typical bush

Bush’s last-minute rule gutting worker protections may violate his own guidelines.

The Labor Department is attempting to complete a rule which “would add a step to the lengthy process of developing standards to protect workers’ health” and would thus make it more difficult to regulate toxic substances and chemicals that affect workers on the job. The New York Times notes that this proposal may violate the White House’s own memorandum:

The timing of the proposal appears to violate a memorandum issued in early May by Joshua B. Bolten, the White House chief of staff. “Except in extraordinary circumstances,” Mr. Bolten wrote, “regulations to be finalized in this administration should be proposed no later than June 1, 2008, and final regulations should be issued no later than Nov. 1, 2008.”

The proposal is “one of about 20 highly contentious rules the Bush administration is planning to issue in its final weeks.” For more on Bush’s last-minute regulations and proposals, read ThinkProgress’s report, “Bush’s Backward Sprint To The Finish.”

(Think Progress)

even bush officials are already impresssed by Obama

Former Bush adviser: Obama’s cabinet is ‘Much less ideological than George Bush’s cabinet.’

On ABC’s This Week today, former Bush strategist Matthew Dowd marveled at President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet choices, saying that Obama will have “one of the most pragmatic, least ideological cabinets that we’ve seen in a long time.” Dowd noted that this contrasted with how his former boss picked his staff when he first entered office:

DOWD: Much less ideological than George Bush’s cabinet when he appointed it, when he first came into office. People that have disagreements. He has disagreements with his potential Secretary of State. He has disagreements with the person that’s going to run his Pentagon. It’s an amazing thing he has done that.

It shouldn’t be surprising that Obama is more open to appointing “people that have disagreements” than Bush was. As Bob Woodward has noted, Bush has often shown “a lack of interest in open debate.”

(Think Progress)

Kristol is an ass

Kristol Calls On Bush To Pardon Torturers And Wiretappers, Reward Them With Medal Of Freedom
(Think Progress)

maybe he means "our" as in his, not the country's

Rove: We Don’t Need A Change In Our Health Care System
(Think Progress)
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He, like the rest of the bush administration, really is out of touch, isn't he?

Iraqis really want us out

Iraqi parliament approves new security pact.
(Think Progress)
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This means we may still be there for 3 more years, which is ridiculous, but hopefully we will be downsizing over those 3 years and changing our priorities.

hopefully the Dems will call his bluff

Turley: By Refusing To Pardon Torture Officials, Bush Is Allowing Democrats To Repair His Legacy

Last night on MSNBC Rachel Maddow highlighted a report from the Wall Street Journal that said that President Bush is unlikely to pardon any officials involved in engineering or executing the Bush administration’s torture program. According to the Wall Street Journal report, the White House believes that the Justice Department’s torture memos give the officials all the legal cover they need.

Maddow’s guest, constitutional legal scholar Jonathan Turley, said that he also believes that Bush is unlikely to pardon his torture officials, but for reasons that have little to do with the torture memos:

TURLEY: What the administration is doing is they know that the people that want him to pardon our torture program is primarily the Democrats, not the Republicans. The Democratic leadership would love to have a pardon so they could go to their supporters and say, “Look, there’s really nothing we could do.”

Well, the Bush administration is calling their bluff. They know that the Democratic leadership will not allow criminal investigations or indictments.

Turley explained that without the pardons, Bush is clearing the way for Democrats to repair the president’s torture legacy. Bush will be “able to say there’s nothing stopping indictments or prosecutions but a Democratic Congress and a Democratic White House didn’t think there was any basis for it,” Turley said.

(Think Progress)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am SO thankful that we are getting rid of the turkey in the White House and the country and the world will once again have a real chance at survival and positive change.

There are no words to describe the gratitude and relief that we will once again have an intelligent, thoughtful, reasonable leader, who actually wants to lead a united country instead of a divided one.

Let's hope that that next Thanksgiving we have even more to be thankful for!

couldn't happen to a more deserving "person"

Ann Coulter's jaw wired shut

From Page Six:

We hear... THAT although we didn't think it would be possible to silence Ann Coulter, the leggy reaction- ary broke her jaw and the mouth that roared has been wired shut.

(Americablog)

fanning a non-existant "controversy"

NRA Propaganda At Nation’s Largest Gun Show: Obama Is An ‘Enemy Of Your Gun Rights’
(Think Progress)

hopefully, this really will be the policy

Obama on ‘the new way of doing business’: ‘When we make mistakes, we admit them.’
(Think Progress)
---
This was a joke about something inconsequential, but wouldn't it be amazing to have a government that really did admit mistakes? And then try to fix them? How refreshing would that be for our country and the world?!

rove the comedian

Rove: ‘Policy Won Out’ Over Politics In The Bush White House
(Think Progress)

fighting bigotry

Florida judge strikes down ban on gay adoptions.

Today, a Florida judge ruled that the state’s strict law banning the adoption of children by same-sex couples is unconstitutional. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman rejected the state’s arguments that there is “a supposed dark cloud hovering over homes of homosexuals and their children.” She noted that gay people are allowed to be foster parents, adding, “There is no rational basis to prohibit gay parents from adopting.” Florida was the only state with an outright ban, although Utah “bans any unmarried straight or gay couples from adopting or fostering children. Mississippi bans gay couples, but not single gays, from adopting.”

(Think Progress)

no matter what, it is the Dems fault!

Norquist: ‘The Economy’s In The Present State’ Because Democrats Took Control Of Congress In 2006
(Think Progress)
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Gawd, these people are pathetic...

haha

Fox News shut out at Obama press conferences.

Fishbowl DC notes that Fox News has not been allowed to ask a question at any of the four press conferences that Barack Obama has held since winning the election.

Update - Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs insists that there's "nothing nefarious" going on. "I would tell them, get a good question and stay tuned," Gibbs said of Fox News.

Update - The Washington Times reports that Obama has granted "an unprecedented bit of access for reporters who have grown accustomed to President Bush's infrequent moments taking questions and already surpassing the last four presidents-in-waiting."

(Think Progress)

bush just can't stop being embarassing

White House sends out Christmas-themed Hanukkah invitations.
(Think Progress)

Obama doing more than bush without even being in power

Obama reassures nervous nation on ailing economy

CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama sought to reassure the nation and nervous holiday shoppers about the ailing economy Wednesday as beleaguered stores braced for their most important month of the year.

"Help is on the way," he proclaimed at his third news briefing on the economy this week. Fifty-five days away from taking office, he declared he would have an economic plan ready for action "starting day one."

Investors' improved spirits kept pace. The Dow Jones industrials climbed 247 points, marking the first time since last spring that the average had risen for four straight sessions.

---

From Think Progress:

What’s on tap today: Obama to address economy, Bush to pardon turkey.

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Fox losing even it's mildest "liberal"

Alan Colmes To Leave "Hannity & Colmes"
(Huffington Post)
More from the NY Times:
Hannity to Go It Alone, Without Colmes
---
Oh, that "fair & balanced" Fox!

more solid picks from Obama

Obama to appoint Melody Barnes as head of Domestic Policy Council.

Later today, President-elect Barack Obama will announce that our friend and former colleague Melody Barnes will be named as Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. The Council “coordinates the domestic policy-making process in the White House and offers policy advice to the President.” In her new role, Melody will be working with allies such as incoming HHS Secretary Tom Daschle to bring about comprehensive health care reform. Her policy portfolio will include issues such as education, immigration, criminal justice, and other domestic issues. Melody was a former Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress, and previously served as Senior Domestic Policy Advisor for the campaign and as co-chair of the Agency Review Working Group for the transition.

(Think Progress)

Obama To Name Desiree Rogers White House Social Secretary

Prominent Chicago businesswoman Desiree Rogers will be named the White House social secretary, according to a series of news reports. The 49-year-old Harvard MBA will be the first African-American to hold the post.

From the Washington Post:

Rogers, 49, is a friend of Michelle and President-elect Barack Obama's, and a leader in Chicago corporate and civic circles; her appointment signals that the first couple consider the job crucial to how they introduce themselves to the country and the globe. She was a major fundraiser for Obama.

"This appointment sends a strong message that the Obamas want to use the White House strategically, to maximize its use in a way that is consistent with their philosophy -- [to] open it to a broader range of people, " said Valerie Jarrett, an Obama intimate and friend of Rogers's who also will work in the White House. "Desirée is a heavy hitter -- she comes with her own range of contacts from around the country. She's close to Michelle and she knows everyone who will be working in the West Wing, so she will be able to create a synergy."

Rogers will join the White House from Allstate Financial, where she was creating a social network of clients and consumers. She was previously the president of Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas.

(Huffington Post)

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Besides picking qualified people, from a strictly superficial point of view, is he picking a much better looking cabinet than we've ever had?!

is this really a news story?

Oh No!

Gasp!

President-elect Barack Obama has yet to attend church services since winning the White House earlier this month, a departure from the example of his two immediate
predecessors.

On the three Sundays since his election, Obama has instead used his free time to get in workouts at a Chicago gym.

And if you think it's important for a President-elect to make a public show of attending church, just remember that:

On his first day as president-elect, following weeks of Florida recounts and court hearings, Bush went to church with his wife, Laura...During the service, the Rev. Mark Craig, senior pastor at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, told Bush, "You have been chosen by God to lead the people."

'Nuff said.

(Daily Kos)
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Do people really care about something as trivial as this?

Good!

Foes of stem cell research now face tough battle

WASHINGTON – When the Bush presidency ends, opponents of embryonic stem cell research will face a new political reality that many feel powerless to stop.

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to lift restrictions on federal money for such research. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also has expressed interest in going ahead with legislation in the first 100 days of the new Congress if it still is necessary to set up a regulatory framework.

"We may lose it, but we're going to continually fight it and offer the ethical alternative," said Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa. "I don't know what the votes will be in the new Congress ... but it's very possible we could lose this thing."

Stem cells are the building blocks that turn into different kinds of tissue. Embryonic stem cells,e unlike more mature versions, are blank slates. If scientists could control them, they could direct regenerative therapy, perhaps allowing a diabetic's pancreas to begin produce insulin, for example.

Harvesting stem cells from four- or five-day-old embryos kills the embryo, which outrages opponents of this type of research. But supporters say hundreds of thousands of embryos stored in fertility clinics eventually will be destroyed anyway and that people should be allowed to donate them for research that could help others.

"I believe that it is ethical to use these extra embryos for research that could save lives when they are freely donated for that express purpose," Obama wrote during the campaign in response to 14 questions from scientists, doctors and engineers.
---
But Sean Tipton, director of public affairs at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, took aim at those arguments.

"It's a little disingenuous for opponents who have effectively blocked federal funding of the work to then cite a lack of progress," Tipton said. "You hold someone at the starting line then you criticize them for not getting very far."
---
Dang also said these embryos would otherwise be discarded.

"The question is: Is it ethically more acceptable to destroy these embryos by pouring acid on them, or do you deploy these clusters of cells to create new cell lines that could benefit us in the future?"

---
It will be so nice to have a president that does not oppose scientific research that will better mankind, especially when the opposition is based on absurd religious beliefs and non-existant "logic". I find it fascinating that these opponents have no answer to the question of why it is better to outright destroy these unused embryos rather than use them to help mankind.

Obama already more effective than bush

Obama to introduce his economic team today

CHICAGO – Eager to calm economic anxieties, President-elect Barack Obama is rolling out an economic vision that will require congressional cooperation even before he settles into his new desk in the White House's Oval Office.

Obama will introduce his new economic leadership team Monday, a key step toward enacting a huge new economic recovery plan that aims to save or create 2.5 million jobs over the next two years.

The plan is likely to far exceed the $175 billion Obama proposed during the campaign. It would include an infusion of money for infrastructure projects, new environmental technologies and tax cuts for low- and middle-income taxpayers. It will not call for tax hikes for the wealthy.

Obama aides on Sunday called on the new Congress to pass by the Jan. 20 inauguration legislation that meets Obama's two-year goal of saving or creating 2.5 million jobs. Democratic congressional leaders said they would get to work when Congress convenes Jan. 6 with bigger Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

With the wounded economy worsening, the Obama team's new assertiveness was a recognition he needed to soothe financial markets with signs of leadership. It also foreshadowed a more hands-on role by Obama to influence congressional action during the final weeks of the transition.

Heading his economic team will be Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary and Lawrence Summers as head of the National Economic Council. Obama also has settled on New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as his commerce secretary.

---

continued horror in Iraq

Baghdad bombs kill 20, 1 hits Green Zone entry

BAGHDAD – A female suicide bomber blew herself up near an entrance to the U.S.-protected Green Zone and a bomb tore through a minibus carrying Iraqi government employees in separate attacks on Monday that killed at least 20 people, Iraqi officials said.

Three more people were killed in bomb attacks on police patrols in Baghdad and Baqouba, northeast of the capital, police said.

The violence came as Iraqi lawmakers prepared for a vote Wednesday on a security pact with the United States that would enable American forces to stay in Iraq for up to three more years under strict Iraqi oversight.

The Interior Ministry said it was stepping up security in the capital in response to the attacks. Additional measures included putting more undercover agents on the streets, it said in a statement.

---

Obama has real plans to help this country

Obama economic plan aims for 2.5M new jobs by 2011



Good. At this point, we need big plans and a vision. People need to think, to know, that their president is in charge and he's going to make sure everything turns out all right. The era of My Pet Goat is over.

President-elect Barack Obama promoted an economic plan Saturday he said would create 2.5 million jobs by rebuilding roads and bridges and modernizing schools while developing alternative energy sources and more efficient cars.

"These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis. These are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long," Obama said in the weekly Democratic radio address.

The goal is to it quickly through Congress, with help from both parties, after Obama takes office Jan. 20. The plan, which envisions those new jobs by January 2011, is "big enough to meet the challenges we face," he said.

(Americablog)

what reality do these people live in?

George Will: ‘The First New Deal Didn’t Work’
(Think Progress)

why is this guy even still around?

Lieberman refuses to apologize: ‘You can take from the word “regret” what you will.’
(Think Progress)

i can't wait to be finished with this embarassment

Woodward: Bush ‘Doesn’t Like Homework,’ Which Means ‘Reading,’ ‘Getting Briefed’ Or ‘Having A Debate"

On the Chris Matthews Show today, Matthews argued that one of the major differences between President Bush and President-elect Barack Obama is the fact that Obama is intellectually curious. As an example of Bush’s lack of intellectual curiosity, Matthews played a 2004 clip of Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward saying on 60 Minutes that Bush “is not an intellectual” or what “would be called a deep thinker.”

Asked by Matthews to explain why Bush “shows little intellectual curiosity,” Woodward said it was essentially because Bush “doesn’t like homework”:

WOODWARD: I think he’s impatient. I think, my summation: He doesn’t like homework. And homework means reading or getting briefed or having a debate. And part of the presidency, part of governing, particularly in this area, is homework, homework, homework.

Woodward, who has written four books on the Bush White House, has reported multiple instances in which Bush has put his distaste for homework on display. In 2004, Woodward told PBS’s Frontline about how Bush describes himself as “a gut player” who doesn’t “play by the book“:

QUESTION: What does that tell us about this president, how his mind works and how he functions as an executive? …

WOODWARD: Bush looks at problems. And he told me, he said: “I’m a gut player. I play by instincts. I don’t play by the book.”

In his most recent book, Woodward reported that Bush actually bragged about not attending meetings where key decisions about the surge were made, telling Woodward, “I’m not in these meetings, you’ll be happy to hear, because I got other things to do.” Woodward has said that in his eyes, Bush has “often displayed impatience and a lack of interest in open debate.”

(Think Progress)

classy repugs

Freedom’s Watch attacks Democratic Senate candidate whose daughter was kidnapped as being soft on crime.
(Think Progress)

that's dedication

Chambliss Skips Vote On Unemployment Benefits While Giving A Campaign Speech On Unemployment
(Think Progress)

good news, but isn't this a bit silly?

Dow soars after news that Obama's new Treasury Secretary is Timothy Geithner: “The markets are applauding change."
(Americablog)
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The way the markets are fluctuating at every little announcement (not that this is a "little" announcement) is freakin' absurd. People need to calm down a little!

the massive power of the "liberal media" (which rarely shows its face)

O’Reilly: Internet has a well-known liberal bias.

Summoning the mythical boogeyman of the Fairness Doctrine — which would require broadcasters to provide a variety of political views on publicly-owned airwaves — Fox News host Bill O’Reilly warned last night that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “wants total control” over radio airwaves and would seek to reinstate the policy. He claimed that the media features far more liberal voices than conservative, citing newspapers, NPR, and…the Internet:

O’REILLY: A good case can be made there are more liberal voices in the media than conservative voices. The newspaper industry is certainly left. So is the Internet. NBC News almost completely liberal. So is PBS, so is NPR.

Just seconds later, O’Reilly contradicted his fearmongering: “The good news is the Fairness Doctrine will never happen.”

(Think Progress)
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NBC News? The newspaper industry?! The Internet?!?!?
Damn, we're way more powerful than I ever thought!! Why is it so difficult to find any news reporting that isn't far-right biased then? Is it all a trick so that no one suspects that they are all really "liberals"?!

more good choices

Reports: Clinton accepts Secretary of State nomination; Geithner and Richardson also likely cabinet choices.

The New York Times reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) “has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state.” According to MSNBC, it is “also expected Monday” that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson will be named Commerce Secretary,” and New York Fed President Tim Geithner is expected to be announced as Treasury Secretary, “barring last minute changes.”

(Think Progress)
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While retaining some figures from the past, this is shaping up to be a talented, diverse cabinet. Let's hope that they're up for the tough job ahead!

delusional or lying? bush's human rights record nothing to be proud of

State Dept: Bush’s Record On ‘Pushing For Human Rights’ Is As Good As Any Other President Or Country

Today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Libyan leader Moamer Gadhafi’s son, Seif al-Islam. In a press briefing yesterday leading up to the meeting, reporters pressed State Dept. spokesperson Sean McCormack on whether Rice would urge Libya to release Libyan activist Fathi al-Jahmi, a political prisoner who is gravely ill.

McCormack offered a defensive response: “I have to make it very clear we are concerned not only about Mr. al-Jahmi’s case, but other human rights cases around the world.” McCormack also claimed that President Bush’s human rights record could perhaps be the best in American history:

McCORMACK: And — and one thing I do take exception to is the idea that somehow we are not attentive to pushing the issue of human rights, whether it’s in Libya or any place else around the world. I don’t think — I would put the record of this administration up against any American administration or any other government around the world in terms of promoting universal human rights and pushing for human rights.

Under the Bush administration, the world has witnessed torture, rendition, and the revocation of habeas corpus rights. Amnesty International’s 2008 report rips the United States’s human rights record, citing the following Bush policies:

– Indefinite military detention

– Torture of detainees

– Imprisoning soldiers refusing to serve in Iraq on grounds of conscience.

– Government response to Hurricane Katrina

In 2005, the Center on Democratic Performance at Binghamton University gave Bush a “D” on human rights. The “D” grade was down from a “C” in 2004, due to “reports on the use of political detention without trial, torture of political detainees, and the use of secret detention of political prisoners.” Bush’s record is nothing to be proud of.

(Think Progress)

repugs continue to be pro-business, anti-worker and anti-environment

Conservatives Blame CAFE Standards For Auto Industry’s Troubles

As the CEOs of Detroit’s Big Three automakers pleaded for a $25 billion bailout from Congress this week, conservatives have been looking for an easy culprit to blame for the auto industry’s seeming collapse. First it was the unions. Now conservatives have turned their attention to the modest fuel economy (CAFE) standards — fleetwide average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020 — imposed in last year’s Energy Independence and Security Act. Last night on Fox News, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney echoed other conservatives in pointing the finger at the fuel economy changes:
–
MITT ROMNEY: Well, government did [cause a lot of this]. There’s no question but that the CAFE standards have put an unusual burden on the domestic automobile manufacturers. And our energy policies as a country continue to put burdens on domestic manufacturers. That’s just — that’s reality. [11/19/08]

– WILLIAM KRISTOL: Well, one problem with the auto industry is we have been telling them how to operate an awful lot, you know, in terms of CAFE standards and other things, probably which should not have been most — may have been the most — not the most intelligent way to help that industry. [11/16/08]

– SEAN HANNITY: They [the government] — you know, between the unions, between trade policy, safety standards, CAFE standards, you know, economy, fuel economy standards, they’re forcing these auto companies to be in a position where they’re not as competitive. [11/14/08]

Last year’s stonewalling attempts by the auto industry notwithstanding, improving fuel economy is not difficult for the Big Three. As the Sierra Club explained in 2006, “The technology exists today to make all new vehicles average 40 miles per gallon within ten years.” A 2002 report by the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems of the National Research Council found that technologies existed then that “would significantly reduce fuel consumption within 15 years” — technologies that manufacturers were “already offering or introducing” in overseas markets.

What’s more, those existing technologies would hardly bankrupt the auto industry. NPR reported that technologies to raise fuel-efficiency “to around 33 mpg across the fleet pay for themselves within three to four years.” Indeed, Tom Cole of the Center for Automotive Research, said that with only about $1,000 worth of changes, “a conventional, gas-powered car could go 25 percent farther on a single gallon of gas.” The Union of Concerned Scientists designed its own highly efficient SUV comparable to the Ford Explorer that doubled its fuel economy (from 17 mpg to 30 mpg). The lifetime fuel savings paid back the additional technology cost of $2,560 in less than three years.

The auto industry’s problems have far more to do with the lack of universal health care in America than they do with fuel economy requirements. For General Motors, health care costs add $1,525 to the price of every car that leaves the lot; the company estimates that it spent $5.2 billion on health care benefits in 2004, more than it paid for steel.

(Think Progress)
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I really don't get it - does anyone actually think that fuel effeciency, especially since we know that fossil fuels are finite, is a bad thing? I just don't understand pro-business stances that are anti-world...

think this is a good choice

Obama plans to nominate Clinton for top diplomat

WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama plans to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving, a new milestone for the former first lady and a convergence of two political forces who fought hard for the presidency.

One week after the former primary rivals met secretly to discuss the idea of Clinton becoming the nation's top diplomat, an Obama adviser said Thursday that the two sides were moving quickly toward making it a reality, barring any unforeseen problems.

The senior adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity because the president-elect is not prepared to officially announce the nomination, said Obama believes Clinton would bring instant stature and credibility to U.S. diplomatic relations.

---
These leaks are getting silly though. I wish they would just wait until something was confirmed before releasing the news. Certainly makes the official announcement a bit anti-climactic.

trying to repair bush's economy

Bush signs jobless benefits extension

WASHINGTON – With no end in sight to economic bad news, President George W. Bush on Friday ensured that millions of laid-off workers will keep getting their unemployment checks as the year-end holidays approach.

Bush signed an extension of jobless benefits into law just before 8 a.m., as he was preparing to leave the White House for a morning flight to Lima, Peru, to attend the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Congressional leadership rushed the bill to the White House after it was approved Thursday to make the unusually quick bill signing possible before Bush left the country.

Later Friday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is expected to formally approve a plan to provide insurance for loans between banks for more than three years, guaranteeing the new debt in the event the issuing bank failed or its holding company filed for bankruptcy. The guarantees under the program, part of the government's financial rescue plan aimed at breaking the crippling logjam in bank-to-bank lending, could reach as much as $1.4 trillion.

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they can't wait to be rid of us

Iraqi Shiites burn Bush effigy to protest US pact

BAGHDAD – Thousands of followers of a radical Shiite cleric protested a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security deal Friday, burning an effigy of President George W. Bush in the same square where Iraqis beat a toppled Saddam Hussein statue five years ago.

Chanting and waving flags, Muqtada al-Sadr's followers filled Firdous Square to protest the pact that would allow American troops to stay for three more years.

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bush continuing to do his best to destroy the planet before Obama has a chance to fix anything

Perino: The Endangered Species Act ‘Doesn’t Help Support Any Species, Including Our Own’

The Associated Press reports today that, as part of its long-fought campaign to gut the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Bush administration is pushing a last-minute regulatory change that would significantly weaken the ESA:

The rules would eliminate the input of federal wildlife scientists in some endangered species cases, [by allowing] the federal agency in charge of building, authorizing or funding a project to determine for itself whether a project would be likely to harm endangered wildlife and plants.
---
More disturbing, however, is how widespread the last-minute assault on the federal government’s environmental regulatory structure has become. The White House’s other last minute initiatives include:

– Eliminating environmental reviews of fishing regulations. A rule change proposed by National Marine Fisheries Service would repeal a requirement that “environmental impact statements be prepared for certain fisheries-management decisions.” Instead, the government would “give review authority to regional councils dominated by commercial and recreational fishing interests.”

– Allowing more emissions from power plants. Over the objections of half of its 10 regional administrators, the Environmental Protection Agency is “finalizing new air-quality rules that would make it easier to build coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and other major polluters near national parks and wilderness areas” by weakening the Clean Air Act.

– Opening protected wilderness areas to energy development. Despite being blocked by “federal court and administrative rulings,” the Bureau of Land Management is “reviving plans to sell oil and gas leases in pristine wilderness areas in eastern Utah that have long been protected from development.”

As Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, told the Wall Street Journal, “This administration will stop at nothing to jam through as many reckless proposals as they can before the clock runs out.”

(Think Progress)

blaming the economic crisis on a myth

WSJ columnist blames financial crisis on the War on Christmas.

In his Wall Street Journal column today, Daniel Henninger argues that the “unprecedented economic ruin” that many Americans are facing is a casualty of the War on Christmas because “a nation whose people can’t say ‘Merry Christmas’ is a nation capable of ruining its own economy”:

Notwithstanding the cardboard Santas who seem to have arrived in stores this year near Halloween, the holiday season starts in seven days with Thanksgiving. And so it will come to pass once again that many people will spend four weeks biting on tongues lest they say “Merry Christmas” and perchance, give offense. Christmas, the holiday that dare not speak its name.

This year we celebrate the desacralized “holidays” amid what is for many unprecedented economic ruin — fortunes halved, jobs lost, homes foreclosed. People wonder, What happened? One man’s theory: A nation whose people can’t say “Merry Christmas” is a nation capable of ruining its own economy.

After cataloging a series of complex economic factors that do relate to the financial crisis, Henninger concludes that what really went wrong is that “the steady secularizing and insistent effort at dereligioning America” led to “subprime personal behavior by borrowers and bankers.”

(Think Progress)
---
These people just get crazier and crazier every day!
This non-existant "war on Xmas" that disregards the fact that we have had Xmas decorations in stores since before Halloween, somehow has affected our economy to the point of recession?

Do they even make an attempt at logic anymore?

boggling

‘Joe the Plumber’ looks to cash in on his 15 minutes of fame.

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber,” has signed a deal to write a new book entitled “Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream.” To capitalize on his recent fame, Wurzelbacher is planning to release it on Dec. 1 – less than two weeks from now. The New York Times reports that the book “will address Mr. Wurzelbacher’s ideas about American values.” Wurzelbacher, who had failed to pay his taxes and wasn’t licensed as a plumber, revealed during the campaign that he was once on welfare but is opposed to welfare programs. He also said, “Social Security’s a joke.”

(Think Progress)
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Who would buy this? From his appearances with McCain & Palin, he doesn't seem the brightest bulb in the box. How does anyone care what he thinks? Does anyone actually care?

This was truly one of the most bizarre campaigns ever. This clown who tried a "gotcha" question on Obama only to later admit that he would be better off - even in his fictional scenario - under Obama's tax plans and was still used as a symbol for the repugs for some unknown reason. I guess because they never let reality interfer with their rantings.

This combines with the Palin fiasco and McCain's erratic behavior really made it look like they were trying to throw the election. How anyone voted for them escapes me...

Senate honoring a convicted felon

Senate Throws Good-Bye Party For Ted Stevens, Gives Convicted Felon A Standing Ovation
(Think Progress)

Iraqis make their wishes clear

Iraqi version of SOFA called a ‘withdrawal accord.’

Late last month during the heated negotiations over the U.S.-Iraq security agreement, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took issue with the pact’s terminology. “We don’t call it a security pact but an agreement to withdraw the troops and organize their activities during the period of their presence in Iraq,” Maliki said. Now that an agreement has been reached, which includes a mandate for all U.S. troops to leave Iraq by the end of 2011, Maliki’s terminology has been made official:

The Bush administration had sought a conventional status of forces agreement that would provide a semi-permanent basis for stationing troops in Iraq, while Obama campaigned on promises to withdraw all combat troops within 16 months of his inauguration. The Arabic language version calls the final agreement a withdrawal accord.

(Think Progress)

more Obama cabinet speculation

Dems: Napolitano emerges for Homeland Security job

WASHINGTON – Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, an early Barack Obama supporter from the southwestern part of the country, is the likely choice for the job of secretary of homeland security, a top Obama adviser said Thursday.

---

damn ballsy

John McCain: Jackson Browne Used Me

John McCain is returning Jackson Browne's August lawsuit complaining about McCain using his song "Running on Empty" during his campaign by claiming Browne is just trying drum up publicity for his own album, reports TMZ.

McCain's lawyers filed a response, saying Jackson complained so he could get press to promote his new album, which came out a month later.

J-Mac also makes the argument he could use the tune whenever and where he wants because he was running for Prez, not trying to make a buck off it. If the court buys this "political speech as public interest" claim, it pretty much means curtains for a bunch of other musicians who were PO'd about their songs being used by the GOP.

The list of other acts mad at McCain for playing their songs includes Van Halen, Heart, Foo Fighters and more.

(Huffington Post)
---
It was bad enough that McCain used people's music - who hated what he stood for - without permission (illegally) but now he has the audacity to claim that the musicians were using him?!

Wow....

if this ain't a landslide, what is?

President-elect Obama Now Over 67 Million Votes...

...and John McCain under 46%. Here's where the numbers stand right now:

Obama: 67,065,042 (52.7%, 365 EVs)
McCain: 58,420,587 (45.9%, 162 EVs)

Barack Obama's margin of victory has grown from 5% to 7% and his vote total has swelled by 12.6 million (compared with 8.5 million for John McCain).

The crazy thing is, it's still growing, bit by bit.

(Daily Kos)

the lies get more and more blatant

Michelle Bachmann denies saying she wanted the media to investigate members of Congress who might be anti-American
(Crooks and Liars)
---
Even faced with the tape of her words, she denies she said them!
Kinda amazing, in a way. A deluded and twisted way, but still...

another Obama appointee

Reports: Daschle accepts job as HHS Secretary.

Roll Call reports that Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), who is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, “has been offered the job of Health and Human Services secretary by President-elect Barack Obama and has accepted the job.” Daschle is also set to take on the position of “health care czar” in the Obama White House. CNN’s Ed Henry is also reporting he negotiated the “health care czar” position in order to be “the point person on all White House health-related issues.”

(Think Progress)

saying something does not make it true

Kristol: Americans Have Seen ‘Plenty Of Coffins’ From The Iraq War
(Think Progress)

because people are usually grateful for being invaded

National Review writer: ‘Iraqis remain ingrates.’
(Think Progress)
---
What reality do these people live in? I know I ask that a lot, but it deserves to be asked repeatedly.

she can't help being unethical!

New ethics complaint filed against Palin.

A resident of Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-AK) hometown of Wasilla filed a new ethics complaint against the governor, arguing that her recent media blitz broke state ethics rules because portions of the interviews took place in the governor’s office. The Anchorage Daily News reports:

Jane Henning, a North Slope worker from Wasilla, said he filed the complaint with the attorney general. He says Palin is promoting her future political career on state property, pointing in particular to the governor’s Nov. 10 interview with Fox News Channel host Greta Van Susteren. […]

“The governor is using her official position and office in an attempt to repair her damaged political image on the national scene,” Henning wrote.

The state executive branch ethics rules say officials can’t use state resources to help or hurt a political candidate. Or a potential candidate.

(Think Progress)

um, why?

Perino: Obama ‘Should Want’ Bush’s Political Appointees In His Administration
(Think Progress)

what?!

Huckabee Claims Civil Rights Of Gays Are Not Being Violated: They Aren’t Getting Their ‘Skulls Cracked’
(Think Progress)

whoo-hoo!

Ted Stevens loses Alaska Senate election.

The AP reports:

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has lost his bid for a seventh term.

The longest-serving Republican in the history of the Senate trailed Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by 3,724 votes after Tuesday’s count.

That’s an insurmountable lead with only about 2,500 overseas ballots left to be counted.

In their GOP conference meeting today, Senate Republicans punted on whether to formally kick Stevens out of their caucus.

(Think Progress)

---

Another one for our side! (And for the country!)

no one can effectively explain why but...

Lieberman survives.
(Daily Kos)

welcome back Sen Kennedy!

Sen. Kennedy returns to work in the Senate

Sen. Ted Kennedy returned to Senate today after spending the past few months recovering from surgery for a brain tumor. Kennedy suffered a seizure six months ago today.

In a statement, Kennedy thanked supporters. "I am grateful for the prayers and good wishes I've received over the past several months."

The Senator took several questions on healthcare reform. "I'm very hopeful that this will be a prime item on the agenda. Barack has indicated this will be prime issue and I believe that it will be," said Kennedy.

(Crooks and Liars)

Obama's committment to equal rights

Great list of commitments from Obama on his civil rights page at Change.gov

Reader Heidi tipped us off that nearly half the page is dedicated to the civil rights battle of gay and lesbian Americans. Not too shabby. Of course, our job is to hold him to his commitments, blah blah blah, and that's true. But coming out of the box with a strong commitment to all of civil rights is a very good thing. He includes a great quote:

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

(Americablog)

cons really need to come up with new demons - the old ones don't work anymore

Conservative Politicians Misleadingly Blame Labor Unions For Detroit’s Woes
(Think Progress)

Fox actually does the right thing

Terrorist fist jab: 1, E.D. Hill: 0.

In June, Fox News anchor E.D. Hill infamously called a fist pound between Barack and Michelle Obama a “terrorist fist jab.” Hill’s remarks were met with widespread criticism and ridicule, and shortly afterward, Fox canceled her nightly news show. Hill also eventually apologized for her remarks. TVNewser now reports that Fox News has refused to renew Hill’s contract. Hill has been with Fox News for nearly 11 years.

(Think Progress)
---
In a campaign season filled with absurdism and racism, this was one of the most outrageous and ridiculous statements made.
I can't imagine how any professional would ever think that this was even slightly appropriate to say about a presidential nominee, even on Fox.

this sounds mighty defeatist

When Will Obama Give Up the Bin Laden Ghost Hunt?
---
This Time article sounds like it was written by someone in the bush administration!

who would ossibly want to read this?

Palin Book Deal Said To Be Worth $7 Million
(Huffington Post)
---
Of course, this would not be written by her since she cannot construct a coherent sentence, much less a book!
Does anyone really care about the almost-nothing that this woman has done in her life?

WTF?

Gingrich: There is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us"
(Crooks and Liars)
---
These loons never manage to explain how gays are imposing anything on anyone, other than asking for equal rights. There is never an explanation as to how equal rights will negatively affect anyone else.
I guess bigotry requires no explanation...

karma back ta get the bigots

Focus on the Family forced to make layoffs after spending $600,000 to defeat marriage equality.
(Think Progress)
---
hahahaha

and still more lies and fear-mongering

Gun Groups Fearmonger: Obama Is Discriminating Against Firearm Owners
(Think Progress)

yeah, you keep waiting for that

Perle still holding out for ‘George W. Bush Square’ in Baghdad.
(Think Progress)
---
Some people really are divorced from reality, aren't they?

because lies are all they have - a never-ending saga

Gingrich Gets His Facts Wrong, Claims GOP Governors Have Lowest Unemployment In Their Regions
(Think Progress)

Obama still planning on keeping his promises

Obama Pledges To End Torture To Help ‘Regain America’s Moral Stature In The World’
(Think Progress)

out of Iraq by 2011

Iraqi cabinet approves security agreement with firm 2011 withdrawal deadline.
(Think Progress)
And because they can't help themselves, the White House lies about what this means:
White House Falsely Claims Iraq Security Agreement Establishes Only ‘Aspirational’ Withdrawal Deadline
(Think Progress)
Won't it be refreshing to have a president and White House that doesn't automatically lie about everything?

no one wants to "pull a bush"

And the best quote of the day award goes to...

... Nicholas Sarkozy.

Ouch:

Nicolas Sarkozy saved the President of Georgia from being hanged "by the balls" — a threat made last summer by Vladimir Putin, according to an account that emerged yesterday from the Élysée Palace. . . .

The Russian seemed unconcerned by international reaction. "I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls," Mr Putin declared.

Mr Sarkozy thought he had misheard. "Hang him?" — he asked.

"Why not?" Mr Putin replied. "The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein."

Mr Sarkozy, using the familiar tu, tried to reason with him: "Yes but do you want to end up like [President] Bush?"

Mr Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: "Ah -- you have scored a point there."

In other words, Bush has unwittingly left us with a new way to insult people. "Don't pull a Bush."

(Daily Kos)

---

Freakin' hilarious!

ha-ha

Palin left out of RGA leadership.

In the wake of the Republican Governors Association (RGA) convention this week in Miami, many GOP governors were reluctant to embrace Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) as the party’s leader or presidential candidate for 2012. Today, the RGA made that sentiment official, by not voting her in to any of the organization’s leadership positions.

(Think Progress)

Dem wins are making the repugs truly crazy

O’Reilly: Gay marriage will lead to ‘legalizing narcotics, unrestricted abortion, revocation of the Patriot Act.’

Yesterday on The O’Reilly Factor, Bill O’Reilly did a segment on the consternation in California over the Prop. 8 same-sex marriage ban. O’Reilly said Barack Obama’s election has “emboldened secular progressives” on issues like gay marriage. The “cultural war issues,” he said, will only get worse:

O’REILLY: So you can see the debate over gay marriage is now a full fledge national battle. As talking points said last night the election of Barack Obama has emboldened secular progressives who feel it is their time. Gay marriage just the beginning. Other cultural war issues will also be in display very shortly. These include limiting gun possession, legalizing narcotics, unrestricted abortion and the revocation of the Patriot Act.

(Think Progress)

a modern-day president

Obama to use Web videos for presidential address

President-elect Barack Obama plans to tape a weekly address not just for radio listeners, as presidents have for years, but for YouTube Internet viewers, too.
---

On the campaign trail, Obama promised to use the Internet to make his administration more open and interactive, offering a detailed look at what's going on in the White House on a given day or asking people to post comments on his legislative proposals.

The transition team plans to use videos to keep people posted on developments as Obama prepares to take the oath of office, Psaki said.

A two-minute video of Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett is already on the Web page. In it, Jarrett discusses recent staff decisions and the ethics policy in place for the transition.

"We'll be back frequently to give you updates," she tells watchers.

---

Go Obama! Go America!

Obama wins 1 of Nebraska's electoral votes

OMAHA, Neb. – President-elect Barack Obama won one of Nebraska's electoral votes, the first time in history that the state has split its votes and the first time in 44 years that it had given a vote to a Democrat.

----
This is what I mean by real America! People who want what is best for this country.

both would be good for his cabinet

Obama weighs Clinton, Richardson as sec. of state
---

revolting anti-American bigotry

Obama has more threats than other presidents-elect

WASHINGTON – Threats against a new president historically spike right after an election, but from Maine to Idaho law enforcement officials are seeing more against Barack Obama than ever before. The Secret Service would not comment or provide the number of cases they are investigating. But since the Nov. 4 election, law enforcement officials have seen more potentially threatening writings, Internet postings and other activity directed at Obama than has been seen with any past president-elect, said officials aware of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue of a president's security is so sensitive.

Earlier this week, the Secret Service looked into the case of a sign posted on a tree in Vay, Idaho, with Obama's name and the offer of a "free public hanging." In North Carolina, civil rights officials complained of threatening racist graffiti targeting Obama found in a tunnel near the North Carolina State University campus.

And in a Maine convenience store, an Associated Press reporter saw a sign inviting customers to join a betting pool on when Obama might fall victim to an assassin. The sign solicited $1 entries into "The Osama Obama Shotgun Pool," saying the money would go to the person picking the date closest to when Obama was attacked. "Let's hope we have a winner," said the sign, since taken down.

---

weirdly sexually obsessed repugs

Dennis Miller: Liberal women hate Sarah Palin because ‘she has a great sex life.’

On the O’Reilly factor last night, Dennis Miller declared that liberal women hate Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) because “she has a great sex life”:

She’s a great dame. People are fascinated by her because the Left hate her. I think the Left hate her — mostly women on the Left hate her — because to me from outside in it appears that she has a great sex life, all right? I think she has non-neurotic sex with that Todd Palin guy. … I think that snow mobile looks like mechanized foreplay to me and that’s why people are fascinated.

(Think Progress)
----
These people are truly twisted!
Thinking about Palin's sex life is revolting to me - i don't know about anyone else. She's not grotesque, but she's hardly someone that i would fantasize about.
And, I don't know of anyone who hates her, but everyone I know doesn't want her near a position of any real power because she's an unqualified idiot. That's not really that difficult to understand...

Thursday Beagle Blogging

Not sure if I'll be on line tomorrow, so here is Harley "reflecting" on the election!

conflicting reports on Palin

GOP Governors Reluctant To Embrace Palin For 2012: She Is Not ‘The Future Of The Party’
(Think Progress)
---
Obviously, this would be the smarter route for the repugs to take, but if would be far better for the Dems if she did become the face of the repugs. Anyone could be that rambling moron!

oh f'k off racist scumbag

Skinhead charged in Obama plot wants dismissal

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A white supremacist charged with plotting to kill President-elect Barack Obama and other black people wants his indictment dismissed, arguing that the federal grand jury that charged him had too many black members.

Twenty-year-old Daniel Cowart of rural West Tennessee and 18-year-old Paul Schlesselman of Helena-West Helena, Ark., face charges including threatening a presidential candidate and taking firearms across state lines to commit crimes.

Authorities say the pair plotted a robbery and killing spree in which they would murder dozens of black people, including Obama.

Cowart's lawyer filed a petition Thursday seeking to have his client's indictment dismissed.

It argues that the 23-member grand jury that returned the indictment had just two white members and could not have been fair and impartial.

---

now i understand - she's been training to be a comedian!

Palin urges GOP governors to keep Democrats honest
---
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
Repugs keep Dems honest?!?!?
Whew! She's hilarious! She has quite a career going for her as a comic!

THIS is what the repugs want as a future leader?! They really revel in ignorance and incompetence, don't they? It is because that will keep the candidate malleable to the actual powers behind the scenes? Do they actually think that more people will vote for this moron the next time? Just how un-American are these creeps?

this 7 year old is more logical than millions of Americans

7-Year-Old Political Blogger Gets Obama Thank You Letter
(from his blog)

Governor Palin believes the world is 6000 years old. This is absurd. This is not a rational belief. This is a mistake. Scientists, experiments and evidence have shown this to be completely false. Therefore, she is not rational. If she is not rational, she should not be allowed to be President or Vice President.

(Crooks and Liars)

beyond words....

A word about southeastern Idaho, where schoolkids chant "Assassinate Obama"
(Crooks and Liars)
---
What has happened to this country?

bush screwing up the bailout of the economy that he screwed up

No oversight of $700 billion bailout: "it's a mess."

This shouldn't be a surprise. The Bush administration provided no oversight of Iraq. No oversight of the economy. No oversight of the country. So, this shouldn't be a surprise:

In the six weeks since lawmakers approved the Treasury's massive bailout of financial firms, the government has poured money into the country's largest banks, recruited smaller banks into the program and repeatedly widened its scope to cover yet other types of businesses, from insurers to consumer lenders.

Along the way, the Bush administration has committed $290 billion of the $700 billion rescue package.Yet for all this activity, no formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government waste. Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed.

"It's a mess," said Eric M. Thorson, the Treasury Department's inspector general, who has been working to oversee the bailout program until the newly created position of special inspector general is filled. "I don't think anyone understands right now how we're going to do proper oversight of this thing."

The new administration can't get here fast enough.

(Americablog)

how?

Tony Perkins Claims Gay Marriage Ban Is ‘Totally Different’ Than Interracial Marriage Ban
(Think Progress)
---
When will we be done with the bigots?
Gay will be free to marry some day - why do people want to be known as bigots for opposing something that has nothing to do with them?
I just don't understand people...

Bayh attempting to explain forgiving Lieberman

Bayh Expects Lieberman To Apologize For Attacks On Obama In Order To Keep Committee Chairmanship
(Think Progress)
---
I guess it makes sense in a way, but I agree that it makes the Dems look weak. We'll see how it all shakes out.

ignorance spurring gun sales

Gun Industry Profits Off NRA’s Fearmongering About Obama Gun Policies

Gun stores across the nation are reporting a surge in gun sales since the election of Barack Obama. Customers are convinced that Obama either seeks to limit or revoke entirely Americans’ rights to bear arms. As the Chicago Tribune reports today:

Some say they are worried that the incoming Obama administration will attempt to reimpose the ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004. Others fear the loss of their right to own handguns. A few say they are preparing to protect themselves in the event of a race war.

(Think Progress)
---
The NRA went on a campaign of falsehoods about Obama and the gun industry is making a killing (...so to speak) off of the lies.
Another example of the stupidity of some people...
As if Obama didn't have a huge number of much bigger issues to worry about when he finally gets into power (not a moment too soon).

Biden to meet with the prince of darkness

Outgoing veep hosts incoming veep Thursday

WASHINGTON – The high-profile White House meeting this week between outgoing and incoming presidents is being followed Thursday night by a much lower-key get-together hosted by Vice President Dick Cheney for his successor, Democrat Joe Biden.

Cheney, preparing to hand off his job as the nation's second-in-command and following President George W. Bush's orders for a smooth transition to the Obama administration, invited Biden to the vice president's residence on the sprawling Naval Observatory grounds in northwest Washington.

The meeting will be more of a social call between Cheney and Biden, though both are steeped with long histories in foreign policy and national security issues, giving them much to discuss beyond the role one is soon passing off to the other.

Cheney spokeswoman Megan Mitchell said Cheney and his wife, Lynne, have invited Biden and his wife, Jill, for a meeting and a tour of their soon-to-be official residence.

Biden, a Delaware senator who has been chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has a grounding in both foreign and domestic affairs honed over more than three decades in politics. Cheney is known as a chief architect of the war in Iraq and a hard-liner when it comes to U.S. foreign policy. He also presides over the Senate for tie votes.

With no clear-cut job description for the vice president, Cheney has said the role of his successors depends on the wishes of future presidents. Cheney himself isn't sure whether future vice presidents will be as hands-on as he's been. "I'm reluctant to say it's a trend," Cheney told reporters during an interview in Israel in March. "If you look at the history of the office, it can go either way."

"You go back and look at how it's developed over the years, it wasn't until really, I guess, Richard Nixon was vice president that he even had an office downtown," Cheney said. "Harry Truman's office was on Capitol Hill."

---

crazily close race

Democrat takes lead in Alaska Senate race

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Just as Sen. Ted Stevens appeared set to return to Congress, felony conviction and all, his re-election bid has faltered. If he loses, it also closes a possible door into the Senate anytime soon for Gov. Sarah Palin.
---
In the Stevens race, Begich jumped to an 814-vote lead, after trailing by 3,200 when the day began. The tally late Wednesday was 132,196 to 131,382, with an estimated 30,000 ballots remaining to be counted, some on Friday and some next week.

---
Man, Begich needs to win, if only to keep the possibiliy of Palin out of this race.
Who the hell votes for a convicted felon for the Senate? What is wrong with these people?

change cannot come too soon

Afghan bombing kills 9, including US soldier

KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide car bomber struck a U.S. military convoy Thursday as it passed through a crowded market in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least eight civilians and an American soldier, Afghan officials said.

The explosion also wounded 74 people near the livestock market where people were trading sheep cows, goats and other animals in the Bati Kot district outside Jalalabad, Afghan police and health officials said.

---

um, why?

O’Hanlon: Obama needs an Iraq hawk in his cabinet.

Today, Politico’s Arena asked several foreign policy experts, “Who should Obama consider for his foreign policy and national security team?” Brookings Institution analyst and Iraq war hawk Michael O’Hanlon said that Obama needs a cabinet member who is skeptical of a timeline for withdrawal:

It is important that Senator Obama hear from centrists on Iraq, and Susan [Rice] may not be such a person on that subject. As such, given Iraq’s relative importance, it is crucial that in addition to military officers with responsibility for the operation there, at least one key member of the cabinet not be firmly wed to Senator Obama’s ill-advised proposal for a firm and rapid withdrawal schedule from Iraq over the coming 16 to 18 months.

(Think Progress)
---
So, he should appoint someone who he doesn't agree with and who has been consistently wrong on Iraq over the years?
Boy, that seems like sound advice!

i honestly don't understand this

Democratic senators trying to save Lieberman.

Politico reports that Democratic senators are launching a “behind-the-scenes effort to save Sen. Joe Lieberman’s chairmanship“:

Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) are all involved in the effort, according to top Senate Democratic aides. These four senators — along with other Lieberman allies — are reaching out to the rest of the Democratic Senate caucus to try to ensure Lieberman survives a secret ballot vote on whether to strip him of his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

This effort, along with kind words from Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) last night about Lieberman, is giving the Connecticut senator some serious momentum heading into next week’s secret vote. Dodd’s involvement in saving his home-state senator is an extraordinary turn because Dodd backed Democratic candidate Ned Lamont in 2006 against Lieberman, who won the Connecticut Senate race as an independent.

(Think Progress)
---
What is the point of this? It doesn't sound like they are actually friends. What are we all missing?

boy, that bush/McCain deregulation is working out great, innit?

ABC Catches AIG Executives Hosting Another Posh ‘Junket’ At Luxury Hotel
(Think Progress)

irony overload

Another minority persecuted by religion

The bigotry is going too far. Now the Diocese of Bath and Wells has banned garden gnomes from their cemeteries. What are we to do with the poor wee buggers, then? Let them rot in the streets?

I do appreciate the excuse given, though.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Bath and Wells said: "There is no such thing as a real gnome so why should we have such unnatural creatures in churchyards?"

Indeed. And what of the unnatural creatures that stock the interior of the churches?

(Pharyngula)
---
This is so hilarious that I find it hard to believe that a church spokesman actually said this. Are they that un-self-aware?

anti-choicers want no choices at all

A Disappointed Constituency

Even though we now have a pro-choice President-elect, and an expanded majority in both houses of Congress, the anti-choice forces want you to know that they won't be going "silently into the night." They've given up on having friends in high places, and their dream of a couple of more Alito-like Supreme Court nominees, but they do predict that:

...activists would stage more mass demonstrations and abortion-clinic vigils...

Another outlet for activism is the ever-growing network of local pregnancy centers run by anti-abortion staffers who seek to persuade young women with unintended pregnancies to choose adoption or single motherhood over abortion.

"While legislative efforts to protect the unborn and women from abortion may be limited in future years, the work of pregnancy centers is advancing stronger than ever," said Melinda Delahoyde, president of Care Net. Her network supports 1,100 centers, and is concentrating expansion efforts in black and Hispanic inner-city areas.

It should be pointed out here that a federally funded study found that 87% of those pregancy centers:

...often mislead pregnant teens about the medical risks of abortion, telling investigators who posed as pregnant 17-year-olds that abortion leads to breast cancer, infertility, and mental illness.

But never mind that because they are willing to work with Barack Obama to find that middle ground that he talked about during the campaign. Perhaps when it comes efforts to reduce unwanted pregnancies through education and contraceptives? Nope:

Anti-abortion leaders say they are unwilling to do this if it means abandoning their abstinence-only approach and supporting greater access to birth control for unmarried women.

"We have a totally different view from other side in how we look at sexuality," said Pavone. "That's where there's no common ground."

So, where are they willing to compromise? On parental notification? Nope. On mandatory waiting periods? Nope. On federal funding for abortion? Nope. In other words, for the anti-choice segment of society, there is no compromise, only the desire to continue the fight to make sure the only reproductive choice a woman has is no choice at all.

(Daily Kos)