In 2009, 1,470 people who made more than $1 million paid $0 in federal income tax. That means that while millions of middle class families paid their fair share in taxes that year--money that went to funding things like education, our military, and health care for seniors--a  small group of high-income Americans paid nothing at all.

The Buffett Rule is the basic principle that no household making over $1 million annually should pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than middle-class families pay. Warren Buffett has famously stated that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary, but as this report documents this situation is not  uncommon.

This situation is the result of decades of the tax system being tilted in favor of high-income households at the expense of the middle class. Not only is this unfair, it can also be economically inefficient by providing opportunities for tax planning and distorting decisions.

The President has proposed the Buffett Rule as a basic rule of tax fairness that should be met in tax reform. To achieve this principle, the President has proposed that no millionaire pay less than 30 percent of their income in taxes.

Last night, the President held a press conference to provide an update on the ongoing budget negotiations to get our fiscal house in order and reduce our nation's deficit to help our economy grow.  Unfortunately, Speaker Boehner walked away from these negotiations as they worked towards a big deficit and debt reduction package.

Today at the White House, the President will meet with members of both parties, including Leader Reid, Leader McConnell, Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi, to continue to hammer out a deal to ensure that Congress acts to reduce our deficit and prevent America from defaulting on its obligations.

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Speaking from Carnegie Mellon University, President Obama discusses the vital role advanced manufacturing will have in strengthening our economy and creating good, middle-class jobs.

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Ten House members led by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) are filing a complaint in federal court against President Obama for taking military action in Libya without first seeking congressional approval.

Kucinich and Reps. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Howard Coble (R-N.C.), John Duncan (R-Tenn.), Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), John Conyers (D-Mich.) Ron Paul (R-Texas), Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), Tim Johnson (R-Ill.) and Dan Burton (R-Ind.) filed the complaint Wednesday at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

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Drone strike kills al Qaeda leader, giving Obama another battlefield victory

Reports surfaced Saturday that U.S. forces killed a senior al Qaeda commander, handing President Obama another battlefield victory ahead of a major strategy review. 

Ilyas Kashmiri -- considered as on the short list to replace Osama bin Laden -- was taken out by a U.S. missile launched from an unmanned aircraft, the Associated Press reported, citing al Qaeda and Pakistani officials.

U.S. officials have yet to confirm whether the drone strike did indeed kill Kashmiri. But, if true, it would hand the extremist group yet another blow after bin Laden was slain by a U.S. special forces team last month.

It would also allow President Obama to place another al Qaeda scalp on his belt.

The right wing talking point that Obama curries favor with our enemies has to go in light of the facts. The Preisdent's war on al Qaeda has been relentless, brutal and skillful.

A riveting 30 minutes with President Barack Obama as he describes the weekend that made history

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WOSU Reports:

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Ohio's senior U-S Senator is weighing in on the use of American military strikes in Libya. WOSU's Tom Borgerding reports.

Democrat Sherrod Brown, says U-S involvment in Libya must be limited and short term.

"I note all this with caution. I think that this really reiterates to me that we need to get out of Afghanistan starting in July as the President said. Whatever happens in Libya has to be short term. We should not commit ground troops."

As part of a coalition, the U-S used B-2 stealth bombers and more than 120 Tomahawk cruise missiles to destroy Libyan military installations and equipment. Senator Brown says Moammer Gadhafi has been "bad news" for a longtime but any effort at Gadhafi's removal must have broad support.

"I would only support any action if its agreed to by some in the Arab world and our allies in Europe, both."

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The President speaks on the situation in Egypt and says the orderly transition "must be meaningful, must be peaceful, and must begin now."

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Full Transcript Below:

Allying Ourselves With the Next Egypt
By JOHN KERRY

Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, writes in the New York Times that it's time for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

President Hosni Mubarak must accept that the stability of his country hinges on his willingness to step aside gracefully to make way for a new political structure. One of the toughest jobs that a leader under siege can perform is to engineer a peaceful transition. But Egyptians have made clear they will settle for nothing less than greater democracy and more economic opportunities.

Ushering in such a transformation offers President Mubarak -- a great nationalist ever since his generation of young officers helped their country escape the last vestiges of British colonialism -- the chance to end the violence and lawlessness, to begin improving the dire economic and social conditions in his country and to change his place in history.

It is not enough for President Mubarak to pledge "fair" elections, as he did on Saturday. The most important step that he can take is to address his nation and declare that neither he nor the son he has been positioning as his successor will run in the presidential election this year. Egyptians have moved beyond his regime, and the best way to avoid unrest turning into upheaval is for President Mubarak to take himself and his family out of the equation.

Further, he must guarantee that the election will be honest and open to all legitimate candidates and conducted without interference from the military or security apparatus and under the oversight of international monitors. The Egyptian people are demanding wholesale transformation, not window dressing. As part of the transition, President Mubarak needs to work with the army and civil society to establish an interim caretaker government as soon as possible to oversee an orderly transition in the coming months.

Apparently the terrorists have cracked the five-color threat advisory code the federal government instituted in 2002, in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Or maybe the government has finally realized the silliness of the oft-spoofed five-color threat-level advisory to which nobody paid attention?

In either case, the rainbow coloring system is ending come April.

The changeover comes more than a year after the Homeland Security Advisory Council recommended altering the terror-alert code.

"There is currently indifference to the public Homeland Security Advisory System and, at worst, there is a disturbing lack of public confidence in the system," the 19-member council had written Napolitano.

The threat level has not changed in more than four years.

Tom Ridge, the first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, wrote in a 2009 book, The Test of Our Times, that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former Attorney General John Ashcroft unsuccessfully lobbied him to raise the threat level days before the 2004 elections, in a bid to seal President George W. Bush's re-election.

HT: Wired

The US government now admits that it cannot tie Pfc. Bradley Manning to Wikileaks leader Julian Assange according to NBC correspondent Jim Miklaszewski.

The military also admitted that Manning was put on suicide watch improperly twice last week by the base commander at Quantico, essentially as a form of punishment and with no consultation with psychiatrists. During the watch they took his glasses from him so he could not read.

As for Assange,

' The officials say that while investigators have determined that Manning had allegedly unlawfully downloaded tens of thousands of documents onto his own computer and passed them to an unauthorized person, there is apparently no evidence he passed the files directly to Assange, or had any direct contact with the controversial WikiLeaks figure. '

The admission appears to close off the most plausible legal strategy for the US to prosecute Assange. Since there is no Official Secrets Act in the United States, it is not clear that it is illegal to possess or to pass on classified documents. Manning himself would have broken a contractual obligation as a US government employee if he leaked classified documents, but civilians who received such documents are difficult to prosecute.

~ Informed Comment

The Senate voted Wednesday to approve the new nuclear arms control treaty with Russia -- a major foreign policy victory for the Obama administration near the end of the lame-duck session of Congress.

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, was cleared by a 71-26 vote. Several Republicans joined a unified Democratic caucus in support of the treaty.

Under Senate rules, the treaty required support from a two-thirds majority of voting senators for final approval.

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, was cleared with the help of solid Democratic support, as well as the backing of several Republican senators.

If ratified, the treaty would resume inspections of each country's nuclear arsenal while limiting both the United States and Russia to 1,550 warheads and 700 launchers. It still needs to be approved by the Russian parliament.

In a major step forward in ending what has been called "the defining civil rights initiative of this decade," President Obama this morning signed the landmark repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy:

Casting the repeal in terms of past civil rights struggles, Obama said he was proud to sign a law that "will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend."

He added: "No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie."

The signing does not immediately implement the repeal but instead begins the process of ending the ban on gays serving openly in the military.

The law will not actually change until the Pentagon certifies to Congress that the military has met several conditions, including education and training programs for the troops.

"In the coming days, we will begin the process laid out in the law" to implement the repeal, Obama said. Meanwhile, he cautioned, "the old policy remains in place." But he pledged that all the service chiefs are "committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently," and he vowed, "We are not going to be dragging our feet to get this done."

So many people wanted to witness the signing of the bill that the White House held the ceremony in the auditorium of Interior Department headquarters.

Once enacted, the law for the first time in U.S. history will guarantee the rights of gay service members to serve openly.

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By a 67-28 vote, the Senate just decided that the New START arms agreement with Russia will be brought to the floor later today or tomorrow for an up-or-down vote on ratification.

The vote effectively ended debate on the pact.

Enough Republicans have now said they will vote "aye" to ratify that treaty.

According to the Associated Press:

"Almost a dozen Republicans joined all the Democrats in calling for an end to the debate. Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton were at the Capitol lobbying lawmakers."

Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend.  By ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.

As Commander-in-Chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known.  And I join the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the overwhelming majority of service members asked by the Pentagon, in knowing that we can responsibly transition to a new policy while ensuring our military strength and readiness. 

I want to thank Majority Leader Reid, Senators Lieberman and Collins and the countless others who have worked so hard to get this done.  It is time to close this chapter in our history.  It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed.  It is time to allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country openly.  I urge the Senate to send this bill to my desk so that I can sign it into law.

The Senate today struck down the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military, bringing to a close a 17-year struggle over a policy that forced thousands of Americans from the ranks and caused others to keep secret their sexual orientation.

By a vote of 65 to 31, with eight Republicans joining Democrats, the Senate approved and sent to President Obama a repeal of the Clinton-era law, known as "don't ask, don't tell," a policy critics said amounted to government-sanctioned discrimination that treated gay and lesbian troops as second-class citizens.

President Obama hailed the action, which fulfills his pledge to reverse the ban. "As commander in chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known," Mr. Obama said in a statement after the Senate, on a 63-33 vote, beat back Republican efforts to block a final vote on the repeal bill.

The vote marked a historic moment that some equated with the end of racial segregation in the military. It followed a review by the Pentagon that found little concern in the military about lifting the ban and was backed by Pentagon officials as a better alternative to a court-ordered end.

WASHINGTON - In this week's address, President Obama called on members of Congress to come together to ratify the new START treaty just as they were able to come together to pass the essential economic package he signed into law on Friday. 

Ratifying a treaty like START is not about winning a victory for an administration or a political party, it is about the safety and security of the country. 

This is why it has been endorsed by both Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, every living Republican Secretary of State, our NATO allies, and the leadership of the military.

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The President and General Colin Powell speak to the press after meeting in the Oval Office to discuss reducing school dropout rates, the importance of ratifying the new START treaty, and other issues.

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A Pentagon study group has concluded that the military can lift the ban on gays serving openly in uniform with only minimal and isolated incidents of risk to the current war efforts, according to two people familiar with a draft of the report, which is due to President Obama on Dec. 1.

The study argues that gay troops could serve openly without hurting the military's ability to fight is expected to re-ignite debate this month on Capitol Hill over repealing the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Officials familiar with the 10-month study's results have said a clear majority of respondents don't care if gays serve openly, with 70 percent predicting that lifting the ban would have positive, mixed or no results.

As the Pentagon prepares to release its highly anticipated survey of military personnel about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, most Americans (58%) say they favor allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the armed forces. Fewer than half that number (27%) oppose allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly.

These opinions have changed little in recent years. Since 2005 -- including three surveys this year -- roughly 60% have consistently favored permitting homosexuals to serve openly in the military.

There is greater support for permitting gays to serve openly today than there was in 1994, after President Clinton put in place the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. In July of that year, 52% said they favored allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military while 45% said they opposed allowing this.

The Pew survey's release comes one day before the Pentagon is expected to release a report on how military personnel feel about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bans openly gay troops for serving in the armed forces.

For the first time in 15 years, U.S. inspectors are unable to monitor Russia's nuclear arsenals because of the Senate's failure to ratify the New START treaty.

New START is the successor to President Reagan's historic START treaty and is essential to protecting America from a worst case scenario nuclear attack.

With terrorists and dangerous regimes eagerly seeking to possess the bomb to use it on their enemies, we cannot risk letting Russia's arsenals go unmonitored.

In this week's address, President Obama called ratifying New START this year "fundamental" to America's national security. 

Failure to ratify the treaty this year not only would mean losing our nuclear inspectors in Russia, but also it would undermine the international coalition pressuring Iran, put to risk the transit routes used to equip our troops in Afghanistan, and undo decades of American leadership and bipartisanship on nuclear security. 

After six months, 18 hearings, and nearly one thousand questions answered and with the support of several Republicans including Colin Powell, George Schultz, Jim Baker, and Henry Kissinger, it is time for the Senate to act.

Senate Democratic aides said Mr. Reid would try to take up the bill sometime in December, meaning after the Pentagon is due to release a report on how it would carry out a repeal. The report includes a survey of active-duty forces and their families, which shows that a majority do not care if gay men and women serve openly.

That report is due on Dec. 1.

The latest Quinnipiac national poll finds voters overwhelmingly support the repeal of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy by a wide margin, 58% to 34%.

Also interesting: Among voters with a member of the military in their family, repeal is favored by 55% to 38% This is the first time military families have supported repeal of the policy.

Said pollster Peter Brown: "In a country sharply divided on so many things it is ironic gays in the military -- once the prototypical wedge issue -- has attracted a national consensus among the voting public to a much larger degree than other, seemingly less controversial issues."

October 12, 2010

Dear Mr. Attorney General,

We are writing to bring to your attention the recently issued decision of Judge Virginia A. Phillips of the United States District Court of the Central District of California in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States, which declared that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) underlying law violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of due process and free speech, thereby rendering DADT unconstitutional. In light of important national security concerns, we respectfully request that you, in your capacity at the Department of Justice, refrain from appealing this decision or the permanent injunction granted against this law.

The following quote from the judge's decision captures the overwhelming reason why the decision should stand: "Among those discharged were many with critically needed skills ... Far from furthering the military's readiness, the discharge of these service men and women had a direct and deleterious effect on this governmental interest." As one of many criteria that the Justice Department will examine in deciding whether to appeal the permanent injunction to this policy, we ask that you examine whether or not an appeal furthers a legitimate governmental interest. We would say any appeal does not.

Additionally, DADT harms military readiness, as well as the morale and the cohesiveness of our armed forces, at a time when our military's resources are strained and unity is critically important. For every person discharged after ten years of service, six new servicemembers would need to be recruited to recover the level of experience lost by that discharge. This not only weakens our military, but neither is it an effective use of our government resources or taxpayer monies.

President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, have all publicly advocated for the repeal of this harmful law. There is no legal or military justification and not one shred of credible evidence that supports continuing the discriminatory DADT law, and considering the guidance of the commander-in-chief and the nation's top two defense officials, we urge you to refrain from seeking an appeal. The federal court decision was a step in the right direction, and we are confident that the Senate will take the ultimate step by voting this fall on the fiscal year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act to permanently lift the ban on gays in the military. Although we understand that only action by Congress can bring real finality to this issue, we believe an appeal of the recent federal court decision could set back those congressional efforts. Therefore, we request your assistance in ensuring that we can eradicate this discriminatory law permanently and urge the Justice Department to choose not to appeal any court decision that would keep this law in place.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Senators:
Udall (CO)
Gillibrand
Kerry
Schumer
Burris
Whitehouse
Landrieu
Sanders
Merkley
Shaheen
Johnson
Franken
Boxer
Feingold
Lautenberg
Durbin
Menendez
Bennet
Mikulski
Sherrod Brown
Cardin

During tough economic times, one of the toughest jobs to hold is as a construction worker.  In almost any city or town in America, you're likely to see buildings, projects, or roads left half-done after investments made by private enterprise or state and local governments based on expectations of a brighter economic future dried up.

As the House voted today on legislation to save American jobs by stopping China's unfair trading practices, Bob Gibbs's corporate backers have a very different message for the Chinese: "Thank You!"

In an outrageous posting on their website, the extreme right-wing, corporate-funded FreedomWorks, who are helping to underwrite Gibbs's congressional campaign, actually said that Americans should be grateful to the Chinese for the very practices that take away American jobs.

According to FreedomWorks:

"Many experts argue the Chinese currency is 10 percent to 20 percent undervalued, which means the U.S. consumer is able to purchase Chinese-made goods at a lower price than if the currency traded at its true market value to the U.S. dollar . . .

Many commentators and politicians decry the size of the U.S. trade deficit and the level of foreign ownership of U.S. financial assets. Rather than bashing the Chinese, U.S. politicians should thank them for making Americans richer." 

In the latest sign that Bob Gibbs cares more about protecting the profits of corporate outsourcers than protecting American workers, his own backers are now publically saying that folks should be grateful to the Chinese for stealing our jobs. This outrageous declaration by Gibbs's backers just proves all the more that he is the candidate of corporate outsourcers, by corporate outsourcers, and for corporate outsourcers.

Bob Gibbs is endorsed by FreedomWorks. 

The Defense Authorization bill should enjoy broad, bipartisan support. We are, after all, talking about a spending measure that funds the military during two wars. Senate Republicans are, however, going to filibuster the motion to proceed, preventing the chamber from even debating the bill, in large part because of a provision that would empower the administration end discrimination against gay servicemen and women.

Democrats need 60 votes to overcome Republican obstructionism, led primarily by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). If 60 votes are there, passing the bill with the DADT provision appears very likely. If the 60 votes aren't there, Republicans will have blocked funding for the U.S. military during two wars, and will have very likely killed DADT repeal for the foreseeable future.

As of this morning, those 60 votes don't appear to be there. There's still some time, but the outlook isn't encouraging.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) "acknowledged Monday that Democrats are still searching for a handful of GOP votes to move to the defense authorization measure this week," Roll Call reports.

"I don't know whether we have the votes or not," he told reporters, adding that failing to pass the bill before the midterm elections "would be a major setback."

Republicans led by Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) are widely opposed to language in the bill to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy barring openly gay service members. They have further blasted Democratic attempts to add an immigration provision known as the DREAM Act and another provision to curb the Senate's use of secret holds to the annual measure, which typically enjoys broad bipartisan support.

Levin railed against those claims and noted that McCain promoted a campaign finance amendment to the defense authorization bill in 2000. "The argument is this has no place on the defense bill, and they're wrong," Levin said. "People use the rules here, and they have the right to use the rules here."

Two key Senators "thought to be open to repealing the ban on openly gay soldiers serving in the military -- Maine Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe -- complained Monday that Republicans were being shut out of the debate," POLITICO reports.

Collins "believes that our armed forces should welcome the service of any qualified individual who is willing and capable to serve our country," said spokesman Kevin Kelley. "She would like the Senate to proceed to a full and open debate on the defense authorization bill, with members able to offer amendments on all relevant issues."

Snowe also called for a more open process, though unlike Collins, she expressed doubts about the bill's "don't ask, don't tell" repeal plan. It is "imperative that Senate deliberations on the defense bill be conducted without limitations and in a manner that allows for the consideration of all related amendments that senators may wish to offer," she said in a statement.

One possibility "raised by senators from both parties Monday was to debate the bill this week, hold votes on some amendments, including the marquee 'don't ask, don't tell' and DREAM Act issues, and put off a final Senate vote on the legislation until after the elections."

With the end of combat operations in Iraq days ahead, the President salutes our troops for their service and pledges to fulfill America’s commitment to them as veterans.  90,000 troops have left Iraq since the President came into office, and by the end of next year even the troops taking part in the non-combat mission will be home.  

The administration is upholding the sacred trust with our veterans by building a 21st century VA, making it easier for veterans with PTSD to receive the benefits they need, funding and implementing a Post-9/11 GI Bill, and devoting new resources to job training and placement to help those veterans looking for work in a tough economy.

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Full transcript of the President's remarks below:

Good afternoon,

Shortly after taking office, I put forward a plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Today, I'm pleased to report that -- thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians in Iraq -- our combat mission will end this month, and we will complete a substantial drawdown of our troops.
 
Over the last 18 months, over 90,000 U.S. troops have left Iraq. By the end of this month, 50,000 troops will be serving in Iraq. As Iraqi Security Forces take responsibility for securing their country, our troops will move to an advise-and-assist  role. And, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year. Meanwhile, we will continue to build a strong partnership with the Iraqi people with an increased civilian commitment and diplomatic effort.
 
A few weeks ago, men and women from one of the most deployed brigades in the U.S. Army, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, returned home from Iraq. The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden were at Fort Drum to welcome the veterans home and spoke about their personal experiences as a military family.

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Rep. Dennis Kucinich delivers his message concerning Afghanistan, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and the influence of corporate money on federal elections.

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This afternoon the President spoke on new leadership for the mission in Afghanistan.

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President Obama speaks to the media after a Cabinet Meeting about the economy, national security and Iraq. The President also responds to a question about his upcoming meeting with General Stanley McChrystal.

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Most of the lawmakers already weighing in on Israel’s deadly raid against an international aid flotilla headed for Gaza have come out squarely in support of Israel’s decision. Not Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

The Ohio Democrat began circulating a letter to colleagues on Wednesday condemning the attack in no uncertain terms, saying the raid “constitutes an act of belligerence against Turkey” and “undermines United States’ troops efforts in Iraq.”

No one questions the right of Israel to defend its border, but that defense does not extend to shooting innocent civilians anywhere in the world, anytime it pleases.

Kucinich is calling for the United States “to redefine its relationship [with Israel] and to establish such boundaries and conditions which are sufficient for mutual respect and cooperation.”

Read the full letter below:

The made-for-HBO Taking Chance is based on perhaps the single most moving artifact to come out of the Second Gulf War, Lt. Col. Mike Strobl's first-person narrative of his voluntary mission escorting the body of a fellow Marine killed in Iraq.

Strobl hadn't known Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps but, noticing they'd been born in the same western town, he requested temporary leave from his duties as a manpower-deployment analyst at Quantico in order to accompany the 20-year-old's body home. Home, as it turned out, was no longer their shared birthplace in Colorado but the high-country Wyoming town of Dubois. The journey would take Strobl deep into the heart of his nation, and his own heart as well.

There's no overstating the power and beauty of what he encountered: one instance after another of not just military personnel but airline employees, passengers, and bystanders doing honor--mostly wordlessly--to Chance's coffin and his escort as they passed by.

The picture's decency is unimpeachable, and Strobl's story, transcending pro-war and anti-war politics, is itself an act of healing.

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“Don’t Ask--Don’t Tell--- a bad idea whose time has thankfully passed”

Justin Coussoule is an West Point graduate. An attorney. A businessman. A father and devoted husband. He and his wife, Amanda, also a West Point graduate, each had extended careers in the United States Army. Coussoule is also the Congressional candidate in Ohio’s 8th District. However unlike his obstructionist opponent, Congressman John Boehner, Coussoule fully supports the immediate repeal of the “Don’t Ask-- Don’t Tell” policy which unfairly deals with gay members of the military.

Coussoule states that “to ask our brave men and women to immediately violate the military code of ethics by forcing them to lie about their private behavior or sexual orientation is ludicrous. Dozens of our allies across the world and the complete NATO structure allow gay citizens to openly serve in their military organizations and operations”.

As a West Point graduate and officer he knows that ‘Don’t Ask--Don’t Tell’ keeps talented and patriotic citizens from serving their country and that the Armed Forces should not insist that deception be the basis for that service. Coussoule agrees with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen when they argue that this current policy is both untenable and unfair. Justin Coussoule believes that all American citizens should have the same rights under the law and that discrimination against anyone because of sexual orientation (or color, or gender, or disability) is simply wrong.

STATEMENT FROM JUSTIN COUSSOULE BELOW:

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday delivered a victory to President Barack Obama and gay rights groups by approving a proposal to repeal the law that allows gays to serve in the military only if they don't disclose their sexual orientation.

The 234-194 vote to overturn the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy reflected a view among many in Congress that America was ready for a military in which gays and straights can stand side by side in the trenches.

The historic House vote followed the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 to end former President Bill Clinton's 1993 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military but subjects them to expulsion if their sexual orientation becomes known.

Under “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, more than 13,000 men and women in uniform have been discharged from the military and thousands more have decided not to re-enlist. Fighter pilots, infantry officers, Arabic translators and other specialists have been discharged at a time when our nation is fighting two wars.

Voting yes were 229 Democrats and 5 Republicans.

Voting no were 26 Democrats and 168 Republicans.

All Ohio Democrats voted yes Boccieri, Y; Driehaus, Y; Fudge, Y; Kaptur, Y; Kilroy, Y; Kucinich, Y; Ryan, Y; Space, Y; Sutton, Y; Wilson, Y and all Ohio Republicans voted no Austria, N; Boehner, N; Jordan, N; LaTourette, N; Latta, N; Schmidt, N; Tiberi, N; Turner, N.

President Obama issued the following statement:

I have long advocated that we repeal ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’, and I am pleased that both the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee took important bipartisan steps toward repeal tonight.  Key to successful repeal will be the ongoing Defense Department review, and as such I am grateful that the amendments offered by Representative Patrick Murphy and Senators Joseph Lieberman and Carl Levin that passed today will ensure that the Department of Defense can complete that comprehensive review that will allow our military and their families the opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process.  Our military is made up of the best and bravest men and women in our nation, and my greatest honor is leading them as Commander-in-Chief. This legislation will help make our Armed Forces even stronger and more inclusive by allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve honestly and with integrity.

GOPContractWithAmerica.com is a website that links to a new Facebook application that allows supporters to fill out a poll and share it with their Facebook friends. Republicans have said their new site is not campaign oriented.

"The DCCC launched this new initiative to enable our four million plus grassroots supporters to vote for the worst GOP priorities that benefited big corporate special interests under George W. Bush," DCCC Spokesman Ryan Rudominer saidin an e-mail. "The DCCC will continue on the cutting edge in allowing our grassroots supporters' voices to be heard."

The custom designed Facebook application, which went live Thursday morning, will be used throughout the election cycle.

It's a little early to get too excited, but The Advocate's Kerry Eleved is reporting that a deal may be coming together to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by the end of this week. Such a reversal would take effect after the Pentagon completes a study on how to integrate openly gay service members, according to multiple officials.

White House and Pentagon staffers met separately with representatives of gay rights organizations and congressional staffers to discuss what it would take to include a repeal of the policy in this year's defense spending bill, officials said.

It would take a legislative home run to pull off repeal this week. As the Washington Post reports, there are too many undecided legislators for either side to claim victory on the House or Senate floors. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), who authored the attachment to the NDAA repealing DADT, doesn't yet have the votes to even get his amendment out of the House Armed Services Committee. Likewise, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) lacks the votes on the Senate side.

Next week, there is going to be a "debate" in Congress on yet another war funding bill. The bill is supposed to pass without debate, so no one will notice.

What George Orwell wrote about in "1984" has come true. What Eisenhower warned us about concerning the "military-industrial complex" has come true. War is a permanent feature of our societal landscape, so much so that no one notices it anymore.  

Next year’s budget allocates $159,000,000,000 to perpetuate the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. That’s enough money to eliminate federal income taxes for the first $35,000 of every American’s income. Beyond that, leaves over $15 billion to cut the deficit.  

And that’s what The War Is Making You Poor Act does. It eliminates separate funding for the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and eliminates federal income taxes for everyone’s first $35,000 of income ($70,000 for couples).  Plus it pays down the national debt.

The costs of the war have been rendered invisible.  There's no draft.  Instead, we take the most vulnerable elements of our population, and give them a choice between unemployment and missile fodder.  Government deficits conceal the need to pay in cash for the war.  

We put the cost of both guns and butter on our Chinese credit card.  In fact, we don't even put these wars on budget; they are still passed using 'emergency supplemental'.  A nine-year ‘emergency’.

Let's show Congress the cost of these wars is too much for us.

Tell Congress that you like 'The War Is Making You Poor Act'. No, tell Congress you love it. Act now.

http://www.TheWarIsMakingYouPoor.com

All we are saying is "give peace a chance."  We will end these wars.  

Together.

On average,3 times a week someone on the terrorist watch list legally purchases a firearm or explosive.  Of the many troubling quirks in our gun laws, one of the strangest is that there is no mechanism to stop this from happening, even though these same people are generally barred from air travel. 

A new site called terrorgap.org has been setup urging Congress to act on this matter. 

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a companion article up on Huffington Post that addresses the issue in more depth. For example, the legislation allows the FBI discretion as to whether or not the suspect should be allowed to purchase a gun, so as to avoid tipping their hand. It also contains a rigorous system to handle those mistakenly included on the watch list.

Some Republicans are all wee-weed up and rushing out their "shred the Constitution" playbook in the case of Times Square bombing plot suspect US Citizen Faisal Shahzad:

– “I think obviously that [mirandizing Shahzad] would be a serious mistake until we’ve — at least until we find out as much information as we have, and there are ways — legal ways — of delaying that.” — Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

– “I hope that [Attorney General Eric] Holder did discuss this with the intelligence community. If they believe they got enough from him, how much more should they get? Did they Mirandize him? I know he’s an American citizen but still.” — Rep. Peter King (R-NY)

First, as a practical matter, we know that the Mirandizing suspects does not undermine our national security interests. For decades, this wasn't even a subject open to debate until Republicans decided last year this might be exploited politically to confused scared voters.

Second, on Fox News this morning, both Glenn Beck and Andrew Napolitano supported following the law and Mirandizing Shahzad. Congratulations, John McCain and Pete King, you're now slightly less reasonable than Fox News personalities.

Third, as Matt Yglesias noted, reading a suspect his/her rights isn't just some nicety: "[T]o give [a suspect] the death penalty, or indeed any penalty, you need to put him on trial. Which is to say you need to prove that the guy in custody is actually responsible for the crime. And the whole reason cops mirandize suspects is that if you don't, you risk having your evidence thrown out of court. If you gather all the information before mirandizing, you could be throwing the whole thing into doubt. Which is why professionals give out the warning."

HT: Think Progress and The Washington Monthy

The Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy “will hold a hearing on Thursday to examine the impact of China’s exchange rate practices on U.S. manufacturing, the panel said on Tuesday,” Reuters reports.

Senator Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat who has pressed President Barack Obama’s administration to formally label China as a currency manipulator, will chair the hearing.

Brown also is co-sponsor of a bill threatening China with tariffs on some of its exports if it does not significantly revalue the yuan. The committee will hear from steel and other industry groups, as well as academic witnesses.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) received the Major General Charles Dick Award for Legislative Excellence Award from the Ohio National Guard Association in Columbus on Saturday. Brown discussed his efforts to ensure that the Ohio National Guard has superior equipment and facilities for training and that all Guards members have increased benefits and improved health care.

The award is presented to an elected official who has made outstanding contributions in support of the Ohio National Guard.

"Senator Brown has been a champion for the Soldiers and Airmen of the Ohio National Guard for almost two decades," said Maj. Gen. Gregory L. Wayt, Ohio adjutant general. "On behalf of the almost 17,000 members of the Ohio National Guard, we honor him for his staunch support of our organization."

Retired Brig. Gen. Robert L. Lawson, executive director of the Ohio National Guard Association said Sen. Brown "has developed a very strong personal relationship with the Ohio National Guard and we are proud to present him with this recognition."

Brown is also working with the Department of Defense and the National Guard Bureau to ensure that critical missions and jobs remain in Ohio.

"Senator Brown affords the National Guard the opportunity to become part of the larger debate on issues of importance to our Soldiers and Airmen at times when our input can have the greatest impact," said Wayt.

Gen. David Petraeus, the military hero of the Republican (and even non-Republican) masses and the current leader of U.S. Central Command, cast himself as decidedly outside the Dick Cheney school of counter-terrorism thought on Sunday.

Appearing on Meet the Press, the general made a compelling case against torturing terrorist detainees, saying he found it far more pragmatic and beneficial to stick to methods authorized by the army field manual.

"I have always been on the record, in fact, since 2003, with the concept of living our values. And I think that whenever we've perhaps taken expedient measures, they've turned around and bitten us in the backside. We decided early on, in the 101st airborne division, we just said, we decided to obey the Geneva Conventions...

"In the cases where that is not true [where torture takes place or international human rights groups aren't granted access to detention sites] we end up paying a price for it, ultimately," he added. "Abu Ghraib and other situations like that are non biodegradable. They don't go away. The enemy continues to beat you with them like a stick.... Beyond that, frankly, we have found that the use of interrogation methods in the army field manual that was given the force of law by Congress, that that works."

Petraeus wasn't done there. In another contrast with former Vice President Cheney -- as well as the vast majority of congressional Republicans -- he reiterated his support for closing Gitmo, albeit without a date-specific time frame.

"I've been on the record on that for well over a year, saying it should be closed," he said. "But it should be done in a responsible matter. So I'm not seized with the issue that it won't be done by a certain date. In fact, I think it is prudent to insure that as we move forward with that, the remaining detainees are relocated and so forth... is really thought through and done in a very pragmatic and sensible manner."

Watch It:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Scott Horton adds to the legal ramifications of Dick Cheney's remarkable confession of committing a war crime on national television:

Section 2340A of the federal criminal code makes it an offense to torture or to conspire to torture. Violators are subject to jail terms or to death in appropriate cases, as where death results from the application of torture techniques. Prosecutors have argued that a criminal investigation into torture undertaken with the direction of the Bush White House would raise complex legal issues, and proof would be difficult. But what about cases in which an instigator openly and notoriously brags about his role in torture?

Cheney told Jonathan Karl that he used his position within the National Security Council to advocate for the use of waterboarding and other torture techniques. Former CIA agent John Kiriakou and others have confirmed that when waterboarding was administered, it was only after receiving NSC clearance. Hence, Cheney was not speaking hypothetically but admitting his involvement in the process that led to decisions to waterboard in at least three cases.

What prosecutor can look away when a perpetrator mocks the law itself and revels in his role in violating it? Such cases cry out for prosecution. Dick Cheney wants to be prosecuted. And prosecutors should give him what he wants.

HT: Daily Dish

AP reports:

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, described as the No. 2 behind Taliban founder and Osama bin Laden associate Mullah Muhammad Omar, has been in Pakistan's custody for several days...

Baradar was captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in a raid by Pakistan's Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, with CIA operatives accompanying the Pakistanis, the Times reported. Pakistan has been leading the interrogation of Baradar, but Americans were also involved, it said.

Baradar heads the Taliban's military council and was elevated in the body after the 2006 death of military chief Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Usmani. Baradar is known to coordinate the movement's military operations throughout the south and southwest of Afghanistan. His area of direct responsibility stretches over Kandahar, Helmand, Nimroz, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces.

If confirmed, Baradar's arrest would be a major setback for the Taliban.

He may also have information on the whereabouts of Omar and bin Laden.

The Advocate is reporting that Army Lt. Dan Choi, a West Point graduate and Arabic translator who famously challenged ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ last year, has been recalled to active duty. The Advocates's story is based upon this report from The Bilerica Progject.,

If these reports of Lt. Choi being called back to service are in fact correct, that’s a strong sign that even ahead of a full repeal of the so-called gay ban, proceeding at a deliberate, year-long pace advocated by the Pentagon’s top leadership, relaxed enforcement of the policy is already in place.

In an oped in USA Today, John Brennan -- Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism -- responds to critics of the Obama administration's counterterrorism policies by saying "Politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda."

Brennan writes that, "Terrorists are not 100-feet tall. Nor do they deserve the abject fear they seek to instill."

In the oped, titled "'We need no lectures': Administration disrupts terrorists’ plots, takes fight to them abroad," Brennan writes that politics "should never get in the way of national security. But too many in Washington are now misrepresenting the facts to score political points, instead of coming together to keep us safe."

Brennan provides a detailed defense of the administration's handling of failed Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab whom, he says, was "thoroughly interrogated and provided important information."

He suggests that many critics are hypocritical and clueless.

John Brennan is Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism:

Opposing view: 'We need no lectures'

Administration disrupts terrorists’ plots, takes fight to them abroad.

Politics should never get in the way of national security. But too many in Washington are now misrepresenting the facts to score political points, instead of coming together to keep us safe.

Immediately after the failed Christmas Day attack, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was thoroughly interrogated and provided important information. Senior counterterrorism officials from the White House, the intelligence community and the military were all actively discussing this case before he was Mirandized and supported the decision to charge him in criminal court.

The most important breakthrough occurred after Abdulmutallab was read his rights, which the FBI made standard policy under Michael Mukasey, President Bush's attorney general. The critics who want the FBI to ignore this long-established practice also ignore the lessons we have learned in waging this war: Terrorists such as Jose Padilla and Saleh al-Mari did not cooperate when transferred to military custody, which can harden one's determination to resist cooperation.

It's naive to think that transferring Abdulmutallab to military custody would have caused an outpouring of information. There is little difference between military and civilian custody, other than an interrogator with a uniform. The suspect gets access to a lawyer, and interrogation rules are nearly identical.

Would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid was read his Miranda rights five minutes after being taken off a plane he tried to blow up. The same people who criticize the president today were silent back then.

Read Te Full Piece At USAToday

See Also: John Brennan: All Former Detainees Who Returned to Terrorism Were Released By Bush

America spends $1 billion a day on crude oil from other countries.

Depending on foreign oil puts both our national security and our checkbooks at risk.

We’re funding those who want to see our county fail.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

A real clean energy bill will put us back in control by using energy that’s made in America and works for Americans.

A real energy bill will create 1.7 million new jobs and put us back on track.

This isn’t politics, this is common sense. Watch this video to find out why American energy is safe energy.

Three years ago, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was pretty clear about his stand on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

McCain said he would support ending the ban once the military's top brass told him that they agreed with the change.

"The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it," McCain said in October 2006 to an audience of Iowa State University students.

That day arrived Tuesday, with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen testifying to senators after President Obama's announcement that he would seek a congressional repeal of the 15-year-old policy.

McCain went into his first flip-flop. (View Video)

"At this moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," he said bluntly, before describing it as "imperfect but effective."

Now he's going to have to perform his second.

In the same interview in 2006, McCain said, "I listen to leaders like Colin Powell on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell".

Watch It:

Gen. Colin L. Powell, who as the nation’s top military officer in the 1990s opposed allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military, switched gears today and threw his support behind efforts to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law he helped shepherd in.

“In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” General Powell said in a statement issued by his office. He added: “I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.”

Ooops!  McCain it's your move!

In his weekly address, President Barack Obama promised to rein the deficit, citing three specific steps to this end.

He praised the Senate for restoring the pay-as-you-go law, which in the 1990’s contributed to the $236 billion surplus at the end of the decade. It is no coincidence that after ending PAYGO, that surplus became a $1.3 trillion deficit.

He has also proposed a freeze in discretionary spending, which will increase investments in jobs creation and middle class tax cuts while cutting spending for redundant or ineffective programs.

And finally, the President called for a bi-partisan Fiscal Commission to hammer out concrete deficit reduction proposals.

Watch It:

Full transcript of the President's remarks below:

Erick Erickson at Redstate makes a case against TSA administrator-designee Errol Southers by suggesting that only Muslims can be terrorists, and for Southers to dare suggest that there are other kinds of terrorism makes the would-be TSA official totally unacceptable.

Mr. Southers, in 2008, said he was more worried about “Christian identity” terrorist groups inside the U.S. than islamic terrorists. What are “Christian identity” terrorist groups? White-supremacists naturally. The KKK. And the Southern Baptist Convention.

Southers identifies pro-life groups and anti-government activists as particular problems.

Well, of course they're problems. If you look at the raw numbers from 1993-2009, there were many more terrorist attacks inside the U.S. by anti-abortion evildoers than by Islamic evildoers.

Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog

GOP Wheels Out Top Terrorist Attack Dog Cheney

Every since the failed underpants bomber plot on Christmas day the GOP has made every effort to politicize the event in an attempt to portray President Obama as somehow weak on terror.

Based on a poll released by CNN today the results of their efforts are in.

AEF: ANOTHER EPIC FAIL!

In the wake of the Christmas day attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner, most Americans remain confident that the Obama administration can protect the country from terrorism, according to a new national poll.

Nearly two-thirds of people questioned in the poll say they have a moderate or great deal of confidence in the administration to protect the public from future terrorist attacks, up 2 points from August. Thirty-five percent say they have not much or no confidence at all, down 1 point from August.

A number of Republicans have criticized the president over his handling of the attempted bombing of Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit. But according to the survey, 57 percent approve of the way President Barack Obama's responded, with 39 percent disapproving of how he handled the situation.

"Only a third of Republicans have a positive view of Obama on this matter, but the key for the administration is the 55 percent of independents who approve of how the president responded to the incident on Christmas Day," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

"The public seems to react calmly to individual incidents, possibly because most Americans believe that the government cannot prevent every single terrorist plot from occurring."

Six in 10 say the terrorists will always find a way to launch an attack, no matter what the government does, he adds - identical to the number who felt that way during the Bush administration.

The Washington Monthly:

Jon Stewart asked President Obama's Republican critics the other night exactly what they would have the president do differently about national security and counter-terrorism. Over the last week or so, the answer has become clear but unsatisfying: the right wants the administration to use the word "terror" a whole lot, under the assumption that the mere repetition would help keep Americans safe.

This reached comical depths yesterday when Rep. Pete King (R) of New York -- who, remember, is the ranking GOP lawmaker on the House Intelligence Committee -- was asked for a "specific recommendation" that the administration could "implement right now" to improve the nation's security. "I think one main thing would be to -- just himself to use the word 'terrorism' more often," King replied.

There's obviously two angles to this. The first is that anyone over the age of five should realize that using the word "terrorism" over and over again does not actually serve a larger policy goal. And the second is that, far-right whining notwithstanding, the president and his team do use the word all the time. Rachel Maddow covered this quite effectively last night.

She noted, for example, that Republicans are "lying in a way that can be obviously, demonstrably, embarrassingly proven by anyone who has a spare 45 seconds and the Google."

Watch It:

If Rep. King is so darn eager to be super-terrified then why hasn't he been listening to what the President and the Administration have actually been saying?

For example from a search of whitehouse.gov:

1. 70 examples of remarks by the President mentioning terror or its derivatives.

1. 83 statements or releases.

1. And 64 press briefings.

This afternoon the President met with relevant agency heads to discuss the ongoing reviews of the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day and move forward on rectifying the problems that were exhibited that day.

Afterwards he spoke to the press and the American people about what he and his Administration is doing to keep America safe.

Watch It:

Transcript of the President's Remarks Below:

WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Barack Obama discussed his solemn responsibility to protect the nation and the steps the administration has taken to that end. From ordering reviews into the attempted act of terrorism in Detroit to a comprehensive strategy that has refocused our efforts on the fight against al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan and strengthened international partnerships to keep unrelenting pressure on extremists across the globe, the President will continue to do everything in his power to uphold the nation’s security.

Watch It:

Full Remarks Below:

An attempt to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day would be all-consuming for the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration — if there were one.

The post remains vacant because Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has held up President Barack Obama's nominee in opposition to the prospect of TSA workers joining a labor union.

As al Qaida claimed responsibility Monday for the thwarted attack and President Barack Obama made a public statement about it, Democrats urged DeMint to drop his objection and allow quick confirmation of nominee Erroll Southers, a counterterrorism expert, when the Senate reconvenes in three weeks.

Last Sunday Republican Jim DeMint appeared on Fox News and used the alleged Christmas Bomber issue to attack President Obama and the TSA because the agency's screeners might *gasp* unionize.

As it turns out, DeMint was really trying to deflect attention away from the fact that he voted against TSA funding earlier this year and has put a hold on Obama's nominee to head the department - hampering the agency's ability to put leadership in place:

As Republicans seek to put the blame for the widespread perception of ineptness at the Transportation Security Administration on the Obama administration, Democrats are arguing that Republican legislators bear part of the blame and that they're politically vulnerable on the subject.

Perhaps the largest impediment to change at the agency: South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint has a hold on the appointment of a TSA chief, over his concern that the new administration could allow security screeners to unionize.

DeMint spokesman Wesley Denton responds: Democrats have only themselves to blame for not having a confirmed TSA administrator. President Obama waited 243 days in office before making a nomination and Harry Reid has been too busy trading earmarks for votes on health care to schedule debate on the nominee. This is an important debate because many Americans don't want someone running the TSA who stands ready to give union bosses the power to veto or delay future security measures at our airports.

HT: Crooks and Liars

See Also: Continuing his war on labor, DeMint blocks nominated TSA chief

"You know, on the Internet there's an acronym that's used to apply to situations like this," Grayson said. "It's called 'STFU.' I don't think I can say that on the air, but I think you know what that means."

Grayson also addressed Republican complaints about President Obama bowing when he greeted the Emperor of Japan. Grayson said how he remembered when George Bush Senior "did something really awful" to the Prime Minister of Japan at a state dinner -- to which Matthews objected that vomiting on someone is an accident, not an action done on command.

"Well what about Bush Junior?" said Grayson. "I remember Bush Junior kissing Prince Abdullah on the cheek, and then holding his hand for an extended period of time. Maybe if he'd let him get to second base, then gasoline would be a dollar a gallon."

Matthews also asked Grayson about Cheney's statement that Obama's bow to the Emperor of Japan was a display of weakness that would lead to more terrorist attacks. "It's just too bad that it's too late to impeach him," Grayson answered. "That's all I can say."

Watch It:

In announcing his 18-month escalation strategy for Afghanistan, President Obama underscored his view that “Islamist extremism in the region remains an enduring threat to the security of Americans.” Obama revealed, “In the last few months alone, we have apprehended extremists within our borders who were sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) offered a cautious response to President Obama’s speech last night, saying in a statement that “Congress will now have an opportunity to fully examine this strategy.” Offering no explicit praise for Obama’s proposal, Pelosi noted that “President Obama inherited a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan because the Bush Administration did not have a plan to get the job done.”

In a written statement, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged “all our allies to unite behind President Obama’s strategy.” “Britain will continue to play its full part in persuading other countries to offer troops to the Afghanistan campaign,” said Brown. “A vital next stage is the London conference on Afghanistan on 28 January, to which all 43 coalition nations will be invited.”

Democrats are “divided” on how to fund the new Afghanistan strategy, which will cost at least $30 billion more. “Key leaders rejected a proposal from liberal members to impose a ‘war tax,’” but “they offered no plan of their own.”

~ Think Progress

Asked on MSNBC Tuesday to comment on Vice President Cheney's criticism of the president's war strategy, National Security Council chief of staff Denis McDonough retorted: "For someone who's been so wrong for so long, it's very difficult to comment."

Saying the war in Afghanistan had been "adrift" under the Bush administration, McDonough added: "If you go back to ... the early 1990s when, then Vice President Cheney was the secretary of defense, we made a very grave mistake when we walked away from Afghanistan and Pakistan."

Watch It:

The Supreme Court today threw out a ruling of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that had ordered the government to disclose photographs of detainees being abused by U.S. officials. The ruling was widely expected, given that Congress had recently changed the Freedom of Information Act to exempt disclosure of these specific photos. President Obama, who initially promised to release the photos but then changed his mind, signed that bill into law in October.

After the tragic shooting at Fort Hood by Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who reports now indicate had some contact with a radical Islamic cleric, during the Bush Administration, former Alaska governor, now book promoter and serial liar, Sarah Palin called for increased profiling of Muslims in the military last night on Fox News.

Watch It:

“I say profiling in the context of doing whatever we can to save innocent American lives, I’m all for it then,” concluded The Alaskan Mooselini.

So I guess she by default is saying she also wants to start profiling Christian Fundamentalist would-be terrorists, too? You know, like the Teabaggers who threaten to kill the president, the abortion clinic stalkers, the militias…?

Columbus, Ohio – As the nation prepares to celebrate Veterans Day and honor the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, the Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign today released a new television ad featuring veterans and national security leaders calling for bold action now on clean energy and climate change to strengthen America’s national security. The ad, called “Voices-Veterans,” will run on national cable starting on Veteran’s Day.

“Voices – Veterans” features young Iraq War veterans alongside respected military and national security leaders such as General Brent Scowcroft and General Wesley Clark making the urgent call for action now on clean energy and climate change so that we can end America’s dependence on foreign oil and strengthen our national security. General Scowcroft, U.S. National Security Advisor under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush and a retired Lieutenant General in the U.S. Air Force, states in the ad that “climate change threatens our national security,” while Terron Sims, Jr., a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq says, “Stop sending our dollars overseas to be used against us.” General Wesley Clark, a 34-year U.S. Army veteran who served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, concludes the ad stating, “We need to repower and there is no better time to do it than right now.”

“By taking control of our energy future, we can prevent future conflict overseas and keep our men and women in uniform out of harm's way,” said Repower Ohio State Director Bryan Mcgannon. “Even top-ranking retired admirals and generals have said that a first priority for our leaders should be fully integrating climate change and energy security into national security. By repowering America with clean energy, we can stop sending our hard-earned money overseas for foreign oil, invest it here to get our economy moving again, and help solve the climate crisis.”

This new TV ad is a continuation of the groundbreaking multimedia campaign launched by Repower America last week to demonstrate broad national consensus – from veterans, faith leaders, the business community, conservationists and more – for bold action on clean energy and climate. The new Repower effort, supported by an integrated online, field and advertising campaign, centers around a virtual Repower Wall, where thousands of people have already uploaded messages of strong support for action to create clean energy jobs, safeguard America’s economic and national security future, and solve the climate crisis. The Repower Wall may be accessed at www.repoweramerica.org/wall.

Veterans from Ohio have already posted to the Repower Wall, including:

Glenn Kunkle, United States Marine Corps (Retired): "Our dependence on fossil fuels is creating a threat multiplier in terms of our national security. It's creating new and unforeseen challenges for America. We need to clean up our act."
·       Watch Glenn's full Repower Wall post: http://www.repoweramerica.org/wall/#/view/21749

Joel Bednar, United States Army (Retired): "Clean energy is our future we have to leave something for our children. We have to take action now because if we don't who knows what's going to be left for our children."
·       Watch Joel's full Repower Wall post: http://www.repoweramerica.org/wall/#/view/21920

Already, more than 22,000 individuals have added their faces and voices to the Repower Wall, and more than 40 leading corporations and non-governmental organizations have contributed their logos to the effort – including companies like Nike, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Staples, eBay and Exelon, as well as organizations such as the United Steel Workers, National Farmers Union, Trout Unlimited, Republicans for Environmental Protection and the American Nurses Association.

According to the Center for American Progress, transitioning to a clean energy economy will create more than 67,000 jobs here in Ohio while revitalizing our economy, strengthening our national security and breaking our dependence on foreign oil.

Watch It:

By: Elizabeth Warren

From 1792 through the Great Depression, booms and busts followed each other like day follows night. But President Roosevelt and the New Dealers had an innovative idea: regulation might tame the boom-and-bust cycle. So they created a new Securities and Exchange Commission to bring some discipline to the financial markets, established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to make it safe to put money in banks, and passed the Glass-Steagall Act to separate ordinary banking from high-risk financial speculation.

America was protected from another financial crisis for almost 50 years. But in the late 1970s, we began to pull the threads from our regulatory fabric, overturning laws and cutting enforcement. The results were the S&L crisis, Long Term Capital Management, Enron, and now, the subprime mortgage meltdown.

There are signs that we may have learned our lesson. Last week, the House Financial Services Committee voted for a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency that would consolidate scattered and ineffective consumer credit regulations and establish a home in Washington for policymakers dedicated to rebuilding the middle class. Other reforms are also starting to move.

The banking lobby is as powerful and deeply entrenched as ever, but it was powerful in the 1930s, too.

Nonetheless, the New Dealers learned the Great Lesson: Powerful insiders cannot be permitted to write the rules, and prosperity and security depend on a playing field that supports a vibrant middle class.

Today, we face a similar set of questions as we faced then. Will the institutions that created the crisis continue calling the shots and writing the rules, or will Washington take the side of families?

Have we learned the Great Lesson?

Elizabeth Warren is chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel created to oversee the banking bailouts and first proposed a new federal agency for consumer financial products in 2007.

From Media Matters: The Right-wing Media Spin Cycle: Lie, Terrify, Win, Repeat

Media Matters releases new video showing right-wing media's leading role in driving movement

Washington, DC - Today, Media Matters for America released a new video demonstrating how the conservative echo chamber operates in the age of President Obama. Conservative activists - aided by Fox News, a political organization disguised as a news network - use distortions, lies, and smear tactics to shape public opinion and influence national policy.

"Unlike the Clinton and Bush years, the right-wing echo chamber is now aided by a network that has thrown any remaining shred of journalistic credibility out the window, " said Eric Burns, President of Media Matters. "The modern conservative movement has gained an enormous megaphone in Fox News that they are using to impact legislation and shape public opinion."

Burns added: "People need to decide how long they will allow the policies of their country to be dictated by a media outlet accountable not to voters or constituents but to ratings."

Watch It:

Having watched this last night, I highly recommend it for those who want insight into the decisions facing the President over Afghanistan.

Watch the Trailer:

From Frontline:

Tens of thousands of fresh American troops are now on the move in Afghanistan, led by a new commander and armed with a counterinsurgency plan that builds on the lessons of Iraq. But can U.S. forces succeed in a land long known as the "graveyard of empires"? And can the U.S. stop the Taliban in neighboring Pakistan, where U.S. troops are not allowed and the government is weak?

In Obama's War, veteran correspondent Martin Smith travels across Afghanistan and Pakistan to see first-hand how the president's new strategy is taking shape, delivering vivid, on-the-ground reporting from this eight-year-old war's many fronts. Through interviews with top generals, diplomats and government officials, Smith also reports the internal debates over President Obama's grand attempt to combat terrorism at its roots.

"What we found on the ground was a huge exercise in nation building," says Smith. "The concept's become a bit of a dirty word, but that's what this is. We started with the goal of eliminating Al Qaeda, and now we've wound up with the immense task of re-engineering two nations."

Watch The Full Program Online

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) on the Huffington Post

Watch It:

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  Well, this is not how I expected to wake up this morning.  After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, "Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday!"  And then Sasha added, "Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up."  So it's good to have kids to keep things in perspective.

I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee.  Let me be clear:  I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations. 

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build -- a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents.  And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes.  And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.
    
These challenges can't be met by any one leader or any one nation.  And that's why my administration has worked to establish a new era of engagement in which all nations must take responsibility for the world we seek.  We cannot tolerate a world in which nuclear weapons spread to more nations and in which the terror of a nuclear holocaust endangers more people.  And that's why we've begun to take concrete steps to pursue a world without nuclear weapons, because all nations have the right to pursue peaceful nuclear power, but all nations have the responsibility to demonstrate their peaceful intentions.

We cannot accept the growing threat posed by climate change, which could forever damage the world that we pass on to our children -- sowing conflict and famine; destroying coastlines and emptying cities.  And that's why all nations must now accept their share of responsibility for transforming the way that we use energy.

We can't allow the differences between peoples to define the way that we see one another, and that's why we must pursue a new beginning among people of different faiths and races and religions; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect.

And we must all do our part to resolve those conflicts that have caused so much pain and hardship over so many years, and that effort must include an unwavering commitment that finally realizes that the rights of all Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security in nations of their own.

We can't accept a world in which more people are denied opportunity and dignity that all people yearn for -- the ability to get an education and make a decent living; the security that you won't have to live in fear of disease or violence without hope for the future.

And even as we strive to seek a world in which conflicts are resolved peacefully and prosperity is widely shared, we have to confront the world as we know it today.  I am the Commander-in-Chief of a country that's responsible for ending a war and working in another theater to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people and our allies.  I'm also aware that we are dealing with the impact of a global economic crisis that has left millions of Americans looking for work.  These are concerns that I confront every day on behalf of the American people. 

Some of the work confronting us will not be completed during my presidency.  Some, like the elimination of nuclear weapons, may not be completed in my lifetime.  But I know these challenges can be met so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone.  This award is not simply about the efforts of my administration -- it's about the courageous efforts of people around the world. 

And that's why this award must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity -- for the young woman who marches silently in the streets on behalf of her right to be heard even in the face of beatings and bullets; for the leader imprisoned in her own home because she refuses to abandon her commitment to democracy; for the soldier who sacrificed through tour after tour of duty on behalf of someone half a world away; and for all those men and women across the world who sacrifice their safety and their freedom and sometime their lives for the cause of peace. 

That has always been the cause of America.  That's why the world has always looked to America.  And that's why I believe America will continue to lead.

Thank you very much.

Whether a lawmaker was fully satisfied with individual provisions in the spending bill was irrelevant -- the troops are fighting wars and they need the money. Excuses, Republicans said, won't give servicemen and women the resources they need. It became the single most frequently repeated GOP talking point when it came to national security: Dems voted against the troops during two wars.

Check out this Town Hall column by House Republican Leader John Boehner, from April 2008:

"But there is a clear distinction between saying you support the troops and backing up those claims with genuine action. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) once said "we shouldn't play chicken with our troops" when it comes to funding our troops in harm's way, and his colleague Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) urged General Petraeus at the start of the surge to request "every possible piece of equipment and resource necessary" to keep our troops safe. These words turned into little more than empty rhetoric when both proceeded to vote against funding our troops last year."

House GOP leaders voting against defense bill:

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) are voting against the House/Senate fiscal year 2010 defense authorization bill — because it contains hate crimes provisions designed to protect gays and lesbians.

Boehner, speaking at his weekly press conference Thursday, said the inclusion of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the defense bill was "an abuse of power" by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that sought to punish offenders for what they thought — and not what they did.

He accused the speaker of pursuing her social agenda "on the backs" of the troops.

Yep, the same John Boehner who last week said he's never met "anyone" who supports the public health insurance option--despite polls showing that it's supported by at least two-thirds of the American public.

Now in one of the most hypocritical moves ever won't vote to fund the troops during a time of war because he's against gays.

John Boehner is a complete sleezebag and he's taking the Republicans down with him a little more each and every day he is minority leader.

There are many, many hypocritical things that Republicans do. But, when they play politics with national security, it's beyond hypocritical, it's despicable.

For almost eight years, including those six when Republicans controlled the House and Senate, the GOP ignored the war in Afghanistan, just like George Bush did. They dutifully -- and without question -- followed Bush into the war in Iraq. And, they let Afghanistan fester. It was national security negligence on the part of the GOP.

Now, that Bush is gone, Republicans are pretending to care about the Afghanistan war.

The Republican Party Politics before Country!

Continuing a trend of increasingly violent and revolutionary rhetoric advanced by conservative media figures, Newsmax columnist John Perry wrote that President Obama "is inviting" a military coup and detailed the reasons he said officers might support such a "[m]ilitary intervention" with the end result being one in which "[s]killed, military-trained, nation-builders would replace accountability-challenged, radical-left commissars." On the same day, radio host Jim Quinn told armed service members to "run for your life, get out," because Obama "is gonna get you killed."

Newsmax columnist John Perry asserts Obama "is inviting" a "[m]ilitary intervention." Perry wrote, "There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America's military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the 'Obama problem.' Don't dismiss it as unrealistic." He added:

Will the day come when patriotic general and flag officers sit down with the president, or with those who control him, and work out the national equivalent of a "family intervention," with some form of limited, shared responsibility?

Imagine a bloodless coup to restore and defend the Constitution through an interim administration that would do the serious business of governing and defending the nation. Skilled, military-trained, nation-builders would replace accountability-challenged, radical-left commissars. Having bonded with his twin teleprompters, the president would be detailed for ceremonial speech-making.

Military intervention is what Obama's exponentially accelerating agenda for "fundamental change" toward a Marxist state is inviting upon America. A coup is not an ideal option, but Obama's radical ideal is not acceptable or reversible. [Newsmax.com, 9/29/09]

Newsmax appears to have taken down the column from its website this morning. though Media Matters has an archive of it.

A spokeswoman for Newsmax sent a statement to Talking Points Memo admitting that the magazine removed the column after several reader complaints. She also identified Perry as an "unpaid blogger."

Newsmax strongly believes in the principles of Constitutional government and would never advocate or insinuate any suggestion of an activity that would undermine our democracy or democratic institutions.

Senate Climate Bill Tougher Than House Version

Proposed Senate Climate Bill Calls for Deeper, Early Pollution Cuts Than Those in House Bill

Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, have introduced the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act.

The Senate Bill goes a bit further toward reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to H.R.2298, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives in June. The House bill sets a GHG reduction target of 17% by 2020 and over 80% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels.

The Boxer-Kerry bill aims to reduce GHG emissions 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 from 2005 levels through a Pollution Reduction and Investment (PRI) system. The PRI is a mechanism that sets pollution reduction targets, then uses market incentives to find the most affordable paths to achieve them. PRI rewards companies in every sector that find ways to reduce carbon pollution by using cleaner technologies or improving efficiency.

Under PRI’s incentives, renewable fuel sources, such as wind and solar, will become increasingly central to the way the U.S. uses energy.

The bill also directs the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a program to provide grants and other assistance to renewable energy projects in states with mandatory renewable portfolio standards.

In addition, the bill would allow the distribution of emissions allowances to states, Indian tribes, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations and renewable electricity generators for programs to reduce GHG emissions, promote energy efficiency and conservation, and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources.

“I applaud Chairmen Kerry and Boxer for their leadership on comprehensive energy reform. With the draft legislation they are announcing today, we are one step closer to putting America in control of our energy future and making America more energy independent. My Administration is deeply committed to passing a bill that creates new American jobs and the clean energy incentives that foster innovation. I commend Senators Boxer and Kerry for their work and look forward to signing comprehensive energy legislation that addresses this urgent challenge.”

References:

Click here (pdf) for the full text of the Boxer-Kerry bill.

Click here (pdf) for a summary of the Boxer-Kerry bill.

Click here (pdf) for an overview of the Boxer-Kerry bill.

Recorded literally on his way back from the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, the President uses his Weekly Address to recap the progress made during the intensive discussions with world leaders.

From an historic agreement to reform the global financial system, to groundbreaking commitments on reducing subsidies to fossil fuels worldwide, to unity in standing against threats to world peace -- engagement produced tangible results in several areas.

My offer of a serious, meaningful dialogue to resolve this issue remains open. But Iran must now cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and take action to demonstrate its peaceful intentions.

On this, the international community is more united than ever before. Yesterday, I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our European allies in condemning Iran’s program. In our meetings and public statements, President Medvedev of Russia and I agreed that Iran must pursue a new course or face consequences. All of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and Germany, have made it clear that Iran must fulfill its responsibilities.

Iran’s leaders must now choose – they can live up to their responsibilities and achieve integration with the community of nations. Or they will face increased pressure and isolation, and deny opportunity to their own people.

These are the urgent threats of our time. And the United States is committed to a new chapter of international cooperation to meet them. This new chapter will not be written in one week or even one year. But we have begun. And for the American people and the people of the world, it will mean greater security and prosperity for years to come.

Watch It:

Full Transcript of the President's remarks below:

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA
AND PRESIDENT MEDVEDEV OF RUSSIA
AFTER BILATERAL MEETING

Waldorf Astoria Hotel
New York, New York

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, first of all, I want to welcome President Medvedev to the United States and New York. As you all know, I had the great pleasure of visiting him in Moscow, and he extended extraordinary hospitality to both myself and my family. More importantly, we got a lot of work done that I think will be bearing fruit in the months and years to come.

And I have to say publicly how much I appreciate the excellent working relationship that President Medvedev and I have been able to develop during our meetings, not only bilaterally but also at the various summits that we've attended.

We've had an excellent discussion that touched on a number of areas that our teams have been working on together over the last several months. In particular, we discussed the progress that's being made on the START treaty. And both of us are confident that we can meet our self-imposed deadline to get an agreement that substantially reduces our nuclear missiles and launchers by the end of the year.

So we spent the bulk of our time talking about Iran. As I said in my speech today, the United States is committed to a strong non-proliferation regime. And we are committed to upholding the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that strikes a bargain with all countries. That bargain says that countries are able to pursue peaceful nuclear technology; that they commit not to pursuing nuclear weapons; and those nations that have nuclear weapons make commitments to start reducing their stockpiles.

As the two major nuclear superpowers, we have made a commitment that we will reduce our nuclear stockpiles and move forward on our part of the bargain. And many other countries are abiding by the international commitments and norms that have been established by the NPT.

Unfortunately, Iran has been violating too many of its international commitments. So what we've discussed is how we can move in a positive direction that resolves a potential crisis, not just in the Middle East but that can cause enormous problems to the non-proliferation regime worldwide.

I believe that Russia and the United States shares the strategic objective that Iran can pursue peaceful energy sources but that it should not pursue nuclear weapons. I believe we also share the view that this should be resolved diplomatically, and I am on record as being committed to negotiating with Iran in a serious fashion to resolve this issue.

Russia, as a major leader, I think believes that such an approach is possible, as well. But I think we also both agree that if Iran does not respond to serious negotiations and resolve this issue in a way that assures the international community that it's meeting its commitments, and is not developing nuclear weapons, then we will have to take additional actions and that sanctions, serious additional sanctions, remain a possibility.

We have an opportunity for a P5-plus-1 meeting with Iran in October. I hope that Iran seizes the opportunity to follow the path that both the United States and Russia would prefer in making a decision to live up to its international commitments, abandon nuclear weapons, and to fully join the international community in a way that I think will ultimately enhance the peace of the region and the prosperity of the Iranian people.

And once again, I just want to personally thank President Medvedev, but also the Russian people, for the leadership that they're showing on the world stage. I'm confident that when the United States and Russia work on critical issues like nuclear non-proliferation, that the world rallies behind us and that we will be able to bring about the kind of international peace and security that I think we all want.

PRESIDENT MEDVEDEV: (As translated.) I'll try to make my comment briefer because, unlike my colleague, President Barack Obama, I still have to deliver my statement from the United Nations rostrum.

I agree that indeed recently we have witnessed very positive changes in our relations, with established, constructive, friendly working relations that allow us to tackle difficult issues that not only the two countries face, but also the entire world.

Today we've discussed a range of issues -- Mr. President listed them. Indeed, we communicate on regular basis. We personally meet quarterly and we talk on the phone regularly. So those personal contacts are not an exotic prank, but rather a manifestation of good working relations.

Indeed, we discussed new START treaty. We are satisfied with the current pace of work. The teams that were tasked to work on this matter work very successfully, we're satisfied with the work. We believe that they will be able to stick to the time schedule and that in due time we will have every (inaudible).

We talked about missile defense with my colleague, President Obama. We talked that the decision that he took was reasonable and that reflected the position of the current U.S. administration on missile defense, and also takes into consideration our concerns on the missile defense which is needed for Europe and for the world. And we are ready to continue this work with our U.S. colleagues in this direction, as well as with our European colleagues, of course.

We also discussed other issues, we have devoted lots of our time to the Iranian problem my colleague, Mr. President, rightly mentioned. Our task is to create such a system of incentives that would allow Iran to resolve its fissile nuclear program, but at the same time prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. That's why we, as responsible members of international community and, indeed, two nuclear superpowers, should send great signals in that direction.

I told His Excellency, Mr. President, that we believe we need to help Iran to take a right decision. As to also have sanctions, Russia's belief is very simple, and I stated it recently. Sanctions rarely lead to productive results. But in some cases sanctions are inevitable.

Finally, it is a matter of choice. And we're prepared to continue and to work together with the U.S. administration both on Iranian peaceful program and on other matters.

Most importantly, we've learned to listen to each other once again. And that is of great importance both to the future of relations of the two countries and the two peoples.

That is why I would like to give special thanks to you, Barack, for your cooperation on these matters.

(all emphasis added)

Speaking for the first time to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama attempted to distance himself from the policies of his predecessor and pushed for more international cooperation.

Specifically, he put forward four pillars that are fundamental to the future that we want for our children in the 21st century: non-proliferation and disarmament; the promotion of peace and security; the preservation of our planet; and a global economy that advances opportunity for all people.

The President acknowledged that we have reached a pivotal moment, and that the countries of the United Nations must embrace a new era of engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and that work must begin now.

"Democracy cannot be imposed on any nation from the outside," Obama said, in a significant turnaround from the policies of President George W. Bush. "I admit that American has often been too selective in its promotion of democracy."

Each nation must find its own path, rooted in its own culture, Obama said, but lauded democracy as "essential." "Governments of the people and by the people are more likely to act in the broader interests of their own people, rather than the narrow interest of those in power," he said.

He also called for more cooperation across borders. "When our destiny is shared, power is not a zero-sum game ... The time has come for the walls to come down," he said.

Obama closed his speech with a call to delegates to live up to the UN charter.

"The United Nations can either be a place where we bicker about outdated grievances, or forge common ground; a place where we focus on what drives us apart, or what brings us together; a place where we indulge tyranny, or a source of moral authority," Obama said.

Watch The Full Address:

President Obama has approved the recommendation of Secretary of Defense Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a phased, adaptive approach for missile defense in Europe. This approach is based on an assessment of the Iranian missile threat, and a commitment to deploy technology that is proven, cost-effective, and adaptable to an evolving security environment.

Secretary Of Defense Robert Gates penned the following Op-Ed in the New York Times yesterday:

Op-Ed Contributor
A Better Missile Defense for a Safer Europe
Published: September 19, 2009

The future of missile defense in Europe is secure. This reality is contrary to what some critics have alleged about President Obama’s proposed shift in America’s missile-defense plans on the continent — and it is important to understand how and why.

First, to be clear, there is now no strategic missile defense in Europe. In December 2006, just days after becoming secretary of defense, I recommended to President George W. Bush that the United States place 10 ground-based interceptors in Poland and an advanced radar in the Czech Republic. This system was designed to identify and destroy up to about five long-range missiles potentially armed with nuclear warheads fired from the Middle East — the greatest and most likely danger being from Iran. At the time, it was the best plan based on the technology and threat assessment available.

That plan would have put the radar and interceptors in Central Europe by 2015 at the earliest. Delays in the Polish and Czech ratification process extended that schedule by at least two years. Which is to say, under the previous program, there would have been no missile-defense system able to protect against Iranian missiles until at least 2017 — and likely much later.

Last week, President Obama — on my recommendation and with the advice of his national-security team and the unanimous support of our senior military leadership — decided to discard that plan in favor of a vastly more suitable approach. In the first phase, to be completed by 2011, we will deploy proven, sea-based SM-3 interceptor missiles — weapons that are growing in capability — in the areas where we see the greatest threat to Europe.

Read the Full PIece at The New York Times

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY AT THE PENTAGON MEMORIAL

Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and members of the Armed Forces, fellow Americans, family and friends of those that we lost this day -- Michelle and I are deeply humbled to be with you.

Eight Septembers have come and gone.  Nearly 3,000 days have passed -- almost one for each of those taken from us.  But no turning of the seasons can diminish the pain and the loss of that day.  No passage of time and no dark skies can ever dull the meaning of this moment.

So on this solemn day, at this sacred hour, once more we pause.  Once more we pray -- as a nation and as a people; in city streets where our two towers were turned to ashes and dust; in a quiet field where a plane fell from the sky; and here, where a single stone of this building is still blackened by the fires.

We remember with reverence the lives we lost.  We read their names.  We press their photos to our hearts.  And on this day that marks their death, we recall the beauty and meaning of their lives; men and women and children of every color and every creed, from across our nation and from more than 100 others.  They were innocent.  Harming no one, they went about their daily lives.  Gone in a horrible instant, they now "dwell in the House of the Lord forever."

We honor all those who gave their lives so that others might live, and all the survivors who battled burns and wounds and helped each other rebuild their lives; men and women who gave life to that most simple of rules:  I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.

We pay tribute to the service of a new generation -- young Americans raised in a time of peace and plenty who saw their nation in its hour of need and said, "I choose to serve"; "I will do my part."  And once more we grieve.  For you and your families, no words can ease the ache of your heart.  No deeds can fill the empty places in your homes.  But on this day and all that follow, you may find solace in the memory of those you loved, and know that you have the unending support of the American people.

Scripture teaches us a hard truth.  The mountains may fall and the earth may give way; the flesh and the heart may fail.  But after all our suffering, God and grace will "restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."  So it is -- so it has been for these families.  So it must be for our nation.

Let us renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act and who plot against us still.  In defense of our nation we will never waver; in pursuit of al Qaeda and its extremist allies, we will never falter.

Let us renew our commitment to all those who serve in our defense -- our courageous men and women in uniform and their families and all those who protect us here at home.  Mindful that the work of protecting America is never finished, we will do everything in our power to keep America safe.

Let us renew the true spirit of that day.  Not the human capacity for evil, but the human capacity for good.  Not the desire to destroy, but the impulse to save, and to serve, and to build.  On this first National Day of Service and Remembrance, we can summon once more that ordinary goodness of America -- to serve our communities, to strengthen our country, and to better our world.

Most of all, on a day when others sought to sap our confidence, let us renew our common purpose.  Let us remember how we came together as one nation, as one people, as Americans, united not only in our grief, but in our resolve to stand with one another, to stand up for the country we all love.

This may be the greatest lesson of this day, the strongest rebuke to those who attacked us, the highest tribute to those taken from us -- that such sense of purpose need not be a fleeting moment.  It can be a lasting virtue.

For through their own lives –- and through you, the loved ones that they left behind –- the men and women who lost their lives eight years ago today leave a legacy that still shines brightly in the darkness, and that calls on all of us to be strong and firm and united.  That is our calling today and in all the Septembers still to come.

May God bless you and comfort you.  And may God bless the United States of America.

Then September 11th came and we all just forgot.

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Under Bush, the Pentagon can't account for trillions, $80 billion in cash missing in Iraq. $2 trillion costs of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest American. Trillions thrown into the sinkhole of the  Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

And now Republicans complain about the cost of reforming our health care system which the CBO projected will not add $.01 to the deficit?

Republican ignorance and hypocrisy is beyond stunning.

Responding to criticism from former Vice President Cheney that President Obama is making the nation more vulnerable to terrorism, the president’s National Security Adviser, Gen. Jim Jones (Ret.), told ABC News in an exclusive interview that actually the reverse is true: President Obama’s greater success with international relations has meant more terrorists put out of commission.

“This type of radical fundamentalism or terrorism is a threat not only to the United States but to the global community,” Jones said. “The world is coming together on this matter now that President Obama has taken the leadership on it and is approaching it in a slightly different way – actually a radically different way – to discuss things with other rulers to enhance the working relationships with law enforcement agencies – both national and international."

Jones said that “we are seeing results that indicate more captures, more deaths of radical leaders and a kind of a global coming-together by the fact that this is a threat to not only the United States but to the world at-large and the world is moving toward doing something about it.”

Read The Full Story At ABC News

Tom Ridge, who oversaw the Department of Homeland Security under Bush, is set to release a new book in which he claims that he was pressured to raise the level of security alerts at critical moment during Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.

Additionally, Bush never saw it fit to invite the head of Homeland Security to a National Security Council meeting and was routinely kept in the dark by the FBI.

The image of the United States has improved markedly in most parts of the world, reflecting global confidence in Barack Obama. In many countries opinions of the United States are now about as positive as they were at the beginning of the decade before George W. Bush took office. Improvements in the U.S. image have been most pronounced in Western Europe, where favorable ratings for both the nation and the American people have soared. But opinions of America have also become more positive in key countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia, as well.

Signs of improvement in views of America are seen even in some predominantly Muslim countries that held overwhelmingly negative views of the United States in the Bush years. The most notable increase occurred in Indonesia, where people are well aware of Obama's family ties to the country and where favorable ratings of the U.S. nearly doubled this year. However for the most part, opinions of the U.S. among Muslims in the Middle East remain largely unfavorable, despite some positive movement in the numbers in Jordan and Egypt. Animosity toward the U.S., however, continues to run deep and unabated in Turkey, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan.

Download Complete Report

View Slideshow (w/Andrew Kohut commentary)

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Former rivals President Obama and John McCain are working together to stop wasting money on weapons we don't need.

McCain is offering an amendment to stop wasting money on the F-22 fighter jet , and the President has threatened to veto the bill if those same planes are not removed.

The Senate vote could happen any time, and the vote is expected to be close. Call your two senators, and ask them to support Sen. McCain and President Obama by voting to end the F-22 and re-invest in things that make us truly strong.

Brian Rothenberg
Executive Director
ProgressOhio.org

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1 - washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/09/AR2009070903020.html
2 - http://truesecurity.usaction.org/f22facts
3 - bls.gov/oco/ocos069.htm

CAIRO - Quoting from the Quran for emphasis, President Barack Obama called for a "new beginning between the United States and Muslims" Thursday and said together, they could confront violent extremism across the globe and advance the timeless search for peace in the Middle East.

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The last time President Obama sent a military bill to the House Appropriations Committee, they loaded it up with over $2 billion in extras that nobody asked for. Now they're starting work on the Pentagon budget, an even bigger target for weapons-grade pork.

As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Ohio's Marcy Kaptur could be the key to President Obama's plan to cut cold war weapons that don't make us any safer.

Tell Rep. Kaptur to back President Obama's call for True Security.

President Obama and his Secretary of Defense have already said they want to stop wasting money on unnecessary cold-war weapons like the F-22, 'Star Wars' missile defense and even more nuclear weapons. However, we know some people will try to sneak in their favorite weapons programs back in.

Let's set the tone by asking Rep. Kaptur to keep Obama's first defense budget clean.

Brian Rothenberg
Executive Director
ProgressOhio.org

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"I commend Chairman Waxman and the Members of the Energy and Commerce Committee for a successful effort to pass a comprehensive energy and climate bill out of their committee today. We are now one step closer to delivering on the promise of a new clean energy economy that will make America less dependent on foreign oil, crack down on polluters, and create millions of new jobs all across America. The bill is historic for what it achieves, providing clean energy incentives that encourage innovation while recognizing the concerns of sensitive industries and regions in this country. And this achievement is all the more historic for bringing together many who have in the past opposed a common effort, from labor unions to corporate CEOs, and environmentalists to energy companies. I applaud the committee for its action and look forward to signing comprehensive legislation."

This morning the President spoke at length on the values that guide his foreign policy decisions, including the closing of Guantanamo. He began by speaking of the importance of robust national security efforts and upholding American’s core identity and Constitutional principles, explaining how each can enforce the other:

For the first time since 2002, we are providing the necessary resources and strategic direction to take the fight to the extremists who attacked us on 9/11 in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are investing in the 21st century military and intelligence capabilities that will allow us to stay one step ahead of a nimble enemy. We have re-energized a global non-proliferation regime to deny the world’s most dangerous people access to the world’s deadliest weapons, we launched an effort to secure all loose nuclear materials within four years. We are better protecting our border, and increasing our preparedness for any future attack or natural disaster. We are building new partnerships around the world to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates. And we have renewed American diplomacy, so that we once again have the strength and standing to truly lead the world.

Now these steps are all critical to keeping America secure. But I believe with every fiber of my being that in the long run we also cannot keep this country safe unless we enlist the power of our most fundamental values. The documents that we hold in this very hall – the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights – these are not simply words written into aging parchment. They are the foundation of liberty and justice in this country, and a light that shines for all who seek freedom, fairness, equality and dignity around the world.

I stand here, today, as someone whose own life was made possible by these documents. My father came to our shores in search of the promise that they offered. My mother made me rise before dawn to learn their truths when I lived as a child in a foreign land. My own American journey was paved by generations of citizens who gave meaning to those simple words – "to form a more perfect union."  I have studied the Constitution as a student; I have taught it as a teacher; I have been bound by it as a lawyer and legislator. I took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief. And as a citizen, I know that we must never – ever – turn our back on its enduring principles for expedience sake.

It is the reason why enemy soldiers have surrendered to us in battle, knowing they’d receive better treatment from America’s armed forces than from their own government.

It is the reason why America has benefited from strong alliances that amplified our power, and drawn a sharp and moral contrast with our adversaries.

It is the reason why we’ve been able to overpower the iron fist of fascism, and outlast the iron curtain of communism, and enlist free nations and free peoples everywhere in common cause and common effort.

The President summarized what he believes happened in recent years:

And during this season of fear, too many of us – Democrats and Republicans; politicians, journalists and citizens – fell silent.

In other words, we went off course. And this is not my assessment alone. It was an assessment that was shared by the American people, who nominated candidates for President from both major parties who, despite our many differences, called for a new approach – one that rejected torture, and one that recognized the imperative of closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

He recounted and explained the decisions he has made as President to date in that context, discussing his banning of torture, his closing of Guantanamo, and the ordering of a comprehensive review of all cases there. He went into detail about the five categories these cases were likely to fall into, closing on what he described as by far the most difficult: "detainees at Guantanamo who cannot be prosecuted yet who pose a clear danger to the American people," including those for whom evidence may have been tainted. He explained that every avenue to prosecute them would be exhausted, and only then would  questions of further detainment would have to be addressed with the most thorough Congressional and Judicial oversight. The President went on to directly address the politics that are so often played on these matters:

Now, as our efforts to close Guantanamo move forward, I know that the politics in Congress will be difficult. These are issues that are fodder for 30-second commercials, you can almost picture the direct mail pieces that are designed to frighten the American public. I get it. But if we continue to make decisions from within a climate of fear, we will make more mistakes. And if we refuse to deal with these issues today, then I guarantee you that they will be an albatross around our efforts to combat terrorism in the future. I have confidence that the American people are more interested in doing what is right to protect this country than in political posturing. I am not the only person in this city who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution – so did each and every member of Congress. And together we have a responsibility to enlist our values in the effort to secure our people, and to leave behind the legacy that makes it easier for future Presidents to keep this country safe. 

The President spent the latter half of his speech discussing matters of government secrecy, recalling that "whether it was the run-up to the Iraq War or the revelation of secret programs, Americans often felt like part of the story had been unnecessarily withheld from them. That caused suspicion to build up. That leads to a thirst for accountability." Acknowledging that often in such decisions there is not a singular clear cut principle to guide decisions, and almost always there are competing concerns, he made clear that this need not prevent an honest relationship between the American people and their government:

I will never hide the truth because it is uncomfortable. I will deal with Congress and the courts as co-equal branches of government. I will tell the American people what I know and don’t know, and when I release something publicly or keep something secret, I will tell you why.

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"Fifty years ago a young President challenged us to put a man on the moon," says a narrator. "John Kennedy's vision put America in the forefront of the technological revolution that created the jobs of the future -- for a generation Americans. Today President Obama has challenged us again - to create the jobs of the future for our generation - millions of clean energy jobs."

The ad asks voters to call their members of Congress to issue their support for Obama's proposal.

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"When the time comes, will the Party of NO help President Obama create millions of green jobs -- or keep looking out for big oil's bottom line?" said Jeremy Funk, comm. dir. of the group.

ARMED FORCES DAY, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

On Armed Forces Day, 1961, President Kennedy connected civic engagement and our Nation's security. He stated, "the strength of our armed forces rests not alone upon their active and reserve members, our industrial productivity, and our human resources, but also upon the understanding and support of an informed American people." Based on this perspective, I call upon all Americans to learn more about, and express gratitude for, the heroic efforts of our men and women in uniform.

Today, the United States military serves across the world to keep us safe. They are working here at home to protect America from threats foreign and domestic; they are risking their lives in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan; and they are also serving bravely in many other parts of the world to ensure our security and provide humanitarian assistance. Members of the Armed Forces are forging a better future for our Nation and the world.

As they carry out their missions, military families endure the sacrifice of their absence. Worrying about their safety, moving to new duty stations, and managing a home without a loved one, these families shoulder great burdens as they help sustain our men and women in uniform. I thank military families for their vital contributions.

The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen who have answered the call to service deserve recognition and gratitude. They have endured the most difficult of conditions to protect America and her highest ideals. Today, I ask all Americans to know their sacrifice and join me in humble thanks.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, continuing the precedent of my predecessors in office, do hereby proclaim the third Saturday of each May as Armed Forces Day.

I direct the Secretary of Defense on behalf of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and the Secretary of Homeland Security on behalf of the Coast Guard, to plan for appropriate observances each year, with the Secretary of Defense responsible for soliciting the participation and cooperation of civil authorities and private citizens.

I invite the Governors of the States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and other areas subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, to provide for the observance of Armed Forces Day within their jurisdiction each year in an appropriate manner designed to increase public understanding and appreciation of the Armed Forces of the United States.

I also invite national and local veterans, civic and other organizations to join in the observance of Armed Forces Day each year.

Finally, I call upon all Americans to display the flag of the United States at their homes on Armed Forces Day and urge citizens to learn more about military service by attending and participating in the local observances of the day. I also encourage Americans to volunteer at organizations that provide support to our troops.

Proclamation 7562 of May 16, 2002, is hereby superseded.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

Media Matters with another good catch:

SAN DIEGO, CA - Standing at the USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego today, with U.S. sailors and their families, Vice President Joe Biden today announced the Defense Department's plan to temporarily expand its Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP), with $555 million in Recovery Act funds dedicated to helping military families and DoD civilians who recently sold their homes at a loss.

"The sacrifices military families make for our country – in terms of deployments, but also moving several times in their career – are immense," Vice President Biden said. "They often don’t get to choose when they move and may be forced to sell their homes when they don’t want to. The Department of Defense, with funds from the Recovery Act, is expanding its program to help its military families who have been forced to sell their homes at a loss."

Several times during the average military career, Service members are ordered to change duty stations to meet the mission requirements for their respective branches of service. Duty calls on them to relocate their family and establish a new home as often as every two to three years.

The expanded program will assist families forced to relocate due to base closures or normal assignment rotations. But, the most important aspect is that priority access to the funds will go to survivors of those killed during deployment, and those who were wounded, ill or injured during deployment.

"I’d like to thank my good friend, Senator Tim Johnson, who has worked tirelessly on this issue. He is a champion for military families and working on innovative ways to improve their quality of life," said Vice President Biden.

The announcement was made as part of the Vice President and Dr. Biden’s visit to Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. Following the announcement, the Vice President toured the base and met with Navy SEALS, while Dr. Biden met with local military spouses and community volunteer groups to discuss issues facing military families.

For more information on DoD and the Recovery Act, click HERE.

Secretary Clinton launched a new initiative today to allow for a rising generation of citizen diplomats to conduct digital diplomacy.

Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) Internships, announced by Secretary Clinton at the 2009 New York University commencement speech, are part of a growing effort by the State Department to harness technology and a commitment to global service among young people to facilitate new forms of diplomatic engagement. The VSFS Internships will be developed over the next year and will seek to harness the energy of a rising generation of citizen diplomats.

Working from college and university campuses in the United States, American students will partner with our embassies abroad to conduct digital diplomacy that reflects the realities of our networked world. By combining the talents of young people across America and the right technology, we can forge the solutions that our century demands.

Sign up to receive more information and updates on Virtual Student Foreign Service Internships.

Join the Virtual Student Foreign Service Facebook community.

President Obama will oppose the release of several dozen photos depicting abuse of detainees held in U.S. military custody abroad, reversing his previous position on the grounds that the pictures could inflame anti-American sentiment and endanger U.S. troops.

In announcing the shift today, the White House said in a statement that Obama "strongly believes that the release of these photos, particularly at this time, would only serve the purpose of inflaming the theaters of war, jeopardizing US forces, and making our job more difficult in places like Iraq and Afghanistan."

Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi was released from a Tehran prison today, her lawyer said, after Iranian judicial authorities suspended the remainder of the eight-year jail sentence she was given for alleged espionage.

Saberi, who was born in the United States but also holds an Iranian passport, was detained in January, initially for allegedly buying alcohol, which is prohibited in Iran. Before Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance revoked her press card in 2006 without specifying a reason, she had worked on a freelance basis for the BBC, National Public Radio and other news organizations.

In April, after a closed-door trial, a revolutionary court found Saberi guilty of espionage and sentenced her to eight years in prison. It was the harshest sentence ever meted out by an Iranian court to a dual national on security charges, although others with dual nationality have also been accused by Tehran of being U.S. agents.

President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have on several occasions expressed their concerns and disappointment over the case, which had become an obstacle in diplomatic overtures by both the U.S. and Iranian administrations.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly asked the United States to release three Iranian diplomats who have been held without trial by U.S. forces in Iraq since 2007. The Iranians, accused of spying, were arrested during a raid at what Iran says was its consulate in Irbil. U.S. forces said the office was used by members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran recently called for the "speedy and unconditional freedom of its consulate officials."

WASHINGTON—Offering a robust endorsement for the FBI and its leadership, President Barack Obama on Tuesday praised the bureau's employees for their commitment to staying "one step ahead of all who step outside of the law."

"We are counting on you," Obama said from an outdoor courtyard at FBI headquarters, where he was greeted by sustained cheers.

Thousands crammed the plaza, while many other FBI workers peered down from their windows. Obama thanked them all for embracing "a profound transformation" in their mission and their capabilities.

"With the attacks of 9/11, your mission became focused more than ever before on prevention, so that we have the capacity to uncover terrorist plots before they take hold," he said. "With the spread of new technologies you increasingly confronted adversaries in unconventional areas, from transnational networks to cybercrimes and espionage. And through it all, you must continue to stay one step ahead of all who step outside of the law."

Obama's brief stop at the FBI was part of a broader effort in support of the crime-fighting and intelligence community. He went to the CIA last week in a morale boost for employees after controversy erupted over his decision to release Bush-era memos detailing harsh interrogations methods against terror suspects.

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The UN Convention on Torture, which Ronald Reagan signed and championed, is very clear and its definition of what torture is obviously broad and inclusive. There's actually a good discussion of it at Hot Air, which reproduces the legal definition thus:

Article 1.
1. For the purposes of this Convention, torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.
2. This article is without prejudice to any international instrument or national legislation which does or may contain provisions of wider application.

Article 2.
1. Each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.
2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat or war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.
3. An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture.

Just ask yourself: reading this language and knowing that president Bush ordered the waterboarding of a man for 83 times to get evidence linking Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda, is it really a matter of debate whether the last president of the United States is a war criminal? How is one able to come to any other opinion?

-Andrew Sullivan

From The Ed Show April 21, 2009.

Pat Leahy responds to Dick Cheney's remarks and says if he feels so strongly about what he said, let him appear before his committee under oath and answer some questions.

Did Dick Cheney really request that the CIA declassify certain memos regarding the effectiveness of torture?

Last night on Cheney's favorite show, Hannity the former vice-president said:

"I haven't talked about it, but I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw, that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country," Cheney said. "I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so we can lay them out there and the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was."

An intelligence source familiar with the situation says the answer is No.

“The agency has received no request from the former Vice President to release this information,” the source told me a few moments ago.

A Cheney spokesperson is refusing to say what he meant when he claimed to have made a “formal” request for this info.

Following a relentless effort by Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) to challenge the Bush administration’s efforts to privatize Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) jobs since 2001, DFAS today announced that that it will cancel agreements with Lockheed Martin and employ government workers to perform all areas of retroactive pay and benefits for veterans.

“This is a great day for veterans and a victory for government oversight. This decision will finally end the six-year nightmare of privatization of retired and annuitant pay services that resulted in the degradation of services to veterans and an increased cost to taxpayers. I thank Director McKay and Comptroller Robert Hale for their choice to serve veterans first, rather than perpetuate a lucrative contract with the nation’s largest military contractor,” stated Kucinich

Lockheed’s performance of the retired and annuitant pay functions of DFAS was characterized by mishandling, delay, poor quality and exorbitant charges.  An investigation by Chairman Kucinich’s Domestic Policy Subcommittee published in July 2008 revealed that 8,763 disabled veterans died before their cases were even reviewed for eligibility in a program that allowed retired veterans with severe combat-related disabilities to receive concurrent disability and retirement pay.  Almost 30,000 veterans were denied the benefit based solely on the determination of Lockheed employees with about six weeks of training.

At a Subcommittee hearing, then-director Zack Gaddy promised Chairman Kucinich a thorough audit of the VA Retro program, and correction of the underlying problems.  DFAS’ announcement today stems from that assurance.

Lockheed is the world’s largest military contractor, with almost all of its revenue coming from the U.S. government.  Aside from payroll and other services, Lockheed also manufactures the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning and the THAAD missile defense system.

“I am very pleased that DFAS will once again ensure quality service by operating this program ‘in house’ with trained and qualified staff.  I hope that this experiment in privatization will demonstrate to other agencies the costs, both financial and otherwise, of outsourcing the responsibilities of government,” stated Kucinich. “As Chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, I will continue to review privatization efforts of the Bush Administration.”

President Obama met with CIA personnel and delivered a public message to the workforce about the importance of CIA's mission to our national security.
Langley, VA : 23 min.

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Sunday April 19th was the 14th anniversary of a right wing extremist who was a veteran perpetrating the largest attack by an American terrorist in the United States.

Why are the righties crying about the Department of Homeland Security keeping tabs on similar extremists today?

Dick Cheney's poll numbers stay right about where they were when he was VP.

A new CNN/Opinion Research poll finds Americans don't agree with former Vice President Dick Cheney's recent assertion that President Obama's actions have increased the chances of a terrorist attack against the United States.

A whopping 72% of those questioned in the poll disagree with Cheney's view that some of Obama's actions have put the country at greater risk, with just 26% agreeing with the former vice president.

For President Obama, last week's confrontation with Somali pirates posed "political risks to a young commander in chief who had yet to prove himself to his generals or his public," the Washington Post reports. "But the result -- a dramatic and successful rescue operation by U.S. Special Operations forces -- left Obama with an early victory that could help build confidence in his ability to direct military actions abroad. "

"Throughout the past four days, White House officials played down Obama's role in the hostage drama." But in fact, Obama "had been briefed 17 times since he returned from his trip abroad, including several times from the White House Situation Room."

Politico: "Obama's involvement in the decision to authorize lethal force was legally required, officials said, because it was a hostage situation, not combat, and unrelated to the already authorized U.S. effort against al-Qaida and other terror groups."

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In a major departure from previous policy, the United States will join direct talks between U.N. and European powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, the State Department announced Wednesday.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the U.S. wants to “seriously engage” Iran to break the “logjam” in the dispute. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana is set to request the new round of talks with Iran that will include France and Britain -- both of which are also permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- and Germany.

The U.S. “will be at the table from now on,” Wood said.

The Obama administration has asked the European Union's international policy chief, Javier Solana, to invite Iran to new talks with the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.

Washington, which does not have diplomatic relations with Iran, has stayed out of those talks to date.

"If Iran accepts, we hope this will be an occasion to seriously engage Iran of how to break the logjam of recent years and work in a cooperative manner to resolve the outstanding international concerns about its nuclear program," Wood said.

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In its report on President Obama's trip to Turkey, the New York Times notes that the speech in Ankara was not the major speech in an Islamic capital he's been planning:

White House officials say they still plan for Mr. Obama to make a major speech to the Muslim world from an Islamic capital in the early months of his presidency, and they were quick to say that Monday's Ankara speech was not that. There will be another, they say, in which Mr. Obama will try to define, at length, his views on America and Islam.

Pres. Obama started his day in Istanbul meeting with Turkish Pres. Gul and then the two leaders held a joint press conference. Also today, Mr. Obama delivered a speech to the Turkish Grand Nat'l Assembly and later he will talk with Prime Minister Erdogan.

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In a speech in Prague, Pres. Obama called for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, for U.S. negotiations with Russia on a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, and a tough stance against North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile activity.
Prague, Czech Republic : 36 min.

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Addressing the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.

Let me say this as clearly as I can: the United States is not at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject.

But I also want to be clear that America's relationship with the Muslim work cannot and will not be based on opposition to al Qaeda. Far from it. We seek broad engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, bridge misunderstanding, and seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree. And we will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better -- including my own country. The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country -- I know, because I am one of them.

During his closing press conference at the G 20 Summit, President Obama spoke about the agreement reached with G20 leaders in London. The deal includes one trillion dollars for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to help struggling nations.

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Chinese President Hu Jintao, fourth on right, and members of the Chinese delegation meet with President Obama, members of his Cabinet and senior aides at Winfield House, the U.S. ambassador's residence in London, on Wednesday.

Image MSNBC: Click For More Images

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that Ohio military and veterans facilities will receive $80,609,659 in funds for construction and repair projects. These new federal funds have been released to Ohio from the economic recovery package.

The economic recovery package includes more than $38,115,000 in funds for 108 construction and repair projects at Ohio military facilities.

“These funds will drive economic activity while ensuring much-needed repairs at Ohio military facilities,” Brown said. “It’s critical that the state of our military facilities matches the quality of our Armed Forces.”

The economic recovery package includes $41,684,659 in funds for 30 projects that improve Ohio veterans medical facilities, invest in health information technology infrastructure at hospitals, and improve national cemeteries.

“We have an obligation to ensure our veterans receive care in the best facilities possible,” Brown said. “These funds will go a long way toward meeting our commitment to Ohio veterans.”

The $80 million in funds include more than $22 million for 84 construction and repair projects at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Other Ohio communities that are home to the sites of military and veterans construction projects receiving funds include Akron, Cleveland, Circleville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Georgetown, Green, Lima, Middletown, Port Clinton, Ravenna, Rittman, Sandusky, Stow, Toledo, and Walbridge.

A full breakdown of funds for Ohio military and veterans projects can be found here.

That Big Hole in the Economy, and Who Dug It

The makers of “Ten Trillion and Counting,” Tuesday’s “Frontline” on PBS, want to make really, really, really sure that you know that George W. Bush, not Barack Obama, put the country in the economic mess it’s in now. More than half the program is devoted to cataloging the Bush administration’s economic policies, which, as portrayed here, come across as appallingly reckless, a burden that will grind us down for generations to come.

Though it may be accurate, it’s an emphasis that is unfortunate for two reasons. One is that it leaves the smart-sounding commentators assembled here not much time to talk about what matters now: how we get out of the mire. The other is that it could cause anyone who still has any regard for Mr. Bush to tune out the program as just another exercise in Bush-bashing. This is a program everyone needs to watch if the search for solutions is ever going to get beyond the simplistic, accusatory catchphrases that sometimes seem to pass for economic-policy debate in Washington.

The title, of course, refers to the national debt, and the program does a fine job of spelling out just what a daunting situation Mr. Obama has inherited: the federal government was already borrowing huge amounts, and now, as the only entity big enough to revive the gasping economy, it has to borrow more.

There is a succinct history lesson on how the Republican “starve the beast” economic philosophy — if you keep taxes low, government spending will automatically be kept low for lack of money — ran off the rails. And then, the program says, Mr. Bush took things a step further by cutting taxes while starting a war.

“We borrowed money from China to give tax cuts to the best-off people in our society and leave our kids paying the bill for a war that we chose to fight,” says Matt Miller, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a liberal-leaning research group. “That was really unprecedented.”

Perhaps Mr. Bush’s main economic failure, based on the evidence here, was that he did not use the attacks of 9/11 to call on Americans to sacrifice, as other wartime presidents had. Instead he expanded spending — on the Iraq war, on prescriptions for the aging — without a template of how to pay for it.

Now it is Mr. Obama who will have to make the case for sacrifice, though the Iraq war is winding down, and the one in Afghanistan is somewhat murky in the public mind. Good luck.

“It’s hard to sell a message of pain to Americans,” says David Wessel of The Wall Street Journal. “It’s hard to tell them that we have lived beyond our means and we’re going to have to spend less money on benefits that you enjoy, and we’re going to have to collect more taxes from you than we do now because we overpromised in the past. That’s a very hard message to deliver when unemployment is low and everybody’s feeling good. It’s an impossible message to deliver when people are frightened that they’re going to lose their houses, lose their jobs and their kids are going to be out of work.”

Ten Trillion and Counting airs tonight on Frontline: Check your local listings for times

In his interview on 60 Minutes tonight, President Obama defended his decision to shut down the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and he countered criticism from former vice president Dick Cheney.

"I fundamentally disagree with Dick Cheney -- not surprisingly," Obama said. "I think that Vice President Cheney has been at the head of a movement whose notion is somehow that we can't reconcile our core values, our Constitution, our belief that we don't torture, with our national security interests. I think he's drawing the wrong lesson from history."

Obama was responding to comments Cheney made to CNN's "State of the Union" on March 15, when he said the president is making the nation less safe by closing the Guantanamo prison and ending interrogation practices that Bush administration critics consider torture for terror suspects.

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Coming Soon: Declassified Bush-Era Torture Memos

Over objections from the U.S. intelligence community, the White House is moving to declassify—and publicly release—three internal memos that will lay out, for the first time, details of the "enhanced" interrogation techniques approved by the Bush administration for use against "high value" Qaeda detainees.

The memos, written by Justice Department lawyers in May 2005, provide the legal rationale for waterboarding, head slapping and other rough tactics used by the CIA.

One senior Obama official, who like others interviewed for this story requested anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity, said the memos were "ugly" and could embarrass the CIA. Other officials predicted they would fuel demands for a "truth commission" on torture.

Read The Full Story At Newsweek

Transcript Below

Newt Gingrich's latest gimmick is that Republicans should coalesce around "80/20 issues" - ideas which polls show getting 80%+ voter approval.

One 80/20 issue that didn't make Newt's list, took a major step forward this week. Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) introduced The Military Readiness Enhancement Act which would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and ensure that all qualified Americans can serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation.

Don't Ask has resulted in 12,500 service members being discharged and an estimated 3,000 gays and lesbians annually choosing not to enlist.

Passage of the bill will also have a big plus for the '20 side' - the GAO found that taxpayers have spent at least a quarter of a billion dollars enforcing Don't Ask.

(photo found here)

The Justice Department secretly authorized President George Bush to use the military inside the United States to snoop on, raid and even kill citizens in order to fight terrorism without regard to the Fourth or Fifth Amendment, according to a Oct 23, 2001 memo released by the Obama Administration Monday.

Government employees rely on the Office of Legal Counsel's memos for binding advice as to what activities are and are not legal. 

Government employees rely on the Office of Legal Counsel's memos for binding advice as to what activities are and are not legal. 

ACLU attorney Mellissa Goodman says that's why the memos are so disturbing.

"The fact we had the OLC in the buisiness of stretching the law to create an outcome and create legal cover for illegal activities is a dangerous thing," Goodman said. "There is no serious question that the Fourth Amendment applies to U.S. government officials acting on U.S. soil."

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Justice today released two previously undisclosed Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memoranda and seven previously undisclosed opinions. 

"Americans deserve a government that operates with transparency and openness," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "It is my goal to make OLC opinions available when possible while still protecting national security information and ensuring robust internal executive branch debate and decision-making."

The two memoranda memorialized that certain legal propositions in ten OLC opinions issued between 2001 and 2003 no longer reflected the views of OLC and "should not be treated as authoritative for any purpose." They further explained that some of the underlying opinions had been withdrawn or superseded and that "caution should be exercised" by the executive branch "before relying in other respects" on the other opinions that had not been superseded or withdrawn.

In light of the legitimate and substantial public interest in many of the questions raised in those opinions and in the evolution of OLC’s views on those questions, the Department has released the six of those underlying opinions from 2001-2003 that are not classified and that had not previously been disclosed.

In November 2008, the Department filed a motion in a pending civil action to submit two of those underlying OLC opinions, along with one other, to the court under seal. The Department has determined that there is no longer any reason the three opinions should remain under seal and is therefore withdrawing its motion.

The opinions and memoranda are available at http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/documents/olc-memos.htm.

Six years after an invasion he opposed and six weeks in office, President Barack Obama on Friday drew a finish line for the Iraq war, promising to end the combat mission in 18 months and to follow by pulling all troops out by the end of 2011 as per an existing accord with Iraq.

"Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end," he said in a speech at the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune, N.C. "As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of our troops and civilians in Iraq."

Even with the end of the combat mission, which would come three months later than Obama pledged during his presidential campaign, a force numbering between 35,000 to 50,000 American forces will stay behind in non-combat roles, with the final troops not slated to leave until Dec. 31, 2011.

"Our enemies should be left with no doubt: This plan gives our military the forces and the flexibility they need to support our Iraqi partners, and to succeed," the president said.

"As a nation, we have had our share of debates about the war in Iraq. It has, at times, divided us as a people. To this very day, there are some Americans who want to stay in Iraq longer, and some who want to leave faster. But there should be no disagreement on what the men and women of our military have achieved.

And so I want to be very clear: We sent our troops to Iraq to do away with Saddam Hussein's regime - and you got the job done. We kept our troops in Iraq to help establish a sovereign government - and you got the job done. And we will leave the Iraqi people with a hard-earned opportunity to live a better life - that is your achievement; that is the prospect that you have made possible.

There are many lessons to be learned from what we've experienced. We have learned that America must go to war with clearly defined goals, which is why I've ordered a review of our policy in Afghanistan. We have learned that we must always weigh the costs of action, and communicate those costs candidly to the American people, which is why I've put Iraq and Afghanistan into my budget. We have learned that in the 21st century, we must use all elements of American power to achieve our objectives, which is why I am committed to building our civilian national security capacity so that the burden is not continually pushed on to our military. We have learned that our political leaders must pursue the broad and bipartisan support that our national security policies depend upon, which is why I will consult with Congress and in carrying out my plans. And we have learned the importance of working closely with friends and allies, which is why we are launching a new era of engagement in the world.

The starting point for our policies must always be the safety of the American people. I know that you - the men and women of the finest fighting force in the history of the world - can meet any challenge, and defeat any foe. And as long as I am your Commander-in-Chief, I promise you that I will only send you into harm's way when it is absolutely necessary, and provide you with the equipment and support you need to get the job done. That is the most important lesson of all - for the consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable."

Full Text of the President's Speech Here

House Members with Military Experience, Seat on Armed Services Committee
Implore DOD on Compensation for Soldiers

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Representative John Boccieri (D-Alliance) led a group of House colleagues in a letter to Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Robert Gates, insisting on an explanation and immediate compensation for soldiers who have been forced to remain on active duty beyond their enlistment period.

This practice, commonly referred to as 'stop-loss,' is affecting nearly 13,000 soldiers nationwide, preventing them from leaving active duty after the end of their service agreements. Many of these soldiers have been waiting five months for monthly bonuses they are owed.

In their letter, the members write, "In these difficult economic times, these monthly bonuses are meant to provide financial support from a grateful nation to these soldiers and their families. However, the Pentagon's failure to pay out these bonuses in a reasonable amount of time leaves Members of Congress and these soldiers disappointed and frustrated."

Congress provided the Pentagon with $72 million in the DOD budget for Fiscal Year 2009 to begin providing compensation to soldiers who have been prevented from leaving active duty after the end of their service agreements. However, that money has yet to be disbursed.

As the housing bubble burst and trillions of dollars' worth of toxic mortgages began to go bad in 2007, fear spread through the massive firms that form the heart of Wall Street. By the spring of 2008, burdened by billions of dollars of bad mortgages, the investment bank Bear Stearns was the subject of rumors that it would soon fail.

"Rumors are such that they can just plain put you out of business," Bear Stearns' former CEO Alan "Ace" Greenberg tells FRONTLINE.

The company's stock had dropped from $171 to $57 a share, and it was hours from declaring bankruptcy. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke acted. "It was clear that this had to be contained. There was no doubt in his mind," says Bernanke's colleague, economist Mark Gertler.

Bernanke, a former economics professor from Princeton, specialized in studying the Great Depression. "He more than anybody else appreciated what would happen if it got out of control," Gertler explains.

To stabilize the markets, Bernanke engineered a shotgun marriage between Bear Sterns and the commercial bank JPMorgan, with a promise that the federal government would use $30 billion to cover Bear Stearns' questionable assets tied to toxic mortgages. It was an unprecedented effort to stop the contagion of fear that seemed to be threatening the rest of Wall Street.

While publicly supportive of the deal, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, a former Wall Street executive with Goldman Sachs, was uncomfortable with government interference in the markets. That summer, he issued a warning to his former colleagues not to expect future government bailouts, saying he was concerned about a legal concept known as moral hazard.

Within months, however, Paulson would witness the virtual collapse of the giant mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and preside over their takeover by the federal government.

The episode sent shockwaves through the economy as confidence in Wall Street began to evaporate. Within days, in September 2008, another investment bank, Lehman Brothers, was on the brink of collapse. Once again, there were calls for Bernanke and Paulson to bail out the Wall Street giant. But Paulson was under intense political pressure from conservative Republicans in Washington to invoke moral hazard and let the company fail.

"You had a conservative secretary of the Treasury and conservative administration. There was right-wing criticism over Bear Stearns," says Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.

Paulson pushed Lehman's CEO Dick Fuld to find a buyer for his ailing company. But no company would buy Lehman unless the government offered a deal similar to the one Bear Stearns had received. Paulson refused, and Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy.

FRONTLINE then chronicles the disaster that followed. Within 24 hours, the stock market crashed, and credit markets around the world froze. "We're no longer talking about mortgages," says economist Gertler. "We're talking about car loans, loans to small businesses, commercial paper borrowing by large banks. This is like a disease spreading."

"I think that the secretary of the Treasury could not fully comprehend what that linkage was and the extent to which this would materialize into problems," says former Lehman board member Henry Kaufman.

Paulson was thunderstruck. "This is the utter nightmare of an economic policy-maker," Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman tells FRONTLINE. "You may have just made the decision that destroyed the world. Absolutely terrifying moment."

In response, Paulson and Bernanke would propose -- and Congress would eventually pass -- a $700 billion bailout plan. FRONTLINE goes inside the deliberations surrounding the passage of the legislation and examines its unsuccessful implementation.

"Many Americans still don't understand what has happened to the economy," FRONTLINE producer/director Michael Kirk says. "How did it all go so bad so quickly? Who is responsible? How effective has the response from Washington and Wall Street been? Those are the questions at the heart of Inside the Meltdown."

It's official. Hillary Rodham Clinton is President Barack Obama's Secretary of State.

The Senate voted 94-2 to confirm Clinton -- a day later than Obama had hoped, but a lopsided vote nonetheless.

Watch It:

Sixty-third General Assembly
Third Committee

Vote on Right to Food

The draft resolution on the right to food (document A/C.3/63/L.42/Rev.1) was approved by a recorded vote of 180 in favour to 1 against, with no abstentions, as follows:

In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Against: United States.

We have the chance to help President-elect Obama reclaim democracy and restore the rule of law in our country, which he can do on his first day in office. By shutting down the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison facility, Obama can take a major step toward redeeming our nation's moral leadership in the world. And by ending unconstitutional military commissions and banning torture, he can cut ties with the highly controversial Bush era of national security.

We must seize this critical moment to end the abuses that the Bush administration has perpetrated for the past eight years. That's why we partnered with the ACLU to bring to you our newest video.

Watch it:

The ACLU is taking this campaign even further by hosting an open Town Hall Meeting tonight at 8pm ET, when people from all across the country will gather via teleconference to discuss the state of civil liberties in our country. Take part in this important conversation, and help President-elect Obama take decisive action to close GITMO.

A former Republican Secretary of State and one of John McCain's most prominent supporters offered a stunningly frank and remarkably bleak assessment of Sarah Palin's capacity to handle the presidency should such a scenario arise.

Lawrence Eagleburger, who served as Secretary of State under George H.W. Bush and whose endorsement is often trumpeted by McCain, said on Thursday that the Alaska governor is not only unprepared to take over the job on a moment's notice but, even after some time in office, would only amount to an "adequate" commander in chief.

Listen In:

 Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/31/eagleburger-bl...

Gee, who'd have guessed Joe would gaffe out at his first stop on the "Joe The Plumber Tour"?

And that Shepard Smith Of Fox News would call him out on it!

Turns Out Joe Don't Know Jack . . . About Israel

Watch It:

Related:

Joe The Plumber Backs McCain
CBS News, NY - 6 hours ago
Samuel Wurzelbacher, who became famous when John McCain reputedly referred to him as "Joe The Plumber" during the third presidential debate, endorsed the ...  

'Joe the Plumber' Backs Claim That Obama Would Bring 'Death to Israel'
FOXNews - 4 hours ago
Joe Wurzelbacher, on his first campaign trail appearance for John McCain, says he agrees that a vote for Barack Obama would be "a vote for the death to ...

Joe the Plumber says Obama would make US socialist
The Associated Press - 4 hours ago
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — "Joe the Plumber," the small business aspirant and overnight media sensation, endorsed John McCain's presidential campaign Tuesday and ...

McCain's Private Visit With Chilean Dictator Pinochet Revealed For First Time

John McCain, who has harshly criticized the idea of sitting down with dictators without pre-conditions, appears to have done just that. In 1985, McCain traveled to Chile for a friendly meeting with Chile's military ruler, General Augusto Pinochet, one of the world's most notorious violators of human rights credited with killing more than 3,000 civilians and jailing tens of thousands of others.

The private meeting between McCain and dictator Pinochet has gone previously un-reported anywhere.

This was discovered after HuffPo secured a copy of these declassified documents: PDF-1 and PDF-2.

The US was openly critical of Pinochet at the time, and there were many visits by members of Congress to Chile in order to support the democratic opposition to General Pinochet!

In fact, around the time of this visit, the U.S. Justice Department was trying to extradite two Pinochet operatives for an act of terrorism in Washington DC, the assassination of former ambassador to the US and former Foreign Minister Orlando Letelier in 1976.

The car bombing on Sheridan Circle in the U.S. capital was widely described at the time as the most egregious act of international terrorism perpetrated on U.S. soil by a foreign power.

FINDLAY, Ohio (CNN) –- In an interview posted online Wednesday, Sarah Palin told Dr. James Dobson of “Focus on the Family” that she is confident God will do “the right thing for America” on Nov. 4.

Dobson asked the vice presidential hopeful if she is concerned about John McCain’s sagging poll numbers, but Palin stressed that she was “not discouraged at all.”

“To me, it motivates us, makes us work that much harder,” she told the influential Christian leader, whose radio show reaches tens of millions of listeners daily. “And it also strengthens my faith because I know at the end of the day putting this in God’s hands, the right thing for America will be done, at the end of the day on Nov. 4.”

Dobson praised Palin's opposition to abortion rights, to which the governor affirmed that she is “hardcore pro-life.”

Read The Full Story At CNN

You Betcha!

Some Al Qaeda affiliates are endorsing John McCain.

“Al-Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election,” said a commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah, which is closely linked to the terrorist group. It said McCain would continue the “failing march of his predecessor,” President Bush.

From the NYT poll:

Mr. Obama’s favorability is the highest for a presidential candidate running for a first term in the last 28 years of Times/CBS polls. Mrs. Palin’s negative rating is the highest for a vice-presidential candidate as measured by The Times and CBS News.

Even Dan Quayle, with whom Mrs. Palin is often compared because of her age and inexperience on the national scene, was not viewed as negatively in the 1988 campaign.

Watch It:

Apparently the McCain campaign sent a donation letter request to the Russians!

Russia's permanent mission to the UN has received a letter from U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain asking for financial support of his election campaign, the mission said in a statement on Monday.

"We have received a letter from Senator John McCain with a request for a financial donation to his presidential election campaign. In this respect we have to reiterate that neither Russia's permanent mission to the UN nor the Russian government or its officials finance political activities in foreign countries," the statement said.

According to Ruslan Bakhtin, press secretary of the Russian mission, the letter dated September 29 and signed by McCain, was addressed to Vitaly Churkin, Russia's envoy to the UN, and arrived on October 16.

The ambassador's title was not included in the letter, and was not clear why the letter had taken over two weeks to arrive.

Enclosed was a request for a donation of up to $5,000 to McCain's election campaign to be returned with a check or permission to withdraw the money from the donor's credit card until October 24.

In a new report on the medical records of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, the New York Times’s Dr. Lawrence Altman wonders whether Sen. John McCain’s left-temple melanoma is more serious than reported. If it were reclassified as a Stage III cancer, it would “change his statistical odds for survival at 10 years from about 60 percent to 36 percent,” with his age and sex increasing the risk.

Sarah Palin refused to release any medical reords for The Times report.

See also:

McCain To Obfuscate On Medical Records: What's He Hiding?

Powell Endorses Obama

Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell on Sunday endorsed the presidential candidacy of Senator Barack Obama, calling him a “transformational figure” who has displayed “a steadiness” during his race against Senator John McCain.

“He has both style and substance,” Mr. Powell said, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He added, “Obama has displayed a steadiness; showed intellectual vigor. He has a definitive way of doing business that will do us well.”

While Mr. Powell and Mr. Obama have spoken occasionally, including a face-to-face meeting earlier this year, the endorsement caught the Democratic presidential nominee by surprise. Aides to Mr. Obama said they did not know about the endorsement before the television interview on Sunday morning.

Mr. Powell, a Republican and a retired U.S. general, also questioned Mr. McCain’s decision to chose Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as the party’s vice presidential candidate. Mr. Powell said he did not believe Ms. Palin was ready to become president.

In the appearance on “Meet the Press,” Mr. Powell also said he was disappointed by the McCain campaign’s decision to seek to tie Mr. Obama to William Ayers, who four decades ago was a domestic terrorist who violently protested the Vietnam War.

In offering his endorsement, Mr. Powell becomes the highest profile Republican to add his support to the Democratic ticket. Aides said it was not yet known whether the two men would campaign together – or what Mr. Powell would do alone – in the final two weeks of the presidential campaign.

Watch It:

"I have a temper, to state the obvious, which I have tried to control with varying degrees of success because it does not always serve my interest or the public's."
                                                                          - John McCain

During last night's debate, John McCain said we need "a cool hand at the tiller," but McCain has proven to be a loose cannon. He has accosted his Congressional colleagues on both sides of the aisle on everything from the federal budget to diplomatic relations. He is known for hurling profanities rather than settling disagreements calmly. His belligerence is legendary. Even conservative Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi has said, "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."

When someone earns the nickname "Senator Hothead," the public ought to call his character into question. McCain's propensity to explode undermines his abilities as a rational decision maker, particularly on national security issues -- which could prove disastrous considering our country is already involved in two wars.

Watch It:

With the election less than four weeks away, here's a chance for you to take concrete action:

1. Alert your friends to McCain's rage. Send them this video and ask them to pass it on.
2. Post this video on all your blogs and networking sites like Digg -- critical tools for reaching those outside the choir. Make sure it gets viewed so many times it ends up on YouTube's homepage, so undecided swing state voters can see it easily.
3. Get the latest on McCain with a free video subscription from Brave New PAC, and encourage others to sign up too.

McCain's temper is critical to his decision-making abilities, and his character must be discussed. As Drew Westen writes, "The political brain is an emotional brain. It is not a dispassionate calculating machine, objectively searching for the right facts, figures and policies to make a reasoned decision." That why it's so crucial people know the real Senator Hothead.

Yours,
Robert Greenwald
and the Brave New PAC team

Recently unearthed video shows that just two months after 9/11, John McCain was not only fully aware of the Bush Administration's Iraq War Agenda, but also that he actively helped make the argument for war.

In an interview broadcast November 28, 2001 on ABC News Nightline, McCain:

* Said that the Bush Administration would build a case for military conflict with Iraq, and expressed his support for such action

* Advanced false claims made by the Bush Administration about the threat of Iraqi WMD

* Connected Iraq with 9/11 by repeating the false claim that 9/11 hijacker Muhammad Atta had met with Iraq intelligence authorities in Prague before 9/11

Watch It:

 Huffington Post

Republican IT consultant subpoenaed in case alleging tampering with 2004 election

COLUMBUS -- A high-level Republican consultant has been subpoenaed in a case regarding alleged tampering with the 2004 election.

Michael S. Connell was served with a subpoena in Ohio on Sept. 22 in a case alleging that vote-tampering during the 2004 presidential election resulted in civil rights violations. Connell, president of GovTech Solutions and New Media Communications, is a website designer and IT professional who created a website for Ohio’s secretary of state that presented the results of the 2004 election in real time as they were tabulated.

At the time, Ohio’s Secretary of State, Kenneth J. Blackwell, was also chairman of Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection effort in Ohio.

Connell is refusing to testify or to produce documents relating to the system used in the 2004 and 2006 elections, lawyers say. His motion to quash the subpoena asserts that the request for documents is burdensome because the information sought should be “readily ascertainable through public records request” – but also, paradoxically, because “it seeks confidential, trade secrets, and/or proprietary information” that “have independent economic value” and “are not known to the public, or even to non-designated personnel within or working for Mr. Connell’s business.”

According to sources close to the office of Clifford Arnebeck, one of the Ohio attorneys who brought the case, Arnebeck intends to ask the court to compel Connell to testify. An emergency conference with the judge, originally scheduled for Monday, is to be rescheduled.

Read The Full Story

One of the major breakthroughs of the first McCain–Obama debate on Friday night passed with almost no notice. Both John McCain and Barack Obama, in characterizing their opposition to the Bush Administration’s interrogation program, called it torture. To those who have tracked this question with any care, there is no doubt whatsoever that the Bush Administration pursued torture as a matter of policy.

However, ferocious blowback from the administration has up to this point intimidated the American media from calling things by proper names. As the Bush Administration now enters into its final meltdown, the perfect time has come to examine the moral corruption that has long festered right under the surface of what passes for national security policy.

On Monday evening at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), 8 p.m. (CT), HBO premiers this year’s Oscar-winning documentary, “Taxi to the Dark Side,”. Don’t miss it.

Here’s a recent interview of producer Alex Gibney with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in which Alex explains why the issues treated in “Taxi” are current and will only grow in relevance in the coming months.

Watch It:

The LA Times reports:

Soon after Sarah Palin was elected mayor of the foothill town of Wasilla, Alaska, she startled a local music teacher by insisting in casual conversation that men and dinosaurs coexisted on an Earth created 6,000 years ago -- about 65 million years after scientists say most dinosaurs became extinct -- the teacher said.

After conducting a college band and watching Palin deliver a commencement address to a small group of home-schooled students in June 1997, Wasilla resident Philip Munger said, he asked the young mayor about her religious beliefs.

Palin told him that "dinosaurs and humans walked the Earth at the same time," Munger said. When he asked her about prehistoric fossils and tracks dating back millions of years, Palin said "she had seen pictures of human footprints inside the tracks," recalled Munger, who teaches music at the University of Alaska in Anchorage and has regularly criticized Palin in recent years on his liberal political blog, called Progressive Alaska.

The idea of a "young Earth" -- that God created the Earth about 6,000 years ago, and dinosaurs and humans coexisted early on -- is a popular strain of creationism.

Though in her race for governor she called for faith-based "intelligent design" to be taught along with evolution in Alaska's schools, Gov. Palin has not sought to require it, state educators say.

In a widely-circulated interview, Matt Damon said of Palin, "I need to know if she really think that dinosaurs were here 4000 years ago. I want to know that, I really do. Because she's gonna have the nuclear codes."

Update:

The original story posted at Fox News was scrubbed.

See Brad Blog for the full story on that:

Exclusive: Fox 'News' Spikes Story on Conservatives 'Questioning Palin Heft'

What mavericky move will the McCain Campaign pull before Thursday?

Conservatives Begin Questioning Palin’s Heft

A growing number of Republicans are expressing concern about Sarah Palin’s uneven - and sometimes downright awkward - performances in her limited media appearances.

Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, a former Palin supporter, says the vice presidential nominee should step aside. Kathryn Jean Lopez, writing for the conservative National Review, says “that’s not a crazy suggestion” and that “something’s gotta change.”

Tony Fabrizio, a GOP strategist, says Palin’s recent CBS appearance isn’t disqualifying but is certainly alarming. “You can’t continue to have interviews like that and not take on water.”

“I have not been blown away by the interviews from her, but at the same time, I haven’t come away from them thinking she doesn’t know s-t,” said Chris Lacivita, a GOP strategist. “But she ain’t Dick Cheney, nor Joe Biden and definitely not Hillary Clinton.”

See Also:

The New York Times

Curbing Their Enthusiasm

The drip, drip, drip of bad reviews keeps falling this week against Gov. Sarah Palin, whose two-day segments of interviews with CBS’ Katie Couric have weakened conservatives’ initial embrace of and enthusiasm for the vice-presidential nominee. As if Senator John McCain already hadn’t faced a rough week, which started with conservative columnist George Will bemoaning the Republican candidate’s positions on the economic bailout and suggesting Mr. McCain may be unfit to be president. 

Turns out McCain is actually resurrecting an old trick here. Reason and the LA Times both have columns detailing how McCain suspended his 2000 campaign to great effect.

His decision amounted to a masterful political stroke. The Washington Post's Mary McGrory said that "professional politicians of both parties were wowed by McCain's beau geste.... McCain has made himself the de facto Republican foreign policy spokesman, and is getting yards of publicity for a non-event."

On one day alone, Monday, April 5, he could be seen arguing his case on Fox News's Crier Report, CNN's Larry King Live, PBS's Charlie Rose, two programs on CNBC, and two more on MSNBC, according to the Post's Dan Balz.

 Wow, a heartbeat away from the most powerful position in the free world?

COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land-- boundary that we have with-- Canada. It-- it's funny that a comment like that was-- kind of made to-- cari-- I don't know, you know? Reporters--

COURIC: Mock?

PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.

COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our-- our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They're in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia--

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We-- we do-- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to-- to our state.

Watch It:

Maybe this whole McCain Political Stunt really is in an effort to get the VP Debate canceled.

Watch It:

Today, the House will consider the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act, H.R. 6899.

The legislation is a bold step forward, helping end our dependence on foreign oil and increase our national security. It launches a clean renewable energy future that creates new American jobs, expands domestic energy supply–including new offshore drilling, and invents and builds more efficient vehicles, buildings, homes, and infrastructure. It will lower costs to consumers and protect the interests of taxpayers. It is a comprehensive strategy, and the product of bipartisan compromise. It offers Republicans who say they want a comprehensive approach the choice to make sure Big Oil pays its fair share.

Learn more about the bill>>

Read the full text of the bill(.pdf)>>

Former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan:

this is "by far" the worst economic crisis he has ever seen

"There's no question that this is in the process of outstripping anything I've seen, and it still is not resolved and it still has a way to go,"

"let's recognize that this is a once-in-a-half-century, probably once-in-a-century type of event."

The Republican Candidates Response To This Crisis That Greenspan Thinks Is Potentially Bigger Than The Great Depression?

John McCain:

“Our economy, I think, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult times."

Sarah Palin:

the financial markets need "some shakin' up and some fixin' "

Watch It:

The official statement From The Obama/Biden Campaign:

This morning we woke up to some very serious and troubling news from Wall Street.

The situation with Lehman Brothers and other financial institutions is the latest in a wave of crises that are generating enormous uncertainty about the future of our financial markets. This turmoil is a major threat to our economy and its ability to create good-paying jobs and help working Americans pay their bills, save for their future, and make their mortgage payments.

The challenges facing our financial system today are more evidence that too many folks in Washington and on Wall Street weren’t minding the store. Eight years of policies that have shredded consumer protections, loosened oversight and regulation, and encouraged outsized bonuses to CEOs while ignoring middle-class Americans have brought us to the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression.

I certainly don’t fault Senator McCain for these problems, but I do fault the economic philosophy he subscribes to. It’s a philosophy we’ve had for the last eight years – one that says we should give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. It’s a philosophy that says even common-sense regulations are unnecessary and unwise, and one that says we should just stick our heads in the sand and ignore economic problems until they spiral into crises.

Well now, instead of prosperity trickling down, the pain has trickled up – from the struggles of hardworking Americans on Main Street to the largest firms of Wall Street.

This country can’t afford another four years of this failed philosophy. For years, I have consistently called for modernizing the rules of the road to suit a 21st century market – rules that would protect American investors and consumers. And I’ve called for policies that grow our economy and our middle-class together. That is the change I am calling for in this campaign, and that is the change I will bring as President.

Saw this and thought Wow now they're throwing McCain Under the Bus in a scrambling attempt to cover for the fact that with THIS SINGLE QUESTION Sarah Palin clearly SHOWS WHY SHE IS NOT QUALIFIED to be Vice President . . . a HEARTBEAT AWAY from the most powerful position in the free world.

As was clearly demonstrated last night on  Bill Maher's Real Time with the bloviating David Frum, the support of Palin/McCain is is making a lot pf people "who are smarter than that" say completely ridiculous things because they have to to keep the people who are apparently to dumb to know better on their side.

First, they went for this:

Not knowing anything about Bush Doctrine (the single Bush Policy that most threatens the world) is OK, because the "average" American Voter wouldn't know what it is either . . . it's just not something your average "Hockey Mom" would be expected to know.

I think that insults "Hockey Moms" everywhere across this great country of ours and the Palin/McCain campaign should issue an immeadiate apology, but that was their answer to their shall we say "uninformed" voter base. 

You don't know the answer either, stupid! So there!

However, the Republican party does have some folks who can actually interpret what they see and hear for themselves. 

They call these folks "the media".  John McCain used to call them "my base".

For these folks they wheeled out the "brilliant Charles Krauthammer to “school” Charlie Gibson on the “Bush Doctrine" 

This is like putting forth Dr, Strangeglove to lecture us on war, but no matter.

The New York Times got it wrong. And Charlie Gibson got it wrong.

There is no single meaning of the Bush doctrine. In fact, there have been four distinct meanings, each one succeeding another over the eight years of this administration — and the one Charlie Gibson cited is not the one in common usage today. It is utterly different.

So there you go! Sarah Palin was right to not know what the hell "Charlie" was asking her about because "there is no single meaning of the Bush doctrine".

There's one problem with all this though that they didn't really think through.

If Sarah's right doesn't that make McCain wrong to say there is one definable Bush Doctrine and to express what it is?

Think Progress:

Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) campaign is touting Sarah Palin’s four years as mayor of the small town of Wasilla and her two years as governor as proof that she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Adviser Charlie Black has accused Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) campaign of “insult[ing] small-town Americans” by criticizing Palin.

However, in an October 2007 primary debate, McCain himself denigrated mayors and governors, saying they would need too much “on-the-job training”:

I have had a strong and a long relationship on national security, I’ve been involved in every national crisis that this nation has faced since Beirut, I understand the issues, I understand and appreciate the enormity of the challenge we face from radical Islamic extremism.

I am prepared. I am prepared. I need no on-the-job training. I wasn’t a mayor for a short period of time. I wasn’t a governor for a short period of time.

Watch it:

Original Content From Think Progress

Extra amazing considering McCain said this just last night at the Presidential Forum on Service: (h/t Kos)

“Listen, mayors have the toughest job, I think, in America. It’s easy for me to go to Washington and, frankly, be somewhat divorced from the day-to-day challenges people have.” 

ABC News' Jake Tapper "Fact Checks" Mrs. Palin.

Watch it:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5786925M

Pundit Kitchen

McCain - Palin Campaign to Voters:

Sarah Palin's views on anything are none of your business!

Time Magazine Reports:

According to Nicole Wallace of the McCain campaign, the American people don't care whether Sarah Palin can answer specific questions about foreign and domestic policy. According to Wallace -- in an appearance I did with her this morning on Joe Scarborough's show -- the American people will learn all they need to know (and all they deserve to know) from Palin's scripted speeches and choreographed appearances on the campaign trail and in campaign ads.

Watch It:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — When presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain introduced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate last Friday, the Arizona senator emphasized her role as the commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard.

Later, when questions were raised about Palin's lack of experience in national and international affairs, the McCain campaign pointed again to her military command experience as governor. Some reporters have tried to follow up.

"Can you tell me one decision that she made as commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard?" CNN journalist Campbell Brown asked Monday while interviewing McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds. "Just one?"

Bounds couldn't, because Palin has never personally ordered the state guard to do anything.

Instead, here's what he said: "Any decision she has made as the commander of the (Alaska) National Guard that's deployed overseas is more of a decision than Barack Obama's been making as he's been running for president for the last two years."

Full Story Here

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Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain stands at the podium during a walk thru on day three of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Xcel Energy Center on September 3, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota. By Alex Wong/Getty.

Of course this may have all changed now that the Republican Talking Points have gone out, but here's what the conservative pundits had to say at the time of McCain's Sarah Palin for VP announcement.

Watch It:

The conservative blogs are suddenly aflutter with claims about Sarah Palin's "executive experience" and readiness for the presidency based on her six years as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska ...a town of less than 9,000 with 50 city employees.

Watch Cindy McCain read Sarah Palin's very brief resume.

Think the resume is weak on National Security?

"Remember Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia".

Watch It:

“She’s going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he’ll be around at least that long,”

--- Charlie Black, one of Mr. McCain’s top lobbyist advisers.

Here's the "National Security Master" at "whose feet she'd be learning" at work.

Watch It:

Palin For America

Watch it:

Katie Couric Asks McCain About His Seven Kitchen Tables

Watch It:

Greg Haas has been an influential figure in Ohio and National politics for decades. He has advised luminaries including Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, former Ohio Treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow and a long list of influential Ohioans and Ohio ballot issues.

Mr. Haas is an accomplished writer and author and has penned the following Guest Shadows On High.

In George Will’s most recent column he simultaneously mixes unbridled honesty with absolute cynicism and argues that there is hope for the McCain campaign, that for McCain, fear is hope. Our television screens are filled with images of the Evil Empire riding into Georgia, and they may in fact be the cavalry that rescues McCain’s campaign.

Will is not alone, the fear mongering is everywhere: Fox News, AM radio, William Krystol, and every neo-Con under the sun are pounding their loud drums and blowing their horns. And who is leading the parade? The answer is no surprise, John McCain.

There is no doubt that Russia is on the wrong track. The assassination of dissenters, the loss of the free press are frightening realities that must be dealt with, but it happened while the neo-cons were in power.

The electoral map changed decidedly when the Iron Curtin fell, and a mass migration of Independents drifted toward the Democratic Party. As a result, Democrats have won the popular vote in three of the past four Presidential elections, in spite of a host of problems. In the last six elections before the Iron Curtin fell, Democrats won the popular vote once. That was a razor thin win in 1976, the post- Watergate election.

Nearly all political campaigns are won or lost on two basic core message strategies: fear or hope. When the Democrats can clearly stake out the hope message, they can be effective, but hope is a more complex argument. Fear is easy; it’s just a bear in the woods ad away from a national landslide.

So enter Vladamir Putin, and with him the Presidential race has become a classic fear versus hope contest. In essence, Will says McCain’s hope is that voters go to the polls more frightened than hopeful.

The anti-Russian sentiment runs deep, even Hollywood seems intent on the evil Russian stereotype. In movies, Russians are typically portrayed in one of two ways. The first is the heartless and violent villain who has bad teeth, dirty finger nails, and a goatee. The second is the tall, beautiful, amoral seductress. Like a black widow spider, she often tries to kill her bedmate, rather than smoke a cigarette after lovemaking.

Why the fear mongering? Because it works. We have a pre-programmed fear of the nasty Reds. Teachers told millions of baby boomers that they needed to be ready because the Russians were going to attack. Go out into the hall and bend your head between your legs. I think we all always knew for ourselves what we were supposed to do next.

The anti-Russian rhetoric is also an effective message with the descendants of Eastern-Europeans that immigrated to the U.S. They have an engrained distrust of Russians. It is pretty hard after hundreds of years of conflict and subjugation to tell a Polish American we need to negotiate with the Russians. As the late Gerald Ford learned when he said, “There is no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe,” Russia is a raw nerve.

So if McCain can bring a Russian focus to some Independent voting baby boomers and many of the Eastern European-American’s, the two become a powerful force that could tip the scales.

In Ohio, every major city has its own unique mix of Lithuanians, Poles, Hungarians, and many other voters of Eastern European dissent, and those voters make up a key group of swing voters; the former Soviet bloc, vote bloc.

While McCain is waving around the Red menace, Vladmir Putin seems hell bent on reinforcing McCain’s message. Why? Putin is a master chess player. Is he an idiot? Does Putin have no strategic ability, or does he want to see a cold warrior in the White House? With America’s image in the world in steep decline, does it benefit Russia for the United States to maintain a Foreign Policy that causes us to lose creditability and international support? If the rest of the world distrusts us, Putin can act up even more aggressively.

More importantly, does the neo-con saber rattling help Putin rally support from the Russian people? Is that what we want?

The neo- cons have empowered both China and Russia, beyond anyone’s worst fears. Today the Chinese can destroy our economy with a wave of their iron hand. Russia is blessed with a great deal of oil reserves as well as many other natural resources and, as a result, is surging economically. So does it also benefit Russia to have a pro-U.S. oil company lackey in the White House? Want to stand up to Russia, cut oil consumption dramatically and quickly. As some have said, just not often enough, we can do it; after all, we put a man on the moon in ten years. How’s that for a message of hope?

The two George W.’s, (Will and Witless) advise McCain to press Obama on Russia. Ask Obama what he would do about Russia, they tell McCain. Would Obama support the formation of a true organization of Democracies that would include Georgia, but not Russia? Will’s argument is that no NATO nation has been attacked, therefore this new, new federation would insure the safety of its members.

Obama needs to ask McCain a couple of questions. What is it he (McCain) would do differently than Bush in the face of Russian aggression? Exactly what is it that Bush and his neo-con advisors aren’t doing that would get results? Would he confront Russia militarily over Georgia? McCain implies strong action, but what does that really mean?

This point does raise a bit of a dilemma for the McCain camp. While many voters could be persuaded by the rhetoric and saber rattling, are they ready for the consequences of a Russian defiance of that saber rattling? And there is another large, yet hard to define group of voters in America, the isolationists. While their global view varies, safety is all they really want.

This is the opening for Obama. The key to holding on to some of these voters is to avoid getting squeamish around the Russia debate. Some will advise him to try to finesse the issue. It’s off message, many advisors will say. It’s a losing argument; avoid the whole Russia thing, get the debate back to the war in Iraq and the economy. In nearly every other area this is sound advice, but in this exchange Obama will be viewed as weak if he doesn’t confront McCain and force his hand. Make him explain his position beyond the rhetoric.

Think JFK in 1960, and the masterful way he blunted the fear mongering of the arch anti-communist, Richard Nixon, (The pre- Détente Nixon…funny how when it no longer served Nixon’s fear mongering, the whole Soviet nation righted itself and became negotiation worthy.) Kennedy spoke clearly about a strong defense, he was firm and uncompromising when it came to defending America, but one could clearly hear reason in his voice. It was Nixon who became vague.

Vladimir Putin may have become the most important person in the Presidential race and his actions could be as significant as Osama bin Laden was in resurrecting W’s approval rating in 2001.

Can the Red menace be the red herring that causes voters to forget the economy, forget the War in Iraq, and forget the environment? The one thing that is certain, George Will is right: the fear Russia strategy has worked for the right many, many times.

The AFL-CIO is dropping a new mailer today in OH, MI and PA, criticizing John McCain's position on trade. The piece, which plays on the Olympics, is being sent to union swing voters in 50K homes.

Dennis Philippi, an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers member from North Canton, OH, says on the mailer: “2.3 million jobs outsourced to China? That’s not a world record I would be proud of.”

The lit alludes to the union's position that the Bush administration, with McCain's backing, has allowed China to violate trade rules and its own labor laws to boost the profit margins of large multinational corporations at the expense of workers.

Pervez Musharraf has announced his resignation as the President of Pakistan while attacking the government's plan to impeach him.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, the dictator who reinvented himself as a U.S. ally against terrorism, resigned to avoid facing impeachment charges for illegally seizing power and mishandling the economy.

`"This is not time for individual bravado. I lose or win in impeachment proceedings, the Pakistani nation will be the loser," Musharraf, 65, said in a one-hour address to the nation. "After taking advice from my supporters and friends, I have decided to resign in the best interests of the nation."

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner issued Friday two directives and one advisory to prepare for absentee voting in Ohio. 

 The guidance, crafted in partnership with elections officials, paves the way for successful early voting prior to the Nov. 4, 2008, election.

"As we prepare for Election Day, we are promoting clear, consistent, statewide standards for absentee voting.  Every Ohioan who requests an absentee ballot should have the same rights and responsibilities, whether they are in Ashtabula, Ironton or anywhere in between," Secretary Brunner said.

Directive on Procedures for Processing Absent Voter's Ballots Prior to Election Day

To assist boards of elections with what is expected to be a very high number of absentee ballots, boards will be allowed to begin processing, but not tabulating, absentee ballots up to ten days before the election.  Processing includes examining the sufficiency of the identification envelope and determining the validity of the absent voter's ballot, unfolding and stacking ballots to prepare them for efficient scanning and pre-election scanning of ballot contents without tabulation. 

While boards will be able to prepare and begin processing absentee ballots ten days before the election, counting ballots cannot begin until after 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. The directive also provides guidance on ballot remakes and requirements that observers be permitted to observe this processing of absentee ballots.  

Based on the high number of expected absentee ballots and the speed limitations of approximately half of the state's counties' optical scanning equipment, some boards may have trouble meeting the statutory reporting deadline for the unofficial count if they are required to wait until Election Day to begin preparing and processing absent voter's ballots.

Directive on Instructions to Voters for Absent Voter Ballots

By law, absentee ballots must include specific instructions to assist the voter.  This directive provides boards of elections with the items that must be included.  Examples include how to use the instruction and return envelopes and how much postage will likely be needed to return the ballot. 

The instructions also alert voters that, under Ohio law, if they request an absentee ballot, don't return it and appear to vote at the polling place on Election Day, that voter must vote a provisional ballot.  Lastly, the directive provides boards with a form they can use for these instructions.

Advisory on Issuing and accepting  absentee ballots for boards of elections that have established an alternate polling location (not at the board of elections) for in-person absentee voting 

This advisory provides guidelines to follow if a board of elections chooses to issue absentee ballots or to receive absentee ballots at both the regular board office and at the alternate location.  Such boards cannot provide voting compartments at their board offices, but can accept completed ballots at either location.

The Center For Responsive Politics Reports:

According to an analysis of campaign contributions by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain, and the fiercely anti-war Ron Paul, though he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination months ago, has received more than four times McCain's haul.

Despite McCain's status as a decorated veteran and a historically Republican bent among the military, members of the armed services overall -- whether stationed overseas or at home -- are also favoring Obama with their campaign contributions in 2008, by a $55,000 margin. Although 59 percent of federal contributions by military personnel has gone to Republicans this cycle, of money from the military to the presumed presidential nominees, 57 percent has gone to Obama.

“Yesterday, I heard Sen. McCain say, ‘We are all Georgians now,’” Saakashvili said on CNN’s American Morning. “Well, very nice, you know, very cheering for us to hear that, but OK, it’s time to pass from this. From words to deeds.”

McCain told a crowd in Pennsylvania yesterday that he had called Saakashvili to express solidarity with the people of Georgia, saying: “Today, we are all Georgians.”

Watch It:

Sounds like McCain knows President Saakashvili really well doesn't it?

Well, in his speech yesterday, McCain mispronounced Saakashvili's name three times. Stephen Hayes, editor of the Weekly Standard, defended McCain by saying “he knows the players even if he mispronounces the name.”

Big Oil tax breaks and subsidies supported by Republicans … $14 Billion

Political contributions made to Republicans by Big Oil this cycle … $13.5 Million

Profit earned by the top five Big Oil Companies last quarter  … $44 Billion

Cost of John Boehner’s green fees while a small band of House Republicans’ express faux outrage about gas prices * … $240

The Grand Oil Party’s hypocrisy about the cost of gas … Priceless

 Boehner Golfing In Columbus While Fake House Session Continues

•  Boehner voted against comprehensive energy legislation that includes the first new vehicle efficiency standards in 32 years, saving families up to $1,000 a year at the pump. [HR 6, Vote 1140, 12/6/07; HR 6, Vote 1177, 12/18/07]

•  Boehner voted against tax incentives for renewable electricity, energy and fuel from America’s heartland, as well as for plug-in hybrid cars, and energy efficient homes, buildings, and appliances – four times in just the last 18 months. [HR 6049, Vote 344, 5/21/08; HR 5351, Vote 84, 2/27/08; HR 6, Vote 1140, 12/6/07; HR 2776, Vote 835, 8/4/07]

• Boehner voted against investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, including solar, biofuels, hydropower, and geothermal energy, as well as new vehicle technology and energy efficient buildings and homes, with a 50 percent increase over the President’s request.  [HR 2641, Vote 641, 7/17/07]

• Boehner voted against landmark energy efficiency standards for buildings, homes, appliances, and lighting to save consumers $400 billion through 2030. [HR 6, Vote 1140, 12/6/07; HR 6, Vote 1177, 12/18/07]

• Boehner voted against requiring that 15 percent of American electricity come from renewable energy by 2020. [Amend to HR 3221, Vote 827, 8/4/07]

•  Boehner voted against reducing transit fares for commuter rail and buses and expanding service through grants to transit agencies. [HR 6052, Vote 467, 6/26/08]

• Boehner voted against responsible drilling in Alaska in the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR-A). [HR 6515, Vote 511, 7/17/08]

•  Boehner voted against requiring oil companies to drill on 68 million acres they already control. [HR 6251, Vote 469, 6/26/08]

•  Boehner voted against releasing a small portion of the government’s oil stockpile, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to bring down gasoline prices. [HR 6578, Vote 527, 7/24/08]

• Boehner voted against cracking down on price gouging oil companies that artificially inflate the price of energy. [HR 6346, Vote 448, 6/24/08]

• Boehner voted against repealing unnecessary subsidies for the top five oil companies earning record profits – four times over the last 18 months.  [HR 5351, Vote 84, 2/27/2008; HR 6, Vote 1140, 12/6/07; HR 2776, Vote 835; HR 6, Vote 40, 1/18/07]

• Boehner voted against recouping royalties that oil companies owe American taxpayers for drilling on public lands. [HR 3221, Vote 832, 8/4/07; HR 6, Vote 40, 1/18/07]

Andrea Mitchell comes as close as any reporter will come to saying the McCain Campaign is lying with their latest Obama and the Troops ad:

Watch It:

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you shouldn't have used the word timetable.

MCCAIN: Pardon me?

STEPHANOPOULOS: You shouldn't have used the word timetable.

MCCAIN: I didn't use the word timetable. That I did -- if I did...

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, it's a pretty good timetable.

MCCAIN: Oh, well, look. Anything is a good timetable that is dictated by conditions on the ground. Anything is good.

Watch It:

 Of course, in the same 22 minute interview he also said this:

MCCAIN: I believe that, when he said that we had to leave Iraq, and we had to be out by last March, and we had to have a date certain, that was in contravention to -- and still is -- the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General David Petraeus. 

No, John.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would be Admiral Mike Mullen not General Petraeus!

It’s no secret that the Republican Party has put a high tactical premium on loyalty over the last eight years, engaging it as a key political tool (and bludgeon) to keep party soldiers marching in-step, and to bleed its enemies of legitimacy in the arena of public opinion. While there are obvious doubts that such manipulations will work on the electorate this Nov. 4, they’ve been quite effective in the past.

You can’t stop the Party from trying. It demanded loyalty for President Bush after 9/11 – who could deny the man with the megaphone atop the smoldering debris of the American dream? For Gen. David Petraeus, when it was critical that the Republicans throw water on the post-midterm cry to end the war. Today, the new litmus test is loyalty to an idea.

The unflinching, unreflective loyalty to The Surge.

Will it work?

There is one more John McCain gaffe that the media missed from the now famous CBS interview with Katie Couric.

This is the same interview in which McCain claimed the surge led to the Anbar Awakening, which is demonstrably false. But watch below for another gaffe when McCain says Iraq was the first major conflict after 9/11.

Watch it:

 Young Turks on You Tube

Both CBS News and John McCain have some 'splaning to do:

During a CBS interview on Tuesday, John McCain made a stone cold error on a subject about which he claims expert knowledge: the "surge" strategy in Iraq. In an interview with anchor Katie Couric, the Arizona Republican said, inaccurately, that the surge strategy was responsible for the much-touted "Anbar Awakening," in which Sunni sheiks turned against Al Qaeda, helping in turn to reduce violence in the country.

On the July 22 edition of the CBS Evening News, while airing portions of an interview she conducted that day with Sen. John McCain, anchor Katie Couric removed a part of his response in which he falsely asserted that the 2007 U.S. troop surge "began the Anbar awakening." In fact, the so-called Anbar awakening reportedly began in September 2006, months before the surge was even announced. Couric had asked McCain, "Senator [Barack] Obama says while the increased number of U.S. troops contributed to increased security in Iraq, he also credits the Sunni awakening and the Shia government going after militias, and says that there might have been improved security even without the surge. What's your response to that?" But rather than airing McCain's direct reply, including the false claim that the surge "began the Anbar awakening" -- an agreement by some tribal leaders in western Iraq to accept U.S. aid and cooperate with anti-Al Qaeda operations -- Couric aired comments by McCain spliced together from three separate statements he gave during the interview, one of which responded to a different question. Couric gave no indication that these comments had been edited in any manner, nor did she otherwise note McCain's falsehood.

Keith Olbermann reported on the spliced McCain response on the July 22 edition of MSNBC's Countdown.