TM Late Night

West Virginia calls... tomorrow morning. [...]

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Russert to Obama: Why Do You Hate Cheap Gas

From the tone of Tim Russert's question on Meet the Press last week, you'd think Barack Obama was denying food to starving children:

MR. RUSSERT: Why are you against giving taxpayers in Indiana, North Carolina, a relief from federal gasoline tax this summer?

The nerve of that Obama! You know what other jerks are against giving taxpayers in Indiana and North Carolina "relief" (a term once limited to hardcore libertarian propaganda, now a common in the media)? Taxpayers in Indiana and North Carolina.

It may have marked a turning point in America's energy policies. While Hillary Clinton and John McCain have tried to pander to voters by offering them cheap gas, it's backfired. Americans are finally saying they don't want short-term cheap gas -- they want solutions that would take long-term pressure off energy prices, like more fuel efficient cars and American-made renewable energy.

Now that the Indiana and North Carolina primaries are behind us, the media has finally recognized this, crediting Barack Obama's willingness to stand up to Hillary Clinton with his resurgence.

How out of touch was the media on this issue? For sports fans, this is roughly equivalent to, while the winners are celebrating on the pitcher's mound, standing up and confidently predicting the World Series champs.

The Green Miles has been way behind on criticism of media coverage of environmental issues this campaign season. So this week, you get a double dose. Tomorrow, I'll take a look at Hillary Clinton's appearance on ABC's This Week.


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Charges Dropped Against Guantanamo Detainee

A military judge today dismissed the charges against Guantanamo detainee Mohammed al-Qahtani. The Pentagon had claimed al-Qahtani was the "20th hijacker" for 9/11. He had been subjected to harsh interrogation techniques.

The charges against five other detainees, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were approved. They face a possible death penalty.

Here are some of the techniques used on al-Qahtani, from the interrogators' log : [More...]

In the log, U.S. interrogators describe how they ratcheted up techniques on their captive during 50 days starting in November 2002 to extract a confession - by using sleep deprivation, leaving him strapped to an intravenous drip without bathroom breaks and having him strip naked....A special Guantanamo investigator, Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall Schmidt, subsequently told Congress that al-Qahtani was also forced to wear a woman's bra, dance with a male guard, "perform dog tricks'' and was smeared with fake menstrual blood to lower his self-esteem - techniques the general described as "degrading and abusive'' but not inhumane.

Time Magazine published the 83 page log here (pdf).

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So Pledged Delegates Really Are NOT Pledged

This is a hilarious development:

Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, a Democratic convention delegate pledged to support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, said yesterday that he thinks Sen. Barack Obama has "in a real sense" won the Democratic nomination and that he now plans to support Obama at the August convention.

Heh. Now it seems to me the Obama camp needed to tell this fellow he should not do that. But they did not:

David Plouffe just . . . mentioned that the Clinton Campaign has said that pledged delegates could switch. He said their focus is on reaching 2025 total delegates and that it is in reach.

More...

Um Plouffe, if everyone can vote how they want, no one will reach 2025 or 2209 until the convention in August. What a dumb move by him.

By Big Tent Democrat

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Don't Blame Bush, Blame the Bears

Bears.  You know 'em, you know the threat they pose.  But I'll bet you didn't know that bears are to blame for high prices at the pump.  Kevin Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute explains why providing endangered species protection to polar bears is a threat to mankind.

The first is the possible wide geographic reach of the global warming argument. The snail darter almost killed a single dam. The polar bear could, in theory at least, stop everything. ...

The second impact of this ruling is that it will likely end all Arctic exploration for oil and gas, at least in the U.S. Given surging world demand for oil, increased supply is the only thing standing between us and $200-a-barrel oil.

You hear that?  It's not conflict in the Middle East, instability in US financial markets, or the rapid growth in India and China that's causing your gas bill to go up.  Hand over the bears, or prepare to pay one million dollars to fill your SUV.  

But wait!  There's really no conflict.  Hassett and his fellow AEI fellow, Kenneth Green, don't believe that the polar bear is in danger at all.  Granted, both of them are known for backing oil drilling at all costs, and couldn't be counted on to say a bad thing about drilling if it used nuns and orphans as lubricant.  And Hassett admits that biologists are convinced the polar bear is in decline because of melting ice.  But they have a professor on their side, as well.

For example, professor J. Scott Armstrong of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania recently told Science Daily that "the polar bear populations have been increasing rapidly in recent decades due to hunting restrictions."

There you go.  Scientific evidence that the polar bear is doing great, from J. Scott Armstrong, Professor of Marketing.  Plutonium Page predicted that Armstrong's already well-debunked baloney would become the go-to "study" for those who can't wait to destroy the last tiny fragments of wilderness.

My forecast is that it will be quoted over and over again throughout the deniersphere.  

As the saying goes, "if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle them with..," well, you know the saying.

It was obvious that AEI would be at the front of the line since being the firstest with the mostest BS is their standard practice.  It's less obvious why the mainstream media keeps providing AEI and their unsubstantiated nonsense with a platform.  Does even a business-friendly publication like Bloomberg's really benefit from associated with such noxious fiction?

Hassett's last appearance in the pages of Bloomberg was when he warned that it was bad for business when CEOs weren't allowed to "defend themselves" by spreading unsupported rumors rather than making testable public statements.  At least AEI seems to live up to that standard.  "Rumor" is the nicest word for any evidence that Hassett puts forth.

Oh, and as McCain starts to put forth his environmental recommendations today, it's well worth noting that Kevin Hassett is an adviser to the McCain campaign.  So there you go.  The "straight talker" gets his environmental and economic advice from this guy.

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WV Prediction thread

I thought that Obama would be able to close the margin in West Virginia, but none of the polls think he will. Obama went along with the outlandish prediction that he'd lose 80-20-- that's one way to tell West Virginians they don't matter. Anyway, I'd[...]

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Mike Chertoff's DHS Plummets To New Depths

(Obligatory apology once more for that truly disturbing pic...)

The New York Times tells us here that a German graduate student studying at M.I.T. recently applied for an ID card allowing him to work around ships and docks (the student is studying oceanography, hence the post title).

You would think this would be the proverbial ?slam-dunk,? but since we?re talking about Mike Chertoff?s DHS?

What the student, Wilken-Jon von Appen, received in return was a letter that not only turned him down but added an ominous warning from John M. Busch, a security administration official: ?I have determined that you pose a security threat.?

Similar letters have gone to 5,000 applicants across the country who have at least initially been turned down for a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, an ID card meant to guard against acts of terrorism, agency officials said Monday.

The officials also said they were sorry about the language, which they may change in the future, but had no intention of withdrawing letters already sent.

?It?s an unfortunate choice of words in a bureaucratic letter,? said Ellen Howe, a security agency spokeswoman.

Gee, Ms. Howe, ya? think (and maybe, based on this story, it might be a good idea to train our airport security screeners better than to try and frighten overseas students).

And how exactly did the student react to this bureaucratic harassment?

Mr. von Appen, 23, one of at least four oceanography students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who received identical letters, said he was stunned by its language.

?I was pretty much speechless and quite intimidated,? said Mr. von Appen, whose research is supported by a $65,000-a-year grant from the National Science Foundation.

A British student at M.I.T. who was rejected, Sophie Clayton, 28, said that at first she was amused at what appeared to be a bureaucratic absurdity. But as she pondered the designation, Ms. Clayton said she grew worried. ?The two words ?security threat? are now in the files next to my name, my photograph and my fingerprints,? she said.

Institute officials were also disturbed. The agency controls airport security, and ?our students travel in and out of the country a lot,? said Danielle Guichard-Ashbrook, associate dean and director of the international student office at M.I.T.

By the way, as noted in the Times story, I love the casual attitude of TSA spokesperson Ellen Howe who says in essence, ?Well, if someone is denied a TWIC card, that doesn?t mean they can?t enter a port with someone who does have one? (as if overseas graduate students will be bothered with that nonsense when they have the option to study somewhere else).

And this Daily Kos post by another individual who apparently is studying oceanography through M.I.T. echoed my sentiments pretty well?

I have no intention of taking a cruise to the Arctic or the Southern Ocean or whatever remote and cold locations have data that needs collecting; I'd prefer to not take trips to the stratosphere to collect ozone samples or to the mesopause to measure temperature gradients, either. But to deny graduate students their research, or worse, to deny this country its research, is simply unacceptable. John M. Busch, you are an idiot.

This story notes the results of a survey that found that while overseas students are still coming to the U.S. to study, primarily from China and India, they are not doing as much over the last few years as before (and you?ll never guess why, which "no one could have predicted" of course)?

"There's a growing perception among international students that the United States is not as welcoming to international students as it has been in the past," (survey author Ken) Redd said.

After the terrorist attacks of 2001, obtaining a visa to study in the U.S. became more difficult. Students have to submit to extensive record checks and monitoring.

Applications from abroad took a severe hit in 2004 and 2005, something analysts attributed to the same factors they say are at play today -- including aggressive recruiting from other countries. About 65 percent of the schools surveyed in the study have not recovered from that decline.

Redd said stalled application rates from India could account for some of the lackluster rates nationwide. Applications from China increased 12 percent from 2007 to 2008.

The weak dollar means that studying in the U.S. is a bargain compared with other universities, but Redd said that doesn't seem to be enough to bring droves of international students.

"Regardless of currency factors, students still have to get a visa to come here," he said. "Financing and money is just one factor that students take into account before coming to the U.S. -- lots of other factors are at play."

On the one hand, I want to see jobs in this country protected first, but this isn?t about that I?ll admit. It?s about allowing individuals who want to come here and study to do so in the hope that they will be tomorrow?s entrepreneurs or researchers blazing a trail in scientific exploration or medical research.

Here?s a thought for Mikey and his TSA geniuses; how about allowing for consideration of the grade-point average of these individuals in whether or not they?re denied a TWIC card (or a VISA altogether)? If someone works hard to establish a career here, wouldn?t it make them less inclined to want to attack this country later?

And by the way, what a neat scam by Lockheed Martin to charge $132 for the TWIC card. Any chance that I could get ?a piece of that action? somehow without owning shares of the company?

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Yacht Party 2: Rebranding the Republicans

It was only a few years ago that Arnold Schwarzenegger recalled a sitting governor, promising the end of massive budget deficits. Guess what we have in California this year? Oh, just a measly $20 billion deficit.Our schools are closing and social services have already been slashed to the bone. And it is [...]

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Hillary Clinton, Dems And White Working Class
Voters

E.J. Dionne points out that while Barack Obama's problem with white working class voters is more acute than normal, this is a Democratic problem, not just an Obama problem:

Cartoonists and satirists mocked Hillary Clinton's incarnation as a fighter for blue-collar voters. Yet those who know her well think the fighting Hillary is closer to her self-image -- as someone who has had to overcome many blows in life -- than the inevitable nominee who wove a web of entitlement around herself and ran on experience, much of which was derivative of her husband's.

. . . Clinton did her party and Obama a favor by focusing on the Democrats' potential weaknesses among blue-collar whites. This problem is not unique to Obama. Both Al Gore and John Kerry underperformed with these voters, particularly among males. That Obama has been pushed off his oratorical pedestal and encouraged to connect with disaffected whites will save him trouble in the fall. Clinton, widely seen as the champion of older, well-educated feminist women, could be remembered as the politician who brought the party back to its working-class roots.

Of course, Dionne cannot completely break with his Media brethren so he has to take his shots at Clinton too. But this central point of Clinton's focus on working class concerns is the lesson Dems need to learn. If instead they choose to play Ostrich on this, then Dems could very well lose in November.

By Big Tent Democrat

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Hagee Promises ‘Greater Compassion And
Respect’ For Catholics; Will He Do The Same For Gay Community

Since February, when Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) accepted the long-sought endorsement of controversial Pastor John Hagee, the two have come under criticism for Hagee’s past descriptions of Catholicism as “?The Great Whore,? an ?apostate church,? the ?anti-Christ,? and a ?false cult system.?? On multiple occasions, McCain has distanced himself from Hagee’s anti-Catholic comments while still maintaining that he is “glad” to have his endorsement.

Now, as the media spotlight on him increases, Hagee is attempting to make amends with the Catholic community. The Wall Street Journal reports that he “will issue a letter of apology to the Catholic Church today for inflammatory remarks he has made”:

?Out of a desire to advance greater unity among Catholics and Evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful,? Hagee wrote, according to an advanced copy of the letter reviewed by Washington Wire. ?After engaging in constructive dialogue with Catholic friends and leaders, I now have an improved understanding of the Catholic Church, its relation to the Jewish faith, and the history of anti-Catholicism.?

In the letter, addressed to Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League and one of Hagee?s biggest critics, Hagee pledges ?a greater level of compassion and respect for my Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ.?

But anti-Catholic comments are not the only reason Hagee has sparked controversy. Just last month, he reiterated his prior claim that Hurricane Katrina was punishment to New Orleans for hosting a gay pride parade. Though he appeared to back away from the claim after McCain called it “nonsense,” he re-embraced it last week on a conference call with religious supporters.

Will Hagee issue a similar letter to the gay community pledging “a greater level of compassion and respect for my gay brothers and sisters in Christ??

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http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/13/hagee-letter-catholics/

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