Open thread

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that thread. Read the rest of this post...

US lets top Al Qaeda operative escape

Keystone friggin cops.

A man once considered a top al-Qaida operative escaped from a U.S.-run detention facility in Afghanistan and cannot testify against the soldier who allegedly mistreated him, a defense lawyer involved in a prison abuse case said Tuesday.

Omar al-Farouq was one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants in Southeast Asia until Indonesian authorities captured him in the summer of 2002 and turned him over to the United States.

A Pentagon official in Washington confirmed Tuesday evening that al-Farouq escaped from a U.S. detention facility in Bagram, Afghanistan, on July 10. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

This happened on July 10 and we're finding out about it now. Read the rest of this post...

Heterosexual Rights Update

We interrupt this blog for a Heterosexual Rights update from Dan Savage's "Savage Love" column:

Straight rights update: There were two disturbing developments in the battle over straight rights last week. First: Target. We know the store fills its ads with dancing, multiculti hipsters giving off a tolerant, urbanist vibe and runs hipster-heavy ad campaigns positioning Target as a slightly more expensive, more progressive alternative to Wal-Mart. Well, as John Aravosis revealed on Americablog.org last week, Target's politics are as red as their bull's-eye logo.

The chain allows its pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control and emergency contraception to female customers if the pharmacist objects on religious grounds. What's worse, the company claims that any of its employees has a right to discriminate against any of its customers provided the discrimination is motivated by an employee's religious beliefs. Read all about it at www.americablog.org and www.plannedparenthood.org.

Second, more troubling news from Tucson, Ariz., where a 20-year-old rape victim called dozens of pharmacies in town before she found one that stocked emergency contraception (EC). "When she finally did find a pharmacy with it, she said she was told the pharmacist on duty would not dispense it because of religious and moral objections," reported the Arizona Daily Star. Emergency contraception, the story continued, "prevents pregnancy by stopping ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of a fertilized egg. The sooner the emergency contraception is taken after intercourse, the more effective it is."

Don't just sit there, heteros. Defend your rights! Don't shop at Target, and write 'em and tell them why you're going elsewhere. (Go to Target.com and click on "contact us," then "Target Corporation.") As for Fry's Pharmacy in Tucson, the shop that wouldn't dispense EC to a freakin' rape victim, the fundamentalist pharmacist claims its her "right" not to do her fucking job.

Well, you have a right to free speech. Call Fry's at 520.323.2695 and ask them why the fuck a pharmacy that won't dispense EC keeps the drug in stock. Do they do it just to torment rape victims? ("Oh yeah, we've got EC-but you can't have any. Don't you know that Jesus wants you to bear your rapist's child?") Rise up, straight people, and demand your rights.

Read the rest of this post...

Send flowers & gift baskets to thank Democratic leader & Sen. Harry Reid

Reader Mary just sent me a very nice suggestion. Perhaps some folks out there would like to join me in sending flowers and/or gift boxes to Senator Harry Reid's office to thank the Senator and his staff for showing some great backbone today in standing up to the nasty old Republicans, and ultimately making them flinch (if you're not sure what I'm talking about, read the rest of today's blog entries).

I'm serious about this. It's a small gesture, but quite a nice one, I think. It's important to realize that Senator Reid and his staff are real people, and a heartfelt thanks goes a long way towards inspiring more good deeds like the one we witnessed today.

To make this as easy as possible, I searched around online and found the following sites that seem pretty good for sending flowers (I am not personally vouching for these businesses, but at first glance they had decent ratings, typical prices, etc.)

Obviously, if you're low on cash do NOT worry about this. But for those who can afford it, send something - I am. And please be sure to send the flowers/gift boxes to the following address, below - it's Senator Reid's PAC address, it's right around the corner form his Senate office, and will help us get around the onerous security issues of sending packages to the Senate office building itself:

The Honorable Harry Reid
c/o Friends For Harry Reid
422 C St., NE
Washington, DC 20002

And if you want to mention in your note to the Senator that you're an AMERICAblog reader, that's certainly welcome so we can get a sense of how many folks took part in this.

And here are the links to a few online floral shops:

- 800 florals (click around on the buttons in the left hand sidebar to finds lots more flower options - also, the more inexpensive flowers are at the bottom of each page.)
- 1800Flowers.com
- FTD (you can send food too! I was a staffer, food goes over VERY well). Or call 1-800-SEND-FTD
- http://www.ProFlowers.com - I'm told that if you click the "radio" link button in the upper right hand corner of home page, then type in "Al" (as in Al Franken), you'll get a free vase with the deliver, and it lets the company know that you listen to Air America and Al Franken.
- And a very nice cookie site, with some stuff in the $20 or so range.

As always, no requirements here. Help out if you can and the spirit moves you :-) JOHN

PS Feel free to use the comments to let us know if you sent something. And if you prefer, freel free to make a donation to Senator Reid's PAC here. Read the rest of this post...

The details of the what the Democrats, and the country, won today in the Senate

From Bloomberg

U.S. Senators reached an agreement to monitor a congressional investigation into the Bush administration's use of intelligence about Iraq after Democrats forced an unusual closed session on the Senate floor to draw attention to the issue.

The closed session began about 2:15 p.m. today Washington time when Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid invoked a rule forcing the session, which required the chamber to be cleared of visitors and cameras to be turned off. It ended about 4:35 p.m. with Majority Leader Bill Frist announcing the creation of a six- member task force to monitor progress of the probe.

Reid said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts promised more than a year ago to conduct an investigation into whether the Bush administration misused intelligence before the Iraq war.

Democrats: We put national security ahead of politics. Read the rest of this post...

Bush/Schwarzenegger homophobe ally links gays and pedophiles

It's always nice to know that Bush's and Schwarzenegger's allies in America's Taliban will play one card too many and expose themselves, yet again, to be the radical, fringe bigots they really are.

The latest hate-filled salvo is from Lou Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition Web site:



Sheldon, you'll recall, was one of the top guys behind the Terri Schiavo fiasco. He also is mixed up in the growing Jack Abramoff scandal where he alegedly got involved in some not-very-Christian things. Sheldon is one of the top religious right leaders, and Capitol Hill Republicans listen to him.

You'll also appreciate Sheldon putting this photo next to a bunch of Nazi-quality science linking gays and pedophiles.



You support Bush, you support Arnold, you support the Republicans in Congress, then you support these hate-filled idiots too. It's time for people in the middle and fair-minded Republicans to decide what kind of an America they want.

Is this really what the GOP stands for: bigotry and treason? Read the rest of this post...

Lose the masks, dudes. Halloween was yesterday

Just look at those faces. Read the rest of this post...

We ♥ Lou Dobbs too

CNN Hill reporter Ed Henry:

...it also is gonna lead, as it already is, to some more Republican charges that the Democrats are just obstructing the nation's business.

CNN's Lou Dobbs:

Ed, a couple of points if I may. One, you suggested the Senate melted down today. There are those who would argue that the Senate began doing its job today.

Oh, Lou. :-) Read the rest of this post...

Trent Lott questions whether Karl Rove should keep his job

Ok, this is one hell of a not-helpful interview Chris Matthews just had with Trent Lott. It's hardly the ringing endorsement the Republicans gave Rove only a few months ago.

UPDATE: Yikes, even GOP suck up Matt Drudge is now reporting on Lott questioning whether Karl needs to go.


UPDATE: Transcript....

CHRIS MATTHEWS: On that, I have to ask you the toughest question. Is Karl Rove the President's top political kick? Who is pretty rough when he got rid of John McCain down in South Carolina, and pretty rough when they helped get rid of John Kerry, all "Hardball," not illegal, is he good for American politics? Should he stay at the White House?

TRENT LOTT: Well, the question is, that you asked, is he good for American politics? Look, he has been very successful, very effective in the political arena. The question is should he be the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy under the current circumstances? I don't know all that's going on, so I can't make that final conclusion. But, you know, how many times has the top political person become also the top policy advisor? Maybe you can make that transition, but it's a real challenge, and I think they have to – I do think they need to look at bringing in some more people, you know, old gray beards that have been around this town for a while, help them out a little bit at the White House.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Do you think it's a little unseemly to have Svengali on the federal payroll? That sounds like that’s what you’re saying? I’m trying to reconsider what you said. Do you think he should go?

TRENT LOTT: Well, I didn't say that. I mean, I said, you know, is he in the right position? I mean, a lot of political advisors, in fact, most presidents in recent years have a political advisor in the White House. The question is, should they be making, you know, policy decisions. That's the question you've got to evaluate.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: He is. Anyway, thank you very much, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi. When we return, why there was a closed session today. You're watching "hardball" on MSNBC.

Read the rest of this post...

VIDEO: Watch Harry Reid shut down the Senate

Three words.

Fa.

Bu.

Lous.

And they even include video of Bill Frist blowing his top. Read the rest of this post...

We also love Jack Cafferty

Cafferty on questions about whether we were led into war, roughly:

"...If we were lied to, if we were misled, we ought to find the person or people behind it and tear their fingernails out."

Read the rest of this post...

Frist sure had a meltdown today

Reports are abounding about the whining hissy fit Bill Frist had after Harry Reid's brilliant move this afternoon. I got to watch part of his press conference. Reuters reported it like this:

"The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership," Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said. "Never have I been slapped in the face with such an affront to the leadership of this grand institution."

Steve Clemons, who has a good analysis of today's events, reported it this way:

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is currently on C-Span lambasting Reid and his leadership for this move, which Frist is calling sneaky and underhanded.

Frist actually just said that he will be "unable to trust Senator Reid for the next year and half of this Congressional session." Frist said that the Democrats have gone into the gutter to fight.

Big deal. Yesterday, the Senate GOP leaders were puffing their chests out threatening to end the filibuster. Not today. And it is no surprise as to why Frist is so upset:

Reid's move shone a spotlight on the continuing controversy over intelligence that President Bush cited in the run-up to the war in Iraq. Despite prewar claims, no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, and some Democrats have accused the administration of manipulating the information that was in their possession.

The worst thing that can happen to the Bush and the GOP is for the American people to finally learn the truth about Iraq. That's why Bill Frist is freaking out today. Read the rest of this post...

We ♥ Harry, open thread

Running out for a bit, keep the updates coming on the Dems' bombshell. Read the rest of this post...

More info on secret Senate sessions

KEY FACTS ON SECRET SESSIONS OF THE SENATE

· Since 1929, the Senate has held 53 secret sessions, generally for reasons of national security.

o For example, in 1997 the Senate held a secret session to consider the Chemical Weapons Convention (treaty).
o In 1992, the Senate met in secret session to consider “most favored nation” trade status for China.
o In 1988, a session was held to consider the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and in 1983 a session was held on Nicaragua.
o In 1942, a secret session was held on navy plans to build battleships and aircraft carriers, and in 1943 a secret session was held on reports from the war fronts.

· Six of the most recent secret sessions, however, were held during the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton.


SENATE RULES ON SECRET SESSIONS

· During a secret session, the doors of the chamber are closed, and the chamber and its galleries are cleared of all individuals except Members and those officers and employees specified in the rules or essential to the session.

· Standing Senate Rules 21, 29, and 31 cover secret sessions for legislative and executive business. Rule 21 calls for the Senate to close its doors once a motion is made and seconded. The motion is not debatable, and its disposition is made behind closed doors. Read the rest of this post...

Holy shit, put on CNN

UPDATE: Call Harry Reid's DC office and tell them their boss rocks. It's high time a Democrat showed some cojones. We need to support them when they do the right thing (and you know the Republicans are going to try to destroy Reid over this).

Reid's phone number:
(202) 224-3542

The Democrats have forced the Senate into a closed session, to shut down the Senate and go behind closed doors for national security reasons, in order to discuss what the hell happened with Rove and ScooterGate.

Holy shit. CNN just said that by invoking Rule 21, Reid just shut down the Senate, all 100 Senators are called to the Senate floor, they have to turn over their cell phones, blackberries, etc.

And Frist is PISSED. I have never been slapped in the face to this degree. Boo hoo hoo. Frist wants to talk about stunts? His entire leadership is a stunt. There has been no congressional oversight of the Bush administration for five years while the Republicans controlled the White House and the Congress.

And the real big news. This just knocked Judge Alito off his game. The story is now the Democrats showing balls on national security. Reid just changed the subject from Judge Alito to the White House's scandals on Iraq and the RoveGate CIA leaks. Absolutely brilliant.

CNN's Bill Schneider: "This is a revolt, Wolf." Now a paraphrase: "t's a signal to the Republican majority, if the Republicans even think of trying to take away the filibuster, the Democrats are saying 'look what we can do.'"

CNN's Jack Cafferty: "The Democrats got that bird flu new conference out of the news in about four hours. They smelled blood... first White House staffer indicted in 135 years... was there a nuclear weapons program? Were there chemical and biological weapons?... the 9/11 commission made a whole list of recommendations, many of which have been ignored by the administration, the senate intelligence committee has promised an investigation, which is hasn't done."

HARRY REID FRIGGIN' ROCKS Read the rest of this post...

Harry Reid blasts the Republicans, and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS specifically), on the Senate floor

Wow. And he takes a specific, and much-needed swipe, at Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), the ineffective lapdog chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Good for Senator Reid. The Republican party has embraced treason as a virtue, and believes that our country's 200-year-old democracy is now just a quaint inconvenience to be overlooked, and slowly dismantled, in the pursuit of what one fringe wing of one party considers their greater tood.

I understand Senator Frist just said on CNN that Reid's comments were a slap the Republican leadership. No shit, Sherlock. Your party, your leadership, has failed this country during a war for our very survival. It's about time someone slapped you, hard, as a precursor to moving you out of the way where you can do no more damage.

Statement by Senator Reid
Troops and Security First

This past weekend, we witnessed the indictment of the I. Lewis Libby, the Vice President’s Chief of Staff and a senior Advisor to President Bush. Libby is the first sitting White House staffer to be indicted in 135 years. This indictment raises very serious charges. It asserts this Administration engaged in actions that both harmed our national security and are morally repugnant.

The decision to place U.S. soldiers in harm’s way is the most significant responsibility the Constitution invests in the Congress. The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really about: how the Administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions.

As a result of its improper conduct, a cloud now hangs over this Administration. This cloud is further darkened by the Administration’s mistakes in prisoner abuse scandal, Hurricane Katrina, and the cronyism and corruption in numerous agencies.

And, unfortunately, it must be said that a cloud also hangs over this Republican-controlled Congress for its unwillingness to hold this Republican Administration accountable for its misdeeds on all of these issues.

Let’s take a look back at how we got here with respect to Iraq Mr. President. The record will show that within hours of the terrorist attacks on 9/11, senior officials in this Administration recognized these attacks could be used as a pretext to invade Iraq.

The record will also show that in the months and years after 9/11, the Administration engaged in a pattern of manipulation of the facts and retribution against anyone who got in its way as it made the case for attacking Iraq.

There are numerous examples of how the Administration misstated and manipulated the facts as it made the case for war. Administration statements on Saddam’s alleged nuclear weapons capabilities and ties with Al Qaeda represent the best examples of how it consistently and repeatedly manipulated the facts.

The American people were warned time and again by the President, the Vice President, and the current Secretary of State about Saddam’s nuclear weapons capabilities. The Vice President said Iraq “has reconstituted its nuclear weapons.” Playing upon the fears of Americans after September 11, these officials and others raised the specter that, left unchecked, Saddam could soon attack America with nuclear weapons.

Obviously we know now their nuclear claims were wholly inaccurate. But more troubling is the fact that a lot of intelligence experts were telling the Administration then that its claims about Saddam’s nuclear capabilities were false.
The situation was very similar with respect to Saddam’s links to Al Qaeda. The Vice President told the American people, “We know he’s out trying once again to produce nuclear weapons and we know he has a longstanding relationship with various terrorist groups including the Al Qaeda organization.”

The Administration’s assertions on this score have been totally discredited. But again, the Administration went ahead with these assertions in spite of the fact that the government’s top experts did not agree with these claims.

What has been the response of this Republican-controlled Congress to the Administration’s manipulation of intelligence that led to this protracted war in Iraq? Basically nothing. Did the Republican-controlled Congress carry out its constitutional obligations to conduct oversight? No. Did it support our troops and their families by providing them the answers to many important questions? No. Did it even attempt to force this Administration to answer the most basic questions about its behavior? No.

Unfortunately the unwillingness of the Republican-controlled Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities is not limited to just Iraq. We see it with respect to the prisoner abuse scandal. We see it with respect to Katrina. And we see it with respect to the cronyism and corruption that permeates this Administration.

Time and time again, this Republican-controlled Congress has consistently chosen to put its political interests ahead of our national security. They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican Administration rather than get to the bottom of what happened and why.

There is also another disturbing pattern here, namely about how the Administration responded to those who challenged its assertions. Time and again this Administration has actively sought to attack and undercut those who dared to raise questions about its preferred course.

For example, when General Shinseki indicated several hundred thousand troops would be needed in Iraq, his military career came to an end. When then OMB Director Larry Lindsay suggested the cost of this war would approach $200 billion, his career in the Administration came to an end. When U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix challenged conclusions about Saddam’s WMD capabilities, the Administration pulled out his inspectors. When Nobel Prize winner and IAEA head Mohammed el-Baridei raised questions about the Administration’s claims of Saddam’s nuclear capabilities, the Administration attempted to remove him from his post. When Joe Wilson stated that there was no attempt by Saddam to acquire uranium from Niger, the Administration launched a vicious and coordinated campaign to demean and discredit him, going so far as to expose the fact that his wife worked as a CIA agent.

Given this Administration’s pattern of squashing those who challenge its misstatements, what has been the response of this Republican-controlled Congress? Again, absolutely nothing. And with their inactions, they provide political cover for this Administration at the same time they keep the truth from our troops who continue to make large sacrifices in Iraq.

This behavior is unacceptable. The toll in Iraq is as staggering as it is solemn. More than 2,000 Americans have lost their lives. Over 90 Americans have paid the ultimate sacrifice this month alone – the fourth deadliest month since the war began. More than 15,000 have been wounded. More than 150,000 remain in harm’s way. Enormous sacrifices have been and continue to be made.

The troops and the American people have a right to expect answers and accountability worthy of that sacrifice. For example, 40 Senate Democrats wrote a substantive and detailed letter to the President asking four basic questions about the Administration’s Iraq policy and received a four sentence answer in response. These Senators and the American people deserve better.

They also deserve a searching and comprehensive investigation about how the Bush Administration brought this country to war. Key questions that need to be answered include:

o How did the Bush Administration assemble its case for war against Iraq?
o Who did Bush Administration officials listen to and who did they ignore?
o How did senior Administration officials manipulate or manufacture intelligence presented to the Congress and the American people?
o What was the role of the White House Iraq Group or WHIG, a group of senior White House officials tasked with marketing the war and taking down its critics?
o How did the Administration coordinate its efforts to attack individuals who dared to challenge the Administration’s assertions?
o Why has the Administration failed to provide Congress with the documents that will shed light on their misconduct and misstatements?

Unfortunately the Senate committee that should be taking the lead in providing these answers is not. Despite the fact that the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee publicly committed to examine many of these questions more than 1 and ½ years ago, he has chosen not to keep this commitment. Despite the fact that he restated that commitment earlier this year on national television, he has still done nothing.

At this point, we can only conclude he will continue to put politics ahead of our national security. If he does anything at this point, I suspect he will play political games by producing an analysis that fails to answer any of these important questions. Instead, if history is any guide, this analysis will attempt to disperse and deflect blame away from the Administration.

We demand that the Intelligence Committee and other committees in this body with jurisdiction over these matters carry out a full and complete investigation immediately as called for by Democrats in the committee’s annual intelligence authorization report. Our troops and the American people have sacrificed too much. It is time this Republican-controlled Congress put the interests of the American people ahead of their own political interests.

Read the rest of this post...

Maine's two "moderate" Senators will be key votes on Scalito

Both Collins and Snowe purport to be pro-choice, moderate Republicans...a group which is pretty much on the endangered species list. George Bush's appointment of Scalito shows where the GOP is these days. And that GOP is not pro-choice and not remotely moderate. The extremists and theocrats are in control. Alito's nomination was for them.

Today's Portland Press Herald focused on the pivotal role Snowe and Collins will play. Neither has endorsed the nominee, yet:

Collins said although she disagreed with Alito's dissent in the Pennsylvania case, she wants to read his opinion and discuss it with him. She said she would not judge Alito on his position on abortion alone.

"I need to get a better sense of his respect for precedent and his judicial philosophy. I don't have that yet," Collins said. "At this point, it's far too early for me to reach a judgment based on what is in some ways one of the most important factors that I consider, which is judicial philosophy."

This is going to be a real test for Snowe and Collins. They sell themselves as moderates in Maine. Their vote on this nomination will show their true vision for Americans -- especially American women -- and their rights. They can side with the extremists -- or they can say no to the extremist agenda. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Off to a thing, back in a bit. Read the rest of this post...

Dick Cheney needs to tell us what happened in RoveGate or resign

Nicholas Kristof of the NYT writes his second column demanding Dick Cheney come clean with the American people and tell us what he knows of his own staff's effort to out a CIA agent during wartime.

E&P; has the summary, since the Times now charges for Kristof's column (see, I told them folks would find ways around paying for the content).

"So, Mr. Cheney, tell us what happened," Kristof writes today. "If you're afraid to say what you knew, and when you knew it, then you should resign."

He notes, "Five lawyers I've consulted all agree that there is no compelling legal reason why you should not discuss the situation....As it is, you're pleading 'no contest' in the court of public opinion, and that's painful for all of us who want to believe in the integrity of our government."

And let's not even talk about Karl Rove. Either he's still under investigation, and the White House needs to demand that its surrogates stop saying Rove is off the hook, or he IS off the hook, and the White House can finally tell us what Rove did or didn't do.

Either way, it's astounding that Rove has codeword security clearances and is STILL apparently being granted access to the top intelligence secrets in our nation, during wartime no less, when a cloud hangs over his head for two years now as to whether he's a traitor. It's difficult to believe that anyone would be permitted to retain such high-level access to our nation's most sensitive intelligence once a legitimate concern has been raised about their being a security risk.

The GOP: The party of treason. Read the rest of this post...

Methodist Church defrocks Lesbian minister, reinstates bigot minister who refused to permit gays in church

I remember when I was a kid and church wasn't a place for hateful bigots.

Who would Jesus hate? Read the rest of this post...

Despite the spin, even Rove admits Rove could still get indicted

Lots of talk from the White House about how they dodged a bullet because Rove didn't get indicted. But, apparently, even Karl has been privately telling people it's not over for him. That's what the Washington Post has been hearing:

Rove remains a focus of the CIA leak probe. He has told friends it is possible he still will be indicted for providing false statements to the grand jury.

"Everyone thinks it is over for Karl and they are wrong," a source close to Rove said. The strategist's legal and political advisers "by no means think the part of the investigation concerning Karl is closed."

Cooper's attorney, Dick Sauber, said Fitzgerald certainly meant it when he told Luskin last week that Rove remains in legal jeopardy and under investigation. "It wouldn't surprise me knowing how careful he is and how much he doesn't want to be seen as trigger-happy, that he is going through each of those things [that Rove presented] and seeing if they can be verified or not," Sauber said.

So, while the White House is in a complete "change the subject" mode, this issue still hangs over them. Read the rest of this post...

Jay Jorgensen - radical Conservative in spin overdrive

Just watched some guy named Jay Jorgensen on CNN's Daybreak. His job? Spinning Scalito as a "mainstream" conservative. I wondered who this guy was and why I was waking up to his lies. So, I decided to check out his resume at his law firm:

Education
- Brigham Young University - J. Reuben Clark Law School (J.D., 1997, summa cum laude)
- Brigham Young University (B.A., 1994)

JAY T. JORGENSEN is a partner and litigator in the Washington, D.C., office. His practice involves representing individuals and corporations in all phases of complex civil and criminal litigation. Mr. Jorgensen has represented pharmaceutical and food production companies in criminal and qui tam cases at every stage of development, from undercover and internal investigations to grand jury proceedings to trial. Mr. Jorgensen's practice has also included civil and criminal appeals for individuals and businesses before numerous federal circuit courts and the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Jorgensen joined the Washington, D.C., office in 2000 following a Supreme Court clerkship with Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, October 1999 Term and with the Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

BYU undergrand AND BYU law? Hmm. What can we learn from BYU? From the Clark Memorandum, Spring 1999 (BYU Law School publication) (PDF):

Besides the influence of Lee, Jorgensen's desire to "have some spiritual grounding in the law" helped him choose BYU's Law School. "My own personal experience shows me that law school tends by its very nature to invite people to rely on their own reasoning and not on what I would call the Spirit," he says. "I thought I would get that at the J. Reuben Clark Law School - and, indeed, I did."

Putting God into law isn't mainstream Jay, it's unamerican. Reason used to be one of the few things that brought us together as a nation. Maybe Jay spent too much time with Ken Starr. Again from the Clark Memorandum, Fall 1996 (PDF):

This past summer, Jay worked in the Washington, d.c., office of Kirkland & Ellis, where he had the opportunity to become acquainted with former Solicitor General Kenneth W. Starr. General Starr would occasionally spend time with Kirkland & Ellis' law clerks discussing his litigation background. This experience confirmed Jay's desire to seek a litigation and appellate practice after his clerkship. He said that he pursued his judicial clerkship because it "seemed like a natural way to continue building on the litigation and appellate skills taught in law school."

After reading several Third Circuit opinions, Jay became particularly interested in working for Judge Alito. "I was impressed by several opinions [Judge Alito] authored, and several professors and practitioners recommended I apply to him," he said. Jay credits his success in obtaining his judicial clerkship to the Law School's faculty and to many members of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society who encouraged him to apply for a judicial clerkship, shared information about particular judges, advised him about application procedures, and recommended him to Judge Alito.

Ken Starr and Scalito. This guy loved Scalito so much he got his BYU law school cronies to help get him a clerkship with Scalito. I don't think that this makes him all that qualified to spin on my TV at 6:50 AM. Maybe it's because of the paper he authored for the Federalist Society (PDF):

PRECEDENT FROM THE CONFIRMATION HEARINGS OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG FOR THE CONDUCT OF JUDICIAL NOMINEES

Oh that line of thought sounds familiar, where have I heard that before? The Roberts hearings perhaps?

And just who are the other memebers of the Federalist Society? Why Robert Bork! And Justice Scalia! And Ken Starr! And John Ashcroft! And Orrin Hatch!

This guy is nothing more than a very radical right wing partisan hack who wants to undermine our separation of Church and State and should be identifed as such, not just as some simple "clerk" of Scalito.

UPDATE 1: Kelly Wallace just used a clip of this hack in her package piece on Scalito. This partisan hack isn't qualified to tell America whether Scalito leaves his religion at home, particularly when it's the same guy who told his own law school magazine that he wants more "Spirit" in the law. Read the rest of this post...

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning from Maine. I'm here to work for the last week on the campaign of Maine Won't Discriminate. Read the rest of this post...

Same old, same old - full speed ahead for Bush

Big surprise that Bush has no plans for a shake up in his team. Now we can expect daily efforts to change the subject (SCOTUS announcement, bird flu plan, etc) but no matter how hard the White House tries to change the subject, it is always going to come back to a few key points:

• Iraq - a war based in lies, poorly planned, mounting casualties, mounting costs and a civil war is not out of the question.
  
• Oil - these prices are staying high for a while. If the winter is as cold as some are predicting, expect more anger as costs brutalize the public.
• Ongoing scandals - even with the Libby indictment and Rove still a target, the full extent of the Jack Abramoff scandal has yet to kick into full gear and that guy touched everyone who is anyone in the GOP. Add to that Frist's stock deal plus DeLay and his problems are the GOP should be expecting a real winter of discontent.

With headaches like these, brace yourself for desperate attempts to change the subject. Read the rest of this post...

US increasing troops in Iraq again

First it was for the January elections. Then we heard about the vote for the constitution that isn't really much of a constitution and now the next critical step, they say, is the December elections for parliament. Not that we should feel strung along or anything but when does it all end? There always is a good excuse (or lie) about why the US had to invade, then keep holding on and on and on. For this latest "critical" vote, the US is increasing troop strength leading up to the election.

So when does Iraq start taking over or do they ever? How much longer should Americans have to die for this war of convenience and lies? Where's the progress and why does this next "critical" election mean much of anything because the important decisions on who will control the country and still open for debate since the faux-constitution said so little and put off the significant decisions until later.

It's a never ending, self made problem by Bush and his GOP cronies and it's average Americans who are once again stuck with cleaning up his mess. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

I have nothing witty to say. Read the rest of this post...