The Torture Bill

12:02 am EST September 29th, 2006 | Democrats | 28 Comments

While I can’t say I’m happy with a bill that allows the president to just deem anyone he likes a terrorist (even an American citizen) and deny them rights and torture them (detail here – there’s nothing stopping the President from deciding that liberal bloggers are Al Qaeda agents and throwing us in jail for the act of disagreeing with him and his administration), I’ve got to not be the only one who thinks that this bit of cynical election year work can remotely pass constitutional muster? Right?

Even dominated by the right-wing, the Supreme Court slapped down the administration’s nonsense in the Hamdan case. I’m no legal eagle, but this bill, shoved through in weeks before an election, just doesn’t seem like its gone through any sort of strong constitutional test.

Be that as it may, however, this should begin to show the left the important role supreme court nominations have taken on, and yet another important reason we must have a Democratic president to appoint the next few – whose spots will be opening up soon. Weak Democratic opposition led to Roberts and Alito sliding in with no problem, but it isn’t too far out of bounds to see a Republican president appointing crazies like Ted Olson or Ken Starr to the high court and continue the transition in our nation from representative democracy to torture-friendly facsism.

Too often liberal discussions about the Supreme court have stopped at "Roe" (and the liberal groups charged with fighting the Supreme Court battles did a horribly inexcusable job), when in fact the court touches on so much more – and we need to get our vote out based on that.

The Republican Problem Of Racial Terrorism

11:45 pm EST September 28th, 2006 | Republicans | 7 Comments

Didn’t want to let the day be over without passing on a link to this Bob Herbert column that talks about the Republican party’s acceptance of racial terrorism and the environment it has created in America.

A Platform of Bigotry

Beyond the obvious problems with the senator’s comments and his behavior is the fact that he so neatly fits into the pattern of racial bigotry, insensitivity and exploitation that has characterized the G.O.P. since it adopted its Southern strategy some decades ago. Once it was the Democrats who provided a comfortable home for public officials with attitudes and policies that were hostile to blacks and other minorities. Now the deed to that safe house has been signed over to the G.O.P.

…

You don’t hear President Bush or the Senate majority leader, Bill
Frist, or any other prominent Republicans blowing the whistle on the
likes of George Allen and Conrad Burns because Republicans across the
board, so-called moderates as well as conservatives, have benefited
tremendously from the party’s bigotry. Allen and Burns may have been
more blatant and buffoonish than is acceptable, but they have all been
singing from the same racially offensive hymnal.

From the Willie
Horton campaign to the intimidation of black voters in Florida and
elsewhere to the use of every racially charged symbol and code word
imaginable — it’s all of a piece.

Book Just In: Schaller’s Whistling Past Dixie

6:27 pm EST September 28th, 2006 | Democrats | 1 Comment

From Maryland’s own Tom Schaller:

Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South

Flip Flop

6:23 pm EST September 28th, 2006 | Uncategorized | Comments Off

Bob Corker’s campaign was for the Zogby poll before they were against it.

Topic: 2006 Election

The Cost Of War

6:04 pm EST September 28th, 2006 | News | Comments Off

The Iraq War, which is fueling terrorism and is causing Al Qaeda to grow by leaps and bounds, has the side effect of also costing America $2 billion a week.

Topic: Iraq

1-800-Macaca

6:02 pm EST September 28th, 2006 | Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Dial up Slate’s George Allen Insult Generator.

Topic: Humor

Jammies

6:00 pm EST September 28th, 2006 | Media | Comments Off

August attended Pajamas Media’s little confab and ran into a certain male prostitute.

The Face In The Mirror Is Yours, Glenn Reynolds

5:49 pm EST September 28th, 2006 | News | 4 Comments

Glenn Reynolds decries partisan name-calling, but this is the same man who called war opponents friends of Saddam Hussein. Sit on it, Potsie.

New UN Report Backs NIE: Iraq Is Terror Training Ground

5:39 pm EST September 28th, 2006 | News | Comments Off

A new report from the United Nations agrees with the recently released NIE and again contradicts President Bush’s rosy proclamations about Iraq.

“New explosive devices are now used in Afghanistan within a month of their first appearing in Iraq,” it said. “And while the Taliban have not been found fighting outside Afghanistan/Pakistan, there have been reports of them training in both Iraq and Somalia.”

The deicision to go to war in Iraq was faulty, flawed, and futile. The President’s strategy has been a disaster. Every day America stays the course of failure in Iraq is another day we lose the war on terror. America is under attack and the Washington Republicans give us more of the same lame rhetoric.

Topic: Iraq

Republican Mark Foley: Interested In Young Boys?

4:43 pm EST September 28th, 2006 | Politics | 29 Comments

Link: TPMmuckraker.

A sixteen-year-old former page to the House of Representatives shared with Hill staff emails sent to him from Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), in which the lawmaker asks inappropriate questions of him. They’ve since shown up on Web sites.

UPDATE: Foley has resigned his seat. Details are here.