PEEK

Buzz, perspectives, insight and news from AlterNet

Breast Flaunting for Jesus
Posted by Thers, Whiskey Fire on November 11, 2009 at 7:41 PM.

A failed California beauty pageant contestant who loves Jesus and fake tits, and disapproves of homosexuals, at some point in her life made a film of herself masturbating, and according to an Internet Gossip Web Site, the existence of this film caused this woman to lose a lawsuit because the people she was suing found it and threatened her with it.

In the ping-pong ball brain of Ann Althouse, the reason the Internet Gossip Web Site reported on this is because Saul Alinsky told them to. Whee! For, as this idiot has it, "The lesson here is that if you have even the slightest tendency toward conservative thinking, you’re an obvious target for personal destruction by the vicious harpies of the left, especially if you’re an attractive woman."

Right. Sounds rather like these women with slight tendencies towards thought do a fine job of personally self destructing, mainly because publicly engaging in "conservative thinking" is an awfully comical thing to do.

Dobbs to Quit CNN
Posted by Staff, AlterNet on November 11, 2009 at 3:59 PM.

Quick note from the NY Times:

Lou Dobbs, the longtime CNN anchor whose anti-immigration views have made him a TV lightning rod, plans to announce Wednesday that he is leaving the network, two network employees said.

A CNN executive confirmed that Mr. Dobbs will announce his resignation plans on his 7 p.m. program. His resignation is effective immediately; tonight’s program will be his last on CNN. His contract was not set to expire until the end of 2011.

Dobbs has been under fire for his inflammatory rhetoric.

Under Pressure From Tea Party Activists, Charleston GOP Censures Lindsey Graham For Bipartisanship
Posted by Lee Fang, Think Progress on November 11, 2009 at 3:32 PM.

On Monday, the Charleston County Republican Party’s executive committee “took the unusual step” of officially censuring Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The local GOP committee admonished Graham for stepping across party lines to work with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) on a bipartisan clean energy bill and other pieces of legislation. The censure stated that Graham’s “bipartisanship continues to weaken the Republican brand and tarnish the ideals of freedom.”

Part of the fury from the right against Graham is being spurred by the oil and coal industry. The oil company front group “American Energy Alliance” has blanketed South Carolina with ads smearing Graham for seeking to address climate change.

The pressure against Graham has also stemmed from his criticism of hate radio and Fox News host Glenn Beck. “Only in America can you make that much money crying,” said Graham, mocking Beck in early October. Beck has responded with a slime campaign against Graham that he typically reserves for liberals. The leader of the Charleston Republican Party, Lin Bennett, is also a member of Glenn Beck’s 9/12 organization in South Carolina. According to its website, the Charleston GOP claims to work closely with tea party groups and Beck’s 9/12 activists in selecting its favored candidates.

Will Graham be able to stand up to the angry backlash being cultivated by far right voices and entrenched corporations interests? At a Graham town hall in Greenville last month, activist Harry Kimball of “RINO HUNT” protested by constructing a display that portrayed Graham, as well as other GOP moderates, being flushed down a toilet:

KIMBALL: This is for every RINO who has failed to represent us. [...] [the toilet represents] flushing them, flushing them.

Graham’s spokesman defended his boss to reporters yesterday, claiming the senator has a “90 percent conservative voting record.” Unfortunately for Graham, that may not prevent him from being “Scozzafavaed.”

Watch it to the right.

Murdoch and Murdoch Flak Confused About Racism, Truth
Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet on November 11, 2009 at 2:20 PM.

Last week, Rupert Murdoch assured us that race-bating is a News Corps priority, when he said Fox host Glenn Beck was right to call President Obama a racist (in the same interview, Murdoch also declared war on Google, so it was great fun all around). Beck's statement, which has cost the talk show host 80 advertisers, was no less controversial when parroted by his boss. So now some flak has to spin Murdoch's remarks. Their strategy? Claiming Murdoch didn't say what he said.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Right-Wing Pundits Now Lecturing the Military: Bases Need More Guns
Posted by Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America on November 11, 2009 at 1:15 PM.

Public Option Back on the Chopping Block
Posted by mcjoan, Daily Kos on November 11, 2009 at 12:10 PM.

Reid has put the House healthcare reform bill on the Senate calendar to begin the Senate's action on the bill. CBO scores on the proposed Senate bill, which melds the HELP and SFC bills, are expected at the end of this week.

Why Dems Need Tom Tancredo to Receive the GOP Nod in Colorado
Posted by Mario Solis-Marich, Nuestra Voice on November 11, 2009 at 10:54 AM.

I believe that Tom Tancredo should be the Republican nominee for the Governor of Colorado. I hold this belief sincerely.

Tancredo is the most anti-immigrant GOP top gun in the country. While the GOP House majority speech-a-fies against immigrants, Tancredo plans! While Dobbs bloviates, Tancredo acts! While Beck draws on blackboards, Tancredo finger paints hate on the very souls of immigrant bashers everywhere! Tancredo is the haters hater! That is why we as Democrats need him to receive the GOP nod in Colorado.

Democrats need a man that can inspire Latinos and other independents to come to the polls and vote for Democrats – Tancredo is that man! Dems have a habit of short changing efforts for Latino outreach and Tancredo can inspire Latino voters on his own dime. The cost free voter inspiration that the former congressman offers makes Tancredo the fiscally responsible choice!

Now the tough part: I must say that I was shocked, hurt, and disappointed when I was kicked out of the “Draft Tom Tancredo for Governor” Facebook page! You can find the group here: Draft Tom Tancredo for Governor. Especially since my team and I had just spearheaded a membership drive for the page that caused hundreds of my shows listeners to join the draft Tancredo effort. I have heard sadly that in an act that can only be described as a mass “cyber-deportation” many of my listeners have been booted from the page as well. I now know why Beck cries- it’s the hurt.

Now a note to the “Big Tank” himself: Congressman Tancredo I hope that my ouster from your Facebook page and the ouster of many of my shows listeners was just a mistake by your staff. In fact it could be the type of mistake that can be corrected by denying any knowledge and firing a lower level intern (wink).

Mr. Tancredo you need a big tent to win this nomination and we at the Mario Solis-Marich Show stand ready to help put up that tent (hopefully you still have the instructions on how the poles work) and fill it. I promise I, with the help of my team and our listeners, can fill your big tent with people that are extremely enthusiastic about making sure that you are the GOP standard bearer going into the 2010 election. Please advise.

Your fully documented servant – Mario

Dogs Going Crazy as Their Soldiers Return Home
Posted by Joshua Holland, AlterNet on November 11, 2009 at 8:41 AM.

Honestly, I got all weepy watching these videos of dogs welcoming soldiers home after long deployments [from MentalFloss, via John Cole].

Look at the little nibblets jump!

Still dry-eyed, you heartless bastard? OK, good luck with the little children greeting their fathers!

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Laura Flanders Live on GritTV: The Powerful Forces Keeping Status Quo in Place
Posted by Laura Flanders, GRITtv on November 11, 2009 at 8:39 AM.

How much control does the President really have, anyway? Americans voted for change and are getting frustrated with the lack of it, but our guests have both written about the powerful forces holding the status quo in place. John Perkins is the author of Hoodwinked and Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, and has written about how corporations push politicians around and even threaten them with violence. Russ Baker, meanwhile, is the author of Family of Secrets: The Bush Dynasty, the Powerful Forces That Put It in the White House, and What Their Influence Means for America and has written extensively about the military-industrial complex.

In the new film Collapse, filmmaker Chris Smith follows Michael Ruppert as he raises the alarm again and again on the financial crisis, energy, the environment, and more. Is he a genius, or just paranoid? And with all this scary information out there, what can citizen activists do?

Watch the live feed from GritTV below:

MIT: Eating Local Food Is the Key to Solving Our Obesity Epidemic
Posted by Tara Lohan on November 11, 2009 at 7:45 AM.

Sometimes it takes more than Michael Pollan to get through to people. New research from MIT about how locally grown foods can reduce our obesity problem is welcome news. Right now Americans are getting bigger and bigger -- between 1980 and 2006 obesity among teenagers grew from 5 to 18 percent; and 7 to 17 percent for pre-teens. These gains are contributing more to the onset of diseases like type 2 diabetes, strokes and heart problems, writes Peter Dizikes of MIT News Office.

A group of MIT researchers found that what's driving our obesity epidemic is "our national-scale system of food production and distribution, which surrounds children -- especially lower-income children -- with high-calorie products." Precisely what folks in the pro-food/local foods movement have been saying for years. And it makes sense considering the shocking figure that 90 percent of American food is processed according to the USDA, Dizikes highlights.

Thankfully the researchers didn't just stop at pointing out the obvious, they offered a solution:

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

How Anti-Choice Dems and Mike Huckabee Could Team Up to Screw Over America's Women
Posted by Allison Kilkenny, True/Slant on November 11, 2009 at 4:45 AM.

Two things caught my eye this morning that paint a pretty bleak dystopian future.

First, Politico reports that the latest Gallup polls confirm Mike Huckabee is the front-runner for the 2012 presidential nomination. Seriously. That’s the same Mikey Huckabee, who let Wayne Dumond, a convicted rapist, go free in order to appease his right-wing pals (Dumond went on to sexually assault and kill a woman in Missouri,) advocated isolating AIDS patients from the general population, believes in teaching Creationism side-by-side with evolution, supports building a 700-mile border fence along the Mexico-US border, and who doesn’t think gays or women should be permitted to serve in the military.

That guy. President. And sure, lots can happen between now and November 2012 that will promptly knock Huckabee out of his first-place rank. He could gain all of that weight back, become a raging alcoholic, and publicly shame himself when he projectile vomits all over David Letterman during his next Late Night visit.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Marine Reservist Chases, Assaults Greek Orthodox Priest Whom He Mistook for an Arab Terrorist
Posted by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress on November 11, 2009 at 1:00 AM.

Alexios Marakis, a Greek Orthodox priest visiting the U.S., got lost in Tampa and tried to stop and ask directions from Marine reservist Jasen D. Bruce. But instead of offering help, “Bruce struck the priest on the head with a tire iron.” The reservist believed Marakis, who spoke limited English, was an Arab terrorist. Bruce chased the priest for three blocks, “and even called 911 to say that an Arabic man tried to rob him.” According to a news release:

“During the chase, the suspect called 911 and claimed an Arabic male attempted to rob him and he was going to take him into custody,” a Tampa Police Department news release states. “When officers arrived, the suspect claimed the man was a terrorist.”

Police arrested Bruce for “aggravated battery with a deadly weapon” and are investigating whether he committed a hate crime.

Why Did ICE Head Julie Myers Resign the Day After the Election?
Posted by Suman Raghunathan, Feet in 2 Worlds on November 11, 2008 at 4:47 PM.

Less than twelve hours after the results of last weeks' election were announced, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Wednesday that Julie Myers, assistant secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is leaving the agency by November 15.

Myers, who has led the agency since 2006, was the controversial face of the Bush administration's enforcement-focused immigration policy.

As Feet In 2 Worlds has reported,  recent large-scale ICE raids have been deeply unpopular, particularly among Latino voters and voters from other immigrant groups, and served to further tarnish the Republican brand. Post election analysis shows that Latinos gave Obama the winning edge in six states, helping to propel him into the White House and adding to Democratic majorities in Congress.

 

During Myers' tenure, the agency doubled the number of undocumented immigrants swept up into deportation proceedings to reach a new record of 274,000 sent back to their home countries in 2006. The agency also saw its budget grow exponentially -- and used it mostly for enforcement tactics including large-scale immigration raids that largely targeted undocumented workers rather than their employers.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Obama Transition Team Rejects Lobbyists: Why It Matters
Posted by Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet on November 11, 2008 at 3:38 PM.

The Obama Transition Team has issued rules for lobbyists who want to advise the incoming administration. The rules seek to stop Washington's revolving-door culture where insiders gain access and information inside government, and then use that knowledge to help paying clients accomplish their goals.

According to a press release saying these are "the strictest, and most far reaching ethics rules of any transition team in history," the guidelines are:

• Federal Lobbyists cannot contribute financially to the transition.


• Federal lobbyists are prohibited from any lobbying during their work with the transition.


• If someone has lobbied in the last 12 months, they are prohibited from working in the fields of policy on which they lobbied.


• If someone becomes a lobbyist after working on the Transition, they are prohibited from lobbying the Administration for 12 months on matters on which they worked.


• A gift ban that is aggressive in reducing the influence of special interests.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Obama Needs to Bring Change to Our Fatally Flawed Immigration System
Posted by Staff, National Immigration Forum on November 11, 2008 at 3:03 PM.

Editor's note: The following is a press release from the folks at National Immigration Forum.

Washington, DC - John Podesta, head of President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, announced this week that the Obama transition team will conduct a thorough review of government agencies, regulations, and policies in order to identify administrative actions that can be taken immediately to begin to change government practices.  The following is a statement from Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, on the need to carefully examine the practices of the Department of Homeland Security.

The promise from President-elect Obama's transition team to strip away agency practices inconsistent with his vision of change comes not a moment too soon.  Our current immigration system is fatally flawed, and while legislation will be required to ensure permanent reform, the necessity for change at the administrative level is a natural starting point.

The deportation-only strategies executed by DHS and ICE over the past year have resulted in nothing but heartache for thousands of undocumented workers and their families, and have terrorized legal immigrant communities, and have degraded the due process rights upon which this country was founded. Even House Speaker Pelosi recognizes that the irresponsible execution of raids is an ineffective solution to our broken immigration system. The next Administration will have multiple opportunities to change the course of immigration policy even before any vote in Congress is taken.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

The New Chair of the RNC? It Won't Be Newt Gingrich
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 11, 2008 at 2:43 PM.

To the disappointment of Democrats everywhere, Newt Gingrich has decided not to seek the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee.

"A number of people have asked me to consider running for Republican National Committee chair. They have been very flattering, and I am very honored by their support," he said.

"However, my job as an American first is to develop a tri-partisan approach to developing solutions for the challenges we face. I use the word tri-partisan to designate the concept of attracting Democrats, Republicans, and independents to solutions that unify most Americans."

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

OMG! A New Attack Ad?!?
Posted by Bruce Kluger, David Slavin, AlterNet on November 11, 2008 at 2:13 PM.

Tuesday's election brought down the final curtain not only on a grueling, two-year presidential campaign, but also on a noisy season of political advertising -- one that included radio and television spots, internet banners, robocalls, a half-hour primetime infomercial, and an endless torrent of attack ads.

Think we're done with all that for a few years? Not by a long shot. After all, negative advertising is a hard habit to break, especially for our friends in the GOP.



Click the PLAY button below to witness the first shot of the 2012 campaign:

Everyone Needs to STOP Talking About Obama '08 in Terms of Clinton '92
Posted by Digby, Hullabaloo on November 11, 2008 at 1:02 PM.

Jonathan Schwarz addresses the myth that Clinton came in and tried to do all this crazy leftist stuff which resulted in his losing the 1994 election. Namely, the myth that is driving me nuts:

Their latest masterpiece is the Terrifying True Tale of How the Early Clinton Administration Was Crippled by Liberals. You see, Bill Clinton began his presidency by giving into his wild-eyed leftist instincts. But the wise American people rejected his class warfare! They punished him and the Democrats by giving control of congress to Republicans in the 1994 midterm elections. So Clinton sobered up and governed from the center. Obama better not repeat Clinton's mistakes by giving into the left! The End.

In reality, of course, Clinton knuckled under to the center right -- much of which was located within the Democratic party -- from the very beginning. Following their advice, he went all out to pass NAFTA, then failed to pass universal health care. People who'd been desperate in 1992 saw no economic improvement by 1994. And with the low 45% voter turnout in the midterms, the Democrats lost control of Congress (mostly via the defeat of center right Democrats).

Here's an especially fine example of the Terrifying True Tale, by John Heilemann in New York Magazine. Heilemann deserves extra credit for berating people who remember history for not remembering history.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

John Edwards Breaks His Silence
Posted by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress on November 11, 2008 at 12:34 PM.

Former Democratic presidential nominee John Edwards "will break almost three months of public silence when he speaks at 7 p.m. today" at the Indiana University Auditorium. Edwards will deliver a speech, give his reaction to the election, and answer students' questions. "The Union Boards' decision to bring Edwards to speak -- which cost $35,000 -- has garnered criticism on whether it is appropriate to pay someone to speak who recently admitted his extramarital affair." (HT: On Politics)


Update: The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Edwards will also be debating Karl Rove at a "mortgage bankers convention" hosted by the Commercial Financial Association. The Chronicle notes Edwards was once a consultant for the New York hedge fund Fortress Investment Group.

The GOP Infighting Begins
Posted by Rachel Weiner, Huffington Post on November 11, 2008 at 11:32 AM.

The Washington Times reports:

A behind-the-scenes battle to take the reins of the Republican National Committee is taking off between former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele.

Neither man will acknowledge his interest in the post, but Republicans close to each are burning up the phone lines and firing off e-mails to fellow party members in an effort to oust RNC Chairman Mike Duncan in the wake of the second consecutive drubbing of Republican candidates at the polls.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Bush Wants to Play 'Let's Make a Deal' With Obama
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 11, 2008 at 10:23 AM.

Barack Obama and George W. Bush met privately for 65 minutes yesterday, speaking in the Oval Office without staff. No notes were taken, and aides to both men were reluctant to share second-hand details with the media, preferring words like "friendly" and "productive."



That said, we did get a sense of what was on Obama's mind.

The struggling auto industry was thrust into the middle of a political standoff between the White House and Democrats on Monday as President-elect Barack Obama urged President Bush in a meeting at the White House to support immediate emergency aid.

Mr. Bush indicated at the meeting that he might support some aid and a broader economic stimulus package if Mr. Obama and Congressional Democrats dropped their opposition to a free-trade agreement with Colombia, a measure for which Mr. Bush has long fought, people familiar with the discussion said.

The Bush administration, which has presided over a major intervention in the financial industry, has balked at allowing the automakers to tap into the $700 billion bailout fund, despite warnings last week that General Motors might not survive the year.

Mr. Obama and Congressional Democratic leaders say the bailout law authorizes the administration to extend assistance.

Mr. Obama went into his post-election meeting with Mr. Bush on Monday primed to urge him to support emergency aid to the auto industry, advisers to Mr. Obama said. But Democrats also indicate that neither Mr. Obama nor Congressional leaders are inclined to concede the Colombia pact to Mr. Bush, and may decide to wait until Mr. Obama assumes power on Jan. 20.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Gay Marriage and You: Keith Olbermann's Excellent Statement
Posted by Mole333, Culture Kitchen on November 11, 2008 at 10:11 AM.

Don't have much to add to this except I am also a straight man from a family of straight folks who support Marriage Equality and just don't get this whole homophobic anti-gay marriage movement:





What I don't understand is how two consenting adults loving each other threatens anyone else.

Watch Phil Donohue's Documentary "Body of War" Tonight, 7PM EST
Posted by Liliana Segura, AlterNet on November 11, 2008 at 10:10 AM.

Earlier this year, I interviewed Tomas Young, an Iraq war veteran and the subject of the searing documentary Body of War. Tomas was shot in Sadr City during the the first week of his deployment in 2004, and the results were catastrophic: He came home in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down. Although the film depicts a man of stunning mobility and awe-inspiring strength -- much of which has gone toward speaking out against the war in Iraq -- more than four years later, he continues to grapple with numerous related health problems. Tomas has spent much of the time since the release of Body of War this spring in the hospital.

Tomas Young, like so many other soldiers returning with broken bodies, provides a sobering reminder of the cost of war at a time when the physical and mental health crisis faced by veterans has reached alarming rates. If you missed Body of War when it first came out, you can watch it tonight on the Sundance Channel. It is a powerful film, one intended by co-director Phil Donohue to blow the lid off what he often calls "the most sanitized war of my lifetime."

For more information on Body of War, go here.

What's Next for Joe Lieberman, and Why It Matters
Posted by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake on November 11, 2008 at 8:58 AM.

Newsweek's Howard Fineman on Keith Olbermann:

[Obama's]  going to leave it up to a vote I think.  What my sources tell me is that there's likely to be a vote next Tuesday. The Senate Democrats will caucus when they come back for the lame duck session.  They'll all go into a room, Joe Lieberman will make his case for maintaining his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee, then there will be a secret ballot vote.

Obama's opinion is sort of on record via Harry Reid, and we'll see how it goes. 

Interestingly, people like Dick Durbin who is the first Democrat in the Senate -- the first Senator, and from Illinois, to support Barack Obama -- is really loaded for bear about Lieberman, he wants to kick Lieberman off that Chairmanship. Chuck Schumer, the head of the Campaign Committee likewise.

So it could be a very close vote, and it'll be left to the secret ballot of the Senators. You've got Evan Bayh and you've got Chris Dodd who are supporting Lieberman, but there are a lot of other people who are still angry at him for the very comments you were talking about just a little while ago.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

We Must Listen to Veterans Not Just Today, But on the Other 364 Days Too
Posted by Kelly Dougherty, Iraq Veterans Against the War on November 11, 2008 at 7:17 AM.

In the four short years of World War I, roughly 40 million people had been killed, wounded, or gone missing. Wholesale slaughter of this magnitude had never been seen before and the social trauma that resulted can still be felt today. To commemorate the end of that war, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as Armistice Day, not only to recognize those who died in the war, but also for "America to show her sympathy with peace and justice ... "

WWI, though, did not turn out to be The War to End All Wars, and Armistice Day was later changed to Veterans Day in order to honor all of the service members who continued to die in wars across the globe. It is in the shadow of this history that we prepare to commemorate another Veterans Day. It seems odd to look upon this day as a day of celebration when we reflect on the millions of lives that have been taken by war, and the tens of thousands of U.S. troops currently serving in the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan.

While it is fitting that our nation reserves a special day to honor the sacrifice and commitment of our warriors, it also serves to highlight how we, as a country, have fallen short of caring for our veterans, reintegrating them back into our communities, and demanding that our military be used responsibly and only as a last resort. Over 1.7 million men and women of the U.S. military have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many of them now struggle to cope with physical and emotional injuries, with family relationships strained because of prolonged separation, and with finding employment during an economic recession.

Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War know that in order to truly honor our veterans, we must listen to them, not just on Veterans Day, but on the other 364 days as well. It is for each other, our military brothers and sisters, and for our country that IVAW works every day to share our experiences, to challenge the predominant narrative of war as heroic and glorious, and to expose people to the brutal reality and true human costs of modern warfare.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Revealed: Obama Family Secret Service Code Names
Posted by Nicholas Graham, Huffington Post on November 11, 2008 at 6:03 AM.

The new First Family has been issued code names by the Secret Service:

Barack Obama's is "Renegade"
Michelle Obama's is "Renaissance"
Malia Obama's is "Radiance"
Sasha Obama's is "Rosebud"

Joe and Jill Biden also received code names, though it's tough to top "Renegade" and "Renaissance." Joe Biden's is "Celtic," and Jill Biden's is "Capri."

Al Franken Continues to Narrow the Gap in Minnesota
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 11, 2008 at 5:28 AM.

It's tough to walk away from obsessive interest in campaign coverage cold turkey, isn't it? Fortunately, we have some fascinating, unresolved Senate races, which are akin to nicotine patches.



With that in mind, what's the latest out of Minnesota? The gap gets narrower all the time.

Al Franken's deficit just keeps on shrinking as the state adjusts the unofficial tally in the U.S. Senate election last week.

Today's latest results show the DFL challenger is now trailing Republican incumbent Norm Coleman by 204 votes. That's down from 221 over the weekend.

As of 12:10 p.m., Coleman has 1,211,560 votes to Franken's 1,211,356.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Obama's Meeting With Bush: Talked 'Critical Issues,' Checked Out Situation Room
Posted by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress on November 11, 2008 at 5:19 AM.

President-elect Barack Obama and President Bush met in the Oval Office for over an hour yesterday, and Obama received his first look at the Situation Room. In a statement, Obama-Biden transition spokesperson Stephanie Cutter said that "they had a productive and friendly meeting," including "a broad discussion about the importance of working together throughout the transition of government in light of the nation's many critical economic and security challenges."

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Why Won't the Federal Reserve Say Who They Gave $2 Trillion To?
Posted by Ian Welsh, Firedoglake on November 11, 2008 at 5:06 AM.

Apparently Bernanke, that wonderful bipartisan soul who is so competent and wonderful that everyone in the village thinks Obama should leave him in charge is refusing to identify who got almost 2 trillion dollars of Fed cash. Bloomberg News is suing to find out. Personally I really, really, really want to know. What exactly is Bernanke hiding? Who got the money he doesn't want us to know got the money?

This is money that was loaned in exchange for "collateral", by which we mean "trash no one else but the Fed would buy for anything but cents on the dollar." Barney Frank, embarrassing himself yet again, claims the Fed should keep its clap shut because if people know how bad it is, well, there might be a run. I think Barney's missing the point, as long as people don't know how bad it is, they won't trust anyone who might be borrowing large amounts of money from the Fed with crap collateral, because they don't know how bad it is and they suspect it's really really really bad. As in 10 cents on the dollar bad.

More to the point, that 2 trillion is taxpayer money, and taxpayers have a right to know what sweetheart deals Bernanke's been giving out, and who's been getting what. This whole "this information is too scary for citizens to know" schtick is so Bush regime. I thought we were moving into a new era of openness? Perhaps Barney should get with the program?

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Fake 'McCain Adviser' Tricks News Orgs, Pretends to Be Source of Palin Dirt
Posted by Rachel Weiner, Huffington Post on November 11, 2008 at 4:21 AM.

A former campaign adviser to John McCain named Martin Eisenstadt has outed himself as the proud source of the "Sarah Palin doesn't know Africa is a continent" story. The New Republic and MSNBC have picked up the Eisenstadt scoop.

[Click through to the flip to find out about the hoax]

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Limbaugh Launches Dishonest Attack Campaign On An Elementary School
Posted by Steven Reynolds, The All Spin Zone on November 11, 2007 at 12:13 PM.

This post, written by Steven Reynolds, originally appeared on The All Spin Zone

Rush Limbaugh went on a rant against Bay Haven School of Basics Plus (an odd name for a school) based on some bad information from a caller. Yes, more little victims for Rush! The claim was that the school was going to honor Veterans Day by honoring conscientious objectors. During the rant, Limbaugh had his listeners call the school, and of course they became inundated with callers accusing the school of doing something it never intended to do. From Tampa Bay Online:

While office workers took up to 15 phone calls every 10 minutes from Limbaugh listeners and people who had heard about the controversy, Asheim-Dean emphasized that students at the school will gather tomorrow for a color guard.

"We will be honoring our veterans tomorrow in a very traditional way," Asheim-Dean said. "That was the plan from the beginning, and that is the plan now."

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

9/11 Truthers Heckle Giuliani In Colorado
Posted by Paddy , Brave New Films on November 11, 2007 at 11:31 AM.

This post, written by Paddy, originally appeared on Cliff Schecter's Brave New Films Blog

(click for larger version)

A group of 9/11 conspiracy theorists heckled Republican presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani as supporters booed and chanted "Rudy" at a campaign stop in Loveland Saturday.

Jason Charles, a member of wearechangecolorado.org, accused the former New York City mayor of having prior knowledge of the attack on the World Trade Center and covering up evidence that would have shown a conspiracy.

"He covered up criminal evidence that was on the scene," he said.

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Republican Who Sought $20 Blow Job From Undercover Cop Found Guilty
Posted by GottaLaff , Brave New Films on November 11, 2007 at 10:11 AM.

This post, written by GottaLaff, originally appeared on Cliff Schecter's Brave New Films Blog

Can someone, anyone, explain the appeal of sex in public bathroom stalls?

Jurors found state Rep. Bob Allen guilty of soliciting sex after a few hours of deliberation Friday. That verdict sent Allen walking from the courtroom with a damaged career and reputation, WESH 2 News reported.

Kavanaugh was the undercover officer who said that Allen walked into his bathroom stall, closed the door and agreed to pay $20 to perform a sex act on the officer.

According to Kavanaugh, when he brought up the possibility of a sex act, he testified that Allen agreed to pay $20, saying, "I wouldn?t argue with that."

Read the rest of the post on the flip side »

Updated: Guardian smears Chomsky
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 11, 2005 at 1:52 PM.

On Halloween the Guardian UK, usually an oasis in the media desert, published a deeply unflattering story after an interview between the paper's Emma Brockes and Noam Chomsky, recently voted the World's Number One Public Intellectual.

It began with a "quote" (yes, quote in quotes...):

"Q: Do you regret supporting those who say the Srebrenica massacre was exaggerated?"

"A: My only regret is that I didn't do it strongly enough."

"I did express my regret: namely, that I did not support Diana Johnstone's right to publish [her work on the massacre] strongly enough when her book was withdrawn by the publisher after dishonest press attacks, which I reviewed in an open letter that any reporter could have easily discovered."

Iraq is NOT Vietnam
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 11, 2005 at 11:02 AM.

Iraq is not Vietnam Iraq is not Vietnam Iraq is not Vietnam. Sure it's not. It may be both inexact and bad strategy to say it is, but that doesn't mean that comparisons can't be made.

At least, the Washington Post isn't afraid to make those comparisons. From oldman:

Indeed, for months now, senior officers at the U.S. military command in Baghdad have been using the term "clear and hold" as a shorthand description of their counterinsurgency strategy. The same term was applied by Gen. Creighton W. Abrams Jr. to his Vietnam pacification strategy in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which followed the "search and destroy" campaign of his predecessor, Gen. William C. Westmoreland.

oldman writes:

"Yes, folks it's true. The US military is intentionally copying the military doctrines that created a quagmire in Vietnam. That's why Iraq has been looking more and more like Vietnam, they're literally repeating the same mistakes on purpose. Your elected government at work."

Boob wars
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 11, 2005 at 9:01 AM.

Noting the arrest of two members of Breasts Not Bombs who protested Schwarzenegger's -- ultimately failed -- ballot measures by removing their shirts, Echidne asks about "the meaning of the female breasts."

The LA Times article she refers to includes a poll asking whether women ought to be allowed to go topless in public protests. The options? Yes, It's free expression or No. It's offensive.

Echidne writes: "When the group that is discussed here calls itself 'Breasts Not Bombs,' calling their bare breasts offensive is hilarious."

Agreed. It's then that the argument gets interesting. Are breasts for sex? Is it ok for men to show theirs "because they are punier"? What constitutes a "sexy" part of the body? Is it just what gets covered up? Doesn't that change over time and space? Discuss. (Echidne of the Snakes)

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F*** the Constitution
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 11, 2005 at 7:39 AM.

South Carolina Republican Lindsay Graham is trying to attach a proposal to the upcoming defense bill that would prevent Gitmo prisoners from challenging their detention in court.

hilzoy writes:

"This is seriously bad news. As best I can tell, it strips the courts of all power to hear any habeas motion from a detainee, or any other challenge to a detainee's detention, and that this applies to any cases that have already been brought and are now pending."

...

"The right of habeas corpus -- the right to challenge the legality of your detention -- is one of the foundations of our legal system."

"In Rasul [Rasul v. Bush], the Supreme Court held that detainees do have the rights Senator Graham now wants to strip them of. And the Court was right: our system of justice does not and should not countenance the indefinite detention, without any right to appeal, of anyone at all."

San(c)torum
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 11, 2005 at 7:26 AM.

As if you needed more proof of his hypocrisy and craven politicking, it's been revealed that although Rick Santorum supports capping malpractice suits at $250,000, he supported his wife's attempt to sue for a malpractice award of twice that amount in 1999.

His response? I don't have my heart set on $250,000 and of course I'm going to support my wife.

Really? So, like, wrong is right when it comes to your family? Apparently the Senator (whose polls are in the shitter) does feel that way.

Sisyphus Shrugged has had enough of the Santorums:

"Did you know that [Mrs. Santorum's] weight gain is up to twice as important as your total disabilty? Why, she barely had the energy to defraud the government out of her kids' school fees or pay the taxes on the undeclared income they derived from renting out their 'primary residence' or commit tax fraud by collecting a homestead tax break on rental property!"

Alito's recusal refusal
Posted by Evan Derkacz on November 11, 2005 at 5:58 AM.

Articles are starting to surface detailing Sammy Alito's recusal issues. Namely, that he doesn't seem to recuse himself when he promised he would.

TChris writes: "[his sister] Rosemary Alito left the Carpenter firm in 1994, when she joined McCarter & English. That firm represented a bank seeking a rehearing before the Third Circuit. Court records indicate that Judge Alito didn’t recuse himself, but voted to deny the rehearing. Judge Alito says he doesn’t remember the case."

It wasn't just personal ties he ruled on, it was financial as well:

"...Judge Alito failed to disqualify himself from a case involving Vanguard, a mutual fund company that managed Alito’s investments. The case involved a woman’s claim that Vanguard refused to give her funds that belonged to her deceased husband. Judge Alito removed himself from the case only after the woman complained, causing the appeal to be reheard."

As John Aravosis notes, he promised he would recuse himself in such cases, so the conflict of interest itself isn't even the number one issue.

In addition, claiming that he can't recall certain cases involving parties to which he had some personal or financial tie, is more than a little unsatisfying... Let's face it, who cares?

Did he do it. Is it provable. Done. Confirm him or not from that standpoint. Nobody asks a man arrested with a gram of coke whether he remembers buying it, so why ask this justice if he remembers his ethical lapse? Perhaps they should steal a page from the OJ trial: If he didn't recuse, refuse... (TalkLeft)

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