Two great candidates

Joe and I are sometimes prone of late to harp on Hillary more than Obama, not that we don't think she deserves it, but still, after watching tonight's debate, I can honestly say that I'd be pleased with either Hillary or Obama as our candidate. It has been years since there's been an election in which I really liked our candidate, let alone liked both of the last two standing. The Republicans are going to have a hard time rallying around any of their candidates, and we have two great ones. Doesn't mean we can't lose this in the end. Folks, we can lose this. And don't ever forget it. It is not going to be easy. They will fight dirty. They'll call Obama a terrorist sympathizer and Hillary, well, we already know what they'll say about Hillary, they've been saying it for 18 years. The Republicans will be hateful no matter who we go ahead with - it's in their nature - but at least we can rest assured that we're going to have a great candidate no matter. And that's a very nice change of pace. Read More......

Democratic Debate Open Thread

9:51PM: Well, that was good. Two great candidates. One of them must be President next year. Again, the contrast with those GOP knuckleheads from last night could not be more stark. Clinton had trouble with the Iraq question. That's still a problem for her. But, overall, they were both very good.

Twice, twice CNN came back from an ad in the middle of an answer from one of the candidates. Isn't this their business????

9:35PM: Okay, Hillary keeps talking like vote she cast for the Iraq resolution wasn't a vote to go to war. She says she made a reasoned judgment. She, apparently, was the only person who thought that. The Bush administration was very clear that this was an authorization for the use of force, not diplomacy. Ari Fleischer said exactly that shortly after the House vote on October 10, 2002, one day before the Senate vote.

9:33PM: Wolf asked Hillary why she won't say that her Iraq war authorization vote was a mistake. I don't think she's giving a very clear answer here. It's a horrible topic for her, since she doesn't want to say it was a mistake, but I still think Hillary is having a hard time giving a clear, firm answer to this question. Maybe it's just me. I never cared whether she "apologized" for the vote, and I can understand having voted for the resolution, but in retrospect it was clearly a mistake.

9:24PM: Obama gives a very good answer on foreign policy. Clinton thinks this is her strong suit, but every time foreign policy comes up, we get back to her vote on Iraq. She had to use her endorsement from Rep. Waters as a buffer on that. Kinda weak.

8:52PM: It's galling that Wolf is trying to stir up the immigration debate. The worst immigrant bashers on TV are Wolf's colleagues on the Lou Dobbs show.

8:48PM: Wolf seems awfully hot on getting Obama and Clinton to fight. They're not biting.

8:34PM: The contrast between last night's GOP debate and tonight's could not be more stark. This is the best I've seen Obama in a debate. He seems comfortable and confident -- debates have not been his best format.

8:32PM: Obama just took the Republicans on, blaming them for the budget deficit, and blaming McCain for supporting Bush's tax cuts. It's nice to see our guys finally going after the Republicans.

8:27PM: Interesting that both are playing awfully nice tonight. Both gave excellent opening statements, and so far no jabs at each other, at least no obvious ones. Hillary gave a very substantive answer on health care (no surprise), and made clear that she's a woman of substance (not that there was any doubt, but still, her answer showed a breadth of knowledge that is impressive).
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It's one on one tonight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The debate is co-hosted by CNN, The Los Angeles Times and the Politico. (I turned on CNN a bit early and it just sucked that I had to see any portion of the immigrant bashing Lou Dobbs show before the debate.)

Wolf is letting us know just how important and historic the debate is. Keep in mind that one of these two Democrats has to be will be President of the United States next year.

Game on....John and I will both be watching and commenting as the debate rolls on.

There are no rules according to Wolf. And, there is a raucous crowd out there in LA tonight. Read More......

Hillary vs. Obama, who's lying?

Great broadcast from Dan Abrams at MSNBC, along with Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell, fact-checking the most recent spat between Hillary and Obama. It's actually quite interesting, and reminds me of the old 60 Minutes (or the very first LA Law episodes) where you kind of agree with one side, then you hear the counter-argument and kind of agree with the other. Both come out fairly equal in the segment, so you should all be pleased, or equally annoyed.

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Flowers arriving and it's not even February

Climate change doesn't exist. ExxonMobil tells me so, so it must be true. Two weeks ago I noticed crocuses popping up and my hydrangea's are now starting to bud. I moved my camellia pots to a slightly more shady position on the terrace and they are about ready to bloom, a few weeks ahead of 2007. Horticulturalists in the UK are noticing similar, odd behavior.

Since the 1980s, plant blooming times have come forward at a steady pace, but according to Ms Bell, such a leap forward from year to year is "completely unprecedented".

"During the first five years of the 1980s [daffodils] would have opened on or around 12 February, but by the 2000s the average date they were opening was 27 January. In these 25 years the average date that they open has come forward 16 days, which is just amazing," Ms Bell said.

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Report: US military not ready if America is nuked

That's nice.

The independent commission is charged by Congress to recommend changes in law and policy concerning the Guard and Reserves.

The commission's 400-page report concludes that the nation "does not have sufficient trained, ready forces available" to respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear weapons incident, "an appalling gap that places the nation and its citizens at greater risk."

Let's face it folks, no one could have ever imagined that terrorists might want to attack America, and even then, who could imagine that they'd use biological, chemical or nuclear weapons if they could? I mean, come on, it's not Bush's fault. It's not the Republicans' fault. This whole terrorism thing is new, it's not like we've had six years to get ready. And in any case, as I understand it, we're in Iraq to make sure that Osama, who isn't in Iraq and never was, doesn't nuke us in New York. Maybe it's time someone asked General Petraeus if losing New York City to a nuke is a price worth paying for our glorious victory in Iraq.

Oh, and it's not all George Bush's fault. After all, Dick Cheney decimated our military in the early 1990s. Seriously. You never hear the Democrats talk about it. That's because they're blithering idiots who would rather let the Republicans constantly talk about how it was really Bill Clinton who destroyed our military when in fact it was Dick Cheney. But hey, why would a Democrat want to stop the Republicans from feeding the blood libel that we're soft on defense and hate our troops? I mean, if they actually fought back and defended themselves, well then they wouldn't be Democrats would they? Anyway, it's true. And I quote, from Dick Cheney's official Pentagon bio on the Pentagon Web site:

In subsequent years under Cheney the budgets proposed and the final outcomes followed patterns similar to the FY 1990 budget experience. Early in 1991 the secretary unveiled a plan to reduce military strength by the mid-1990s to 1.6 million, compared to 2.2 million when he entered office....

Over Cheney's four years as secretary of defense, encompassing budgets for fiscal years 1990-93, DoD's total obligational authority in current dollars declined from $291.3 billion to $269.9 billion. Except for FY 1991, when the TOA budget increased by 1.7 percent, the Cheney budgets showed negative real growth: -2.9 percent in 1990, -9.8 percent in 1992, and -8.1 percent in 1993. During this same period total military personnel declined by 19.4 percent, from 2.202 million in FY 1989 to 1.776 million in FY 1993. The Army took the largest cut, from 770,000 to 572,000-25.8 percent of its strength. The Air Force declined by 22.3 percent, the Navy by 14 percent, and the Marines by 9.7 percent.

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Hillary muzzles Bill, says he 'may have' cost her South Carolina

Joe was right. And Obama was right. Obama sucker-punched the Clintons into making Bill the attack dog and making Bill the issue. And they did. Joe has been saying for a while that he felt something was up, that the Obama people had some polls or something suggesting that tying Hillary to Bill would hurt her campaign. So they did, and it may have. More from ABC:

The Clinton campaign appears to be trying to keep the former president tightly on message while he campaigns across the country for his wife, in the lead up to the crucial Feb. 5 multistate contests....

ABC NEWS asked Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., if she personally asked her husband to "tone it down" a little in recent days, and she didn't deny it.

"Well, I'm very proud of his promoting my candidacy, and I'm very happy that he is able to travel as widely as he has been, along with my daughter," Clinton told reporters while campaigning in Little Rock, Ark.

"But this is my campaign, it is about my candidacy," she said....

After the jump, Hillary apologizes for Bill's attacks on the media and says he may have cost her South Carolina...

In an interview with Cynthia McFadden for ABC NEWS' "Nightline," tonight, Clinton apologized for her husband's recent controversial remarks.

"I think whatever he said, which was certainly never intended to cause any kind of offense to anyone. ... If it did give offenses, then I take responsibility, and I'm sorry about that."....

Asked whether her husband contributed to her defeat in South Carolina, Hillary Clinton told the New York Daily News' editorial board, "It may have," she said.

This is my campaign? That's never good. Does McCain need to remind us that his wife (I'm sorry, his SECOND wife, not his first wife whom he allegedly cheated on and left after she had a horrible accident) isn't the one running for president?

This is about as big a backing away from her husband as Hillary could do. Apologizing for his comments and suggesting that he may have cost her South Carolina? Clearly the Clinton campaign feels that the perception of Bill as the bad guy is hurting them. I just talked to Joe about this and he made a good point. People (that would include me) have worried whether Obama doesn't know how to fight back, whether he's naive about political hardball. His handling of "the Bill thing" suggests otherwise. Read More......

McCain: "simply loathed by many fellow Republicans"

McCain is loathesome. And, it's not just fellow Republicans who despise him. But, if the hard core GOPers want to hate their front runner, who are we to stop them:

But Sen. McCain still confronts a problem both in the remainder of the nomination race, and, if he wins, in the fall: He is simply loathed by many fellow Republicans, often for the very bipartisanship and maverick streak that attracts independents. His biggest, and perhaps final, test comes Tuesday, when 21 states hold contests -- most of them open only to Republican voters.

"So it is over. Finished. In November, we'll be sending out our most liberal, least trustworthy candidate," conservative author and talk-radio personality Michael Graham said on a conservative blog, reacting to Sen. McCain's third primary victory, two days ago in Florida.

The right wingers have reason to loathe McCain. They know enough not to trust him. This matters because it is the hard core base that does the work at election time. McCain is not their guy. GOPers are good at imposing discipline on their minions. But, the minions have spent a lot of time and energy hating McCain. More after the break.

Last year, back when McCain was the initial GOP front runner Vanity Fair profiled him. Besides delving into McCain's notorious temper, the article made it clear that McCain isn't quite the straight talker he purports to be. On the social issues near and dear to the hearts of the right wingers, McCain is a pretender:

"Yes, he's a social conservative, but his heart isn't in this stuff," one former aide told me, referring to McCain's instinctual unwillingness to impose on others his personal views about issues such as religion, sexuality, and abortion. "But he has to pretend [that it is], and he's not a good enough actor to pull it off. He just can't fake it well enough."

Right wing News Max, a publication to which we would usually never link, has written several blistering pieces on McCain. It's worth a look just to see how deep the hatred is. An August 2006 article about McCain's notorious temper even pondered if McCain was "healthy enough to serve?" No love there. Read More......

Obama raised $32m in January, beating his old 3-month record

He raised more in January than his previous record, which was over a three-month period, not one single month.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised $32 million in the single month of January, matching his best three-month period last year, aides said Thursday.

The money positions Obama for the sweeping Feb. 5 primary contests, when 22 states will be in play for the Democratic nomination. Aides also announced that with their money they can now advertise in states beyond the Super Tuesday contest next week.

It's now a two-person race. Hillary and Obama are both going to need as much money as they can get over the next week, and probably month (should Super Tuesday not seal the deal). You can make a monetary contribution to either of them, or both of them, safely and securely, via our ActBlue page here.

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Afghanistan sentences journalist to death for downloading report on women's rights

NOTE FROM JOHN: Chris posted this in the wee hours of the morning (God bless his Parisian soul), but this story is far too important to let slip away unread. Folks, this is post-Taliban Afghanistan. This is the war that we supposedly won - you remember, the one that we pretty much quit in order to invade Iraq. This story is horrifying. This is not a democracy, and people like this are not going to be our friends.
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Afghanistan is sentencing a journalist to death because he downloaded and distributed a report on women's rights. Is this the government that we're propping up with our soldiers and tax dollars? I understand that different cultures have different views but this is so incredibly against everything we stand for as a country. Is this really the kind of government we want to support?

A young man, a student of journalism, is sentenced to death by an Islamic court for downloading a report from the internet. The sentence is then upheld by the country's rulers. This is Afghanistan – not in Taliban times but six years after "liberation" and under the democratic rule of the West's ally Hamid Karzai.

The fate of Sayed Pervez Kambaksh has led to domestic and international protests, and deepening concern about erosion of civil liberties in Afghanistan. He was accused of blasphemy after he downloaded a report from a Farsi website which stated that Muslim fundamentalists who claimed the Koran justified the oppression of women had misrepresented the views of the prophet Mohamed.

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9/11 Commission chief alleged to have massive conflict of interest, secret ties to White House

Because what we need surrounding 9/11 is more reason to believe there was a conspiracy. Seriously, the Commission has already done a lot to undermine its credibility - including Kean being involved with that awful rewriting of 9/11 history from ABC, and Hamilton refusing to say boo about it - to the weird deception from the Pentagon and the FAA, both of which tried to deceive the commission. And now we learn that the chief of the Commission is alleged to have been secretly talking to Karl Rove and had his own massive conflicts of interest. More from ABC and the blogger who got the scoop. Read More......

Freak snowstorm drops 8 inches on Jerusalem

Let's all say it together: Climate change is a myth. Read More......

Jobless claims jump

It's a good thing Republicans are fighting so hard for rebates for families making up to $300,000 in order to accept a few million dollars worth of unemployment benefits. They really are a shameless bunch and prove once again that they don't have an ounce of compassion in their bones. If only regular Americans had the benefits of members of Congress but they don't. Now the unemployed have to figure out how to get by thanks to the economic destruction that the GOP left in their wake.

With all of the news coming out on the Bush/GOP economy, it's no wonder famed investor Jim Rogers is predicting this recession could be worse than others.

"Conceivably we could have just had recession, hard times, sliding dollar, inflation, etc., but I'm afraid it's going to be much worse," he says. "Bernanke is printing huge amounts of money. He's out of control and the Fed is out of control. We are probably going to have one of the worst recessions we've had since the Second World War. It's not a good scene."

Rogers looks at the Fed's willingness to add liquidity to an already inflationary environment and sees the history of the 1970s repeating itself. Does that mean stagflation? "It is a real danger and, in fact, a probability."

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Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Five days til Super Tuesday. Painful GOP debate last night. Mitt didn't do so well. He really looked rattled. McCain's a smirker. Big time smirker. A Bush-like smirker. But the punditry loves, loves, loves McCain so that's okay. It's part of his charm, we'll surely learn.

And, then there is the big Democratic debate tonight. The first one-on-one event between the Democratic front runners, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- one of those two will be our next President.

Let's get it started. Read More......

Shell posts record profit - $3 million per minute

Who needs an energy plan when Shell and Exxon already have one for us? We need more government by special interests, for special interests. Big Oil will continue to give lip service to alternative energies and place pretty flowers on their adverts but they will never, ever make a serious move beyond oil. Shell just posted the largest profit ever in the UK to the tune of $27.6 billion for 2007. How'd it work for you?

Instead of spending trillions to make a mess of the Middle East, isn't it time we spend some of that on building a long term energy plan? The GOP has no faith in the American ability to create something new and better but that should not stop others from moving down that path. Instead of giving tax breaks and free drilling rights to Big Oil, let's use that money to help launch the energy programs of the future. Some of the new ideas may not work and others will but anyone who doesn't believe in such possibilities really needs to step aside. Read More......

Bond insurers now seeking billions to cover losses

No wonder the US markets were flat yesterday despite another half point cut by Bernanke. The folks who helped prop up the subprime loans are now being scorched themselves. Reagan's trickle down may have never worked but in this case, it's working. The big question is where is this going and who will be next? Even with countless financial wizards and number crunchers, Wall Street has no idea. That's why they make the big bucks and dictate policy, including the Fed.

Like other bond insurers, FGIC initially focused on municipal bond deals but ventured into riskier debt securities to boost returns. Massive defaults on U.S. subprime mortgages battered the credit quality of these products, increasing the capital bond insurers needed for an ``AAA'' rating.

Losing a Triple A rating could be devastating for the bond insurers, preventing them from drumming up new clients -- and possibly forcing them out of business.

Ambac has already received a downgrade from rating agency Fitch, but has so far been spared by Standard & Poor's and Moody's. MBIA hasn't been downgraded.

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More Americans than ever say Iraq wasn't worth it

As Krugman notes, even with the surge "working" more people than ever think Iraq was a waste. I think McCain's whole strategy is fatally flawed if he thinks constantly talking about Iraq is going to save him. Read More......

GOP trying to add even more pork to stimulus plan

That's because Republicans are the "fiscal conservatives" I suppose, whatever that's supposed to mean. Democrats need to learn how to shove this right back in the face of Republicans because the spending never seems to end with the GOP despite their big talk. Republican Senator Isakson from Georgia, who comes from the real estate business, wants to add even more tax credits for home buyers. Sounds great if you want to keep the price of housing inflated well above where it ought to be. Is he paying attention to the problems faced by the country or just his own special interests?

Also in the Senate, Democrats are offering rebates for the wealthiest Americans so that Grassley and other "fiscal conservatives" in the GOP will accept a few million for unemployment benefits. Can you imagine, Republicans holding out benefits for the unemployment casualties of their own economic failures just so the richest Americans can get a few extra dollars? As if they haven't been rewarded enough in recent years. This is repulsive and Republicans ought to be ashamed of themselves. Democrats who fail to make this an issue at election time also ought to be ashamed of themselves. If the tables were turned, you know how the Republicans would react. Read More......

GOP Debate Open Thread

Ugh. Another GOP debate. This one hosted by CNN, the Politico and the Los Angeles Times. There are no rules tonight according to Anderson Cooper. John and I will be liveblogging.

AC's first question is are we better off than four years ago? Mitt wouldn't answer for the nation, just for Massachusetts. But then seemed to criticize the state of the nation under Bush.

McCain thinks we are better off. But gave a litany of problems...when AC challenged him, he said we're better off over all. Then he went back to the litany of problems.

The rest of the liveblog is after the break. Once again, this was brutally painful to watch.

8:08 PM: Huck doesn't think we are better off. He blamed Bush -- and Congress (Huck does know the GOP controlled Congress for most of the past eight years, right?) It's not better and it's not going to get better without new leadership in DC.

8:09 PM: Ron Paul says we're not better off, too. He also blamed Bush and Congress (and he's in Congress). Then he went off in that Ron Paul way of his. Talking about empires, etc...the standard of living is going down. Monetary policy, etc.


8:10 PM: Mitt gets a question about whether McCain is indeed a liberal as Mitt has charged recently. Mitt goes off on McCain's record: ANWR, campaign finance, McCain/Kennedy on immigration. McCain/Lieberman on energy. "Those views are outside the mainstream of Republican conservative thought." Slams McCain for the NY Times endorsement.

McCain notes he got the endorsement of Mitt's hometown papers who know him so well. McCain defended himself then lit into Mitt's record of raising taxes. The takeaway is that Mitt and McCain really don't like each other. It's palpable.

8:17 PM: Huck says Rush isn't infallible.

I just realized that the backdrop is Air Force One. Maybe they just should be sitting in Reagan's little office on that plane and pretend they are him.

8:25 PM: McCain admits that global warming exists -- and he chose Arnold over Bush. That surely violates GOP/right wing orthodoxy.

8:31 PM: Huck says we're borrowing the $150 billion stimulus package from China...and we've ignored our infrastructure, which is where we should be investing. Huck keeps making digs at Bush.

Romney used the Big Dig in Boston, which he oversaw, as an example of an infrastructure project. Then he proceeded to mock the Big Dig (which he oversaw) for being something of a failure. Mitt seems really rattled tonight.

8:37 PM: McCain: I was part of the Reagan Revolution. Republicans are out of control on spending now. I was a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution, too. Reagan! Reagan! Reagan!

8:39 PM: Mitt says Reagan would have wanted the Bush tax cuts. He is trying to take that Reagan mantle tonight. Don't be surprised if he ends up in Reagan's model Oval Office at the library tonight.

8:41 PM: On immigration, Mitt explains how he is going to deport illegal immigrants within 90 days. NO AMNESTY. Mitt wants everyone to know he hates immigrants more than the other Republicans. NO AMNESTY. NO SPECIAL DEAL. That's offensive says Mitt.

8:49 PM: AC is too nervous to touch Reagan's diary as he asks Huck if Sandra Day O'Connor was the right choice for Supreme Court. Huck won't diss Reagan...but he is pro-life and wants everyone to know. Ron Paul wouldn't have appointed her. McCain won't diss Sandra, won't second guess Reagan. McCain wants Justices like Roberts and Alito. Romney wants Justices like Roberts, Alito, Scalia and Thomas.

And a break, phew. This is painful. Okay, all GOP debates are painful. I just can't envision any of these clowns being President.

8:56 PM: Citing Peggy Noonan, AC asks Mitt if the Republican Party is better off than it was eight years ago. Mitt says No. But, it's not Bush's fault. It's Washington's fault. Huh? Republicans have run Washington for most of the Bush term. Then Mitt invoked Reagan.

9:00 PM: Mitt is hopping mad at McCain for lying about his position on Iraq. He didn't quite say McCain was lying but referred to others who said McCain was lying. McCain is sitting there smirking as Mitt goes on and on. Mitt really hates McCain -- and Reagan would've thought it was reprehensible.

9:02 PM: McCain goes right back at Mitt. Mocks him for saying he was a governor while McCain was trying to single-handedly trying to save the world.

These two are going at it. Mitt asks McCain: How is it that your the expert on my position?

They're just talking over each other. It's great. McCain is quite smug and smirky.

Mitt is quite upset that McCain sprung this on him right before the Florida primary. He seems to think McCain violated some kind of rule or protocol. It's old-style Washington politics according to Mitt.

9:09 PM: McCain to Mitt: You started it with all those millions in negative ads against the Huck and me. You've been spending a lot of your money on negative ads. Spend it all, says McCain.

9:11 PM: Ron Paul to Mitt & McCain: You agree on Iraq...how many men are you willing to let die.

9:18 PM: McCain is asked what makes him a better leader on the economy then Mitt. McCain says I'm a leader, that's how.

9:20 PM: Mitt is asked if McCain is a better leader on the econony. "NO." I was a governor. I'm an executive not a legislator who sits on committees. Mitt: I'm a LEADER, LEADER, LEADER -- so, basically, McCain hasn't done any real work. McCain sits on committees.

9:24 PM: Would Mitt be an okay commander-in-chief? McCain: I'm sure Mitt was a good manager -- bought and sold companies where some people lost jobs. But can't have on the job training. So, we can infer that McCain doesn't think Mitt would be a good commander. These guys really, really don't like each other. And, McCain is smirking a lot.

Last question: Would Ronald Reagan support you? Duh, like they're going to say No. Mitt and McCain try to explain why Reagan would support them over the each other.

It's over. And, it was awful. Again, I can't see any of these guys as President. Read More......

My take on Obama's new strategy: It's one-on-one now

I have a slightly different take on Obama's speech today than John. First, today, with Edwards dropping out, the campaign is on a completely different playing field. It's one-on-one between Obama and Clinton. For political geeks, it doesn't get much better than this current contest. We are watching two masters of the game engage.

Two things are interesting to me: First, Obama keeps injecting Bill Clinton into the discussion. He did that again today in Denver. Last week, after the South Carolina debate, the punditry were discussing how Hillary was playing for February 5th while Obama was trying to win South Carolina. But, Obama kept making a point of discussing both Clintons, not just Hillary. The media kept wondering if Bill got under Obama's skin. I wonder if it wasn't really the other way around. Obama drew Bill into the campaign -- and Bill acted like Bill does. Only problem is that Bill isn't the candidate. Makes one wonder if the Obama campaign had research showing that the more Bill is the issue, the less support there is for Hillary. She loses the patina of a historic candidacy when the campaign isn't about her. Obama did get the Clinton campaign off its message. Today, she even had to tell us "This is my campaign, it is about my candidacy." (Anyone else hear "I'm relevant"?) That's not something a campaign should be telling us six days before Super Tuesday.

More after the jump...

Second, Obama is using Hillary's language -- the very language she used against him. He kept talking about "Day One." That was a trademark term of Hillary's stump speech. Obama has turned it on her, which is actually somewhat masterful. That makes it hard for the Clinton team to start whining about what Obama is saying. He is re-defining one of Clinton's main talking points. He also talked about Clinton's votes on Iraq and Iran -- and some of the statements she's made during the campaign. But that's fair game according to Clinton. At the South Carolina debate, Clinton said, "I believe your record and what you say should matter." So, it matters.

I don't see what Obama did as all that negative. To me, he went on the offense -- trying to throw the Clinton campaign off their game. We keep hearing that Obama needs to show Democrats that he can play to win, that he can take on the Republican machine in the general election. I think that's what he's showing us. I really don't see it as negative and mean or "blistering." I mean come on, if Barack wanted to get ugly about the 90s, there is plenty to throw out there. But that's not what the Obama did. (And let's not forget, it's the Clinton campaign, and their surrogates, that keeps dragging up dirt about Obama's youthful indiscretions, not the other way around.)

Anyway, that's my take. The dynamics of the campaign changed dramatically today when John Edwards dropped out. Seems like Obama got out in front of it all today. Read More......

Obama eviscerates Hillary

Wow. I'm a bit surprised by the tenor of the attack, and by the attack at all. Both Hillary and Obama get into these mood swings where they attack, then make nice, then attack again. It all started when the race got close, and real, in December or so. But I have to say, this is particularly pointed from Obama.

"Democrats will win in November and build a majority in Congress not by nominating a candidate who will unite the other party against us, but by choosing one who can unite this country around a movement for change," Obama said, speaking as rival John Edwards was pulling out of the race in New Orleans, leaving a Clinton-Obama fight for the Democratic nomination.

"It is time for new leadership that understands the way to win a debate with John McCain or any Republican who is nominated is not by nominating someone who agreed with him on voting for the war in Iraq or who agreed with him in voting to give George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran, who agrees with him in embracing the Bush-Cheney policy of not talking to leaders we don't like, who actually differed with him by arguing for exceptions for torture before changing positions when the politics of the moment changed," Obama said....

"I know it is tempting — after another presidency by a man named George Bush — to simply turn back the clock, and to build a bridge back to the 20th century," he said in Denver.

"... It's not enough to say you'll be ready from Day One — you have to be right from Day One," he added in unmistakable criticisms of Clinton, who often claims she's better prepared to govern, and her husband, who pledged during his own presidency to build a bridge to the 21st century.

So what gives? My take on this after the jump...

Sometimes campaigns go negative when they're desperate and behind. Obama isn't really behind, and has no real reason to be desperate - most commentators don't think Super Tuesday will give us a definitive nominee either way.

It's possible that the Obama folks are reacting to exit polls from South Carolina and Florida that showed more Dem voters thought Hillary was being too nasty than thought he was being too nasty. Though, it's not clear that the appropriate lesson from the polls is to get nastier. But, Obama may have read this as an opening.

Also, this could be a reaction to Hillary campaigning in Florida the past few days - and that's exactly what she did - in violation of the agreement that all the candidates accepted that no one would camapign in Florida (as a result of the DNC punishing Florida for moving up its primary in violation of DNC rules). What's more, Hillary now wants all of those delegates reinstated, after she was one of the people who agreed with taking those delegates away, and even more importantly, since all the candidates agreed not to campaign in the state this is a non-contest that gives us no indication how Floridians would have really voted had there been a real campaign and a real election. Hillary changed her mind because she won. That's pretty ballsy, and duplicitous, and this may be Obama's retaliation.

And finally, it may also be further fall-out from whatever convinced Ted Kennedy to enter the race on behalf of Obama. Nobody knows what really happened behind closed doors, but again, perhaps Obama and company have finally decided to pull the gloves off. (Having said that, friends who watched the Nevada primaries said that the Obama folks already had the gloves off there.) Read More......

Bush will ignore more of Harry Reid's and Nancy Pelosi's laws

Why don't we all just go home now. Bush isn't going to abide by any law that Congress passes, and Congress doesn't really seem to care that the executive has stolen all of their power. So seriously, why are we here? If you guys aren't going to defend yourselves, how can we count on you to defend the country?

From the Boston Globe:

President Bush this week declared that he has the power to bypass four laws, including a prohibition against using federal funds to establish permanent US military bases in Iraq, that Congress passed as part of a new defense bill.

Bush made the assertion in a signing statement that he issued late Monday after signing the National Defense Authorization Act for 2008. In the signing statement, Bush asserted that four sections of the bill unconstitutionally infringe on his powers, and so the executive branch is not bound to obey them.

No, in America we go to court to determine if laws unconstitutionally infringe on the president's powers. The president doesn't just get to decide by himself, especially when he's a blithering idiot. No one in America gets to decide which laws do and don't apply to them. That's a judge's job. But George Bush and the Republicans don't believe in judges, they don't believe in the rule of law. And the Democrats in Congress don't really seem to care. And they wonder why they keep getting screwed. Oh yeah, it's because we don't have 60 votes in the Senate. Uh huh. Does anyone really believe that once we get 60 Democratic Senators in the Senate suddenly the Dems will grow a spine? Please. Come back next year when the Republicans still filibuster, still offer horrendous legislation taking away our most basic and most sacred rights, and the Dems still join them. Then they'll tell us if we just had 70 Democratic Senators... Read More......

All dressed up and nowhere to go

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Another House Republican is leaving. Tom Davis from Virginia to retire

Good riddance.

House Republicans are retiring en masse, it seems. Tom Davis represents Fairfax County in Northern Virginia -- a district that has become increasingly Democratic. And, you may recall, his wife, Jeanmarie Devolites Davis, lost her State Senate seat in November. Read More......

Ralph Nader is bored again, may decide to put John McCain in the White House to relieve his ennui

Seriously, who is funding this guy? What organizations is he still affiliated with, and who is funding them? He needs to be put to pasture once and for all (what's that slaughterhouse in California, again?) From ABC:

Ralph Nader has formed a presidential exploratory committee, and said in an interview Wednesday that he will launch another presidential bid if he's convinced he can raise enough money to appear on the vast majority of state ballots this fall.

Nader, who ran as an independent candidate in each of the past three presidential elections, told ABCNews.com that he will run in 2008 if he is convinced over the next month that he would be able to raise $10 million over the course of the campaign — and attract enough lawyers willing to work free of charge to get his name on state ballots.

So, are we better off now than we were before Ralph Nader helped throw the 2000 and 2004 elections to George Bush? How has his grand plan helped our country? There has been NO positive change, whatsoever, from Nader having entered either race. The only possible impact anyone can point to is that Nader may have handed the presidency to George Bush, twice. That's all Nader has going for him - the possibility that he's responsible for giving the country waterboarding, the Iraq war, the mortgage mess, skyrocketing oil prices, massive budget deficits, signing statements, Alito and Roberts, Gitmo... Read More......

Waterboarding cows

A shocking video from the Humane Society about how cows, whose meat is used in America's school lunch program in 36 states, are allegedly being treated by a leading cattle slaughterhouse in California. In an effort to get sickly-looking cows to stand up for inspection by the FDA, the slaughterhouse allegedly shoots water up cows' noses, uses a forklift to shove the animals, jabs them in the eyes, and then uses an electrical prod to shock the cows' rectums. Beyond the inhumanity of it all, there's a reason we don't waterboard cows. Cows that are lying down and refuse to get up may, for example, have Mad Cow disease. That's why we don't want to "fake" inspections. Just another example of how disgusting our food supply has become since the anti-government anti-regulation Republicans took over our country.

From the Washington Post:

"These were not rogue employees secretly doing these things," the investigator said in a telephone interview on the condition of anonymity because he hopes to infiltrate other slaughterhouses. "This is the pen manager and his assistant doing this right in the open."....

In the 2004-05 school year, the Agriculture Department honored Westland with its Supplier of the Year award for the National School Lunch Program....

One reason that regulations call for keeping downers -- cows that cannot stand up -- out of the food supply is that they may harbor bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. It is caused by a virus-like infectious particle that can cause a fatal brain disease in people.

Another is because such animals have, in many cases, been wallowing in feces, posing added risks of E. coli and salmonella contamination....

In the video, handlers repeatedly apply powerful shocks to the heads, necks, spines and rectums of immobile cows.

More from the Humane Society. Read More......

Will Edwards-voters choose Hillary or Obama?

From Chris Cilllizza at the Washington Post:

With Edwards out of the race, the Democratic fight becomes a true two-person affair with Obama and Clinton battling one another for delegates on Super Tuesday and, in all likelihood, beyond. As we wrote earlier this week, Edwards' Super Tuesday strategy of focusing on states in the South and with significant rural populations seemed to make Obama's path rather than Clinton's more difficult over the coming weeks.

Edwards' departure also likely means a further coalescing of the anti-Clinton vote behind Obama -- recent votes seemed to show that process was already well under way. But race could also shape this unsettled contest, and potentially complicate the formation of an anti-Clinton coalition.

"While one can plausibly argue that Edwards withdrawal may unite the anti-Clinton vote, one can also argue that Edwards overwhelmingly white block of supporters come loose and might behave much as other white Democrats have done in the contests after Iowa, not vote for Obama," said Charlie Cook, a political analyst and publisher of the Cook Political Report. "I don't know which of those arguments will prevail."

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It's Hillary vs. Obama, you have to choose

I don't want to hear about Kucinich. I don't want to hear about "unsure." I don't want to hear about "neither one." Edwards is out, it's now Hillary vs. Obama, and you're not going to vote for another Republican, so you are going to vote and you are going to pick one or the other. Which one is it? Tell us in our straw poll, far right corner of the blog, and jump in the comments. Last straw poll you guys overwhelmingly supported Edwards. Curious who you pick now. Read More......

Edwards dropping out of Presidential race

John Edwards is out:

ABC News' Raelyn Johnson and Ed O'Keefe Report: Former senator John Edwards, D-N.C., will drop out of the Democratic presidential race on Wednesday.

"It just became clear it wasn't going to happen," as senior Edwards advisor tells ABC News.

MSNBC reports Edwards will make the announcement at 1 PM (Eastern time) in New Orleans -- where he started the campaign in December of 2006. Read More......

Another lesson from Rudy's demise: If you want conservatives to like you, lie to them.

John wrote a post last night about the right wing orthodoxy of the GOP that makes no room for moderates. The NY Times has a great article about the demise of Rudy's campaign. Lots of arrogance and bad decisions. But, there was also a quote from a GOP consultant that pretty much sums up the state of the Republican party:

“It bordered on science fiction to think that someone as liberal on as many issues as Rudy Giuliani could become the Republican nominee,” said Nelson Warfield, a Republican consultant who has been a longtime critic of the former mayor. “Rudy didn’t even care enough about conservatives to lie to us. The problem wasn’t the calendar; it was the candidate.”

If you care about conservatives, lie to them. They accept that over an honest debate. That says so much about today's GOP. Read More......

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Morning.

I'm thinking Mitt is sounding a bit petulant. His speech last night, this morning on the Today Show. Mitt wants to be president. He is spending a lot of his own money. It's not fair that he's not winning. Plus, McCain's been playing dirty. Mitt is going to have to get even uglier to get his momentum back. We already know he'll say anything....

McCain vs. Romney leaves a lot of GOPers unhappy.

Six more days til Super Tuesday. Given the intensity and breathlessness of the reporting, I think some of the pundits may just lose their minds over the next couple days.

Have at it. Read More......

FBI investigating subprime business

UBS just announced another ugly write-down, $14 billion and a $4 billion loss for 2008, and that won't be the last of it for the industry. How can the former CEOs continue to hold their millions when it was based on such bogus business? Now that the investigation is moving, will anything come of it?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened criminal inquiries into 14 companies as part of a wide-ranging investigation of the troubled mortgage industry, F.B.I. officials said Tuesday.

The F.B.I. said it was looking into possible accounting fraud, insider trading or other violations in connection with loans made to borrowers with weak, or subprime, credit.

The agency declined to identify the companies under investigation but said the inquiry, which began last spring, involves companies across the financial industry, including mortgage lenders, loan brokers and Wall Street banks that packaged home loans into securities.

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Dinner, courtesy of chemical industry

Yum, is that Roundup that I'm tasting?

Government promises to rid the nation's food supply of brain-damaging pesticides aren't doing the job, according to the results of a yearlong study that carefully monitored the diets of a group of local children.

The peer-reviewed study found that the urine and saliva of children eating a variety of conventional foods from area groceries contained biological markers of organophosphates, the family of pesticides spawned by the creation of nerve gas agents in World War II.

When the same children ate organic fruits, vegetables and juices, signs of pesticides were not found.

The chemical industry always tells consumers (and Congress) that chemical can't pass on through the food chain. The fact is that this is simply not true. A key component of health care and maintaining health care costs is prevention. Are we going to get serious about this or will Congress continue to allow Monsanto and others to sell their chemicals regardless of impact on humans? Read More......

Global Democratic Primary for Americans living outside of US

As much as it pains me to give credit to the Democrats Abroad, at least the Paris group, this is pretty cool. The initial information that was sent out did not make it clear that this vote would actually count. We have to wait until the main election to send our ballots by registered mail or FedEx at our own expense and then have our votes shoved in to a remote closet, never to be viewed again. (Thanks to everyone in Washington for helping the millions of Americans abroad feel like we're part of the process.)

Americans living outside of the US will be able to either vote online or in person and the votes will count at the convention in August. Click here to register with the Democrats Abroad or you can do it in person at your location between 5-12 February. Here is the list of where you can vote in person.

The worldwide election results will determine the 14 delegates who will join eight DNC members in Democrats Abroad’s delegation of 22 to the Democratic National Convention. These delegates will be elected at a combination of regional and global meetings held during early 2008. These meetings also provide an opportunity for Americans abroad to shape the party's election platform.

Ah yes, they're throwing in a few SuperDelegates to make sure we don't vote for the "wrong" person. Even when they're doing good, they're doing bad. Read More......

Mitt is staying in the fight. Rudy is out and will endorse McCain

Lots going on in GOP world after the Florida primary.

Mitt is staying in the race and taking the fight to McCain over who is the most right wing of the right wingers. Mitt's got a lot of his own money to spend so this should be fun:

Republican Mitt Romney, his family and supporters vowed to carry his campaign into the vote-rich Super Tuesday contests next week after narrowly losing Florida's primary to rival John McCain.

In his concession speech Tuesday night, Romney issued a call to arms to conservatives to support him, vowing to cut federal spending, end illegal immigration and teach children "that before they have babies, they should get married."

Get good and ugly, Mitt. McCain really hates you. Don't forget that McCain lied about your record. Have at it.

We won't have Rudy to kick around anymore, although we'll be mocking his candidacy for years to come. What a spectacular disaster. Despite his best finish so far -- a distant third, which is way better then his usual sixth place -- Rudy is dropping out and backing McCain. Read More......

No room in the GOP for moderates like Rudy

There's no room at the inn.

Giuliani's stunning loss in Florida tonight, and his utter flaming out of the Republican nomination - he has a grand total of 1 delegate - shows the degree to which far-right Republicans have taken over the GOP and forced moderates and anyone else who doesn't breathe fire or speak in tongues out of the party (your faithful blogger, Markos, Arianna and so many more included).

Just as messed up, conservative Republicans may end up rallying around Romney, a man who once ran for the Senate claiming to be more pro-gay than Ted Kennedy. A guy who in the past two years has suddenly become a lifelong conservative, after 58 years of embracing gun control, abortion, and gays. This is the standard-bearer for conservative Republicans, a guy who on the litmus test "conservative" issues is - oh I'm sorry, was two years ago - a liberal Democrat. This is the standard bearer for evangelical jam-Christ-down-your-throat Christians, a Mormon.

And they wonder so many of us left. Read More......

CNN projecting McCain winner in Florida

9:21 PM

62% reporting

36% McCain
32% Romney
15% Giuliani
13% Huckabee
3% Ron Paul

The Democratic race doesn't matter, or count. Florida lost its delegates to the Democratic convention for violating DNC rules about when it could hold its primary. All the candidates agreed not to campaign in Florida as a result, but now Hillary is trying to get the delegates reinstated because she's winning. Imagine if she succeeds and those delegates are enough to push her over the top. Florida would again steal the election. And I suspect all hell would break loose. (8:39 PM: Hillary is having a "victory rally" in Florida tonight. Keith Olbermann read the official statement from NBC that no delegates are being awarded and that the campaigns pledged not to campaign in Florida. Watching the nicely printed "Hillary" signs being waved at the Clinton event, Keith said, "Everybody just happened to have those signs at home." No campaigning there.)

TIME is reporting that Giuliani is expected to endorse McCain as early as tomorrow.

Pat Buchanan on John McCain: "Here's a guy, basically, what does he say: 'The jobs are never coming back, the illegals are never going home, but we're gonna have a lot more wars.' "

Joe Scarborough: "John McCain's platform, and it certainly looks inviting for the fall, he's promised less jobs and more wars. Now that's something we can all rally behind."

UPDATE @ 8:16 PM: Florida being Florida, there were, of course, voting problems according to the Miami Herald. Be great if this screws up the GOP race:

Mysterious glitches cost some voters in Miami-Dade and Broward counties the opportunity Tuesday to vote for their candidates in the presidential primaries.

In some cases, it might have been voter error -- people who failed to register properly as a Democrat or Republican.

In others, the problem might be attributed to mistakes in registration rolls, though county election officials disputed that.

In several cases, however, the failure involved poorly trained election workers who apparently activated machines with the wrong ballots and, in some cases, were utterly confounded by the election.

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Why is Larry Craig still in the Senate?

"Conservative" Republican Senator Larry Craig, the guy arrested for tapping his foot in an airport men's room, continues to hold his seat (ba dum pum) in the Senate. (I actually had the pleasure of walking by Larry Craig yesterday in the Senate. And no, I didn't ask directions to the bathroom.) Well it's looking like the Senate is stonewalling his ethics investigation. It's good to be Queen.

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Early GOP exit polls leaking out of Florida

The National Review, which as a right wing publication really, really cares about the GOP nomination, posted early exit polls from Florida:

The first wave of exit poll numbers, including absentees: McCain 34.3 percent, Romney 32.6 percent, Giuliani 15.3 percent, Huckabee 12 percent.

Given these are exit polls, caveat emptor. That's all I'm saying.

Most polls close at 7 PM, although some on the panhandle stay open til 8 pm (the ten most western panhandle counties according to the Miami Herald). Read More......

Bush on economy and home ownership

Bush took all of the credit for policies that led to the booming CEO economy (that never trickled down beyond CEOs) and record rates of home ownership. Is he still a stand up guy now or will he run from his words and his record?

Bush in 2004: "Thanks to being the most productive workforce in America, and I might say, thanks to good policies, this economy is strong and it's getting stronger," Bush told supporters.

Noting that 68 percent of Americans own their own homes, Bush said, "Home sales were the highest ever recently. That's exciting news for the country."

Fast-forward to 2008: The housing and mortgage meltdown caused the biggest one-year drop in the rate of homeownership on record, according to government figures released Tuesday.

The Census Bureau report showed that home owners accounted for 67.8% of occupied homes in the fourth quarter, down 1.1 points from a year earlier. It's the largest year-over-year drop recorded in the report. The ownership rate was also well below the 68.2% ownership rate in the third quarter of 2007.

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More and better foreign policy voices: Alex Thurston

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I strongly believe in giving a bigger megaphone to those who deserve it but perhaps aren't yet very well known, especially because that's the kind of perspective that allowed me to come on board here in the first place. So I'm making an effort to highlight and recommend emerging voices every few weeks or so, mostly on foreign policy but sometimes other topics as well. The first was Matt Duss, and today I'd like to introduce y'all to Alex Thurston, another young foreign policy observer whose insights and expertise make his writing essential reading.

Alex is currently a student in the Master's program of Arab Studies at Georgetown, and studied religion as an undergrad at Northwestern. Unlike many pundits, he has actually lived abroad, spending much of 2006 and 2007 in Senegal as part of the Fulbright exchange program, studying Muslim youth movements. His understanding of the Middle East and Africa is comprehensive, and he's one of a growing group that understand internationalism *and* politics -- an intersection that was less necessary before the entire foreign policy apparatus was politicized but is absolutely vital now.

His recent post on continued escalation of tensions in Pakistan rightly warns against any rash moves by the US; moving east, his excellent analysis of the latest in Darfur helps keep focus on a still-overlooked tragedy. So you know the drill: Add The Seminal to your RSS feed or your daily reading list, and know that when you read Thurston, you're reading a progressive who knows his stuff and can be trusted. It's important. Read More......

More on Romney potentially wearing an earpiece

UPDATE: The main article I link to below has been pulled, so we should assume that the author's allegation, that Romney's staff admits he wears an earpiece, is no longer proven. Having said that, I watched the debate live on TV, and heard the "answer" to Romney's question a split second before he gave it. I even rewound the tape, it's there. Listen for yourself.



CNN picked up on the story as did FOX. NBC's Brian Williams fills in a bit more info about the mystery on his blog:

I remember looking around the stage with a start - scanning the faces of the candidates, trying to figure out who had just said that. Apparently, others heard it, too. We're actually polling all of our folks (those who were anywhere near an open mike) and watching all of our iso tapes (where we record camera angles that isolate individual candidates) to see who the whispering bandit is. Its not as if anyone committed any offense - in fact, whoever it was was both fast on the draw and correct about where Tim was going with his question. It was just an oddly disjointed, not-immediately-identifiable voice, thus the mystery.

THIS IS MY EARLIER POST: I'm linking to this story over at RedState because I had the same experience as the writer. I was watching the GOP debate the other night, and had it TiVo'd, and all of a sudden I hear someone whispering about cutting taxes a second before Romney starts talking about cutting taxes. I went back, checked the tape, and there's the little ghost whispering about cutting taxes. Well, it gets better. Romney's staff admits he wears an earpiece through which they tell him what to do. Was Romney wearing such an earpiece during the debate, was that who we heard whispering? And this raises the issue, again, of Bush's rather obvious use of an earpiece to funnel him talking points - something the media has refused to follow up on, and which was painfully obvious especially a few years ago. Read More......

Come November: Huckabee easiest to beat; McCain hardest

Some surprising results, to me at least, from our straw poll regarding which GOP candidate would be easiest to beat in November. I kind of expected that everyone would agree that McCain could be our toughest opponent, though I also feel that Giuliani could be tough too (in a general election - in the primaries he's pretty much toast at this point). I didn't, however, expect that you'd pick Huckabee as the easiest to beat, followed by Giuliani. I just figured that Romney would be the easiest to beat because of his having flipped on every single issue in order to run as a "conservative" after a lifetime of liberal positions on God, gays and guns (and the Mormon thing isn't going to help him either). But you guys felt Romney would be harder to beat than Huckabee or Giuliani. A lot harder. Interesting. Read More......

Hillary speaks out about gay youth suicide

I gotta give her credit, she specifically chose to include a question about gay youth in her "Ask Hillary" video. While many of you may say "well, she should," yes she should, but I would imagine a lot of politicians would just as soon stay away from the issue lest they offend someone. So, she gets two points for this one.

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McCain is now gay-baiting

That didn't take long. So much for our maverick. When the going gets tough, John McCain goes queer bashing. Note his adoption of the religious right buzz-phrase "special rights." Considering McCain helped shoot down a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, I'm just curious how he defines "special rights." McCain has always surrounding himself with gay men. Ever since I worked on the Hill in the late 80s, early 90s, McCain always had gay men on staff in senior positions. Openly gay men. Gay men who had no problem helping the gay rights movement. Gay men who people like McCain would call "gay activists." McCain had zero problem helping powerful openly-gay men advance in Washington, DC. He currently has no problem employing them at the highest reaches of his campaign - the highest reaches - helping them work their "special rights" agenda in his campaign and beyond. But now we're to believe that McCain suddenly has a problem with the gays and their "special rights."

Mitt Romney isn't the only GOP candidate playing games with their position on gays. McCain has been trying to have it both ways on gay issues for two decades now. Privately helping gay activists while publicly condemning them. There's a reason that conservatives don't trust McCain. He's just a more refined version of Mitt Romney. Say one thing, do another. Read More......

US home foreclosures up 79% in 2007

And they are expected to be even higher this year. More economic failure, courtesy of the GOP. Regulation and oversight are not bad words, unless you are a Republican. Because the GOP failed to act, it's going to cost everyone much more money in the long run.

About 1.3 million homes received foreclosure-related warnings last year, up from 717,522 in 2006, Irvine-based RealtyTrac said. Foreclosure filings rose 75 percent from the previous year to 2.2 million.

More than 1 percent of all U.S. households were in some phase of the foreclosure process last year, up from about half a percent in 2006, RealtyTrac said.

Nevada, Florida, Michigan and California posted the highest foreclosure rates, the company said.

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McCain on Mitt: He's a flip-flopping flip-flopper

The last Reuters/CSPAN/Zogby tracking poll of Florida Republicans has McCain leading Romney by four points: 35 - 31. Huck and Rudy are tied for third at 13 each.

Romney and McCain are doing their best to destroy each other. Love the front page NY Times headline: "Acrimony Reigns in G.O.P. on Eve of Florida Vote." Yes, let acrimony reign within the G.O.P. for month and months. Have to say, though, McCain has done a very nice job of defining Romney:

Mr. McCain volleyed back by describing Mr. Romney as a serial flip-flopper who had taken multiple positions on a variety of issues, including gay rights, global warming and immigration. “People, just look at his record as governor,” Mr. McCain said at a shipyard in Jacksonville. “He has been entirely consistent. He has consistently taken two sides of every major issue, sometimes more than two.”

They're giving us our talking points for the general election. Read More......

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

It's primary day in Florida. Mitt and McCain have made it really ugly. But remember, Florida is going to be the state where Rudy soars. Not going to happen. The big question is whether he can catapult into a distant third. The demise of Rudy is truly one of the great sub-plots of this election cycle.

The Democratic primary doesn't mean anything. The DNC, in its infinite wisdom, went to war with Florida over the early primary. Not like we'll need Florida in November.


Start threading. Read More......

Link between junk food and violence?

Oxford University is launching a study in the British prison system to investigate the links between anti-social behavior and diet/nutrition. The initial studies have shown there could be a connection and changes could reduce (not eliminate) violent behavior in a significant portion of the population.

Mark Walport, head of the Wellcome Trust, which is funding the three-year study, said: "If this study shows that nutritional supplementation affects behaviour it could have profound significance for nutritional guidelines, not only within the criminal justice system but in the wider community – in schools, for example. We are all used to nutritional guidelines for our physical health but this study could lead to revisions taking account of our mental health."

The theory behind the trial is that when the brain is starved of essential nutrients, especially omega-3 fatty acids, which are a central building block of brain neurons, it loses "flexibility". This shortens attention spans and undermines self-control. Even though prison food is nutritious, prisoners tend to make unhealthy choices and need supplements, the researchers say.

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Countrywide CEO to take lower payout

He's still going to walk away with a comfortable sum of money though it's not going to be as extravagant as initially planned thanks to public criticism. As for the failed CEOs of Merrill Lynch and Citigroup, who accepted massive payouts based on shoddy business that has since been written down, no change and business as usual. Yes, they did have contracts though what kind of contract doesn't take bad business into consideration? If your bonanza payout is based on smoke-and-mirrors business, should that really be acceptable? Read More......

Harry Reid done good today

Folks have been pretty hard on Harry Reid of late (not unfairly so) for the ongoing debacle that is the Democratic Senate. Today, however, Senator Reid said he was going to stand up to the Republicans, and he did. And he won. At least a temporary, but rather big, victory. Reid basically stuck his thumb in the Republicans', and George Bush's, eye. It's a rather long and convoluted story, with lots of hard-to-explain votes on various pieces of legislation, but in a nutshell, the Republicans wanted to jam through their latest domestic spying exoneration act and Reid said, no, we're not gonna rush it. Then the Republicans actually filibustered legislation that would continue the current domestic spying law for another month, rather than letting it expire later this week. The Republicans think they're sticking a thumb in our eye by taking away the one-month extension. They think that by making Thursday a hard and firm deadline the Dems will cave. And untrue to form, the Dems didn't cave (at least not yet). They actually stood up to the Republicans' bluff.

It remains to be seen if over the next few days the Dems hold firm. And if they don't, we'll blast them, dutifully. But today the Senate Democrats did a good thing. They showed they have some backbone. Let's hope it's the beginning of a beautiful thing. Read More......