Whisker Thin

After the counting of about 43,000 absentee votes in Alaska, Mark Begich leads Sen. Toobz Ted Stevens by 3 votes.

That's 3, count 'em, three votes.

Wow.

There are still more than 10,000 absentee and questioned ballots left to be counted.

Traitor Joe Must Go

New video from Brave New Films:

Joe Lieberman has launched consistent, deeply partisan attacks on President-elect Barack Obama, questioning his patriotism and fitness to lead. While Lieberman campaigned for John McCain and spoke on his behalf at the Republican National Convention, he spread some of the GOP's nastiest smears. Think Progress has provided thorough evidence of Lieberman's partisan politics. Lieberman should not be allowed to have subpoena power to investigate the Obama administration as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In fact, he should not be allowed to remain chairman of this or any other committee.

Lieberman has proven he cannot be trusted to hold a high rank within the Democratic caucus. That is why we launched Lieberman Must Go last summer, a campaign that caught Congress' attention when we delivered a petition with over 43,000 signatures. Now, we ask you to help us escalate the pressure by contacting members of the Senate Democratic Steering Committee. Tell them to strip Lieberman of his chairmanship in the Democratic caucus.

We have included a sample script and phone numbers below for you to use, and we ask that you be polite when you explain why Lieberman Must Go.

Comings and Goings

Howard Dean is stepping down as chair of the DNC. Howard Dean was the Best Democratic Party Chair Ever, IMHO. Two possibilities to replace Dean have been floated: David Plouffe (Plouffe has already said no); or a pairing of Claire McCaskill and someone else. All I care about is appointing another grass roots/fifty-state strategy Democrat to the position.

Former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe files papers to run for governor of Virginia. Ugh. Besides his corporate trough issues, how will that Syracuse accent play in Virginia?

Barack Obama has put out word that he favors appointing his close adviser Valerie Jarrett to his Senate seat, where she would be the only black woman in the Senate, and only the second black woman ever in the Senate, following Carol Moseley Brown. That would make the total of women senators 17, the highest ever. Good rundown on who Valerie Jarrett is, from Deoliver47 at dailykos.

Sarah Palin Is Stupid

I mean, really, really stupid. Shouldn't you know at least a little about what the job you're running for entails? Watch this fool:

Q: Brandon Garcia wants to know, “What does the Vice President do?”

PALIN: That’s something that Piper would ask me!.... [T]hey’re in charge of the U.S. Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom.

From ThinkProgress:

Article I of the Constitution establishes an exceptionally limited role for the Vice President — giving the office holder a vote only when the Senate is “equally divided”:

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

Moreover, the U.S. Senate website explains that the modern role of Vice Presidents has been to preside over the Senate “only on ceremonial occasions.” ThinkProgress contacted Senior Assistant Paliamentarian Peter Robinson, who also disputed Palin’s characterization of the Vice President’s role:

In modern practice the Vice President doesn’t really control the Senate. … If anyone has a responsibility to try to govern the Senate, it’s the responsibility of the two leaders

.

If someone came in to interview for a paralegal job, and told me she was looking forward to filling in for me in court, I'd smile at her and show her the door. Hopefully America will do the same with Stupid Palin.