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Obama’s First Judicial Nominee Confirmed (5 Months Later) by Rebecca Lehrman, OurFuture.org | November 21, 2009
Judge David. F. Hamilton was confirmed Thursday in the Senate to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals 59-39, after breaking a GOP filibuster Tuesday and persevering through a painstakingly delayed process. Senate Judiciary Chairman Leahy (D-Vt.) made the following statement: read more »Intelligentsia Against Intelligence by David Sirota, truthdig.com | November 20, 2009
In the parlance of our times, the term idiocracy means a nation run by idiots — and the term idiot is defined by the dictionary as “an utterly foolish or senseless person” who exhibits “a mental age of less than three years old.” If there remained any flicker of hope that we aren’t turning into a full-on slobbering idiocracy, that hope was snuffed out last week by two of the Washington intelligentsia’s most respected voices. read more »What Is So Patriotic About Hysteria? by Joe Conason, truthdig.com | November 19, 2009
The loudest voices on the right never tire of telling us that they are the truest patriots. They claim to be the deepest believers in our system, the strongest defenders of our Constitution, the most upbeat, bold and courageous Americans anywhere. But now that the government is finally prepared to put the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on trial, these same patriots are the first to spread doubt, instigate anxiety and abandon constitutional principles. When did fear-mongering in a time of war become an act of patriotism? read more »The GOP's No-Exit Strategy by E.J. Dionne, The Washington Post | November 19, 2009
Democrats in the Senate — the House is not the problem — need to have a long chat with themselves and decide whether they want to engage in an act of collective suicide. But it's also time to start paying attention to how Republicans, with Machiavellian brilliance, have hit upon what might be called the Beltway-at-Rush-Hour Strategy, aimed at snarling legislative traffic to a standstill so Democrats have no hope of reaching the next exit. read more »How To Debate a Conservative by Ken Kupchick, airamerica.com | November 19, 2009
While you can't avoid speaking to anyone still willing to identify themselves as a Conservative altogether — whether at the Thanksgiving table or in the wider world — there are some precautions we can take to make it a more pleasurable experience. Here are some basic guidelines. read more »Repeal Health Care Reform in 2013? Not Gonna Happen by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly | November 18, 2009
For all the GOP bluster, I find it hard to believe even the most wild-eyed Republican seriously believes repealing health care reform — which they apparently concede will become law in some form or another — is a possibility. For one thing, if anyone thinks the year-long effort to pass reform was difficult, just imagine trying to un-pass it. read more »The Stupid, It Burns (Literally) by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly | November 16, 2009
Over the summer, right-wing activists hung Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil in effigy outside his district office. It was a key signal of what's to come — the far-right Tea Party crowd's tactics go a little further than the usual political protests we're accustomed to in contemporary American politics. How far? Virginia Tea-Baggers plan to burn the representative and Speaker Pelosi in effigy at their "Fired Up for Freedom Rally." read more »Memo To the Tea-Baggers by Glynn Wilson, blog.locustfork.net | November 16, 2009
The people who are showing up with those signs in the park, protesting a plan for real progress in this country, do not represent freedom. They don’t represent heaven. They are the devil in cheap blue jeans with bad hair cuts. Maybe I will show up for one of those protests one day soon and tell them that myself. Or maybe I will just sit here and laugh at them from a distance for being so ignorant, and take pleasure in knowing their day is almost done. read more »The Palin Effect by Max Blumenthal, tomdispatch.com | November 16, 2009
During the 2008 presidential race, some Republican Party elders warned of Palin's destructive influence. They insisted she was a polarizing figure whose extremism would accelerate the Party's slide toward the political and cultural margins. New polling data appears to support such doomsday prophecies. read more »Liberal Elitism? No. Some People Are, Sadly, Stupid by Oliver Willis, Huffington Post | November 16, 2009
While the concerns of many white, middle-class people are worthy causes and should be addressed by liberals (and are), it is not elitism to treat this roving band of conspiracy nuts for the cretins they are or associate with. This would be akin to President Johnson in 1964 undertaking a federal committee to study the mind control powers of fluoridated water. That would be asinine. read more »
The Latest
Boeing Pays $25 Million To Settle U.S. Probe, Associated Press | August 14, 2009
Boeing Co. agreed to pay the U.S. government $25 million to settle claims the company did defective work on critical military refueling planes in Iraq and Afghanistan. The settlement arose out of a whistle-blower lawsuit filed in Texas by two former Boeing workers who will now receive $2.6 million for drawing attention to the issue. read more »
Documents Show Rove Took Active Role In Attorney Firings, Los Angeles Times | August 12, 2009
Karl Rove and other officials in George W. Bush's White House played an active role in the firing of the top federal prosecutor in New Mexico, according to documents released that also show Bush political aides tried to influence Justice Department officials on other matters. read more »
Obama Aims To Overhaul Immigration Jail System, Los Angeles Times | August 7, 2009
Pledging more oversight and accountability, the Obama administration announced plans Thursday to transform the nation's immigration detention system from one reliant on a scattered network of local jails and private prisons to a centralized one designed specifically for civil detainees. read more »
Ousted Federal Prosecutor Renominated By Obama, Associated Press | August 3, 2009
A former U.S. attorney for Nevada who was forced to resign during the Bush administration could soon be getting his old job back. President Barack Obama nominated Daniel G. Bogden on Friday to serve as the United States attorney for Nevada. Bogden was one of nine federal prosecutors told to resign by senior Justice Department officials during the Bush administration. read more »
E-Mails Show Larger White House Role in Prosecutor Firings, The Washington Post | August 3, 2009
Political adviser Karl Rove and other high-ranking figures in the Bush White House played a greater role than previously understood in the firing of federal prosecutors almost three years ago, according to e-mails obtained by The Washington Post, in a scandal that led to mass Justice Department resignations and an ongoing criminal probe. read more »
House Approves New Food-Safety Laws, The New York Times | July 31, 2009
In a major step toward an overhaul of the nation’s food safety system, the House of Representatives passed legislation to require more frequent inspections of processing plants and give the government the authority to order the recall of tainted foods. House passage sets the stage for the Senate to take up the issue, though probably not until the fall. read more »
Food Safety Bill Fails In House, Associated Press | July 30, 2009
The House defeated a far-reaching food safety bill after farm-state lawmakers complained it would be too invasive and others said it was pushed to the floor too quickly. read more »
Report: FEMA Mishandled Toxins In Trailers, USA Today | July 24, 2009
The Federal Emergency Management Agency didn't react quickly enough to reports of toxins in trailers housing victims of Hurricane Katrina, endangering the health of thousands of victims across the Gulf Coast, according to a new report by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General. read more »
Product Safety Chief: Keep Kids' Products Safe Or Else, USA Today | July 22, 2009
One of the nation's top safety officials is putting manufacturers on notice: Comply with new rules aimed at keeping children's products safe, or face the potential of big fines. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said that her agency will get new enforcement tools next month — and she plans to use them in order to protect consumers, especially children. Come Aug. read more »
Rove Testifies On Prosecutor Firings, Associated Press | July 8, 2009
Former Bush White House official Karl Rove was questioned by House Judiciary Committee lawyers on any role he may have played in politically motivated firings of U.S. attorneys. Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., confirmed Rove's closed-door appearance through a committee spokesman who was not authorized to be quoted by name. read more »
