overwhelmingly.
Minnesota. Obama won overwhelmingly.
Mississippi. No contest yet; Obama favored.
Nebraska. Obama won overwhelmingly.
New Hampshire. Clinton won narrowly.
New Mexico. Still unresolved; Clinton likely to win narrowly.
Oregon. No contest yet; Obama favored.
South Dakota. No contest yet; Obama favored.
Virginia. No contest yet; Obama favored.

Good article on what needs to be done
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/opinion/11kristol.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin
(upcoming races, delegate matters including supers etc)

I put an Impeach Bush sign on my house in 2002, for all the good it did. Now we have a chance to work through the system and if we blow it I have no idea what we are going to do. We need landslides that are uncontestable, new powerful endorsees to flip, a massive ground and internet focussed interaction (such as using cell phone minutes and getting out credit cards). I didn't think I'd be up for this after 2004 and not this early, but as Lou used to say "Failure is not an option."

More about what needs to be done
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/feb/11/barackobama.hillaryclinton
white working class needs to be won

Christy and nmp,

I consider my self an independent. I would vote Dem (Clinton) over any Republican because at this point in time, any D is better than any R. But if the D's got as corrupt as the R's then I would not vote for them.

I also am not a strict pro-choice, no-holds barred kind of activist. I do believe in regulations, although I struggle with how that situation should be handled in situations where the abuse was within a family. (ie...parental notification laws.)

I think that is why I am not a true Democrat. (I think some refer to a person who votes Democratic all the time as a 'yellow dog Democrat' although I sure don't understand the difference between a yellow dog or a blue dog Dem.)

At any rate, I also know that I am a idealist; whereas, others are more pragmatic. So in my 'idealist' way, I am not loyal to the Democratic Party because take a look at people like Levin and Stabenaw who seem to me to be more corporatist, and who seem to say one thing but do another.

Maybe I am sort of a 'green'. I think most of all, I just want all of our representatives to go there and serve all of us. That means they don't cheat. They practice the art of compromise and negotiation. They work to find solutions that will benefit the people who they represent and those goals should be above the goals of the corporations who buy their laws. I want public financed campaigns. I want strict budgeting and I want progressive legislation that includes Health are, education, etc...

I just don't want the kind of crazy spending that got the Dems labeled as "Tax and spend" but I also don't want the corruption that brought about Republican wins. I also believe that the incompetence in government that allowed "welfare queens" to get welfare checks in 5 different states should be stopped... I believe in regulations and in accountability.

At any rate, for those reasons, a Democrat should NEVER take my vote forgranted. They better watch their step.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8422.html
Pelosi on the Iraq war, on one of the Sunday television shows.

I will always vote Democrat but for candidates I like, I will donate and volunteer. I basically despise all forms of negative campaigning, though I know they are said to "work." They don't work on me.

This is great! Ari Emanuel, brother of Rahm Emanuel, has written
"Why I Don't Trust My Brother The SuperDelegate To Pick Our Next President"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ari-emanuel/my-brother-the-superdeleg_b_85924.html

John.I.Am

Hello All, I am inside the Comcast Center and the crowd is going nuts already! We await the Senator...

My friend go this letter published:

In response to Paul Krugman's article about Obama in the Feb 11th paper...

I have read Krugman's articles for a long time and I love his passion on so many topics but I disagree with him fundamentally with his analysis of the Obama campaign. I am also apparently among the "cult" of supporters, a 30-year old white moderate. Clinton's campaign first waved the racial flag with Bill Cinton's frankly bigoted remarks comparing Obama's stunning victory in South Carolina to the primary victories of Jesse Jackson in '84 and '88. Obama has never injected race or gender into this contest. He has transcended this rancid political game stirred up by the Clintons and has hit a chord with millions of Americans with his message of change and national renewal. I lost a lot of respect for Paul Krugman after reading this bogus article.

Thank you,

Josh Castle

That was written on the beach at Puerta Vallarta, where he was recouping from 11 straight months of hard work leading up to the Washington caucus tsunami

Just sent this to Krugman in response to today's column.

ouch, Good for you Matthew

'..and I am not giving them more ammo. '

When it comes to hillary, they have all the ammo they need. In a BIG chest labled 'clinton'. They have been stockpiling it for years.

You know, after the weak primary showing here, I have seriously been thinking about 'getting out the vote' type of things here, but I seriously am very unsure how to do so.

Not go into a less rural setting, because it is small towns like mine that are hardest hit by apathy. We have a lot of people, young people specifically that could vote, but don't.

Political activism where I live is a game the old rich people play. The young people are aware they SHOULD participate, but the public political landscape here is like walking on the moon. Desolate.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has won electoral contests by focusing his pitch to religious conservatives around the country. And in a Sunday visit to the church of the deceased Rev. Jerry Falwell, Huckabee threw that base some more red meat.

"We really don’t need a lot of law if we’re people of morality," Huckabee said at the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, according to a report in the Lynchburg News Advance. "There are only 10 basic laws that we need … the reason that the law is more complicated is because we try to find clever ways around those 10."

Additional reports at CBS News showed Huckabee taking his statement a step farther.

"I hope you know Jesus Christ personally…because the level to which he rules you and governs you, you need less and less of man’s law to tell you how to live and that is what our Founding Fathers understood and we must understand," he preached.

Huckabee also railed against what he called the "degeneration of morality" in society before playing his bass guitar with the church's musicians.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Huckabee_at_Falwells_Chuch_Ten_Commandmants_0211.html

I do not care what a great way of 'communicating' he has. He is a freaking theocrat who has lost his damn mind if he thinks this nation will trust him to apply the laws of GOD to all the rest of Us.

I am so sick of evangicals I could spit.

What is amazing though, is that if you TRULY believe as Huckabee claims to believe, then some of those statements are by no means considered outrageous, they actually make total sense.

The "irony" of it all, to tie into the thread du jour, is that there seems to be such a huge loss of faith in our government, and yet simultaneously combusting are those of faith who back less government and seem to be all the MORE interested in CONTROLLING the very government they claim to loathe!

If that don't make ya choke on a pretzel, I know what wood knot...

"..and seem to be all the MORE interested in CONTROLLING the very government they claim to loathe!"

Ofcourse they do. They need to control it to hand it back to God.

If I understand their twisted logic right, the Rapture will be triggered by it. They have to control it to sacrifice it to God. Dismantle it, in the name of God. To them, they are saving all of our souls by making us conform to their version of science, history, and the bible. And once they have 'prepared' a place for Jesus to return, He will. Then they can all enter Heaven the great biblical 'heros' they just KNOW they are.

It is very hard to articulate just how much the people here do believe that. To them it makes PERFECT sense. I have been listening to it all my life.

These people are CRAZY. And dangerous.

Christy
I hope they get mad enough at McCain not being conservative enough (a warmonger but not consistent re DOMA, Stemcells & made law with the evildoers Feingold and Kennedy) that they sit out the election and withold their labor as far as phone banks and donations too. Then they (the conservative evangelicals) would do some good and also be moved back to the margins where they belong. We have plenty of them here too - they just don't outnumber yet.

Stanley Dunham, Obama discusses his mother

Two CBS Journalists Missing In Basra

BAGHDAD — Two CBS News journalists were missing in the predominantly Shiite southern city of Basra, the network said Monday.

CBS said all efforts were under way to find the journalists, who were not identified by the network. It requested "that others do not speculate on the identities of those involved" until more information was available.

"CBS News has been in touch with the families and asks that their privacy be respected," the network added in a brief statement from its headquarters in New York.

Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, has seen fierce fighting between rival Shiite militias as part of a power struggle in the oil-rich south.

The British military turned over responsibility for the province to Iraqis in December, but maintains forces near Basra, about 340 miles southeast of Baghdad.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/11/two-cbs-journalists-missi_n_86074.html

Well, Obama was pretty damned impressive, and the screaming crowd of 17,000 PLUS only added to it.

For the former JK mods, Marvin sends his love--he looked quite dapper!

I think Obama has found his rhythm and stride -- which is all over the stage, by the way. He is fully in the space and he owns the room. And a room that holds 17,000 plus is a mighty big room.

I especially loved watching the range of folks, young and old, Black, white, Asian, Latino, kids, college students, etc. lean forward slowly, with big eyes, taking in every word.

As Obama entered, a woman handed him her baby, who looked to be about four months old. Obama and this kid looked each other straight on in the eyes for a few beats, and then Obama slowly brought the baby close and kissed him/her on the cheek. It was a profound moment for many reasons--remembering 2004 and JK's way with babies and young children, and just the zen-like open look they gave each other--no hurry, time for connecting.

There is still so much work to be done, and I, for one, want to know what any of the candidates are going to do about the assaults on the Constitution, and the extraordinary powers the Bush administration has usurped from the people. But today was a glimpse into the possible, and it looked very good to me.

Christy

The Rapture can't come soon enough.

Half the SUVs in SoCal (the ones with NOT OF THIS WORLD decals) will be unmanned. It will do wonders for our traffic jam situation.

Sparrow

Great comments about your independent streak.

I am another vote that the Dems must fight for. I live in a state where the Democrats have declared WAR on businesses, non-hybrid motorists, and sportsmen, and that won't fly with me.

Someone at the New York Times is now preventing me from posting in the political blogs. My posts go into immediate moderation, and most times no longer show up if I've said anything critical about Hillary.

Stanley Fish had a provocative column today, mocking the strong feeling of the anti-Hillary crowd. I responded, I thought in civil fashion, but my post never showed up.

Here's Fish's original column, and my rejected response:

http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/a-calumny-a-day-will-keep-hillary-away/index.html?ref=opinion

****

I have no doubt that emotions can fuel electoral passions. We love some candidates, hate others. Perhaps all these passions are irrational. But so is, I would argue, the notion that a cheerleader for the worst foreign policy blunder since Vietnam has any claim of leadership or competency whatsoever - yes, competency - in a decidedly anti-war party. That she is even a viable candidate today, given both that vote and her actions right up until the start of her extended Presidential campaign, is counter-intuitive, if not profoundly irrational. I chalk it up to celebrity - and I hate the role of celebrity in American life.

But perhaps there is a much more subtle strain of discontent at work here. I call it Clinton fatigue. You see, just because many of us wrote letters to journalists and political leaders opposing Bill Clinton's impeachment doesn't mean that we enjoyed doing it; or in my instance, we didn't secretly harbor a desire that Bill would simply resign, and let Gore take over. If he had, I have no doubt that Gore would have won the 2000 election, and might still be President today. And that Iraq would not have happened. But now they want to bring that marriage back to the White House? Can you appreciate the queasiness that many of us feel inside about this couple, apart from their role in the Iraq debacle, and quite a number of other policy issues - as in those that John Edwards most eloquently gave voice to?

When the Gallipoli invasion failed during WWI, Churchill, who had championed the policy, not only resigned from his position as First Lord of the Admiralty, but volunteered for a position commanding British infantry on the front lines of France. But that was a time when failure had repercussions, and leaders understood and accepted its price. Today, after having playing an integral role in nursing America's obsession with Saddam, and then having supported George W. Bush's massively unwise Iraq adventure, Hillary thinks she deserves a promotion, and Bill, a return to the White House. And those of us who hate them for expecting such a thing are ridiculed. Methinks the day of Macbeth's weird sisters has returned, a day when "fair is foul, and foul is fair".

First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;" who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season."

(image from PubliusPundit.com)

(destined later for http://www.silencedmajority.blogs.com - for now we are kind of focussed on the story about French women not getting fat despite rich food and the new angle that they get more sex up into their twilight years)

This is a really neat map that can tell you how counties voted - in US
http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/demmap/index.html
Got it from Chuck in Thailand.

Good McCain resource article from the Independent & remember "Bomb Bomb Iran?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg&

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=22&art_id=vn200802100919176
19C222492

Know the recent story about the 'woman held' in a 'bomb scare' on an oil rig? I knew something sounded funky about that story.

"According to one report, the scare started when a woman employee on the rig was overheard recalling a dream she had had about a bomb on the platform. Jake Molloy, general secretary of the Offshore Industry Liaison Committee, one of the biggest unions representing offshore workers, said: "It was complete madness. This girl had a dream about a bomb being on board and she was a bit shaken. The next thing anyone knew workers were being evacuated."

He said the rumour that a bomb was on the accommodation block - or "flotel" - had spread to senior managers within an hour. "It was complete madness on behalf of everyone. There was never any reason to evacuate the platform."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/feb/11/uksecurityandterrorism

There is still so much work to be done, and I, for one, want to know what any of the candidates are going to do about the assaults on the Constitution, and the extraordinary powers the Bush administration has usurped from the people. But today was a glimpse into the possible, and it looked very good to me.

*****************

Karen, not sure if it was part of the stump speech when you were there, but Barack got huge applause in Birmingham when he talked about governing under the Constitution, restoring habeas corpus and our Bill of Rights, and making sure the various government departments do what they're supposed to, instead of the Orwellian opposite. As he listed them off..."I will have a Labor Department that focuses on working Americans...a Justice Department that focuses on justice...a Dept. of Education that focuses on educating our children for the 21st century...etc." I leaned over to the baby-boomer-aged woman (strong Obama volunteer) next to me and said, "This shouldn't be so radical!" and she agreed.

But unfortunately it is.

If you look under "issues" on the barackobama.com website, you'll see many places where Barack is committed to restoring our Constitutional rights and restricting presidential/federal powers to those enumerated in the Constitution.

I admit I haven't checked the Hillary site, but to be honest, I don't really trust anything she says since her message keeps changing to fit the focus polls.

GM reports biggest-ever automotive loss

GM reported a $38.7 billion loss for 2007 on Tuesday, the largest annual loss ever for an automotive company, and said it is making a new round of buyback offers to U.S. hourly workers.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23124844/

CNN QuickVote

Who do you like best for president?

John McCain 24% 11557
Mike Huckabee 12% 6001
Hillary Clinton 24% 11431
Barack Obama 40% 19322

Total Votes: 48311

I admit I haven't checked the Hillary site, but to be honest, I don't really trust anything she says since her message keeps changing to fit the focus polls.

That's precisely what California's former Democratic governor, Gray Davis, did, justifying it as "governing from the center."

No right-winger fell for that crap. No left-winger trusted him.

Davis was re-elected due to the Republicans picking out a far-right ideologue as his challenger, but was recalled and replaced with the Governator shortly thereafter.

Many Democrats considered Davis their rising star until the recall. Apparently, some Democrats have never learned from the fall of Davis, based on what Hillary and the DLC types are doing now.

Matthew Carnicelli

Just shows the rotten core of the mainstream media, and the grip the Clinton machine has on the media.

Webb Suggests Legal Action Against Bush On Iraq

Sen. Jim Webb thinks legal action against the Bush administration may be needed if the president pursues a long-term military presence in Iraq without Congress' approval.

"I'm not convinced we don't need to have a lawsuit ready," Webb told the Huffington Post. "This is a classic separation of powers issue. I started to talk to people about this today."

In recent days the administration has seemingly backed away from attempting to secure extended military-to-military relationship with the Iraqi government to replace a current U.N. Mandate. Webb and others -- most notably Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sen. Hillary Clinton -- have pushed legislation that would restrict federal money for any such agreement unless it came in the form of a congressional treaty. And while a victory on that front seems within grasp, the possibility still exists, Webb warned, for the administration to ultimately circumvent congressional input.

"They are characterizing this as within the authority of the Executive Branch. They will wait to August when everyone is at the conventions, and leave it on our doorstep," said the Virginia Democrat. "If the Senate hasn't acted by then, they are going to announce an agreement between the Executive Branch and Iraq."

The issue of a long-term military presence in Iraq reemerged on the political landscape today after Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he may suspend the reduction of U.S. troops from the country depending on security considerations.

"A brief period of consolidation and evaluation probably does make sense," Gates told reporters during a short stop at this U.S. base in southern Baghdad.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/11/webb-suggests-legal-actio_n_86128.html

Senate approves legal immunity for telecoms

With just a few days until a stop-gap surveillance measure expires, the Senate finally seemed ready to acquiesce to President Bush's demand that telecommunications companies that helped him spy on Americans be let off the hook.

On Tuesday, the Senate struck down several proposals to strip retroactive immunity from an update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance act and seemed ready to pass a final bill. However, the FISA update still needs to be squared with the House, which passed an immunity-free version several months ago and remains opposed to the proposal.

The Senate actions would shield from lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without court permission after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

After nearly two months of stops and starts, the Senate rejected by a vote of 31 to 67 an amendment sponsored by Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) that would have stripped a grant of retroactive immunity to the companies.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Senate_OKs_immunity_for_telecoms_0212.html

Pakistan nuclear staff abducted

Two employees of Pakistan's atomic energy agency have been abducted in the country's restive north-western region abutting the Afghan border, police say.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7240414.stm

Man, Rossi. It is all f*cked up.

We still have to call for impeachment. We can not just wait idly by, hoping power will shift long enough to change course.

He must be held accountable, ASAP, now, today and tommorrow, the presidential race is secondary to dealing with the current president.

God help us.

IMPEACH ALREADY!

BTW, I just watched a movie that says more about our way of life than anything else I have seen in a long time.

It is gut-wrenching. And the clearest line of the whole movie is, 'It is all f*cked up, isn't it?'.

Watch it while waiting for the yankees to vote.

In the Valley of Elah

http://video.supernovatube.com/play.php?viewkey=559659423

Look!

There's a new rule on Capitol Hill: the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee can remove impeachment from the Constitution, but cannot also use telephones, Email, or fax machines, because the flood of pro-impeachment communications from outraged citizens is overwhelming each of those devices. Don't believe me? Try phoning, Emailing, or faxing John Conyers' office.

Congressman John Conyers' telephone, by many reports, rang endlessly on Monday, approximately 60 times per minute, or as fast as people could get through. The same thing appears to be happening today (Tuesday).

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/30952

Call Conyers. Keep calling him.

202-225-5126, 202-224-3121

Gang-Rape Victim Says She And Others Silenced by Halliburton
Source: ABC News
A Houston, Texas woman, who says she was gang-raped by her co-workers at a Halliburton/KBR camp in Baghdad, says 38 women have come forward through her foundation to report their own tragic stories to her, but that many cannot speak publicly due to arbitration agreements in their employment contracts.
Jamie Leigh Jones is testifying on Capitol Hill this afternoon. She says she and other women are being forced to argue their cases of sexual harassment, assault and rape before secretive arbitration panels rather than in open court before a judge and jury.
Jones returned from Iraq following her rape in 2005. She was the subject of an exclusive ABC News report in December which led to congressional hearings.
After months of waiting for criminal charges to be filed, Jones decided to file suit against Halliburton and KBR.
KBR has moved for Jones' claim to be heard in private arbitration, instead of a public courtroom, as provided under the terms of her original employment contract.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4278133&page=1

Diyala police ask U.S. troops’ help in battle with U.S.-backed militias
Hussain al-Yaaqoubi, Azzaman

Fierce clashes between U.S.-backed Sunni militias and Iraqi police have prompted U.S. occupation troops in the country to interfere. But the troops have opted to side with the police against the Sunni tribal militias they created, trained, financed and armed to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq. Tensions are high in the restive Diyala Province of which Baaquba is the capital with the Sunni militias threatening to turn their guns against U.S. troops and the Shiite-dominated government if their demands are not met....

www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2008-02-12\kurd.htm

Israel plans 10,000 new settlements in eastern Jerusalem

Palestinian Information Center

Mayor of occupied Jerusalem Uri Lupolianski announced that he would push forward a plan for building 10,000 new settlement units in various districts of occupied eastern Jerusalem in order to bring more Jews to live in the city. In the same context, Israeli construction and settlement minister Ze'ev Boim announced Tuesday in an interview with the Hebrew radio the Israeli government would invite bids for the building of 360 new settlement units on the Mount Abu Ghuneim (Har Homa) settlement adjacent to the Aqsa Mosque in addition to other 750 units in Israeli Pisgat Ze'ev settlement, north of occupied Jerusalem...

www.uruknet.info?p=41066