Josh Marshall: What we learned from tonight's 60 Minutes broadcast

What we learned is that our president is a liar who pushed us into war in Iraq by cherry-picking the evidence. Even more troubling, we learned that we had turned a senior Iraqi official who told us that Saddam didn't have WMD, so the Bush administration blew him off because his story didn't fit with the plan for war. Then we learned that the commission that looked into the handling of the WMD issue and the war in Iraq itself misled the American people by hiding how badly Bush had lied to us.

Yes, your government at work. Even when they're no longer in government, they still lie.

More from Josh - read it. Read More......

Worldwide terrorist attacks and kidnappings exceed 10,000 last year for the first time, in part because of Iraq

We're number one!

Doh! I have the real link up now, sorry about that. Read More......

Open Thread

What do you know? Read More......

Surprise! With all Bush's saber-rattling, we actually don't have sufficient intelligence on Iran to know WHAT is going on

What's old is new. Read More......

LA Times lead editorial: Cheney must go

And they don't mean Mary. They also say that Rumsfeld should go too. Read More......

More "Progress" in Iraq

Bush-style progress, that is:

Three U.S. soldiers were killed Sunday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb northwest of the capital, raising to eight the number of Americans killed this weekend in Baghdad area.

More than 20 Iraqis also died in other violence Sunday, including seven who were killed in three explosions that occurred just outside the heavily guarded Green Zone in Baghdad, not far from Iraq's Defense Ministry.

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FDA fails once again to protect consumers

Instead of focusing on slaughterhouses that improperly cut beef, forcing cow feces all over meat heading out to consumers, the FDA is instead giving the go ahead to add in some new mixture that is supposed to knock out "up to 99.9%" of E. coli. Maybe this solution will work and maybe not, but why doesn't the FDA worry more about the root cause of the problem or does the cattle industry provide too many campaign contributions to the GOP who have ravaged the FDA? The E. coli problem is considerably less of a problem outside of the US, where other countries demand better consumer protection. What a novel idea. Read More......

Happy Orthodox Easter

Translation:

My ass is killing me.

What? Read More......

Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

CNN is reporting that Bin Laden has issued a new tape via Al Jazeera...so that will undoubtedly impact the news today. Otherwise, the talk shows are an eclectic gathering:

FOX NEWS SUNDAY...: Reps. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas , and former White House chiefs of staff Leon E. Panetta and Kenneth M. Duberstein .

THIS WEEK (ABC, WJLA)...: Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) and actress Gloria Reuben .

FACE THE NATION (CBS, WUSA...: Maj. Gen. John Batiste (Ret.), former commander of the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq; former White House chief of staff John D. Podesta and former White House communications director Patrick J. Buchanan .

MEET THE PRESS (NBC, WRC...: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), former spokesman Tony Blankley , former press secretary Dee Dee Myers and columnist David S. Broder .

LATE EDITION (CNN)...: Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad , Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and author Thomas L. Friedman .

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Smoking bans spreading across US

Who would have guessed that even small towns in the south are instituting smoking bans? What a pleasant surprise and I wish that the spineless government in France would have followed through with it's no-smoking program instead of cowering to the 25% who smoke. On Friday night while trying to enjoy a simple dinner out, two guys at the table next to us chain smoked and even holding their cigarette hand about six inches away from us. Smokers have set themselves up for the grassroots movements around the world and have only their own behavior to blame for the bans.

Of course, my smoking experience just barely overshadowed the amusing situation earlier that evening while waiting to get in. Two women in front of us who were chatting up some guy in line start blabbing on about the one being a Fox News anchor. Then when the elderly gentleman asks about the news station, she told him that she liked it because "it was more fair." Oh dear... The next time I'm back over I will have to watch and see just "how fair" the local affiliate is.

Anyway, great news on the smoking bans and send us some help over here! Read More......

Nepal security forces fire again on crowds

The security forces are going to have to answer to the real government once this situation changes and those days are not far off. With continued reactions like this and with a king who is still reluctant to step down in order to save the country that he is not fit to govern, it is no wonder the protestors have continued pressing for change. Yesterday more than 200 people were injured when security forces shot both rubber and live bullets into crowds. Read More......

Very late night open thread

Just got home from Easter services. Yes, they're a wee bit late in the Greek church. Gnite. Read More......