Open thread

Had a really interesting day today. Atrios, KagroX from DailyKos and I were invited to sit down to lunch in the US Capitol building with a group of 20 or so Democratic Senators and talk about the blogs. The lunch was off the record, meaning I can't tell you what anyone said, but since the Washington Post already reported the other day that the talk was talking place, I'm not breaking any confidences by mentioning it. Basically, it was a chance to sit down with the Senators and help them get to know the blogosphere better. I worked in the Senate in the late 80s and early 90s, so I've met Senators before, but never as the expert in the room. It was really quite interesting, and fun, and I think mutually beneficial. Read More......

Mounting foreclosures are taking a toll in the suburbs

Wasn't George Bush pushing an "ownership society"? His vision is disintegrating in suburban America.

And, I'm no economist, but this can't be good for the economy:

In a sign of the spreading economic fallout of mortgage foreclosures, several suburbs of Cleveland, one of the nation’s hardest-hit cities, are spending millions of dollars to maintain vacant houses as they try to contain blight and real-estate panic.

In suburbs like this one, officials are installing alarms, fixing broken windows and mowing lawns at the vacant houses in hopes of preventing a snowball effect, in which surrounding property values suffer and worried neighbors move away. The officials are also working with financially troubled homeowners to renegotiate debts or, when eviction is unavoidable, to find apartments.

“It’s a tragedy and it’s just beginning,” Mayor Judith H. Rawson of Shaker Heights, a mostly affluent suburb, said of the evictions and vacancies, a problem fueled by a rapid increase in high-interest, subprime loans.

“All those shaky loans are out there, and the foreclosures are coming,” Ms. Rawson said. “Managing the damage to our communities will take years.”

Cuyahoga County, including Cleveland and 58 suburbs, has one of the country’s highest foreclosure rates, and officials say the worst is yet to come. In 1995, the county had 2,500 foreclosures; last year there were 15,000. Officials blame the weak economy and housing market and a rash of subprime loans for the high numbers, and the unusual prevalence of vacant houses.

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GOP Congressman compared Iraq to Detroit and Chicago

When was the last time George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condi Rice or any of the other clowns had to make a "surprise visit" to Detroit or Chicago?:

A Republican congressman from Michigan said parts of Iraq are no more dangerous than Detroit, drawing the ire of the mayor's office and the state Democratic Party.

During an interview Monday with WILS-AM, Rep. Tim Walberg said the returning troops he has talked with "indicate to me that 80 to 85 percent, in a conservative fashion, of the country is reasonably under control, at least as well as Detroit or Chicago or any of our other big cities. That's an encouraging sign."

Actually, the real encouraging sign will take place tomorrow when the U.S. House votes to finally change the course. No doubt, Rep. Walberg will stick with the GOP and vote to keep the troops there indefinitely -- without a plan. Read More......

Interior Department to de-list grizzly bears from endangered species list

First it was the gray wolves and now it's the grizzly bears. Since when did 500 of any animal in such a large area mean that the population is safe and ready to be hunted?

The Interior Department said in 2005 that it intended to delist grizzly bears around Yellowstone in the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The species remains protected in other parts of Idaho, Montana and Washington state; Alaska, where the bear was never threatened, is the only other place where the species roams.

Stripping the bears of protection could eventually clear the way for limited hunting of the animals. A measure that would allow such hunting has passed the Montana Senate.

Opponents of the delisting, including more than 250 scientists and researchers who sent the government a letter of protest this week, question whether the bear population is large enough to be genetically diverse and withstand outside pressures such as global warming and food scarcity.

Who needs science anymore, anyway? It's all about creating exclusive hunting businesses for the Dick Cheney's of the world. Read More......

House Dems. have votes to pass Iraq Accountability Act

Greg Sargent has the details. Nancy Pelosi has the votes. Read More......

Open Thread

Just another slow news day....it's not over yet. Read More......

Senator Kit Bond (R-Hypocrite)

Yesterday, GOP Senator Kit Bond attacked Al Gore for being concerned about global warming. Bond's argument was that Al Gore doesn't care about little young match girls who are going to freeze to death because their poor parents can't afford to heat their homes in the winter because of people like Al Gore (i.e., if we have to trouble ourselves with global warming, it might make energy costs go up).

Putting aside the question of whether it's worse for this girl to put on two sweaters or swim to school every day, it's people like Senator Bond who are stopping little girls from having heat in the winter. Bond has repeatedly voted against the LIHEAP program, a program that helps pay the winter heating bills (and summer cooling bills) or low-income and elderly families. And it wasn't the only time that Senator Bond voted to freeze little girls to death because he's too cheap.

If Senator Bond has his way, we won't need to worry about whether Al Gore will be freezing little girls to death - Senator Bond's stinginess will have already taken care of them. Read More......

Froomkin explains why the White House doesn't want a transcript

Froomkin's column today is particularly instructive. He's right on the mark, as usual. It's very important to understand why the Bushies don't want a transcript. Without one, they can spin and obfuscate like they always do. Unfortunately, the Washington press corps usually lets them get away with that:

The most telling restriction built into the White House offer to make senior aides available for private interviews about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys is that no record of those aides' words would be allowed.

According to the offer, which has been soundly condemned by Democrats, members of Congress investigating the firings could come out of the closed-door, highly circumscribed interviews and say what they thought they heard. But there would be no transcript and no recordings.

White House officials say that the absence of a transcript is absolutely essential -- and is a reflection of their determination not to allow a friendly information-gathering session to take on the trapping of a court proceeding or political theater.

But more significantly, it would deny the public any reliable record of what was said.

It would remove the pressure from senior aides, most notably White House political guru Karl Rove, to come clean on their involvement in the firings -- while denying the public an opportunity to assess their veracity.

And it would make Congress a party to keeping important information obscured from the kind of public scrutiny that comes when journalists and bloggers have a chance to untangle the skillful evasions so common to this White House.

Especially when under fire, Bush and his aides use language with great cunning. Some observers of Bush's comments on Tuesday, for instance, could have walked away thinking he had definitively denied that partisan politics played a role in the firings. But in fact, as I wrote in yesterday's column, all Bush really said was that "there is no indication that anybody did anything improper." The existence of a transcript creates the possibility that reporters will follow up and ask him what that really means.

Elite Washington journalists are notoriously averse to doing anything that might get them labeled as liberals -- but there is nothing remotely partisan about grilling administration officials relentlessly about their resistance to creating a public record on a matter of such significance.

Elite Washington journalists would be doing a service to their profession and their readers/viewers by actually doing their jobs and not acting as stenographers for the Bush administration.

It would behoove the elite Washington journalists to read Dan Froomkin's column today to see how the Bush team plays the game. Read More......

Supplemental deserves a "yes" vote from progressives

(NOTE FROM JOHN: AJ, as some of you may recall, is a former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst who spent two years working on Iraq, during the war. He's spent a good deal of time there, knows the issues, knows the reality on the ground and in DC.)

All House members who want to begin repairing the damage done by the Iraq war, and certainly all Democrats -- strong progressives included -- should vote yes on the supplemental bill scheduled for a vote tomorrow.

The bill isn't perfect. It isn't even great. But it's the right first step. With apologies for the sports metaphor, you can't always hit a home run. To get to the plate, sometimes you have to settle for a single because otherwise you won't get anything at all. Once you're on base, you can build from there, but if you strike out, that's it. This is not a conservative bill and it's not a progressive bill, it's the product of what I can only imagine were herculean efforts by Pelosi, Rahm, and others to corral a variety of opinions and constituencies behind a very public statement that President Bush is mismanaging the war and it needs to come to a close.

Moral victories were okay when Democrats were in the minority, but now we need to govern. Democrats have made great strides on a wide variety of issues, and it's now time to take action on Iraq. None of this will end with one vote, and the right move is to take the long view rather than taking a stand against compromise and against legislative movement in the right direction, however incremental it might be.

When you have David Sirota ("So what should wavering progressive lawmakers do? Play hardball, then proudly hold your head up and vote 'yes.'") and MoveOn advocating the bill's passage, you know it has progressive legitimacy.

I empathize with Representatives who want to vote no, I really do. I don't impugn their motives and I believe they are trying to do the right thing. The bill isn't what many hoped for, and it won't end the war in one fell swoop. But legislating is about the art of the possible, and compromise, and cost/benefit. If you're a progressive, the right vote is "yes." Read More......

It's time for a new direction in Iraq

It's actually way past time for a new direction in Iraq. The Republicans would not find that new direction. The Republicans have not had a plan for Iraq -- ever. It's almost laughable that the GOP accuses the Dems. of micro-managing the war when the Republicans have never done anything to manage the effort. Nothing.

It is time for a new direction. The House will vote later today (or maybe tomorrow) for that new direction:

DailyKos has the list of Republicans who refuse to support our troops. Read More......

"The campaign goes on, the campaign goes on strongly"

The Politico and Newsday got it wrong. Edwards is staying in.

From the New York Times:

John Edwards, the North Carolina Democrat, said today that his wife’s cancer had returned, but that his bid for the presidency “goes on strongly.”

“The campaign goes on, the campaign goes on strongly,” he said, with his wife, Elizabeth, at his side.

Mr. Edwards said he learned earlier this week that the cancer had reappeared in his wife’s rib cage and that the couple recognized that it was no longer curable, though it could be managed with treatment.

The announcement came a day after Mr. Edwards cancelled a campaign appearance in Iowa to rush home to join his wife at a visit with doctors who are monitoring her treatment for breast cancer. He attended a fund-raising picnic here Wednesday night.

Mrs. Edwards received her original diagnosis of breast cancer at the end of the 2004 campaign, but deferred a public announcement until after the election results came in. Mr. Edwards has said he waited to announce a second bid for the presidency until he and Mrs. Edwards’s doctors were confident about her recovery.

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John and Elizabeth Edwards speak for themselves: The campaign goes on

Watching John and Elizabeth Edwards doing their news conference from Chapel Hill.

John Edwards said the Elizabeth's cancer has returned. Her cancer is back. It's largely confined in the bone, which is a "good thing." They are very optimistic about this. Given that the cancer is in the bone, it is no longer curable, but it is treatable.

John: "We will be in this every step of the way together."

Elizabeth also spoke. The kids have the same hopeful attitude. Need to keep a positive attitude.

This is what happens to every cancer survivor. Every time something suspicious happens, it puts you in to alarm mode.

They are encouraged -- and optimistic.

She does not expect her life to be significantly different.

After they spoke, a reporter asked what it means for the campaign. John replied that the campaign goes on. Nothing changes.

Elizabeth is "immensely proud of John's campaign." It's not about John Edwards.

Elizabeth explained how she injured her rib, which led to the diagnosis. She said, we have a new house...you might have heard? (That was a good one, Elizabeth)

Their doctor told them campaigning won't make a difference.

John: Any time, any place I need to be with Elizabeth, I will be there.

John: If you're not ready to deal with this kind of pressure, you're not ready to be President. They've been through things like this before. Read More......

Edwards to suspend campaign (or not)

CNN just reported (via Politico.com) that John Edwards will announce that he is suspending his Presidential campaign. He's speaking at noon.

More soon.

From Newsday:

John Edwards is expected to suspend his presidential campaign Thursday, and might drop out of the race altogether, after doctors found his wife Elizabeth's cancer had possibly re-appeared in one of her lungs, according to a source close to the former North Carolina senator.

"He has always said his wife's health comes first," said an Edwards insider, who said as of mid-morning the candidate was choosing between two statements, one suspending his campaign, the other withdrawing from the race. "It's heartbreaking for him and for her."

ANOTHER UPDATE via Ben Smith at Politico.com -- the Edwards campaign is pushing back:

UPDATE: Edwards staffers are pushing back very hard.

"Anything you are getting from someone claiming to know right now is not true - anyone claiming to know something right now is making it up. There is no information from this campaign until John and Elizabeth speak at noon," says spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield.

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Senate Judiciary Comm. votes to authorize subpoenas

CNN reports the subpoenas for Rove and others have been authorized by the Senate.

Game on. Read More......

Bush political interference in case against Big Tobacco costs $120 billion

From the Washington Post:

The leader of the Justice Department team that prosecuted a landmark lawsuit against tobacco companies said yesterday that Bush administration political appointees repeatedly ordered her to take steps that weakened the government's racketeering case.

Sharon Y. Eubanks said Bush loyalists in Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's office began micromanaging the team's strategy in the final weeks of the 2005 trial, to the detriment of the government's claim that the industry had conspired to lie to U.S. smokers.

She said a supervisor demanded that she and her trial team drop recommendations that tobacco executives be removed from their corporate positions as a possible penalty. He and two others instructed her to tell key witnesses to change their testimony. And they ordered Eubanks to read verbatim a closing argument they had rewritten for her, she said.

"The political people were pushing the buttons and ordering us to say what we said," Eubanks said. "And because of that, we failed to zealously represent the interests of the American public."

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Reminder: John Edwards press conf at noon. Will he drop out?

From ABC News:

In May, asked by Stephanopoulos what could stop him from running, Edwards said, "Elizabeth having her health problems come back."

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TPM: It's a direct attack on the rule of law

Josh Marshall explains it. Josh knows:

Back up a bit from the sparks flying over executive privilege and congressional testimony and you realize that these are textbook cases of the party in power interfering or obstructing the administration of justice for narrowly partisan purposes. It's a direct attack on the rule of law.

This much is already clear in the record. And we're now having a big public debate about the politics for each side if the president tries to obstruct the investigation and keep the truth from coming out. The contours and scope of executive privilege is one issue, and certainly an important one. But in this case it is being used as no more than a shield to keep the full extent of the president's perversion of the rule of law from becoming known.

It's yet another example of how far this White House has gone in normalizing behavior that we've been raised to associate with third-world countries where democracy has never successfully taken root and the rule of law is unknown. At most points in our history the idea that an Attorney General could stay in office after having overseen such an effort would be unthinkable. The most telling part of this episode is that they're not even really denying the wrongdoing. They're ignoring the point or at least pleading 'no contest' and saying it's okay.

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Mold and Maggots for Vets, because the GOP supports the troops

Listen. Just because the Republicans say they support the troops, doesn't mean it's true. The facts show otherwise. And, if you're not supporting veterans, you're not supporting the troops. Walter Reed wasn't an isolated case. Horrific conditions exist at another facility right here in your nation's Capitol:

Reports of a rising death rate and rooms spattered with blood, urine and feces at the Armed Forces Retirement Home prompted the Pentagon yesterday to begin investigating conditions at the veterans facility in Northwest Washington.

The Government Accountability Office warned the Pentagon this week that residents of the home "may be at risk" in light of allegations of severe health-care problems. Residents have been admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center with "the most serious type of pressure sores" and, in one case, with maggots in a wound, according to a GAO letter sent to the Defense Department.

But that's not an isolated case. It's happening all around the country:

The review was conducted by directors of individual VA facilities around the country and compiled in a 94-page report to Nicholson. It found that 90 percent of the 1,100 problems cited were deemed to be of a more routine nature: worn-out carpet, peeling paint, mice sightings and dead bugs at VA centers.

The other 10 percent were considered serious and included mold spreading in patient care areas. Eight cases were so troubling they required immediate attention and follow-up action.

Some of the more striking problems were found at a VA clinic in White City, Ore. There, officials reported roof leaks throughout the facility, requiring them to "continuously repair the leaks upon occurrence, clean up any mold presence if any exists, spray or remove ceiling tiles."

In addition, large colonies of bats resided outside the facility and sometimes flew into the attics and interior parts of the building.

UPDATE: Fortunately, the House is taking action for vets. Yesterday, they passed three bills to support veterans:

these bills will provide a cost-of-living increase for veteran’s benefits, reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans, and provide increased compensation to veterans who sustained significant vision loss.

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Thursday Morning Open Thread

Tony Snow was just on the Today Show explaining how we're going to get the truth -- and the whole truth. Sure, Tony. The White House staff -- starting with Bush himself -- have such a great track record for telling the truth. Actually, does anyone at the White House have any track record for telling the truth about anything? They lie. Everyone knows it. The White House reporters have even figured it out but won't use the term "liar." The White House political team knows the press won't actually call them "liars." We will. If Bush doesn't want his people under oath and doesn't want a transcript, he wants to give his people the opportunity to lie. They're liars.

Let's hope Mrs. Edwards is doing okay.

Start threading the news. Read More......

Big Oil chief executive held for questioning by police

Days after BP was exposed for their part in the death of 15 workers in a terrible explosion, French oil giant Total is now having to answer to the police for their alleged involvement in bribery for oil drilling in Iran, violations in the food-for-oil scandal and other questionable business activities.

It was suspected that nearly 100 million Swiss francs (60 million euros, 80 million dollars), traced through two accounts in Switzerland, might have been paid illegally by Total to win the contract, a source close to the matter said.

Swiss authorities had frozen 9.5 million euros of this.

The source said that judicial police from the financial crime unit would also question two former executives.

The Total spokesman acknowledged that the three executives in office faced questioning "in connection with a judicial enquiry" opened in December 2006 concerning "a South Pars industrial project in Iran, signed by Total in 1997 with the Iranian national oil company NIOC."

Total was "completely behind its executives and confirms that the agreements signed respected the law," the spokesman added.

The source close to the matter said that Margerie, promoted to head Total only five weeks ago but responsible for Middle East operations at the time, faced questioning over suspicions that from 1996 to 2003 Total might have made illegal payments to win the contract.

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Zambian president calls Zimbabwe a "sinking Titantic"

Sounds like Mugabe might have gone too far this time. The people of Zimbabwe deserve better than what they have today.

Mwanawasa said the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had achieved little in negotiations with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

"Quiet diplomacy has failed to help solve the political chaos and economic meltdown in Zimbabwe," Mwanawasa said late on Monday in neighboring Namibia.

"As I speak right now, one SADC country has sunk into such economic difficulties that it may be likened to a sinking Titanic whose passengers are jumping out in a bid to save their lives."

Zambian government newspapers reported that Mwanawasa had suggested the SADC "would soon take a stand" on Zimbabwe.

Read More......