Throwing a shoe at someone is considered the worst possible insult in Iraq, and is meant to show extreme disrespect and hatred towards someone Interesting, never knew this. Why two? An eye-for-an-eye is the OT ratio. The Koran doubles it?

The guy threw 2 shoes at Bush so seems fair. ;-) Hysterical. Did anyone see the video? He really whipped them at him. Bush is quick, gotta give him that.

OK, I must have glossed over that section. Thought he heaved only one.

(Do)He really whipped them at him. Bush is quick, gotta give him that. He sure did duck mighty quickly. Good reflexes. And I have to give him this-- he was funny about it: "I can confirm that they were size 10." LOL! The late night comics will have a field day. And I'm sure Frank Caliendo will have a spot on impression, "What we have here is a shoe-ification.";-) I remember when the statue of Saddam fell, all those people slapping the fallen statue with their shoes.

LOL, not a country for me, with my shoe fetish. ;-) The M and their idiocies never surprise me.

The late-night shows on the shoe-throwing incident: Letterman: I don't think President Bush has dodged anything like that since, well, the Vietnam War. Leno: Looks like we finally found something President Bush is good at - dodgeball! Ferguson: The shoe-throwing incident has made Sarah Palin want to be president even more. Free shoes! You betcha! Conan: He's being hailed as a hero in Iraq... when he dies he'll be greeted in heaven by 172 podiatrists.

The man who threw the shoes is now a famous hero in Muslim countries. Poor them.

Today's Wash Post: Somalis' Choice: Join Islamists or Flee U.S.-Backed Invasion Failed to Thwart Takeover DADAAB, Kenya -- By the time Mohamed Abdi Ibrahim decided to leave Somalia, life in the southern city of Kismaayo had become, as he put it with consummate understatement, "complicated." Young men there had long shouldered AK-47 assault rifles and joined clan militias. But as an Islamist militia known as al-Shabab took control this year, it had become a place where boys were paid $50 to throw bombs, soccer fields served as militia training camps, and Islamist leaders walked into classrooms to take names of potential recruits. Ibrahim and two friends fled several months ago, just after the Shabab began beating people not attending Friday prayers and just before the group publicly stoned to death a 13-year-old girl it had convicted of adultery. The options for young men like them, it seemed, had narrowed to two: sign up or run. "For us, it was not good to join," said Ibrahim, a lanky 22-year-old who fled to this overflowing refugee camp across the Kenyan border. "Because if we join one side, the other side will hunt us and kill us." The scenario now unfolding in Somalia is the one a U.S.-backed Ethiopian invasion nearly two years ago had been intended to thwart: a takeover by radical Islamists. At the time, Ethiopian forces ousted a relatively diverse Islamic movement that had briefly gained control of the capital, Mogadishu. In its place, they installed a transitional government headed by a warlord who allowed the United States to launch counterterrorism operations in the moderate Muslim nation. But the policy backfired, inspiring a relentless insurgency of clan militias and Islamist fighters that has left Somalia's first central government since 1991 near collapse. On Sunday night, advisers and supporters of President Abdullahi Yusuf -- who has been accused of obstructing a possible political compromise to help end the insurgency -- said that he would resign Monday, although as with everything in Somalia, the situation remained fluid. The two-year insurgency has energized the most radical Islamist faction, the Shabab -- "youth" in Arabic -- which the United States has designated a terrorist organization. Rallying young men with anti-Ethiopian rhetoric and a promised ticket to paradise, the group advanced this year across much of southern Somalia, including the capital, Mogadishu. Analysts predict the Shabab will extend its control after the Ethiopians withdraw, which they have promised to do within weeks. The United States and the United Nations are now supporting a political settlement that shifts power from Yusuf and his circle to an opposition coalition that includes some of the Islamist leaders cast as extremists two years ago, as well as clan leaders who had been excluded by Yusuf's government. Backers of the Djibouti agreement hope that the Ethiopian withdrawal, along with the political deal, will rob the Shabab of its cause. But the situation on the ground -- and in swelling refugee camps such as this one -- suggests that the group is only gaining strength. Full article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122102340.html You know how I feel about this situation and Islam. I am censoring myself here.

Viagra? Can it get any more insane? Those poor women! Now they even have to worry about aging War lords and their libido. I am so totally disgusted. The Wash Post today: Little Blue Pills Among the Ways CIA Wins Friends in Afghanistan The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift. Four blue pills. Viagra. "Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam. The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills. For U.S. intelligence officials, this is how some crucial battles in Afghanistan are fought and won. While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taliban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives and creative bargaining to gain support in some of the country's roughest neighborhoods, according to officials directly involved in such operations. In their efforts to win over notoriously fickle warlords and chieftains, the officials say, the agency's operatives have used a variety of personal services. These include pocketknives and tools, medicine or surgeries for ailing family members, toys and school equipment, tooth extractions, travel visas, and, occasionally, pharmaceutical enhancements for aging patriarchs with slumping libidos, the officials said. "Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people -- whether it's building a school or handing out Viagra," said one longtime agency operative and veteran of several Afghanistan tours. Like other field officers interviewed for this article, he spoke on the condition of anonymity when describing tactics and operations that are largely classified. Officials say these inducements are necessary in Afghanistan, a country where warlords and tribal leaders expect to be paid for their cooperation, and where, for some, switching sides can be as easy as changing tunics. If the Americans don't offer incentives, there are others who will, including Taliban commanders, drug dealers and even Iranian agents in the region. The usual bribes of choice -- cash and weapons -- aren't always the best options, Afghanistan veterans say. Guns too often fall into the wrong hands, they say, and showy gifts such as money, jewelry and cars tend to draw unwanted attention. "If you give an asset $1,000, he'll go out and buy the shiniest junk he can find, and it will be apparent that he has suddenly come into a lot of money from someone," said Jamie Smith, a veteran of CIA covert operations in Afghanistan and now chief executive of SCG International, a private security and intelligence company. "Even if he doesn't get killed, he becomes ineffective as an informant because everyone knows where he got it." The key, Smith said, is to find a way to meet the informant's personal needs in a way that keeps him firmly on your side but leaves little or no visible trace. "You're trying to bridge a gap between people living in the 18th century and people coming in from the 21st century," Smith said, "so you look for those common things in the form of material aid that motivate people everywhere." Among the world's intelligence agencies, there's a long tradition of using sex as a motivator. Robert Baer, a retired CIA officer and author of several books on intelligence, noted that the Soviet spy service was notorious for using attractive women as bait when seeking to turn foreign diplomats into informants. "The KGB has always used 'honey traps,' and it works," Baer said. For American officers, a more common practice was to offer medical care for potential informants and their loved ones, he said. "I remember one guy we offered an option on a heart bypass," Baer said. For some U.S. operatives in Afghanistan, Western drugs such as Viagra were just part of a long list of enticements available for use in special cases. Two veteran officers familiar with such practices said Viagra was offered rarely, and only to older tribal officials for whom the drug would hold special appeal. While such sexual performance drugs are generally unavailable in the remote areas where the agency's teams operated, they have been sold in some Kabul street markets since at least 2003 and were known by reputation elsewhere. "You didn't hand it out to younger guys, but it could be a silver bullet to make connections to the older ones," said one retired operative familiar with the drug's use in Afghanistan. Afghan tribal leaders often had four wives -- the maximum number allowed by the Koran -- and aging village patriarchs were easily sold on the utility of a pill that could "put them back in an authoritative position," the official said. Both officials who described the use of Viagra declined to discuss details such as dates and locations, citing both safety and classification concerns. The CIA declined to comment on methods used in clandestine operations. One senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the agency's work in Afghanistan said the clandestine teams were trained to be "resourceful and agile" and to use tactics "consistent with the laws of our country." "They learn the landscape, get to know the players, and adjust to the operating environment, no matter where it is," the official said. "They think out of the box, take risks, and do what's necessary to get the job done." Not everyone in Afghanistan's hinterlands had heard of the drug, leading to some awkward encounters when Americans delicately attempted to explain its effects, taking care not to offend their hosts' religious sensitivities. Such was the case with the 60-year-old chieftain who received the four pills from a U.S. operative. According to the retired operative who was there, the man was a clan leader in southern Afghanistan who had been wary of Americans -- neither supportive nor actively opposed. The man had extensive knowledge of the region and his village controlled key passages through the area. U.S. forces needed his cooperation and worked hard to win it, the retired operative said. After a long conversation through an interpreter, the retired operator began to probe for ways to win the man's loyalty. A discussion of the man's family and many wives provided inspiration. Once it was established that the man was in good health, the pills were offered and accepted. Four days later, when the Americans returned, the gift had worked its magic, the operative recalled. "He came up to us beaming," the official said. "He said, 'You are a great man.' " "And after that we could do whatever we wanted in his area."

I'm virtually speechless, yet find that fascinating.

I find it totally sexist. The CIA is proud of the fact that by offering viagra: "... we could do whatever we wanted in his area." This election has brought home the fact that being sexist is acceptable and this example by our own CIA just makes the case stronger. As I said, I am disgusted. Why don't they just give them TVs and porno DVDs? That should keep them busy enough for the CIA to do what they want in the area. ;-)

Well, Moon, the women aren't in a position of power or influence, so I can see how they would be male-centric incentives. I don't have an issue with that aspect. I had more of a problem thinking that the women might've been glad their husbands (or others) would have issues that would preclude them from sex at any time. The women could get a break maybe, but unfortunately, I'm sure it becomes more empowering to the males, single or married, to do what they want, when they want with women. I'm sure pornos and TV's are against their religion. ;-)

I'm sure pornos and TV's are against their religion. ;-) No kidding! They might not be such rabid haters/killers otherwise. And I agree with you about the women who were probably very happy that their husbands were no longer bothering them, poor them! They probably don't know what an orgasm is unless it's self induced. That action by the CIA is so despicable.

I still haven't figured out if I want to throw up a little or a lot. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/28/AR2008122800481.html?hpid=sec-politics

This article comes from the Dept of Stating the Obvious.... It continues to boggle my mind that this guy managed to get 8 years in office, let alone 4. Talk about people with blinders on and if those people are happy with how things have turned out in the end, more power to them I guess. Will look forward to this issue showing up in my mailbox. Is Vanity Fair biased against him. Yep. Is any of what was said below untrued. Very doubtful given the information already out there. Ex-Bush aides say he never recovered from Katrina Tue Dec 30, 6:59 am ET AP - WASHINGTON � Hurricane Katrina not only pulverized the Gulf Coast in 2005, it knocked the bully pulpit out from under President George W. Bush, according to two former advisers who spoke candidly about the political impact of the government's poor handling of the natural disaster. "Katrina to me was the tipping point," said Matthew Dowd, Bush's pollster and chief strategist for the 2004 presidential campaign. "The president broke his bond with the public. Once that bond was broken, he no longer had the capacity to talk to the American public. State of the Union addresses? It didn't matter. Legislative initiatives? It didn't matter. P.R.? It didn't matter. Travel? It didn't matter." Dan Bartlett, former White House communications director and later counselor to the president, said: "Politically, it was the final nail in the coffin." Their comments are a part of an oral history of the Bush White House that Vanity Fair magazine compiled for its February issue, which hits newsstands in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday, and nationally on Jan. 6. Vanity Fair published comments by current and former government officials, foreign ministers, campaign strategists and numerous others on topics that included Iraq, the anthrax attacks, the economy and immigration. Lawrence Wilkerson, top aide and later chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, said that as a new president, Bush was like Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee whom critics said lacked knowledge about foreign affairs. When Bush first came into office, he was surrounded by experienced advisers like Vice President Dick Cheney and Powell, who Wilkerson said ended up playing damage control for the president. "It allowed everybody to believe that this Sarah Palin-like president � because, let's face it, that's what he was � was going to be protected by this national-security elite, tested in the cauldrons of fire," Wilkerson said, adding that he considered Cheney probably the "most astute, bureaucratic entrepreneur" he'd ever met. "He became vice president well before George Bush picked him," Wilkerson said of Cheney. "And he began to manipulate things from that point on, knowing that he was going to be able to convince this guy to pick him, knowing that he was then going to be able to wade into the vacuums that existed around George Bush � personality vacuum, character vacuum, details vacuum, experience vacuum." On other topics, David Kuo, who served as deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, disputed the idea that the Bush White House was dominated by religious conservatives and catered to the needs of a religious right voting bloc. "The reality in the White House is � if you look at the most senior staff � you're seeing people who aren't personally religious and have no particular affection for people who are religious-right leaders," Kuo said. "In the political affairs shop in particular, you saw a lot of people who just rolled their eyes at ... basically every religious-right leader that was out there, because they just found them annoying and insufferable. These guys were pains in the butt who had to be accommodated." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081230/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_advisers_speak_out

From today's Wash Post: Tonight's 'Leap Second' Is Hot Tocking Point This weary/manic/glorious/tragic/bizarre year will last one second longer than you think. As 2008 circles the drain, here comes the pithy news item about the "leap second." It's exactly what it sounds like. Tonight, timekeepers will slide an extra second into the world's clock. Tick tock tick tock TICK TOCK. It will happen here, in Washington, a stroke before 7 p.m. The clock on the front lawn of the Naval Observatory will linger at 18:59:59 for two seconds instead of one. Then it will proceed, as if nothing happened, to 19:00:00. Most computer clocks and cellphones will take note of this. You will not. Perhaps you should. This minor quirk might soon vanish in a tussle of global proportions. The Brits want to keep the leap second. The United States and the world's other major powers want to dispose of it, thereby erasing the risk it poses to global telecommunications and navigation. But if we get rid of the leap second, we effectively cut our ties to the sun. "It would be a really bold cultural step to cut that link of maybe 5,000 years of history of measuring time," Royal Observatory timekeeping curator David Rooney says from London, where tonight, in the dying moments of 2008, BBC Radio will add a seventh pip (tone) to its traditional six-second countdown to the next hour, and where pennies will be removed from Big Ben's pendulum to slow it slightly in the final hour before midnight Greenwich Mean Time. Tick tock tick tock TICK TOCK. The leap second is a relic from the 1970s. Physicists whipped up this artificial hiccup to keep atomic clocks, which are reliably steady, aligned with the rotation of the Earth, which is slowing at a rate of two-thousandths of a second per day. So every now and then (1998, 2005, today) we allow the planet to catch up so that the sun remains highest at noon instead of, say, 11:59 a.m. A leap second is kind of like a leap year, in that both are attempts at dicing cosmic progression into whole numbers: years made of days and days made of seconds. An extra day is notable. An extra second is nothing. Right? It's one-86,400th of a day. It's several billionths of a 75-year lifetime. It's a blink. It's also a wedge between new and old, micro and macro, between the severity of atomic precision and the romance of looking heavenward. Tick tock tick tock TICK TOCK. Of course, it could be 700 years before atomic time and solar time diverge by as much as an hour. As author Douglas Adams once said, it will be someone else's problem. "Today, most countries change one hour between summer and winter, and this creates no problem to people," says Elisa Felicitas Arias, a marker of time at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, which sets the standard for the world's atomic clocks. "In the future -- many, many hundreds of years -- perhaps man will be faced with the decision of making some change, but at the moment I think we can live without the leap second, and we can live better without the leap second." Living better. Because of a second. But an extra second is nothing, right? In a second, the Earth rotates a quarter-mile at the equator. In a billionth of a second, light travels one foot. Both of these matter when you turn on the GPS in your car. You know where you are because of a second. Don't get too familiar with it. Eventually we must redefine the length of the second or deal with the hassle of more frequent leap seconds -- maybe occurring monthly a thousand years from now -- due to the constant deceleration of the Earth's rate of rotation, according to Dennis McCarthy, retired director of time at the Naval Observatory, which controls one-third of the world's atomic clocks. "We're operating with a second that is not consistent with the way the Earth is rotating at this moment," McCarthy says. "We could change the length of a second, but then you'd be changing all sorts of things -- the meter is defined in terms of the length of a second -- and it would be a terrible thing to do. The easiest thing now is to begin to make plans for how to get along without the leap second. We owe it to future generations to start thinking of a better way." Our way, right now, is delightfully tangled in our own quest to perceive and to measure. The immutable atomic standard is married, for better or worse, to the Earth's ever-changing rate of rotation. This paradox might soon be history if the International Telecommunication Union, based in Geneva, decides to abolish the leap second at its conference in 2011. For now, though, we have a whole second more of 2008. It won't lengthen our lives but it will lengthen today, as we define a "day," and this year, as we define a "year," even though it holds us back one second, meaning we will die a smidgen earlier -- but not sooner -- than if no one had messed with the clocks. Tick tock tick tock TICK TOCK.

(Dorine) I still haven't figured out if I want to throw up a little or a lot. I know. I saw a Condie segment on the CBS Sunday Morning Show last week and she was saying those things. Amazingly, no one I've encountered will admit to having voted for him in the last election. Talk about your ghost voters!

I think it's Laura's comments that make me more ill.

Laura is a non entity. It makes me laugh that her official portrait has her sitting with a book. In the White House tour show, she proudly shows off her library and her books, all 40 or so, what a laugh! Come over to my house Laura dear and check out my library! But she certainly went around promoting that book with Jenna. I remember her mother-in-law Barbara went around the country promoting reading and literacy.

(Moon) Laura is a non entity. Totally my point. Wasn't she a librarian in a past life? While I never really heard about her causes as First Lady too much, wasn't her thing on fighting illiteracy too? Or she was so quiet maybe she wasn't promoting anything.

(Dorine) While I never really heard about her causes as First Lady too much, wasn't her thing on fighting illiteracy too? It's especially poignant when a family suffers from it first hand. ;-)

Amazingly, no one I've encountered will admit to having voted for him in the last election. Me, Me.... Me is a Republican , have voted for "W" twice and would do so again:-))))))) *You* knew that.....;-) Happy NY..and thank you in advance for the warm welcome;-)

*cough* Evelyn posted on this topic??! Wow. It is a New Year. ;-) Thank you, dear. You are welcome anytime. :-D

Seems many of the Republicans are getting out of Dodge for during the inaugural festivities. http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090102/pl_politico/16987

I think that is normal. Happens with either party.

I think it said in the article, with Clinton, they had anti-inaugural parties both times, or something like that.

Interesting concept, although it would be *another* tax as the gasoline taxes wouldn't go down or be eliminated. :-( Man, our potholes are awful now. Oregon looks at taxing mileage instead of gasoline PORTLAND, Ore. � Oregon is among a growing number of states exploring ways to tax drivers based on the number of miles they drive instead of how much gas they use, even going so far as to install GPS monitoring devices in 300 vehicles. The idea first emerged nearly 10 years ago as Oregon lawmakers worried that fuel-efficient cars such as gas-electric hybrids could pose a threat to road upkeep, which is paid for largely with gasoline taxes. "I'm glad we're taking a look at it before the potholes get so big that we can't even get out of them," said Leroy Younglove, a Portland driver who participated in a recent pilot program. The proposal is not without critics, including drivers who are concerned about privacy and others who fear the tax could eliminate the financial incentive for buying efficient vehicles. But Oregon is ahead of the nation in exploring the concept, even though it will probably be years before any mileage tax is adopted. Congress is talking about it, too. A congressional commission has envisioned a system similar to the prototype Oregon tested in 2006-2007. The National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing is considering calling for higher gas taxes to keep highways, bridges and transit programs in good shape. But over the long term, commission members say, the nation should consider taxing mileage rather than gasoline as drivers use more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. As cars burn less fuel, "the gas tax isn't going to fill the bill," said Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The next Congress "could begin to set the stage, perhaps looking at some much more robust pilot programs, to begin the research, to work with manufacturers." Gov. Ted Kulongoski has included development money for the tax in his budget proposal, and interest is growing in a number of other states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island have considered systems that would require drivers to report their mileage when they register vehicles. In North Carolina last month, a panel suggested charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax. James Whitty, the Oregon Department of Transportation employee in charge of the state's effort, said he's also heard talk of mileage tax proposals in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado and Minnesota. "There is kind of a coalition that's naturally forming around this," he said. Also fueling the search for alternatives is the political difficulty of raising gasoline taxes. The federal gas tax has not been raised since 1993, and nearly two dozen states have not changed their taxes since 1997, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. In Oregon's pilot program, officials equipped 300 vehicles with GPS transponders that worked wirelessly with service station pumps, allowing drivers to pay their mileage tax just as they do their gas tax. Whitty said the test, which involved two gas stations in the Portland area, proved the idea could work. Though the GPS devices did not track the cars' locations in great detail, they could determine when a driver had left certain zones, such as the state of Oregon. They also kept track of the time the driving was done, so a premium could be charged for rush-hour mileage. The proposal envisions a gradual change, with manufacturers installing the technology in new vehicles because retrofitting old cars would be too expensive. Owners of older vehicles would continue to pay gasoline taxes. The difference in tax based on mileage or on gasoline would be small � "pennies per transaction at the pump," Whitty said. But the mileage tax still faces several major obstacles. For one, Oregon accounts for only a small part of auto sales, so the state can't go it alone. A multistate or national system would be needed. Another concern is that such devices could threaten privacy. Whitty said he and his task force have assured people that the program does not track detailed movement and that driving history is not stored and cannot be accessed by law enforcement agencies. "I think most people will come to realize there is really no tracking issue and will continue to buy new cars," Whitty said, noting that many cell phones now come equipped with GPS, which has not deterred customers. Others are worried that a mileage tax would undermine years of incentives to switch toward more fuel-efficient vehicles. "It doesn't seem fair," said Paul Niedergang of Portland, that a hybrid would be taxed as much as his Dodge pickup. "I just think the gas tax needs to be updated." Lynda Williams, also of Portland, was not immediately sold on the idea but said it was worth consideration. "We all have to be open-minded," she said. "Our current system just isn't working."

I think it's an interesting idea, too, but can't see how that would work in the end. I say just raise the gas taxes flat out, esp if they haven't been raised in a long time. Since our MTA is in such dire straits, they keep bringing up putting tolls on the East River bridges (59th St Bridge, Williamsburg, Manhattan, Brooklyn bridges). It most likely won't pass, but the thought of the traffic that would get backed up trying to get onto those bridges....Oy! It would back traffic up in approaching neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn significantly IMO if things worked well, but godferbid someone's EZ Pass doesn't work. Disaster. All those East River bridges are only 2 lanes each way the whole way vs. the multiple toll lanes and gates on the bridges across the Hudson that already have tolls. The mind reels.

Tolls on bridges? Why bother? Here, we sell off our money-making assets (like toll bridges) to private companies for a pittance, just so the city politicos can put another relative on the payroll. The latest and greatest asinine move was last month's sale of the city's parking meters for--get this--75 years! Meter parking is naturally going to be increased, yet the city couldn't seem to do this itself. A couple of good blog pieces on the Trib's site called Clout Street, talking about this issue. The comments made by the alderman and then the mayor are beyond belief. And it is apparent that no one understands the concept of the time value of money, discounted cash flows, etc. Loved one of the comments about how the city's economist (should be budget director) must have gone to a Chicago public school. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2008/12/aldermen-deba-1.html#more http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2008/12/mayor-scoffs-at.html#more

Oooh! Them are some hoppin' mad people at that first link. Rightly so. Love the guy honest enough to say he doesn't read what he votes on. No different than Congress. Quite a number admitted they voted for the Patriot Act without reading it.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul is pretty much what they're doing. Plus. on the news last night, the city announced more budget problems, as transfer taxes (when real estate is sold isn't at the level projected in the budget. So you know they're going to go through this lump-sum payment even faster. When I heard on the news earlier last month, I couldn't believe it. A 75-year lease on something that generates revenue for such a paltry sum. (Dorine) Love the guy honest enough to say he doesn't read what he votes on. Then you love the governor's father-in-law. ;-)

You know, I try to understand the conflicts in this area of the world (Israel/Gaza/Lebanon) and the ideology behind it, and everytime I think I get a handle on it, more violence erupts and everyone puts in their 2 cents. I like Glenn Greenwald's stuff (and even he can be a bit more prolific in pieces that I don't get all the way through). I thought this was interesting (yet actually not a new discussion) over the public's opinions and policymakers' opinion (private vs. public). I figured Karen, if no one else, might find this interesting. I'm not sure why the people there can't just pick some land and live on it. Peacefully. (The article is in the link near the top of the page) I thought the 4th comment was interesting, though nothing new I suppose.

We're getting real hurt on the transfer taxes (or lack of them), too. They're raising our property taxes 7% now, though Bloomberg didn't want to take away the $400 rebate check we were due again this year (as in the past several years). Mine just came in the mail 2 days ago. But of course my maintenance charges for my apt are going up in February, partially to help cover the increase. :-((

Oops, I forgot the link for the Salon/Glenn Greenwald article.. http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/01/02/israel/view/?show=all

"The Nation" has some surprisingly interesting articles re: the above which one doesn't find anyplace else.

While I have no intention of getting into a debate about the article, I continue to find this view disturbing: This Rasmussen Reports poll -- the first to survey American public opinion specifically regarding the Israeli attack on Gaza Since when is retaliation when under attack oneself not a country's right? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123085925621747981.html?mod=googlenews_wsj I see on the news people protesting the "targeting" of civilians. Excooooooooose me! Do I see these same people protesting when a suicide bomber straps on his pack and boards an Israeli bus? (Dorine) I'm not sure why the people there can't just pick some land and live on it. Peacefully. Because they were told not to, back in 1948.

While I haven't read through any of The Nation articles on the Israel/Gaza conflict, I find this article to be too true...get him outta there. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090112/alterman?rel=hp_currently

After all, New York's senior senator, Charles Schumer, bears a significant responsibility for the onset of the financial crisis on Wall Street, owing to his eagerness to demand weaker and weaker regulation for the people writing the checks to fund his political ambitions. Again thanks to excellent Times reporting, we know that Schumer, as a member of the Banking and Finance Committees, took steps to "protect industry players from government oversight and tougher rules.... Over the years, he has also helped save financial institutions billions of dollars in higher taxes or fees." ... This in "The Nation"???? For a minute there I thought I was reading "The Weekly Standard";-) Actually, I think Charlie Rangel is v. entertaining. As is Blago. You gotta love these guys for their chutzpah.

I hate what is happening in Gaza. As usual, I feel for the women and children. I'm sick of the men and their stupid wars. On a different note: GOP Vows to Block Franken From U.S. Senate Republicans will filibuster any attempt to seat Minnesota Democrat Al Franken when Congress convenes next week, Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn warned his Democratic colleagues Friday. It was the latest salvo in the war of words touched off this week when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., suggested Franken was drawing near to clinching a victory � despite the fact that as many as 2,000 votes are uncounted and numerous legal challenges loom. "At this stage, it appears that Franken will be certified the winner by the State Canvassing Board,� a statement from Reid�s office declared Tuesday. �We're keeping abreast of the situation and will make a decision with regard to Senate action at the appropriate point in the process." That statement drew a sharp rebuke from GOP leaders. �The American people will see right through Harry Reid�s crass partisan power grab,� Ken Blackwell, who is a leading contender for the GOP chairmanship, told Newsmax. �He wants to manufacture a filibuster-proof majority to push through his liberal agenda.� Cornyn, the new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, left little doubt Republicans would fight any attempt to make a Franken victory appear a foregone conclusion by seating him early. �I can assure you there will be no way that people on our side of the aisle would agree to seat any senator provisionally or otherwise unless there is a valid election certificate and all legal issues with regard to who got the most votes is finally decided,� Cornyn told reporters during a conference call Friday. Cornyn said he is confident that no Republican would cross the aisle to support seating someone whose election victory has not yet been formally certified. Doing so, he said, would cause �damage to the Senate and its reputation as an institution,� adding, �It would be a recipe for chaos.� Minnesota officials hope to complete their recount by Saturday, and will review ballot challenges on Monday. They could declare a winner Tuesday. Legal challenges are likely to drag on for weeks, however. � 2009 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

(Evelyn) You gotta love these guys for their chutzpah. Not when you've been living with this type of thing all your life. There's nothing unique or entertaining about it from here.

(Karen)Not when you've been living with this type of thing all your life For starters :how about not voting for them .

I don't.

Let me add that the Republicans here are equally bad. I've voted for the non-"connected" candidates in pretty much all of the important primary elections. They just can't beat the "connected" guys because of the entrenched machine politics and patronage system that makes it possible for these guys to get elected. I think no one cam run/be elected or should be appointed if they have a relative, who is living off the public trough. With the people here, politics is the family business. Sickening.

(Karen)They just can't beat the "connected" guys because of the entrenched machine politics and patronage system that makes it possible for these guys to get elected. Oh dear. Makes me *queasy * when I think......

Well, the stuff about Rangel has just come to light recently. We haven't had an election where he's running yet. Just wait. Though, perhaps the people in his district don't care. I'm not in it. I was watching CNN at the gym, talking about the new developments of feet on the ground in Gaza. This is all f'ng nuts! �The American people will see right through Harry Reid�s crass partisan power grab,� Ken Blackwell, who is a leading contender for the GOP chairmanship Yeah, like a give a flying fig what this crook says, of all people. I can't believe that Coleman/Franken fight is so close. What are those people smokin' up there? ;-)

(Dorine) talking about the new developments of feet on the ground in Gaza. This is all f'ng nuts! No, it's not. It's the next logical step toward ending the senseless bombing. If you didn't put "feet on the ground," then the bombing--on both sides--would go on and on. This way, you remove the source of Hamas' reign (and rain) of terror in the form of bombs and missiles directed at Israeli civilians.

Doesn't matter, it's all nuts.

Maybe Hussein Obama will meet them in a tent in the desert and get something done? (Evelyn), Makes me *queasy * when I think...... Exactly!!!

That's what he's got Hillary for. ;-)

(me) Doesn't matter, it's all nuts. I want to clarify that I'm not taking sides, or making judgements either way, I just simply think it all needs to stop and it just all seems so crazy. Just like in boxing....go back to your corners and stay there. No one needs to come back out fighting. Live and let live. I need to do much more reading of their history to make any comprehensive comments or opinions.

IL-Sen: Reid allegedly opposed African American appointees by kos Sat Jan 03, 2009 at 01:32:41 PM PST It's not as if Illinois doesn't have a history of electing African Americans to the Senate. In fact, it has sent two. Days before Gov. Blagojevich was charged with trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, top Senate Democrat Harry Reid made it clear who he didn�t want in the post: Jesse Jackson, Jr., Danny Davis or Emil Jones. Rather, Reid called Blagojevich to argue he appoint either state Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times. Sources say the Senate majority leader pushed against Jackson and Davis � both democratic congressmen from Illinois � and against Jones � the Illinois Senate president who is the political godfather of President-elect Barack Obama � because he did not believe the three men were electable. He feared losing the seat to a Republican in a future election. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/1/3/16123/99120/556/679835

This Iraq war has gone on too long. The military is really scraping.... :-( http://www.kcra.com/family/18398827/detail.html

Of course I don't put any credibility in blogs. But one has to wonder why they don't let the people of Illinois make that decision. To let the majority leader make that decision is mimiking Venezuela and Russia tactics.

Weelllll....because you don't read such blogs, you don't see that when they report on something, the good ones will universally include links in their piece as a citation of where they got their info, most times from a mainstream source, or wherever the main source is. As in the above link, if you read it from the Daily Kos site at my link, whatever is in orange in the body of the post, is the link to the source. For the one above, it was the Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1360191,harry-reid-blagojevich-jesse-jackson-010209.article

Obviously, when I cut and paste here, while I could include the links in the body like they do, frankly, it's too much work. I'd have to go to the Austen tutorial to figure out how. I'd rather provide the link to where I found it so people can go there and find the links themselves. Also, many mainstream newspapers such as WaPo, NYT, LA Times, Seattle PI, etc, will include such links in pieces, though I think more in editorials/columns/features, etc rather than in news pieces.

Tammy Duckworth isn't qualified. Let her start at the ground floor level, not as a senator. However, what is interesting is the spin. It is obvious that Reid wanted a woman to fill that seat by encouraging either Duckworth or Lisa Madigan (whose father is another big-time pol, Speaker of the Ill House Mike Madigan). Why emphasize that he didn't want an African-American? Again, women apparently don't count to the media, who are writing these articles. Women are more than 50 percent of the population and are grossly underrepresented in Congress. BTW, when Obama submitted names for his replacement, four of the five were women (Duckworth and Madigan were on the list) and the fifth was a white male. Duckworth gives them points in the female, veteran and disabled categories.

Didn't Duckworth run for something and lose at some point?

BTW, the aforementioned Danny Davis is technically *my* congressman. He runs unopposed. I've never seen him anywhere around here. :-( Under no circumstances should Emil Jones be named. Period. No way, Jose! And Jesse Jr...please, no.

Didn't Duckworth run for something and lose at some point? Yep, she ran in '06 to get Henry Hyde's seat and lost. That district is pretty Republican and you would've thought it was takable given how the '06 results turned out Reps across the country. She's director of Vet Affairs for the state. Haven't a clue if she's done squat but, as there's no funding for Vet Affairs, what has she presided over?

(Me) when I cut and paste here, while I could include the links in the body like they do, Also, when I post pieces by at least Daily Kos, frequently they have a portion of the source material pasted in, in a shaded box at their site. I can't format like they do to differentiate, so it looks like they're writing it all themselves when I post it here. I guess I could italicize or put quotes around it, but lots of italics are hard to read, and I think sometimes the quote marks are missed. I don't know how to do it differently. Just another reason I tend to put the link so it can be read better there.

Like I said, Karen, let the people of Illinois pick the next Senator..not Harry Reid whom I just saw on Meet the Press; if HR ever says he's your friend...watch your back. *Running to find conservative blogs*...with links to conservative newspapers of course;-)

As long as it's not Free Republic, I'll read it. ;-D I'm with you there on Harry Reid. Get rid of him and Pelosi, or at least out of their top jobs.

All of a sudden, our cost-conscious elected officials are saying that special elections cost money. Yet they think nothing of wasting tons of money on a daily basis and mortgaging the city or county's future. However, there is going to be a special election to fill Rahm's seat. I guess somebody is willing to pay for a congressional district special election but not one that is statewide. But really, when it comes down to it, why waste teh money, when the results are inevitable.

And here I step in to remind everyone that both FL and MI had come up with private funds to redo their primary vote, but BO refused because he knew that Hillary would have won both, and she would have been the nominee and our new President. BO=Chicago style politics, that's what the people want, now let's live with it. (Dorine), Get rid of him and Pelosi, or at least out of their top jobs. But since BO owes them for their early support, they will keep their jobs/power. The people have spoken. Or as a sage friend of mine from New Zealand says, the same people who put Bush over the top to win his second term voted for BO. LOL!

Holy cow about Bill Richardson dropping out!! Your honey, Evelyn... though I liked him, too.

Va. governor Timothy M. Kaine Kaine to Become DNC Chairman. He will operate in part-time capacity until 2010, when he'll take over the job full-time. That's another one that wants to be POTUS. He was in BO's pocket early in the primary. Wash Post: By Michael D. Shear New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name from consideration as commerce secretary for President-elect Barack Obama, citing an ongoing investigation about business dealings in his state. Richardson, 61, who competed unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination, was secretary of energy and U.N. ambassador during Bill Clinton's presidency, and also the first high-profile Latino named to Obama's Cabinet. But a grand jury in New Mexico is currently looking into charges of "pay-to-play" in the awarding of a state contract to a company that contributed to Richardson. The importance of the inquiry was apparently dismissed when Richardson was first nominated. But it may have taken on more weight in light of the "pay-to-play" allegations involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. "It is with deep regret that I accept Governor Bill Richardson's decision to withdraw his name for nomination as the next Secretary of Commerce," the president-elect said in a statement released early this afternoon. "Governor Richardson is an outstanding public servant and would have brought to the job of Commerce Secretary and our economic team great insights accumulated through an extraordinary career in federal and state office. "It is a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he has removed himself as a candidate for the Cabinet in order to avoid any delay in filling this important economic post at this critical time." Obama added that he would "move quickly to fill the void left by Governor Richardson's decision." Richardson said in a statement that: "Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact. But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process. Given the gravity of the economic situation the nation is facing, I could not in good conscience ask the President-elect and his Administration to delay for one day the important work that needs to be done." In the statement, first obtained by MSNBC and later released by the presidential transition office, he added: "I appreciate the confidence President-elect Obama has shown in me, and value our friendship and working partnership. I told him that I am eager to serve in the future in any way he deems useful. And like all Americans, I pray for his success and the success of our beloved country." The decision is the first serious political hit for one of Obama's Cabinet nominees and comes just as confirmation hearings begin next week. Richardson said he would remain governor of New Mexico "for now." The probe in New Mexico involves questions about a California firm, CDR Financial Products, and its president, David Rubin. The grand jury in Albuquerque is looking into whether the firm was given a contract with the New Mexico Finance Authority because of pressure from Richardson. CDR made $1.48 million advising the authority on interest-rate swaps and refinancing of funds related to $1.6 billion in transportation bonds issued by the agency, state officials confirmed. The firm and Rubin together gave $100,000 to two Richardson organizations shortly before winning those contracts. The probe into the donations was said to be "highly active" around the middle of last month, according to two sources familiar with the investigation, which is being conducted by the FBI and federal prosecutors. In mid-December, Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos, said the governor was "aware of questions surrounding some financial transactions at the New Mexico Finance Authority" and expected state officials to cooperate fully. Gallegos declined further comment. CDR's attorney, Richard Beckler, declined to answer questions several weeks ago. "CDR has always tried to abide by these byzantine campaign finance regulations and is cooperating fully with this investigation," Beckler said in a telephone interview with a Post reporter on December 15.

Terry McAuliffe will be running for Gov of VA. He was part of Hillary's campaign. I plan to work for him. He lives near me in No. VA and understands that the mindset that Richmond politicians offer has to change.

Holy cow about Bill Richardson dropping out!! Your honey, Evelyn... though I liked him, too. They better not delve too closely on several of newly elected/appointed cabinet officials. No one rises to the top as a "Mother Teresa" stereotype. Politics is not a clean sport. Let me set the record straight here. I did not vote for Comrade Obama, but he has been elected prez , he represents my country and I owe his office my respect. I don't want him or his cabinet investigated any further; it will only dilute their status domestically and abroad. Election-time is over. (Hear that Dorine?;-) We need leadership and if it's tainted somewhat from the past, I don't care; what they do from now on is what counts. IMO

I owe his office my respect. He has to earn it too. Every President does IMO. Or at least not disrespect you (and all of us) as a citizen during his tenure. Something that can't be said for the last one as time came to pass. I can turn on O just the same. If investigations happen prior to being confirmed, all the better and doesn't reflect as poorly as if they were already in the position IMO. I don't remember when they nom'd Richardson, but if they had an inkling this was happening, I'd like to think they wouldn't have nom'd him. Bad form and poor vetting also. (Evelyn) No one rises to the top as a "Mother Teresa" stereotype. Politics is not a clean sport. Too, too true. It's a matter of lesser evils I suppose.

(Me) Or at least not disrespect you (and all of us) as a citizen during his tenure Well, in retrospect, the govt disrespects us often, but there are limits that were well passed. Can't say I find this too impressive out of the starting gate....my question is, why nominate him then? http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/01/obama-team-feel.html

"Democratic leaders, however, plan to afford Burris few, if any, privileges even if he were to come to the Capitol with the proper credentials." Isn't this like pushing him "to the back of the bus"? Poor guy..all he did was say:"Yes". http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gUvQkRopntRBnfYyaz06sD89bwnQD95H0ED00 (Note: AP , not a blog;-)

Nice of the Prez to give the obamas an Air Force I. Mr Clinton didn't give him one. Pres Bush had to use a donor's corporate plane. New York Times http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/do-they-call-it-air-force-one-elect/

Moon , you aren't giving the Obamas a v. warm welcome in Washington. I saw the anti-Israel protesters in front of the Hay Adams Hotel on TV. Not v. nice manners;-)

(Evelyn) Nice of the Prez to give the obamas an Air Force I. I saw a piece on CBS Sunday Morning yesterday all about transitions and lame ducks. Evidently it is customary for the sitting president to send a military jet to pick up the pres-elect. And, as this NYT article says, it is only Air Force One if the president is onboard.

(Karen)it is only Air Force One if the president is onboard. So even though it's got the presidential seal on it, if the Pres isn't on it, it's not AF1? What is it then? Just a jumbo plane?

From the second paragraph: The Boeing 757-200 airplane bore the distinctive blue-and-white colors and the words �United States of America� of the familiar Air Force One, though any plane from the Air Force�s SAM fleet � for Special Air Mission � is Air Force One only if the president is aboard, and for 16 days that remains George W. Bush

Don't you remember the Harrison Ford movie, when he gets into the other plane, the pilot changes his call sign to AF1? ;-)

I'm sure I'm one of the few people to have not seen it. I'll put it in my Netflix cue though as I see it referenced periodically.

(Karen)Don't you remember the Harrison Ford movie, when he gets into the other plane, the pilot changes his call sign to AF1? ;-) And when he kicks the baddies off, literally, he tells them to "get off my plane!" Now we have Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski telling people to "get off my lawn!" LOL!

*puts Air Force One in Netflix cue to watch online*

er, queue. :-) And "Buh bye!" On to January 20th.... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/opinion/04rich.html?em

Or Mick Jagger: "Get off of my cloud" ;-) It is one of the very few action films I like

(Evelyn)he has been elected prez , he represents my country and I owe his office my respect. I agree with this attitude. You know I disliked most of Bush's policies, but I never ever rooted for him to fail. Why would I? How would that benefit me as a citizen? I always felt it was in my best interest for the prez to do well. Re: use of Air Force One and military fleets: too bad they couldn't give the O's a place to live until 1/20. "Blair House is booked." Okaaaaayyyyy . . . Ahh, am sure they're not roughing it at Hay Adams.

er, queue. :-) And "Buh bye!" On to January 20th.... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/opinion/04rich.html?em

I tried to put a comment at the above re: Congress giving a big helping hand to our problems, Dems and Repubs alike, but they were closed to new comments. \ (Mari) but I never ever rooted for him to fail. Why would I? How would that benefit me as a citizen? Of course not, me neither. I never voted for him, but I always hoped his term would work out better than I expected (and for a while, it did, for many others much better than myself). Unfortunately quite the opposite happened.

Oh dear, if you start trotting out Frank Rich ,Dorine, I shall have to dig up Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan ...all the ole GOP boys;-) Or do you want Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Rush... Take your pick.

I've trotted out Frank before. ;-) I don't mind Newt and Pat. I find Pat quite entertaining on MSNBC. Those chicks are another matter. ;-) Ann Coulter and (her friend) Bill Maher are doing the first in a series of interviews at Radio City. Can't remember if I posted the link before. I just noticed we don't get Gore and the others do. I'd rather than than Ariana Huffington, et al. Even at the cheapest, $50, might be a bit too much for my blood. Though the one with Carville and Rove could be interesting. I can wait for Coulter to be on Maher's show. http://www.speakerseries2009.com/

Agree 100% with Frank Rich: He is not a memorable villain so much as a sometimes affable second banana Exactly. I've always felt he was a puppet, with Cheney & Co. pulling the strings. GB doesn't have the brain matter to call any of the shots. That is why I sent most of you guys the Advise and Consent DVD, hoping it might entice you to read the series of books--as well as for the parallels with confirming a Sec of State. You start to pity him until you remember how vast the wreckage is. It stretches from the Middle East to Wall Street to Main Street and even into the heavens, which have been a safe haven for toxins under his passive stewardship. Agree, except that I've never pitied him. To my knowledge, no one held a gun to his head, forcing him to run for president. Moreover (as stated later), they guy doesn't seem to grasp the harm he's done to the country. Perhaps if I only had a couple years to live and had taken all my money out of the stock market I might feel differently. But even before the bottom fell out, who couldn't see the irreparable harm his (or someone's) policies were doing to the country. On the issue of respect, there is a certain amount that goes *with* the office, otherwise, I'd say respect has to be earned. However, from the beginning of this president's term, he did nothing to keep mine.

Evelyn, I don't need to welcome BO, he might have had some protesters, but he had a big Kumbaya crowd too. ;-) Jeb Bush has future plans to run for senate and eventually for President, so get ready. I know him and his wife. They used to be neighbors of mine in Miami before he ran for Gov. He's not stupid.

I like Leon Panetta. He's got a nice smile and good sense of humor. But "change"??? However, from the beginning of this president's term, he did nothing to keep mine. C'mon....he never had a chance on this board...in 2000 or 04. Pure and simple...he was the wrong party. At least I'm giving the little Chicago Community Organizer a fighting chance...for a few weeks anyway;-) But always the office. That's only good manners;-) So why are they storming the US Embassy and burning Bush's picture in Beirut. Jeeze , he only has days to go. Think they'll start burning Comrade Obama's after the 20th?

(Evelyn) Pure and simple...he was the wrong party. Pure and simple...he is a moron.

(Evelyn) I shall have to dig up Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan ...all the ole GOP boys;-) Please do. I prefer specifics, rather than generalized statements.

(Evelyn) Pure and simple...he was the wrong party. Not for me, because that doesn't matter. This is what I was trying to say before about rooting for a president who may not have been one's choice. Think they'll start burning Comrade Obama's after the 20th? Why "Comrade?" Anyway, it's starting already. Was listening to Glenn Beck this morning (I expose myself to all sides:-) and he was saying, nya, nya, I told you so to anyone who thought the problems of the Middle East would be over because the U.S. elected a president whose father was a Muslim, and he further criticized O for not "speaking out" about the Gaza situation. I think I was reacting to Beck's comments when I wrote that I believed in wishing for the prez's success regardless of one's political stripe. Some of these people can't wait for O to fail. Sick, shortsighted, and self-defeating.

(Beck) he was saying, nya, nya, I told you so to anyone who thought the problems of the Middle East would be over because the U.S. elected a president whose father was a Muslim What kind of simple-minded people would think that? he further criticized O for not "speaking out" about the Gaza situation. Uh, we only have one president at a time.

Pure and simple...he was the wrong party. Absolutely not. I'm not that shallow. I have voted Republican before and would again if I felt that was the better person.

Oh please. I *know* ...you"re a centrist. At least I admit I vote Republican I don't know Glen Beck. But let me tell you about Keith Oberman.... every side has a zealot.

(Karen)What kind of simple-minded people would think that? That's much of talk radio--everything is black or white, and over-simplified. You're for us or against as. No gray areas allowed. There were people on the IPMWL blog who said thank goodness O was elected, so he can overturn MAJ's conviction. LOL! The naivete and stupidity are stunning, so people like that do exist. Uh, we only have one president at a time. Of course. It's so slanted, let's start blaming him for "not doing anything" before he's even in a position to do something. As I said before, there are people who relish the thought of their opponents failing. Sort of like shooting yourself in the foot, IMO, but I guess they have to fill their air time for the next 4 or 8 years.

(Evelyn)I don't know Glen Beck. He has a nationally syndicated radio show. Also is on MSNBC sometimes (or used to be). Maybe he's on Fox now. But let me tell you about Keith Oberman.... every side has a zealot. I don't agree with Olbermann all the time. Do you always agree with Coulter, Rush, etc.?

Not sure I'm understanding the Leon Panetta pick, but actually haven't read anything in detail either for now.