Where The Rubber Meets The Road (11/27/09)

As reported in last Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer, here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress were recorded on major roll-call votes last week (not a lot going on again today - and I also posted here).

House

Medicare doctor payments. Voting 243-183, the House passed a bill (HR 3961) that would avert a 21 percent cut next year in Medicare payments to doctors. The bill was opposed mainly because its cost of $210 billion over 10 years would be deficit spending. The bill would permanently change the Medicare formula for paying doctors. It would increase payments by nearly $20 billion per year over 10 years and cause slight annual increases in Medicare premiums.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: John Adler (D., N.J.), Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.), and Joe Sestak (D., Pa.).

Voting no: Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

By the way, the Medicare reimbursement formula was concocted in 1997 when the Repugs ran Congress, and it has remained in force up until now.

GOP Medicare plan. Voting 177-252, the House defeated a Republican motion to restructure HR 3961 (above) as a two-year rather than permanent fix of Medicare's system for paying doctors. The motion also identified a revenue source to pay for the proposed two-year remedy.

A yes vote backed the motion.

Voting yes: Adler, Castle, Dent, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Pitts, and Smith.

Voting no: Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Holden, Murphy, Schwartz, and Sestak.

And as long as I’m highlighting yet another bad vote by John Adler, I should note that former Philadelphia Eagles (and now San Diego Chargers) offensive lineman Jon Runyan has announced that he will run as a Repug next year and seek Adler’s seat (here).

I’ve always admired Runyan as a player, and the fact that his former employer chose to let him go (along with fellow all-Pro Tra Thomas) were moves of such astonishing stupidity that the fan base of this city should have immediately turned on this moribund franchise. But I’m not sure that that will ever happen.

Concerning politics, though, it should be noted that Runyan’s voting record is questionable (here), and I’ll await his attempt to explain how a million-dollar-salaried professional athlete can speak with knowledge and insight to the issues facing working men and women earning a fraction of his yearly income.

Senate

Guantanamo prisoners. Voting 57-43, the Senate allowed funds in the 2010 military-construction budget (HR 3082) to be used for securing U.S. prisons to hold terrorist suspects transferred from overseas. The vote tabled (killed) an amendment designed mainly to prevent detainee transfers from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison.

A yes vote was to kill the amendment.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Ted Kaufman (D., Del.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), and Arlen Specter (D., Pa.).

And by the way, I’m sure it comes as no surprise whatsoever that the amendment was sponsored by Jim Inhofe (stand up and take another bow, all you brainless Oklahomans who support this numbskull).

Update 11/30/09: And here is another golden moment with Oklahoma's senatorial mistake.

Judge David Hamilton. Voting 59-39, the Senate confirmed federal Judge David Hamilton, 52, of the Southern District of Indiana, for a seat on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Based in Chicago, the court hears appeals from federal rulings in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

A yes vote was to confirm Hamilton.

Voting yes: Carper, Casey, Kaufman, Lautenberg, Menendez, and Specter.

As noted here, part-time songwriter Orrin Hatch decried Hamilton as an “activist judge” who didn’t honor a parental consent law the way Hatch wanted and also didn’t impose a life sentence on a drug dealer (with the “activist judge” label particularly funny from someone who voted to confirm Antonin Scalia and “Strip Search Sammy” Alito to the “show”). Also, as noted here, Hatch and his pals were given a second chance to question Hamilton, even though they threw a hissy fit and chose not to do so at their first opportunity.

This week, the House and Senate are in Thanksgiving recess.

Happy Thanksgiving

I got a kick out of this (courtesy of Pixdaus and The Daily Kos).

...and here's another holiday fave, with an intro by Seth MacFarlane at Stewie Griffin (and again, the captions make this hilarious as far as I'm concerned)...



...and here's more holiday fun.

Who Let The Money Flee The PBGC?

(And I also posted here.)

This tells us the following…

Some executives have received huge compensation packages even as their firms eliminated worker pensions. Ten large U.S. companies paid senior executives a total of $350 million in the 5 years leading up to terminating traditional pension plans for employees, a new Government Accountability Office analysis found.

Each company in the study, which does not name the 10 publicly traded companies that filed for bankruptcy in the last decade, had underfunded its pension plan by at least $100 million and had over 5,000 workers whose pensions would be affected. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the government agency that insures private sector pensions, then became responsible for the shortfall. Some employees who were promised retirement benefits above the PBGC's limits, such as airline pilots, say their pensions were reduced. The PBGC insures pensions up to certain limits, which is $54,000 for a person who retires at age 65 in 2010. The pension insurer had a deficit of $22 billion in fiscal year 2009.

To learn more of how we have arrived at this sorry state, read here to find out how Goldman Sachs managed to wrap its tentacles, as it were, around the PBGC (along with BlackRock and J.P. Morgan) to change the Corporation’s asset allocation into equities and real estate, at which time the stock market meltdown was well underway (some speculation on this move is offered by blogger emptywheel here).

The person responsible for this genius move was PBGC Director Charles E.F. Millard, who said, "Our strategic relationships will be long-term in nature, and will add tremendous value for the PBGC going forward."

Heckuva job…

The PBGC has been a favorite target of the investor class for some time, actually, since, until the ruinous Bushco reign, it actually functioned as a successful federal corporation created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. This mentality is typified by this Murdoch Street Journal editorial, which basically alleges that it made UAW pensions “whole” while sacrificing the workers at auto parts maker Delphi, though, as noted here, “in a side arrangement, G.M. (agreed) to pay special supplements, called top-ups, so that Delphi’s union retirees get everything they were promised” (besides, the PBGC was tasked to ensure solvency of defined benefit plans, which usually pay out more than defined contribution plans; concerning the latter, there is no guaranteed return for the individual who invests in the plan, as opposed to defined benefit plans, which rely on precise calculations to - in a perfect world - guarantee a defined return over time).

And under Bushco, it should be noted that Dem U.S. House Rep George Miller of California led an effort to keep the PBGC from eliminating the pensions of United Airlines’ workers (and as also noted here, Miller assited the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) which sought to impose a six-month moratorium on plan terminations by the PBGC; like everything else in the foul Bushco universe, the PBGC served the opposite function of what it was chartered to do – in this case, eliminating pensions instead of protecting them.)

It should also be noted, though, that a bill sponsored by Dem Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin has been introduced to correct what currently ills the PBGC, which, were it to become law, would provide for better communication between the board members as well as on behalf of the general public, as well as form an audit committee and establish a risk management function within the corporation, among other changes.

Given the recent upheaval at the PBGC, I would say that it is long past time to act on Kohl’s bill.

Tuesday Stuff

"Worst Persons" (Carly Fiorina was for the bailout before she was against it, Bill Orally thinks he put an end to the TV career of Bill Moyers...way too damn funny, and Beck calls Sen. Mary Landrieu a hooker again...Keith's point is well taken, but a response from Landrieu herself on this is called for also, ya' think?)...

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...and the more I think about Beck, Orally and their fellow loons (not too much, I promise), the more I realize that this should be their theme song.

Tuesday Mashup (11/24/09)

(Posting will slow down considerably as we approach the holiday, by the way.)

This story from Der Spiegel tells us the following…

When he entered office, US President Barack Obama promised to inject US foreign policy with a new tone of respect and diplomacy. His recent trip to Asia, however, showed that it's not working. A shift to Bush-style bluntness may be coming.

Gee, I sure hope not, given that Former President Numbskull encountered protests when he visited the Philippines in 2003 (here), protests when he visited Santiago, Chile in 2004 (here), New Delhi in 2006 (here), and Edmonton, Alberta (Canada, for the geographically impaired) last month (here).

Would it have been better for Obama to come back with some kind of agreement, understanding on an initiative, mutual declaration or understanding or whatever? Yes. But it’s not as if the guy has been exactly “sitting on his hands” all this time either (here).

I for one am very grateful that we have an intelligent adult as our head of state once more. Even when I disagree with him, I at least believe that he will give me the consideration and basic respect of acknowledging my point of view.

And I’m glad that, while our leader has not achieved the plaudits of a long-term president (Obama has still served less than a year after all), at least the man isn’t almost universally despised.

Also, Joe Klein was in full-on pundit wanker mode yesterday here, commenting on the “war tax” idea from U.S. House Dem Rep David Obey, which I think is a great idea, by the way.

However, Klein also told us this, one of the snottiest pundit remarks I've heard in awhile (and that's saying something, people)…

“If the public honestly wants the Taliban to return to power in Afghanistan and increase the risk of an Islamist military coup in Pakistan, then its views should be honored.”

And now, from the reality point of view, I give you the following (here)…

It seems that one way or the other, and at some time or the other, the Taliban will form part of the governing structures in Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai has been talking about this for a long time. The British have been advocating it and now the Americans too are quite willing, and perhaps anxious, to open a dialogue with the Taliban; in fact, it would be safe to assume that they might be already talking to it directly or indirectly. Underlying this willingness to deal with the Taliban is an implicit acceptance of the fact that it cannot be defeated. Indeed, Gen. Stanley McChrystal has acknowledged that the insurgents are getting more sophisticated, that there is at least a loose coordination among the different groups of insurgents and that time is not necessarily on the side of the coalition forces.

The Taliban, for its part, knows that it can win by not losing and the coalition loses by not winning. Now, the Taliban has added a new weapon to its arsenal, diplomacy. In a statement on October 8, to coincide with the eighth anniversary of the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban has declared that it has had no intention of attacking any western country. “We had and have no plan of harming countries of the world, including those in Europe ... Our goal is the independence of the country and the building of an Islamic state. Still, if you [the U.S and NATO troops] want to colonise the country of proud and pious Afghans under the pretext of a war on terror, then you should know that our patience will only increase and that we are ready for a long war.”

The Taliban isn’t going anywhere, people. And as much as we don’t like their presence, it’s about time we all started acting like adults and realized that we don’t have the resources to defeat them (I got into this earlier here), at least not without thoroughly bankrupting this country and, more importantly, wasting the lives of many more thousands of our fine men and women in the military.

In a situation like this, intelligent adults do their best to reach an accommodation with them. After all, this is about al Qaeda, of which there are only about 100 in the country to begin with.

And as far as Pakistan is concerned, it’s quite possible that the “Islamist coup” that Klein fears is already underway, as Seymour Hersh reported in the New Yorker (here)…

The rise in militancy is a sensitive subject, and many inside Pakistan insist that American fears, and the implied threat to the nuclear arsenal, are overwrought. Amélie Blom, a political sociologist at Lahore University of Management Sciences, noted that the Army continues to support an unpopular President. “The survival of the coalition government shows that the present Army leadership has an interest in making it work,” she said in an e-mail.

Others are less sure. “Nuclear weapons are only as safe as the people who handle them,” Pervez Hoodbhoy, an eminent nuclear physicist in Pakistan, said in a talk last summer at a Nation and Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy forum in New York. For more than two decades, Hoodbhoy said, “the Pakistan Army has been recruiting on the basis of faithfulness to Islam. As a consequence, there is now a different character present among Army officers and ordinary soldiers. There are half a dozen scenarios that one can imagine.” There was no proof either that the most dire scenarios would be realized or that the arsenal was safe, he said.

The current offensive in South Waziristan marked a significant success for the Obama Administration, which had urged Zardari to take greater control of the tribal areas. There was a risk, too—that the fighting would further radicalize Pakistan. Last week, another Pakistan Army general was the victim of a drive-by assassination attempt, as he was leaving his home in Islamabad. Since the Waziristan operation was announced, more than three hundred people have been killed in a dozen terrorist attacks. “If we push too hard there, we could trigger a social revolution,” the Special Forces adviser said. “We are playing into Al Qaeda’s deep game here. If we blow it, Al Qaeda could come in and scoop up a nuke or two.” He added, “The Pakistani military knows that if there’s any kind of instability there will be a traffic jam to seize their nukes.” More escalation in Pakistan, he said, “will take us to the brink.”

During my stay in Pakistan—my first in five years—there were undeniable signs that militancy and the influence of fundamentalist Islam had grown. In the past, military officers, politicians, and journalists routinely served Johnnie Walker Black during our talks, and drank it themselves. This time, even the most senior retired Army generals offered only juice or tea, even in their own homes. Officials and journalists said that soldiers and middle-level officers were increasingly attracted to the preaching of Zaid Hamid, who joined the mujahideen and fought for nine years in Afghanistan. On CDs and on television, Hamid exhorts soldiers to think of themselves as Muslims first and Pakistanis second. He claims that terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year were staged by India and Western Zionists, aided by the Mossad. Another proselytizer, Dr. Israr Ahmed, writes a column in the Urdu press in which he depicts the Holocaust as “divine punishment,” and advocates the extermination of the Jews. He, too, is said to be popular with the officer corps.

A senior Obama Administration official brought up Hizb ut-Tahrir, a Sunni organization whose goal is to establish the Caliphate. “They’ve penetrated the Pakistani military and now have cells in the Army,” he said. (The Pakistan Army denies this.) In one case, according to the official, Hizb ut-Tahrir had recruited members of a junior officer group, from the most élite Pakistani military academy, who had been sent to England for additional training.

“Where do these guys get socialized and exposed to Islamic evangelism and the fundamentalism narrative?” the Obama Administration official asked. “In services every Friday for Army officers, and at corps and unit meetings where they are addressed by senior commanders and clerics.”

Lovely; by the way, what comes through loud and clear when you read Hersh’s piece is, basically, that Pakistan really can’t be trusted (though we are by no means innocent ourselves either, of course). There is a pathological mistrust of our country’s relationship with India, with the rampant belief that, were Pakistan to communicate even the minutest details of their nuclear program to us, that information would be communicated to New Delhi in no time.

Our presence in the region only destabilizes it, just as our presence has done to Iraq.

To imply that I, for one, wants to destabilize the region because I want our people to come home is insulting (tell me again how this doesn’t parallel Vietnam in that regard, Joe).

I guess Klein is lamenting the fact that he misses the whole “shoot first and never ask questions, because questions are for wimps” approach of Obama’s predecessor on display here (with Joe appropriately fawning over the horrendous “Mission Accomplished” moment).

Also, today marks the 150th anniversary of “On The Origin of Species” written by Charles Darwin, in which he presented the theory of evolution (here), still being debated in this country after all this time (and as far as I’m concerned, this is the finest production of the legendary play and movie in that vein).

Given this, do you think it would be too much trouble for a U.S. film distributor to support this movie?

Finally, this tells us the following…

Envy is a form of flattery, but don’t tell MSNBC “Countdown” host Keith Olbermann.

Olbermann, on his Nov. 23 broadcast, didn’t stray from his usual shtick of character assaults and name-calling for his “Worst Person in the World” segment. But he did hint his feelings were hurt after he named Fox News host Glenn Beck the third place recipient in this “Worst Person” contest.

…

Olbermann noted the amount of media coverage Beck’s announced intentions got, and it’s hard to miss considering Beck draws huge numbers. But the problem – they didn’t cover Olbermann’s Astroturf-ish free health care clinics that occurred in Little Rock, Ark. over the weekend. Though even former Democratic President Bill Clinton turned his nose up at for being overly politicized (which Olbermann himself had admitted had a purpose to sway the vote of certain U.S. senators, including Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark, pictured.)

First of all, the clinics were sponsored by the National Association of Free Clinics, not Keith Olbermann. Second, he helped to raise $1.2 million for the clinics, and as nearly as I can determine, all the funds came from viewers of “Countdown” (so much for the “Astroturf-ish” lie – both are noted here).

Third, if President Clinton chose to avoid the clinics because he thought they were “politicized,” that’s his business. But as far as “swaying” the vote of Blanche Lincoln, among other Dems sitting on the proverbial fence here, all I know is that Lincoln eventually voted to begin debate on the bill.

If that qualifies as “politicizing” a vote, then let’s see more of that instead of less.

Monday Stuff

Wow, 37 counts for "Governor Appalachian Trail," huh? And by the way, the "boring" remark comes from the parodist only here...



...and how funny is this - if The Sainted Ronnie R were still with us today, he wouldn't even qualify for membership in his own party (and as Chris Kofinis expounded, I'm sure some wingnuts out there said "heh heh, we won in Virginia and New Jersey," which is true, but I think Kofinis is talking about the Repugs establishing themselves as a national "brand"...and just a reminder, "Card Check" is Republican-ese for The Employee Free Choice Act)...

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..."Worst Persons" (yep, I had the same thought that K.O. did when I read that New York Times column on Saturday profiling Glenn Beck...memo to "The Old Gray Lady" - Fix Noise and that brood WILL ALWAYS HATE YOU; and Beck and Flush Limbore are back for calling Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana a prostitute, with nary a word of rebuke from ANYBODY!!! (and I'm hoping Keith was speaking directly to pundit pinheads like Andrew Malcolm who criticized Olbermann about the "meat sack with lipstick" remark about Malkin, when in fact, as we've just seen, what K.O. said about Malkin is "hugs and kisses" by comparison); but Catherina Wojtowicz of the so-called Chicago Tea Party "Patriots" gets it for this, hooting down grandmother Midge Hough who told the horrific story of how her daughter-in-law, pregnant with her grandchild, first lost the baby and then the mother herself died, ultimately because they didn't have health insurance, and while the grandmother told this story, Wojtowicz and her single-brain-celled fellow travelers hooted down Hough...don't worry, I won't wait too long for Bishop Thomas Tobin and other religious "leaders" to decry this also)...

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Update 11/24/09: And by the way, speaking of Tobin, kudos to Patrick Murphy for this.

...and when Chris Kofinis made that remark about "Thunderdome politics," I immediately thought of this song.

Monday Mashup (11/23/09)

(And I also posted here.)

As noted here…

WASHINGTON — The official responsible for the problem-plagued disability compensation system at the Department of Veterans Affairs will resign early next year, the department announced Friday.

The official, Under Secretary Patrick W. Dunne, has run the Veterans Benefits Administration since 2006, a period in which the agency has been swamped by claims not only from wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans but also aging Vietnam veterans. The rise in the backlog of unprocessed claims has fueled bitter complaints from members of Congress and veterans’ advocates.

The benefits administration also came under fire this year when it was late issuing payments to colleges and students under the new G.I. Bill. In response, Eric Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, ordered offices to open on a Saturday to make emergency payments to students.

In response, I give you Richard Allen Smith of VetsVoice (here)…

When the G.I. Bill implementation resulted in epic FAIL, Dunne was responsible. When Veterans received benefits letters which incorrectly informed them that they had the fatal disease ALS, Dunne was responsible. Any SNAFUs with VA benefits since Dunne was sworn in as Undersecretary in October of 2008 were ultimately his responsibility.

Additionally, If you were to research Dunne's bio, you'd also find that between August 2006 and his appointment as Undersecretary, Dunne served as Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning. Placing that in context, this was the period when VA was planning to implement the policies which would drive the administration of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. From start to finish, the utter failure of the Department of Veterans Affairs to administer education benefits to 21st century Veterans lies at the feet of Patrick W. Dunne.

Any one or two of the mishaps at the Veterans Benefits Administration could be attributed to a lowly incompetent staffer. But the exorbitant nature of repeated failure occurring under the incompetent leadership of Patrick Dunne can only be attributed to a leader who was derelict in correcting the deficiencies of the led. In my humble opinion, Dunne should have been canned for the G.I. Bill fiasco alone.

The only thing I will say in Dunne’s defense is that I can’t see how anyone could be successful when you have an agency run by both the execrable James Peake (who compared PTSD to football injuries here – nice guy), and the possibly-even-worse Jim Nicholson; under his “leadership,” it took 145-150 days to process disability payments (noted here).

Oh, and did I mention that, under Dubya’s VA, Dunne’s predecessor Daniel Cooper thought that Bible study was more important than doing his job (here, with a particularly ridiculous remark by Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History)?

Starting one war based on lies while short-changing another (and leaving a future administration a huge mess as a result) is one level of evil incompetence. Thoroughly abusing those who have paid the price as a result once they have returned to this country on top of that is almost too monstrous to describe.

Turning to politics, I give you the following from Arizona Repug Senator Jon Kyl (here, on the matter of how Dem Senator Mary Landrieu ended up doing the right thing by voting to begin debate on health care reform)…

Republicans have questioned an addition to the bill that provides for $100 million in extra Medicare subsidies for "certain states recovering from a major disaster." Landrieu's state of Louisiana, of course, was hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. GOPers have dubbed the provision the "new Louisiana Purchase" saying it helped buy off Landrieu's vote.

So clever the Repugs are, boys and girls…

Oh, by the way, it should be noted (here) that Kyl requested over $232 million in congressional earmarks for fiscal year 2008-2009, more than doubling Landrieu’s subsidy here (so, then, if that means that she is the recipient of the “new Louisiana Purchase,” is Kyl guilty of “Arizona Avarice?”).

Finally, I give you some of the most ridiculous pundit wankery this side of David Broder from Tobin Harshaw of the New York Times here (in the matter of who “owns” our current recession)…

Ah, the eternal campaign. James Joyner at Outside the Beltway seems to have surrendered to it: “While we may technically be out of the recession, unemployment is now in the double digits for the first time in many Americans’ memory and trending upwards. Obama’s sitting in the White House and, rightly or wrongly, he gets the blame. It’s actually rather remarkable that he’s doing as well as he is. I credit Bush Fatigue. People were so glad to see his predecessor leave office that Obama still seems good by comparison. But that won’t last forever.”

Well, there he’s gone and mentioned the unmentionable. It brings to mind a debate we were having eight short years ago about presidential legacies, a new administration’s inheritances and pinning the blame on the donkey or the elephant. In that case, you may recall, the eventual answer was clear: 9/11 wasn’t “Clinton’s” or “Bush’s” — it was all of ours. So too, I suspect, is the economic morass of 2009.

9/11 was an intelligence failure on the part of the alleged adults who were tasked to defend us by virtue of election to office, dumbass (putting the asterisk next to that in Dubya’s case, I realize). And I didn’t invent the credit default swap, leveraging debt upon more debt and trying to make money off it in the bargain. And I sure as hell wasn’t responsible for offshoring our jobs and failing to invest in our economy.

But of course, as noted here, Harshaw is no stranger to acting as a stenographer for conservative talking points, so this is merely more of the same.

Saturday Stuff

"A new generation of patriots?" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

And "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!" huh? Read this.

(h/t Dependable Renegade via Eschaton - once more, here's the thing on "Nate," and this is the clip where he appears.)



...and by the way, congratulations go out to the Senate Dems who voted to allow debate to begin on health care reform (would have been reprehensible to vote no, not that that's stopped some of them in the past...now, just have the little demagoguery and debate show, go to reconciliation and GET THIS DONE!!)...

...and yes, I realize this is a rather shameless plug for an X-box game, but I like the game and the song is pretty cool too, so here it is.

Friday Stuff

Pap has a cautionary lesson for the "teabaggers," assuming they had sense enough to listen; however, I don't think any politician, particularly Obama, should take young voters for granted - yes, assuming the blessed day comes when health care reform is passed, he's going to have to give them something else, and "doubling down" on Afghanistan is going to push them away even more (a long-overdue executive order banning DADT enforcement would be a nice "payoff" also - watch the stuff about "gray hair," Pap :-)...



Update 11/21/09: Too funny (h/t Eschaton)...

...and I really liked "Oxford Comma" from these guys, and this is a fun little tune also.

Where The Rubber Meets The Road (11/20/09)

As reported in last Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer, here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress were recorded on major roll-call votes last week (most of last week's votes had to do with health care, which I realize I've posted on ad nauseum already - the vote to begin debate in the Senate happens tomorrow evening).

House

Democrats' health bill. Voting 220-215, the House passed a bill (HR 3962)] that would provide affordable medical insurance to about 36 million uncovered U.S. residents while overhauling insurance-industry practices in ways that benefit the sick, the well, the uninsured, and the insured. The bill, which awaits Senate action, would extend coverage to about 96 percent of the non-elderly population by 2019 while not adding to the national debt.

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D., Pa.), and Joe Sestak (D., Pa.).

Voting no: John Adler (D., N.J.), Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Joseph R. Pitts (R., Pa.), and Christopher H. Smith (R., N.J.).

Republicans' health bill. Voting 176-258, the House defeated a Republican alternative to HR 3962 (above) that would grant states tens of billions of dollars over 10 years as an incentive for them to expand health-insurance coverage and reduce insurance premiums for their residents.

A yes vote backed the GOP alternative.

Voting yes: Castle, Dent, Gerlach, LoBiondo, Pitts, and Smith.

Voting no: Adler, Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Holden, Murphy, Schwartz, and Sestak.

Holden and Adler could've supported the Repugs' joke of an alternative here, as long as they chose to bail on their party on the one that mattered - at least that would've been consistent.

Dispute over abortion. Voting 240-194, the House amended HR 3962 (above) to prohibit the bill's public option from funding abortions and bar those with premiums subsidized by taxpayers from buying private policies that contain abortion coverage. The amendment went beyond "Hyde Amendment" language already in the bill that would bar federal funding of abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother.

A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.

Voting yes: Castle, Dent, Gerlach, Holden, LoBiondo, Pitts, and Smith.

Voting no: Adler, Andrews, Brady, Fattah, Murphy, Schwartz, and Sestak.

So Tim Holden opposes health care, but supports the Stupak-Pitts pro-sepsis coathanger abortion amendment in spite of that.

I just want to make sure that we have that on the record, that's all.

Senate

Judge Andre Davis. Voting 72-16, the Senate confirmed federal Judge Andre M. Davis, 60, of the Maryland District Court, for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. This gives Democratic appointees a 6-5 majority on the Richmond-based court, which hears appeals from federal courts in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Senate has confirmed seven of President Obama's district and appellate court nominees.

A yes vote was to confirm Davis.

Voting yes: Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Bob Casey (D., Pa.), Ted Kaufman (D., Del.), Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.), Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), and Arlen Specter (D., Pa.).

As noted here about Judge Davis, he was nominated by former President Clinton in 2000, but under something called the "Thurmond Rule" that barred consideration of judicial appointments during an election year (dumb, but consider the source), the Senate couldn't act on his appointment. Well, Dubya came along and passed over Davis for eight years, leaving it up to President Obama to renominate Davis, which he did last April. Congratulations on your long-overdue confirmation, Judge Davis.

This week, the Senate took up health care and resumed debate on 2010 budgets for veterans' programs and military construction. The House schedule was to be announced.

Friday Mashup (11/20/09)

(And I also posted here about a political matter close to home.)

As I noted yesterday, “Holy Joe” Lieberman decided to hold his Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Fort Hood shootings.

And as noted here, he had a hard time getting people to testify (awwww)…

Mr. Lieberman’s hearing made only limited headway because the Obama administration has refused his requests for witnesses from the F.B.I. and the Defense Department.

Mr. Lieberman said he had spoken with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Mr. Gates, who told him they would cooperate with his inquiry, but did not want to compromise the criminal investigation.

Ah, but he was able to get one “name” figure anyway…

As a result, Mr. Lieberman proceeded with several nongovernment experts and former officials, including Frances Fragos Townsend, formerly the homeland security adviser to President George W. Bush.

And what did Fran have to say? Well…

Ms. Townsend expressed concern that “political correctness” and fear of intruding on Major Hasan’s free speech rights might have interfered with the sharing of information earlier this year, when an F.B.I.-led counterterrorism team examined his e-mail exchanges with Anwar al-Awlaki, a well-known radical Islamist cleric, but found nothing amiss.

I guess this is what you can expect from someone who issued a report on Hurricane Katrina that was “incomplete,” said it was “offensive and crippling” that she actually had to worry about being subpoenaed in the course of doing her job (horrors!), and said that Osama bin Laden was “virtually impotent” (all noted here, though I also praised her for going against the wishes of “Deadeye Dick” Cheney here; I guess such praise was premature).

Actually, if all Lieberman needed was someone to mouth right-wing talking points, he could have called Glenn Beck as a witness. He would have been just as credible as Townsend, and he probably would have gotten better TV ratings on CSPAN from his intended target audience.

Update 11/21/09: Yep, I think the "L" word sums up Lieberman here also (h/t Eschaton).

Also, I should note that, to probably no one’s surprise whatsoever, Christine Flowers of the Philadelphia Daily News thinks the Stupak-Pitts pro-sepsis coat hanger abortion amendment (here) is hilarious (OK, the reaction to it from those dreaded liberals, I mean).

Sick…

…(and) what I found particularly smirk-inducing was the total silence from these same quarters over recent decades as the Catholic Church threw its weight behind health-care reform. Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama could have had no better champion than the leaders of the church who consistently criticized both Republicans and Democrats in Washington for failing to address the needs of the indigent and lower-middle class.

Instead of responding to Flowers’ dog-whistle antics and trying to engage her in something close to intelligent dialogue on this (a fool’s errand in her case), I thought it best to link to this post instead from Natasha Chart of Open Left here, who tells us the following…

I remember the day in 1997 when I listened to my doctor tell me that I had a very large ovarian cyst, also, that I was likely to have a miscarriage. She said it was good that my body seemed to be taking care of things on its own, because the cyst could rupture and hemorrhage and they couldn't operate if I was pregnant because it was a Catholic hospital.

My doctor wasn't mean about it, she just couldn't give me this operation that she'd told me about a minute previous I needed to avert a threat to my life.

I was lucky that I miscarried. As the hormone-induced changes in the cyst caused pain that made it hard to stand upright in a matter of days, it's a good that I didn't have to go through the trouble of finding another hospital covered under my insurance. I went quickly from the terror of waiting to know if I could get that operation to the grim realities of going through it and recovering.

It turned out all right, but I've always remembered since then that I once sat helpless in a doctor's office watching her eyes slide away from mine to the floor as she refused to say anything when I pressed her to tell me what would happen if there wasn't a natural miscarriage. She just skipped ahead to how someone with my blood test results wasn't going to be pregnant much longer.

Opponents of abortion like to center their arguments around the fetus and talk about whether it's a person. Which basically means to me that they don't think women are people with the basic right to determine the conditions of their lives and what will happen to their bodies, who can be forced to suffer or die because it will make someone else feel better.

I would ask that you read all of her post, and then tell me what a compassionate, conservative Catholic Flowers supposedly is (I’ll try not to laugh too loudly if you do, but I won’t guarantee anything).

Oh, and another thing, Christine: I should tell you that, in all of the time that I have attended church, I have never heard anyone from the pulpit who “consistently criticiz(ed) both Republicans and Democrats in Washington for failing to address the needs of the indigent and lower-middle class.”

With that in mind, though, if you want to get an idea of how this country has fared on the poverty issue under Republican versus Democratic presidents, the Census bureau put some numbers together cited in this post, and except for President Carter (though not for lack of trying to combat it, I’m sure), this country fared worse under the Repugs.

And in other faith-related news, Richard Viguerie (someone else who gives Catholics a bad name, IMHO) has been encouraging his brood not to contribute to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development “because of the pro-abortion and homosexual organizations that are funded by CCHD,” as he put it here.

In response, this editorial tells us the following…

In Baltimore, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development helped the United Workers Association win a salary increase for cleaners at Camden Yards, strengthens the mission of the Maryland Disability Law Center and assists Neighborhood Housing Services to combat predatory "pay day" lending by developing micro-lending in communities that lack access to banks. In other cities, grants have helped groups fighting for better working conditions on behalf of farm workers. McDonald's, Yum Brands, Burger King and other fast food chains now pay tomato pickers more for their backbreaking labor in the fields because of these efforts. Just this year, the campaign awarded more than $7 million to grass-roots community organizations across the country. The campaign's Poverty USA initiative, which raises awareness about the impact of poverty on families, has been recognized as one of the best public service programs in the nation.

For centuries, Catholic social teaching has emphasized the obligation to care for our struggling neighbors on the margins of society. This is why Catholic Charities USA oversees the most extensive social services network for the poor outside of the federal government, and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development provides low-income citizens with the tools to improve their own lives.

As more Americans lose jobs and health care, faith-based community organizers offer critical lifelines to those who are only a layoff or medical scare away from poverty. This work is more important than ever. Census figures show the number of people falling into poverty increased by more than 2 million last year. Nearly 40 million Americans now live below the poverty line, the highest level since 1960.

The ACORN scandals should not define the proud legacy of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. The bishops' initiative has distinguished itself for the past four decades and deserves the support of all Americans who recognize the silent genocide of poverty as a political and moral failure unworthy of a great nation.

Amen to that.

And finally, though this is a week old I know, this communicates another reason why social justice is important as far as I’m concerned; that is, to stand up to the intolerant ravings that are spreading this country faster than the H1N1 virus, particularly when one side is responsible for it, but it is somehow excused because the other side of the ideological chasm is guilty of the dreaded “partisanship” also.

With that in mind, I would like to state the following for the record…

I never threatened conservative interest groups such as the National Association of Manufacturers or the Chamber of Commerce, organizations that are typically antagonistic towards Democrats in general (here).

I never said any Democrat/liberal/progressive/whatever should “prepare for war” with conservatives (here).

I never “prayed” for Dubya’s days to “be few” (yes, I had my Bush Countdown clock on this site, but that was for the end of his time in office, not the end of his life - here).

And I would have never imagined bringing a gun to a Republican presidential campaign event (here).

And I sure as hell never threatened a police officer (nor would I ever even entertain such a thought) after Dubya was installed as president in 2000 and (arguably) voted back to office in 2004 (here).

And I hope it goes without saying that I would never kill innocent church parishioners either (here).

So the next time you read David Zurawik or some other pundit whining about how MSNBC and Fix Noise are supposed to be equally partisan, remember that Rachel Maddow has never alleged that the president was a mass murderer (here) and Keith Olbermann has never smeared anyone he disagreed with by nicknaming them as “killer” (here).

And let’s all hope and pray that it doesn’t take anyone else’s death to make that point plainly understood once and for all.

Update: Let's also pray for a brain cell here, people.

Thursday Stuff

"Worst Persons" (Rupert The Pirate now tells us that he doesn't think Obama made a racist comment after he said that he thought Obama did just that - huh? - I think I need Ibuprofen at this point; that idiot U.S. House Rep Louie Gohmert of Texas (of course) says that the Dems “want another terrorist attack so they can pass a new jobs bill” (and “the great unwashed” immediately erupts into applause); but Glenn Beck takes it for a rather con-vee-nient memory lapse as he makes a remark about Norah O'Donnell correcting a girl who said that Sarah Palin didn't vote for the bailout, and then Beck goes all "oooh, it's...that fascist - or whatever he's called this week - Obama picking on kids again," forgetting that doing stuff like that is oxygen to Fix Noise)...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

...and speaking of kids, here's something else for the young folks.

Thursday Mashup (11/19/09)

(And I also more or less posted over here – one of these days I’ll come up with something without the word “mashup” in the post title, but this is all I got for now.)

This story tells us the following…

RALEIGH, N.C. – The U.S. Army plans to prevent media from covering Sarah Palin's appearance at Fort Bragg, fearing the event will turn into political grandstanding against President Barack Obama, officials said Thursday.

Fort Bragg spokesman Tom McCollum told The Associated Press that Bragg's garrison commander and other Army officials had decided to keep media away from Palin's book promotion. He said the Army did not want the Monday event to become a platform to express political opinions "directed against the commander in chief."

"The main reason is to stop this from turning into a political platform," he said. "There are Army regulations that basically prohibit military reservations from becoming political platforms by politicians."

With all due respect to our military, you have got to be fracking kidding me here!

This tells us that Former President Numbskull journey to Fort Bragg to go all “Ooga Booga! Terra! Terra! Terra!” in May ’08, this tells us that he did the same thing in July ’06, and this tells us that he did the same thing yet again in June ’05.

And by the way, my issue isn’t with how Fort Bragg wants to handle the Palin book thing, since she has clearly learned one of Bushco’s PR lessons about using our military as props to promote their favored cause. My issue is with Fort Bragg pretending that it doesn’t serve as a political venue for the commander-in-chief now that a Democrat sits in the Oval Office.

Update 11/20/09: Sounds like Fort Bragg is trying to reach some sort of an accommodation here, but again, I believe the point I made above is still valid.

And Pete Hegseth of Irrational Spew Online is all over Grampa Fred Thompson’s recent declaration that “it really doesn't matter how President Obama divides the Afghan baby, how he splits the difference between McChrystal and Biden. Because the war has been lost” (here).

To which Hegseth replies…

It’s awful politics, but no longer unprecedented. Senator Thompson is doing his best Harry Reid impression.

…

I'm disappointed in Senator Thompson, he knows better. His statements were political, and do nothing but undermine our troops in the field. We cannot afford to do onto President Obama on Afghanistan, that which the Left did to President Bush on Iraq.

And in response, I give you this…

"I don't know that there is any victory there. We're not going to be able to defeat all the crazies in Iraq."

Now who do you think uttered those words?

Was it Reid? No. He said, “the war is lost,” and as far as I’m concerned, the jury ultimately is still out on that one.

Was it John Kerry? No.

Obama? No. Biden? No. Hillary Clinton? No.

Give up? I’ll tell you who.

It was Snarlin’ Arlen Specter of “the Left,” that’s who (here).

And when Reid spoke his words, the wingnutosphere leapt into a spitting, sputtering rage the likes of which I haven’t seen since a certain presidential candidate made a reference to “clinging” and “guns” about PA voters (and which we may yet see about the wise decision to try KSM and his pals in NYC before all is said and done; the latest to voice his disapproval is Richard Grasso on Bloomberg News…yes, this Richard Grasso).

So Hegseth and his pals should be careful about who they lump in with “the Left” next time.

And besides, Thompson can’t be a member. He doesn’t have an honorary ACORN membership card or a commemorate photograph of Ward Churchill (at least, not as far as I know).

And in other news about President Obama and his travels abroad, Dana Milbank of the WaPo tells us the following here (though calling this “news” is a stretch, I’ll admit)…

Instead of facing questioners in public, Obama invited correspondents from each American television network to come to his hotel for a series of one-on-one interviews of about 10 minutes apiece.

For the president, this was a low-risk alternative. Each reporter had to cover multiple topics, and that, by the White House's design, left little room for probing beyond the superficial. Obama told Fox News's Major Garrett, for example, that the White House is "taking a look" at tax provisions to encourage businesses to hire, but he didn't offer any specifics. He told CBS News's Chip Reid that he is "fine-tuning" his Afghanistan strategy, but he didn't say what it is. He gave CNN's Ed Henry the news that he is "absolutely confident" that health-care legislation will pass, but he didn't say in what form.

Then there were the requisite human-interest questions that the TV morning-show hosts love. NBC News's Chuck Todd asked whether the president had lost weight. "I'm eating fine and I'm sleeping fine," Obama reported. "My hair is getting gray." Henry asked whether Obama would read Sarah Palin's book. "You know, I probably won't," the president answered.

In that sense, Obama's Asian tour continued a pattern he has developed at home. He had five full news conferences at the White House during his first six months in office but has had none since July. That puts him roughly on par with Bush, who had four full White House news conferences in the same time. For Obama, who pledged to bring a new level of transparency to the presidency, that's hardly an impressive record.

I’m a bit unsure as to how to respond to Milbank here, since he and his WaPo playmate Chris Cillizza have been practicing their version of “fluff” journalism for quite some time now (on display here…and referring to “Mad Bitch Beer” and showing a pic of Hillary Clinton, huh? Nice). So I suppose that’s why they recognize it when it’s practiced by others..??

Journalistic malpractice is nothing new certainly for Milbank, though. As noted here, he was guilty of clipping quotes from then-candidate Obama during last year’s campaign, and despite statistical evidence to the contrary, he ridiculed those calling for Dubya’s impeachment, even though a majority of those polled in a survey called for it over his warrantless surveillance (here).

And it should also be noted that Milbank is sooo gracious to his fellow journalists, such as Nico Pitney, for whom Milbank accused the Obama White House of “staging” an opportunity to ask a question for Pitney’s benefit (here).

I’ll tell you what, Dana – if and when Pitney ever participates in a video supposedly poking fun at politicians but which inadvertently exposes his own sense of entitlement and chumminess with those upon whom he is supposed to report, then we’ll talk, OK?

And in other news pertaining to anti-Obama partisans, John Feehery of The Hill accuses Obama of “going out of his way to irritate women” (here).

Oh yes, I’m sure it was so “irritating” of Obama to initiate a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses (both an "x" and "y" benefit there, I realize), appoint the first Latina woman to the Supreme Court, sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, and expand SCHIP and child vaccination programs (good news for both moms and dads there also...you can read about that and more here).

And by the way, the so-called “bo-tax” on cosmetic surgery (so clever the wingnuts are sometimes) that Feehery refers to was proposed by Harry Reid, not Obama, and it would not apply to cosmetic surgery “to correct a congenital deformity or any disfigurement resulting from accident, injury or disease,” as noted here.

And finally, it looks like Joe “Short Ride, He’s With Us On Everything But The War” Lieberman held his first hearing into the Fort Hood tragedy today (for some reason I cannot fathom, Reid still allows Lieberman to chair the Homeland Security Committee), based on this, though there were no witnesses (mainly because investigations by the Army and the FBI’s office are still ongoing)…

“Our congressional investigation is to learn what happened in this case and to prevent it from happening again,” Lieberman said. “Their investigation looks backward and is punitive. Ours looks backward and forward and is preventative. I am optimistic that we will work out a way for both investigations to proceed without compromising either.”

Yeah well, says you, you traitor on health care reform, among many other issues.

And in response, I thought John Nichols of The Nation made some good points here…

So be it.

Let's call Joe Lieberman's bluff.

Let's have the Homeland Security Committee hearings.

While the Army and the FBI will conduct both criminal investigations and serious inquiries into why Major Hasan's breakdown was not adequately noted or addressed by his commanders, congressional oversight of the military is always appropriate.

So have the hearings. But make them real.

There's no need to downplay the fact that Major Hasan was a Muslim, or that he appears to have bought into some of the most extreme — and broadly rejected — variants on Islam.

There's nothing wrong with asking precise, detailed questions that offer as much explanation and detail as can be accumulated. There is no point in being politically correct — or in being politically incorrect. Embrace transparency and facts. Bring in experts and ask questions.

Ask all the questions.

What was the bigger factor motivating Major Hasan: stress or religion?

Was Major Hasan a cold, calculating Islamic extremist or a deeply troubled man who was about to be dispatched to a warzone (Afghanistan) on a mission that associates and family members said was his "worst nightmare"?

Was the stress Major Hasan was under the sort that might lead an otherwise responsible individual to get lost in a swirl of religious ranting and fundamentalist fantasy?

Could such stress lead other individuals to embrace fundamentalisms, be they Muslim, Jewish or Christian?

Might it be a good idea to strengthen the wall of separation between church and state in what is supposed to be a secular fighting force?

And don't hesitate to ask questions about Muslims in the military.

Was Major Hasan a typical American Muslim? or an outlier far removed from the mainstream values and practices of a religion that has been practiced in the United States since the founding of the republic?

Was Major Hasan typical in any way of the thousands of Muslims who currently serve in the U.S. military?

Isn't it true that the overwhelming majority of Muslim soldiers serve with distinction and that, overall, Muslim soldiers — like their Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu comrades — have historically been seen as less likely to get involved with fights and violence on military bases?

Isn't it true that Muslim soldiers are seen by military commanders as essential players in a diverse Army that does not merely reflect the whole of America but that presents the best face of America in a world where it is vital to assure that this country's military missions are not dismissed as the "crusades" of a western nation that does not understand Islam or Islamic states?

Was Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey right when he warned against actions that could "heighten the backlash" against Muslims in the military and argued that Muslim soldiers provide diversity "gives us ALL strength"?

Was General Casey even more right when he declared after the shootings, and after he had reviewed detailed reports about Major Hasan's background, motivations and actions, that: "As great a tragedy as this was, it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well"?

Yes, Holy Joe, ask all the questions (sounds like you have your work cut out for you).

If you think you can do a better job than the Army and the FBI, then have at it.

I’ll be watching.

Wednesday Stuff

In response to this (and all of it is needed, and more), all I can point out is that "elections have consequences"...



...and happy birthday to Graham Parker (I can't believe this year is the 30th anniversary of "Squeezing Out Sparks," one of the greatest LPs - remember them? - of all time).

Wednesday Mashup (11/18/09)

(And I also posted here.)

This story tells us the following…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Senate committee passed legislation on Wednesday that would increase government oversight of the U.S. food supply, which has been battered by a series of high-profile recalls that have soured consumer confidence in the food safety system.

The bill would expand U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversight of the food supply by giving it the power to order recalls, increase inspection rates and require all facilities to have a food safety plan in place.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved the legislation unanimously by a voice vote.

"There are very few things that are as important as ensuring that the food we eat and the food we serve our families is safe for consumption," said Sen. Christopher Dodd.

So in addition to fighting for reasonable credit card rates and the public option in health care legislation (here), Chris Dodd is also doing his best to ensure the safety of our food supply (And tell me why he’s losing to this Rob Simmons guy again? Oh, yeah…he supposedly scored a point higher on a preferred mortgage than anybody else – riiiiight.)

Well, in case anyone needs a history lesson as to how much the FDA treated like a “poor stepchild” by our prior ruling cabal, click here (and to find out more on what the FDA is doing on this score, click here – I must confess to some concerns on Michael Taylor, however, who was named as “food czar” last July, based on this.)

Also, consider this a case study of the right-wing echo chamber at work, people; as TPM noted here…

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has strong words for the Republicans opposing Attorney General Eric Holder's plan to bring five 9/11 suspects to New York City to face trial.

"They see this as an opportunity to demagogue," he said. "They will seize on any opportunity to do that, and that means they'll even take a stand that's un-American."

"It's un-American to hold anyone indefinitely without trial," Moran added. "It's against our principles as a nation."

And now, that quote was used to concoct the following, as Think Progress tells us here…

Former Bush attorney general Michael Mukasey is one of the Republicans who has been speaking out against Holder. Last week at a Federalist Society conference, Mukasey said that holding the trial in Manhattan increased the risk of a terrorist attack on the city.

In an interview with Washington Times radio this morning, the hosts asked Mukasey about Moran’s comments. Mukasey responded by suggesting that the congressman “get professional help” from Maj. Nidal Hasan:

Q: Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia says anybody that questions KSM coming to New York City for a civilian trial — that they’re un-American. What is your reaction to that?

MUKASEY: I think he’s lost touch with reality. He ought to get professional help, perhaps from Maj. Nidal.

Ha and ha (typical for the Moonie Times, of course; also, I always wondered on what basis Mukasey was given this “cred” as AG aside from the fact that he wasn’t the hopelessly compromised hack that Alberto Gonzales was, since Mukasey was every bit as political as anybody else in that regime).

So, Moran’s statement that it’s “un-American to hold anyone indefinitely without trial,” morphs into it’s “un-American for anyone to question whether KSM should be tried in New York City.”

It would be amazing if it weren’t so disgusting (though, to be fair, Moran has been known to shoot his mouth off from time to time, as noted here).

However, do you know where else it is stated that, under our legal system, defendants are entitled to a speedy trial?

Right here, in the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, that’s where.

Of course, I would understand why Mukasey would be ignorant of anything pertaining to the Constitution, since, as noted here, he supported Section 215 of The Patriot Act (and as noted here in an updated link to the '07 post, Section 215 basically makes a mockery of the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments also).

Oh, and for good measure, Bill Kristol criticizes Holder’s “tinny bravado” for choosing to try KSM in New York City here.

And in response, I give you The Rude Pundit (here)…

Still, no one out-wrongs or out-pussies Bill Kristol, and The Weekly Standard editor, who, one should always be reminded, was Alan Keyes's presidential campaign manager, didn't disappoint. Also on Fox, he repeated what is becoming a mantra of the right on Mohammed: "There are huge problems with this. These guys were not given their Miranda warnings...[W]here was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed arrested? In Pakistan in a pre-dawn raid. He wasn't read his rights."

Oh, calm down, Nancy. Mohammed was captured in Pakistan. The most stomach-churningly charitable reading of his torture and treatment for years at Gitmo is that he was like a detained suspect in a crime who is questioned before being formally arrested. That's the whole "enemy combatant" status thing. You can pretty much bet that he'll be Mirandized once he's officially under arrest, if he hasn't already. But, no, don't let that stop another talking point that sounds like it's from an episode of Law and Order: STFU.

I couldn’t have said it better.

Finally, former Laura Bush employee Andrew Malcolm was apparently looking forward to Oprah’s interview with Sarah Palin (her again!) yesterday, but was upset by the appearance of porn actress Jenna Jameson instead (here)…

Oprah's guest clearly rejected the idea of wearing a confining pantsuit in public. Her short skirt went right up there around Nebraska. The hair hung down to the Dakotas. And Oprah's questioning seemed a little off-target too for a political interview.

The two women got along well, though. Then, they hit on some puzzlingly explicit topics that you don't normally hear much of in interviews of unindicted politicians.

The guest had written a book a while back called "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star," which wasn't exactly the title we had expected based on the advance publicity for the former Republican VP candidate.

(You’d truly have to be a curmudgeon to claim disappointment with “only” having to settle for Jameson, I believe, who at least is a subject matter expert in her chosen field.)

And “How To Make Love Like A Porn Star” – now why does that sound familiar?

Oh, I know why! It’s because, as Frank Rich noted here in a New York Times column from about five years ago, it was published by News Corp.

And you know who owns News Corp, don’t you? Rupert The Pirate (aaaarrrggh, me hearties!), that’s who.

Just remember that the next time you hear about “family values” from Fix Noise (another Murdoch creation, of course), as in this example.

Tuesday Stuff

I keep telling myself that people get Stephen Colbert's jokes, and nobody thinks he's actually serious - hope I'm right...

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Skeletons in the Closet
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor U.S. Speedskating

...and that skyline looks familiar, but apparently, these dudes are from Tennessee.