ME-Sen: Elect Tom Allen and Make Joe Lieberman
Irrelevant

Jonathan and I seem to be in a senate state of mind today - ToddIn addition to electing a Democrat to the White House, the other dream result for November is to gain 9 seats in the senate for the magic filibuster-proof 60-seat majority (this is, of[...]

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Remember when Susan Collins investigated Iraq
contractor fraud Neither do I.

You would have to have had your head up your ass to be the Chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for the first four years of the Iraq war and not have seen the need to hold hearings on contractor abuses pretty much every damned day.

But that's just what Susan Collins did.

In all those years, with all those stories about Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater, and what have you?

One friggin' hearing. What a champ.

video details and more

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/291922175/6939

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What REALLY happened when Bill O'Reilly lost it
on the air

Here's the original that this is spoofing.

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor
(Hat tip, Atrios.)

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Americablog/~3/292042386/what-really-happened-when
-bill-oreilly.html

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Signing Off

As Josh writes, just short of my three thousandth post at TPMm I am raising my rake and roaming on to other mucky pastures.

One thing I've learned here at TPM is to appreciate Josh's ability to put things better than I could. And in his typically generous spirit, he has.

But I also wanted to take a moment to thank the thousands of TPM readers who have commented on posts, sent in tips, or joined me on doc dump dives, and especially those special few dogged readers (you know who you are) whose muckraking have managed to regularly make me look good on countless occasions. There are a number of things that make working at TPM unique and special, but the experience of such an engaged and intelligent readership has impressed me the most.

I hope you'll check in at ProPublica next month. But you can be sure that TPMm won't miss a beat.

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TPMmuckraker/~3/291946754/signing_off.php

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Common ThreadsThe Mothers Day Project

Bluegal wrote up a little bit about The Mother’s Day Project last Sunday, but I wanted to learn more.  As someone with a background in visual arts and knowing that through art, humanity has confronted some of our most painful facets, long before we’ve had the distance and ability to discuss it otherwise, I’ve participated [...]

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http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/16/common-threads-the-mothers-day-project/

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Huckabee Shoots Off Mouth, McCain Loses Veep
Candidate

Some thought Mike Huckabee might be a good Vice Presidential candidate to run with John McCain, but he took himself out of the running today with an ill-conceived joke at a National Rifle Association Conference. This might be the stupidest move I’ve ever seen a politician make. It’s covered by the AP, but this snippet is from ABCNews (where they’ve got some video goodness):

ABC News’ Kevin Chupka Reports: Former GOP hopeful and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is back in the news this week, making a splash when he took a hit at Senator Barack Obama during the annual National Rifle Association meeting.

Huckabee made an off-color joke during his speech in Louisville, Kentucky, when a loud bang was heard off-stage.

“That was Barack Obama,” Huckabee quipped, “He Just tripped off a chair. He was getting ready to speak. Somebody aimed a gun at him and he?he dove for the floor.”

Huckabee’s chances for the Veep nomination? There should be none. If one is a politician, one simply does not joke about any gunfire directed at any candidate. Heck, one doesn’t joke about the candidate’s reactions, either. Expect this one to get big airplay from the talking heads tonight, and expect the folks at FauxNews to bring out the “can’t you even take a joke” meme.

There are things in this world that we cannot joke about. If folks on the right are upset about that, then so be it. Regardless, this hurts John McCain more than anyone, as he loses a man who could have brought the religious right back into the fold.

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http://allspinzone.com/wp/2008/05/16/huckabee-shoots-off-mouth-mccain-loses-veep-
candidate/

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Outlook for Congress: Part 1, Open Seats

With Tuesday's eight-point victory by Travis Childers in MS-01, a district with a PVI of R+10,[...]

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Washington Post Reporter Complains In Online
Chat: ‘Oy, What’s With All The McCain Questions’

Earlier today, Washington Post reporter Jonathan Weisman opened up an online chat with readers by saying that “zany things happening on Capitol Hill” and “John McCain has found the end date for our adventure in Iraq.” Weisman then asked readers to “Take it away!”

But after five out of the first 11 questions focused on Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Weisman began to complain. Asked about senior McCain adviser Charlie Black’s lobbying for Ahmed Chalabi, Weisman had enough, complaining, “Oy, what’s with all the McCain questions?“:

Jonathan Weisman: Oy, what’s with all the McCain questions? Anyone wondering about those Miley Cyrus photos anymore? Anyway, Charlie Black’s lobbying business has gotten a lot of attention of late, and wil continue to get it as long as he keeps it going.

Weisman was relieved though, when a reader asked a question comparing President Bush’s “appeasement” shot at Democrats yesterday to Rep. Jim McDermott’s (D-WA) criticism of President Bush while in Baghdad before the Iraq war. Weisman exclaimed: “Ah, thank goodness someone in chatting land is a Republican“:

Jonathan Weisman: Ah, thank goodness someone in chatting land is a Republican. But I must protest that Jim McDermott took a lot of heat for what he said and did in Baghdad. He was shunned by his fellow Democrats for, like, days (maybe weeks). No one has the squealing thing cornered, my friend.

Weisman, like a lot of the news media at the moment, often appears reluctant to put McCain under tough scrutiny. Last month, in another washingtonpost.com online chat, Weisman stuck up for McCain’s “maverick brand,” claiming without evidence that McCain had “clashed” with President Bush “repeatedly” over the years.

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http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/16/weisman-mccain-questions/

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A Blogger Call With Hillary Clinton: It's the
Math Not the Map

We had a great blogger call with a very hoarse Hillary Clinton today. It was just for bloggers so she could thank us for our support.

She is staying in the race. She is ahead in the popular vote by 50,000 votes, counting Florida and Michigan which must be counted. She intends to continue to lead in the popular vote when June 3 comes around and everyone has voted.

The number one message: It's the math not the map. In addition to the popular vote, the electoral map shows her with a cushion and Obama with a deficit. She has won 311 electoral votes to Obama's 217. While a few of her's like Texas and Oklahoma will be a challenge in November, many of his states will be: Alaska, Idaho, Utah, to name a few.

It's especially important to focus on this because it’s what superdelegates are supposed to be doing, exercising independent judgment to determine who would be the better candidate against John McCain in November.

She's in Oregon today, she'll be doing a televised town hall tonight that Obama was invited to participate in but declined. He won’t debate her or stand side by side with her to debate issues. That's a disservice to the people of Oregon.

More...

She also talked about the blogosphere, saying she deeply regrets the vitriol and mean spiritedness and insults that have been thrown around at bloggers for supporting her and at women in general, but this too shall pass. She said she's imperviious to the insults and almost sees it as a perverse (reverse?)form of flattery.

Further reading:

• On the Electoral College Vote and the Battleground States; My latest calculations: 317 for Hillary, 265 tops for Obama (270 is needed)

• On the Nebraska and Washington primaries vs caucuses (scroll down)

• On electability in November: Electability: Why Hillary Is More Likely to Beat McCain

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/291922635/720

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A Blogger Call With Hillary Clinton: It's the Map
Not the Math

We had a great blogger call with a very hoarse Hillary Clinton today. It was just for bloggers so she could thank us for our support.

She is staying in the race. She is ahead in the popular vote by 50,000 votes, counting Florida and Michigan which must be counted. She intends to continue to lead in the popular vote when June 3 comes around and everyone has voted.

The number one message: It's the map not the math. In addition to the popular vote, the electoral map shows her with a cushion and Obama with a deficit. She has won 311 electoral votes to Obama's 217. While a few of her's like Texas and Oklahoma will be a challenge in November, many of his states will be: Alaska, Idaho, Utah, to name a few.

It's especially important to focus on this because it’s what superdelegates are supposed to be doing, exercising independent judgment to determine who would be the better candidate against John McCain in November.

She's in Oregon today, she'll be doing a televised town hall tonight that Obama was invited to participate in but declined. He won’t debate her or stand side by side with her to debate issues. That's a disservice to the people of Oregon.

More...

She also talked about the blogosphere, saying she deeply regrets the vitriol and mean spiritedness and insults that have been thrown around at bloggers for supporting her and at women in general, but this too shall pass. She said she's imperviious to the insults and almost sees it as a perverse (reverse?)form of flattery.

Further reading:

• On the Electoral College Vote and the Battleground States; My latest calculations: 317 for Hillary, 265 tops for Obama (270 is needed)

• On the Nebraska and Washington primaries vs caucuses (scroll down)

• On electability in November: Electability: Why Hillary Is More Likely to Beat McCain

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/291922635/720

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