McConnell reaffirms public FISA debate will kill
Americans.

post from Think Progress on 25 September 2007 12:06:00 PM. © Think Progress

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this morning, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell reaffirmed that public discussion of the administration’s surveillance program would lead to the “killing of Americans.” Via TPM:

video details and more

Read The Full Article:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/25/mcconnell-reaffirms-public-fisa-debate-will-k
ill-americans/

Digg this

Travel Week and Tuesday Open Thread

post from TalkLeft on 25 September 2007 12:02:00 PM. © TalkLeft

I'm getting ready to leave for Madrid tomorrow for the annual Lexis-Nexis Legal Advisory Board meeting.

Big Tent Democrat, TChris and maybe LNILR will be posting in my absence, so be sure to check in. The Dems are debating tomorrow night and Larry Craig's plea withdrawal hearing is tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure they will cover those as well as any other big news. We'll also do diary rescues, (details here) so feel free to contribute your own posts.

I'll be checking in occasionally, assuming I get to the store today to buy the right converters.

In the meantime, here's an open thread.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/161112945/2954

Digg this

Whining Lying Bad Democrats and Gullible
Reporters

post from Eschaton on 25 September 2007 11:57:00 AM. © Eschaton

And Wynn was given a 67 in 2005. So, yes, unless there's some other LCV, he's lying. He did get 87 and 86 in the prior two terms, but still not a 97.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/161136917/2007_09_23_archive.html

Digg this

Power Plays: Abu Dhabi National To Buy Primewest
for C$4 Billion

post from BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash on 25 September 2007 11:55:39 AM. © BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash

WORLD ENERGY WATCH
edited by Gloria R. Lalumia

The World Energy Watch presents recent news and analysis highlighting the activities of the players involved in the power struggle for the world's remaining energy resources.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

buzzflash |

delicious | digg

digg |

technorati

Technorati Tags: Gloria R. Lalumia Oil OPEC Canada Abu Dhabi Russia Halliburton Natural Gas Turkmenistan

Read The Full Article:
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/lalumia/280

Digg this

Bush official attack on Obama has racial
overtones -- Editorial Cartoon by Tony Peyser

post from BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash on 25 September 2007 11:52:13 AM. © BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash

Bookmark/Search this post with: buzzflash | delicious | digg digg | technorati Technorati Tags: Tony Peyser Barack Obama racism Washington Examiner intellectually lazy George W. Bush

Read The Full Article:
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/peyser/596

Digg this

The "Boring" Bob Herbert

post from TalkLeft on 25 September 2007 11:52:00 AM. © TalkLeft

Yawn:

The G.O.P. has spent the last 40 years insulting, disenfranchising and otherwise stomping on the interests of black Americans. Last week, the residents of Washington, D.C., with its majority black population, came remarkably close to realizing a goal they have sought for decades — a voting member of Congress to represent them.
. . . This is the party of the Southern strategy — the party that ran, like panting dogs, after the votes of segregationist whites who were repelled by the very idea of giving equal treatment to blacks. Ronald Reagan, George H.W. (Willie Horton) Bush, George W. (Compassionate Conservative) Bush — they all ran with that lousy pack.

More...

. . . In 1981, during the first year of Mr. Reagan’s presidency, the late Lee Atwater gave an interview to a political science professor at Case Western Reserve University, explaining the evolution of the Southern strategy:
“You start out in 1954 by saying, ‘Nigger, nigger, nigger,’ ” said Atwater. “By 1968, you can’t say ‘nigger’ — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things, and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites.”

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TalkleftThePoliticsOfCrime/~3/161112946/328

Digg this

Edwards Statement In Recognition Of The Little
Rock Nine

post from John Edwards for President: Full-site Feed on 25 September 2007 11:50:00 AM. © John Edwards for President: Full-site Feed

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards issued the following statement today in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the integration of Little Rock Central High School:

"Half a century ago, the Little Rock Nine walked passed angry mobs and inspired the nation with their grace and strength. This anniversary reminds us both of their heroism and of the staggering amount of work we still have to do in this country. We still have two school systems – no longer legally but economically and racially. While our nation has made great progress, the quality of our children's education still depends far too much on the parents to which they are born. We cannot go on this way if we hope to build One America where everyone has an equal chance to succeed. It is our obligation to put an end to this inequality.

"We must also recognize that one of the barriers to truly integrated schools is a lack of income diversity. As president, I'll give bonuses to schools in affluent areas that enroll more low-income students and I'll create more magnet schools in low-income areas. Finally, I'll offer 1 million more housing vouchers for low-income families over the next five years, so families can choose to live in neighborhoods with good schools.

"We must never forget what the achievements of all of our Civil Rights pioneers contributed to America. We would best honor their courage today by recommitting ourselves to giving every single child the opportunity to go as far as their dreams and God-given potential will take them."

Read The Full Article:
http://johnedwards.com/news/headlines/20070925-little-rock-nine/

Digg this

McConnell Reiterates Claim That Debate Will Kill
Americans

So much for Leahy's admonition. In response to a question from Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), McConnell reaffirmed that discussing the administration's surveillance program in open session will endanger...

Read The Full Article:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004282.php

Digg this

The Colbert Report: Tom Friedman admits were out
of FUs in Iraq

Stephen Colbert brings on Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat and it’s clear that the same man who said “Suck on this, Iraq” is not dancing to the same tune now. Colbert offers up the same six months (also known as a Friedman Unit or FU) that Friedman has spent the last [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/09/25/the-colbert-report-tom-friedman-admits-w
ere-out-of-fus-in-iraq/

Digg this

The Cheese Stands Alone

In the war to prevent more Americans from getting health care, Bush has been able to count on the insurance industry to watch his back. So when the big cheese threatened to veto an expansion of the SCHIP program because it would "would move millions of children who now have private health insurance into government-run health care," he probably expected a round of high-fives from his health care rationing pals. But not this time.

"Our goal should be to move children who have no health insurance to private coverage — not to move children who already have private health insurance to government coverage," [Bush] said.

But the leading trade group for the private health insurance industry does not think that would happen and has endorsed the bill.

So has the Healthcare Leadership Council, which represents private healthcare providers that normally side with the president. At a news conference Monday, Council President Mary Grealy singled out a provision of the compromise bill for praise. It would allow states to use their government SCHIP money to help low-income parents pay for their children's' healthcare through their employer-provided insurance.

The insurance industry isn't the only group that's in favor of the SCHIP expansion. Cue Sister Carol Keehan, of the Catholic Health Association of America.

"Reauthorizing SCHIP represents the most humane and pro-life opportunity the Congress and this president will have this year, to ensure millions of children, born and unborn, that they receive the health care they need," she said.

It helps kids (not enough -- but that's another story), the insurance industry is okay with it, the anti-choice community likes it... just who is Bush supporting with this veto? Maybe it's just that not enough American children are dying to suit him. That seems like the root of several Bush administration policies.

In any case, there is one more puzzle to this story.

Republicans who helped negotiate the bill are frustrated with the president as well. Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, said he has already bargained Democrats down to $35 billion from the $50 billion expansion they originally wanted. He also said the compromise includes several changes to the SCHIP program that the president said he wanted.

When everyone -- and I mean everyone -- is supportive of this bill except the president, why have Democrats been willing to "compromise" $15 billion worth of health care away from our children?