Author: HL

Dems to Offer Financial Regulation Bill
Democrats said on Thursday that they would go it alone in an effort to pass an overhaul of financial regulation, increasing the likelihood of a bitter partisan showdown. The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, hoping to break a months-long logjam on the biggest overhaul of financial regulations since the Depression, will unveil his own proposal on Monday, without yet having a single Republican endorsement.

‘Left, Right & Center’: Obama’s Big Push; Is Financial Reform Next?
President Barack Obama postponed his Asia trip to make a final push on health care. Will it really come to a vote within 10 days? Will the shocking report on Lehman Brothers’ financial manipulations hasten financial regulation reform? “Left, Right & Center” mainstays Robert Scheer, Tony Blankley and Matt Miller take a crack at these questions on this week’s show.

President Barack Obama postponed his Asia trip to make a final push on health care. Will it really come to a vote within 10 days? Will the shocking report on Lehman Brothers’ financial manipulations hasten financial regulation reform? “Left, Right & Center” mainstays Robert Scheer, Tony Blankley and Matt Miller take a crack at these questions on this week’s show.

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Oiling China’s Expansion
New calculations by the International Energy Agency show that China’s need for oil jumped by an “astonishing” 28 percent in January over the same month last year. To put things into perspective, China’s demands account for one-third of the world’s increase in oil consumption. —JCL The BBC: China’s demand for oil jumped by an “astonishing” 28% in January compared with the same month a year earlier, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says. The body added that demand for oil in 2010 would be underpinned by rising demand from emerging markets, with half of all growth coming from Asia. But the IEA predicted demand in developed countries would fall by 0.3%. The IEA has increased its global oil demand forecast for 2010 by 1.8% to 86.6 million barrels a day. Read more

New calculations by the International Energy Agency show that China’s need for oil jumped by an “astonishing” 28 percent in January over the same month last year.

To put things into perspective, China’s demands account for one-third of the world’s increase in oil consumption. —JCL

The BBC:

China’s demand for oil jumped by an “astonishing” 28% in January compared with the same month a year earlier, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.

The body added that demand for oil in 2010 would be underpinned by rising demand from emerging markets, with half of all growth coming from Asia.

But the IEA predicted demand in developed countries would fall by 0.3%.

The IEA has increased its global oil demand forecast for 2010 by 1.8% to 86.6 million barrels a day.

Read more

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Glenn Beck Finally Gets Around To Denouncing Bruce Springsteen
You wouldn’t think this was possible, but Glenn Beck had apparently never actually sat down and listened to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In The USA,” never…

Texas Education Board Approves Conservative Curriculum Changes By Far-Right
AUSTIN, Texas — A far-right faction of the Texas State Board of Education succeeded Friday in injecting conservative ideals into social studies, history and economics…

Landra Reid Undergoes Surgery After I-95 Crash: Senator Harry Reid At Hospital, Daughter Released
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s wife underwent surgery Friday to stabilize serious injuries suffered when a tractor-trailer rear-ended the minivan she…

Quick Fact: Perino falsely claims health care benefits would take years to start

On March 12, Fox News contributor Dana Perino falsely claimed that people would “not see benefits for four to five years after” the health care reform bill passes. In fact, numerous benefits contained in the Senate bill would become available in the first year after the bill is enacted.

Perino falsely claims benefits will take years to begin

Perino: People would “not see benefits for four to five years after” bill is enacted. On the March 12 edition of Fox News’ On the Record, Fox News contributor Dana Perino said of the health care reform legislation, “people are going to be taxed for the next several years and not see benefits for four to five years after that.”

Fact: Numerous benefits in Senate health care bill would “be available in the first year after enactment” of the bill

Senate Democrats note “Immediate Benefits” of health care bill. According to a document put forth by Senate Democrats summarizing the “Immediate Benefits” of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the bill includes numerous benefits that would “be available in the first year after enactment” of the bill. Indeed, Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein published the following list of benefits that the Senate bill would provide “before 2014″:

1) Eliminating lifetime limits, and cap annual limits, on health-care benefits. In other words, if you get an aggressive cancer and your treatment costs an extraordinary amount, your insurer can’t suddenly remind you that subparagraph 15 limited your yearly expenses to $30,000, and they’re not responsible for anything above that.

2) No more rescissions.

3) Some interim help for people who have preexisting conditions, though the bill does not instantly ban discrimination on preexisting conditions.

4) Requiring insurers to cover preventive care and immunizations.

5) Allowing young adults to stay on their parent’s insurance plan until age 26.

6) Developing uniform coverage documents so people can compare different insurance policies in an apples-to-apples fashion.

7) Forcing insurers to spend 80 percent of all premium dollars on medical care (75 percent in the individual market), thus capping the money that can go toward administration, profits, etc.

Creating an appeals process and consumer advocate for insurance customers.

9) Developing a temporary re-insurance program to help early retirees (folks over 55) afford coverage.

10) Creating an internet portal to help people shop for and compare coverage.

11) Miscellaneous administrative simplification stuff.

12) Banning discrimination based on salary (i.e., where a company that’s not self-insured makes only some full-time workers eligible for coverage.

Obama’s plan also provides immediate benefits. According to the House Committee on Education and Labor, Obama’s health care plan also provides numerous benefits that will enact immediately after the bill’s passage or within the first year, including protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions, tax breaks for small businesses, and aid to seniors participating in Medicare Part D. From the House Committee on Education and Labor:

Access to Affordable Coverage for the Uninsured with Pre-existing Conditions

• The President’s proposal will provide $5 billion in immediate federal support for a new program to provide affordable coverage to uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions. This provision is effective 90 days after enactment, and coverage under this program will continue until new Exchanges are operational in 2014.

Access to Quality Care for Vulnerable Populations

• The President’s proposal makes an immediate and substantial investment in Community Health Centers to provide the funding needed to expand access to health care in communities where it is needed most. This $11 billion investment begins in 2010 and extends for five years.

No Pre-existing Coverage Exclusions for Children

• The President’s proposal eliminates pre-existing condition exclusions for all Americans beginning in 2014, when the Exchanges are operational. Recognizing the special vulnerability of children, the plan prohibits health insurers from excluding coverage of pre-existing conditions for children, effective six months after enactment and applying to all new plans.

Re-insurance for Retiree Health Benefit Plans

• The President’s proposal will create immediate access to re-insurance for employer health plans providing coverage for early retirees, effective 90 days after enactment. This re-insurance will help protect coverage while reducing premiums for employers and retirees.

Closing the Coverage Gap in the Medicare (Part D) Drug Benefit

• The President’s proposal begins to fill the “donut hole” by giving seniors a $250 rebate to Medicare beneficiaries who hit the donut hole in 2010.

Small Business Tax Credits

• The President’s proposal will offer tax credits to small businesses beginning in 2010 to make employee coverage more affordable.
• Tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums will be immediately available to firms that choose to offer coverage; later, when Exchanges are operational, tax credits will be up to 50 percent of premiums. The full credit will be available to firms with 10 or fewer employees with average annual wages of $25,000, while firms with up to 25 or fewer employees and average annual wages of up to $50,000 will also be eligible for the credit.

[…]

Patient Protections

• The President’s proposal protects patients’ choice of doctors by allowing plan members to pick any participating primary care provider, prohibiting insurers from requiring prior authorization before and woman sees an ob-gyn, and ensuring access to emergency care. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all new plans.

Extension of Dependent Coverage for Young Adults

• The President’s proposal will require insurers to permit children to stay on family policies until age 26. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all plans for young adults who are not offered qualified coverage elsewhere.

Free Prevention Benefits

• The President’s proposal will require coverage of prevention and wellness benefits and exempt these benefits from deductibles and other cost-sharing requirements in public and private insurance coverage. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all new plans and all plans in 2018.
• Beginning on January 1, 2011, Medicare beneficiaries will receive a free, annual wellness visit and will have all cost-sharing waived for prevention services.

No Lifetime Limits on Coverage

• The President’s proposal will prohibit insurers from imposing lifetime limits on benefits. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all plans.

Restricted Annual Limits on Coverage

• The President’s proposal will tightly restrict insurance companies’ use of annual limits to ensure access to needed care, effective six months after enactment for all new health plans. These tight restrictions will be defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. When the Exchanges are operational, the use of annual limits will be banned for all plans in 2014.

Protection from Rescissions of Existing Coverage

• The President’s proposal will stop insurers from rescinding insurance when claims are filed, except in cases of fraud or intentional misrepresentation of material fact. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all plans.

Prohibits Discrimination Based on Salary

• The President’s proposal will prohibit group health plans from establishing any eligibility rules for health care coverage that have the effect of discriminating in favor of higher wage employees. This provision takes effect six months after enactment and applies to all group health plans in 2014.

Chatroulette: Naked Chicks, Boys Seeking Boobs and Connections Across the Globe
Online sensation Chatroulette features lots of genitals and naked breasts, but also strangers genuinely looking for connection.

Online sensation Chatroulette features lots of genitals and naked breasts, but also strangers genuinely looking for connection.

Unhappy With Your Birth Control? 10 Methods You May Want to Try
Birth control can be a pain, but in this day and age every woman should love her method. Here are 10 you ought to consider.

Birth control can be a pain, but in this day and age every woman should love her method. Here are 10 you ought to consider.

My Suggestions for New Reality TV Shows

Apparently Americans are transfixed by the reality show Undercover Boss, a show in which a boss goes “undercover” to find out what average employees’ lives are like on the job. In one show, a boss finds out that a woman who works on a garbage truck has to pee in a cup because the job […]

Sealing in the Palestinians: The Story of the Most Controversial Border Wall in the World
An excerpt from Rene Backman’s book, "A Wall in Palestine," which lays bare an international human rights controversy.

An excerpt from Rene Backman's book, "A Wall in Palestine," which lays bare an international human rights controversy.

Raids and Ambassador’s Remarks Undermine Obama’s Immigration Message

On the same day that President Obama was holding a series of meetings with lawmakers and community leaders about moving immigration reform legislation forward, his administration was sending a very different signal.  Just up the road in Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties in Maryland, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were conducting immigration raids on […]

BUILDING FOR ULTRA-ORTHODOX JEWS IN JERUSALEM:MORE TO COME
The announcement by Israeli Interior Minister that Israel is building 1600 more housing units in East Jerusalem made during VP Biden’s visit was probably not an accident–hard to imagine otherwise. But, not simply because Eli Yishai, the Minister, wanted to…


East Jerusalem – Israel – Middle East – West Bank – Ramat Shlomo

Jobs and Change, Communications and Energy
Jobs are the chief concerns of most Americans right now. Those with them are scared they might lose them. Those without them want to find one. What we need to do is clear: pass laws that open new industries to…


United States – Business – Telecommunication – Energy – Technology

The LiberalOasis Radio Show: A Pleasant Conversation With A Conservative Edition

The LiberalOasis Radio Show was broadcast Saturday at 12 noon on WHMP in Western MA. We analyze the healthcare endgame. Plus, we debut a new monthly feature, “A Pleasant Conversation With A Conservative” featuring my bloggingheads.tv partner Matt Lewis.

You can download the podcast at these links: (iTunes / XML feed / MP3).

Also, you can click here to check out my appearance on The Matt Lewis Show, and as mentioned today, here is Matt’s interview earlier this week with Karl Rove.

City Removes Spanish-Language Census Sign After ?Angry? Citizens And Lawmakers Raise A Fuss
Until recently, downtown Prescott, AZ had two large banners encouraging people to participate in the 2010 Census — one in English and the other in Spanish. However, the Spanish-language banner has been taken down “after at least four dozen citizens and two city council members questioned its appropriateness“: City of Prescott Executive Assistant Patty Crouse […]

Until recently, downtown Prescott, AZ had two large banners encouraging people to participate in the 2010 Census — one in English and the other in Spanish. However, the Spanish-language banner has been taken down “after at least four dozen citizens and two city council members questioned its appropriateness“:

City of Prescott Executive Assistant Patty Crouse said she also fielded five or 10 calls from people angry about seeing a banner in Spanish near the entrance to the city.

[Council member John] Hanna said he personally didn’t like the sign, either.

“If you’re here in the U.S. and can’t speak English, you need to go home,” Hanna said, especially people who are here illegally. “If you’re counting them…you’re saying you’ll do whatever you can to cater to their needs.” […]

When The Daily Courier asked about why he was concerned about visitors seeing a sign in Spanish, [Council member Steve] Blair explained, “It would seem like we’re a Spanish community rather than an English community,” and most visitors are not Hispanic.

Blair also tried to insist that he wasn’t being racist. “I have nothing against Spanish people,” said Blair, adding that “many of his wife’s family members are Hispanic.”

These lawmakers aren’t doing their city any favors. Data from the Census are used to determine political representation and direct $300 billion in federal funds to state and local governments. When the Daily Courier pointed out to Blair that Prescott “gets $12,000 in federal money over the next decade for every 2010 resident regardless of whether they’re here legally,” the council member said that he didn’t know about that fact. Hanna “said he’d rather see illegal residents leave than get the extra money.”

The right wing has been waging an aggressive campaign to exclude undocumented immigrants from the Census count. But an exclusion of undocumented immigrants could lead to “inaccurate demographic information and result in costly mistakes in infrastructure, education, and healthcare planning.” Businesses “also rely on accurate social, economic and demographic census information so they can make smart investment decisions.”

Prescott City Manager Steve Norwood said that although he took down the $995 Spanish-language sign after just four days (it went up on March 1 and came down on March 5), the city is reaching out to the Latino community on the Census in other ways. (HT: C&L)

Clinton rebukes Israel over East Jerusalem plans, cites damage to bilateral ties
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday about the state of the U.S.-Israeli relationship, demanding that Israel take immediate steps to show it is interested in renewing efforts to achieve a Middle East peace agreement.

Featured Advertiser

Democrats more hopeful on health-care vote
Democratic leaders on Friday stoked expectations that the year-long debate in Congress over health care may be coming to an end, after President Obama delayed his upcoming trip to the South Pacific and House leaders indicated they could deliver a final bill for his signature by the end of next week.

FEMA’s sale of Katrina trailers sparks criticism
In a giant auction, the federal government has agreed to sell for pennies on the dollar most of the 120,000 formaldehyde-tainted trailers it bought nearly five years ago for Hurricane Katrina victims. But the sale of the units, perhaps the most visible symbol of the government’s bungled response to the hurricane, has triggered a new round of charges that it is endangering future buyers for years to come.

Naked Man Becomes Florida Roadside Attraction
In Port St. Lucia, Florida, a naked man spotted Sunday along South U.S. 1 told investigators he was in the buff because “he wanted to give people a show,” according to a police report. Armando Alexander Calvo, 55, was “naked laying in the grass” when police arrived in response to a 911 call. See Calvo’s mug shot.

The Tax War Goes Online
Amazon has sent a message to states buckling under budget deficits: If you make us play by the same tax rules as other businesses, we’ll punish you. By David Sirota

Amazon has sent a message to states buckling under budget deficits: If you make us play by the same tax rules as other businesses, we’ll punish you.

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Pelosi: Stupak Wants Health Care Reform (VIDEO)
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Desiree Rogers Clashed With David Axelrod Over WSJ Profile, New York Times Reports
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Rove’s anti-health care reform column full of misinformation

In a March 11 Wall Street Journal editorial, Fox News Contributor Karl Rove falsely claimed that the Senate health care bill has “abortion-funding language,” adds to the deficit and contains no immediate benefits. In fact, the Senate bill prohibits federal funding of abortion, contains numerous immediate benefits, and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, reduces the deficit.

Rove: Senate bill funds abortion, adds to the deficit, and doesn’t provide immediate benefits

Rove:  Senate bill contains “abortion funding language.” In a March 11 Wall Street Journal editorial, Rove falsely suggested the Senate bill allowed for federal funding of abortion. Rove wrote, “Pro-life House Democrats are deeply disturbed by the Senate abortion-funding language.”

Rove: “Senate bill adds hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit.” Rove also falsely claimed the Senate bill would add to the deficit, writing, “Blue Dogs are upset by the fact that the Senate bill adds hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit.”

Rove falsely suggested Senate bill contained no immediate “benefits.” Rove also claimed that “[t]he Senate bill’s tax increases and Medicare benefit cuts kick in right away while its benefits (subsidies for health-care coverage) don’t start until 2013 and aren’t fully operational for seven years,” falsely suggesting that the only “benefits” in the bill are “subsidies for health-care coverage.”

Senate bill prohibits health insurers from using federal subsidies to pay for abortion services restricted by Hyde

The Senate health care reform bill as passed states that if a “qualified health plan” offered under the health insurance exchange provides coverage of abortion services for which public funding is banned, “the issuer of the plan shall not use any amount attributable” to the subsidies created under the bill “for purposes of paying for such services.”

Senate bill establishes a separate premium to segregate funds used to pay for abortions from federal funds. The Senate bill as passed further requires issuers to “collect from each enrollee” in plans that cover abortions a “separate payment” for “an amount equal to the actuarial value of the coverage of” abortion services. This value must be at least $1 per enrollee, per month. All such funds are deposited into a separate account used by the issuer to pay for abortion services; federal funds and the remaining premium payments are used to pay for all other services.

Current law allows for Medicaid to provide coverage for abortions restricted by Hyde by using similar fund segregation. According to a November 1, 2009, study by the Guttmacher Institute, 17 states provide coverage under Medicaid for “all or most medically necessary abortions,” not just abortions in cases of life endangerment, rape, and incest. Those states “us[e] their own funds” — not federal funds — “to pay” for the procedures. Therefore, in 17 states, Medicaid, a federally subsidized health care program, covers abortions in circumstances in which federal money is prohibited from being spent on abortion.

CBO: Senate health care bill will lower the deficit

CBO: Senate bill yields “a net reduction in federal deficits of $132 billion” over 10 years. On December 19, 2009, CBO reported of the Senate bill incorporating the manager’s amendment:

CBO and JCT estimate that the direct spending and revenue effects of enacting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act incorporating the manager’s amendment would yield a net reduction in federal deficits of $132 billion over the 2010-2019 period.

CBO: Over second 10 years, Senate bill would save “between one-quarter percent and one-half percent of GDP.” In a December 20, 2009, letter amending the December 19 report, CBO director Douglas Elmendorf wrote:

All told, CBO expects that the legislation, if enacted, would reduce federal budget deficits over the decade after 2019 relative to those projected under current law — with a total effect during that decade that is in a broad range between one-quarter percent and one-half percent of GDP.

Numerous benefits from Senate health care bill would “be available in the first year after enactment” of the bill

Senate Democrats note “Immediate Benefits” of health care bill. Despite Rove’s suggestion, according to a document put forth by Senate Democrats summarizing the “Immediate Benefits” of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the bill includes numerous benefits that would “be available in the first year after enactment” of the bill. The benefits include “access to affordable coverage for the uninsured with pre-existing conditions,” “access to quality care for vulnerable populations,” “no pre-existing coverage exclusions for children,” “re-insurance for retiree health benefit plans,” “closing the coverage gap in the Medicare (Part D) Drug Benefit,” “small business tax credits,” “ensuring value for premium payments,” protection of “patients’ choice of doctors,” “prohibiting insurers from requiring prior authorization before” a “woman sees an ob-gyn,” “ensuring access to emergency care,” “extension of dependent coverage for young adults,” “coverage of prevention and wellness benefits”; “free, annual wellness visit” for Medicare beneficiaries,” a prohibition on “insurers from imposing lifetime limits on benefits,” “restricted annual limits on coverage,” and prohibiting “insurers from rescinding insurance when claims are filed,” among other immediate benefits.

Is Lindsey Graham Playing Both Sides On DOJ Lawyers Fracas?
Is Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) playing both sides on the “controversy” over Justice Department lawyers who represented Guantanamo detainees?

Presented By:

Liz Cheney in 2012?

Power Grab: Comcast Has a New Name, but Merger With NBC Universal Still a Bad Idea
Comcast is a massive cable TV and Internet provider, which wants to merge with NBC Universal, one of the world’s largest news and entertainment content providers.

Comcast is a massive cable TV and Internet provider, which wants to merge with NBC Universal, one of the world's largest news and entertainment content providers.

Inside the TV Wars: Mergers, Monoliths and Shady Backroom Deals
Our media powerhouses aren’t ready to evolve, and they’re prepared to sabotage content, creativity and innovation to avoid doing so.

Our media powerhouses aren’t ready to evolve, and they’re prepared to sabotage content, creativity and innovation to avoid doing so.

The Business Roundtable: The Most Powerful Corporate Business Club Most Americans Have Never Heard of
The Business Roundtable, an organization representing Fortune 500 CEOs, is at the heart of the Economic Elite’s power center.

The Business Roundtable, an organization representing Fortune 500 CEOs, is at the heart of the Economic Elite's power center.

Thiessen?s Inconsistency Undermines Claim That Detainee Lawyers Can?t Be Compared To John Adams
Despite the backlash from prominent conservative lawyers against Liz Cheney and Keep America Safe’s “al Qaeda 7″ ad that questions the loyalty of Justice Department lawyers who worked on behalf of detainees, some on the right have risen to Cheney’s defense. On Monday, torture advocate Marc Thiessen dedicated his new Washington Post column to defending […]

Despite the backlash from prominent conservative lawyers against Liz Cheney and Keep America Safe’s “al Qaeda 7″ ad that questions the loyalty of Justice Department lawyers who worked on behalf of detainees, some on the right have risen to Cheney’s defense. On Monday, torture advocate Marc Thiessen dedicated his new Washington Post column to defending the ad, saying that Cheney asked “legitimate questions about Obama administration lawyers who defended America’s terrorist enemies.” Keep America Safe subsequently referred reporters to Thiessen’s column when asked to comment on the conservative criticism.

Today, Thiessen is up with another defense of the Cheney-led attacks, writing on the Washington Post’s PostPartisan blog that defenders of the Justice Department lawyers are wrong to invoke John Adams’ defense of British soldiers after the Boston massacre:

Defenders of the habeas lawyers representing al-Qaeda terrorists have invoked the iconic name of John Adams to justify their actions, claiming these lawyers are only doing the same thing Adams did when he defended British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre. The analogy is clever, but wholly inaccurate.

For starters, Adams was a British subject at the time he took up their representation. The Declaration of Independence had not yet been signed, and there was no United States of America. The British soldiers were Adams’ fellow countrymen — not foreign enemies of the state at war with his country.

Thiessen’s argument that Adams was defending “fellow countrymen” and “not foreign enemies” is clever, but it’s undermined by the fact that some of the lawyers Thiessen and the ad impugn did work on behalf of American citizens. In a National Review blog post promoting his PostPartisan column, Thiessen directly attacks a lawyer who advocated on behalf of a detained American citizen:

Eric Holder vs. John Adams [Marc Thiessen]

I have a piece up for the Washington Post explaining why the al-Qaeda lawyers are wrong to wrap themselves in the mantle of John Adams. Thanks to the spade work of Bill Burck and Dana Perino, we now know why Holder was stonewalling on the identities of the “Al Qaeda 7” — he was one of them! If Holder and co. are simply carrying on the traditions of John Adams, why were they hiding their roles in seeking the release of enemy combatants? If they are proud of their work, why don’t they stand up and say so?

Yesterday, Perino and Burck published an article on National Review Online detailing how Holder contributed to, but neglected to tell the Senate about, an amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting Jose Padilla, an American citizen who was held as an enemy combatant. Another one of the lawyers smeared by the ad, Joseph Guerra, now Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General, worked on a brief urging that the Supreme Court hear Padilla’s case. Another DoJ lawyer, Assistant Attorney General Tony West, worked on the case of “American Taliban” Johh Walker Lindh, an American citizen.

The discrepancy between Thiessen’s PostPartisan argument and the facts is indicative of his arguments in general. In discussing another one of Thiessen’s inconsistent arguments, Time’s Michael Scherer — who considers Thiessen’s vocal crusade to defend the Bush administration’s torture policies “a good thing” — remarked that he was “disappointed with the quality of Thiessen’s arguments, which seem to be designed more for cable news soundbites than for serious discussion.”

GOP takes issue with Holder’s signing of terrorism-related legal brief in ‘04
Senate Republicans attacked the attorney general Thursday for failing to disclose during his confirmation process last year that he had signed a 2004 legal brief in an important terrorism case.

If Democrats ignore health-care polls, midterms will be costly
In “The March of Folly,” Barbara Tuchman asked, “Why do holders of high office so often act contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests?” Her assessment of self-deception — “acting according to wish while not allowing oneself to be deflected by the facts” — captures the conditions that are gripping President Obama and the Democratic Party leadership as they renew their efforts to enact health-care reform.

Republicans are urging new investigation of former congressman Massa
Republicans on Thursday pushed the House ethics committee to look into whether Democratic leaders responded appropriately to complaints of misconduct by then-Rep. Eric Massa, an inquiry that could become an election-year embarrassment for Democrats.

Patrick Kennedy discusses leaving Congress after 16 years
Patrick Kennedy wants to talk.

Financial system reforms won’t wait
Senate banking committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) said Thursday he will move forward next week with sweeping legislation to revamp the nation’s financial regulatory system, despite failing to resolve key differences with Republicans.

Conyers’ Wife Gets 37 Months in Prison
Former Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers was sentenced today to 37 months in prison and two years supervised probation in the Synagro bribery scandal that rocked the city of Detroit. “Her abuse of her office for self-enrichment was a betrayal of her fiduciary duty to the citizens and pensioners of the city who entrusted their taxpayer dollars and retirement money to her,” prosecutors said.

Early Morning Swim: Rachel Madow Takes Down Bart Stupak — “He’s Lying”
Good.

Good.

Rep. Bart Stupak, the pro-life Democrat from Michigan who has made legislative language over abortion funding a flashpoint in the debate over health care reform, is now facing a primary challenger from the left. Connie Saltonstall, a former Charlevoix County commissioner and retired businesswoman from Charlevoix, Mich. who announced her primary challenge Tuesday.

“The main issue is he was willing to sacrifice health care reform because of abortion funding,” Saltonstall told CNN. “He’s been my congressman for many years. I have compromised voting for him because of his position on choice. Health care and choice are two issues I am especially concerned about.”

It’s great that she’s challenging him, but she shouldn’t reinforce his lies. It’s not about abortion funding, because that’s not in the bill.

It’s about Bart Stupak.

Tags: Bart Stupak, Early Morning Swim, Rachel Maddow

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The Courage of avoiding their Convictions
Yet another moral quagmire for the Ratzinger Brothers.

In addition to parts of the American Catholic Church’s own interesting interpretation of fellowship, the lack of leadership (as opposed to orders) comes from the top.

The guy who enforced silence on allegations of child abuse for the last Pope and then was rewarded by being made Pope has yet another connection to an embarrassment to the Church.

…the liaison between Roman Catholic bishops and the German government, also praised the pope’s brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, for apologizing to victims on Tuesday for doing nothing decades ago to stop the beating of students.

The Ratzinger Brothers were there together at that place for a time.  So, now the laundry list of being present during moral outrages includes serving in Hitler’s Wehrmacht, allowing the beating of children, prostitution, and covering up child abuse. They’ve always taken the BRAVE and MORAL position no matter the risks … as soon as it is convenient and if they get caught.

Are they responsible for all these things? Of course not. Are they to some extent the prisoner of circumstance? Of course. Have they ever actually risked anything to take a moral and upright stand? Not that we know of.

Please begin the canonization process early, so they can catch up to Pius XII.

They can be the Patron Saints of Convenience.

That’s the moral leadership you expect out of a religious leader, y’know like Jimmy Swaggart, John Hagee, or Ali Khamenei.

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Late Late Night FDL: World Out Of Control
Featuring new videos by Hurricane Bells and The Watson Twins.

Featuring new videos by Hurricane Bells and The Watson Twins.

What’s on your mind tonight?

Tags: Hurricane Bells, The Watson Twins

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