wouldn't this be a change?!

Gibbs: "I'm Not Going To Lie From The Podium"

(Huffington Post)

this is kinda amazing

The old voice of the GOP is really the new voice
(Americablog)
---
Check out the clip from All in the Family at the link. Archie Bunker was spouting today's repug talking points back in the 70's! The difference is that back then people laughed at them!

sounds like a repug plan

Dems: House GOP’s Stimulus Plan Would Actually Raise Taxes For Many Americans
(Americablog)
---
But I'm sure the big businesses would get breaks!

why the ultra-rich voted for bush

400 richest Americans’ incomes doubled under Bush.
(Think Progress)
---
Too bad bush didn't care about the rest of us!

get the stick outta your ass

Card: Obama has brought a ‘locker room experience’ to the WH with his informal dress code.
(Think Progress)
---
I frankly couldn't care if the president was doing business in his freakin' underwear, if he was doing a good job!
This moron thinks that bush respected the Oval Office! Bull-freakin'-shit! He just wanted to order people around.
Obama wants to get things done and who cares how his team is dressed as they do it?

smart move

Obama abandons ‘war on terror’ catchphrase.

The AP notes that only once since taking office on Jan. 20 has President Obama used the phrase “war on terror,” which was always on the lips of President Bush. Obama has instead more broadly referenced the “enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism.” CSIS national security analyst Anthony Cordesman notes that Bush’s phrase “became associated in the minds of many people outside the Unites States and particularly in places where the countries are largely Islamic and Arab, as being anti-Islam and anti-Arab.” Indeed, a Pentagon-funded study last year recommended that the U.S. do away with the terminology as the strategy behind it was “not successful in undermining al Qai’da’s capabilities.”

(Think Progress)

---

This was one of the innumerable stupid things that the bush administration did - this meaningless catch phrase was a repug rallying point but idiotic beyond all measure. You can't fight a war against a feeling. The sooner this kind of moronic crap is behind us, the better!

what a strange article

Analysis: Team Obama preoccupied with Bush
---
Gee, I can't imagine why the current president would be preoccupied with the previous president who almost destroyed this country and the world during his 8 years in office!
It couldn't have anything to do with needing to reverse his disastrous policies and trying to return this country to the state it was in before bush took office?
It would be criminal if Obama wasn't preoccupied with bush and his failures!

repug obstructionists don't have support of their party

GOP governors press Congress to pass stimulus bill

NEW YORK – Most Republican governors have broken with their GOP colleagues in Congress and are pushing for passage of President Barack Obama's economic aid plan that would send billions to states for education, public works and health care.

Their state treasuries drained by the financial crisis, governors would welcome the money from Capitol Hill, where GOP lawmakers are more skeptical of Obama's spending priorities.

----

The obstructionists have to learn that there are real people that are hurting due to their partisian, political power plays.

and why should we care what this loser thinks?

Republican Romney criticizes Obama on abortion
---
Romney is the one with the extremists views - why should any sane person care what he says?

more of bush's "success" in Iraq

Iraq imposes security lockdown ahead of elections

BAGHDAD – Iraq imposed a nationwide security lockdown Friday before key regional elections with blanket measures not seen since the deadliest years of the insurgency, underscoring the high stakes for Iraqi leaders desperate to portray stability after nearly six years of conflict.

Although violence is sharply down — and with pre-election attacks relatively limited — authorities were unwilling to take any risks. They ordered cars off city streets, sealed borders and closed airports.

The top-to-bottom precautions show that the consequences run deeper than just the outcome of Saturday's ballots for 440 seats on influential provincial councils across Iraq.

Voting carried off without major attacks or charges of irregularities would give a critical boost for Iraqi authorities as the U.S. military hands over more responsibilities. But serious bloodshed or voting chaos could steal momentum from supporters of a fast-paced withdrawal of U.S. combat troops next year.

---

first black RNC chairman

Michael Steele becomes first black RNC chairman

WASHINGTON – Michael Steele was elected Republican National Committee chairman on Friday, defeating the incumbent party chief and three other challengers over six rounds of voting to become the first black to lead the GOP.

The former Maryland lieutenant governor takes over a beleaguered GOP as Republicans seek to rebound from back-to-back defeats in national elections that gave Democrats control of Congress and the White House.

"As a little boy growing up in this town, this is awesome," said Steele, the most moderate candidate in the field and considered an outsider because he's not a committee member.

In a brief acceptance speech, the new GOP chairman struck a tone of inclusiveness.

"We're going to say to friend and foe alike: We want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us, and for those who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over," Steele said.

He won 91 votes out of a possible 168 in the sixth round. A simple majority of 85 was needed, but it took six rounds for Steele to win.

---
Isn't it funny how they come to this historic moment just a couple months after Obama was elected? There couldn't be any connection, could there?

And i love his quote "for those who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over"! Is he talking to his own party, because they are the obstructionists these days!

More from Think Progress:

African-American Michael Steele Takes Over Fractured GOP: Will He Join In As A Limbaugh Foot Soldier?

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what?! What does he think all the concessions that were already made were for?

McCain: Obama needs to consult on stimulus
---
Look, the repugs have already said that they won't vote to help the economy no matter what, so why should Obama make even more concessions to these obstructionsts?
This doesn't even make sense...

kinda twisted

House Republicans "delighted" and "elated" and "celebrating" over their zero votes to save the economy
(Americablog)

Wha?! Isn't that precisely what we should be doing?!

Former USS Cole commander on closing Gitmo: ''We shouldn't make policy decisions based on human rights and legal advocacy groups"
(Americablog)

Friday Beagle Blogging

Harley continuing to reflect upon Obama's first week...

this makes sense

Obama plans to reintroduce family planning funding stripped from economic recovery package.

Earlier this week, under pressure from conservatives, President Obama agreed to remove a provision expanding access to comprehensive family planning services for low-income women from the economic recovery package. But TPMDC reports that at yesterday’s Lilly Ledbetter Act signing ceremony, Obama assured attendees “that the family planning aid would be done soon — perhaps as soon as next week, when the House is set to take up a spending bill that would keep the government funded until October.” As ThinkProgress reported earlier, the CBO estimates that this provision would save the government around $700 million over 10 years.

(Think Progress)
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If the repugs are saying that they're not going to vote for it no matter what, why not return positive items to the bill that will actually help teh economy instead of simply appease obstructionist repugs?

this is kinda sick, actually

Giuliani Defends Wall Street Bonuses While Slamming Tax Cuts For The Poor
(Think Progress)
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The repugs wants the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer - that's what they are all about, isn't it?

funny and fitting

Iraqis construct shoe sculpture to honor Bush shoe-throwing incident.

A large sculpture of one of the shoes thrown at President Bush last December by an Iraqi journalist was unveiled this week just outside an orphanage in Tikrit, Iraq — Saddam Hussein’s hometown. The orphans at the complex helped sculptor Laith al-Amiri build the shoe monument. “Those orphans who helped the sculptor in building this monument were the victims of Bush’s war,” said Faten Abdulqader al-Naseri, the orphanage director, adding that it “is a gift to the next generation to remember the heroic action by the journalist.” Al-Amiri praised the journalist, Muntadhar al-Zeidi, calling him a “source of pride for all Iraqis.” The sculpture also includes an ode to al-Zeidi and mentions the virtues of being “able to tell the truth out loud.”

Update - CNN reports that local authorities took down the monument "at the request of the central government" "We will not allow anyone to use the government facilities and buildings for political motives," said Abdullah Jabara, Salaheddin province's deputy governor.

(Think Progress)

you sure can't say that Obama isn't trying

And finally: President Obama plans to have a bipartisan congressional get-together for Super Bowl Sunday. Invitees include Steelers fan Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) — who’s going to bring some “Eat’n Park Cookies” — and Arlen Specter (R-PA) — who’s still deciding whether or not he can come. Obama also invited Cardinals fans Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ), who have both declined.

(Think Progress)

Senate Dems pass S-CHIP - now to the House

In a 66-32 vote yesterday, the Senate voted to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program by $32.8 billion over the next 4 1/2 years. As the AP notes, “Nine Republicans joined 57 Democrats in voting for the bill. No Democrat voted against it.” The bill now heads to the House.

(Think Progress)

even the repugs don't want someone with this kind of judgement!

Saltsman out of the running for RNC chair.

CQ reports that Chip Saltsman — who became notorious for mailing out the “Barack the Magic Negro” CD as a Christmas present to friends — will not be on the ballot for chair of the Republican National Committee because he was “unable to cobble together the six supporters necessary for nomination. The deadline for Saltsman to come up with two nominators from each of three states was 5 p.m.” The remaining five candidates are current chairman Mike Duncan, former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, South Carolina Chairman Katon Dawson, and Michigan Chairman Saul Anuzis.

(Think Progress)

Obama helping the average American

Obama touts middle-class task force lead by Biden

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has announced a series of executive orders that he says should "level the playing field" for unions in struggles they have with management.

Obama used the occasion at the White House to also formally announce a new White House task force on the problems of middle-class Americans, and installed Vice President Joe Biden as its chairman.

On labor issues, Obama said that among other things he was changing Bush administration policy in a way that will require companies doing contract work for the government to inform workers of their legal rights on the job.

Although his task force centers on the middle class, Obama said that "we're not forgetting the poor." He said his administration wants to make sure low-income people "get a piece" of the American pie "if they're willing to work for it."

---
Kind of amazing to have a president who wants to help someone besides the ultra-rich!

at least bush's buddies are still profiting!

Exxon Mobil shatters US record for annual profit
---
Isn't that nice? We get screwed at the pump and bush's buddies make record profits.
And the repugs think that these guys deserve more tax breaks?! Sheesh!

Blago's gone!

Impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been removed from office

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Senate voted to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office Thursday, marking the first time in the state's long history of political corruption that a chief executive has been impeached and convicted.

The 59-0 vote followed several hours of public deliberation in which senator after senator stood up to blast Blagojevich, whose tenure lasted six years. And it came after a four-day impeachment trial on allegations that Blagojevich abused his power and sold his office for personal and political benefit.

The conviction on a sweeping article of impeachment means the governor was immediately removed from office. The Senate also unanimously voted to impose the "political death penalty" on Blagojevich, banning him from ever again holding office in Illinois.

Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, Blagojevich's two-time running mate, has become the state's 41st governor.

(Chicago Tribune)

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But he'll never be forgotten!

but the repugs would rather play politics than help

Stocks fall as unemployment claims reach new high
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Of course, the repugs' policies got us into this mess, and they just don't care about getting us out.

that's some democracy that bush created!

Three candidates slain ahead of Iraq polls

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Gunmen killed three Iraqi candidates in separate incidents on Thursday, two days before Iraq holds provincial polls that will test the war-weary country's fragile democracy.

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desperate to defend torture

Torture Lover John Yoo Excoriates Obama For Banning Torture
(Think Progress)

Rove still doesn't believe in the law

Rove announces he has no intention of obeying Conyers' subpoena
(Crooks and Liars)

can't blame them for this

Iraq bars Blackwater, tarnished by civilian deaths

BAGHDAD – Iraq said Thursday it will bar Blackwater Worldwide from providing security protection for U.S. diplomats because its contractors used excessive force, sanctioning a company whose image was irrevocably tarnished by the 2007 killings of 17 Iraqi civilians.

The move will deprive American diplomats of their main protection force in Iraq.

The decision not to issue Blackwater an operating license was due to "improper conduct and excessive use of force," said Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf.

---

WH fights back against repug obstructionists

GOP defies Obama overtures
---
Pushing back against the unanimous House Republican vote against President Obama’s stimulus plan, the White House plans to release state-by-state job figures “so we can put a number on what folks voted for an against,” an administration aide said.

“It’s clear the Republicans who voted against the stimulus represent constituents who will be stunned to learn their member of Congress voted against [saving or] creating 4 million jobs,” the aide said. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the lawmakers will have to answer to their constituents.

“I do believe that there will be people in districts all over the country that will wonder why, when there’s a good bill to get the economy moving again, why we still seem to be playing political gotcha," Gibbs said.

---
This is a terrific move - the obstructionists have to learn that there are consequences for playing politics instead of working with the Dems.
If these hypocrits hadn't demanded the removal of some of the job-making provisions in the bill in order to add more tax cuts that will do nothing for the economy, the bill would have been even better. That's what is so frustrating with bending over backwards for these scumbags - they don't really want to work with the Dems - they just want to play politics.
Now there will be a diluted bill - diluted due to capitulating to repug demands - and once it passes the repugs will be able to say that it didn't work as well as it should have - because of their dilutions!
It really is too bad that they care less for this country than they do for their party.

Obama believes in equal pay

Obama signs equal-pay bill

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama signed an equal-pay bill into law Thursday before cheering labor and women leaders who fought hard for it and the woman whose history-making lawsuit gave impetus to the cause.

Obama, choosing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act as the first bill to sign as president, called it a "wonderful day" and declared that ending pay disparities between men and woman an issue not just for women, but for all workers.

With Ledbetter standing by his side, Obama said she lost more than $200,000 in salary, and even more in pension and Social Security benefits losses that she "still feels today." He then signed the measure that effectively nullifies a 2007 Supreme Court decision and makes it easier for workers to sue for discrimination by allowing them more time to do so.

"Making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone," Obama said. "That there are no second class citizens in our workplaces, and that it's not just unfair and illegal — but bad for business — to pay someone less because of their gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability."

---
There's been a lot of concentration on the disappointments and capitulations so far in Obama's presidency, but we've got to remember the good stuff, as well, like something like this.
Hopefully, there will be more good than disappointing as the years go by.

oh, that "liberal media"!

REPORT: GOP Lawmakers Outnumber Democratic Lawmakers 2 To 1 In Stimulus Debate On Cable News
(Think Progress)

obstructionist repugs want America's economy to fail completely

House passes recovery package with zero Republican votes.
(Think Progress)

wow - a republican talking sense!

Republican Rep. Peter King: Obama’s stimulus plan needs more infrastucture spending.
(Think Progress)
---
Of course, this is what most sane people have been saying as the repugs have been stripping the plan of this type of spending.

if this is real, this is great!

Obama Communications Issues

Bwahahaha

President Barack Obama expressed frustration Wednesday after members of his cabinet failed to recognize his allusion to the 24th issue of the comic series Savage Sword Of Conan during their first major meeting together.

Obama, whose upcoming challenges include organizing a massive effort to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, was reportedly unprepared for the confused silence he received upon suggesting that his cabinet ‘team up with Taurus of Nemedia’ to secure the necessary funding from Congress.

‘If my inner circle of advisers can’t even communicate about the most basic issues, how are we going to tackle the massive problems our nation faces?’ Obama said during a press conference. ‘When I tell my cabinet that getting bipartisan support is exactly like the time Conan got Taurus to help him steal Yara’s jewel, they need to understand what I mean.’

It gets even better, including the President’s frustration at distinguishing between DC and Marvel.

(Oliver Willis)
---
Obama is far and away the coolest president ever!

OK, this was quoted from the Onion, but still, the idea is terrific! I wish that he would do this!

repugs want to spread STDs!

Fact-Checking Conservative Outrage Over STD Prevention Provision In Economic Recovery Package
(Think Progress)

WTH did we vote in Dems for if they are only going to cave to every petty repug request?

House Democrats are stripping funding for the National Mall from the recovery legislation, after a wave of right-wing criticism. The move came after President Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel “hosted eleven relatively moderate House Republicans…hoping to secure their support.” Family planning funding was also stripped from the bill earlier this week.

---

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) say they want “100 percent” opposition to the recovery package. In a House GOP meeting yesterday, no Republicans “spoke up in disagreement when urged to oppose the legislation by their leaders.”

(Think Progress)
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This is really starting to piss me off. WTF is wrong with the Dems? Don't they realize that they won?!

The repugs will never be satisfied until they destroy every positive that the Dems are trying to accomplish. F'k 'em! Let's just get some shit done!

a message the repugs need to learn

Hoyer to GOP: Bipartisanship does not mean capitulation.

Today, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) had a message for Republicans complaining about the stimulus bill: “Being bipartisan does not mean having to lay down and say we’ll do whatever you want.” His comments came after President Obama met earlier with congressional Republicans to discuss their concerns about the package, which is scheduled to be voted on in the House tomorrow. Hours before that meeting, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) urged Republicans to oppose the bill unless Democrats make significant concessions. Hoyer called it “very unfortunate” that Boehner “set the stage [by saying], ‘Yeah, you’re coming up here, but we’re voting against you.’” He added, “It takes two parties and two groups to be bipartisan. Bi means two.”

(Think Progress)

repugs still trying to deny children health care

GOP fails to limit children's health program

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans fell short Wednesday in their effort to limit the expansion of a government health insurance program for lower-income children.

The Senate rejected the Republican proposal by a resounding 65-32 vote. Democratic lawmakers say the GOP's legislation didn't go far enough, covering only about 2 million uninsured children, or roughly half of the number that the Democrats' bill would cover.

The Senate is considering this week the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The program is a state-federal partnership designed to provide government-sponsored health insurance to children of the working poor.

Democrats are trying to more than double spending for the program, and President Barack Obama has urged Congress to quickly send him a children's health bill that he can sign into law. The House has already passed a bill comparable to the one before the Senate.

---

Holder confirmation on its way despite obstructionist repugs

Senate committee OKs Holder for attorney general

WASHINGTON – Eric Holder's nomination as the first African-American attorney general moved to the full Senate Wednesday with broad bipartisan support, as Republicans who earlier criticized the nominee determined he was well qualified for the job.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17-2 to favorably recommend Holder's confirmation to the Senate, which could vote as early as Thursday.

The only senators who voted against Holder in committee were Republicans John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

---

how cool is Iceland?

Iceland to appoint gay woman minister to PM post

REYKJAVIK, Iceland – The woman expected to become Iceland's interim prime minister is an openly gay former flight attendant who rose through the political ranks to lead a new leftist government.

Johanna Sigurdardottir, the island nation's 66-year-old social affairs minister, began as an union organizer for flight attendants and is now among the country's longest-serving lawmakers.

Both political parties forming Iceland's new coalition government support her appointment — and a decision could be announced as early as Thursday.

"She is a senior parliamentarian, she is respected and loved by all of Iceland," said Environment Minister Thorunn Sveinbjarnardottir.

---

more proof that repugs are being obstructionist just to be obstructionist

Newest GOP Complaint On Stimulus: There’s Not Enough Housing Aid (Which We Voted Against Last Week)
(Think Progress)
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It really is too bad that the repugs can't - for once - put their country ahead of their politics and actually work to help this country recover from the economic disaster that they created.

did you just notice this?

McConnell: Bush was a ‘burden’ on my party.
(Think Progress)

this is the kind of response that is needed from the WH

Citigroup to refuse delivery of new luxury jet after ‘pressure from White House.’
(Think Progress)
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I'm glad that the Obama White House is making companies accountable for their transgressions as opposed to the bush WH which encouraged them.

oh that "liberal media"!

REPORT: TV Media Cited Disputed CBO ‘Report’ At Least 81 Times In Past Six Days
(Think Progress)
---
You would think that with all of that coverage, someone would have noticed that this "report" actually didn't exist!
and more from TP:
After Falsely Citing CBO Numbers, CNN’s Ed Henry Claims Liberals Are ‘Attacking The CBO’
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Obama continues to try to repair the damage that bush did to our reputation

Obama tells Arabic network US is 'not your enemy'

CAIRO, Egypt – President Barack Obama chose an Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president, part of a concerted effort to repair relations with the Muslim world that were damaged under the previous administration.

Obama cited his Muslim background and relatives, practically a taboo issue during the U.S. presidential campaign, and said in the interview, which aired Tuesday, that one of his main tasks was to communicate to Muslims "that the Americans are not your enemy."

The interview on the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel aired as Obama's new envoy to the region, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a visit that will also take him to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Obama said the U.S. had made mistakes in the past but "that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that."

Obama also emphasized the importance of engaging with Iran, a country the Bush administration often singled out as the most dangerous in the region.

Obama condemned Iran's threats against Israel, pursuit of nuclear weapons and support of terrorist organizations, but said "it is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress."

Obama's predecessor, former President George W. Bush, launched wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which prompted a massive backlash against the U.S. in the Muslim world.

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Obama continuing to bend over backwards for obstructionist repugs who care nothing for our country

Obama seeks GOP help on economy; McConnell hopeful

WASHINGTON – Hours before a meeting with President Barack Obama, House Republican leaders sought to rally opposition Tuesday to a White House-backed economic stimulus measure with an $825 billion price tag.

Several officials said that Reps. John Boehner of Ohio, the GOP leader, and Eric Cantor of Virginia, his second-in-command, delivered the appeal at a closed-door meeting of the Republican rank and file. Both men said the legislation contains too much wasteful spending that will not help the economy recover from its worst nosedive since the Great Depression, the officials added.

The officials who described the closed-door session did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to disclose the discussions.

The request for opposition came one day after Obama extended Republicans an olive branch, appealing to House Democrats to jettison an estimated $200 million ticketed for family planning services for low-income people.

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on the bill, and congressional leaders have pledged to have it ready for Obama's signature by mid-February.

Obama has made economic recovery his top presidential priority, and the political maneuvering surrounding the stimulus legislation has become intense, only one week into his tenure.

---
Why does Obama keep making all of these bad concessions to the obstructionist repugs who just want to block and not help? He will never make those scumbags happy, so why keep trying and removing positive sections of the stimulus plan to make room for failed policies that we know for a fact don't work? This makes no freakin' sense and is damn frustrating.

More from Americablog:

Stimulus reportedly has $23 billion in useless GOP pork

Why is anyone, especially Obama, even listening to the GOP?

---

Geithner is treasury secretary

Senate confirms Geithner as treasury secretary

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Monday confirmed New York Federal Reserve Bank chief Timothy Geithner as President Barack Obama's treasury secretary despite tax problems that might have sunk his nomination in less desperate times.

The 60-34 vote, in which handfuls of Republicans and Democrats voted against their party leaders, put Geithner at the helm of Obama's economic team as it races to halt the worst financial slide in generations.

In swift order reflecting the urgency, Obama was expected to attend Geithner's swearing in Monday evening at the Treasury Department. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Geithner has made amends — he has paid the taxes and penalties — and possesses the talent the nation needs to steer the nation out of the crisis.

Geithner, 47, served as undersecretary of the treasury for international affairs during the Clinton administration. As president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, he's been a key player in the government's response to collapsing financial institutions and the housing and credit markets since last summer.

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another reason why i don't care for Matthews

Matthews on family planning measure in stimulus bill: ‘It sounds a little like China.’

In their latest attempt to rally against the new economic stimulus package, many conservatives are ridiculing a measure that would aid states by making it easier to provide comprehensive family planning services to low-income women. Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) defended the measure on MSNBC’s Hardball this afternoon, noting that “family planning saves, if done correctly, an enormous sum of money down the road in the health care system.” However, host Chris Matthews thought the measure sounded more like something straight out of communist China:

MATTHEWS: I don’t know. It sounds a little like China. […] I think everybody should have family planning and everybody believes in birth control as a right. I’m for — abortion is a right and all that. It’s all right. But why should the federal government have a policy of reducing the number of births?

What Matthews appears to be referring to is China’s “one-child policy,” a law that prohibits most couples from bearing more than one child. But of course, the House’s stimulus provision does no such thing. Instead, like Wexler noted, it provides funds to help states and low-income working women reduce their health care costs.

(Think Progress)
---
I think that Matthews has his heart more or less in the right place, but I have never cared for his style of "reporting". He does have a tendency to babble incoherently and ramble on about nonsense (such as his going on & on about MSNBC being the station of the 21st century or whatever during the inauguration.)
He reminds me of the Fred Williard character on Fernwood Tonight - Martin Mull's annoying sidekick who would say inappropriate things throughout the show.
Considering that MSNBC has such quality people as Olberman and Maddow, this guy is a bit of a joke, unfortunately...

Paul Krugman debunks repugs' lies about stimulous plan

Bad Faith Economics
(NY Times)
---

unfortunately, he is probably right

Gonzales: I don’t think anyone is going to prosecute me.
(Think Progress)

1 in 4 paying attention

1 in 4 Americans believe the Bush administration committed war crimes.

In a new telephone survey, Rasmussen Reports has found that 25 percent of voters “believe President Bush and senior members of his administration are guilty of war crimes.” Forty-four percent of Democrats and 21 percent of unaffiliated voters believe that war crimes were committed while just 4 percent of Republicans believe the same.

(Think Progress)

Rove doesn't think Obama will be able to close Gitmo - apparently because of bush's f'k ups

Rove: ‘One year from now, Gitmo won’t be closed.’

In a recent speech at the University of Miami, Karl Rove expressed his pessimism that President Obama will be able to carry through on his pledge to close Guantanamo:

“One year from now, Gitmo won’t be closed…. If it is, there will be an uproar in the U.S. about where to put these people.”

Indeed, it will be very difficult to close Guantanamo, made harder in fact by the incompetence of the Bush administration. This weekend, the Washington Post reported that the administration’s plans to “quickly close the military prison there were set back last week when incoming legal and national security officials — barred until the inauguration from examining classified material on the [Gitmo] detainees — discovered that there were no comprehensive case files on many of them.”

(Think Progress)

taking climate change seriously

Clinton names climate change envoy

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday appointed a special envoy for climate change, vowing that the Obama administration would restore America's credentials and leadership in shaping environmental policy.

Pledging that the United States would play a primary role in international efforts to stem global, Clinton named Todd Stern, a former White House assistant who was the chief U.S. negotiator at the Kyoto Protocol talks in her husband's administration, to the post.

"American leadership is essential to meeting the challenges of the 21st century, and chief among those is the complex, urgent and global threat of climate change," she said at a State Department ceremony held shortly after President Barack Obama announced new policies to allow states greater latitude in limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

Sterns' appointment, she said, sends "an unequivocal message that the United States will be energetic, focused, strategic and serious about addressing global climate change and the corollary issue of clean energy."

"The urgency of the global climate crisis must not be underestimated," Clinton said. "Nor should the science behind it or the facts on the ground be ignored or dismissed. The time for realism and action is now."

---

good luck on this, considering the obstructionist repugs

Obama calls for quick action on stimulus

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says the nation can't afford "distractions" or "delays" when it comes to the economic stimulus plan working its way through Congress.

Obama pointed to job cuts taking place at companies including Microsoft, Intel, United Airlines and Home Depot. And he said it means more working men and women "whose families have been disrupted and whose dreams have been put on hold."

Obama told reporters Monday the government owes it to "every American" to act with a "sense of urgency" and "common purpose."

Senate committees are scheduled to take up the massive economic stimulus package Tuesday and the full House is expected to vote on its version of the $825 billion plan Wednesday. Republicans want the recovery package tilted more toward tax cuts.

Obama said these "extraordinary times" call for "swift and extraordinary action."

---
The repugs are STILL trying to put in MORE tax cuts, rather than working on anything that will actually stimulate the economy.

Obama & the Dems need to just forget about working with these obstructionists who are tied to their failed policies and just push this stimulus through. Bi-partisianship only works if BOTH sides are willing to compromise, instead of the repugs still expecting the Dems to bend over backwards, despite the fact that we won this time.

how long will it take to get rid of this nutjob?

Ill. Senate convenes Blagojevich impeachment trial

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Senate has convened a historic impeachment trial that will determine whether Gov. Rod Blagojevich is removed from office.

Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald began the trial Monday by reminding senators they face "a solemn and serious business."

Senators will consider charges that the Democratic governor tried to sell a Senate seat, used his authority to pressure campaign contributors and defied legislative decisions.

Blagojevich is refusing to take part in the trial. He says its rules are so biased that he can't present a defense. The judge ordered the trial to proceed as if Blagojevich had entered a plea of not guilty.

Blagojevich spent Monday in New York, where he made several TV appearances to proclaim his innocence.

It would take a two-thirds vote in the Senate to convict Blagojevich and remove him from office. Senators also could vote to bar him from ever holding office again.

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He is consistently amusing - in a looney-tunes kinda way - but we need to move past this nonsense.

Obama working to reduce greenhouse gases and expand fuel efficiency

Obama targets greenhouse gases, fuel efficiency

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama took aim Monday at the lofty but long elusive goal of making the nation more energy independent, ordering reviews that could lead to tougher auto emission standards in states and higher pressure on automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars.

Attacking a Bush administration policy, Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency to re-examine whether California and other states should be allowed to have tougher auto emission standards to combat a build up of greenhouse gases.

Obama also directed his administration to get moving on new fuel-efficiency guidelines for the auto industry in time to cover 2011 model-year cars.

"For the sake of our security, our economy and our planet, we must have the courage and commitment to change," Obama said in his first formal event in the ornate East Room of the White House.

"It will be the policy of my administration," he said, "to reverse our dependence on foreign oil while building a new energy economy that will create millions of jobs."

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Again, hopefully Obama can cancel out the disasterous effects of bush's failed policies.

let's hope the repugs let Obama repair bush's economic disaster

Tens of thousands more layoffs are announced
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Limbaugh admits that he puts party loyalty before this country

Limbaugh against stimulus because its success could hurt GOP’s electoral chances.
(Think Progress)
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How treasonous is this kind of talk?
All repugs care about is staying is power. They don't give a f'k about the people of America.

he really is crazy

Blagojevich Compares Himself To Mandela, King, Gandhi
(Huffington Post)
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He should really think about changing party affiliations - i'm sure the repugs would love to have someone like this on their side - he's already just like one of them!

Obama is not the easy target that bush was

AL QAIDA'S LEADERS RATTLED
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Terrorists Struggling To Mount Propaganda Campaign Against Obama
(Huffington Post)
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It's gotta be hard to convince Muslims that the a president with a Muslim heritage (though he is a Christian), who has proven himself to be logical and reasonable, is going to be another crazy like bush.

Obviously, bush was al-Qaida's biggest recruiting tool. Obama is far to different for them to paint him with the same brush.

Just by being who he is Obama has damaged al-Qaida - more than bush ever could. Kind of amazing, really...

Obama's lawyers are there to tell him something is illegal! What a change!

Lawyers, the way they're supposed to be

Via Ben Smith:

President Barack Obama is staffing his Justice Department with some of his predecessor’s fiercest critics, among them lawyers who were fired by President Bush or who quit jobs working for his administration.

Now, the opposition is in charge, and lawyers who spent years defining the limits of executive power will be helping wield it.

The change may be most dramatic at the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel — which defended some of Bush’s most controversial policies — where a small cadre of lawyers who had an outsized influence on legal criticism of Bush are taking the top three jobs.

Those three — Dawn Johnsen, Martin Lederman, and David Barron — and others made the case that Bush’s interrogation policy was justified by flawed legal reasoning. Their arguments precipitated one of Obama’s most dramatic early acts: flatly repudiating all government legal advice on interrogation issued between September 11, 2001, and January 20, 2009.

“I think they will be an irritant for Obama in the best possible way — they’re very honest lawyers,” said Rosa Brooks, a professor at Georgetown University Law School, where Lederman also taught. “When Dawn and Marty and David think that he is asking if he can do something that in their view pushes the envelope and goes beyond the bounds of what is legal, they’re going to say, ‘Sorry Mr. Obama, we think that would be illegal.’”

Another reason why, in spite of whatever differences we may have with Obama in the future, his presidency is an inherently good thing after 8 years of Bush.

(Americablog)

tax cuts,tax cuts,tax cuts - all McCain wants is tax cuts!

John McCain says he will vote against the stimulus package
(Crooks and Liars)

more on bush's monumental f'k up called Gitmo

Gitmo: Where's the evidence? Cases prove impossible to prosecute

This latest story on Gitmo is just staggering:

A former military prosecutor said in a declaration filed in federal court yesterday that the system of handling evidence against detainees at Guantanamo Bay is so chaotic that it is impossible to prepare a fair and successful prosecution.

Vandeveld, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was the lead prosecutor against Jawad until he asked to be relieved of his duties last year, citing a crisis of conscience. He said the case has been riddled with problems, including alleged physical and psychological abuse of Jawad by Afghan police and the U.S. military, as well as reliance on evidence that was later found to be missing, false or unreliable.

Do you want more incompetence?

He said the evidence was scattered throughout databases, in desk drawers, in vaguely labeled containers or "simply piled on the tops of desks" of departed prosecutors.

"I further discovered that most physical evidence that had been collected had either disappeared" or had been stored in unknown locations, he said.

John Cole says:

Here is what I don’t understand: Why is this repeatedly framed as a problem for Obama, when this really is evidence that the Bush administration accomplished NOTHING with Guantanamo? This is not a problem for Obama. This is proof that the last administration was a group of incompetent hacks. Bush decided that he had the right to detain people forever, do whatever he wanted to them, and they had no rights whatsoever, he ruined our international reputation and most likely violated dozens of laws, yet he let these allegedly dangerous people go. Why? What was the purpose of Gitmo, anyway? Why do all this stuff and STILL let the dangerous guys go free?

(Crooks and Liars)

oh my, the Dems are using logic again!

Pelosi: GOP ideas judged by ability to create jobs

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is defending the Democratic plan to revive the economy and says Republican proposals will be judged by how well they create jobs.

Republicans are seeking tax help for small businesses and for some home buyers, and lowering some income tax rates.

Pelosi, D-Calif., says such ideas will be judged by their ability to create jobs, their cost and their ability to help turn around the economy.

President Barack Obama plans to meet with Republicans this week on the stimulus plan. The House could vote on the $825 billion proposal after that meeting at the Capitol.

Pelosi describes the economy as "dark, darker, darkest almost." She says Democrats have listened to economists and believe that new spending will create more jobs that would tax cuts.

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more positive effects of booting bush

Some global adversaries ready to give Obama chance

In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama signaled conciliation to America's foes by using the metaphor of an outstretched hand to an unclenched fist.

Already, there are signs that some of those foes were listening, sensing an opening for improved relations after eight combative years under President George W. Bush. Fidel Castro is said to like the new American leader, and North Korea and Iran both sounded open to new ideas to defuse nuclear-tinged tensions.

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ok, i'm new to this site - is there supposed to be something negative about this?

Six Years Ago Today…

…Daniel Pearl was kidnapped, later to be brutally beheaded by his captors with the video proudly posted on the Internet for the world to see.

The terrorists who committed this act, were they to be captured today under the Obama Administration’s policies, would be brought to the mainland United States for trial in civilian courts, be granted the rights of habeas corpus and the right to remain silent, could not be subjected to any coercive interrogation practices, and would have the right to see all evidence against them, as well as cross examine their accusers.

Rest in peace, Daniel.

(Red State)

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...and justice would be served and served properly. Is this a bad thing to some people?

and i thought that they were batshit crazy after they had won!

Barack Obama’s Dangerous Game Starts the Process Toward Our Deaths

I have previously said Barack Obama changing the Bush administration policies on terror would get many of us killed.

They will. Barack Obama, with his orders to shut down Gitmo and bar enhanced interrogation techniques, is already headed toward Lady MacBeth syndrome (or should that be Pontius Pilate Syndrome). Within the next several years he is going to be repeated having to wash American blood off his hands because of his actions.

More proof comes from the New York Times today.

The emergence of a former Guantánamo Bay detainee as the deputy leader of Al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch has underscored the potential complications in carrying out the executive order President Obama signed Thursday that the detention center be shut down within a year.

The militant, Said Ali al-Shihri, is suspected of involvement in a deadly bombing of the United States Embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sana, in September. He was released to Saudi Arabia in 2007 and passed through a Saudi rehabilitation program for former jihadists before resurfacing with Al Qaeda in Yemen.

His status was announced in an Internet statement by the militant group and was confirmed by an American counterterrorism official.

“They’re one and the same guy,” said the official, who insisted on anonymity because he was discussing an intelligence analysis. “He returned to Saudi Arabia in 2007, but his movements to Yemen remain unclear.”

The previous administration did not lightly make the decision to house terrorists at Gitmo. This administration would rather pander to the left than keep us safe.

(Red State)

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When i saw the headline to this post i seriously thought the link that i clicked on (from the Rude Pundit) was a parody! C'mon now! No one is really this insane, are they? "Starts the process towards our death"?! Wow - maybe a little melodramatic?!

And, as the insightful Tachel Maddow pointed out, this al-Shihri guy was incarcerated and released while Gitmo was still open! Many would say that it was because of Gitmo that he became/returned to terrorism. So, it is actually bush who has made us less safe with this person. And, of course, bush's looney-tune policies (including Gitmo) has been al-Qaida's most effective recruiting tool.

These crazy cons really don't think things through too much, do they?

don't try this "logic" at home - more repug bizarro-think

Malkin on Cavuto: 'Obstructionism is the new responsibility'
(Crooks and Liars)

more absurd Gitmo "arguments"

Murtha Attacked For Offering To House Gitmo Detainees In PA: They Might Indoctrinate Other Inmates!
(Think Progress)
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I think that the only reasonable argument is that the Gitmo detainees - whether innocent or guilty - would be in real danger in an American prison populace - this time from the other prisoners, as opposed to the guards. Considering the amount of violence in American prisons already, having an accused "terrorist" in the populace would most like be an incitement to violence for some uneducated prisoners.

Obama still trying to reach out to the other side - if they will listen to reason

Obama tells GOP: Don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh.

Today, President Obama met with congressional leaders from both parties to discuss his economic recovery and reinvestment program, though Republicans did not appear to be interested in compromise. According to the New York Post, Obama told the GOP members at the meeting that they have to stop listening to Rush Limbaugh if they wanted to accomplish anything:

“You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” he told top GOP leaders, whom he had invited to the White House to discuss his nearly $1 trillion stimulus package.

One White House official confirmed the comment but said he was simply trying to make a larger point about bipartisan efforts.

When Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) complained about the spending plan, Obama shot back, “I won,” adding, “I will trump you on that.”

(Think Progress)

repugs live in their own little bizarro-world

Conservatives’ 40-Minute Tribute To Bush On House Floor: He Was A ‘Knowing Lion’ Who ‘Walked Among Us’

George W. Bush is gone from office…but he is not forgotten, at least not by Reps. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Mike Pence (R-IN), and Steve King (R-IA). On Thursday, the three men spent almost 40 minutes delivering their final love letters to Bush. Some highlights:

– FRANKS: “President Bush often had to walk like a knowing lion — like a knowing lion, Mr. Speaker, through the chattering of hyenas. … [I]f those critics do not devour themselves in the meantime, Mr. Speaker, they may face the bared teeth of an enemy that will make us all wish the lion still walked among us.”

– PENCE: “I truly believe that this nation owes a debt of gratitude to George W. Bush.”

– KING: “I’m here to say thank you to President Bush for the things that he has done when he’s had his steady hand on the till of leadership, and especially with our national defense.”

At one point, Franks began to tear up when talking about how Bush made the country “brighter” and “more hopeful” for his children. Throughout the 40 minutes, they also compared Bush to Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill.

(Think Progress)
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It's kind of amazing that they can speak these absurdities with a straight face!

not a bad start

Obama’s First 100 Hours: A Clean Break From Bush

At 4 pm ET today, it will mark exactly 100 hours since Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States. The first week on the job has been a very busy one for the new White House, as the Obama administration has worked quickly to repair the damage done under the last eight years of President Bush.

As President Obama indicated in his inauguration speech, he is seeking to chart a new way forward in domestic and foreign policy. Obama has made a clean break from the Bush legacy in his early going, undertaking a number of actions that the former President would never have considered. ThinkProgress has compiled a report documenting Obama’s record so far:

REGULATIONS

The Bush Record: In his final months, the Bush administration issued a series of “midnight regulations” that gutted safeguards protecting health, safety, the environment, and the public’s general welfare.

Obama’s Clean Break: Hours after his inauguration, Obama ordered a freeze on new regulations at all government agencies and departments and the withdrawal of all final or proposed regulations not yet published in the Federal Register.

IRAQ

The Bush Record: After using false intelligence to launch the war, Bush “surged” 30,000 troops to Iraq in 2007 and vetoed all attempts to end the war.

Obama’s Clean Break: Two days into his presidency, Obama called on U.S. military leaders to start to plan for a responsible withdrawal.

DIPLOMACY

The Bush Record: In his first term, Bush — in contrast to President Bill Clinton — “generally avoided robust efforts” to resolve the Middle East conflict. Bush demeaned diplomacy with “terrorists and radicals,” likening it to the “appeasement” of Nazi Germany.

Obama’s Clean Break: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected the “rigid ideology” of Bush and pledged to exercise “smart power.” Stressing diplomacy, Obama and Clinton “appointed high-level emissaries to handle the Arab-Israeli issue and Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

TORTURE

The Bush Record: Torture began with the drafting of a secret legal memo holding that Bush could authorize interrogators to violate anti-torture laws. Bush’s senior-most officials approved torture that, in some cases, lead to death.

Obama’s Clean Break: Obama signed executive orders ending the CIA’s secret prisons and ending torture by requiring interrogations to abide by the Army Field Manual.

GUANTANAMO

The Bush Record: Bush created the “legal black hole” that is Guantanamo Bay. He called the harsh treatment of detainees there “an absurd allegation” and was rebuked time and again by the Supreme Court.

Obama’s Clean Break: On his first day, Obama signed an executive order closing Gitmo in one year and suspended all military tribunals for six months.

TRANSPARENCY

The Bush Record: Two out of five FOIA requests filed in 2006 were not processed. The number of exemptions increased 83 percent since 1998.

Obama’s Clean Break: Obama issued new orders instructing all agencies to “adopt a presumption in favor” of FOIA requests. Obama is developing an “Open Government Directive” over the next four months.

REVOLVING DOOR

The Bush Record: Many former Bush officials “joined the ranks of the companies they once regulated where they are highly compensated. In many instances, they have helped their new employers obtain lucrative government grants and contracts.”

Obama’s Clean Break: Obama laid out stringent lobbying limits that will ban aides from trying to influence the administration when they leave his staff and will ban gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the administration.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

The Bush Record: Bush reinstated the Global Gag Rule, which prohibited aid from going toward any organization that mentioned abortion as an option in family planning. Sixteen countries lost access to birth control.

Obama’s Clean Break: Obama overturned the Gag Rule on Jan. 23.

(Think Progress)
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Of course, there is still an immense amount of work to do but at least he has a strong start that proves that he is in line with the rest of the country in wanting a real change.
Let's hope he doesn't let up for the next 4 years!

hopefully, this time the obstructionist repugs won't stop children's health coverage

New dynamic in children's health debate

WASHINGTON – Republicans appear to have overplayed their hand when blocking the expansion of a children's health care program last year.

They face the likelihood that Democrats in the coming weeks will pass a bill that they dislike even more.

With more Democrats in Congress and President Barack Obama in the White House, GOP lawmakers don't have the numbers or a veto threat to do anything about it.

The Senate planned to begin debate as early as Monday on a bill that would increase spending on the State Children's Health Insurance Program by $31.5 billion over the next 4 1/2 years.

Congress approved a similar bill in late 2007 that former President George W. Bush vetoed. The House fell about 15 votes shy of overriding the veto. But the current legislation contains some important changes.

It is friendlier to states that want to cover children in families with incomes exceeding three times the federal poverty level — $63,600 for a family of four.

Also, the bill calls for covering children of legal immigrants now barred from government-sponsored insurance until they have been in the country at least five years.

The two provisions have angered Senate Republicans, including some who disagreed with Bush and worked closely with Democrats on expanding the program in 2007. Democrats have countered that 90 percent of the bill to be debated in the week ahead is based on legislation that previously had broad bipartisan support in the both the Senate and House.

"It's the 10 percent that represents barbed wire and a heck of a burr underneath our saddles," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.

SCHIP was designed to provide health coverage to families with incomes too high to quality for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. Federal money for the program expires March 31.

When Congress sought to renew the program in late 2007, Bush said it needed to be refocused on the working poor. So he vetoed the first bill that lawmakers sent him. Lawmakers went back to work and agreed to limit federal dollars to health coverage for families earning less than three times the federal poverty level.

But Bush vetoed that bill, too.

Now that income limit is gone in the legislation moving through Congress. States can used SCHIP to cover children of any income level. When they do move higher than three times the poverty level, states will get the payment rates they normally get through Medicaid instead of the rate they get for SCHIP, which is higher.

"I don't believe it's good public policy for a family with an income of $83,000 to be able to get onto SCHIP," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa., citing a potential example where states could get federal money.

Democrats question whether states will expand coverage to more middle-class families during the current tough economic conditions. Even if some do, they don't see a problem.

"It would be irresponsible for the federal government to cap funding to the states when working families need more public assistance, not less," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

When the bill comes up, Republicans are expected to push for an amendment that would keep children of newer legal immigrants out of SCHIP or Medicaid. By allowing for such coverage, they claim Democrats have turned what could have been a simple renewal of SCHIP into a debate about immigration.

"Why would anyone want to bring one of the most divisive and contentious and passionate issues of the last decade into this debate?" Roberts said during a Senate Finance Committee hearing.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Friday that investing in children's health coverage brings savings down the road because those kids are more likely to become productive adults.

"Some people want to make this a debate about immigration. This isn't a debate about immigration. It's a debate about taking care of our children, children who are here legally," Reid said.

The money to pay for expanding the program would come from a 61-cents per pack increase in the tax on cigarettes as well as tax increases on other tobacco products.

The Congressional Budget Office projects that the extra spending would allow 4 million uninsured children to gain coverage through Medicaid and SCHIP through 2013. Another 2.3 million will join the program after previously getting private insurance.

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Kind of amazing that repugs are trying to make an immigration issue out of helping legal immigrants!

I could understand if this was covering illegal immigrants, but it's not. The repugs are just being their usual obstructionist selfs...

sounds like Palin's church or something...

Newspaper claims suspect transformed into a goat

LAGOS, Nigeria – One of Nigeria's biggest daily newspapers reported that police implicated a goat in an attempted automobile theft. In a front-page article on Friday, the Vanguard newspaper said that two men tried to steal a Mazda car two days earlier in Kwara State, with one suspect transforming himself into a goat as vigilantes cornered him.

The paper quoted police spokesman Tunde Mohammed as saying that while one suspect escaped, the other transformed into a goat as he was about to be apprehended.

The newspaper reported that police paraded the goat before journalists, and published a picture of the animal.

Police in the state couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Belief in black magic is widespread in Nigeria, particularly in far-flung rural areas.

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hypocritical Haggard in another gay sex scandal

Disgraced pastor faces more gay sex accusations

DENVER – Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard's former church disclosed Friday that the gay sex scandal that caused his downfall extends to a young male church volunteer who reported having a sexual relationship with Haggard — a revelation that comes as Haggard tries to repair his public image.

Brady Boyd, who succeeded Haggard as senior pastor of the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, told The Associated Press that the man came forward to church officials in late 2006 shortly after a Denver male prostitute claimed to have had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with Haggard.

Boyd said an "overwhelming pool of evidence" pointed to an "inappropriate, consensual sexual relationship" that "went on for a long period of time ... it wasn't a one-time act." Boyd said the man was in his early 20s at the time. He said he was certain the man was of legal age when it began.

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again - i laughed out loud

BillO: 'This is not the time for ideology' -- so we must destroy the evil socialists of the left
(Crooks and Liars)
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These absurd morons are a lot funnier now that they are not reflecting the policies of the president!

I laughed out loud

Laura Ingraham: America is already less safe under Obama
(Crooks and Liars)

no, that guy just left

Former Bush Speechwriter: Obama Is “Most Dangerous Man Ever To Occupy Oval Office”
(Americablog)

the repugs are just TRYING to look bad, aren't they?

Palin’s campaign wardrobe is in trash bags at the RNC.

After it was revealed that Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-AK) infamous campaign wardrobe was worth at least $150,000 dollars, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) remarked, “They’ll be donated at end of this campaign. They’ll be donated to charity.” But the conservative blog New Majority reports that the clothes are actually in trash bags at the RNC:

But for reasons that remain mysterious, the clothes remain stashed at the RNC’s Washington, D.C., headquarters. A source close to the issue told NewMajority that the clothes are “in the process” of being donated, and an RNC spokesman corroborated, saying the clothes have indeed been returned from Palin, “inventoried and will be appropriately dispersed to various charities.”

McCain even told the press that one-third of the clothing was “given back.”

(Think Progress)

desperately trying to be relevant by being obstructionist and ridiculous

McConnell: Employee Free Choice Act will ‘fundamentally harm America and Europeanize America.’
(Think Progress)

bizarre, imaginative, fear-mongering, repug scenarios

Rep. King Fear-Mongers On Obama’s Plan To Close Gitmo: It Could Give 9/11 Mastermind A ‘Path To Citizenship’
(Think Progress)
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There is no way in hell that any sane person could believe this idiocy, but obviously he thinks so little of Americans that he believes that enough people will fall for this nonsense to complicate Obama's plans.
Obviously, he doesn't care at all about this country or human rights - all he cares about is blocking Obama's plans somehow, no matter how ridiculous he looks doing it.

another corrupt repug

Former NY state Senate leader indicted on charges

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York state's former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno was indicted on Friday by a federal grand jury on corruption charges linked to his obtaining brokerage business for unions.

The indictment charges the Republican with eight counts, including mail and wire fraud.

Bruno resigned his post in July 2008 after 32 years of public service, saying it was time for him to move on. He said repeatedly the lengthy federal probe of his business dealings would find he had done nothing wrong.

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at least he's being creative!

Blagojevich: I'm the victim of plot to raise taxes

CHICAGO – Launching an all-out media blitz as his impeachment trial draws near, Gov. Rod Blagojevich compared himself Friday to an honest, hardworking cowboy about to be lynched by a band of black-hatted political insiders eager to raise taxes. fter keeping mostly out of the public eye since his arrest on federal corruption charges, Blagojevich is reversing course with a series of interviews and public statements portraying himself as the victim of vengeful lawmakers eager to toss him out of office.

"The heart and soul of this has been a struggle of me against the system," Blagojevich said at a news conference Friday.

Blagojevich denied any wrongdoing but wouldn't discuss the federal corruption charges filed against him last month. Instead, he focused on his efforts to expand government health care programs without raising taxes.

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More from Think Progress:

Blagojevich compares his arrest to attack on Pearl Harbor

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He's got the imagination of a repug!

all repugs can think of is tax cuts!

House GOP sees stimulus in tax cuts, not spending

WASHINGTON – House Republican leaders presented President Barack Obama on Friday with proposals to stimulate the economy that rely exclusively on tax cuts and envision none of the federal spending backed by Democrats and the administration.

The alternative includes across-the-board cuts in the two lowest income tax brackets, placing unemployment benefits off-limits to taxation and a new $7,500 break for home buyers who make a minimum down payment of 5 percent.

Another provision would also cut taxes for small businesses.

Republican Reps. John Boehner of Ohio and Eric Cantor of Virginia outlined the approach at a White House meeting with congressional leaders of both parties at which Obama urged passage of legislation by early February to revive the economy.

House Democrats plan a vote next week on an $825 billion plan that includes about $275 billion in tax cuts and $550 billion in new spending. Much of the spending would come in politically popular areas such as health care, food stamps and road construction and would include money designed to blunt the impact of state budget cuts affecting schools.

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I hope that Obama and the Dems laugh in their faces!
Can they really never, ever think of anything except cutting taxes?
Do they not realize that we need some stimulus and new jobs? That our infrastructure is in dire need or repairs? That people need some of these programs to live?
This is their "new idea"?
They really are pathetic...

And Obama's response, via Huffington post:

Obama To GOP: "I Won"

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stem cell science moving ahead

US approves 1st stem cell study for spinal injury

NEW YORK – A U.S. biotech company says it plans to start this summer the world's first study of a treatment based on human embryonic stem cells — a long-awaited project aimed at spinal cord injury.

The company gained federal permission this week to inject eight to 10 patients with cells derived from embryonic cells, said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif.

The patients will be paraplegics, who can use their arms but can't walk. They will receive a single injection within two weeks of their injury.

The study is aimed at testing the safety of the procedure, but doctors will also look for signs of improvement like return of sensation or movement in the legs, Okarma said.

Whatever its outcome, the study will mark a new chapter in the contentious history of embryonic stem cell research in the United States — a field where debate spilled out of the laboratory long ago and into national politics.

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