Indicted Senator Ted Stevens asks that his bribery trial be moved to Alaska.

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he lied about accepting more than a quarter of a million dollars worth of gifts. He asked for a trial before he stands for re-election in November.

In the midst of his re-election bid, lawyers for the Senate's longest-serving Republican maintained Stevens' innocence at his afternoon arraignment in federal court in Washington.

Stevens, wearing a cream colored suit, did not speak when U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan asked for his plea. Stevens' attorney, Brendan Sullivan, answered for him.

Stevens' legal team asked the judge to move the trial to Alaska, where the senator has been a political patron since before statehood. Attorney Sullivan also asked that the trial date be speeded up to give Stevens his day in court before the Nov. 4 election.

It is no surprise that Stevens wants to get this thing over as quickly as possible. In his mind this is just another minor irritation that he needs to deal with before he can get re-elected and fly back to Washington to the office he has occupied for over four decades.

The McCain campaign has been calling Obama arrogant, but if you want to see real arrogance then you really need to spend a little time listening to Alaska's Uncle Ted Stevens. The guy simply cannot imagine that he can be beaten in a political campaign or that he has to follow the same rules as the average citizen.

And I hope this judge is too smart to allow Stevens to get the venue of the trial changed to Anchorage. That may be the only way that Stevens can beat these charges.

Do not forget that everybody in that jury pool will drive to the courthouse on roads that Ted Stevens brings money into the state to keep in good repair. They will leave a house that has items paid for with permanent fund money that Ted Stevens helped to put into their hands each year. On their way to pass judgement on him they will find themselves surrounded by reminders of how much Ted Stevens has done for Alaska over the years. Remember the Alaskan saying "he may be a crook, but he is OUR crook."

Not only that but the prosecutors, witnesses, and media types will all disembark from their planes in the Ted Stevens international airport. How is that for intimidation?

No if the judge wants to see Ted Stevens face justice he absolutely DOES NOT want to throw him into the Alaskan briar patch. Because that is exactly what Brer Ted is counting on.

Here is the full Ludacris "Politics (Obama is here)" video.

I have to say that if you watch the whole video it kind of grows on you.

I even agree with a lot of it.

But it is bad, bad, bad, though kind of catchy! And we cannot allow this kind of thing to make Obama appear to be connected to a bunch of rapping thugs, or others who know how to throw down a rhyme! Remember this campaign represents change and hope, not guns and dope! (Oh crap did I just rhyme?)

"Get out and vote or the end will be near

The world is ready for change because Obama is here!

'cause Obama is here

The world is ready for change because Obama is here!"

Damn, now I will never get this song out of my head.

Vote for Obama bitchez!

Jon Stewart at the Daily Show revisits the Monica Goodling kerfuffle.

You know I can't be positive, but I think I may have met Sodomy Hussein at a local gay bar many years ago. And no I don't want to explain why I was in a gay bar.

But they made a Cosmopolitan to simply die for!

More good news for America.

President Bush's top advisers are not immune from congressional subpoenas, a federal judge ruled Thursday in an unprecedented dispute between the two political branches.

The House Judiciary Committee wants to question the president's chief of staff, Josh Bolten, and former legal counsel Harriet Miers, about the firing of nine U.S. attorneys. But President Bush says they are immune from such subpoenas. They say Congress can't force them to testify or turn over documents.

U.S. District Judge John Bates disagreed. He said there's no legal basis for that argument. He said that Miers must appear before Congress and, if she wants to refuse to testify, she must do so in person.

"Harriet Miers is not immune from compelled congressional process; she is legally required to testify pursuant to a duly issued congressional subpoena," Bates wrote.
He said that both Bolten and Miers must give Congress all non-privileged documents related to the firings.

The Bush administration can appeal the ruling. The Justice Department did not immediately respond for a request for comment.

I have mentioned numerous times that one of the things that I want more then anything is to see this criminal administration brought to Justice. And I know i am not alone in that desire.

I know that the Bush administration will fight this thing tooth and nail but they can only hold out so long. If the justice system keeps the heat on long enough they will get access to the records and testimony they need to convict many of the most highly placed members of this gang of thugs.

The day I see Karl Rove, George W. Bush, and Dick Cheney standing before a judge and being sentenced to prison will be just about the happiest day of my life.

(Don't bother leaving a comment about how unlikely the above scenario is of ever taking place, because I don't want to hear it.)

New Obama campaign ad.

I have to say it makes me very happy to hear a candidate talking about alternative fuel sources. I really think that is going to be one the most important issues in the future of this country.

Rapper Ludicris comes out with a pro-Obama song that may actually do more harm then good.

I admire the passion that the African American community feels toward Barack, and I am right there with them, but they may need to keep in mind that there are some kinds of support that may simply scare the hell out of the average white voter.

Remember that Obama has gone way out of his way to make himself appear to be a non-threatening biracial man. From his simple black suits to his careful speechcraft, Obama has defined himself as a positive candidate who can give us hope and open the door of possibilities to ALL people. Whether you are African American, Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, or some mixture of each, Obama represents you.

In other words Barack is less 5o Cent and more the Fresh Prince, he is accessible to everybody, not just those who happen to look like him.

Now personally I kind of like the song, and I am not usually a huge fan of rap, but you just know this is going to turn up on FOX News, Rush Limbaugh, and a hundred other Right Wing media outlets who are going to use it to illustrate that Obama wants to give America over to the African American community and that this is the end of the white dominance in this country. The black community will love it but the white community will freak the hell out.

So Ludicris, buddy, could you perhaps hold off any more supportive rap songs until AFTER Obama is President? I even promise to buy your album when it comes out. Because I am sorry to say, you are just not helping here.

Obama's camp has already condemned it.

Congress votes to hold Karl Rove in contempt. And the noose tightens just a little bit more.

The House Judiciary Committee just voted along strict party lines, 20-14, to hold Karl Rove in contempt of Congress for his failure to appear in response to the duly authorized subpoenas seeking his testimony in the matter of the US Attorney firings and the allegations of his interference in the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.

The resolution now goes to the full House, where a straight majority vote will be necessary for formally and officially locking in the contempt citation.

Yeah I know I have used this picture before, as have many of my fellow bloggers, but damn it is just perfect for these "Karl Rove may go to jail" stories.

Besides I will stop using it when I get a real one to use in its place. Fingers crossed kids.

Investigation into caribou killings near Point Hope hits a brick wall.

Clashing visions of justice between Alaska Wildlife Troopers and elders from the Inupiat Eskimo village of Point Hope threaten to stall progress in finding hunters responsible for massacring 120 caribou on the Arctic tundra this month.

Meat from at least 60 animals was left to rot as still-nursing calves were stranded nearby, and troopers now say village officials are refusing to cooperate as they probe what one investigator called the worst, most blatant case of waste he has ever seen.

"We just really felt like we were doing the right thing and wanted to get them involved. And it just fell flat," said wildlife trooper Sgt. Scott Quist, who is supervising the case. "Basically, they decided that they're not going to help us and that they wanted to deal with it in the community in their own manner."

When I posted this story yesterday there were some comments that my prediction that the villagers would not cooperate may have been a little too cynical. And admittedly I was not positive that would be the case. But from evidence I have observed in the past I know that many of the smaller villagers to not appreciate the State Troopers interference.

Sadly it looks like I was indeed correct about Point Hope and this particular incident. The reason given by the elders of the village do make some sense in that they clearly do not want to believe that any of their people could be so senselessly brutal. But I don't believe they are under illusions that it is impossible the perpetrators were locals.

"This is the first time it's happened. It's very strange, and so, with that said, it's very hard to believe that that was done, especially in our community, being as poor as it is," said Jack Schaefer, president of the Native Village of Point Hope. "Food is valued very much."

"We feel that we should be the ones to handle it after the investigation is done," Schaefer said. "We feel that we need to know the reasons behind it, and we need to try them in our own way and the state will be satisfied with the results."

He would not elaborate on what the tribal council's proceedings might look like; nor would he say what the punishment might entail: "That's up to the council, and they're not lenient."

Schaefer said he did not know who was responsible for the killings. Asked whether villagers would report the culprits to troopers if they did know, Schaefer said, "I am sure that we can handle it in our own way."

We may never know who was responsible for this heinous crime and I have no idea what kind of punishment the village elders will deem appropriate, but I do know this will not happen again around Point Hope. This is an embarrassment to that community and they will make sure that it is a one time incident.

Countdown's Keith Olbermann also weighs in on Ted Stevens legal problems.

Wow Keith mentioned Mark Begich!

You know you have arrived when Keith Olbermann's talks about you on the air.

By the way if you are interested in exactly what Stevens is charged with receiving from VECO you can find out here.

Last night Jon Stewart had some fun with the Ted Stevens indictments.

Funny stuff!

My only complaint would be that the Daily Show has reinforced that ridiculous image of Alaskans living in igloos and that is simply false. We live in mansions made of gold from our vast oil money and have authentic polar bear carpeting in every room. Get it right.

Bill O'Reilly demands that Scott McClellan apologize for outing him as a mouthpiece for the White House.

This is almost as good as Bill's break down on Inside Edition.

The man is such a bully that he simply browbeats poor little Scott McClellan until he does not know if he is coming or going. And check out how he described MSNBC. I think it is abundantly clear that Keith Olbermann has really got under O'Reilly's skin.

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens indicted on 7 criminal charges!

I have just seen this announced on MSNBC and have very little information.

I will post more when I find more.

Well it looks like this is going to be a very good election year for Alaskan Democrats indeed.

(Link now goes to Reuters article.)

From article:Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, the longest serving U.S. Republican senator ever, was indicted on seven counts related to his holding of public office, a federal law enforcement official said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Justice Department has scheduled a news conference for 1:20 p.m. to make an announcement "regarding a significant criminal matter." The official said the news conference would announce the criminal charges against Stevens that have been returned by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C.

Damn boys and girls this is huge!

Update: A 28-page indictment outlining the charges released by the Justice Department said Stevens provided false information in financial disclosure forms he filed with the Senate that required him to report items of value he had received. He filed the forms between 1999 and 2006.

"Stevens knew the requirements of the financial disclosure forms and knowingly and intentionally sought to conceal and cover up his receipt of things of value by filing financial disclosure forms that contained false statements and omissions concerning Stevens' receipt of these things of value," the indictment said.

This came a huge surprise to most of us political junkies up here.

We have been expecting something to happen in the case against Congressman Don Young (Who must be pissing all over himself about now) or Ted's son, Ben Stevens, who is also being investigated by the authorities.

Personally I always thought that the Senator would be he LAST big fish they would be able to indict. Guess I was wrong, huh?

Slaughter in the wilderness of Alaska.

Hunters from the villages of Point Hope and Kivalina are suspected of massacring more than 100 caribou and leaving at least half of them to rot on the tundra earlier this month, according to Alaska Wildlife Troopers.

Investigators arriving at the scene found a total of 120 carcasses scattered along a 40-mile trail about 25 miles east of Point Hope, prompting them to call the killings "by far the worst case of blatant waste" they have ever seen, according to a trooper spokesperson.

The meat from at least 60 animals had been either partially wasted or not even touched, troopers said. Most still had their developing antlers intact. Calves were left stranded, some still trying to suckle milk from the decomposing cows two weeks after the slaughter.

Troopers have so far identified five suspects and think there could be many more, but the investigation has been stymied by an apparent lack of cooperation from village officials, troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said.

"In a community that size, it's hard to not know what's going on, but they refused to come forward with that information," Ipsen said. "We wish we had more cooperation from the community, and it's disappointing."

(The calf above is shown trying to suckle milk from its dead mother.)

I have always placed hunters in two separate categories.

The trophy hunters who kill animals so that they can display their heads on the wall to signal other men how manly they are, are ridiculous and pathetic in my eyes.

But for the people who live a subsistence lifestyle where many of their needs are met through hunting, fishing, and trapping I have always felt a sort of grudging admiration.

So this incident is especially troubling as it seems to have been perpetrated by villagers who usually live by a very specific code never to waste any part of the animal and to never kill more then they need to meet their needs. If I had to venture a guess I would assume this was done by the younger villagers and not the true hunters in the area.

But this incident is terribly sad and reflects very badly on a proud and independent people, who have fought valiantly to protect their way of life.

15 things that prove that Mr. Rogers may have been the Mahatma Gandhi of North America.

I always made fun of Mr. Rogers when I was in my 20's.

God I was a tool.

This is my favorite one of the fifteen:

5. He might have been the most tolerant American ever. Mister Rogers seems to have been almost exactly the same off-screen as he was onscreen. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, and a man of tremendous faith, Mister Rogers preached tolerance first.
Whenever he was asked to castigate non-Christians or gays for their differing beliefs, he would instead face them and say, with sincerity, "God loves you just the way you are." Often this provoked ire from fundamentalists.

New MoveOn.Org ad.

Ooooh I like this one!

Apparently the very last to learn that politics had destroyed the credibility of the Justice Department, is in fact the Justice Department.

Senior aides to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales broke the law by using politics to guide their hiring decisions for a wide range of important department positions, slowing the hiring process at critical times and damaging the department’s credibility and independence, an internal report concluded Monday.

The report, prepared by the Justice Department’s inspector general and its internal ethics office, singles out for particular criticism Monica Goodling, a young lawyer from the Republican National Committee who rose quickly through the ranks of the department to become a top aide to Mr. Gonzales.

Ms. Goodling, who testified before Congress in May 2007 at the height of the scandal over the firings of nine United States attorneys, introduced politics into the hiring process in a systematic way that constituted illegal misconduct, the report found.

Last month, the inspector general, Glenn A. Fine, released a separate report that found a similar pattern of politicized hiring at the Justice Department in reviewing applications from young lawyers for the honors and intern programs. The new report released Monday goes much further, however, in documenting pervasive evidence of political hiring for some of the department’s most senior career, apolitical positions, including immigration judges and assistant United States attorneys.

The inspector general’s investigation found that Ms. Goodling and a handful of other senior aides to Mr. Gonzales developed a system of using in-person interviews and Internet searches to screen out candidates who might be too liberal and to identify candidates seen as pro-Republican and supportive of President Bush.

I am going to give the Justice Department the benefit of the doubt and assume they knew that they were being undermined by the Bush administration and the Albert Gonzales appointees, and just waited to finish this internal ethics probe before admitting it to the American people to whom this is the very definition of "old news".

Look I don't want much, but could somebody please punish somebody for one of these blatant criminal activities? I mean the only person who has even come close to having to serve time was Scooter Libby, and let's face it he was not the one we wanted to see incarcerated.

We have all of these Democrats in Congress now can't they please just start throwing this garbage into jail? These creeps are wiping their ass with our Constitution and we are letting them get away with it.

Man attacks liberal church and kills two.

Knoxville's police chief says the man accused of a shooting that killed two people at a Tennessee church targeted the congregation because of its liberal social stance.

Chief Sterling Owen IV said Monday that police found a letter in Jim D. Adkisson's car. Owen said Adkisson was apparently frustrated over being out of work and had a "stated hatred of the liberal movement."

Adkisson is charged with first-degree murder. Police say a gunman entered the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church during a children's performance Sunday. No children were hurt.

The church is known for advocating women's and gay rights and founding an American Civil Liberties Union chapter.

The irony of a person going into a church to attack liberalism is pretty amazing, but since the church was predominantly African American and the shooter was Caucasian, there may be more to this then just ideological differences.

Clearly this person was unhinged, but I have to say that the anger that is directed at liberals from the right wing media outlets like FOX News certainly cannot have helped but fan the flames of this man's psychosis.

Say what you want about liberals, but we don't usually shoot holes in people that we disagree with. But the anger and threats that pour out of the right wingers is deep, dangerous, and insane.

Click here to sign petition to demand impeachment hearings.

I could not sign the thing fast enough.

McCain did not use the word "timetable" damnit! And he does not care that you can watch him say it on the internets!

McCain is pretty sure that since HE can't figure out how to work the Internet that nobody else is gong to be able to either. It is just so damn hard for a man of his age.

Why can't they make the keys bigger and make it accessible for the arthritic?

You wanna see Oliver Stones "W" trailer? Oh you know you do.

Yeah I will have to put this on my Netflix queue.

I don't think I could sit in a theatre and watch it without yelling at the screen and using profanity. Plus I may need a drink or three to get through it.

Gallup poll shows that Obama's overseas trip was a great success!

An initial daily tracking poll by Gallup shows that all the media coverage of the European portion of Barack Obama's foreign jaunt has produced a bump in approval for the freshman senator.

Before the trip, designed to produce just such political progress for the Democrat's campaign, Obama had a statistically insignificant two point lead over Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Even during the first days of his field trip in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, Jordan and Israel, the poll numbers held steady.

But Gallup reports a bulge in approval began showing up in polling done while Obama was in Germany and France. His lead is now up to seven points, according to our friends over at the Swamp. Tonight, he returned to his home on Chicago's South Side.
It's 48% for Obama now and 41% for McCain.

I believe that this may be the beginning of Obama moving far ahead in the polls and staying there until election day.

I believe that when the American people saw those images of him meeting with the other heads of state that it put to rest the question of whether he could be Presidential or not.

I also expect the Republican attack machine to jump into overdrive trying to tear him down, but it will all backfire in the end.

Panaramic view of the crowd at Obama's Berlin speech.

You can drag it around and it is just like you were there except no smell of stale beer and sauerkraut.

Oh and you don't get to hear the speech, so that part kind of sucks too.

Scott McClellan admits that the White House tells FOX News what to report.

This is not news to anybody with half of a brain, but it may cause a media frenzy to have it stated in such stark unequivocal terms.

I have to say that right now little Scotty McClellan is my hands down favorite ex-Bushie.

Not that the field is particularly crowded.

Update: I changed the video above from the original Hardball interview to a YouTube video which I think explains it better. The link in the title still goes to the Hardball interview.

New Zealand puts bounty on Condi's head. Crocodile Dundee says "No thanks mate, just looking at her is enough to make me chunder".

A group of New Zealand students offered a higher reward Saturday for the citizen’s arrest of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for war crimes after another group withdrew their own bounty, accusing police of threatening them.

Students at Victoria University in the capital, Wellington, doubled the original reward offer to US$7,400, according to Joel Cosgrove, the student president.

Cosgrove said Rice should be arrested because she is responsible for the deaths of at least 600,000 Iraqis killed since the 2003 invasion by U.S.-led coalition troops.

“Condoleezza Rice needs to be tried before the international war crimes tribunal,” Cosgrove told New Zealand’s National Radio

First protesters in Iowa try to perform a citizens arrest on Karl Rove and now these kiwis are offering a bounty on Condoleezza Rices head.

Impeachment may be off of the table for Congress but it is clear that the rest of the world is starting to demand accountability.

The United States may have to put them all in jail at some point for protective custody.

And while they are in there I am sure we can come up with some legal reason to keep them there. I mean the government seemed to have no trouble making that work in Guantanamo.

Palin's pathetic Public Safety pick presents pitiful political penchant for picking pinheads.

Public Safety Commissioner Chuck Kopp resigned Friday afternoon after a tumultuous two weeks on the job.

In a brief news conference with Gov. Sarah Palin in her Anchorage office late in the afternoon, Kopp said he was stepping down effective immediately. Kopp, appointed to replace former Commissioner Walt Monegan on July 11, said recent scrutiny of a 2005 sexual harassment complaint has made it too hard to be the state's top cop.

"This has caused me to be unable to bring my full focus to the mission of this department that the welfare of so many Alaskans depend on," he said.

Kopp and Palin entered the governor's conference room, read their statements, then departed three minutes later. Neither Kopp nor the governor would answer questions after reading from their prepared notes.

"We're going to move forward now," Palin said. "This has been brutal on a good family."

So in Palin's rush to find a replacement for Walt Monegan before the public could question her reasoning, Sarah picks the first guy she is offered without properly vetting him to make sure he is fit for the job? And this is the "new way" that Palin is promoting as the reason for letting go of a public servant of Walt Monegan's caliber? The "new way" meaning giving the job to whoever will promise to do her bidding without question?

If there is a reason that Sarah Palin relieved Public Safety Commissioner Monegan of his job, besides the one that we now all believe to be true, then she better come forward with it before she tries to fill the job again.

We deserve to hear the truth.

Off to go fishing.

I am getting loaded up to start my drive to Kenai this morning.

I am taking the kids for an afternoon of dipnetting.

Oh joy!

I actually am not much of an Alaskan when it comes to sports fishing or hunting, two activities that I rarely if ever engage in.

And for me dipnetting is particularly troubling as it is really just a matter of "gathering fish", there is no real sport in it as it simply entails scooping them up and putting them in your cooler.

I talked to my daughter last night, who absolutely loves to fish, and she reminded me that dipnetting is "cheating". I have to agree with that sentiment.

But I will suck it up and go, since we were invited by a good friend, and I am sure it will be an adventure.

Whoopee!!

Update: Trip was cancelled due to my friends flu-like symptoms. I can only hope to deal with my sense of loss in as a brave a manner as possible. LOL!

Could there be any better reason to get arrested?

Four peace activists were arrested on Friday as they attempted to make a "citizens arrest" of Karl Rove, who was one of President George W. Bush's top aides before leaving the administration last year.

"It should be Karl Rove in that van. War Criminal!" one of a dozen protestors shouted as the four were put into a police van outside a Des Moines country club where Rove spoke at a private state Republican party fundraiser.

Chet Guinn, a retired Methodist Minister, was among those led away.

"To be silent when major crimes are being committed against all humanity makes us accomplices," Gwinn told reporters just before his prearranged arrest, which took place when protestors stepped past a gate.

Damn I would be honored to sit in a jail cell after trying to bring Karl Rove to justice.

The only thing better would be if HE was sitting in the cell instead.

David Letterman talks to Jane Mayer author of "The Dark Side".

Watching Letterman running through the possible excuses that people can make for the horrible things done by this administration and having Jane Mayer slap each of them down could prove very informative to the many people who may not yet have formed a clear opinion on the issue of torture.

But it is also clear from watching Letterman's face that he feels much of the same frustration that most of us feel. That these crimes were done by our government and they are not, as of yet, being held accountable.

Obama continues to charm Europe. Today he helps to show America that the French people are more then the butt of stupid American jokes.

Sarkozy is kind of a raw, emotional type of politician. He is clearly filled with passion and the juxtaposition between his style and the cool and articulate presence of Barack Obama makes for an interesting visual.

Sarkozy's admiration is obvious. I don't think Obama will have much difficulty interacting with this particular foreign leader when he is President.

I have been posting a lot of Daily Show clips lately. I was going to stop but then this guy was on last night and I must respond.

Okay I am not disagreeing that living up here can be much more hazardous then living in most other places in the United States. After all where else can a hotel worker be mauled by a bear within sight of her workplace. But it is not quite as inhospitable as this Geo Beach guy describes.

But as for Jon's fear that going into a bar in Alaska would immediately mean an ass kicking for him. I have to disagree.

Number one Jon is rich. We just love rich people! We want you to come up here, spend your money, and then get the hell out!

Number two Jon is a celebrity. We love celebrities! We want you to come up here, let us pose for some pictures with you, and then get the hell out!

Number three Jon Stewart is "Jon Stewart"! I love Jon Stewart! So he can come up here and stay just as long as he fucking wants to! And trust me if anybody asks him to leave then the most dangerous place up here will be wherever that person is standing. I have lived here my whole life and I don't suffer assholes very well.

So come on up Jon! Look me up and we can go into any bar or tavern that you choose. Believe me my friend you will be just fine.

Is it possible that Americans are smarter then George Bush, John McCain, and the oil companies give them credit for being?

The American public is not buying the arguments of President Bush and the oil industry that new drilling will lower gas prices, a new poll finds. Despite a well-funded campaign to convince lawmakers to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and the offshore waters of the Outer Continental Shelf to drilling, and to allow new oil shale projects in the Rocky Mountain West, a majority (54%) of Americans do not see more drilling as a solution to high gas prices. Instead, the public overwhelmingly believes (76% to 19%) that policymakers should focus on investing in new energy technologies including renewable fuels and more efficient vehicles rather than expanding exploration and drilling for more oil. These findings were reported in a national poll conducted over the past week by Belden Russonello and Stewart, and released today.

A significant majority of Americans (63%) said that the Presidents proposal to open up public lands to oil and gas drilling is more likely to enrich oil companies than to lower gas prices for American consumers. A substantial majority (66%) said that the small percentage of public lands still protected from oil drilling should remain off limits because they are valuable natural resources that cannot be replaced.

When asked the question, Do you think that allowing oil companies to drill in public lands and offshore areas that are currently off limits to drilling will result in lower gas prices for American consumers or not?, 54% of poll respondents said they did not believe more drilling would lower gas prices. Although Americans were initially divided on a general question of opening protected public lands and offshore areas to drilling, with a slight majority (53%) in favor, and 41% opposed, the poll found that support for drilling weakened significantly when those polled were presented with other energy policy options. When asked the question: Looking to the future, which one of the following do you think should be a more important priority for government: Investing in new energy technology including renewable fuels and more efficient automobiles, or expanding exploration and drilling for more oil?, more than three-quarters (76%) of respondents favored new technology and renewables, and only a small number (19%) favored expanded oil drilling.

Just when I had just about given up on the American people EVER realizing how easily they have been manipulated by the Bush administration and their corporate masters, I learn something like this.

Way to go America!

Obama's speech in Berlin. You really must listen to this!

Damn those Germans are an energetic bunch aren't they? They acted like they were at a rock concert and not listening to a speech by a potential President of the United States of America.

Hell maybe they are right.

McCain explains that the "surge" is very tricky word. It really means whatever he and his Republican cronies want it to mean.

So a "surge" is an "insurgency"?

I thought a "surge" was an "increase in troops".

Are the Republicans allowed to simply change the definitions like this?

Jon Stewart chides the media for confusing Barack Obama with Osama Bin Laden.

This grates on my nerves like nothing else. I sometimes doubt it is completely accidental that these big media types cannot keep these two names straight.

I mean it is one thing when somebody accidentally confused "Osama" for "Obama", but when they say Osama's entire name when referring to Barack that just seems like a little too careless of a mistake for a professional news broadcaster to make.

How would the Bush administration like it if the MSM constantly confused the name "George W. Bush" with "Adolph Hitler"? It would be a completely understandable mistake considering how both men ran their respective countries, but would it really be fair?

Well actually, yeah.

Novak's hit and run is a "must cover topic" for Jon and the Daily Show.

I found it interesting how closely this segment mirrored my own post from yesterday.

In my opinion they were both, oh so good.

Congressman Conyers to investigate George Bush's "Imperial Presidency".

Rebuffing Dennis Kucinich’s calls for impeachment hearings on George W. Bush, the House Judiciary Committee instead will hear testimony about Bush’s “imperial presidency” and several of his administration’s scandals.

In a press release issued Thursday, Rep. John Conyers, House Judiciary Committee chairman, said his panel will explore a variety of Bush controversies, including manipulation of prewar Iraq intelligence, politicization of the Justice Department, and refusal to cooperate with congressional investigations.

But the Michigan Democrat also left little doubt that the committee’s review was meant to fend off demands from Rep. Kucinich that Conyers initiate impeachment proceedings against Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

With impeachment ruled out, it’s unclear how much the Judiciary Committee’s inquiry can accomplish, given Bush’s broad assertion of executive privilege when his subordinates are faced with congressional questions about criminal and other wrongdoing.

This seems like a weak and pathetic excuse for a full impeachment hearing to me.

There is nothing I would like more then to see this President face the full fury of the Congress concerning his abuse of power, this seems to fall well short of "full fury".

However I am a pragmatist and I am painfully aware that an impeachment right now would certainly fail. It would split the country at a time when we are just now starting to come together and put Obama's Presidential aspirations in jeopardy.

So I am going to wait patiently. But when Obama is our President and we have the 60 percent majority in the House and true control of the Senate, then by God I want a REAL investigation launched and an outcome that insures these bastards will be convicted and punished for their crimes against our country.

John McCain's Neverending War.

This is another great video from Jed Report.

I think it is clear that McCain is a one trick pony. He is comfortable waging war. The war is, for all intents and purposes, over. So all McCain can do is to deny that it is over.

Or start another one.

The major Sunni sheik who John McCain said was protected by the surge, was killed. During the surge that was supposed to have protected him.

The major Sunni sheik who John McCain said was protected by the surge and subsequently helped lead the Anbar Awakening, was actually assassinated by an al-Qaeda led group in midst of the surge.

On Tuesday evening, McCain falsely claimed that the downturn in violence in Iraq's Anbar province was a result of the surge, when in fact the surge began months afterward. Moreover, he said, if it weren't for the work of U.S. forces, the major Sunni figure leading that awakening wouldn't have had the protection he needed.

"Colonel MacFarland was contacted by one of the major Sunni sheiks," said the Senator. "Because of the surge we were able to go out and protect that sheik and others. And it began the Anbar awakening."

The Arizona Republican's campaign went further the next day, claiming that the major figures that turned around Anbar province would have been killed had the surge policy not been in place. "If Barack Obama had had his way, the Sheiks who started the Awakening would have been murdered at the hands of al Qaeda," said spokesman Tucker Bounds.

Sadly, that murder took place even with the surge underway. In September 2007, Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, the sheik widely credited with persuading Sunni leaders to turn against al Qaeda in Iraq, died in a bomb attack in Anbar. His work, prior to then, was held as a major effort in transforming the province from one of Iraq's deadliest areas into one of its safest.

Okay so the Sheik who led the "Anbar Awakening" AFTER the surge was killed DURING the surge. WTF?

Is McCain insinuating that the surge was successful because it allowed people who could unite the Sunnis to die before they could accomplish that goal? Or are we to believe that our success in the region was due to the intervention of zombies!

Is McCain so desperate to make his point that he is willing to rewrite history, call Obama a traitor, and bring up the possibility of voodoo, rather then admit that it may have been a combination of the Sunni people coming together and the increase in troops which helped reduce the violence?

And lets not forget that a cetain Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr may have been an immense help to the military and Bush administration as well.

Robert Novak flees the scene of the crime. No not his outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame, this time he ran over an old man.

Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak was cited by police after he hit a pedestrian with his black Corvette in downtown Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning.

“I didn’t know I hit him,” Novak told Politico. Novak said he was a block away from 18th and K St. NW, where the accident happened, when a bicyclist stopped him and said, "You hit someone." He said he was cited for failing to yield the right of way.

The bicyclist was David Bono, a partner at Harkins Cunningham, who was on his usual bike commute to work at 1700 K St. NW when he saw the accident happen.

As he traveled east on K. Street, crossing 18th, Bono said a "black Corvette convertible with top closed plowed into the guy. The guy is sort of splayed onto the windshield.”

Bono said the pedestrian, who was crossing the street on a "Walk" signal and was in the crosswalk, rolled off the windshield and then Novak made a right into the service lane of K Street. “The car is speeding away. What’s going through my mind is, you just can’t hit a pedestrian and drive away,” Bono said.

He chased Novak half a block down K St., finally caught up with him and then put his bike in front of the car to block him and called 911. Traffic immediately backed up, horns blared, and commuters finally went into reverse to allow Novak to pull over.

Bono said that throughout, Novak "keeps trying to get away. He keeps trying to go.” He said he vaguely recognized the longtime political reporter and columnist as a Washington celebrity but could not precisely place him.

He did not see the guy splayed across his windshield? If Novak cannot see something plastered to his windshield he certainly should not be driving around Washington D.C..

No Novak saw him all right. What he didn't see was that his crime had been witnessed by others. Robert Novak never takes responsiblity for anything unless he is forced to by the authorities. And even then he is going to try and wriggle out of it.

Jon Stewart and John Oliver of the Daily Show illustrate just how criminal the Bush administration has been.

The real talent of the Daily Show is to find humor in the most horrible criminal activity that has ever taken place in this government.

I always find myself laughing through my tears of frustration.

Latest Rasmussen poll shows Mark Begich nine points ahead of Ted Stevens.

Alaska’s U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Ted Stevens and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich has been a toss-up for several months now, but the Democratic challenger is now ahead 50% to 41%. When “leaners” are included, Begich leads 52%to 44%.

Begich began running his first television ads of the campaign on July 8 and the survey was conducted nine days later.

For each of the last three months, the candidates have been within two points of each other. Last month, Stevens was up two, 46% to 44%. In May, it the incumbent trailed by two. The month before, Stevens had a statistically insignificant 46% to 45% lead. Begich’s current lead is the largest the race has seen since Rasmussen polling began.

Stevens is the longest-serving Republican Senator in history. Begich was just six-years old when Stevens was first elected to the Senate in 1968.

Stevens has never been this far behind in the polls during any re-election bid since he was first elected in 1968.

This is Alaska's time to finally throw off the heavy mantle of Republican oppression and get a progressive into the Senate that can lead Alaska into the future. And won't it be exciting to actually have a Senator who knows what the hell the Internet is?

3,000 troops mob Obama in Baghdad.

Sarah Palin's problems are intensifying. Independant investigator may be appointed to handle allegations.

The governor said she didn't think any conversations she, her husband, Todd, or members of her administration had with the commissioner about Mike Wooten should have been taken as pressure to get rid of the trooper.

"The proof is in the pudding," Palin said. "He didn't fire anybody. The trooper is still a trooper."
Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan has said he felt pressured after Palin, her husband and members of her administration contacted him about Wooten. He said he doesn't know why he was fired but thought Wooten could be part of it.

French said the investigator would explore whether Monegan's firing "was motivated by the Wooten case or something else." The investigator would also look at whether Palin or members of her administration violated the state personnel act by pressuring Monegan to get rid of the trooper, French said.

The Governor is currently dealing with the first possible scandal of her tenure as Governor. And from the outside looking in it does not look very good for her right now. It is coming down ot a case of "he said, she said" between two people who are known for their honesty and forthrightness. If Sarah's problem had been with almost anybody besides Walt Monegan she might be getting the benefit of the doubt, but Monegan is just not somebody who is known to be anything but completely trustworthy.

And it certainly does not help that Palin replaced the Chief with a man who is currently being investigated for sexual harassment.

No I don't think this situation is helping Sarah Palin's credibility one little bit.

The Daily Show bemoans the absence of Obama to overseas trip.

Apparently Obama gives the Daily Show guys a "boner".

What a creepy demonstration of support.

Dinosaurs live!

Extinct, my ASS! from The Original Joe Fisher on Vimeo.

I understand this is an anatromic robot at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History. Check out the reaction of the kids.

Here are Mark Begich's new campaign ads.

For all of you who are not visiting from Alaska this guy is Mark Begich.

He is attempting to unseat Ted Stevens who is our current "grumpy old Senator".

Nobody has ever even come close to challenging Stevens in the past, but this time Begich has a real chance since there is rampant legal problems facing the Republicans up here and there is even a FBI probe into Uncle Ted's dealings with a certain indicted oil man.

So many of us have high hopes for Mark Begich.

If you wish to contribute or learn more you can find the address for his website in my blogroll.

Most Hillary supporters refuse to provide financial support for Obama.

By now, most political junkies know that Barack Obama raised a lot of money in June.

But his campaign's $52 million dollar take for the month becomes all the more impressive when considering the utter lack of help he received from Hillary Clinton's high-dollar fundraising machine. When comparing Obama's full FEC filing for June with a list of 311 "Hillraisers" -- or supporters who bundled more than $100,000 in contributions for Sen. Clinton -- the Huffington Post found only eight names in common between the two lists. Not all of those donors maxed out, either, making for a relatively paltry figure of $19,250 in direct, hard-money contributions from Hillraisers for the month.

I have said this before but it bears repeating.

We do not need Hillary's supporters to win this election! Period.

If they want to participate in the democratic process and be part of the campaign that is going to finally put a stop to the Republicans reign of terror, fine we welcome their support.

But if they want to rend their clothes and scream into the darkness about how unfair they feel their candidate was treated then screw them. That is not productive and it does not show the level of maturity that the Obama campaign needs at this time.

Obama is taking this country and the rest of the world by storm, he is gaining ground in states that were considered impenetrable Republican strongholds, and he is doing it all without Hillary's people doing a damn thing to help him.

So sit at home, eat your carton of Rocky Road ice cream while you wipe tears of frustration off your face, and just continue to feel sorry for yourselves. While you are doing that we will be saving the world. You can thank us later. And please do so in the form of a check.

I guess I am not the ONLY Alaskan who opposes more oil exploration here.

The new generators in this remote Yukon Flats village shut down every night at 10:30, after the televised evening news, as a way to save fuel. The electric blackout ends in the morning, before caribou meat and other frozen goods begin to thaw.

Times are getting harder in Arctic Village, where diesel fuel arrives by air tanker and retails for $8.50 a gallon. But soaring fuel costs haven't softened opposition here and in other Yukon Flats villages to oil drilling in their own region.

A complex land trade that would hasten oil and gas exploration inside the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge continues to draw protest from local villages, despite a promise of jobs and revenue from the region's big Native corporation, Doyon Ltd.

Indeed, packed houses at community meetings helped slow the six-year negotiation to a crawl, and time may now be running out for Bush administration officials who support the deal.

Gwichin Indian leaders say they are worried about pollution from oil spills in the vast wetland basin. They also fear changes to their hunting and fishing territory that would come with a road connection to the outside world.

Trimble Gilbert, the 73-year-old traditional chief in Arctic Village, said he is advising people to hone their hunting and trapping skills to prepare for the hard economic times ahead. An oil boom would offer only a short-term respite, he said.

To be fair I am not at all sure that the Gwichin Indians would care if the drilling were not to occur in their own back yard. But drilling in Alaska is ALWAYS in somebodies back yard. They are not always human backyards, but hey we need to respect the impact this has on the indigenous animal populations as well.

The point is that we can find alternate energy sources, and Alaska has many of the resources that can be utilized to move our state and country away from their unhealthy dependency on fossil fuels. We could grow numerous crops in the Matanuska valley that could be used for ethanol, we have tons of space that can be utilized for wind farms, and we already have a great model for thermal energy at Chena Hot Springs. We no longer need to pull up poisonous materials from the ground that are destined to pollute the very air we breathe which will negatively affect our plants, our animals, and our fellow humans.

It is time for us to grow up and take responsibility for how our selfishness is impacting the planet that we call home.

Administration tries to do damage control after Maliki supports Obama's Iraq plan, but the cat will not get back in the bag.

On the eve of Senator Barack Obama's visit to Iraq, its prime minister tried to step back Sunday from comments in an interview in which he appeared to support Obama's plan for troop withdrawal.

The interview with the prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, was published Saturday in the online version of Der Spiegel, a German magazine. It was widely picked up by American newspapers because it appeared to give an unexpected boost to Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who has called for an expedited withdrawal.

Diplomats from the United States Embassy in Baghdad spoke to Maliki's advisers on Saturday, said an American official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss what he called diplomatic communications. After that, the government's spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, issued a statement casting doubt on the magazine's rendering of the interview.

The statement, which was distributed to media organizations by the American military early on Sunday, said Maliki's words had been "misunderstood and mistranslated," but it failed to cite specifics.

"Unfortunately, Der Spiegel was not accurate," Dabbagh said Sunday by telephone. "I have the recording of the voice of Maliki. We even listened to the translation."

But the interpreter for the interview works for Maliki's office, not the magazine. And in an audio recording of Maliki's interview that Der Spiegel provided to The New York Times, Maliki seemed to state a clear affinity for Obama's position, bringing it up on his own in an answer to a general question on troop presence.

The following is a direct translation from the Arabic of Maliki's comments by The Times: "Obama's remarks that — if he takes office — in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq."

He continued: "Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq."

This has served as a HUGE embarrassment for the Bush administration but the facts are that Maliki DID make the statement and the Iraqis DO want us out as soon as possible, and no matter how hard the administration spins they cannot make that untrue.

Here is video of Lara Logan's interview with Barack Obama.

Good interview.

I like the way Obama keeps reminding the American people that we did not do what the Bush administration promised that we would do, which was to capture Bin Laden and put the Taliban out of business. And that the reason we failed to do so is because Bush and his cronies desperately wanted to go into Iraq.

In my opinion the voters cannot be reminded of that enough.

All Obama needs to add is that the Iraq war was based on a pack of lies and he could be a liberal blogger. Of course he would have to change his opinion on the FISA vote.

The Dark Knight delivers big!

I just got back from the "Dark Knight" and there are not words to describe how good it was. And Heath Ledgers Joker may be the craziest, scariest performance of all time.

I used to think that nobody did crazy as well as Jack Nicholson but my mind has been changed. We are all the poorer for having lost such a colossal talent.

I wait all year for the summer movies. And many times I have been disappointed. But not this summer. No way!

I thought that "Iron Man" was going to be the movie event of the summer, but I also really liked "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", "The Incredible Hulk" was kind of fun, "Get Smart" was way better then I expected, "Wall-E" was adorable, the first half of "Hancock" was great, "Hellboy 2 and the Golden Army" was the bomb, and now "The Dark Knight" goes and blows them all away.

It is a great summer to be a movie fan, that is all I have to say.

Obama promises to bring military focus back to Afghanistan.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged steadfast aid to Afghanistan in talks Sunday with its Western-backed leader and vowed to pursue the war on terror "with vigor" if he is elected, an Afghan official said.

The facts are that if we had not allowed the neo-cons to pull us into an unnecessary, illegal war with Iraq, we would have finished our work in Afghanistan and would have the majority of our troops home with their families. The real fighting would have ended a long time ago and we would probably just have troops serving in a supportive capacity right now.

Now having said that I feel compelled to admit that I firmly believe that without George Bush in the White House, 9-11 never would have happened. In other words there would have been no need for ANY war.

I am not sure what role the administration played in the disaster, I keep entertaining different possible scenarios, but I am convinced that it didn't happen without their participation.

I know that sounds conspiratorial and will probably turn some visitors off immediately. But I tell the truth on this website and that is the truth as I have come to understand it.

So while I support Obama's decision to stabilize Afghanistan, I also want our troops out of there as soon as we can get them home. Because I believe the true threats to our way of life and our personal freedoms are living right here among us. And it is time to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.

My daughter, who is visiting, brought this to my attention. I defy you to watch it without having your heart simply melt.

I have never watched this program, and I doubt I will start any time soon, but this little girl is absolutely the most adorable child I have ever seen.

If you are not completely charmed by this performance you may not have a working central nervous system.

Lara Logan snags first Obama interview abroad.

Lara Logan, chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, has landed the coveted first interview with Barack Obama while he’s abroad, according to sources familiar with the arrangements.

Logan is to interview Obama on Sunday in Afghanistan, where he landed Saturday and then visited U.S. troops in three locations.

Parts of the interview will be seen on “Face the Nation” if the conversation occurs in time, then on “Evening News” on Sunday, and “The Early Show” and the “CBS Evening News” on Monday.

Lara Logan is a favorite here at the Immoral Minority and I am beyond pleased that she scored this important interview. I hope that it will provide increased visibility for both herself and Barack Obama.

Possible scandal concerning Sarah Palin is simmering in Alaska.

Former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan on Friday said that since Gov. Sarah Palin took office, members of her administration and family pressured him to fire a Palmer Alaska State Trooper to whom her sister was involved in a bitter child custody battle.

Monegan said phone calls and questions from the Palin administration and the governor's husband, Todd Palin, about trooper Mike Wooten started shortly after Monegan was hired and continued up to one or two months ago.

For my visitors from the lower 48 and other countries I would like to welcome you to politics Alaska style!

Okay so it looks like Sarah, her husband Todd, and a number of surrogates have been pressuring Walt Monegan, who was the Commissioner of Safety to fire Sarah's sister's ex-husband. How is that for using your influence to get payback for those who have wronged you, or your family, in the past?

Well I guess Commissioner Monegan would not play ball so she fired his ass and replaced him with no reason given.

Unfortunately for Sarah, Walt Monegan was a very popular Chief of Police before he became a Commissioner and he has a very vocal and dedicated group of supporters who are not going to let this get swept under the rug. They are demanding an investigation and this may have some fairly serious repercussions for Governor Sarah.

In other words I would not hold my breath waiting for Palin to be asked to join the McCain ticket this election cycle.

Iraq Prime Minister endorses Obama plan for troop withdrawal.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months.

In an interview with Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Maliki said he wanted U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

How many times has McCain visited Iraq?

Did Maliki ever endorse one of his plans?

No, I did not think so.

It is obvious that these countries that have been treated so poorly by the Bush administration are viewing Barack Obama as an intelligent person who will understand and alleviate their suffering.

And of course they are correct.

Road trip!

If the most dire climate predictions come to pass, the Arctic ice cap will melt entirely, and polar bears could face extinction.

So why not pack a few off to Antarctica, where the sea ice will never run out?
It may seem like a preposterous question. But polar bears are just the tip of the "assisted colonization" iceberg. Other possibilities: moving African big game to the American Great Plains, or airlifting endangered species from one mountaintop to another as climate zones shrink.

"It's a showdown. The impacts of climate change on animals have become apparent. And it's time to decide whether we're going to do something," said Notre Dame ecologist Jessica Hellmann, co-author of an influential 2007 Conservation Biology paper. "Reducing CO2 is vital, but we might have to step in and intervene."

Once dismissed as wrongheaded and dangerous, assisted colonization -- rescuing vanishing species by moving them someplace new -- is now being discussed by serious conservationists. And no wonder: Caught between climate change and human pressure, species are going extinct 100 times faster than at any point in human history.

And some scientists say that figure is too conservative. The real extinction rate, they say, is a full 1,000 times higher than normal. The last time such annihilation took place was during the time of the dinosaurs. And though many conservationists say that saving species by transplanting them is foolish, others say there's no choice.

I cannot believe that this is what we have come to in such a short amount to time. From "Stop worrying there is nothing wrong with the climate" to "Let's start loading the North Pole animals onto the ark two by two before the ice melts and the flood comes".

I have no idea if this idea is even remotely viable but if it works at least those Gary Larson comics will finally make sense. Polar bears and penguins together at last. Who da thunk it?

When is a timetable for withdrawal not a timetable for withdrawal? When the Bush administration refuses to say they were wrong.

The United States and Iraq have agreed to seek "a general time horizon" for deeper reductions in American combat troops in Iraq despite President Bush's once-inflexible opposition to talking about deadlines and timetables.

Iraqi officials, in a sign of growing confidence as violence decreases, have been pressuring the United States to agree to a specific timeline to withdraw U.S. forces. The White House said Friday that the timeframe being discussed would not be "an arbitrary date for withdrawal."

What the fuck is a "time horizon"? Just call it what it is. It is a timetable.

And not only is it a timetable, but it is one that the Iraqis are forcing the administration to accept or look like they are not respecting the very sovereignty of the elected Iraqi government that we have been told our soldiers are over there risking their lives to support. In my opinion that is the best kind of timetable.

This is great news for Iraq, for Barack Obama who has been calling for the troops to come home, and for the American people who have watched their countries resources squandered to pay for this unnecessary war.

But with this war coming to a close what will John McCain run for President on? A war with Iran? Not now that we are in negotiations with them. Will he run on his economic plan? Not as long as he keeps Phil "Nation of whiners" Gramm as his economic advisor. See the problem?
(Update: Apparently Phil Gramm has stepped down as McCain's economic advisor and left the campaign entirely.)

And he can't even increase his war rhetoric about Afghanistan because Barack already beat him to it. McCain must be kicking himself that he chose to push the wrong damn war. I mean there were only the two choices and he picked the wrong one.

Is there anything left for McCain to run on? Well I certainly hope he is not going to try and win voters over with his sense of humor.

Now more then ever this election is Obama's to lose, let's hope he breaks the Democrat curse and actually wins in a blow out.

Speaker Pelosi states the obvious.

"The price of oil is... is attributed to two oil men in the White House and their protectors in the United States Senate," Pelosi said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Pelosi said she would continue to oppose two policy changes that President Bush and congressional Republicans have been advocating: lifting the ban on offshore drilling and opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration.

Pelosi said there are plenty of opportunities that oil companies should explore before environmentally sensitive areas such as ANWR are open to drilling, pointing to the 33 million acres that have already been approved for offshore drilling and the 68 million acres of federal land in the lower 48 states that is open to exploration.

"The impression that the White House has given you is that if you could drill in these protected areas, the price of gasoline will come down," Pelosi said. "Even the president in his press conference the other day acknowledged that that was not the case."

Al Gore gave a great speech yesterday saying that he thought our country could ween itself off of fossil fuels to meet our energy needs within ten years time.

Now see that is the kind of leadership that this country is crying out for. And most of our crying is done as we fill up at the gas pump.

I applaud the efforts of Al Gore and agree completely with Nancy Pelosi that we would never have found ourselves in this untenable position if we had not elected George Bush as President (I am sorry I forgot that I am a raging liberal for a minute. I meant "if we had not allowed George Bush to steal TWO elections from the voters in this country." There that is better!)

The wonderful Elizabeth Edwards was on the Colbert Report last night.

She did an excellent job of holding her own with Stephen and you could see how disarming she is by how often he came close to breaking character.

I enjoyed these Comedy Central clips so much perhaps I should just spend today posting humor videos. It would be a nice vacation for all of us from covering politics.

Instead of laughing through our tears at how incompetent Bush is, we could laugh at people who are being funny on purpose and who cannot start another war.

The Daily Show points out the Bush administration's hypocrisy on Iran and introduces the Dobbs-O-Meter.

Once again Jon Stewart makes me laugh at things that usually make me cry.

This is what passes for patriotism with the blowhards in the Republican rightwing.

I would never question John McCain's patriotism, nor Barack Obama. They both seem to have a deep and abiding love and respect for our country.

However when I see the morons on FOX News or other Right Wing outlets questioning Obama's, or anybodies, patriotism based on whether or not they are wearing a flag pin, I quite literally feel embarrassed for my country.

Can you imagine how many slope headed knuckle draggers now actually think that the way to identify if somebody is a patriot is whether or not they are wearing a tiny piece of metal on their Italian suit?

Either Barack Obama is working on the greatest physique of all time or something smells and it is not just the sweaty gym socks.

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: While Obama spent 91 minutes at a campaign event yesterday, the Illinois Senator spent a total of 188 minutes in the gym yesterday – making three separate stops to Chicago gyms over the course of one day.

The presumptive nominee started his Tuesday with a short morning work out at the gym of his friend and longtime aide Mike Signator’s apartment building.

After flying to Indiana for a campaign event, and doing a round of local TV interviews, the Senator returned to his home in Illinois where he spent the afternoon hitting two more local area gyms for the duration of the day. Obama first visited Signator’s gym again, returning home briefly and then going to East Bank Club, a downtown gym which Obama regularly plays basketball.

Senator Obama has been known for his strict work out regimen – rarely missing a day in the gym even with a busy campaign schedule. But for reporters following Senator Obama as he strolled in and out of gyms six times over the course of one day - his multiple visits raised a few eyebrows – with even a campaign aide cracking a smile as the third gym stop of the day was announced.

Obama left the East Bank Club at 9 pm last night. A mere 11 hours later he was back in the gym again on Thursday morning.

Look Obama is my guy and I don't want to cast aspersions on his story here , but I gotta call bullshit!

We all know how little time a candidate has that he can call his own while on the campaign trail, so even though I applaud the fact that Obama seems to be getting his exercise, I simply do not believe he is going into these buildings to workout.

No trainer is going to encourage their client to work out more then once, maybe twice a day. And if they do they are going to suggest that their client do some resistance training in the morning and some cardiovascular later in the day. Or vice a versa. And they would probably not encourage that level of activity every single day. Not unless they were trying to break their client.

Yes I know that Obama is most probably spending more time on the basketball court then on the weight machines, but at his age repeatedly running up and down a court without giving himself sufficient time to recover is going to prove damaging to his joints and exhausting to his muscles.

I believe that these visits are for an entirely different purpose then to keep him fit.

I have absolutely no idea what is really happening, but I would not look to any significant changes in Obama's physique any time soon.

The Daily Show compares Bush's upbeat take on the economy to Ben Bernanke's more honest assessment.

God, Bush is such a pathetic tool that it pains me physically to watch him talk to us like we are first graders.

Obama certainly has his work cut out for him.

Women are from Venus, and Alaska is like Mars? WTF?

Although geologists can usually tell what shapes the landscape around us, it was a mystery what formed the Mars-like features found in Alaska.

The conditions on Mars are quite different than anything experienced on Earth. For example, Mars is much colder than even the Arctic — the average martian temperature is -81 degrees F (-63 degrees C) — and the planet's atmospheric pressure is lower than Earth's. Still, for the same features to be present on Earth and Mars, the two professors suspected similar processes would have made them.

They had just over a week in Alaska to discover what created the glaciers and fans.
During this time they managed to see an impressive 289 events, including rock falls and floods. The vast majority of these events were snow and ice avalanches. The frequency of these avalanches astounded the scientists, who reasoned that climate change was the most likely culprit. As temperatures rise, the glaciers pull back, creating large areas where ice has been separated. Material can fall down these cracks and lead to avalanches. This was creating the features seen in Alaska, and perhaps the same thing had happened on Mars.

Being sort of an armchair science geek I find the comparison of the Mars landscape to Alaska's to be fascinating. I have always dreamed of visiting far away planets, and now I guess in some ways I already have.

New Alaska tourist motto: "Come to Alaska! It is out of this world!"

I must give a hat tip to my frequent visitor Lynne who sent me this link. Thanks Lynne!

Obama is taking the whole MSM with him overseas!

....when Senator Barack Obama heads for Iraq and other places overseas this summer, Mr. Williams is planning to catch up with him in person, as are the other two network evening news anchors, Charles Gibson of ABC and Katie Couric of CBS, who, like Mr. Williams, are far along in discussions to interview Mr. Obama on successive nights.

And while the anchors are jockeying for interviews with Mr. Obama at stops along his route, the regulars on the Obama campaign plane will have new seatmates: star political reporters from the major newspapers and magazines who are flocking to catch Mr. Obama’s first overseas trip since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee. A “Meet the Press” interview is also being planned.

The extraordinary coverage planned for Mr. Obama’s trip, though in part solicited by aides, reflects how the candidate remains an object of fascination in the news media, a built-in feature of being the first black presidential nominee for a major political party and a relative newcomer to the national stage.

I can only imagine how this must make McCain's butthole pucker in frustration.

Obama is going to OWN this Presidential election!

Here is a sneak preview of the New Yorkers next controverial cover.

John McCain was calling for the Iraq invasion before it was the cool neo-con thing to do.

Thursday, January 10th 2002
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) visited the Roosevelt yesterday and shouted, "Next up: Baghdad!" from the carrier's bridge.

McCain has been pushing the administration to make Iraq and its dictator, Saddam Hussein, the next targets in the war on terrorism.

Pentagon officials and Powell have cautioned against focusing on Baghdad, but McCain said yesterday that Iraq poses "a clear and present danger" to the U.S.

So when McCain tries to get the media to give him credit for the "success" of the surge (which really did not accomplish its stated goal), it is important to remember that McCain's voice was one of the loudest demanding that we start this debacle in the first place.

So McCain also believed that we needed to attack Saddam because he had WMDs (He didn't!), and that he was working with al-Qaeda (He wasn't!), and that he had reconstituted his nuclear program (He didn't!).

And if that wasn't damning enough McCain was not only looking to target Iraq.

"I think Iraq is going to have to be considered," he said.
Other possible targets are terror cells in Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and the Philippines.

So if McCain had been in charge we would not only have two wars to fight, we may in fact be in the middle of fighting six wars from Africa all the way to the Philippines. Can you imagine how badly damaged our military would have been if he had been President?

Well if you don't get off your dead ass and start working to get Obama elected you may not have to use your imagination!

George Bush is still actively impeding justice.

President Bush has asserted executive privilege to prevent Attorney General Michael Mukasey from having to comply with a House panel subpoena for material on the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity.

A House committee chairman, meanwhile, held off on a contempt citation of Mukasey — who had requested the privilege claim — but only as a courtesy to lawmakers not present.

Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, rejected Mukasey's suggestion that Vice President Dick Cheney's FBI interview on the CIA leak should be protected by the privilege claim — and therefore not turned over to the panel.

"We'll act in the reasonable and appropriate period of time," Waxman, D-Calif., said. But he made clear that he thinks Mukasey has earned a contempt citation and that he'd schedule a vote on the matter soon.

"This unfounded assertion of executive privilege does not protect a principle; it protects a person," Waxman said. "If the vice president did nothing wrong, what is there to hide?"

I don't truly think that Bush understands what "Executive Privilege" means.

He believes he can simply invoke it to hide the crimes committed by his staff from being prosecuted. And isn't he the same person who believed that "it is not torture if the United States does it"?

I think it is well past time for George W. Bush to get schooled on how justice works in the United States of America.

New Yorker journalist suggests that many in Bush administration could be arrested for war crimes if they leave the country.

The Bush administration's laxity towards torture of prisoners could expose its top officials to war crimes charges, said investigative journalist and New Yorker writer Jane Mayer to CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

"I think that's more a political question than a legal question, really," Mayer said. "It's a question of whether there's a political appetite for this. There are Democrats on the Hill who are calling for these kinds of hearings and trials."

As Mayer wrote in her new book, The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals, officials that may find themselves under arrest should they visit certain European countries include President Bush, Vice President Cheney, his aide David Addington, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith, for violations of the Geneva Conventions and American law.

"What the book makes clear, really, is that this wasn't the action of some kind of 'bad, rotten apples on the bottom of the barrel,' as people were saying [about] Abu Ghraib. This is a program that was put into place by the top of our government to use the [toughest terms possible] to get information."

Just how would the American people feel if they heard that one of their leaders was being held in a foreign prison for war crimes? Personally I cannot think of too many things that would make me happier.

But if I was a member of Congress I would be ashamed that some other government had done the job that I was too cowardly to do myself.

We are a nation of laws and the laws have been broken, where is the conroversy?

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Liberal risks his sanity by watching 24 hours of FOX News.

I know what you are thinking. "He is a madman!" you say. "He'll make his eyes fall out and his ears bleed!" Perhaps. But I have convinced myself that it will be worth it, if only so I can count the number of times Brit Hume's jowls bob up and down over the course of a broadcast.

I have decided to commence my torture at 9p.m. I've been deliberately waiting until after The O'Reilly Factor. I'm not sure that I can take that kind of horror straight off. I need to build up to it, like trying to boil a frog. I'll watch Bill tomorrow. For now, I'll ease into it with some less unpleasant FOX programming.

What I'd forgotten is that Hannity & Colmes is the 9p.m. program.

If this reporter had asked for my advice before embarking on this suicide mission I would have emphatically told him that he would emerge a soulless, frightened, limp dicked shell of his former self.

Did he make it?

My journey comes to an end at 9p.m., after another riveting episode of The O'Reilly Factor (tonight's theme: Jesse Jackson!). As I flip off the television and return to my life, I realize how grateful I am not to live in the FOX mindset. It's a world where love is replaced by fear, and flashing colors and loud noises stand in for open, honest discussions. It's a crazy-mixed up land of deceit, terror, and sleaze.

John Oliver once watched FOX for eight hours, and said afterward that "I may have lost something deep down in my soul." I did 22 (if you discount my sandwich break), and while I think I escaped with my soul intact, I'm not sure I'll ever be quite the same. But at least I've still got my nuts intact.

Well coming back from viewing 22 hours of O'Reilly bloviating and Hannity's lack of sanity with your balls still intact must be viewed as a victory by any measure.

I think this cartoon does a great job of illustrating why we want to take big oil out of our future energy equation.

Big oil is part of the problem, and it will NEVER be part of the solution.

Barack lays out his agenda for Iraq and explains why it was a colossal mistake to invade in the first place.

This is a very powerful and thoughtful speech.

I truly believe that it will ease the minds of a lot of supporters who were worried about Obama flip flopping on Iraq.

Barack also talks about a bold energy plan that is determined to get our country away from oil dependency and move us toward a better and more environmentally friendly future.

Nicholas Kristof's column about the efforts of Greg Mortensen to build new schools in isolated parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Since 9/11, Westerners have tried two approaches to fight terrorism in Pakistan, President Bush’s and Greg Mortenson’s.

Mr. Bush has focused on military force and provided more than $10 billion — an extraordinary sum in the foreign-aid world — to the highly unpopular government of President Pervez Musharraf. This approach has failed: the backlash has radicalized Pakistan’s tribal areas so that they now nurture terrorists in ways that they never did before 9/11.

Mr. Mortenson, a frumpy, genial man from Montana, takes a diametrically opposite approach, and he has spent less than one-ten-thousandth as much as the Bush administration. He builds schools in isolated parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, working closely with Muslim clerics and even praying with them at times.

The only thing that Mr. Mortenson blows up are boulders that fall onto remote roads and block access to his schools.

Mr. Mortenson has become a legend in the region, his picture sometimes dangling like a talisman from rearview mirrors, and his work has struck a chord in America as well. His superb book about his schools, “Three Cups of Tea,” came out in 2006 and initially wasn’t reviewed by most major newspapers. Yet propelled by word of mouth, the book became a publishing sensation: it has spent the last 74 weeks on the paperback best-seller list, regularly in the No. 1 spot.

Now Mr. Mortenson is fending off several dozen film offers. “My concern is that a movie might endanger the well-being of our students,” he explains.

Whenever I read about somebody as inspirational as Mr. Mortensen I always feel badly that I am not doing more. I mean I type on this blog and hope that somebody is seeing the world a little differently or learning something that the power brokers do not want them to see, but I have not even built a birdhouse much less a school in an impoverished area of the world.

So please read the above story and perhaps you will be inspired to do something that will make the world a better place.

I did feel a little better after finding out that Mr.Mortensen was also a blogger. At least we have that in common.

Are there 1 million terrorists on the TSA watch list?

A watch list of suspected and known terrorists, compiled by the US authorities, has ballooned and contains more than one million names, the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday.

The ACLU said it derived that figure from a Justice Department report on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center, which consolidates terrorist watch list information.

The Center "had over 700,000 names in its database as of April 2007 and that the list was growing by an average of over 20,000 records per month," according to a report by the Justice Department Inspector General, the rights group said.

"By those numbers, the list now has over one million names on it," the ACLU said in a statement.

Among those on the watch list are deceased people, such as former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein who was hanged in 2005, decorated war veterans, and US Senator Ted Kennedy, the ACLU said.

Nobel Peace Prize winner, former South African president Nelson Mandela, was also on the list until an act of Congress removed his name -- the only way, according to the ACLU, to get off the list.

"The watchlist is a perfect symbol for what's wrong with the administration's approach to terrorism: it's unfair, out of control, incompetently administered, a waste of resources, and is a very real impediment in the lives of billions of travelers," the director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program, Barry Steinhardt, told reporters in Washington.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) flatly denied the allegation that the list contained one million names.

"Assumptions about the list are just plain wrong," the TSA said in a posting on its website, estimating that there were less than 450,000 people on the watch list.

You know I am not sure that 450,000 terrorists is all that much better then 1,00,000 terrorists. I mean yes it is only half as many, but it means that according to the TSA there are still almost a half of a million people in the world who want to kill us. Including the always dangerous Senator Ted Kennedy, who must only be pretending to battle brain cancer to throw the TSA off his trail. The list is a joke and should be shit canned until the Obama administration takes over and someone with half a brain can put together an accurate list of scary bad guys.

On a personal note when I went to visit my sister last Christmas, which was the first time I had flown since 9-11, I half expected to be on some sort to watch list due to my constant berating of the President on this blog and in my local newspaper.

At first I was very relieved to have no problem clearing the security checkpoints but then later I was kind of let down. I know of a few outspoken critics that HAVE made the list and it pains me to know that the administration does not take my venomous criticisms to be sufficiently damaging enough to get me labeled as dangerous.

It totally screws with my self esteem.