Better video footage of Japanese whaling ship ramming environmentalists

The Japanese footage made it difficult to tell much other than there being an accident, but this is a different story. It's clear that the anti-whaling activist boat was not moving much and that the Japanese ship intentionally rammed it. After striking the boat, the Japanese ship immediately slowed its speed and turned away. Everyone down there may be in a gray area according to the law, but this video is very bad news for Japan. Read More......

The teabaggers are looking for new targets. Watch out, Roy Blunt.

What's left of the Moonie Times is reporting that the teabaggers are looking for more scalps:

A founder of the "tea party" movement said Wednesday he had a warning for Republican state leaders: Back conservative candidates or else other states will suffer the same backlash that toppled Florida's Republican Party chairman this week.

"We are turning our guns on anyone who doesn't support constitutional conservative candidates," said Dale Robertson, who operates TeaParty.org out of Houston and helped start the movement nearly two years ago.

He declined to say which states are next on the tea party's hit list. He said party leaders in those states would be warned privately, but the movement's wrath "will be very clear publicly" if they don't listen.

We've been wondering: Is Missouri on the list?

Long-time GOP Congressman Roy Blunt is running for Senate in Missouri. He's got opposition from State Senator Chuck Purgason, who is one of those very hard core right-wing GOPers. Blunt's been living the good life in D.C. for a long time and the teabaggers in his home state have noticed. Earlier this week, via FiredUp Missouri, we learned that Blunt was a headliner at teabagger rally in Missouri. Not anymore.

The conventional wisdom in D.C. is that Blunt is a sure thing for the GOP nomination (and the conventional wisdom had Charlie Crist picking out his Senate office.) But, Blunt's got baggage -- and none other than Michael Steele helped point that out. Check out the transcript on a right-wing radio show from the summer after the break. It gives a sense of what conservatives were saying about Blunt in Missouri.

The DJ, Vincent Jericho, is no longer working at the radio station:

VINCENT JERICHO: “But I’ve also made my career here by challenging Baby Blunt [former Gov. Matt Blunt] and how he just absolutely, ah, betrayed every single Missourian that who worked so hard to get him elected on the ridiculous stand he took where he redefined what cloning is. And this is supposed to be a Republican governor. He’s not governor anymore for good reason.

“His [Matt Blunt’s] daddy [Roy] screwed around with a tobacco lobbyist. Then slips language into the homeland security bill favorable to the tobacco lobbyist. I mean here is a guy that has committed adultery multiple times. Yet he had a senior position, and still does, in the Republican Party. Guys like Papa Blunt make us sick to our stomach. They aren’t conservatives, and they sure don’t reflect moral absolute the way that we expect the Republican Party to stand up. You had the page boy scandal, you had all of that crap, and nobody stands up to it and says, ‘This is crap! What are you doing? [Steele tries to cut in; unintelligible] Behave like a man – not like, not like little boys who are running around with their little toy and can’t behave themselves.”

MICHAEL STEELE: Look, now don’t, don’t – I mean, I agree with you. And when stuff gets in the crapper, you gotta clean it out."

Those teabaggers want the first crack at cleaning out the crapper. Read More......

Gingrich: Michael Steele's race makes some Republicans uncomfortable

Let's face it. What this is really all about is that Michael Steele said two words: Jesus Christ. (Sorry, doing my best Brit Hume impression.) Okay, here's Gingrich. Read More......

What Snowe and Collins got for Mainers: No public option and a 22.9% increase in premiums

Because insurance companies really do rule the world:

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine has proposed a 22.9 percent rate increase for two health insurance plans targeting individuals.

The filing comes as Anthem awaits a judge's ruling on an earlier rate case. Maine Insurance Superintendent Mila Koffman last spring denied Anthem's proposed 18 percent rate hike for its individual insurance plans. Instead, she approved a revised request for a 10.9 percent increase, which provided for a zero percent profit margin.

Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of whom have spent most of their adult lives getting benefits paid for by taxpayers, were vociferous opponents of the public option. Over the summer, Barack Obama told us that self-employed individuals would be "primary beneficiaries of the potential public option." Well, that didn't work out so well. Now, Olympia and Susan's self-employed constituents are going to get hit hard by the rate increases. Nice work.

And, notice how insurance companies are so willing to raise rates even as Congress wraps up the health care debate. They've got no fears about being reined in. Read More......

Co-chair of House Progressive Caucus, Rep. Grijalva, to White House: It's On You Now. Accuses WH of raising taxes on middle class.

From Brian Beutler:

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), a leading House progressive says if the White House can throw its weight behind a controversial tax in the Senate health care bill, it can stand up for some of the House's priorities, too....

Noting that the President stands foursquare behind the Senate's proposal to tax so-called "Cadillac" insurance policies to raise money, Grijalva put it to him to weigh in on some of the House's priorities. "How do you weigh in on a national exchange? How do you weigh in on a public option? How do you weigh in on the anti-trust exemption?"...

"Watching the fight is not enough," Grijalva said. "The pressure shifts to the White House now."

UPDATE: Grijalva had more to say in another story:

House Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) has a number of issues with President Obama. But chief among them seems to be that, though they've stayed silent on a whole host of health care issues, they've thrown their weight behind a controversial tax in the Senate bill--one that Grijalva says violates Obama's solemn campaign pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class.

I asked Grijalva whether the White House's support for the Senate health care bill's excise tax on so-called "Cadillac" insurance policies is compatible with his promise on the campaign.

"No, it's not," Grijalva said.

This is very dangerous territory for the White House. When you have a Democratic congressman saying that the President is advocating raising taxes on the middle class, that's fodder for campaign commercials against every member of Congress who votes for the health care bill, and against the President himself. Read More......

Obama speech on terrorist incident

The President is addressing the terror incident this afternoon. The speech was delayed several times today. The "security review" documents are posted here.

I'm liveblogging it.

4:34 PM: The review is complete. Our government failed to connect the dots in a way that would have prevented the incident.

4:36 PM: Our first line of defense is accurate info. Did not happen in lead up to Christmas Day. 1) Although we knew a lot about Al Qaeda in Yemen, the intel. community did not aggressively follow up on info. about attack on homeland; 2) there was a failure to connect the dots; 3) fed into shortcomings in watch list system.

4:38 PM: This was a failure to connect the information we had. Directing series of corrective steps: 1) Intel. community assign leads, assign clear lines of responsibility; 2) Can't sit on info. about attacks on U.S.; 3) Will improve day-to-day efforts of getting info. and 4) strengthening criteria for getting people on no-fly list.

These reforms will allow us to act on intel. quickly.

4:41 PM: Need to increase security at airports. More baggage screening. More passenger screening. More intense explosive screening. Directing DHS to take steps to increase security at airports -- working on next generation of screening.

4:43 PM: We have to stay one step ahead of nimble adversary...we will leave no stone unturned when it comes to protecting U.S. It appears this incident was not the fault of one individual or org. It was systemic.

4:44 PM: All agency heads will be held accountable for implementing new policy.

"Ultimately, the buck stops with me...When the system fails, it is my responsibility."

We are at war. We are at war with Al Qaeda..and they are plotting to strike us again.

4:47 PM: Directed national security team to address issue of "lone recruits." Here at home, we will strengthen our defenses. We won't sacrifice open society or hunker down, that's what the enemy wants. "We will define the character of our country"...not the terrorists...

Okay, now the punditry begins. And, at 5:15 PM, there will be a press briefing by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the President's Assistant for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security John Brennan Robert Gibbs. Then, at 6:00 PM, Dennis Blair, who serves as Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Council Chief of Staff, will be taking questions here. Read More......

Jesus' General pens a letter to NRCC spokesman Andy Seré

Manly man to manly man, of course. Read More......

Is Obama really racially profiling, and is it really wrong?

Spencer Ackerman says yes and yes. I'm not so sure. First off, is being Muslim a racial thing, a religious thing, an ethnic thing, or a geographic thing? And I say geographic because the new TSA rules are not to screen all Muslims, they're to screen anyone from specific countries (and all Muslim countries are not on the list). I think very often on the left we automatically defend the concept of not profiling anyone, especially if they're a person or people of color. But is profiling per se wrong, and unwarranted, in the case of international terrorism, and more generally is what Obama is doing with regards to the new TSA rules "racial" profiling? Is this not a problem we're having with radical Muslims? Just curious what you all think. Read More......

GOP chair Michael Steele tells detractors to "shut up"

From Political Wire:

"I'm telling them and I'm looking them in the eye and say I've had enough of it. If you don't want me in the job, fire me. But until then, shut up. Get with the program or get out of the way."

We should expect an apology shortly. Read More......

Fox's Brit Hume is terribly oppressed

Hume now says that his public call, as a news anchor for FOX News, for Tiger Woods to leave Buddhism and embrace Christianity was mocked only because he dared to utter two words on national television: Jesus Christ.

Or because your speech sounded a bit slurred and you came off as an intolerant evangelical nut rather than a newsman. Read More......

Obama as Buffy

John Amato over at Crooks and Liars has a few choice words about the comparison of President Obama and Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

If you're going to use Buffy as a model to help Obama, then you really should know what you're talking about. First of all, Buffy didn't kill Darla, Angel did, as he helped thwart Darla's plan to win Angel's heart again and bring him back to "The Master."

"The Master," was an ancient Vampire with incredible powers, but was stuck in a mystical force field after he failed in his attempt to open up the Hell Mouth many years ago. He was the Big Bad in the first season. Buffy was already the Slayer before she went to Sunnydale when the series started.

I know Joss Wheedon might differ with my take, but it wasn't until she confronted The Master in the final episode to fulfill a prophesy that she was able to conquer her crippling fear of him. And it was that fear that was holding her back from truly blossoming into the most powerful Slayer of all. At one point she was so terrified of the Master that she wanted to quit being a Slayer altogether, but she finally accepted her fate and decided to face the Master in the end.

If Obama were truly a liberal transformative hero, but fear was holding him back from becoming the ultimate progressive warrior, then I could sort of buy the comparison. I don't see that, do you?

Read More......

Palin stands by the "death panel" lie that earned "Lie of the Year"

Sarah Palin's claim about death panels was designated "Lie of the Year" in 2009 by Politifacts. Looks like she's trying to win "Lie of the Year" in 2010 with that same lie. Via Sam Stein:

Sarah Palin is standing by her claim that Democratic-authored health care legislation includes the infamous "death panels" - even after the assertion was labeled the "lie of the year" by a prize-winning fact checking organization.

The former Alaska governor told Sean Hannity, in a taping of the conservative firebrand's radio program on Wednesday, that she was "not gonna back off" the criticism that the health care bill would pursue cost saving measures by rationing end of life care.

And, she's the GOP's best hope for 2012. Read More......

Obama sides with Senate on taxing higher cost healthcare plans

In yet another sign that the President is pushing the Senate version of the health care bill, top House Democrats were summoned to the White House yesterday. They were told that the President prefers the Senate's version of raising revenue by taxing health care plans that cost more. Expect the House to acquiesce, even though this provision is opposed by the one of the Democratic Party's key constituencies, organized labor:

President Obama told top Democratic House members on Wednesday that he favored a tax on insurance companies offering more expensive healthcare plans as a means of extending insurance to millions of people who are not covered, according to a person familiar with the meeting.

The "Cadillac tax" is a feature of a healthcare bill that cleared the Senate before the Christmas holiday. But the House has chosen another financing method -- a tax hike on the wealthy.

Powerful labor unions at the core of the Democratic base are opposed to the Cadillac tax, saying that in some cases union members gave up wage increases in return for richer healthcare benefits.

Today, the Washington Post examined this tax, which Obama now supports, and finds that it has many detractors:

"It's a very blunt instrument," said former labor secretary Robert Reich. "It makes far more sense on policy and political grounds to tax the top 1 percent rather than sweep in so many people that are paying more for health care, not because they are getting more health care but because they're older or working for small businesses."

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) notes that Obama pledged not to raise taxes on anyone earning under $250,000 and that he attacked Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on the campaign trail in 2008 over his plan to do away with the tax-free treatment of employer-provided benefits. Pro-Republican groups are already turning the tables by running ads accusing Democrats of wanting to tax benefits.

"It's a plan that has great political risk for the Democrats," Courtney said.

Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

At 1:00 PM, the President will be making another statement on the "security review" following the attempted terrorist attack on that Northwest airlines flight. That's been his primary focus since he got back to D.C.

The House and Senate continue the preparation for their "ping-pong" game with the health care bill. It's not going to be a fun game to watch. The good guys don't win. Remember how we thought having the Presidency and control of both House of Congress would lead to really strong reform?

John outlined a number of changes he's made to the blog last night. He's constantly trying to make it easier to read. And, he's looking seriously at a new comments vendor. That should happen soon.

Okay...have at it. Read More......

Mobile phones helpful against Alzheimer's?

After all of the negative studies against them, this is interesting. More studies need to be done though the early testing will raise eyebrows. Someone would have to be on the phone quite a lot to see any supposed benefit and one can only imagine what other issues that may trigger. BBC News:

The researchers, led by Professor Gary Arendash, said that if the phone exposure was started when the Alzheimer's mice were young adults, before signs of memory impairment were apparent, their cognitive ability was protected.

In fact, the Alzheimer's mice performed as well on tests measuring memory and thinking skills as aged mice without dementia.

If older Alzheimer's mice already showing memory problems were exposed to the electro-magnetic waves, their memory impairment disappeared.

Read More......