LOSING THE BATTLE, BUT WINNING THE WAR?

Senate Finance Committee votes down two public option amendments

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/29/rockefellers-robust-public-option-amendment-fails-8-15/

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/29/schumers-level-playing-field-public-option-amendment-fails-10-13/

Chair Max Baucus (D-MT), who says he supports the public option, voted against it

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/7485
Baucus: “I Want a Public Option”

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/feature/2009/09/29/public_option_vote/index.html
Chairman Max Baucus, of Montana, voted against both amendments, saying the public option -- because it doesn't have the full support of all 60 Democrats -- would stand in the way of passing a healthcare bill. "The public option would help hold insurance companies' feet to the fire," Baucus said. "But my first job is to get this bill across the finish line." . . . [read on]

What happens next?

The good: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/60683-harkin-says-he-has-the-votes-to-pass-public-option-bill
Harkin says he has the votes to pass public option bill in the Senate

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/the-public-option-lost-today-but-future-fights-could-be-less-daunting.php

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/up-or-down-vote-by-digby-chris-cilizza.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/sep/30/congress-healthcare

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/howard-dean-if-democrats-pass-bill-without
Howard Dean: If Democrats Pass a Bill Without a Public Option There's Going to be a Huge Backlash

The bad: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/29/787811/-Public-Option-Outlook-after-Today
[McJoan] One thing that that's clear from today's Finance Committee votes on the public option: Kent Conrad is the problem for the Dems. He provided the cover today for Lincoln, who was virtually invisible, to vote against the Schumer "level playing field" public option that would have done away with Conrad's supposed problem with Rockefeller's amendment--that it was tied to Medicare rates. If that was truly Conrad's big problem with the bill, he should have had no problem with Schumer's bill.

Obviously, he's the anti-public option problem in the Democratic caucus . . .

http://www.slate.com/id/2230938/
[Tim Noah] The Senate Finance committee's vote not to include a "public option" (i.e., a government health insurance program) in its health reform bill came as no surprise, but it was baffling all the same. . . . [read on]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/First-Reactions-to-Public-Option-Failure-1175

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/afghanistan/happy-hour-roundup-watch-rick-scott-gloat-about-public-option-loss/
Watch Rick Scott Gloat About Public Option Defeat . . .

The ugly: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/nelson-health-care-reform-needs-65-votes-to-be-legitimate.php
Ben Nelson (D-CO): Health Care Reform Needs 65 Votes To Be Legitimate

[NB: What a moron – why not set an impossibly high bar that will make any Dem bill that passes look illegitimate? There aren’t five Republicans who will vote for ANY bill.]

Another moron

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/if-you-take-out-people-who-die.html
[John Ensign, R-NV] Are you aware that if you take out gun accidents and auto accidents, that the United States actually is better than those other countries?" Ensign said. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) had been citing the health care systems of France, Germany, Japan and Canada as more effective, but with lower costs. . . .

Just your usual political discourse, eh?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/29/787607/-GOP-congressman:-President-Obama-an-enemy-of-humanity
GOP congressman: President Obama an "enemy of humanity"

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/huckabee-attends-rightwing-conference.html
Huckabee attends rightwing conference that tells activists to get their guns ready for ‘Bloody Battle’ with Obama the Nazi

http://www.newsmax.com/john_perry/obama_military_coup/2009/09/29/266012.html
[John L. Perry] There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America’s military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the “Obama problem.” Don’t dismiss it as unrealistic.

America isn’t the Third World. If a military coup does occur here it will be civilized. That it has never happened doesn’t mean it wont. . . .

An outrage, say the Repubs! Why is Obama wasting his time on the Chicago Olympic bid?!??

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/30/how-dare-he/

Palin’s ghost writer

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/ghostwriter-meet-the-other-rogue-behind-sarah-palins-memoir.php

Bonus item: Heh, heh: the GOP health care plan

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/rep-grayson-d-fl-unveils-gop-health.html
"Don't get sick" . . . [read on]

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:49 AM

 
UGLY AMERICANS

Another wingnut conference, and another reminder about the kind of people we’re dealing with here

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/americofascism-by-digby-dave-wiegel.html
“If you look at the classic model for moving to Marxism,” said retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin, who would give the conference’s opening speech, “you look at what every Marxist organization has done, they nationalize. They redistribute wealth. They restrict gun ownership. They then go out and suppress the opposition. And then, finally, they censor the media.”

In his speech, Boykin–who has gotten into hot water for speaking out against Islam while in uniform–begged the audience to pray for their country. “It’s only because of intercessory prayer that we haven’t been hit again since September 11,” said Boykin. “Pray for America for 10 minutes a day. If we can mobilize millions of prayer warriors that can pray for 10 minutes a day, we can open the gates of heaven.”

[Digby] Boykin, of course, is the Delta Force zealot Zelig who became famous for saying that he was fighting the terrorists for Jesus:

Lt. Gen. William G. ‘Jerry’ Boykin, speaking about battle with a Muslim warlord

Yet the former commander and 13-year veteran of the Army's top-secret Delta Force is also an outspoken evangelical Christian who appeared in dress uniform and polished jump boots before a religious group in Oregon in June to declare that radical Islamists hated the United States "because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian ... and the enemy is a guy named Satan."

Discussing the battle against a Muslim warlord in Somalia, Boykin told another audience, "I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol."

"We in the army of God, in the house of God, kingdom of God have been raised for such a time as this," Boykin said last year.

On at least one occasion, in Sandy, Ore., in June, Boykin said of President Bush: "He's in the White House because God put him there."

[Digby] Interestingly, this super Christian is the same guy who went down to Guantanamo and dispatched General Geoffrey Miller to Iraq to "Gitmoize" Abu Ghraib. But then, that would make sense, wouldn't it?

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/61121/fear-of-fascism-gay-agenda-dominate-conservative-kickoff-for-midterm-elections

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/28/late-night-a-passel-of-petrified-and-pathetic-pinheads/

More pictures! http://washingtonindependent.com/61131/in-photos-the-how-to-take-back-america-conference

More nuts! http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8514

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/vast-failure-by-digby-norah-odonnell.html

The Europeans, who understand something about Hitler, find it extremely bizarre that anyone here should be comparing Obama with Hitler

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/not_sure_i_understand_either.php

Ann Coulter, bless her heart: http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/coulter-says-its-really-liberals.html
Coulter says it's really liberals comparing Obama to Hitler

A Facebook poll on whether Obama should be assassinated

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/incitement_1.php

Secret Service investigating: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/09/28/secret_service_probing_facebook_poll_on_obama/

Senate Repubs now say they won’t investigate “terror fighters”

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/minority-report-by-dday-very-manly.html

Key document authorizing torture has turned up missing. Nothing to be suspicious about there, huh?

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/case-missing-documents

Related: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/28/dojs-dod-advice-for-cia/

Here’s the latest “rising star” of the GOP – someone who uses calls for torture as an applause line

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=09&year=2009&base_name=the_irony_of_liz_cheney#116801

Virginia gov candidate tries to disavow what he himself wrote

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/bob-mcdonnell-tries-downplay-his-thesis-fo
[Bob McDonnell] McDonnell: No. I think those are a couple of quotes out of a 100-page document, Chris, and what the whole purpose of the, of the thesis was to say, look, families are the bedrock of society. And I think there’s broad agreement on that . . .

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/28/787170/-VA-Gov:-McDonnell-defends-opposing-birth-control

Big day for the public option today

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/robert_reich/2009/09/the-public-option-lives-on.php
[Robert Reich] Tuesday is a critical day in the saga of the public option. Democrats Charles Schumer (New York) and Jay Rockefeller (West Virginia) are introducing an amendment to include the public option in the bill to be reported out by the Senate Finance Committee -- the committee anointed by the White House as its favored vehicle for getting health care reform.

Before you read another word, call and email the Senate offices of Democrats Max Baucus (Montana), Tom Carper (Delaware), Robert Menendez (New Jersey), Kent Conrad (North Dakota), Jeff Bingaman (New Mexico), John Kerry (MA), Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas), Ron Wyden (Oregon), Debbie Stabenow (Michigan), Maria Cantwell (Washington), and Bill Nelson (Florida) -- telling them you want them to vote in favor of the public option amendment. And get everyone you know in these states to do the same. Hell, you might as well phone and email Republican Olympia Snowe (Maine) and make the same pitch. . . .

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/28/787282/-Senate-Finance-Committee-Public-Option-Action

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/60493-public-option-debate-continues-to-divide-democrats-on-healthcare

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/hcan-snowe-still-important-but-in-the-end-the-public-options-up-to-democrats.php

Is this true?

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/reich-political-operatives-in-white.html
[Robert Reich] "Political operatives in the White House have quietly reassured the industries that [the public option] won't be included in the final bill" [read on]

Is Majority Leader Harry Reid helping or hurting the process?

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/28/reid/index.html

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/anonymous-senate-aides-suggest-reid-may-nix-public-option-from-senate-bill/

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/with-60-voting-members-public-option-onus-falls-on-democrats-alone.php

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/reid-spokesman-shoots-down-report-that-hes-nixing-public-option/

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/28/787252/-Reid,-Snowe-and-the-Public-Option:-Whats-the-Real-Story

You heard a lot when Obama’s poll numbers dropped, but you haven’t heard this

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/22/785376/-On-Obamas-Dive-In-the-Polls-And-2010

Obama may REDUCE U.S. forces in Afghanistan

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/world/asia/27military.html

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/days-of-decision-by-dday-mcchrystal.html

Let’s start talking about financial re-regulation

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/the-investor-problem.php

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/how_about_some_regulation_for_washington.php

A new national push to declare a fertilized egg a “person”

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/planned-personhood-by-digby-heres.html

The Sparkman murder is looking uglier by the day

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/witness_sparkman_was_bound_gagged_and_naked_when_f.php

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8522

Bonus item: Sarah Palin wrote a book in four months: and I’m sure it’s GREAT

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/28/palin_book/index.html
“Going Rogue”

Watch: http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/saturdaynightlive/v/mccain-snl.htm

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:16 AM

 
CATCHING UP

I spent the day on a plane yesterday – so still catching up with the news.

Here is an overview of the Sunday talk shows, and some videos of what you (and I) might have missed

Overview: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/the_sunday_shows_in_five_sentences_or_less_6.php

Clinton: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020138.php
Former President Clinton was on "Meet the Press" this morning, and David Gregory asked about the "vast, right-wing conspiracy" and whether it still exists, pursuing President Obama.

"Oh, you bet. Sure it is," Clinton said. "It's not as strong as it was because America has changed demographically. But it's as virulent as it was." . . .

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/clinton-vast-right-wing-conspiracy-now-targe

Sect'y of Defense Robert Gates: http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/gates-gitmo-closure-its-going-take-li
Gates on Gitmo Closure: 'It's Going To Take A Little Longer'

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gates-on-iran-there-is-no-military-option-that-does-anything-more-than-buy-time.php
Gates On Iran: 'There Is No Military Option That Does Anything More Than Buy Time'

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gates-review-of-afghanistan-strategy-should-take-a-few-weeks.php

Health care: http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/draft

More: http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/

Is Afghanistan Obama's Vietnam?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/opinion/27rich.html

Back to the Fifties. Are we STILL having this argument?

http://washingtonindependent.com/61046/huckabee-in-st-louis-get-america-out-of-the-u-n
Huckabee in St. Louis: Get America Out of the U.N.

More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/krauthammer-obama-denigrating-country-un-spe

The right is always bleating about the need to have pilot programs that test their market-based approaches to educational reform. How’s this for a test?

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/27/the-fraud-of-gop-tax-and-school-choice-policy-shown-in-arizona/
The state's Private School Tuition Tax Credits program covers the cost of private education, often for children whose parents could afford to pay it themselves - while allowing affluent families to reduce the amount of income tax they pay into the state's general fund. . . .

I’m sure you will be SHOCKED to learn that the theocratic right’s calls for First Amendment rights of religious freedom don’t quite extend to everyone

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/for-me-but-not-for-thee-by-digby-lets.html

Uh-huh. The right-wing noise machine doesn’t get ENOUGH media attention

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/curious_reasoning.php

Bonus item: When reporters tweet

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/27/wapo-tries-to-silence-its-twits/

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:48 AM

 
THE POLITICS WE HAVE

I’ve held off on this, because the early stories weren’t clear, but it is looking more and more like that census worker’s death in Kentucky was an act of anti-government hatred

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020125.php
[Steve Benen] Then authorities revealed this week that a noose was found around his neck, and that he was hanging from a tree, his feet touching the ground. The word "Fed" was scrawled across the 51-year-old census taker's chest, according to the Clay County coroner.

Officials said Sparkman's body was found with his Census Bureau identification card taped to his head. An AP report added that he was "naked, gagged and had his hands and feet bound with duct tape." . . .

More: http://www.samefacts.com/2009/09/watching-conservatives/terrorism-in-kentucky/

Hate whipped up by people like this: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/25/bill-sparkman-hate-crime/

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/26/144653/894

More paranoid lunacy from Bachmann: http://washingtonindependent.com/61037/bachmann-in-st-louis-defund-the-left-beware-one-world-currency

And you thought I was exaggerating when I said Glenn Beck was mentally unstable

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/26/785371/-Glenn-Beck,-high-as-a-kite

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/26/16258/6816

For fun: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/countdown-snl-spoofs-glenn-beck

The real story about ACORN

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/rachel-maddow-show-truth-about-lies-about
Rachel Maddow breaks down who is behind the smears against ACORN and why, and how dishonest the reporting has been by the right wing media on the topic. . . .

More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/jeremy-scahill-acorn-got-pennies-compared

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/barack-obama-is-acorn-by-digby-susie.html
[Susie Madrak] ACORN is just the new wingnutspeak code for the 'N' word. . . . [read on]

Our stupid politics

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/26/786408/-Whats-Better-Than-Joe-Wilson
[Greg Sargent] This morning, national Republicans blasted out a new fundraising email, signed by none other than Joe "you lie" Wilson. To be expected, perhaps. But now the plot has thickened: Dems have just gone out with their own email that also raises money off Joe Wilson — by pointing to the fact that Republicans are raising money off him. Got that?

[BarbinMD] Now maybe I'm crazy, but I'm guessing that a fundraising email about something being accomplished -- say for instance, "Health Care Reform With Public Option Passes!" -- would inspire a lot more people to donate rather than this schoolyard one-upmanship.

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2009/09/facts-are-stupid-things_26.html
[Atrios] Facts Are Stupid Things. And it's so hard to get the Villagers to be aware of them. Robust public plan is popular and cheaper. . . .

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/brief-observation-by-digby-reading.html
[Digby] Reading through this NY Times poll, one can only conclude that there is a hard core 30 percent of people in this country who are just against anything they think the Democrats and Obama are for. It doesn't even have to make sense. Fine, no surprise. These are the same people who thought George W. Bush was an [un]appreciated genius.

But even more clear is that most people don't have a clue about the details of anything. . . . [read on]

I hope he’s right

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/schumer-gop-obstructionism-makes-public-option-more-likely-not-less/
Schumer: GOP Obstructionism Makes Public Option More Likely, Not Less

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020132.php
[Steve Benen] This NYT piece is ostensibly about Democratic divisions over the details of health care reform -- headline: "For Democrats, Cracks in a United Front" -- which isn't especially interesting. The article, however, actually raises some interesting angles.

Most notable is the new-found optimism on the left about the prospects for a more ambitious reform bill. It's largely a foregone conclusion that the Senate Finance Committee will wrap up this upcoming week, approving a bill that generates no (or almost no) GOP support, but fails to meet liberals' expectations. But as the legislation moves to the floor, progressive lawmakers and their allies "expect to be able to shape the final product more than they had hoped just weeks ago."

What's changed? . . . [read on]

Action alert: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/25/786460/-Public-Option-Action

And, no, the Republicans have no alternative, and don’t seem to think they need one

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020128.php

More on that Kyl/Stabenow confrontation yesterday: is it ACTUALLY the Republican position that people should be able to limit their insurance only to services they think they might need, as opposed to buying into a net pool that benefits everyone?

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/26/144653/894
[Digby] At first glance, it would seem that Kyl is saying that anything that applies to women and not men, such things as uterine cancer,breast cancer, child birth etc, should not be in the universal package of benefits because John Kyl doesn't need it and therefore, shouldn't have to pay for it. But it's actually something different.

It's true that health insurance that covers women's reproductive health is a little bit more expensive for men, who will not personally use it. . . .

But this is really about something different. John Kyl (and people like Ashton Kutcher, who famously said he shouldn't have to pay for fat people because he isn't fat) apparently believe that they can predict the future and should only have to pay for the things from which they personally might suffer. It would be really neat if we could do that, but it's not how the world --- or insurance --- works. [read on]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/sen_kyl_on_health_care.php
[Josh Marshall] With Sen. Kyl pointing out that men have no interest in having insurance cover child birth, no doubt women will note that they have little interest in covering prostate and testicular cancer. And surely men will get back into the act and want to get out of under the cost of covering breast cancer, which very few men get. Indeed, you can see how everyone should probably insist on special customized insurance policies which cover the ailments they plan on getting and avoid paying for the ones they don't. As long as everyone plans well and makes good predictions everyone should be able to save a lot of money.

Hilarious: Kansas Republican tells a lie about health care reform so ridiculous and absurd that even the attendees at his own town hall meeting start laughing at him

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/26/785216/-LOL-@Todd-Tiahrt,-RKS

Obama: Fonzie or Richie?

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/more-fonzie-less-richie.html

Obama: tortoise or hare?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/26/opinion/26blow.html

Obama: Fascist or Stalinist?

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/rncs-steele-feeds-obama-communist.html

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/funny-no-one-got-upset-when-children.html

You’ve heard about Obama’s declining poll numbers. People don’t like him anymore! But what about the Republicans? (Hint: their numbers are worse)

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/will-media-ever-report-how-low-poilling

Will the GOP make a big comeback in 2010? Don’t bet on it

http://www.samefacts.com/2009/09/campaigns/8689/

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=09&year=2009&base_name=the_woes_of_congressional_dems

Sunday talk show line-ups

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/the-sunday-show-line-ups-22.php
• ABC, This Week: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

• CBS, Face The Nation: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

• CNN, State Of The Union: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

• NBC, Meet The Press: Former President Bill Clinton; Gov. David Paterson (D-NY); Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA).

Bonus item: Those poor Republicans just don’t get the Internet

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/carlyfornia
“Carlyfornia”?

Heh heh: http://www.carlyforcalifornia.com/default_flash.html

http://www.carlyisdreamin.com/

Extra bonus item: the other Great GOP Hope in California

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/26/AR2009092600923.html
Though [Meg] Whitman seeks to lead one of the biggest and most troubled governments in the world, when it comes to politics, she has been -- to put it kindly -- an absentee citizen for much of her adult life.

The Bee article examined Whitman's voting record in California and in the other states where she has lived since becoming eligible to vote. The Bee said that Whitman had voted infrequently in the past half-dozen years and that it could find no evidence she was even registered to vote before 2002. . . .

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 12:49 AM

 
JUSTIFIED DOUBTS

Oh, you mean THAT nuclear site

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/26/world/middleeast/26nuke.html
President Obama and leaders of Britain and France accused Iran on Friday of building a secret underground plant to manufacture nuclear fuel, saying the country has hidden the covert operation from international weapons inspectors for year . . .

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/60932/has-iran-actually-violated-any-specific-international-obligations-here

Afghanistan doubts

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/joe-bidens-afghanistan-doubts.php
Joe Biden’s Afghanistan Doubts

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/24/obama-finally-facing-real_n_298393.html
Obama Finally Facing Reality in Afghanistan

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/afghanistan/another-poll-finds-opposition-to-troop-increase-in-afghanistan/
Another Poll Finds Opposition To Troop Increase In Afghanistan

MoveOn.org issues a strong anti-war email

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/moveons-email-calling-on-obama-to-exit-afghanistan/
Dear MoveOn member,

U.S. policy in Afghanistan has reached a pivotal moment. President Obama is poised to make a critical decision about the Afghanistan war in the next few weeks. And there’s a big debate happening right now about what to do . . . [read on]

Back to the Bush years?

http://washingtonindependent.com/60836/obama-administration-says-it-doesnt-need-a-new-law-to-keep-holding-prisoners-indefinitely
Obama Administration Says It Doesn’t Need a New Law to Keep Holding Prisoners Indefinitely

http://washingtonindependent.com/60841/gitmo-closing-may-be-delayed
Gitmo Closing May Be Delayed

http://washingtonindependent.com/60671/state-secrets-critics-slam-new-obama-policy
State Secrets Critics Slam New Obama Policy

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/25/crazy-pete-hoekstra-obama-must-torture/
Crazy Pete Hoekstra (and his side-kick, John Shadegg) lives up to his nick-name with this op-ed today in the right wing Washington Times.

He argues that the increased fatalities in Afghanistan stem from a lack of intelligence. And from that claim, he argues that Obama has to abandon the Army Field Manual--basically, he's calling for a return to the torture regime implemented by the Bush Administration. . . .

http://washingtonindependent.com/60833/documents-suggest-detainee-abuses-by-defense-department
Documents Suggest DOD Failed to Probe Alleged War Crimes

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092503745.html
Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said Friday that they will no longer participate in an investigation into the Bush administration's interrogation policies . . .

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/60963/gopers-pull-out-of-senate-intel-committees-cia-torture-investigation

What people want

http://crooksandliars.com/node/31549
New CBS/NY Times poll: 65% of Americans want the Public option

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/25/poll-public-option-more-popular-than-health-care-reform/
A new New York Times poll shows that the public option is still a good 20 percent more popular than health-care reform in general. . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/25/786348/-Public-Option-Popular-in-Blue-Dog-Districts
Public Option Popular in Blue Dog Districts

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/poll-even-republican-voters-favor-the-public-option.php
Poll: Even Republican Voters Favor The Public Option

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/25/786321/-Winning-the-argument
Congress Daily reports new CBO estimates show a strong public option would save an additional $85 billion compared to a weak one . . .

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/public-option-revisited

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020119.php

Who cares what people want?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/25/786299/-Baucus-delays-public-option-amendments
Yesterday, Jay Rockefeller and Chuck Schumer said they planned to push the public option during today's Finance Committee health care markup session -- but today, Max Baucus says there simply isn't enough time. It'll have to wait . . .

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/25/prospects-for-a-public-option-on-senate-finance/
Prospects For a Public Option From the Senate Finance Committee . . .

Damned if you do. . .

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/public-thinks-gop-doesnt-want-compromise-but-wants-obama-to-keep-trying-anyway/
[Greg Sargent] There’s a truly weird disconnect underlying public opinion right now: Americans are overwhelmingly convinced that Republicans are not pursuing a bipartisan health care compromise in good faith, but the public wants Obama to keep trying to find common ground with them anyway. . . .

Meanwhile, from the GOP – crickets

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/cantor-healthcare
Politico's Glenn Thrush talks to Republican congressman Eric Cantor about the lack of a GOP healthcare plan 100 days after they promised to provide one . . .

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/poll-three-fourths-of-republicans-say-congressional-gopers-havent-explained-their-health-care-plans/
Poll: Three-Fourths Of Republicans Say Congressional GOPers Haven’t Explained Their Health Care Plans

Sigh

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/opinion/25krugman.html
[Paul Krugman] So, have you enjoyed the debate over health care reform? Have you been impressed by the civility of the discussion and the intellectual honesty of reform opponents?

If so, you’ll love the next big debate: the fight over climate change. . . .

Meanwhile: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092402602.html
New Analysis Brings Dire Forecast Of 6.3-Degree Temperature Increase

I haven’t been expecting much from Obama in the way of education reform – but this even disappoints me

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092403197.html
To the surprise of many educators who campaigned last year for change in the White House, the Obama administration's first recipe for school reform relies heavily on Bush-era ingredients and adds others that make unions gag.

Standardized testing, school accountability, performance pay, charter schools -- all are integral to President Obama's $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" grant competition to spur innovation. None is a typical Democratic crowd-pleaser . . .

60

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020123.php
Massachusetts Republicans hoped an 11th-hour lawsuit might prevent Paul Kirk from joining the Senate. That didn't work out. . .

Birther infomercial running in southern tv markets. Let’s see: raising doubts about Obama’s legitimacy as President, check. Nativist, paranoid dog whistles, check. Southern exposure, check. But racism has nothing to do with it, r-i-i-i-g-h-t

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/new_birther_infomercial_running_in_seven_southern.php
Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation says his group will decide soon on a second buy for the 28-minute program . . . [watch]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/a_fool_and_his_money.php

[NB: Yes, Gary Kreep, no kidding]

Crazy lady Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has some stiff competition for the wacko award

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020121.php

But does he have his own action figure? http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/michele-bachmann-action-figure-now-available-for-3495.php

Bonus item: Yeah, yo momma, Jon Kyl!

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020117.php
Igor Volsky reports today that Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) has been pushing an amendment to "prohibit the government from defining which benefits should be included in a standard benefit package." Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) noted that basic maternity care ought to be required.

"I don't need maternity care," Kyl replied. "So requiring that on my insurance policy is something that I don't need and will make the policy more expensive."

Interrupting him, Stabenow added, "I think your mom probably did." . . . [read on]

More: http://www.samefacts.com/2009/09/watching-conservatives/real-men-dont-have-mothers/

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/sen_kyl_on_health_care.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 4:25 AM

 
MAKE IT WHILE YOU CAN

Will we get truly progressive health care reform?

No: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/politics-without-politics-by-digby-gene.html
[T]he odds of Obama's signing what the New Republic's Jonathan Chait correctly calls "one of the towering social reforms in American history" appear excellent. Ending the game of health insurance roulette that keeps workers unsure their coverage will actually exist when they need it, and fearful of losing their jobs lest illness or injury lead to bankruptcy, would be a significant moral achievement.

Chait, however, also thinks progressives should shut up and accept a deeply flawed bill. . . . [read on]

Yes: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/surprising_confidence.php
Sen. Schumer and Sen. Rockefeller seemed surprisingly confident that the health care bill will contain a real public option . . . [read on]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/sherrod-brown-rahms-wrong-on-public-option-chances-in-senate.php
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was "wrong" when he appeared pessimistic about the chances of a public option making it through the Senate.

"We'll get enough votes," Brown said . . .

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/24/786130/-Schumer-and-Rockefeller:-There-Will-be-a-Public-Option

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/24/786063/-Blue-Dog-Public-Option-Opposition-Fading
Blue Dog Public Option Opposition "Fading"

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/24/blue-dog-co-chair-opposing-a-public-option-not-a-top-priority/
Blue Dog Co-Chair: Opposing a Public Option Not a Top Priority

The Senators we have

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/they-can-do-it-by-digby-so-in-this.html
So, in this mornings committee, Kent Conrad and John Kyl had a dust-up wherein Kyl bravely defended the elderly from the Democrats who are angling to take away their medicare . . .

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020102.php
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), the Senate Budget Committee chairman and a member of the unsuccessful Gang of Six effort, raised a few eyebrows this week with a message for his "progressive friends."

Conrad, a consistent opponent of the public option, wanted liberals to know "government-run programs" aren't necessary to lower costs and expand access. . . . [read on]

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/stooge-d-nd-by-dday-sherrod-brown-sez.html
[Dday] Brown should go have a talk with Kent Conrad (D-ND). Ezra Klein just did, and I don't know how he got through it without banging the telephone against his ear until it hurt. That Conrad displayed an unconscionable ignorance, as well as an arrogant belief in his own falsehoods, would be normal if he were a teabagger attending a town hall. That he's a Democratic United States Senator fills me with nothing so much as fear. . . .

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/monopoly-money-by-digby-just-shoot-me.html
Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), a Republican member of the Finance Committee who was part of negotiations that produced the pending healthcare bill, said that insurance companies are supportive of the legislation as it stands. . . . [read on]

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/demint-obama-puts-our-troops-at-risk-by.html
DeMint: Obama ‘Puts Our Troops At Risk’ By Working On Health Reform

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/23/the-republicans-and-health-care-they-snooze-you-lose/
Primarily concerned about delaying the passage of any significant health care reform, [Jim] Bunning [R-KY] added an amendment to the Senate Finance Committee bill that would provide the CBO with "final legislative language to determine precisely what provisions cost". . . . [read on]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/video/2009/sep/24/healthcare-senate-republicans
Michael Tomasky looks at some of the tactics Republicans are using to delay the passage of US healthcare reform legislation . . .

We saw this under Clinton in 1994: if you have the Presidency and the Congress and don’t use it to enact good policy when you have the chance, it gets taken away from you. Squabbling Democrats better wake up to that fact

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/nate-silver-gop-in-good-shape-to-take.html
Nate Silver: GOP "in good shape" to take back the House

Military policy under Obama and Robert Gates

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-10/ff_smartlist_gates
Gates has turned out to be neither a caretaker nor merely the guy tasked with cleaning up the mess Donald Rumsfeld made of the Department of Defense. Instead, Robert Gates has emerged as the most radical secdef in generations, upending the politics of national security, scrapping the traditional ways gear gets to troops, and defying the military-industrial complex. . . . [read on]

Bad news about climate change

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090923/ap_on_sc/us_sci_big_melt
NASA data: Greenland, Antarctic ice melt worsening

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/climate-change-even-worse-you-think
Climate Change: Even Worse Than You Think

The death of a Census Bureau worker in Kentucky (with the word “Fed” written on his chest) might have been a manifestation of anti-government hatred, may have been a suicide, or may have been something else. It’s too soon to tell

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/23/232711/619

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/census_worker_found_dead_in_kentucky_--_what_do_we.php

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/fbi_sparkman_was_found_touching_ground_not_hanging.php

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/uncategorized/suicide-not-ruled-out-for-dead-census-worker-he-was-in-contact-with-the-ground/

Gee, didn’t we just go through this in Minnesota?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/massachusetts-gop-seeking-injunction-to-stop-senate-appointment.php
Massachusetts GOP Seeking Injunction To Stop Senate Appointment

Remember all those lengthy interviews with Al Gore after the 2000 election, and with John Kerry after 2004? Because we really need to know what the election loser has to say about the person who defeated them

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/political-media/stephanopoulos-defends-having-mccain-on-abc-yet-again-no-apologies/
Stephanopoulos Defends Having McCain On ABC Yet Again

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020103.php

More and more conservatives are beginning to wonder if having an emotionally unstable advocate for their views is really helping

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020105.php
BECK FACES BACKLASH -- FROM THE RIGHT . . .

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:00 AM

 
STRANGE DAYS

Pulling the “trigger”

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/white-house-trying-to-pave-the-way-for-triggers-with-outside-groups.php
White House Trying to Pave the Way for Triggers with Outside Groups

More: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/white-house-privately-trying-to-sell-progressive-groups-on-trigger/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-lux/triggering-a-democratic-c_b_295954.html
Triggering a Democratic Civil War

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/here-comes-olympia-snowe-trigger

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/queen-commands-no-public-option-you

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/23/785626/-White-House-Looking-for-Snowe-Deal
White House Looking for Snowe Deal?

Snowe job

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/23/785528/-Snowes-True-Colors
Snowe's True Colors

Grassley too: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/sep/23/chuck-grassley-healthcare-mandate

The last GOP/Dem “centrist” group did so well in forging a bipartisan compromise on health care that a new one has formed, including some of the same people. Lucy and the football all over again – this time the Republicans are really, really serious about working across the aisle

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/23/785527/-Beware-of-Gangs

Massachusetts picks a replacement for Kennedy

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/23/kennedy_kirk/index.html

Getting to 60: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020052.php

Let’s see: Obama and Qaddafi both gives talks before the UN. Which does Fox News think is the bigger story?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/23/785536/-What-Fox-highlighted-after-90-minutes-of-Qaddafis-rambling

http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=3478495

New book gives a glimpse inside the Clinton WH

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/22/branch_book/index.html

I agree: what a lousy, distorted excuse for a newspaper lede

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/23/785155/-Associated-Press-Wins-Major-Award
[AP] The Democratic-led Congress' determination to do something about health care this year has slowed legislation affecting the safety of almost every traveler in America. . . .

Sarah Palin, Big Thinker, gives a speech in Hong Kong

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/does-sarah-palin-realize-how-bizarre.html
"bizarre"

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/palin_controversial_at_home_controversial_abroad.php
"brilliant"

Watch: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/video_palins_closed-door_speech_in_hong_kong.php

Glenn Beck gives an interview

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-name-is-glenn-and-im-paranoid-weirdo.html
"I used to be a real social liberal but that’s only because -- I don’t mean to offend anybody here, well, what the heck, I will anyway --I was an alcoholic . . ."

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/22/glenn-beck-finally-goes-too-far/
Yet another bizarre example of Glenn Beck's need to be provocative even when it makes no sense: He declares that John McCain would have been a worse president than Barack Obama. . . .

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/glenn-beck-sorry-way-it-was-phrased-when-asked
Glenn Beck Sorry for "The Way It Was Phrased" When Asked About His "Obama is a Racist" Comment

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/22/scarborough_beck/index.html
Scarborough: Glenn Beck is bad for conservatism

Tin-foil hats

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gop-rep-same-sex-marriage-is-part-of-push-for-socialist-society.php
GOP Rep: Same Sex Marriage Is Part Of Push For Socialist Society

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/22/785288/-GOP-congressman:-Same-sex-marriage-is-socialist

Bonus item: Hilarious . . . . and yet vaguely disturbing

http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=3470647

More: http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=3476199

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/brain-bleach-alert-tom-delay-shakes

http://lafiga.firedoglake.com/2009/09/22/late-night-delay-embraces-feminine-side-on-dancing-with-the-stars/

http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/resurrection-tom-delay

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 12:14 AM

 
DOXA

Yes, the Pentagon plays politics too

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/09/21/the-mcchrystal-report/
[Joe Klein] Today's Bob Woodward scoop regarding General Stanley McChrystal's report about the status of the war in Afghanistan is both unsurprising and provocative. McChrystal's assessment was about as expected. . . .

What's provocative about the report is that it was leaked to Woodward--a serious breach of conduct by someone, possibly in the military (or a supporter the military's position). This was an effort to lobby a quick decision on troop strength--which the military wants, so that it can begin planning the 2010 fighting season in Afghanistan. But a quick decision is not a good idea right now. . . .

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/21/784707/-Pentagon-Seeks-to-Force-Obamas-Hand
Pentagon Seeks to Force Obama's Hand

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/21/mcchrystals-afghanistan-report-leaked-attempts-to-push-obama-to-escalate-war/

http://washingtonindependent.com/60365/more-on-the-box-mcchrystals-report-puts-obama-in

http://washingtonindependent.com/60216/now-that-the-mcchrystal-strategy-review-has-leaked

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/the_president_held_hostage.php

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/hillary-clinton-afghanistan

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/mcchrsytal-asks-more-troops-obama-mul

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/21/AR2009092103161.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/22/opinion/22herbert.html

Fear of 51

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/why-democrats-dont-want-to-pass-a-51-vote-health-care-bill--and-why-that-has-liberals-fuming.php
Why Democrats Don't Want to Pass a 51-Vote Health Care Bill--and Why That Has Liberals Fuming

How sad: remember when Obama was a visionary politician who exploited the Internet in all sorts of clever ways? Now he’s just another politician demonizing the “blogosphere”

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/09/21/philosopher-president

Let’s see: start with a conclusion – George Bush was a good President. Now, how do you get there?

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/21/ross-douthat-george-w-bush-was-a-good-president/

David Brooks: Limbaugh and Beck own the GOP

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/david-brooks-problem-republicans-rac

Shameful: Rick Perry and Mitt Romney decide it’s useful to join the Cleon Skousen fan club too

http://washingtonindependent.com/60224/rick-perry-mitt-romney-and-w-cleon-skousen

The GOP knows they can utter flat, easily refuted lies and not get called on them. Politics is so much easier that way

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/john-boehner-claims-he-never-called-presid

Why can’t Fox News keep people’s party affiliations straight?

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/upbeat-piece-fox-news-converts-uber

Fox whines that Obama skipped their Sunday show – then turns around and brags that they cover Obama less than the other networks do

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/21/784799/-Fox:-Were-the-only-place-you-wont-see-Barack-Obama

Bonus item: I suppose this is what “Values” means to them – tell your kids lies in order to scare them into “good” behavior

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/coburn-aide-if-boys-knew-porn-will-turn-them-gay-they-wont-want-playboy.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:27 AM

 
NUKES

What are we trying to do in Afghanistan?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/20/AR2009092002920_pf.html
The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warns in an urgent, confidential assessment of the war that he needs more forces within the next year and bluntly states that without them, the eight-year conflict "will likely result in failure” . . . [read on]

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/mcchrystals-report

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/21/35734/0088

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/20/mcchrystals-power-play/

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/20/15256/3825

Obama’s big plans on reshaping our nuclear defense

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/20/21259/6002

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/20/784569/-A-Very-Pragmatic-ProposalThe-Obama-Administrations-New-Approach-To-Missile-Defense

Evidence that Iran ISN’T trying to develop nukes?

http://www.juancole.com/2009/09/newsweek-us-intelligence-finds-no.html

ACORN: the target of a highly focused campaign by the right

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/purpose-driven-ratfuck-by-digby-i.html

You can’t dismiss the recent racially tinged attacks on Obama as overreactions against his current policies: the fact is, they started at the very beginning, and they’ve been woven into how the GOP has dealt with him all along

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/opinion/20rich.html

Michael Steele, bumbling head of a party that says constantly we shouldn’t interject race into every political issue, goes ahead and does just that

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/steele-injects-race-into-obamas-request-that-paterson-not-run.php
Asked about this morning's New York Times story that reports Obama has asked unpopular and struggling Gov. David Paterson (D-NY) not to run in the 2010 Democratic primary, Steele said:

I found that to be stunning that the White House would send word to one of only two black governors in the country not to run for reelection.

Looking somewhat stunned himself, Schieffer asked Steele, "Well you don't think he's asked him not to run 'cuz he's black?"

Perhaps sensing that he'd once again said something he shouldn't have, Steele backtracked. . .

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020027.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:52 AM

 
BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH

What’s next for the Baucus bill? Five hundred and forty-three amendments to sort through

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/19/784261/-Baucus-Debacle-Amendments

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/now-sausage-gets-made-more-500-amendm

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/19/three-public-option-amendments-submitted-for-baucus-bill/
Three Public Option Amendments Submitted For Baucus’ Bill . . .

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/17/783373/-What-should-Senate-Finance-Dems-do

Where do they roll out these idiots to read the weekly script against Obama’s socialist . . . blah . . .blah health care proposal? For these anonymous back-benchers, it's a chance to get some rare national exposure -- so of course they're happy to recite the same lies, repeated over and over . . .

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020021.php
[Sue Myrick, R-NC] "Under the government-run healthcare system they have in Canada and the United Kingdom, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to get those tests so quickly.... When it comes to life-threatening diseases like cancer, delay could mean death." . . .

"Replacing your current healthcare with a government-run system is not the answer.” . . .

"These so-called healthcare reform bills have different names: a public option, a co-op, a trigger. Make no mistake, these are all gateways to government-run healthcare." . . .

"And for seniors, expect massive cuts to Medicare; which is unacceptable under any circumstances."

More on the effort of former CIA heads to squelch a Dept of Justice investigation

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/cover-up-for-god-and-country-by-digby.html
[Digby] Can someone tell me what kind of arrogance would lead someone to write a letter like this . . . [read on]

More: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/09/19/cia/index.html

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/19/cia-oigs-wild-parsing-about-what-was-depicted-on-the-torture-tapes/

A glimpse into Sonia Sotomayor’s legal thinking: she questions treating corporations as individuals (with “rights,” etc) – a founding principle of current corporate law. The Right, predictably, goes ballistic

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/respects-corporate-form-by-dday-i.html
Judges "created corporations as persons, gave birth to corporations as persons," she said. "There could be an argument made that that was the court's error to start with...[imbuing] a creature of state law with human characteristics." . . . [read on]

Fox News declares war on its 24-hour news buddies, CNN and MSNBC. Doesn’t look like a smart move to me

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/cnns-rick-sanchez-to-fox-you-lie.html
CNN's Rick Sanchez to FOX: You lie

Watch: http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/20/05953/1019

Let’s see if I’ve got this right: accusing conservative whites of racism is vicious divisive politics – but accusing a black president of racism is acceptable mainstream commentary

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/brit-hume-says-crying-racism-means-y

Glenn Beck’s “Tree of Revolution”

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/glenn-beck-out-his-tree-demands-rest

Who is Cleon Skousen – and why should you care?

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/09/16/beck_skousen/

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/glenn-beck-chases-far-left-radicals

Sunday talk show line-ups

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/the-sunday-show-line-ups-21.php
• ABC, This Week: President Barack Obama.

• CBS, Face The Nation: President Barack Obama

• CNN, State Of The Union: President Barack Obama; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

• NBC, Meet The Press: President Barack Obama; House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Bonus item: Who’s crying now?

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/09/19/quote_of_the_day.html
"The biggest bunch of crybabies I have dealt with in my 30 years in Washington."

-- Chris Wallace on the White House not granting Fox News Sunday an interview with President Obama.

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:59 AM

 
SCENES FROM THE CIRCUS

Former Directors: leave the CIA a-l-o-o-o-n-e!

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/ex-cia_directors_to_obama_shut_down_torture_probe.php

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/18/cia_doj/index.html

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/former.php

http://washingtonindependent.com/60059/cia-directors-tell-obama-to-reverse-holders-inquiry-flub-basic-facts

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/18/poppy-bush-not-joining-other-dcis-opposing-investigation-of-w-bushs-torture/
[Emptywheel] Note that these men are asking the President to intervene in a DOJ investigation. . . . [read on]

What the DOJ said

http://washingtonindependent.com/60087/doj-defends-torture-probe
"The Attorney General works closely with the men and the women of intelligence community to keep the American people safe and he does not believe their commitment to conduct that important work will waver in any way. . . ." [read on]

What the DOJ did

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091802510.html
Inquiry Into CIA Practices Narrows

Closing Gitmo: not as brave and bold as it seems?

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/09/15/bagram/index.html
[Glenn Greenwald] It's now apparent that the biggest sham in American politics is Barack Obama's pledge to close Guantanamo and, more generally, to dismantle the Bush/Cheney approach to detaining accused Terrorists. . . . [read on]

How Big Pharma got just what it wanted from the Baucus bill

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/18/baucus-keeps-up-his-end-of-secret-phrma-deal/

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/coinkydink-by-dday-ryan-grim-has-been.html

Here’s how bad Baucus’s bill is: too conservative for Olympia Snowe (R-ME)!

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/snowe-wants-key-health-care-measure-strengthened-before-she-supports-baucus-bill.php

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/subsidies-taxes.php

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/robert_reich/2009/09/why-olympia-snowe-should-vote.php

Bad faith

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020003.php
McClatchy ran this piece from the Kaiser Family Foundation's Eric Pianin and Julie Appleby, who noted that Republicans have rejected a proposal filled with Republican ideas. . . .

Can it be fixed?

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020005.php

What will happen next?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/a-roadmap-to-the-health-care-fight-ahead.php

The new GOP line: don’t let accusations of racism stop you!

Roy Blunt: http://washingtonindependent.com/60073/roy-blunt-dont-be-intimidated-by-people-calling-you-racists

Mike Huckabee: http://washingtonindependent.com/60027/huckabee-obama-critics-arent-racist

Rush Limbaugh: http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/rush-limbaugh-we-need-segregated-buse

If everybody’s a racist then nobody is: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/he-saidshe-said-who-can-say-by-digby.html

Here’s why the GOP needs to deflect the racism charge: you don’t want people going around calling things like this racist

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/18/monkeys/index.html
[Mike Madden] Former House Republican whip Roy Blunt was a featured speaker Friday afternoon at the Values Voter Summit, and he had a little parable to share with the crowd.

Conservatives shouldn't get too upset about the way liberals have taken over Washington since President Obama won election, he said. "We've got a reason to explain why we believe in the kind of America we believe in," Blunt said. "You know, you can't control everything there is in life that you'd like to control."

And then he told a little story about a group of British soldiers who found themselves posted in a quiet part of India in the late 19th century or the early 20th century. It was, Blunt said, a "very lush, very quiet, very peaceful, very uneventful part of India."

So the soldiers decided, without much better to do, that they'd build a golf course in the jungle. And then the story got weird.

Almost from the day the first ball was hit on this golf course something happened they didn't anticipate: monkeys would come running out of the jungle and then grab the golf balls. And if it was in the fairway, they might throw it in the rough. And if it was in the rough, they might throw it -- they might throw it back at you! And I can point to great and long detail about how many things they tried to eliminate the monkey problem, but they never got it done.

So finally for this golf course and this golf course only, they passed a rule and the rule was, you have to play the ball where the monkey throws it. And that is the rule in Washington all the time.

Yes, you read that right: the point of the story was that like British golfers, conservatives in Washington have to play the ball where the monkey throws it.

The kind of people they are: Nancy Pelosi expresses concern that right-wing hate speech could lead to violence. The GOP thinks this is just a terrible thing for her to say

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/09/republicans_denounce_pelosi_fo.html

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/republicans-reject-pelosis-call-to-shun.html

Scenes from the Values Voters circus

http://washingtonindependent.com/60103/values-voters-ride-tea-party-momentum

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/the_right-wing_circus_comes_to_town.php

Heh: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/fox_enters_the_heart_of_darkness.php

The highlight: Last year’s keynote speaker was Newt Gingrich, Big Ideas guy. This year’s?

http://washingtonindependent.com/59998/carrie-prejean-thanks-you-for-supporting-her
“I may not have won the crown that night. . . I know the Lord has such a bigger crown waiting for me.”

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/feature/2009/09/18/values_voter/index.html

For all those wackos who fear socialism and Big Gummint: take the pledge!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/18/783895/-The-Teabagger-Socialist-Free-Purity-Pledge
I, ________________________, do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of a socialism-free society and heretofore pledge my word that I shall strictly adhere to the following . . .

Scenes from the Texas Board of Education

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/tx_board_ed_member_minorities_be_thankful.php
TX Board Of Ed Member: Minorities Must Be Thankful To 'The Majority' For Giving Them Rights!

Charles Krauthammer questions Obama’s honesty. Charles Krauthammer!

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/020011.php
Fox "News" getting worse and worse

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19/business/media/19fox.html
The hostility between the Fox News Channel and its television news competitors, usually barely submerged, exploded into open recriminations Friday over a newspaper advertisement in which Fox accused its competitors of missing the story of the so-called antitax protests in Washington last Saturday. . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/18/784044/-Fox-caught-on-tape-manufacturing-dissent
Media Matters has obtained video showing a member of the Fox News production crew stage-managing a 9/12 protest crowd for a Griff Jenkins live shot . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/17/783676/-The-world-according-to-Fox-News
President Obama gave a great speech Thursday about his plan for health care reform, but unlike CNN and MSNBC, Fox didn't think it was worth covering. . . .

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/fox-says-f-word-on-air.html
FOX says the f-word on the air

Is Rush getting a little jealous of all the attention Glenn Beck is soaking up?

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/catfight-by-digby-beck-vs-limbaugh-beck.html

Time cover story: and what a pathetic excuse for reporting it is

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/dear-time-magazine-about-subscriptio

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200909180007

Reality, or satire? Sometimes you just can’t tell

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/glenn-beck-chases-far-left-radicals

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/pre-beck-beck-by-dday-uncanny.html

Bonus item: The inside scoop on how the Joe Wilson “You lie” outburst happened

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/09/18/behind_the_outburst.html#031392a

Extra bonus item: Bidenisms

http://www.slate.com/id/2228872/

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 8:28 AM

 
MAXED OUT?

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/dont-use-howard-dean
Howard Dean on Baucus Bill: 'Worst Health-Care Bill I've Seen in 30 Years'

http://www.dailykostv.com/w/002158/
Baucus bill DOA

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/09/max_baucuss_legitimacy_problem.html
Max Baucus's Legitimacy Problem

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/baucuscare-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.php
Baucuscare: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/what_baucus_got_right.php
What Baucus Got Right

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/sep/17/healthcare-senate-max-baucus
The paradox of the Baucus bill

http://www.slate.com/id/2228709
Direct some anger at Max Baucus toward the president

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/09/five_ways_to_improve_max_baucu.html
Five Ways to Improve Max Baucus's Bill

Lots more: http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8219

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/16/the-real-worst-policy-in-the-bill/

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/the_baucus_plan_the_conniptions_obscure_the_point.php

Kent Conrad (D-ND) brags, It’s a Republican bill!

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/bipartisanship-for-dummies-by-digby-i.html

Watch: http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/kent-conrad-proudly-tells-us-why-senate

Fox News NEVER makes these mistakes by accident

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200909170018
Max Baucus "(R-MT)"

Where does the CBO stand?

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/cbo_baucus_proposal_would_save_49_billion_over_ten_years.php
CBO: Baucus Proposal Would Save $49 Billion Over Ten Years

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/09/the_baucus_bill_cbo_luvs_it.html
The Baucus Bill: CBO Luvs It

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/cbo-says-that-baucus-co-ops-wont-work.html
CBO says that Baucus' co-ops won't work

More evidence that the GOP position is that NO bill must pass – especially if it’s a good one that will be politically popular

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/snowe-obama-flexible-on-the-public-option.php
Snowe: Obama Flexible on the Public Option

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/snowe-nelson-mccaskill-and-lieberman-commend-baucus-for-health-care-bill.php
Snowe, Nelson, McCaskill, and Lieberman "Commend" Baucus for Health Care Bill

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/republicans-turn-up-the-heat-on-snowe.php
Republicans Turn up the Heat on Snowe

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=C0600709-18FE-70B2-A8E0AD2223ED405E
Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe may hold the key to Barack Obama’s health care agenda — and that’s starting to make top Senate Republicans nervous. . . .

My, my. Look at Chuck Grassley (R-IA) whine

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/spoiled-delinquents-by-digby-its-almost.html

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/18/iowa-stubbornuniversally-dishonest/

Conservatives who never think more government can solve anything, always think more government spending on weapons systems makes us safer. You can imagine how they reacted when Obama decided to scrap a Bush-era missile defense system in Eastern Europe

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/right-wing-pundits-react-to-obamas-missile-defense-move.php

More: http://www.slate.com/id/2228704
Obama's smart decision . . .

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/to_be_watched_closely.php

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/17/783530/-Obama-Administration-Revamps-Missile-Defense:-Leaner,-Meaner,-and-More-Realistic

Whither Afghanistan?

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/starting-over-afghanistan

GOP bigwigs are getting nervous about the crazy lady in Minnesota

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/report-gop-leadership-worried-about-damage-to-gops-reputation-from-bachmann.php

What’s most striking about the present political climate is that anti-Obama hate speech doesn’t just come from the wacky fringe, which was always there – it gets picked up and given legitimacy by supposedly “mainstream” political figures

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/not_just_the_fringe.php

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/dont_know_much_about_history.php

Teddy’s replacement: Michael Dukakis?

http://washingtonindependent.com/59792/senator-dukakis

Another feckless example of on the one hand/on the other hand journalism: the Teabagger protest in DC

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/09/17/time/index.html
[Time] If you get your information from liberal sources, the crowd numbered about 70,000. . . If you get your information from conservative sources, the crowd was hundreds of thousands strong, perhaps as many as a million. . . Either way, you may not be inclined to believe what we say about numbers, according to a recent poll that found record-low levels of public trust of the mainstream media.

[NB: Here’s why the mainstream media loses credibility – because they don’t treat FACTS as FACTS. No reliable source of any sort says that the crowd was more than a few tens of thousands. Period.]

CNN hits rock bottom

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/17/obama.witchdoctor.teaparty/index.html
Obama as witch doctor: Racist or satirical?

Uh . . . . racist? http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/its-not-racism-its-being-american-gop.html

Fox chatterheads get the vapors: how could ANYONE accuse our side of racism?

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/cards-by-digby-amato-caught-fox.html

Yeah, how could they, really: http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200909170020

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/conservative-commentator-limbaughs.html

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/dont-use-yet-media-pretends-hold-nati

Looks like a good book

http://www.masscasualties.com/
Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq
Michael Anthony

Bonus item: Rush Limbaugh – there’s definitely something wrong with that guy

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_091609/content/01125104.guest.html
A story out of Wichita, a little lighthearted thing here. Well, I don't know how lighthearted it is. "A man and woman decided to give the phrase 'dumpster diving' a new twist over the weekend, crawling inside one on North Waco so they could be alone. But while they were engaged in what Wichita police described as 'an intimate moment' --" For those of you in Rio Linda, they were banging in there. "-- they were robbed by a man armed with a pocket knife. It all unfolded shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday in the 700 block of North Waco --" If you live in Wichita and you want to drive by and see where this happened, it's in the 700 block of North Waco, just find the Dumpster there. "-- when the man and woman, both 44, crawled into a dumpster for privacy." How destitute. You know who these people probably are? You know, folks, there were a lot of people on the day of Obama's immaculation who were really filled with optimism. They really thought a new day was coming. . . .

Now, I suspect these two people that dove into the Dumpster to have an intimate moment are two people who thought utopia had occurred with the election of Obama and now they're out of work, they probably been foreclosed on, they don't have a bed, and the Dumpster for sex looks like a step up to 'em. I think it's your average, typical Obama voter now, destitute, disoriented, sad, totally discombobulated, can't figure it all out, and so privacy? Hit the Dumpster in the 700 block of North Waco in Wichita. Shortly after the 44-year-old couple dove into the Dumpster for privacy, a 59-year-old man and his 64-year-old companion interrupted them inside the Dumpster. . . .

It probably means that the 59-year-old guy and the 64-year-old companion -- and we do not know what sex the 64-year-old companion was -- had to probably witness the two 44 year-olds go in there and figure, "Wow." Now, if you wanted to rob somebody, if you're down on your luck and you got no money, and you wanted to rob somebody, do you think you'd make a big haul by holding up somebody in a Dumpster? What's the thinking here? That's how disoriented rational people in this country have become because of this president. . . . [read on]

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:07 AM

 
NO PBD POSTING TODAY

Back again tomorrow.
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 9:28 AM

 
RACE TO THE BOTTOM

Hoo boy, a look inside the Bush White House, and a devastating glimpse of the Frat Boy in Chief

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/09/15/2009-09-15_george_w_bush_slammed_other_politicians_during_presidency_exspeechwriter_latimer.html
Is there a politician George W. Bush ever liked? Not according to former Dubya speech writer Matt Latimer. In his forthcoming memoir, "Speech Less: Tales of a White House Survivor," Latimer says the former Prez dissed pretty much everyone in Washington . . .

"If bull- was currency," he said, "Joe Biden would be a billionaire." Of the GOP's Sarah Palin, he cracked, "I'm trying to remember if I've met her before. What is she, the governor of Guam?"

And although he may have detested her, Bush always believed Hillary Clinton would be a Democratic political contender. Groused the former Prez, "Wait till her fat keister is sitting at this desk."

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/09/15/talking_like_a_president.html
"In 2007 I finally made it to the Bush White House as a presidential speechwriter. But it was not at all what I envisioned. It was less like Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing and more like The Office."

Lots more: http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_10957&pageNum=9

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/marketing-tarp

The Baucus bill, if it had anything going for it, was that it held out the promise of buying a few GOP votes out of a good-faith effort to accommodate their bipartisan concerns. But after watering the bill down from an already-compromised beginning, what has Baucus to show for it?

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/baucus_i_have_a_dream.php
Sen. Max Baucus says there's a "very good chance" a significant number of Republicans will support the compromise health care reform legislation. Mitch McConnell sets him straight. . . . [read on]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/15/782337/-Baucus-Finally-Delivers-a-Lead-Balloon
Before the plan was even officially released, Republicans complained about it . . . [read on]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/senate-republicans/grassley-i-cant-back-bill-now-because-dems-might-do-bill-without-me-later/
Grassley: I Can’t Back Bill Now

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/16/03127/0523
[The Hill] Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) failed to win any Republican backer despite weeks of intense negotiations behind closed doors to strike a deal. . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/15/782447/-Whew,-What-A-Relief!
[McJoan] In other words, it meets the criteria for bipartisan reform: no reform and no votes from the GOP.

Meanwhile, he’s LOSING Democrats: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019956.php

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/15/senate_healthcare/index.html

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/09/baucus-compromise-bill-draws.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/health/policy/16health.html

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/wash-post-on-baucus-bill-reform-bill.html

What else is wrong with the Baucus bill?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/15/782450/-Wendell-Potter:-Baucus-Bill-An-Absolute-Gift-to-the-Insurance-Industry
"An Absolute Gift to the Insurance Industry"

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/15/782204/-WaPo:-Baucus-plan-could-hit-middle-class-hard
Baucus plan could hit middle-class hard

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/15/affordability/
We Can’t Afford the MaxTax

More: http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/the-real-problem-with-baucuscare.php

On reconciliation: the press has totally swallowed the GOP line that passing a bill with “only” 51 votes is “ramming it through.” And there we all thought that was how democracy worked

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/09/hoyer-on-reconciliation-it-is-not-ramming-it-through.html

I give Harry Reid (D-NV) a lot of grief here, but when he’s right he’s right

http://www.samefacts.com/2009/09/2009-democratic-agenda/reid-gets-tough/

Hmmm. Read and discuss

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/why-bipartisanship-matters
Why Bipartisanship Matters

After dissing South Carolina, I have to say, they have nut cases in Minnesota too

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/bachmann-thank-god-for-joe-wilson.php
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) made it clear just how much she supports Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), in the wake of his "You lie!" outburst during President Obama's speech to Congress.

"And thank God for Joe Wilson. Thank God for Joe Wilson," Bachmann said . . .

Yes

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/15/carter_race/index.html
On Tuesday, former President Carter gave voice to what a lot of Democrats have been thinking lately, saying a good bit of the opposition to President Obama is due to his race. . . .

Can anyone doubt what Carter says?

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/limbaugh-in-obamas-america-black-students-cheer-beatings-of-white-classmates.php
Limbaugh: 'In Obama's America' Black Students Cheer Beatings Of White Classmates

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/teabagger-mark-williams-says-obama-indo
Teabagger Mark Williams says: 'Obama is an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug and a racist in chief' . . .

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/calling-them-on-it-by-digby-i-wrote.html
[Digby] More seriously, these people are a perfect example of the modern racists. They don't go around calling black people "boy" (to their faces) and they certainly don't think of themselves as bigots. But in their minds, racial minorities are dangerous barbarians who are threatening to destroy their way of life. . . . [read on]

http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/24978.html

It’s pretty depressing when we get a glimpse of how badly our Fourth Estate has declined

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/washington-post-advertisers-want-cheerier-stories.php
[WP] Weymouth, publisher of The Post, told the story’s author, freelance journalist Matt Mendelsohn, at a brunch earlier this year that advertisers “wanted happier stories, not ‘depressing’ ones” . . .

How Fox, Drudge, and talk radio control the “mainstream” news cycle

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27186.html

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/blame_the_conservative_media.php

Say anything

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/glenn-beck-tea-party-march-had-17-million-people.php
Glenn Beck: Tea Party March Had 1.7 Million People!

A ridiculous lie: http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/more-on-teabaggers-claiming-they-had-2m.html

Will the GOP regret unleashing “the right wing populist beast”?

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/yes-respectable-republicans-you-do-h

More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/sam-tanenhaus-indication-what-i-would-call

The kind of people we are

http://lafiga.firedoglake.com/2009/09/15/late-night-darwin-bio-too-controversial-a-film-for-us-say-distributors/
Darwin Bio Too Controversial a Film for US . . .

Bonus item: Quote of the day, from Joe Wilson’s wife, who asked him when he got home from the speech . . .

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/09/15/quote_of_the_day.html
"Joe, who's the nut who hollered out, 'You lie.'"

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 8:37 AM

 
ANGER MANAGEMENT

Looking ahead on the health care fight

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/14/781689/-The-Week-Ahead-in-Healthcare-Reform

Updates on the public option

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/14/781939/-Senate-Support-for-Public-Option-Becoming-more-Visible
Senate Support for Public Option Becoming more Visible

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/sep/14/healthcare-public-option
Public option tea-leaf reading

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/harkin-mark-my-word-health-care-reform-will-have-a-strong-public-option.php
Harkin: Mark My Word, Health Care Reform Will Have a Strong Public Option

More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/14/782091/-Doctors-Like-Public-Option,-Especially-As-A-Choice
Doctors Like Public Option . . .

The mistakes they made

http://washingtonindependent.com/59128/democrats-lost-leverage-from-start-in-health-care-debate
Democrats Lost Leverage From Start in Health Care Debate

Health care risks for the GOP too

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-party/does-health-care-reform-debate-carry-risks-for-gop-too/

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/warning-signs-for-gop-in-health-care-poll.php

This is the dilemma Obama has faced all along: comments which from any other President would be seen as strong, forceful leadership are spun, for him, as the actions of an angry black man

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/human-events-obamas-a-very-angry-black-man/
[Human Events] The anger that seemed President Obama’s central theme in his September 9 speech to Congress was palpable, almost shocking. He demanded action now, and threatened to “call out” those who -- he claimed -- were spreading falsehoods about his healthcare nationalization plans. . . . [read on]

More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/gibbs-people-arent-upset-because-obama-black
Dowd: Some people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it

I think you might call this “false framing”

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/chris-matthews-show-meter-question-anti-obama
“Is the Anti-Obama Venom Unavoidable or Partly a Result of His Mistakes?”

Yes, the Nazis had doctors helping them in concentration camps too

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/viruses-by-digby-valtin-at-daily-kos.html
[Digby] Keep in mind that this is someone who was the head neuropsychiatrist at Guantanamo. . . . [read on]

Hmmm

http://www.slate.com/id/2228257/
How Liberals Can Win by Losing at the Roberts Court

Now, I call THAT chutzpah

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/scott_bloch_attained_notoriety.php
Scandal-Plagued Ex-Bush Official's Law Firm Bio Brags He 'Attained Notoriety'

Guess what? Congressman Joe Wilson is a liar

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/did_joe_wilson_lie_about_having_been_an_immigratio.php
“YOU lie!”

Was Wilson’s “spontaneous outburst” planned in advance?

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/14/did-gop-know-joe-wilson-scream-was-coming/

Now Wilson plays the victim

http://washingtonindependent.com/59069/rep-joe-wilson-theres-a-witch-hunt

Our pathetic press

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/headline-day
Some fear GOP is being carried to the extreme [read on]

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/more-dispatches-from-mars-by-digby-from.html
The Washington Independent's David Weigel catches Politico's Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen calling Republican Rep. Brian Bilbray "a centrist Republican." . . . [read on]

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/teabaggers-r-us-by-digby-im-feeling.html
[Digby] I'm feeling like it's 1994 again for the first time since Obama took over. The conventional wisdom has set in. . . . [read on]

Glenn Beck, losing his. . . . oh, hell just read on

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/quarantine-by-digby-if-you-have-chance.html

More: http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/glenn-beck-exploits-911-tragedy-rati

http://www.slate.com/id/2228259/

Well, he said he was going on NEWS shows

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/14/185817/054
Obama Snubs Fox

Bonus item: As I said, it was a big “the kind of people they are” convention

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/14/779699/-912-Teabaggers-in-their-own-words

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 8:20 AM

 
“A FIFTH OF AMERICANS ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE U.S. ON A WORLD MAP”

How the press coddles the Teabagger movement

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019916.php

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/finding-real-america-again-by-digby.html

http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/stoopid-peepul
What is it about stupidity that America seems to love so much? [read on]

What the press considers “crazy”

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/if-only-it-had-been-crazy.php
[Politico] Nor are Democrats strangers to having their crazy uncles take center stage. During the run-up to the Iraq war, for example, Reps. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and David Bonior (D-Mich.) famously flew to Baghdad, where McDermott asserted that he believed the president would “mislead the American public” to justify the war. . . .

[NB: Yeah, totally crazy, wasn’t it?]

Now Olympia Snowe (R-ME) is playing the GOP game – you’ve given me what I want, but I still won’t support the bill unless other Republicans do too

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/olympia-snowe-is-playing-obama-like.html

Susan Collins (R-ME): http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019913.php
[Steve Benen] By most reasonable standards, there are effectively only two moderate Republicans in the Senate: Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. . . . [read on]

Obama still making concessions to the GOP, with nothing that I can see to show for it

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/obama-to-go-beyond-house-bill-to-ban.html

Public option: staying or going?

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/white-house-and-hill-launch-coordinated.html
White House and Hill launch coordinated campaign to diminish public option

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/its-not-dead-yet-by-digby.html
It's Not Dead Yet

http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/robert-reich-explains-public-option
Robert Reich Explains The Public Option

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/9/779454/-Why-the-public-option-matters
Why the public option matters

The new GOP proposal: start over

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019910.php

Mo Do

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/opinion/13dowd.html
[Maureen Dowd] Surrounded by middle-aged white guys — a sepia snapshot of the days when such pols ran Washington like their own men’s club — Joe Wilson yelled “You lie!” at a president who didn’t.

But, fair or not, what I heard was an unspoken word in the air: You lie, boy! . . . [read on]

More: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/13/race-and-the-public-option/

I always wonder about abortion opponents who don’t want contraception to be legal either

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/anti-abortion-group-announces-drive-o

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/13/17925/1289

Bonus item: Another famous South Carolinian I forgot to mention

http://crooksandliars.com/bluegal/open-thread-239

Watch it again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:32 AM

 
WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

A crowd of tea-baggers of a few tens of thousands in DC is described by right wingers as in the millions. It was supposed to be about health care, but it was really about the scary black man in the White House

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/obama-losing-insurance-can-happen-to-anybody.php
The 9/12 Tea Party even marched to the Capitol today, with a crowd of many thousands of people spreading for blocks across Pennsylvania Avenue, though an estimated crowd size does not appear to be available yet. One popular chant at the event was "You lie," in honor of Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-SC) outburst during President Obama's speech to Congress. . . .

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/feature/2009/09/12/protest/index.html
Michelle Malkin said in one post that ABC News had estimated the attendance at 2 million.

Malkin was wrong -- ABC had never reported anything like that. . . . [read on]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/protest-crowd-size-estimate-falsely-attributed-abc-news/story?id=8558055
[ABC] Conservative activists, who organized a march on the U.S. Capitol today in protest of the Obama administration's health care agenda and government spending, erroneously attributed reports on the size of the crowds to ABC News.

At no time did ABC News, or its affiliates, report a number anywhere near as large. ABCNews.com reported an approximate figure of 60,000 to 70,000 protesters . . .

More: http://www.slate.com/id/2228110/

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/12/late-night-the-babble-phlegm-of-the-wingnut-republic-or-whats-a-half-of-million-or-so-give-or-take/

It’s a big giant “the kind of people they are” convention

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/yer-friends-and-neighbors-by-digby-912.html
"Obama, we have waken up to your evil plans to destroy our country. Take your racist unamerican Acorn groups and arrogant wife back to your own country and strip their rights away!"

http://www.slate.com/id/2228208/
"Diversity Is A Disease"

More: http://www.samefacts.com/2009/09/watching-conservatives/tea-party-patriots/

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/09/12/conservatives/index.html

But to Jim DeMint (R-SC), these are just good ordinary Americans

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019908.php

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/quote-day-2

http://washingtonindependent.com/58831/demint-joe-wilson-was-telling-the-truth

Front and back:





















Lots more photos: http://washingtonindependent.com/58807/everybody-loves-wacky-tea-party-signs

http://washingtonindependent.com/58847/everybody-loves-wacky-tea-party-signs-part-ii

http://washingtonindependent.com/58779/scenes-from-the-912-dc-tea-party-protest-part-i

http://washingtonindependent.com/58796/scenes-from-the-912-dc-tea-party-protest-part-ii

Obama continues to lead the health care discussion

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/12/780754/-Obama-ratchets-up-his-health-care-reform-pitch

Meanwhile, from the right, a litany of health care lies

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019904.php
Time's Joe Klein called the IWF's argument "lower than dirt" and part of a "disgraceful scam."

Under the circumstances, that's an entirely reasonable critique of a vile campaign. . . [read on]

The Bush legacy: a final accounting

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-dont-we-hear-bushs-name-every.html

How we tortured

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/12/the-jpra-memo-described-the-improvised-techniques-later-used/

More: http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8064
Dick Cheney Spied on the State Department–Did He Intercept Torture Whistleblower Emails?

Another scalp for Glenn Beck

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/obama-administration-severs-ties-with.html

More: http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/standing-bullies-glenn-beck-unpleasa

Sunday talk show line-ups

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/the-sunday-show-line-ups-20.php
• ABC, This Week: Sec. of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN).

• CBS, Face The Nation: White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME).

• CNN, State Of The Union: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA).

• NBC, Meet The Press: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), former DNC Chairman Howard Dean, former Speaker Newt Gingrich.

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:23 AM

 
BUMPER STICKER POLITICS

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/right-wing-now-selling-you-lie-bumper.html

Rewarding bad behavior

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/thatll-show-em-by-digby-well-this.html
[Digby] I honestly can't figure out why the White House felt it was necessary to appease this lunatic faction. Apparently there isn't any rightwing lunatic faction so crazy that they won't try to appease it. . . [read on]

More: http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/8063

Good news about Obama’s health care speech

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/11/173754/629
Obama Approval on Healthcare Jumps Net 21 Points

Hints from a former CIA Inspector General on Cheney’s role

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/11/helgersons-hints/

Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), hope of the GOP moderates, makes the obligatory concessions to the wacky GOP right

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/party_of_wilson.php
[Josh Marshall] I notice that Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) of Minnesota, widely seen as a potential moderate savior for the party, is saying he may try interposition/nullification to block the operation of any health care reform in his state. In other words, giving the ole college try to insurrectionary doctrines that were discredited going on two hundred years ago and were last trotted out, more or less as a stunt, by the most rancid of the anti-civil rights Southern governors in the 50s and 60s.

I hope he can bring the party back from the crazies and the fringe. . . .

More: http://www.samefacts.com/2009/09/uncategorized/state-sovereignty/

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/tim-pawlenty-calls-for-nullifcation-of-health-reform.php

Also: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-party/t-paw-admits-there-are-no-death-panels-in-bill-but-says-you-should-be-afraid-anyway/
T-Paw Admits There Are No Death Panels — But Says You Should Be Afraid, Anyway!

More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019897.php

“Romneyitis” http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019885.php
[Steve Benen] We've seen this dynamic before. In fact, we saw it just a couple of years ago.

Mitt Romney was known as a relatively moderate Republican governor of a reliably "blue" state, who could present himself, with a straight face, as a pragmatic, sane policymaker. Then Romney decided what he really wanted was to be president. Sane, moderate pragmatism wouldn't win over the Republican base, so that persona would have to be cast aside. It was painful to watch, and ultimately ineffective.

Here we go again. Tim Pawlenty was also known as a relatively moderate Republican governor of a reliably "blue" state. And like Romney, Pawlenty has decided that what he really wants is to be president. So, in keeping with the predictable model, Pawlenty has decided to go full-on crazy to impress the type of folks who vote in Republican presidential primaries. . . [read on]

More on South Carolina’s extremist heritage

http://www.samefacts.com/2009/09/watching-conservatives/too-small-for-a-republic/
“Too small for a Republic, and too large for an insane asylum.” [read on]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27026.html
What's the matter with South Carolina?

How the fringe controls the GOP

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/09/11/politico/index.html

How the media helps: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/comparing-crazies-by-digby-i-have-been.html

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 8:47 AM

 
THE LAND OF JOHN C. CALHOUN

It’s being said more and more openly now. Is it any coincidence that the first modern President to be treated with such open contempt and disrespect by the other party – especially its Southern members – happens to be the first black President?

How Republicans “apologize.” Joe Wilson (R-SC): I’m sorry for calling President Obama a liar . . . but, he IS a liar, you know

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019870.php

http://washingtonindependent.com/58519/rep-joe-wilson-talks-with-sean-hannity-stands-by-his-comments

Wilson claims “support” http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/joe-wilson-ive-received-encouragement-from-my-colleagues.php

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/10/wilson/index.html

Wilson fundraises off his outburst: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/joe-wilson-youtube-i-will-not-be-muzzled.php

Not the first time: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/10/779932/-It-wasnt-Joe-Wilsons-first-time

Not the second time, either: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/not_the_first_time.php

Nor the third: http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/10/south-carolina-congressman-who-screamed-at-president-obama-fought-to-keep-confederate-flag/

More: http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/obama-heckler-joe-wilson-member-neo

The GOP says Wilson was out of line – but, really though, it was Obama’s fault

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/10/you_lie/index.html

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/limbaugh-i-wish-wilson-hadnt-apologized.php
Limbaugh: I Wish Wilson Hadn't Apologized

More: http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/cq-politics-runs-cover-rep-joe-wilson

The Great Tradition of South Carolina

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/9/779543/-A-South-Carolina-state-of-mind

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/pride.php

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/10/sanford/index.html
Earlier this summer, the South Carolina Republican Party's executive committee held a meeting to decide what to do about their party comrade, Gov. Mark Sanford. At the time, Sanford got off with a slap on the wrist -- a censure. On Thursday, he wasn't quite so lucky.

Adding to Sanford's long list of woes right now -- both the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the state House have called for his resignation -- two-thirds of the executive committee voted in a conference call Thursday afternoon to ask the governor to step down. . . .

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/embattled_sanford_pleads_to_tell_his_side_of_the_s.php
In another freewheeling performance in front of the cameras this afternoon, Mark Sanford accused state lawmakers of trying to railroad him out of office, and demanded that he be given a chance to present his "side of the story." . . .

[NB: Because, you know, we just haven’t heard enough from Mark Sanford]

More: http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/10/203425/957

And then there was this . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHV4nDS501Y
[Jim DeMint, R-SC] "If we're able to stop Obama on [health care reform], it will be his Waterloo. It will break him . . .”

http://justabovesunset.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/well-always-have-nullification/
[Jim DeMint, R-SC] A caller asked DeMint what the states could do in order to stop unconstitutional action by the federal government on health care. DeMint replied, “I think the key to pushing back against the federal government is some governors and state legislators who champion individual freedom.”

DeMint said he would love to see states go to court to invoke the Tenth Amendment – “If we had some states come together and say the only way to save this country is to push back.” He also added: “I think you’ll see some states say no more, we’re not going down with the federal government.”

Strom Thurmond, of course

http://www.counterpunch.org/gray03082004.html

Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) oopsie moment

http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=3390418

More from S.C. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/10/AR2009091002051.html

Barney Frank and Keith O give Wilson the treatment he deserves

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/rachel-maddow-show-barney-frank-compromisi

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/countdown-special-comment-about-shout-you

Oh-oh

http://www.slate.com/id/2227798/
Watching the Supreme Court make its campaign finance jurisprudence disappear. . . .

Reader Lynn N. asks if the Smith Act has ever been applied to the right. But of course we know that only left wingers who want to overthrow the government are considered dangerous. The others are Glenn Beck viewers . . . and patriots

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/comm/free_speech/smithactof1940.html
“Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States . . .”

California Repub caught on tape bragging about his cocksmanship now says he was making it all up

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/duvall_denies_reports_that_he_had_an_affair.php

He resigns anyway: http://www.duvallforassembly.com/resignation.html

Cheney defenders want CIA docs released – but only the ones that help their case

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/10/cheneys-hagiographer-dick-wants-a-mulligan/

A proud moment for the University of Wyoming: The Cheney Center (thanks to AG for the link)

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Critics-Attack-U-of-Wyoming/7970/
Tom Buchanan, the university's president, said in a recent op-ed that "tolerance and diversity cut many ways” . . .

[NB: Yes, that’s what I think when I think of Dick Cheney. Tolerance. And diversity.]

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:14 AM

 
THE KIND OF PEOPLE THEY ARE

[NB: Short posting today, much more tomorrow]


http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/the_moment_of_shame.php
The Moment of Shame
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) screaming "You Lie!" at President Obama . . .

Watch Nancy Pelosi’s face: http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=3386675

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/joe-wilsons-you-lie-outburst-and-other-gop-highlights-during-the-speech.php
[Eric Kleefeld] There were a few moments during tonight's speech in which Republican members were less than respectful to President Obama, given the usual tradition in this country of deferring to the President during a speech to Congress. . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/09/AR2009090902298.html
[Dana Milbank] As President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, the nation's rapidly deteriorating discourse hit yet another low. . . . [read on]

Bonus item: Watch out for those live mikes!

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019855.php

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gop_lawmakers_graphic_sex-bragging_caught_on_tape.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:48 AM

 
THIRD AND LONG

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/08/obama-healthcare-speech

Here’s the new spin: August was a bad month for health care reform, but the important thing is that it’s still alive and still winnable

http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-treatment/why-reform-survived-august
[Jonathan Cohn] The August recess began with critics attacking health care reform because of its high price tag. It ended with critics attacking health care reform because of how reformers proposed to reduce that high price tag. The intervening weeks were nightmarish: Instead of using August to showcase what reform could do for the average American, the White House spent most of its time knocking down rumors of death panels for the sick and elderly. And as the right became energized, the left grew disillusioned, as much by the administration’s backroom deals as by its ineffectual messaging. Eventually, the shift showed up in the polls. First people grew more wary of reform. Then they grew more wary of the president. It was if everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

Somehow, though, health reform is not dead. . . . [read on]

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/why_obama_won_august_really.php
[Marc Ambinder] At the beginning of the month, I predicted that August might turn out be a bloodbath for Democrats. At the time, the Democratic self-containment on health care had dissolved, cranks were taking over constituent meetings, and that real anxiety about Obama had found a channel and political opponents of health care had an edge. And it was a bloodbath. No question: the White House was taken aback by the ferocity of the health care debate, the media was confused, activists were alarmed, and Republican enthusiasm shot up. But a funny thing happened on the way to the morgue...

The worst thing that could have happened to Democrats -- and the one thing that needed to happen in order to kill health reform -- did not happen. The Democrats held together. Moderates were not intimidated. Don't confuse their constituent meeting pander with changed minds.

Did more than a handful -- if any -- Democrats who were leaning towards voting "yes" on health care before August change their minds during August? Probably not. Another irony: the public option debate helped. It helped by offering itself up as a sacrifice. The new Maginot line, drawn by advocates of a single payer system, turned out to be a bit of a feint because it was never the sine qua non of reform. . . . [read on]

A contrary view: http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/ambinder-obama-won-august.html

Half a loaf?

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/do_i_have_the_politics_wrong.php

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/tough-choices

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/cover-for-the-left-and-right-why-triggers-are-the-talk-of-washington.php

The impact of “emotional truth” in politics

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/emotional-truth-by-digby-this-week-end.html

Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), warns Obama not to be too uppity in his speech tonight

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/chambliss-obama-better-show-humility-in-speech-to-congress.php

What no one is asking: if the Republicans had to take responsibility for fixing the health care mess, what WOULD they do?

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/on_offense_2.php

Because Marcy Wheeler knows what “document properties” are, she’s able to find out who actually wrote the Max Baucus health care plan. Nice catch

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/08/liz-fowlers-plan/

What’s wrong with the Baucus/Fowler plan: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/balking-at-baucus-by-digby-theres-lot.html

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/08/the-bad-max-tax/

Watch this Supreme Court case

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/opinion/08tue1.html
[NYT] The Supreme Court may be about to radically change politics by striking down the longstanding rule that says corporations cannot spend directly on federal elections. If the floodgates open, money from big business could overwhelm the electoral process, as well as the making of laws on issues like tax policy and bank regulation. . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/06/AR2009090601188.html
[E.J. Dionne] The court is considering eviscerating laws that have been on the books since 1907 and 1947 -- in two separate cases -- banning direct contributions and spending by corporations in federal election campaigns. Doing so would obliterate precedents that go back two and three decades. . . .

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/the_first_amendment_is_about_to_be_redefined.php
The First Amendment Is About To Be Redefined . . .

Here’s the video of Obama’s “Nazi propaganda” speech to students

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/video_obamas_speech_to_students.php

I haven’t had anything on the Van Jones story here, because it was pretty obvious to me that he dug his own grave and there are some things you just don’t try to excuse. I guess I wasn’t alone

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/sep/08/van-jones-resignation
[Michael Tomasky] There's lots of angst on the liberal-left about the resignation over the weekend of Van Jones, the administration's green-jobs czar . . .

Sarah Palin, policy wonk (uh-huh)

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/media_challenge_will_they_take_the_palin_bait.php

Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), still trying to survive as more and more state GOP call for his resignation

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/secret_agent_man_1.php
“Everybody is assigned their own secret-agent mission in life. At times the tricky part, the hard part, is finding out what that secret-agent mission is. Some of us do it early, some of us do it later in life.”

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/sanford_i_shouldnt_resign_because_god_can_use_impe.php
"God can use imperfect people to perform his will”

More: http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/08/sanford/index.html

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:29 AM

 
POISON

There are five good health plans, including one already passed by the House, on the table – but all anyone in DC can talk about is the one Max Baucus is working on. Well, now we have it, and we can understand the reason for all the anticipation

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/7/778185/-The-Baucus-Care-plan-is-out
[David Waldman] No public option. Not even a public option with a "trigger," which was a ridiculous idea tacked on to a position that was already a compromise. And the central tenet of the financing: a giant new "fee" that insurers are already saying they'll simply pass on to their customers. . . .

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/thats-it-by-digby-feel-magic.html
[Digby] So, no public plan, no co-ops, no trigger. No bipartisanship. No surprise. . . . [read on]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019808.php
[Steve Benen] OK, so the Baucus plan is obviously far short of other Democratic proposals, but at least it's a proposal that could garner bipartisan support, right? It's not everything reformers hoped for, but it's a "consensus" bill, right? Wrong. This scaled-back proposal, according to reports this morning, "apparently" isn't enough to satisfy the demands of Sens. Grassley and Enzi.

So, let me get this straight. Max Baucus has worked for months on a watered-down plan intended to curry favor with conservatives. He's finally circulating his proposal, which he could have unveiled a long time ago, and which Republicans still won't like. . . .

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/baucus-unveils-health-care-plan-with-no-co-ops-or-public-option.php
[Brian Beutler] According to the New York Times, Baucus' plan is calculated to win the support of Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). But Snowe supports a public option affixed to a so-called "trigger mechanism," raising questions about why this plan doesn't at least propose something along those lines. . . .

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/07/the-baucus-plan-junk-insurance-by-definition/
Junk Insurance by Definition

Is Obama (finally) taking charge of the debate?

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/obamas-labor-day-speech-were-so-close-to-real-health-reform.php

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/07/believe/

Watch: http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=3371192

How the media poisoned the well for serious reform

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/3/776230/-Health-Care,-Brought-To-You-By-The-FewThe-Deranged

And even so, good news of a sort

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/on-eve-of-obamas-big-speech-large-number-still-undecided-about-health-care/
[Greg Sargent] One thing that’s gotten a bit lost in all the chatter about how dreadful August was for Obama and Dems is that large numbers still remain undecided about whether they back the health care reform proposal — underscoring that this fight is far from over and that September may prove the decisive month.

That’s the real news in this new Gallup poll out this morning. It finds that for all the hoopla about the success of the town hall hooliganism, voters remain basically deadlocked over the proposal, with a quarter of voters saying they still have “no opinion” on whether they want their member of Congress to vote for it.

That’s not all: It also finds that a surprising 28% of independents are undecided, too. The independent vote, of course, is one of the key battlegrounds of the health care wars. While independents are tilting against the plan right now, the large bloc of undecideds suggests there’s plenty of room to make up ground.

The persistently high number of undecideds is yet another sign that Obama’s failure to forcefully lay down his bottom line on health care early on may have been a disastrous mistake. On the other hand, it may mean that many want to hear more from the president before making up their minds, perhaps giving Obama a chance to turn things around. It’s another reminder that the stakes of his big speech tomorrow just couldn’t be higher.

This could be a very big Supreme Court case

http://washingtonindependent.com/57983/supreme-court-eyes-decades-of-campaign-finance-laws

So now we know

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/07/AR2009090702225.html
From 2003 to 2006, the Bush administration quietly tried to relax the draft language of a treaty meant to bar and punish "enforced disappearances" so that those overseeing the CIA's secret prison system would not be criminally prosecuted under its provisions . . .

It’s pretty sad to see that the right’s hyperbolic rhetoric of Nazi indoctrination, blah blah, is actually working

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/more-and-more-schools-not-showing-obamas-stay-in-school-speech.php
More And More Schools Not Showing Obama's Stay-In-School Speech

How the media poisoned the well here too

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200909060001

What Obama actually will say to the kids

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/obamas-remarks-for-school-address-as-prepared-for-delivery.php
Now I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked a lot about responsibility.

I've talked about your teachers' responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working where students aren't getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world - and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. . . . [read on]

Obama’s GOP critics say, Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with the speech, but that’s because we FORCED him to take out all the propaganda

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/florida-gop-chair-white-house-rewrote-school-speech-after-conservatives-caught-them-indoctrinating-c.php
Suzanne Malveaux asked Greer if he had any inside information that the White House changed the speech.

"No, I don't," said Greer. . . .

More: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/texas_official_suggesting_kids_stay_home_for_obama.php

It’s a parody (thanks to Alan C. for the link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofxVMlU97yA

Glenn Beck’s long record of poison and hate

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/glenn-becks-long-history-extremist-r

What does it take to be declared too corrupt to win in New Jersey?

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/down_and_dirty.php

Bonus item: I had a friend in college who could do this too

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/8/04910/37699

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:53 AM

 
NEGOTIATING WITH YOURSELF

Let’s see: Obama backed off a true national health care plan to go for a market-based approach of extending insurance coverage, with the public option as one choice to extend competition and hold down costs; then he backed off the public option and seems to be ready to accept a “trigger” that would create a public option only if purely market-based measures don’t produce enough competition. So far the GOP hasn’t given up a damn thing or committed any support no matter how many compromises Obama makes – and now, even the “trigger” might get jettisoned

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/7/15025/39983

Why progressives can’t let Obama take their support for granted

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/06/van-jones-a-moment-of-truth-for-liberal-institutions-in-the-veal-pen/

http://tbogg.firedoglake.com/2009/09/06/what-would-dick-cheney-do/

Obama’s school speech “outrage”

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/02/critics-decry-obamas-lesson-plan-students/
[Fox News] A suggested lesson plan that calls on school kids to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help President Obama is troubling some education experts, who say it establishes the president as a "superintendent in chief" and may indoctrinate children to support him politically. . . .

http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/meet-press-reaction-obamas-school-speec
[Tom Brokaw] It's stunning to me. I come from a time and a place in America where it would be thrilling to have a president of the United States address your school about the importance of studying and staying in school. And this president, whatever else you think about his political philosophy, is a symbol of working hard, coming from difficult circumstances and getting to where he is in part because of education. I think it's so ripe for satire, it's unbelievable. . . . It sounds like East Germany trying to form some restrictions on people leaving the eastern sector to go into the western sector. I think it's perfectly appropriate for parents to say, "I don't want my child to hear that. I would rather keep them out or put them in a different school that day." But this is completely out of control, in my judgment. . . .

What Bush 41 said: http://www.eschatonblog.com/2009/09/morning-thread_06.html

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019804.php
[GHW Bush] "Let me know how you're doing. Write me a letter -- and I'm serious about this one -- write me a letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals. I think you know the address."

The shrinking credibility of Cheney’s “our torture kept you safe” argument

http://attackerman.firedoglake.com/2009/09/06/ali-soufan-claps-back-at-dick-cheney/

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/06/what-al-nashiri-and-ksm-didnt-tell-us/

Who’s an “extremist”? Who’s a “moderate”?

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/vocabulary-lesson-right-wing-radicals

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/06/is-there-anything-more-ridiculous-than-republicans-complaining-about-extremist-views-and-course-rhetoric/

Fox News: still hoping

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/09/01/kevin-mccullough-obama-implode/
Why the Obama Administration Will Implode In Weeks

Before anybody starts panicking about 2010 . . .

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/6/777957/-Special-Elections-And-The-Purported-Republican-Wave

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:38 AM

 
VULTURES

You heard a lot of right-wing hyperventilating about death panels, blah blah. But you won’t hear them utter a peep about this – it’s the free market at work!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/business/06insurance.html
After the mortgage business imploded last year, Wall Street investment banks began searching for another big idea to make money. They think they may have found one.

The bankers plan to buy “life settlements,” life insurance policies that ill and elderly people sell for cash — $400,000 for a $1 million policy, say, depending on the life expectancy of the insured person. Then they plan to “securitize” these policies, in Wall Street jargon, by packaging hundreds or thousands together into bonds. They will then resell those bonds to investors, like big pension funds, who will receive the payouts when people with the insurance die.

The earlier the policyholder dies, the bigger the return — though if people live longer than expected, investors could get poor returns or even lose money.

Either way, Wall Street would profit by pocketing sizable fees for creating the bonds, reselling them and subsequently trading them. But some who have studied life settlements warn that insurers might have to raise premiums in the short term if they end up having to pay out more death claims than they had anticipated. . . .

What happened to Obama’s momentum on health care reform?

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/best-explanation-of-how-health-care.html

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/5/777498/-Obama,-Blue-Dogs,-and-Progressives

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/7873

I think everyone understands this now, but the Senate GOP has given us a world in which nothing passes 51-49 any more – here’s what that means

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019799.php

WH denies the CNN report, linked here yesterday, that they’re working on their own health care bill

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/09/05/white_house_not_drafting_own_bill.html

The kind of people they are

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019802.php
"Republicans get up and go to work," he would tell his son. "Democrats get up and go down to the mailbox to get their checks." . . . [read on]

Sunday talk show line-ups

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/the-sunday-show-line-ups-19.php
• ABC, This Week: White House press secretary Robert Gibbs; Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), former Senate Majority Leader Bob dole (R-KS), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).

• CBS, Face The Nation: Sec. of Education Arne Duncan.

• CNN, State Of The Union: Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE); Center for Disease Control Director Thomas Friedan; Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN).

• NBC, Meet The Press: White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), former Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN), Tom Brokaw, Tom Friedman.

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:21 AM

 
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

How can the party that fought tooth and nail to prevent the creation of Medicare now claim to be its saviors? Only because the media lets them get away with it. . .

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/4/232556/7832

Fed up with Congress’s nonsense, the Obama admin sends signals that it will draft a health bill of its own

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/report-white-house-drafting-its-own-health-care-bill.php

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/protecting-coattails-by-digby-cnn-has.html

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019788.php

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/white-house-now-drafting-its-own-health.html

Chris Christie, GOP candidate for NJ gov, has been slammed for his activities as a politicized US Attorney under Bush – and now this . . .

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/4/114634/4849
[Star-Ledger] Adding to Chris Christie's campaign trail headaches over his driving record, officials in Elizabeth confirmed tonight the Republican gubernatorial candidate was in a traffic accident that injured a motorcyclist in the city in 2002. . . . [read on]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/best_quote_of_the_day_maybe_the_week.php
"First of all, the motorcycle hit me. He was injured at the scene, he was taken to the hospital but I understand that he's fine now."

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/did_christie_break_doj_rules_by_pulling_rank_on_tr.php
[Zachary Roth] New Jersey GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie's spotty driving record is one thing. But what's worse is that he may have violated clear Justice Department guidelines by pulling rank with cops on the scene.

Today we learned about a 2002 episode in which Christie hit a motorcyclist after making a wrong-turn that had him briefly going the wrong way down a one-way street in Elizabeth. The motorcyclist ended up in hospital, but Christie didn't get so much as a ticket. And a police official told the Star Ledger that Christie "did identify himself as U.S. attorney."

That would seem to contravene Justice Department guidelines on standards of conduct . . . . [read on]

More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/more-details-emerge-from-christie-2002-car-accident.php

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/christie-caught-in-apparent-lie-about-2002-traffic-accident-lawsuit.php
Christie Caught In Apparent Lie About 2002 Traffic Accident, Lawsuit

Obama to release WH visitor logs. Good

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/04/obama-to-finally-fulfill-one-of-his-promises/

http://washingtonindependent.com/57847/obama-administration-agrees-to-disclose-white-house-visitor-logs

Al Franken shows how to take on the tea-baggers

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/04/franken_video/index.html

Conservatives slam the really stupid effort to demonize Obama’s speech to schoolchildren

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/joe-scarborough-gop-fear-mongering-obamas

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/stoopid-by-digby-monica-novotny-john.html

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019789.php

As Texas goes, so goes the nation?

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/could_texas_gingrich_based_curriculum_go_national.php
Could Texas' Gingrich-Based High School History Curriculum Go National?

Bonus item: Turning up the crazy to 11

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/4/777017/-Michele-BachmannCrazier-Than-You-Thought-Possible
“Also with women politicians, they want to make sure no women, no woman becomes president before a Democrat woman, and so they're doing everything they can to, I think, sabotage women like Sarah Palin, perhaps women like myself, or similarly situated women, to make sure that we don't have a prominent national voice.” [read on]

More: http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/04/bachmann/index.html

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019785.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:37 AM

 
PLAYING CHICKEN?

Not for the first time, a Democratic President has found it expedient to triangulate away from his party’s left wing, tacitly encouraging their howls of displeasure as a way of demonstrating to the country (and to party centrists) that he is a moderate compromiser. In the end, the calculation goes, the left will come around to support him because where else do they have to go? Will that work this time?

Not a great opening gambit

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/is-this-wise-thing-to-telegraph.html
[NYT] “It’s so important to get a deal,” a White House official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to be candid about strategy. “He will do almost anything it takes to get one.” . . . [read on]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/sources-expect-disappointed-progressives-after-obamas-big-health-care-speech.php
Sources: Expect Disappointed Progressives After Obama's Big Health Care Speech

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/09/03/white-house-scale-down/
White House Scaling Down Health Reform Ahead Of Address

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/screamers.php
[Joe Biden] We're "gonna get something substantial" on health care reform. But "it's going to be an awful lot of screaming and hollering before we get there."

The screaming and hollering starts

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/pelosi-a-bill-without-a-strong-public-option-will-not-pass-the-house.php
Pelosi: A Bill Without a Strong Public Option Will Not Pass the House . . .

More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/house-progressives-and-the-white-house-on-a-collision-course-over-the-public-option.php

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/progressive-groups-petition-obama-to-demand-public-option-in-health-care-speech.php

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/09/obama-dumping-public-option

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/progressive-house-leaders-to-obama-no.html

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/3/776482/-House-Progressives-to-Obama:-No-Public-Option,-No-Support

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/9/3/21379/23746

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/house-liberals-write-directly-to-obama-no-public-option-no-support/

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/self-preservation-strategy-by-dday.html

http://www.americablog.com/2009/09/tpm-white-house-staffers-warn-groups.html

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/ben-nelson-keeping-public-option-will-cause-reform-to-implode/

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/robert_reich/2009/09/what-obama-must-demand-from-co.php

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/how_to_pass_a_health_care_bill.php

Snowe job?

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/09/03/snowe_becomes_key_to_health_care_deal.html

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/03/snowe/index.html

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/09/02/rahm-pushing-triggers-through-olympia-snowe/

More: http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/senate-republicans/olympia-snowe-to-be-target-of-mother-of-all-pressure-campaigns/
Olympia Snowe To Be Target Of Mother Of All Pressure Campaigns

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/tea-baggers-olympia-snowe-wanted-for-treason-for-negotiating-health-care-reform.php
Tea Baggers: Olympia Snowe "Wanted for Treason"

Pulling the “trigger”

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019750.php

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/pulling-trigger

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/interview_with_rep_lynn_woolsey_progressives_cant_support_a_trigger.php

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/weiner-trigger-option-might-be-able-to-get-through-congess.php

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/7802
[Scarecrow] The main opposition to genuine reforms in health care is located in the White House . . . [read on]

How Chuck Grassley (R-IA) played the Obama admin and the Dems

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/grassley-mole-theory-by-digby-seems.html

How reconciliation would work

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2009/sep/03/reconciliation-senate-healthcare

Tell me if this sounds familiar: a couple of days ago, former Bush AG Alberto Gonzales made the bold little squeak that people who violated the torture rules that his own Justice Dept developed ought to be investigated. The rule of law: a radical notion, huh? Well, it looks as if Dark Lord Cheney or his minions took Mr. Gonzales to the woodshed, because he’s already reversing himself

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/03/gonzales/index.html

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gonzo_on_support_for_torture_probe_um_never_mind.php

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019763.php

Alberto Gonzales: the tragic opera (really!)

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/finally-the-gonzo-opera.php
The "Gonzales Cantata," playing at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, is a 40-minute work made up of songs such as "I Don't Recall," "You Don't Recall," "What Is One To Think," and "This Is Not About Alberto Gonzales." . . . [read on]

School daze

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/times_change_1.php
[JF] How long did it take the right to go from: "if you criticize the President you are a traitor" to "School children should not trust the President."

More: http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/03/obama_schools/index.html
Some school districts won't show Obama speech

Theocracy watch: sexual loonies come from every walk of life, but doesn’t this seem to be a little bit of a pattern?

http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/former-regent-university-asst-dean-wi
Former Regent University Asst. Dean, Wife Plead Guilty On Child Sex Abuse Charges . . .

A maniac is on the loose

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/03/beck_art/index.html
Glenn Beck exposes Obama's Communist art scheme

More: http://washingtonindependent.com/57776/far-right-site-gains-influence-in-obama-era

Bonus item: More guilty pleasures from Levi Johnston’s tell-all

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/levi-johnston-calls-palin-a-phony.php
“A real tour de force of family dysfunction, private dirt, and all-around personal contempt. . . .”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/opinion/03collins.html
[Gail Collins] For the first time in my life, I feel sympathy for Sarah Palin. . . .

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:25 AM

 
WHAT CAN YOU SAY?

What will Obama say in his heath care speech to Congress next week?

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/what_obamas_speech_needs_to_do.php

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/02/healthcare_strategy/index.html

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/09/02/how_to_drop_the_public_option.html
How to Drop the Public Option

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-lose-presidency-in-four-years-by.html

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/reformers-to-obama-you-dont-win-by-disappointing-your-supporters.php
Reformers to Obama: You Don't Win By Disappointing Your Supporters

And then what will happen?

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/optimistic-about-healthcare
[Kevin Drum] So why do I remain fairly optimistic that a decent healthcare reform bill will pass? Sometimes I wonder myself. But here are three reasons. . . .

More: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2009/09/simple-reform

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/fog_of_war_reform.php

The “Snowe” option?

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/white_house_floating_snowe_trigger.php

More: http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/the-gettable-republican.php

The GOP thinks an Obama speech to Congress is terribly inappropriate

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gop-blasts-obamas-upcoming-health-care-speech-lecturing-congress-not-the-answer.php

They also think an Obama speech to schoolchildren is terribly inappropriate

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/florida-gop-press-secretary-i-wouldnt-want-obamas-ideas-taught-to-my-children.php
Florida GOP: Keep Obama Out of Our Schools!

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/09/02/obama_indoctrination/index.html
Obama is coming to indoctrinate your children

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/mainstreaming_the_crazy.php
Mainstreaming the Crazy . . .

More: http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/wingnuts-are-full-bloom-obama-speakin

Our “serious” political discourse

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/09/02/inhofe_rips_obama.html
[Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK)] President Obama "is disarming the military, destroying everything good about America and determined to turn foreign terrorists loose on U.S. soil," Tulsa World reports. . . . [read on]

Justice Stevens soon to retire?

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/09/02/justice_stevens_slows_his_hiring_at_high_court/

More: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/02/as-justice-stevens-winds-down-will-obama-continue-scotus-trend-to-the-right/

Calling out Dick Cheney's lies

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/02/first-on-the-cnn-ticker-dnc-takes-aim-at-cheney/
“Wrong Again”

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/02/whitehouse-and-the-corpus-deliciti-leading-to-cheney/

Cheney in 2012? Bring it on!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/01/cheney-in-2012-some-key-g_n_273470.html

Tom Ridge disavows his own book’s cover

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/ridge-wants-to-change-untrustworthy-jacket-on-his-book.php

Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Michele Bachmann, Pat Buchanan – are there any left of center commentators regularly shown on the media who are anywhere near as crazy and out-of-the-mainstream as these nuts? Is there ANYTHING they can’t say and get away with it?

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019744.php
Ethan Porter asks the right question, and then answers is the right way: "Just how crazy is Pat Buchanan? Pretty goddamn crazy."

The reason this comes up is because the MSNBC personality and former Republican presidential candidate asks in his latest column, "Did Hitler Want War?" Buchanan believes the answer is "no." . . .

Mark Sanford (R-SC): God wants me to stay in office

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/02/sanford-vows-fight-to-remain-governor/

More: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/02/is-all-this-about-c-street/

Bonus item: OK, it’s a guilty pleasure I admit, but I can’t resist some delight as Sarah Palin’s soap-opera private life becomes even more soapy

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/levi_unloads.php

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 6:55 AM

 
YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION

Looks as if Obama is (finally) going to take charge of the health care debate

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/something_new_on_health_care_ultimatums_from_the_president.php
[Marc Ambinder] Next week, President Obama is going to give Democrats a health care plan they can begin to sell.

He plans to list specific goals that any health insurance reform plan that arrives at his desk must achieve, according to Democratic strategists familiar with the plan. Some of these "goals" have already been agreed to, including new anti-discrimination restrictions on insurance companies. Others will be new, including the level of subsidies he expects to give the uninsured so they can buy into the system.

Obama will also specify a "pay for" mechanism he prefers, and will specify an income level below which he does not want to see taxed.

He will insist upon a mechanism to cut costs and increase competition among insurance companies -- and perhaps will even specify a percentage rate -- and he will say that his preferred mechanism remains a government-subsidized public health insurance option, but he will remain agnostic about whether the plan must include a robust public option. Officials won't say whether the president intends to endorse a specific "trigger" mechanism if the competition mechanism fails, but they say he will make it clear that the final bill must contain language that increases competition. . . .

More: http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/obama-plans-more-hands-on-health-advocacy

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/bipartisanship/politico-nameless-obama-aides-want-him-to-confront-left-to-look-tough/
Politico: Nameless Obama Aides Want Him To Confront Left To Look Tough

Reconciliation and a “minor revolution”

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gop-girds-itself-for-fight-as-dems-prepare-to-go-it-alone-on-health-care.php
GOP Girds Itself for "Minor Revolution" as Dems Prepare to Go It Alone on Health Care

More: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/09/minor_revolution.php

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/09/reconciliation-may-push-health-reform-to-the-left.php
Reconciliation May Push Health Reform to the Left

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/going-it-alone-on-health-care-dems-face-tug-of-war-over-public-option.php
As Senate leaders begin work on a Democrat-only health care bill, they're finding themselves confronted with an unexpected irony: Though the caucus has reached an uneasy consensus around a public option that's modeled in many ways after a private insurer, it may be necessary to make the public option more liberal, and thus, more politically radioactive, if it's to overcome a number of unique procedural hurdles.

This is the needle Democrats may have to thread if they want a public option, and at the same time, want to bypass a Republican filibuster. And the key for them will be keeping conservative Democrats on board. . . .

Michael Steele grabs a bigger shovel

Watch: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/09/gops_pitch_to_seniors_part_two.php

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/09/shoot-me-now.html
[Patrick Appel] GOP Chairman Michael Steele, summoning up the fake earnestness of a vacuum cleaner salesman, is back to defending Medicare and scaring the elderly. . . [read on]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019728.php
[Steve Benen] Anyone who can watch the whole thing without pounding your head against a hard surface is a stronger person than I am. An ad like this is so breathtakingly stupid, and is so shameless in its cynical assumptions about the gullibility of the nation, it's literally painful. . . . [read on]

Nullification, secession – looks like the GOP wants to re-fight the Civil War

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019303.php
[Steve Benen] If Americans are lucky, later this year, health care reform proponents will overcome conservative opposition, institutional obstinacy, procedural morass, and internal Democratic division and pass a landmark piece of legislation.

And if that happens, they'll soon after find that far-right policymakers in some states hope to block reform before it's implemented. . .

http://crooksandliars.com/dday/patriots-come-out-texas-pro-secession-rally
"We Hate The United States!"

http://chattahbox.com/us/2009/08/27/gop-rep-to-proud-right-wing-terrorist-there-is-a-great-american/
“There is a Great American”

This is interesting. Former AG Alberto Gonzales, enabler-in-chief for Bush torture policies, agrees with current AG Eric Holder that some interrogators went too far – and gives a little kick to Dick Cheney along the way

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gonzo_backs_torture_probe.php

Why we love Rachel

http://firedoglake.com/2009/09/02/early-morning-swim-rachel-takes-ridge-to-the-woodshed/

Dumb

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_09/019732.php
Arguing with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) about a possible public option in the health care reform package, CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo suggested the quality of American care will suffer if consumers are given a choice between competing public and private plans. Weiner reminded the conservative media personality, "40% of all tax dollars go through a public plan. Ask your parent or grandparent, ask your neighbor whether they're satisfied with Medicare. . . .”

Bartiromo responded, "How come you don't use it? You don't have it. How come you don't have it?" Weiner, who is 44, explained that he's not eligible. . . .

Bonus item: Wow, just wow . . .

http://lafiga.firedoglake.com/2009/09/01/klaatu-barada-nikto-beck-cuckoo-beck-cuckoo/
Is Glenn Beck trying to get fired? . . .

***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).

I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
- posted by Nick Burbules @ 7:37 AM

 
WHAT WE ALREADY KNEW

The inevitable end of a “bipartisan” health care plan

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/08/31/adios/
[Joe Klein] Looks like the charade of including Chuck Grassley and Mike Enzi in the health care negotiations is over. It is not impossible that other Republicans who are not Senators from Maine can be located to support health care reform. But it's also entirely possible that the Republicans will continue their kamikaze ways and oppose a reform that is likely to prove very popular with the American public when it's enacted (which is why, in truth, the GOP nihilists oppose it). . . . [read on]

More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/gibbs-enzis-flipped-over-his-cards-and-walked-away-from-the-health-care-table.php
Gibbs: Enzi's Flipped Over His Cards And Walked Away from the Health Care Table

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/08/chuck_grassley_fundraises_agai.html
Chuck Grassley Fundraises Against Health-Care Reform

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/bipartisanship/grassleys-office-clarifies-the-obamacare-hes-working-to-defeat-is-just-the-public-option/
Grassley’s Office Clarifies: The “Obamacare” He’s Working To Defeat Is Just The Public Option

http://www.slate.com/id/2226793/
At a Kansas City forum, John McCain and Mitch McConnell show why bipartisanship on health care is impossible

Poor Max Baucus is so disappointed that POLITICS entered into the health care debate

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/08/who_said_that.php

The health care reform map ahead

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/08/the_health_care_map_ahead.php
[Josh Marshall] Watch for Senate Dems' first effort be to simply get a different group of Republicans. Chuck Grassley isn't the first Republican you'd want to make a deal with. And Mike Enzi may be close to the last. But once you've got the discussion out of the Finance Committee, and particularly this Gang of Six charade, there are a handful of other Republicans you might have a better shot with. . . . [read on]

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/we-cant-handle-truth-by-digby-matt.html

What we’ve learned about torture

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/7708
There Was No Ticking Time Bomb

http://washingtonindependent.com/57273/ex-fbi-agent-still-no-evidence-that-cheneys-torture-methods-work
Ex-FBI Agent: Still No Evidence That Cheney’s Torture Methods Work

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/probes-of-bush-administration/cheney-suggests-he-didnt-know-about-most-abusive-torture-techniques/
Cheney Suggests He Didn’t Know About Most Abusive Torture Techniques

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/31/774802/-PHR:-CIA-Docs-Role-in-Torture-Worse-than-We-Already-Knew
A new report from the Physicians for Human Rights describes a much larger role for medical professionals involved in CIA torture than was previously disclosed . . .

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/08/31/more-cia-lies-about-torture-briefings/
More CIA Lies about Torture Briefings

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/08/31/mccain-owes-pelosi-an-apology/
McCain Owes Pelosi an Apology

Another big lie from Cheney: yeah, we did some dark things, but at least we kept you safe

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_08/019700.php
[Steve Benen] I seem to recall the Bush/Cheney era a little differently. Cheney thinks it was a sterling success when it came to national security and counter-terrorism. Perhaps there's something to this. After all, except for the catastrophic events of 9/11, and the anthrax attacks against Americans, and terrorist attacks against U.S. allies, and the terrorist attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Bush's inability to capture those responsible for 9/11, and waging an unnecessary war that inspired more terrorists, and the success terrorists had in exploiting Bush's international unpopularity, the Bush/Cheney record on counter-terrorism was awesome. . . . [read on]

More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/clearly-political-move-by-dday-i-didnt.html

Tom Ridge’s new book supposedly revealed the politicization of terror alerts under the Bush admin. Now Ridge said it didn’t happen. To which the question arises, “Well, were you lying then, or are you lying now?”

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-08-30-tom-ridge_N.htm?csp=34

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/now-tom-ridge-recants-threat-level-pr

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/08/31/ridge_backpedals.html

A Star is Born

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/08/31/palin_sifts_through_business_opportunities.html
This week Sarah Palin "will begin accepting and rejecting the more than 1,070 invitations she has received for paid speeches and political appearances since she resigned as Alaska governor," reports Politico.

She's also about 85% finished with her book, due out this spring from HarperCollins. "Then she'll begin looking through the inch-and-a-half-thick file her lawyer, Robert Barnett, has built of offers for network and cable pundit gigs, documentaries and business opportunities."

More: http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/08/31/palin/index.html

Michael Steele, the gift that keeps on giving. How long can this guy survive as the public face of the GOP?

http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/31/steele-decries-capturing-prosecuting-jailing-terrorists-politicizing-doj-is-a-ok/

Michele (One L Two N’s) Bachmann, the Wild Woman from Minnesota

http://washingtonindependent.com/57282/bachmann-we-have-to-slit-our-wrists-be-blood-brothers-against-health-care-reform
“This cannot pass. What we have to do today is make a covenant, to slit our wrists, be blood brothers on this thing. This will not pass. We will do whatever it takes to make sure this doesn’t pass.”

Wow. Robert McDonnell, GOP candidate for Governor in VA, wrote a Masters thesis years ago. Now I bet he wishes he hadn’t

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/republican-candidate-virginia-govern

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/in_thesis_mcdonnell_slammed_gays_unwed_mothers_and.php

“I didn’t really mean it” http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/mcdonnell-disavows-controversial-right-wing-ideas-from-his-thesis.php

The kind of people they are

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/08/obama_hunting_tags_rammell_sticks_by_joke.php
Idaho Republican gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell says it was just a joke when an audience member at a recent appearance asked, during a discussion of Idaho wolf-hunting tags, "What about Obama tags?"...and Rammell, perhaps not sensing the of national attention it would yield him in an otherwise quiet news week, responded, "The Obama Tags? We'd buy some of those."

Rammell disputes the quote: he told a local news station that The Twin Falls Times News got his words wrong, and that he actually said, "I'm sure we could sell some of those." The paper stands by the quote.

On Friday, Rammell tweeted "Obama hunting tags was just a joke! Everyone knows Idaho has no jurisdiction to issue tags in Washington D.C."

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/31/774803/-I-dont-care-how-God-does-it
A new twist on the story of the man seen at a recent Obama event carrying an assault rifle -- at the time he insisted that he was simply exercising his Second Amendment rights, but now we learn that:

Chris Broughton, the man who brought an AR-15 rifle and a handgun to an Arizona Obama rally earlier this month, says he "concurs" with his fundamentalist pastor's prayer for President Obama "to die and go to hell." . . .

"I concur, I think we'd be better off if God would send [Obama] where he's going now instead of later. [Obama] is destroying our country."

And when a reporter followed up with, "you're not advocating violence against the president?" Broughton, who has previously said his weapons are for defense, says "I'm not going to answer that question directly."

"I don't care how God does it, I'm not going into further detail than that," Broughton says. "It would be better now than later."

Bonus item: Glenn Beck is like some local-access channel show that has somehow been imposed on us by a national tv network

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/31/774767/-Beck-thinks-there-is-a-coup-going-on-in-America

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_08/019712.php

Oh yeah, and he can’t spell: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#32635249

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- posted by Nick Burbules @ 8:03 AM