Rep. John Lewis switches delegate vote from Clinton to Obama

John Lewis is a living legend. This is a significant development:

Representative John Lewis, an elder statesman from the civil rights era and one of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s most prominent black supporters, said Thursday night that he planned to cast his vote as a superdelegate for Senator Barack Obama in hopes of preventing a fight at the Democratic convention.

“In recent days, there is a sense of movement and a sense of spirit,” said Mr. Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who endorsed Mrs. Clinton last fall. “Something is happening in America and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.”

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Senate GOPers think we all don't know that Bush and McCain are in the same party and have the same policies

Okay, somehow Mitch McConnell and his band of right wingers in the Senate think they can trick the American people into thinking McCain is somehow different from Bush. But when all the Republicans support a bad policy, like torture, McCain is implicated. He's one of them and everyone knows it. It's all Bush-McCain policy now:

Senate Republicans are circling their wagons around Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) — a significant strategic shift to protect their presumptive presidential nominee and leave President Bush more isolated.

They opted to avoid a showdown with Democrats on Wednesday over an intelligence bill dealing with torture. By punting the issue to the White House, the GOP helped shield McCain from claims he and his party condone waterboarding, which simulates drowning, and other harsh interrogation methods.

Instead of blocking passage of the bill using procedural maneuvers, Republicans let it come to a vote. It cleared along party lines, 51-45, and now goes to President Bush, who has promised a veto.

Figures a Capitol Hill publication fell for this attempt at GOP spin, but it doesn't make any sense. There is no shield for McCain. Based on today's vote it is clear that he and his party condone torture. McCain and Bush lead the GOP now. A Bush veto is a McCain veto. They're the same thing. It's really not that complicated. Read More......

WellPoint/Blue Cross California back down

Their attempts to avoid coverage have failed. The insurance company managed to anger just about everyone this time.

Blue Cross of California quickly halted its practice of asking doctors to report conditions it could use to cancel new patients' medical coverage after a widespread wave of criticism.

The move announced Tuesday by the state's largest for-profit health insurer came after a report on the practice in the Los Angeles Times prompted an outcry from doctors, patients, the governor and even presidential candidates.

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Obama hits back against Hillary Wisconsin ad

Joe wrote yesterday about an ad Hillary is running in Wisconsin, claiming that Obama is ducking debates. Obama hits back today with a new ad (you can see the video via the link):

After 18 debates, with two more coming, Hillary says Barack Obama is ducking debates?

It’s the same old politics, of phony charges and false attacks.

On health care, even Bill Clinton’s own Labor Secretary says Obama covers more people than Hillary and does more to cut costs, saving $2,500 for the typical family.

Obama’s housing plan, it stems foreclosures and cracks down on crooked lenders

That’s change we can believe in.

I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.

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CDC study contradicts FEMA research on toxic trailers

The Bush administration always does it's best to get around science though the CDC was having none of it. Despite the best effort by FEMA to manipulate test results, real testing has shown that the Gulf State trailers for hurricane victims are toxic.

U.S. health officials are urging that Gulf Coast hurricane victims be moved out of their government-issued trailers as quickly as possible after tests found toxic levels of formaldehyde fumes.

Fumes from 519 trailer and mobile homes in Louisiana and Mississippi were — on average — about five times what people are exposed to in most modern homes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In some trailers, the levels were nearly 40 times customary exposure levels, raising fears that residents could contract respiratory problems.

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Obama to get SEIU endorsement. McCain gets Romney.

Per Ben Smith, SEIU is going to endorse Obama.

McCain is in Boston to get the endorsement of Mitt Romney. That's funny considering how McCain kicked Mitt around for the past couple months. Mitt's still loathsome.

Obama gets the better deal today. Read More......

Hillary's 10-state strategy

From Markos:

Mark Penn:

Could we possibly have a nominee who hasn't won any of the significant states -- outside of Illinois? That raises some serious questions about Sen. Obama.

Funny how the states that "matter" are the ones that Hillary Clinton happen to win. Who knew? Poor New Mexico is in limbo, still unsure about whether it matters or not since all the votes still haven't been counted.

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Bernanke happy to sacrifice middle class to benefit Wall Street

Oh great. He's ready to do whatever it takes to help out Wall Street who are loving his rate cuts (i.e. free money) and his puppet-like behavior. If this means crushing average Americans with a weaker dollar and more expensive oil (notice how it's risen!) he's fine to do so. As long as Wall Street likes him. I can see why Bernanke doesn't have any friends but buying them like this is really painful for the rest of us. Can't he just go on Facebook and find someone who will befriend him?

Given all the dangers facing the economy, the Fed "will act in a timely manner as needed to support growth and to provide adequate insurance against downside risks," he said, indicating additional rate cuts were likely.

But he said the Fed has to be mindful that growth should pick up later in the year.

Perhaps, but not really a given at this point. Each assessment of the economy in recent months has been worse than the last. There is no shortage of trouble thanks to failed GOP policies but to kowtow to Wall Street - who created these problems and did a brilliant job of selling this junk - and add to the already high inflation is not the answer. Read More......

Should Hillary go negative?

From Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post:

The truth is that if the campaign dynamic doesn't change between now and the Democratic convention in August, it's hard to see how Clinton winds up as the nominee. Obama is the candidate with the momentum, the candidate who has become a movement.

Like it or not, the quickest way to change the shape of a race is to begin drawing stark contrasts (call them comparative, call them negative) over the airwaves.

Contrast/negative advertising gets a bad rap. Many voters blanch at the alleged pettiness of it. But in contest after contest, from the state legislative level to the presidential level, this type of advertising gets results. Voters may not like negative ads, but they tend to at least listen to the charges leveled in them....

There is a major difference, however, between digging into the opposition research book during a debate and doing the same in a broad-based television campaign. And, as the Clinton campaign is no doubt aware, the decision to go negative is freighted with potential landmines for their candidate.

More after the jump...

For starters, voters -- even within the Democratic party -- are far more divided in their feelings about Clinton than they are about Obama. The knock on Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, is that they are too political, willing to do or say anything to get elected....

The other risk for Clinton in running a series of contrast ads is that Obama is better funded at the moment and is likely to enjoy that advantage throughout the next month. While the Clinton campaign has made much of the $12 million they have collected online since Feb. 5, it's still hard to imagine they have the sort of campaign cash to "double track" -- run a flight of positive spots as well as a series of negative ads -- in large and expensive states like Ohio and Texas. (Such double-tracking -- although probably impossible -- would allow Clinton to avoid being portrayed as simply a "negative" candidate.) If Clinton did decided to embark on a series of contrast spots, she would have to do so with the understanding that Obama, if he chose to respond, could throw far more financial weight behind his ads....

One Democratic operative said she can win on contrast ads "if it's done correctly." The source added: "Think Mac vs PC ads. Huge attack ads, but make you smile and feel good."

Only problem: Hillary is a PC. Read More......

Fed chief Bernanke: Economy getting worse

Lovely. Read More......

Republicans disrupt Lantos memorial service

Even the dead are political pawns to the Republicans (then again, we already knew that post-September 11). House Republicans, at the bidding of the Bush White House, are upset that House Democrats are voting on contempt citations for Harriet Miers and Josh Bolton today. So the House GOP members are disrupting proceedings in the House today, calling for "protest votes" and the like that eat up 15 minutes of the day at a time. Well, they just called one such protest vote in the middle of recently-deceased Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos' memorial service, which they certainly knew was taking place. This is akin to forcing people to leave a wake on purpose. The House Republicans and the White House couldn't wait for Lantos' service to be finished before forcing everyone back to the House floor to vote for something silly. They intentionally disrupted a dead man's memorial service for political gain. But as was already noted, the Republicans have been abusing the memory of 3,000 dead for seven years now, so why expect anything new and better from them now. Read More......

Hillary plans to get the Superdelegates even if she doesn't win regular delegates

Boston Globe:

Hillary Clinton will take the Democratic nomination even if she does not win the popular vote, but persuades enough superdelegates to vote for her at the convention, her campaign advisers say.

The New York senator, who lost three primaries Tuesday night, now lags slightly behind her rival, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, in the delegate count. She is even further behind in "pledged'' delegates, those assigned by virtue of primaries and caucuses.

But Clinton will not concede the race to Obama if he wins a greater number of pledged delegates by the end of the primary season, and will count on the 796 elected officials and party bigwigs to put her over the top, if necessary, said Clinton's communications director, Howard Wolfson.

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Now, top Bush official who approved waterboarding says it isn't legal

Too late. The Bush legacy as a 21st century torturer is already cemented, but we've got a flip flop on waterboarding:

A senior Justice Department official says laws and other limits enacted since three terrorism suspects were waterboarded have eliminated the technique from what is now legally allowed.

"The set of interrogation methods authorized for current use is narrower than before, and it does not today include waterboarding," Steven G. Bradbury, acting head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, says in remarks prepared for his appearance Thursday before the House Judiciary Constitution subcommittee.

"There has been no determination by the Justice Department that the use of waterboarding, under any circumstances, would be lawful under current law," he said.

More after the jump...

It is the first time the department has expressed such an opinion publicly. CIA Director Michael Hayden stopped short of making a similar statement in testimony about waterboarding before Congress last week.

Bradbury in 2005 signed two secret legal memos that authorized the CIA to use head slaps, freezing temperatures and waterboarding when questioning terror detainees. Because of that, Senate Democrats have opposed his nomination by President Bush to formally head the legal counsel's office.

So three years ago, this guy allowed torture, now he says it isn't legal. What changed? The law they claim but in reality it's because they got busted, that's what changed. Vintage Bush administration double speak. And, as we all know well, just because anyone in the Bush administration says something, it doesn't mean it's true.

How many times did Bush tell us the U.S. doesn't torture? He lied. Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning on a cold here in DC.

I still don't get what these steroid hearings are all about and why we should care. I just don't. I do think Henry Waxman, who is chairing the steroid hearings, is one of the smartest, toughest Democrats on Capitol Hill.

It is also hysterical to watch Republicans on the Hill starting to endorse John McCain. Many of them know first hand how volatile McCain is. Many of them have borne the brunt of his out-of-control outbursts. Has to have them very worried knowing the GOP standard bearer has such a short fuse.

Start threading. Read More......

Religious high school refuses female referee

One can imagine the level of education provided with this kind of attitude towards women. Hats off to the other refs who refused to go along with the demands of the school to only allow male referees. Knuckle-draggers of the world, unite.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary's Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game.

The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs.

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China feels pressure on Darfur

Heavens no, not by "democratic" governments. (Where would they outsource cheap labor?) On the heels of the pathetic decision by the British Olympic association to force athletes to not say anything that might be remotely political while in China, Steven Spielberg pulled out of the Beijing Olympics as an adviser and now others are joining the protest. A group of eight Nobel laureates including Desmond Tutu are asking China to alter its position on Darfur. (Tutu is really an amazing person who continues to speak out again obvious wrongs, whether it's bad policy on AIDS, Zimbabwe, anti-gay policies in the church and now this. We need more people like him.)

The Nobel laureates state that China "has a special role to play in ensuring that its actions this year are commensurate with the Olympic ideals of peace and international co-operation... As the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games approach, we will continue to call on the Chinese government for action. We are aware of the tremendous potential for China to help bring an end to the conflict in Darfur".

China buys about two-thirds of Sudan's oil exports and sells weapons to Khartoum, many of which find their way to a conflict in Darfur which has been described by the US as "genocidal".

A total of 200,000 people are believed to have died in the region over the past five years, mostly black Africans at the hands of Arab militias alleged to operate with government backing.

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