Democrats take back the Senate in Virginia and, thankfully, Jeanmarie Devolites Davis LOST tonight

Watching local TV. A few minutes ago Governor Tim Kaine announced that the Democrats have taken back the State Senate. Democrats needed four seats to win back control and based on various reports, it looks like they did it. Still a couple races left to be called.

For me, the exciting news is that State Senator Jeanmarie Devolites Davis lost. I'll admit taking great glee in that outcome. Last week, we reported on the political thuggery of Davis. She's the wife of Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA). They're quite a pair -- A repulsive pair of political thugs. He spent hundreds of thousands from his campaign account on her race. And, today, she lost.

Raising Kaine (which is really one of the blogs that sets the standard for state-based political blogs) has had outstanding coverage throughout the elections.

The Washington Post is reporting the Dems. have picked up the four seats needed, too:
Read More......

Kentucky has a new Democratic Governor

The incumbent Republican, Ernie Fletcher, got thumped:

Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher, a Republican whose lone term was dogged by a hiring scandal, lost badly Tuesday despite an election-eve effort to woo conservative voters by displaying the Ten Commandments in the state Capitol.

Democratic challenger Steve Beshear, a former attorney general and lieutenant governor, pulled off a political comeback 20 years after last holding office.

On to Mitch McConnell. Matt at Ditch Mitch KY is analyzing the results and had these reports:

20.45: Beshear doing EXTREMELY well so far in western Kentucky, which is arguably the state’s most socially conservative region. Gay-baiting didn’t work here, it appears. Troubling sign for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) next year?

21.00: Ladies and gentleman, one image is striking fear into the heart of Mitch McConnell tonight, and it’s western Kentucky going dark, dark blue.

21.30: Ernie Fletcher did best where Republicans hate Mitch McConnell the most.

21.45: I am going to get some nachos and salsa. And I am going to chill for a bit and soak it all it. Good stuff. Good, good stuff.

21.55: Waiting on Henderson County to report. Should go dark blue.

22.10: Henderson County reports. That’s all she wrote.

22.15: What did we learn tonight? Kentuckians are thinking hard about their votes. That’s bad news for Mitch McConnell.

Read More......

Poll: 70% of LGBT Respondents Support Noninclusive ENDA

Which backs up what I've been writing and suspecting and hearing. From the Advocate:

According to a new poll, 70% of LGBT Americans prefer passing an Employment Non-Discrimination Act that does not cover transgender people over not passing the bill at all. The poll, commissioned by the Human Rights Campaign and conducted on October 26, surveyed 500 members of the LGBT community across the country.

Read More......

Ron Paul, Kucinich and Gravel keep saying things I agree with - does that make me a bad person?

I just can't get over the fact that whenever I watch the presidential debates - and trust me, my interest is waning fast (I mean, how many of these non-debates can you actually watch?) - the only people who really shine are Kucinich, Gravel and Paul. The only problem? They're kind of crazy. Then again, Paul is taking crazy all the way to the bank:

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, aided by an extraordinary outpouring of Internet support Monday, hauled in more than $3.5 million in 20 hours.

Paul, the Texas congressman with a Libertarian tilt and an out-of-Iraq pitch, entered heady fundraising territory with a surge of Web-based giving tied to the commemoration of Guy Fawkes Day.

Fawkes was a British mercenary who failed in his attempt to kill King James I on Nov. 5, 1605. He also was the model for the protagonist in the movie "V for Vendetta." Paul backers motivated donors on the Internet with mashed-up clips of the film on the online video site YouTube as well as the Guy Fawkes Day refrain: "Remember, remember the 5th of November."

Paul's total deposed Mitt Romney as the single-day fundraising record holder in the Republican presidential field. When it comes to sums amassed in one day, Paul now ranks only behind Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton, who raised nearly $6.2 million on June 30, and Barack Obama.

Then again, during the debates several years ago the only people I liked were Kucinich and Sharpton, and that really bothered me too. Read More......

Note to Hill Democrats: Read the op-ed Markos wrote in today's edition of The Hill

In an oped in today's edition of The Hill that every Democratic member of Congress, every staffer and all of their consultant-types should read, Markos nails the mood of Democrats off the Hill. Just nails it:

For seven years, Americans outside Washington observed Bush and his Republican allies break every single promise they ever made to the American people.

They haven’t captured Osama bin Laden, dead or alive. They haven’t accomplished our mission in Iraq. They haven’t guaranteed insurance for millions of poor children. They haven’t “defend[ed] the Constitution of the United States” from attacks on our civil liberties.

Meanwhile, Bush and his svengali Karl Rove consistently achieved new heights of hyperpartisanship — always quicker to demonize the opposition than to compromise. So in 2006, the nation struck back with a resounding message — unitary Republican control was no longer acceptable. A wave of new Democrats was elected to oppose the Bush Republican agenda. House Democrats won the national vote by a solid 54-46, while Senate Dems crushed their Republican rivals, 54-42.

But D.C. is a funny place. No one seems to have gotten that resounding message, certainly not Bush and the new Republican minority. More surprisingly, Democrats also failed to get the message. On issue after issue, the Democratic norm has been to capitulate to the slightest pressure from the GOP. And while the public has meted record-low approval ratings for this Congress in response, the lesson apparently remains unlearned.

Whether it’s Iraq funding or the Michael Mukasey confirmation, Democrats continue to give away the store without receiving any concessions in return. It’s a one-way street in a town that has ceded Article I of the Constitution for a unitary, non-compromising executive. The public is sick of this administration’s betrayals. Why aren’t Democrats?

Why aren't Democrats on the Hill sick of it? Something is wrong. Very wrong. The Democrats have become very insular and out of touch with where the American people are. They need to get their spines back.

I keep going back to Dan Froomkin's column on this very subject last week:

But it's not Bush's style to back down, especially when a key element of his radical and unprecedented expansion of executive power is at stake.

Instead, Bush has learned that the higher he ratchets up the rhetoric, especially if he can accuse his critics of being weak on terror, the more likely Congressional Democrats are to fold. He's simply counting on that happening again.

Even with historic disapproval ratings, Bush contiunes to play the Democrats. Yet, the Democrats haven't figured out how to play him or even fight back. That's not just appalling, it's pathetic. Read More......

Waterboarding. Is. Torture.

Malcolm Nance, one of the most insightful observers of the Iraq insurgency, takes a break from his usual trenchant analysis of strategy and tactics to weigh in on waterboarding.

From his personal experience.

If you have any questions about torture in general or waterboarding in particular, it's really a must-read. Money quote:

As a former Master Instructor and Chief of Training at the US Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School (SERE) in San Diego, California I know the waterboard personally and intimately. SERE staff were required undergo the waterboard at its fullest. I was no exception. I have personally led, witnessed and supervised waterboarding of hundreds of people . . .

Waterboarding is slow motion suffocation with enough time to contemplate the inevitability of black out and expiration –usually the person goes into hysterics on the board. For the uninitiated, it is horrifying to watch and if it goes wrong, it can lead straight to terminal hypoxia. When done right it is controlled death.

I'm not even that up in arms about Mukasey in particular -- it seems weird to me that after doing nothing about torture for years, the Senate is suddenly supposed to take a hard line (it reminds me of the Davos filibuster, a little -- too little too late!) -- but Democrats need to get out in front of this issue.

Torture is for despicable regimes. It's beneath us, and if we could get past fascism and communism without resorting to it, we don't need to lower ourselves to that level now. If and when the 24 ticking-time-bomb scenarios occur in real life, then maybe that changes things. But for now, torture advocates are trying to put us at the level of the people we despise, and it's a disgrace. Read More......

The deadliest year for US troops in Iraq

It's now official that 2007 has been the deadliest year for US troops since the start of the war.

5 troops killed just in the past day.

I hate to state the obvious but more troops = more targets for those who want to kill us.

As a former soldier I love, honor, and respect our troops with all of my heart. However, they are not the only victims as a lot of people would like to believe.

We as Americans need to look past our own narcissism and look deeper into the disturbing statistics in regard to the suffering of the Iraqis.

2.3 million have been displaced because of this illegal war and an average of 56 are killed each day. Two-thirds of those displaced in Iraq are children under the age of 12.

How does the US military plan to help the situation? By conducting another major military operation in Iraq.

Did it ever occur to the idiots who started this war and continue it that military force has proven time and time again to be not only a failure but a contributor to this entire chaotic mess ?? Apparently not.

I'll bet that one of Bush's lackeys like Dana Perino will conduct a press conference sometime today to promote the continued success of the "surge."

I guess they think they can put whipped cream on shit and expect that to taste good too ?? There is no way to sugarcoat this.

I hate being lied to , but when you insult my intelligence it just ads insult to injury -- probably speaking for us all.

The pro-war crowd will tell me that posts like this are bad for the morale of our troops. That I have my facts wrong. That I'm drinking the liberal "kool-aid." That I can't support the troops without supporting their mission. To them I'm worse than the guy who goes around telling all the little kiddies there is no such thing as Santa Claus. Give me a break.

I wonder how good it is for the morale of US soldiers who will open up the Army Times just to read that after 5+ years of war we are losing more troops then ever in a ravaged war-torn country that they are told they are liberating.

The bottom line: US troop deaths have hit a record high and the Iraqis have no freedom. Only death, destruction, displacement, sectarian civil war, and misery -- courtesy of George W. Bush.

It is a tragic time in American history when the people look at the Commander in Chief of their armed forces as a fraud with no honor.

John Bruhns
Iraq Veteran Read More......

Major Civil Rights groups, Labor unions and HRC announce support for ENDA. House vote tomorrow.

After thirty years, the U.S. House will finally vote on ENDA tomorrow. Several leading groups announced support for H.R. 3685 sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank. Now that the vote is real, more are joining on including the Anti-Defamation League. This vote is historic. And, the anti-gay religious right groups are going to go even more insane when it passes.

Click on each page of the letter for a larger version.


Read More......

Mukasey nomination passed Judiciary Committee thanks to Schumer and Feinstein

They must be laughing their butts off over at the White House. Bush rolled the Democrats again:

The Senate Judiciary Committee today narrowly voted in favor of attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey, who was opposed by most of the panel's Democrats over his refusal to say whether an aggressive interrogation tactic constitutes illegal torture.

The committee's 11-8 vote sends Mukasey nomination to the full Senate, which is expected to confirm the appointment in a floor vote to be held by next week.

The approval was clinched by two committee Democrats, Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), who parted ways with their colleagues by voting in favor of the nomination along with the panel's nine Republicans.

Heckuva job Chuck and Dianne. We really, really appreciate it. Really.

Let's just be clear: Bush wants an Attorney General who will let him torture. And, thanks to Democrats, Bush is getting what he wants. Read More......

Musharraf regime attacks protesters who want freedom. Last week, Bush supported those who "yearn for freedom"

What a difference a week makes.

Just last Wednesday, Bush was at the Heritage Foundation extolling the virtues of freedom and liberty:

We are standing with those who yearn for the liberty -- who yearn for liberty in the Middle East, because we understand that the desire for freedom is universal, written by the Almighty into the hearts of every man, woman and child on this Earth. (Applause.)

We are standing with those who yearn for liberty in the Middle East, because we know that the terrorists fear freedom even more than they fear our firepower. They know that given a choice, no one will choose to live under their dark ideology of violence and death.

We're standing with those who yearn for liberty in the Middle East, because we know that when free societies take root in that part of the world, they will yield the peace we all desire. See, the only way the terrorists can recruit operatives and suicide bombers is by feeding on the hopelessness of societies mired in despair. And by bringing freedom to these societies, we replace hatred with hope, and this will help us to marginalize the extremists and eliminate the conditions that feed radicalism, and make the American people more secure.

This week, Bush's ally in Pakistan, the dictator Musharraf, has imposed martial law. He is brutally attacking protesters who are fighting for democracy:

The Musharraf government’s resolve to silence its fiercest opponents was evident in the strength of the crackdown by baton-wielding police officers who pummeled lawyers and then hauled them by the legs and arms into police wagons in Lahore.

At one point, lawyers and police officers clashed in a pitched battle, with lawyers standing on the roof of the High Court throwing stones at the police below, and the police hurling them back. Some of the lawyers were bleeding from the head, and some passed out in clouds of tear gas.

But as Mark Mazzetti at the NY Times points out, Bush isn't defending democracy or those who "yearn for liberty" in Pakistan:

President Bush on Monday urged Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, to hold elections and give up his army post “as soon as possible,” but gave no indication that the general’s imposition of emergency rule would bring about any significant change in American policy.

If you're a dictator that Bush likes, you can impose martial law and beat protesters. If he doesn't like you, he invades. Read More......

House Committee chair accuses Yahoo of lying about role in jailing Chinese dissident

Yahoo really should fry for this one. Then again, they join the ranks of AT&T; and Verizon as companies who are willing to sell out everything this nation stands for in order to help Big Brother. Read More......

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

State elections today in New Jersey, Virginia, Kentucky and Mississippi. Keep an eye on Kentucky where the incumbent GOP Governor, Ernie Fletcher, should lose big time. And, the Democrats could pick up the State Senate in Virginia -- more evidence that state is turning blue.

What else is going on? Read More......

Australian protesters: we're not bigots, but...

I'll bet they would protest just the same if it was a Christian school being constructed. AFP:

Hundreds of people have protested against the building of a new Islamic school on the outskirts of Australia's largest city, local officials said Tuesday.

Around 1,000 people held a meeting late on Monday to object to the proposal by the Quranic Society to build the 1,200-place school in Camden, a satellite town southwest of Sydney.

Large parts of southern Sydney are now heavily populated by Middle Eastern migrants, many of them Iraqi Muslims, but opponents deny any anti-Muslim bias.

"Let the people decide," Emil Frenchevich, the organiser of Monday's meeting, told national radio.

Read More......

If only salmon were Big Oil

Then they'd have the full support of the Bush administration instead of being kicked around like this.

Salmon advocates filed a lawsuit Monday to force the Bush administration to obey a 5-year-old court order requiring it to make permanent rules to keep agricultural pesticides from killing salmon.

Filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, the lawsuit asks a judge to order NOAA Fisheries, the agency in charge of protecting salmon, to formally consult with the Environmental Protection Agency over the use of 37 pesticides. Several are commonly found in rivers around the country and can kill salmon at minute concentrations.

U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour had ordered the formal consultations in 2002 and imposed temporary restrictions that barred crop-dusting next to salmon streams and required home and garden stores to post warnings for consumers.

"Apparently what it takes to get this administration to do its job under (the Endangered Species Act) is to have someone there enforcing the law every step of the way," said Joshua Osborne-Klein, an attorney for Earthjustice, the environmental public interest law firm representing salmon advocates.

This administration has no respect for the law whether it's about personal privacy or following court orders to protect endangered species. Read More......