Detainee Abuse Charges Feared

quote[An obscure law approved by a Republican-controlled Congress a decade ago has made the Bush administration nervous that officials and troops involved in handling detainee matters might be accused of committing war crimes, and prosecuted at some point in U.S. courts.

Senior officials have responded by drafting legislation that would grant U.S. personnel involved in the terrorism fight new protections against prosecution for past violations of the War Crimes Act of 1996. That law criminalizes violations of the Geneva Conventions governing conduct in war and threatens the death penalty if U.S.-held detainees die in custody from abusive treatment.

In light of a recent Supreme Court ruling that the international Conventions apply to the treatment of detainees in the terrorism fight, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has spoken privately with Republican lawmakers about the need for such "protections," according to someone who heard his remarks last week.]

Flip...Flop...

Police spies chosen to lead war protest

quote[Two Oakland police officers working undercover at an anti-war protest in May 2003 got themselves elected to leadership positions in an effort to influence the demonstration, documents released Thursday show.

The department assigned the officers to join activists protesting the U.S. war in Iraq and the tactics that police had used at a demonstration a month earlier, a police official said last year in a sworn deposition.]

Welcome to the police state.

Clinton calls on western leaders to broker Lebanese ceasefire

quote[The United States and other western countries should be pushing hard for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, along with the insertion of an international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, former U.S. president Bill Clinton said Wednesday.

The Islamic group Hezbollah's tactics are at the root of the latest bloody conflict in the region, but Clinton also questioned the length to which Israel has gone to defend itself. "It's important for us to get some kind of ceasefire now," Clinton said.]

Finally, some common sense.

Bush cites Iran's role in Lebanon conflict

quote["Hezbollah attacked Israel. I know Hezbollah is connected to Iran," Bush said tersely at the end of Oval Office meetings with Romanian President Traian Basescu. "Now is the time for the world to confront this danger," Bush said.]

How many wars will finally be enough for this nut???

President of Evangelical group blasts Washington same-sex marriage ban

quote[The president of the United Church of Christ, an organization made up of Evangelical Christian denominations, has denounced yesterday's Washington State court ruling reaffirming a ban on gay marriage.

"Rather than defending constitutional rights," said Rev. John H. Thomas, general minister and leader of the 1.2-million-member organization, "the court has allowed itself to become complicit in prejudice and bigotry."

"In the name of 'family values,'" he continued, "we have denied the worth of families across our land and in our churches, families marked by love and covenant commitment."]

They're not all nuts...

FOX News Deliberately Hides Fact That "Middle East Analyst" Is Apocalyptic Christian Preacher

quote[Monday morning, July 24, 2006, in a blatant bit of "lying by omission", FOX & Friends host Mike Jerrick introduced End of Days Christian preacher and author Michael D. Evans as a "Middle East Analyst." Evans is the author of the books The American Prophecies: Ancient Scriptures Reveal Our Nation's Future. He is also the founder of the Jerusalem Prayer Team, whose stated objective is "... to have 1 million people praying daily and 100,000 houses of worship praying weekly for the peace and protection of the Jewish people."

Evans is a rapture Christian who believes that, once Israel is at peace, the end of the world will come, at which time a very few chosen Christians (including himself and George Bush) will be wisked into heaven by Jesus while the rest of non-believing humanity will be cast into the fiery pit for all eternity.

While Mr. Evans is entitled to his quaint religious notions, FOX News was playing it fast and loose with the truth when it labeled him a "Middle East Analyst".

"Right Wing Christian Lunatic" might have been a better choice.]

Ahhh, "fair and balanced," indeed.

Howard Stern Slams Lieberman

quote[Howard Stern goes after Lieberman hard and his team do know many of the issues that surround this election.

Audio -MP3 (uncensored)

Gary, his producer, is voting for Lamont. He brought up Holy Joe’s support for censorship.

Stern: All the Democrats in CT are like…you know what? Lieberman’s looking a little too Republican for us with his religious ranting and all of his morality crap.

Robin: In fact, at one point, the President– walking up the aisle at one of his SOTU addresses or something–kissed Lieberman..

Stern: Yea, they made out. So I think Democrats in CT have had enough of him…

Robin: And guess what, Lieberman is fighting a little dirty…

Robin: It was him who was with William Bennett (plays Lieberman audio)]

This was great!

Guess Who's On The Line? Malloy Accused Of Poll-Pushing

quote["There was a lot of noise in the background, so it was a big phone-bank operation," said Gejdenson, a Democrat who served in Congress for 20 years before losing to Republican Rob Simmons in 2000. "It was definitely just a push poll to beat up the other guy. They said New Haven was dangerous. I've never felt endangered in New Haven."]

I sure hope Malloy isn't behind this. If so, my support of him will wane quickly.

In 3 way race Lamont and Liberman tied

quote[A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Ned Lamont (D) beating Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) in the Democratic primary, 51% to 41%.

Here's the stunning finding: In the general election, Lieberman and Lamont are tied with 40% with Alan Schlesinger (R) trailing behind with 13%.]

More here.

Lieberman should just up and quit. If he really wanted to help CT, he should have run for Governor.

Sen. Specter preparing bill to sue Bush

quote[A powerful Republican committee chairman who has led the fight against President Bush’s signing statements said Monday he would have a bill ready by the end of the week allowing Congress to sue him in federal court.

“We will submit legislation to the United States Senate which will...authorize the Congress to undertake judicial review of those signing statements with the view to having the president’s acts declared unconstitutional,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said on the Senate floor.]

It's about time!

American Bar Association Criticizes Bush's Challenges To Legislation

quote[Washington, DC (AHN) - An American Bar Association report released on Monday has strongly criticized President Bush's "signing statements" that assert his right to by pass laws passed by Congress.

The ABA says Bush has challenged provisions of laws than all previous presidents put together. The group believes such a practice is a major threat to the Constitution's system of checks and balances. It has urged Congress to introduce a legislation that would allow the court to review these "signing statements."]

Good news.

White House release calls for Israel to hit Syria

quote[On Meet the Press, Tim Russert points out a stunning press release from the White House Communications Office. The release, titled Setting The Record Straight, endorses an LA Times Op-Ed that calls for Israel to attack Syria:

"It's time to let the Israelis take off the gloves…. Israel needs to hit the [Syrian] Assad regime. Hard."

It's difficult to not interpret this as the White Communications Office officially endorsing an Israeli attack on Syria.]

Now, who's actually surprised???

Peace prize winner 'could kill' Bush

quote[NOBEL peace laureate Betty Williams displayed a flash of her feisty Irish spirit yesterday, lashing out at US President George W.Bush during a speech to hundreds of schoolchildren.

Campaigning on the rights of young people at the Earth Dialogues forum, being held in Brisbane, Ms Williams spoke passionately about the deaths of innocent children during wartime, particularly in the Middle East, and lambasted Mr Bush.

"I have a very hard time with this word 'non-violence', because I don't believe that I am non-violent," said Ms Williams, 64.

"Right now, I would love to kill George Bush." Her young audience at the Brisbane City Hall clapped and cheered.

"I don't know how I ever got a Nobel Peace Prize, because when I see children die the anger in me is just beyond belief. It's our duty as human beings, whatever age we are, to become the protectors of human life."]

You know you've really messed up when a Peace Laureate wants to murder you.

Feeding homeless outlawed

quote[If someone looks like he could use a meal, be warned: Giving him a sandwich in a Las Vegas park could land you in jail.

The Las Vegas City Council passed an ordinance Wednesday that bans providing food or meals to the indigent for free or a nominal fee in parks.

The measure is an attempt to stop so-called "mobile soup kitchens" from operating in parks, where residents say they attract the homeless and render the city facilities unusable by families.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada called the ordinance blatantly unconstitutional, unenforceable and the latest attempt by the city to hide and harass the homeless instead of constructively addressing their plight.

"So the only people who get to eat are those who have enough money? Those who get (government) assistance can't eat at your picnic?" asked ACLU attorney Allen Lichtenstein. "I've heard of some rather strange and extreme measures from other cities. I've never heard of something like this. It's mind-boggling."]

More WTF???

Homeland Security Spending Spree

quote[Many of them went on spending sprees with taxpayer dollars, charging $435 million with the credit cards in 2005, compared to $296 million the previous year. They purchased things like dog booties for $68,442, three portable shower units for $71,170 from a contractor who admitted overcharging the government, music equipment for $7,000 and a beer-brewing kit for $1,000 for the coast guard to brew alcohol for social events. One agency bought 37 designer rain jackets for $2,500 and another spent $2,395 for rooms at a lavish resort.

Additionally, one of the department's agencies lost 107 laptops and 22 printers worth $170,000 and more than half of the 20 boats purchased for $208,000 for post hurricane operations.]

WTF???

Poll: Lamont Has Narrow Lead

quote[Sen. Joe Lieberman, under fire from activists in his own party, has lost ground to his challenger and is narrowly trailing him for the first time in their race for the Democratic nomination, a new poll released Thursday shows.

Businessman Ned Lamont had support from 51 percent and Lieberman from 47 percent of likely Democratic voters in the latest Quinnipiac University poll - a slight Lamont lead given the survey's sampling error margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Lieberman had led in a Quinnipiac poll last month, 55 percent to 40 percent.]

Sweet! Can I say to all the doubters that I told you so??? (I was actually questioned for this poll, BTW).

Nedheads, Shooting From The Clip

Click the picture to play. Click the link above for the story.

Bush to cast his first veto on stem-cell bill

quote[President George W. Bush will cast the first veto of his presidency on Wednesday to stop legislation championed by top scientists and desired by most Americans to expand embryonic stem cell research, the White House said.

"The president has had a clear principled stand on this issue since August of 2001 and he has made clear from the beginning that if this bill came to him he would veto it and so this is what he's going to do today," spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved the legislation, which has also been passed by the House of Representatives. But neither chamber expects to have the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush's veto.]

Asshole.

I PRAY, yes PRAY, that this bites the neocons in the ass come November.

War Supporter Calls For Partial Pullout

quote[Congressman Gil Gutknecht found the situation in Iraq more bleak than he anticipated during a weekend visit to the war zone, and said a partial withdrawal of some American troops might be wise.
Gutknecht, a strong supporter of the war since it began in March of 2003, told reporters in a telephone conference call Tuesday that American forces appear to have no operational control of much of Baghdad.
“The condition there is worse than I expected,” he said. “... I have to be perfectly candid: Baghdad is a serious problem.”
The 1st District Republican said he was deeply impressed by the professionalism of American soldiers and gained hope from the more stabile situation in the Kurdish-dominated northern region of Iraq.
But he said the next six weeks could be critical in determining whether stability can eventually come to the rest of the country, and he believes removing some American troops is necessary to send the Iraqi government a message that it can’t rely so heavily on the American military much longer.
His assessment of the problems facing Iraq and the potential value of removing some American troops comes one month after Gutknecht was widely quoted during a debate in the House about the war.]

At some point, even the hawks will realize we aren't winning.

U.S. Charging American Evacuees From Lebanon

quote[The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. For the portion of your trip directly handled by the U.S. Government we will ask you to sign a promissory note and we will bill you at a later date. In a subsequent message, when we have specific details about the transporation arrangments, we will inform you about the costs you will incur. We will also work with commercial aircraft to ensure that they have adequate flights to help you depart Cyprus and connect to your final destination.]

Nice...

Bush Unplugged at the G8 over Middle East Conflict

quote[Mr Bush was caught saying that a key to defusing the Middle East crisis was for "Hizbollah to stop doing this s**t". "What they need to do is get Syria to get Hizbollah to stop doing this s**t, and it’s over," Bush told British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a leaders’ lunch at the Group of Eight industrial countries gathering here. The President was on camera but apparently unaware that his words were being captured by a microphone.]

What an idiot...

Don't Forget, There's Still Another War Going On

quote[Dozens of heavily armed attackers raided an open air market Monday in a tense town south of Baghdad, killing at least 50 people and wounding about 90, Iraqi and U.S. officials said.

Police said most of the victims were Shiites. A Shiite television report put the death toll at 72, but religiously affiliated stations often favor high-end estimates of casualties from attacks on their sects.]

Colbert on Lieberman, Lamont and David Brooks

quote[Colbert captures Holy Joe and the kiss.

Colbert: You know M. Bush has such soft hands-I can only imagine what his lips are like.—Evidently low approval ratings can be contracted by saliva.–Joe Lieberman still has a lot to offer: {To Republicans}]

This was awesome!

Poll: Americans Want Democrats in Power

quote[Republicans are in jeopardy of losing their grip on Congress in November. With less than four months to the midterm elections, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that Americans by an almost 3-to-1 margin hold the GOP-controlled Congress in low regard and profess a desire to see Democrats wrest control after a dozen years of Republican rule.

Further complicating the GOP outlook to turn things around is a solid percentage of liberals, moderates and even conservatives who say they'll vote Democratic. The party out of power also holds the edge among persuadable voters, a prospect that doesn't bode well for the Republicans.]

Let's hope it stays this way.

World War III has begun...

Former CIA officer sues Cheney over leak

quote[The CIA officer whose identity was leaked to reporters sued Vice President
Dick Cheney, his former top aide and presidential adviser Karl Rove on Thursday, accusing them and other White House officials of conspiring to destroy her career.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court,
Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, accused Cheney, Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of revealing Plame's CIA identity in seeking revenge against Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration's motives in
Iraq.]

Good news!

Ned Lamont Has A Messy Desk!!

Note: Video File

quote[Senator Lieberman’s campaign is doing everything it can to divert the focus of this campaign from the myriad of issues he is so terribly wrong on. And when he can’t divert, he just lies—like during the debate when he said, “On the day that President Bush started his campaign to privatize Social Security in 2005, I was one of 41 Democratic senators to say explicitly that I think it’s a bad idea, it would hurt Social Security.”

But since a national television audience doesn’t stop his campaign from distortions, half-truths and outright lies, why should anyone expect him to keep it honest while running millions of dollars worth of attack ads in Connecticut? Since Senator Lieberman said he “works hard” for those contributions, we’ve created our own attack ad … one that goes after Ned. Hopefully that will ease the burden created while tending to the corporate interests and political action committees filling his campaign coffers.]

Great ad! Very funny, and effective.

Lieberman's Real Problem

quote[Well. I don't blog; I columnize. But count me with the bloggers on this one. No great mystery enshrouds the challenge to Lieberman, nor is the campaign of his challenger, Ned Lamont, a jihad of crazed nit-pickers. Lieberman has simply and rightly been caught up in the fundamental dynamics of Politics 2006, in which Democrats are doing their damnedest to unseat all the president's enablers in this year's elections. As well, Lieberman's broader politics are at odds with those of his fellow Northeastern Democrats. He is not being opposed because he doesn't reflect the views of his Democratic constituents 100 percent of the time. He is being opposed because he leads causes many of them find repugnant.]

Very well said. Thanks for the tip, Senihele!

Parties, officials urging unaffiliated voters to choose

quote[The Secretary of the State's office is teaming up with Democrats and Republicans to urge Connecticut's unaffiliated voters _ the largest voting block _ to pick a party.

The upcoming Aug. 8 primary is too important for voters to miss, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz said Tuesday.

"This is a very fundamental right we all have as Americans, the right to choose our leaders," Bysiewicz said at a state Capitol news conference.

As many as 15 primaries are scheduled throughout the state, including Democratic primaries for the U.S. Senate, governor and lieutenant governor. There is also a Republican primary for the 1st Congressional District and a dozen primaries for state House and Senate seats.

Unaffiliated voters, as well unregistered voters, have until Aug. 7 at noon to register in person with a political party. They need to visit their local town or city halls. Bysiewicz said voters can switch back to being unaffiliated after the primary.]

I'd like a very large turnout. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen. Thankfully, the republicans can't switch over for this primary.

Novak Says He Named 3 Sources in Leak Case

quote[In a column to be published today, Novak said he told Fitzgerald in early 2004 that White House senior adviser Karl Rove and then-CIA spokesman Bill Harlow had confirmed for him, at his request, information about CIA operative Valerie Plame. Novak said he also told Fitzgerald about another senior administration official who originally provided him with the information about Plame, and whose identity he says he cannot reveal even now.]
And yet Libby is the only one to take a fall.

Who wants to bet whether he'll get a pardon?

A Bumper Sticker Con in Connecticut: More Of Lieberman's Dirty Tricks

quote[A campaign ad that extols Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman's "principles" contains an invented bumper sticker and fictitious website address, making them appear to be part of his primary challenger Ned Lamont's campaign.

The bumper sticker in the ad reads "No More Joe" and features the URL www.nomorejoe.com. Yet the Lamont campaign has no such bumper sticker and the website is not even owned by the Lamont campaign or anyone connected to it.]

"No More Joe," does have a ring to it, however.

Part Of Big Dig Tunnel Collapses, Killing One

quote[The ceiling panels help facilitate airflow in the tunnel, Amorello said, and are found almost exclusively in the connector between Interstate 93 and the Ted Williams Tunnel. A federal transportation team is coming from Washington to help state officials survey the damage. Despite the accident, Amorello said the Big Dig was safe.

“In terms of the structural integrity of the tunnels, that isn’t a factor,” Amorello said.

The tunnels are inspected once every two years, Amorello said. The tunnel in which the ceiling collapsed opened in January 2003.]

Uhm, am I missing something? It is safe, yet someone just died? It was inspected in 2005, so it's safe, yet in 2006 it fucking collpased and killed someone? How in hell can they claim it's safe???

Japan Considers Strike Against N. Korea

quote[Japan said Monday it was considering whether a pre-emptive strike on the North's missile bases would violate its constitution, signaling a hardening stance ahead of a possible U.N. Security Council vote on Tokyo's proposal for sanctions against the regime.

Japan was badly rattled by North Korea's missile tests last week and several government officials openly discussed whether the country ought to take steps to better defend itself, including setting up the legal framework to allow Tokyo to launch a pre-emptive strike against Northern missile sites.

"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack ... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.]

And, just how do they plan on accomplishing this?

A Sense of Something Rotten in Aspen

quote[He faced spending the rest of his life in prison, where he might, to paraphrase his own words, reflect on his own past actions.

So when Mr. Lay shuffled off this mortal coil last week (a heart attack as the family vacationed in Colorado, the coroner said), avoiding prison altogether and perhaps protecting his family's remaining assets, there was an immediate sense in the blogosphere that something was rotten in Aspen.

"I wanna see the body," wrote a commenter at Metafilter.com. Another simply wrote, "$."

Indeed, alongside a broad mixture of lampoon and good riddance — perhaps to be expected — was a wide lack of credulity at the idea that the man had died at all. "Word on the street is that he's actually chillin' in the Dominican Republic, fanning himself with his offshore money he squirreled away and sharing a pitcher of sangria with Tupac," wrote NemesisBecoming, a New York City blogger, on Thursday. "It's too [expletive] convenient, people."]

Good God. I guess I'm not left enough because I don't buy this crap...

Lieberman, Bush: Can you tell them apart?

quote[During his debate with Democratic challenger Ned Lamont last night, Joe Lieberman tried desperately to distance himself from a president whose war he has spent so much time supporting. Meanwhile, George W. Bush was doing his best to keep his distance from Lieberman in an interview with Larry King -- not because he doesn't 'ppreciate his support, but because he said he's wary of giving Lieberman a "political kiss" -- they've already shared the real kind -- which "may be his death."

So did all the distancing work?

You be the judge.

Yes, Lieberman said last night that he would have handled Iraq differently than Bush did after the war began, and he also pointed to other issues on which he's disagreed with the president in the past. But again and again last night -- as it has been again and again over the last six years -- it sure was hard to tell one man from the other.

Think you can do it?]

I score 50%.

Guest Commentary: Karen's Take On The Lieberman/Lamont Debate

Lieberman failed the blink test big time (the more you blink the more unsure you seem), and looked as stiff as mask from a 1960's sci-fi horror flick. I think he's had a wee-bit of the ol' botulinum toxin. Let's face it, if his face droops any more he'll be tripping over his cheek flesh. I think they've tried to give him botox to make him droop less.

Lamont looked doe-eyed, but earnest in the first part of the debate. In the second part he looked almost a little Jimmy Stewart. Earnest, honest, and heartfelt.

As for content, which is the most important quotient, Lamont won hands down. Lieberman was all about smearing Lamont and scaring voters. Lamont said "Look at what you have and what it has given back to you, I can do better"

Lieberman came out punching, and strong, but ended as an egotistical prig. I will be swallowing bile if I he wins the primary and I have to vote for him in November. I WILL NOT support a Repug, but it would be tough voting for repug lite.

Plunderer's Take On The Lieberman/Lamont Debate

My first impression was that Lieberman won this hands down and that Lamont should have fought back harder when Lieberman kept making false accusations. However, if you consider the experience Lieberman has in these things, he should have done far better.

My two favorite parts:

1. When Lamont told Lieberman to stop cutting him off because this "isn't FOX news."

2. When Lamont made the counter statement that as a member of the town council he got republicans to vote with him 80% of the time. Adding the disclaimer that they were only debating pot-holes and traffic signs and not Iraq was icing on the cake.

I honestly wish there could be more than one debate. Lamont started off shaky, but started getting better towards the end. I think he'd do a much better job a second time around.

Also, I should add that I watched the debate again later last night and my initial impression changed.

I now think that Ned came across as a passionate unseasoned outsider, while Lieberman was ugly, mean, and vomited self-entitlement all over the place.

Ned Wins, in my opinion.

Fact Checking Lieberman

quote[

Matt Stoller :

The most significant lies were his assertions that he stood strong against Social Security from the first day Bush proposed privatization, and that he doesn’t support an open-ended commitment in Iraq (he does in fact supports permanent military bases).

February 18, 2005:

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., is undecided about the concept of using payroll taxes to fund private Social Security accounts, bringing to three the known number of Senate Democrats who have yet to publicly rule out the idea. President Bush has made the accounts the centerpiece of his domestic agenda. But other than Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida, no congressional Democrats have formally signed on. While Lieberman has concerns about the idea, he is continuing to study it while hoping for more details on Social Security from the president, a Lieberman aide said today. "He’s still in a listening and learning stage and is keeping an open mind, but he does have concerns about private accounts as carve-outs that would potentially undermine the guaranteed minimum benefit and worsen our fiscal health and debt load," a Lieberman aide said today.

Lieberman, 4/20/03:

"We may, over the long term, with the consent of the new Iraqi government, establish some permanent bases in Iraq. And wouldn’t that be a dramatic change, where we have an allied government there in Iraq, at the center of the Middle East, where we may have not a permanent police presence, but one or another military base that’s working in cooperation with the government there?"]

Hate Groups Are Infiltrating the Military, Group Asserts

quote[A decade after the Pentagon declared a zero-tolerance policy for racist hate groups, recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed "large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists" to infiltrate the military, according to a watchdog organization.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks racist and right-wing militia groups, estimated that the numbers could run into the thousands, citing interviews with Defense Department investigators and reports and postings on racist Web sites and magazines.

"We've got Aryan Nations graffiti in Baghdad," the group quoted a Defense Department investigator as saying in a report to be posted today on its Web site, www.splcenter.org. "That's a problem."]

Oh what a great idea. Send a bunch of racists to help liberate the Iraqi's. Or is the intention just to kill them???

King won't decide first question till cameras roll

quote[CNN's Larry King has interviewed every president since Richard Nixon. Tonight at 9 p.m. ET he conducts his second interview with President George W. Bush since his election in 2000.

The interview will be broadcast from the White House. The president will be joined by first lady Laura Bush. Larry King spoke to CNN.com about what he plans to ask the president.

What will be your first question for the president?

No idea. It might be about Ken Lay, maybe North Korea. Lay was a friend of his. It's the president's birthday so I might go there.

I never know in advance. I won't know until I say hello and start the interview.

I'll definitely ask about Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, who says he'll run as an independent if he loses the Democratic primary. I'd like to know if Bush would support him as an independent.]

Good TV night, tonight.

Faceoff For Heart Of Party

quote[Lamont and Lieberman will debate at 7 p.m. at the West Hartford studios of WVIT, Channel 30. The forum will be carried live on Channel 30 and the national political cable network, C-SPAN. No other debate is scheduled before the primary.]

If you are out of state, I believe the debate will also be on C-SPAN.

Zarqawi successor 'in Egypt jail'

quote[Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, the purported successor of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, is in an Egyptian prison and not Iraq, a lawyer has claimed.

Egyptian newspaper Al-Masri al-Yawm has quoted Mamduh Ismail as saying he met al-Muhajir, also known as Sharif Hazaa, or Abu Ayub al-Masri, in Tura prison in Cairo, where he has been held for seven years.]

Makes me wonder where Bin Laden actually is...

Judge's ruling keeps DeLay on ballot

quote[A federal judge ruled today that Republicans cannot replace former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the ballot for the 22nd Congressional District race.

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, a Republican appointee, ruled that DeLay must appear on the Nov. 7 ballot as the GOP nominee for the congressional seat that he abandoned last month.

Sparks said DeLay could "withdraw'' from the race under Texas election law, but that still would not allow the Republicans to replace him on the ballot.

DeLay had sought to have state Republican Chair Tina Benkiser declare him ineligible by moving from Sugar Land to his condominium in Virginia. But Sparks said that would not make him ineligible because the requirement under the Constitution is whether DeLay is an inhabitant of Texas on election day.]

Does anyone else see humor in this?

Lieberman Vs. Lamont: Debate Is Next Thursday

quote[Six years ago, then-vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman was facing the debate of his political career against Republican Dick Cheney on national television.

Many observers say the stakes will be just as high at 7 p.m. Thursday on WVIT Channel 30, when the long-time Democratic senator is scheduled to debate cable entrepreneur Ned Lamont, a former Greenwich selectman, because of the momentum Lamont's anti-Iraq war candidacy has gained.

"The fact Lieberman feels he has to debate him is a big victory already," said professor Don Greenberg, chairman of Fairfield University's political science department. "Lieberman has to convince Democrats they really can't afford to switch horses."

"He really is in a situation where he has to debate," said Gary Rose, chairman of the history and political science department at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. "This is his way of really thwarting or attempting to thwart the roll Lamont is on. . . . To remain quiet would only give Lamont more opportunity to define him."]

Ooh, I can't wait!

Lieberman To Start Petition Drive

quote[Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is to announce today he will petition for a place on the November ballot as an "independent Democrat," giving him a chance to stay alive politically should he lose an Aug. 8 primary for the Democratic nomination.

Lieberman, 64, a three-term senator whose outspoken support of the war in Iraq has brought months of grief and inspired a strong primary challenge from Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont, intends to announce his decision this afternoon at the State Capitol.]

Yes, he knows he's going to lose the primary.