No Timetable, No Conditions

Marc Ambinder previews President Obama's speech on Afghan war policy:

Officials said last week that while [the President] would outline a clear exit strategy, he would not tie troop withdrawals to any specific political developments in Afghanistan, which might run into opposition from Democrats in Congress, who are demanding benchmarks. Nor is the President likely to impose direct conditions on Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.

The speech is scheduled for tomorrow night. If this is truly the strategy he is to propose, then I am not on board. It sounds a bit to Bush-esque for comfort.

The Second Dip

If Friday's events in Dubai are any indication, the Great Recession is about to take a most worrisome second dip.

Stuffing Mix

The 2009 Thanksgiving Day Mix. The perfect soundtrack for your holiday. Press play and enjoy...



Playlist:

Evil Ways - Rusted Root
She's a Lady - Tom Jones
Love Is Just a Game - The Magic Numbers
Give the Drummer Some - Nickodemus
Straight Back - Fleetwood Mac
Saint - Texas
Thinking of You - Sister Sledge
Maybe Tomorrow - Stereophonics
Ben's Letter - 54 Seconds
Speak - Nickel Creek
Cry Me a River - Julie London
Peg - Steely Dan
Couldn't Get It Right - Climax Blues Band
Cold Heart - Elliott Yamin
The Very Thought of You - Nat "King" Cole

Rewriting History

George W. Bush's former press secretary has a rather limited memory, it seems...



Yes...because...you know...9/11 happened on President Gore's watch.

Obama's Plan For Afghanistan

Reports this morning say the President will announce his plan on Tuesday, December 1.

"Right Across the Street From Russia"

Dumbed-down on steroids...



Holy hell! Makes you want to stick an ice pick in your eye, doesn't it?

Spoiled Fucking Brat

This is exactly the kind of cry-baby bullshit that makes me extremely happy that this guy bowed out of the 2010 race for governor. As it is, it makes me want to take back my 2007 mayoral vote - one he BARELY earned.

Disgusting and Beyond Vile

From the Huffington Post:

A group called the Chicago Tea Party Patriots publicly heckled a grieving family and suggested that the couple fabricated their tragic story.

Midge Hough was heckled by anti-reform crowd members. "You can laugh at me, that's okay," she said, crying. "But I lost two people, and I know you think that's funny, that's okay."

These people are not patriots. They are hate mongers and hypocrites, and the #1 reason why would never EVER be able to cast a Republican vote in a federal election.

To the Brink

Quote of the Day:

We need citizens who will convey to their leaders that they are ready to sacrifice, even pay, yes, higher taxes, and will not punish politicians who ask them to do the hard things. Otherwise, folks, we’re in trouble. A great power that can only produce suboptimal responses to its biggest challenges will, in time, fade from being a great power...

-NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman, laying down the gauntlet.

Alas, it will take an economic downturn of unfathomable proportions for U.S. voters to demand that their representatives make such hard choices (and even then a small but significant percentage of the American public would resist). For we only make the important decisions when we have to - as a last resort - and not a single second before hand.

Ugh.

Earlier in the piece, Friedman makes a strong point (numbers 2, 3, and 4 of which are quite important):

..at least six things have come together to fracture our public space and paralyze our ability to forge optimal solutions:

1) Money in politics has become so pervasive that lawmakers have to spend most of their time raising it, selling their souls to those who have it or defending themselves from the smallest interest groups with deep pockets that can trump the national interest.

2) The gerrymandering of political districts means politicians of each party can now choose their own voters and never have to appeal to the center.

3) The cable TV culture encourages shouting and segregating people into their own political echo chambers.

4) A permanent presidential campaign leaves little time for governing.

5) The Internet, which, at its best, provides a check on elites and establishments and opens the way for new voices and, which, at its worst provides a home for every extreme view and spawns digital lynch mobs from across the political spectrum that attack anyone who departs from their specific orthodoxy.

6) A U.S. business community that has become so globalized that it only comes to Washington to lobby for its own narrow interests; it rarely speaks out anymore in defense of national issues like health care, education and open markets.

60 to 39

The United States Senate voted 60 to 39 yesterday to stop a filibuster on their version of health care legislation. The vote simply allows debate to begin on the bill.

While this is a huge step in the right direction, this is far from over. The actual bill still needs to go through an actual vote. Then it has to be reconciled with the House bill (essentially merging both bills into one), and then that bill needs to be voted in both houses of congress. Filibusters are still a threat.

So, a step in the right direction. But we still have quite the road to travel.

A Time of Limited Resources

The President's weekly address:

9th Circuit: Defense of Marriage Act Is Unconstitutional

From Bill Egnor at FDL:

Something somewhat big happened in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on the 18th. Judge Stephan Reinhardt issued a ruling, which finds a significant part of the Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional...
What DOMA did was to deny federal benefits or recognition of any same sex marriage. This is a real problem as many of the rights, which married folks enjoy, are Federal rights not State level. As a practical matter this affects Federal employees the most as they are ineligible to have their same sex spouses on their insurance plans, ineligible to have their spouses as beneficiaries of any pension, and the like.

Normally there is nowhere for a Federal Employee to sue to try to change this, but in California (where the 9th Circuit is located) they have a program for Federal Public Defenders which resolves disputes about benefits. In this program they expressly forbid discrimination against anyone for gender or sexual orientation in awarding of benefits.

Along comes Mr. Brad Levinson, a Deputy Public Defender. He is also gay and married his long time partner Tony Sears in California on March 16, 2008. He then tried to have his husband added to his Federal Employee benefits program. This was denied, with a citation of DOMA as the reason.

Judge Reinhardt has found and states conclusively that the denial of benefits based solely on the sex and sexual orientation of Mr. Levinson’s husband is unconstitutional because is violates the 5th Amendment Equal Protection clause. He spends 25 pages detailing how he has the power to order the benefits office of the 9th Circuit to either add Mr. Sears to his husbands insurance or order them to pay a for a similar plan.

Sarah Quits Again

This should surprise no one...



Jed Lewison nails it:

It's hard not to feel bad for these folks after they took time off work to meet their hero, but when your hero is a failed vice presidential candidate and former governor of Alaska who resigned halfway through her first term in office, you shouldn't really be surprised when she ditches you in the cold for something better.

End-of-the-Week Levity

You gotta love Wanda...

Santorum of the Day

Catholic Charities has threatened to stop feeding the hungry and housing the homeless in D.C. unless the city council there votes down same sex marriage.

Wolf, uuuhh, Blitzer reports...

Don't Prea...Stop Trying To...Just... DON'T

I have had way too much religion forced down my throat today. First a former co-worker posted on Facebook that there isn't enough god in America today. I don't know what he's been smokin', but I think most would agree there's TOO much god, and that reams of hate are being spewed in his name.

And earlier today, a rather nice lady in the parking lot at the shopping center saw my "REPEAL PROP 8" bumpersticker, walked over to my car, and asked, "Have you found love and peace in the bosom of Jesus Christ?"

My response? (In my best non-British Ian McKellen) "As a matter of fact, I did. Back around 1996, I think. Although his last name wasn't Christ. Perez, I think it was. A rather sturdy boy."

I smiled a rather wicked grin, thanked her, got into my car, and drove the hell away.

Disgusting and Beyond Vile

From Andy Towle: On November 14, the body of a gay 19-year-old was found on an isolated road in the city of Cayey, Puerto Rico partially burned, decapitated, and with both arms, both legs, and his torso dismembered.

What makes this more unfathomable is the statement released by the police. According to Towle, the police agent that is handling this case said in a public televised statement that "people who lead this type of lifestyle need to be aware that this will happen."

What. The. Fuck!??!

Another Huge Step Forward on Health Care

MSNBC reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has all his ducks in a row and will hold a vote to kill a Republican filibuster this weekend, with a possible vote for final passage of the health care bill scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving.

I'll believe it when I see it.

Lawrence O'Donnell, sitting in for Keith Olbermann, has the goods...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Changing Minds

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (Democrat-WI) and the House Oversight and Government Reform committee have voted to move the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act to the House floor for a vote. If the bill become law (a very tall order), same-sex partners of federal employees would be able to share the workers' benefits, including those covering health insurance, retirement and disability.

Peeing. My. Pants.