Movement on Gun Control

Is this the start of a post Virginia Tech movement to revitalize gun control legislation?

Senator Lautenberg has introduced a bill that would allow the justice department to ban the sale of guns to those on a terrorist watch list. It's clearly low-hanging political fruit, wouldn't have a huge effect on crime or accidental gun violence, and President Bush supports it. But, the NRA is opposed, and is lobbying hard against the bill. This could be a political strategy by Democrats to give some momentum to gun control advocates, and put the NRA on defense. Time will tell if this is an effective wedge to squeeze gun control back into public discourse, this time with a national security twist.

Making the World Safe for Democracy

MOSCOW, April 21 — At their first meeting with journalists since taking over Russia’s largest independent radio news network, the managers had startling news of their own: from now on, they said, at least 50 percent of the reports about Russia must be “positive.”

In addition, opposition leaders could not be mentioned on the air and the United States was to be portrayed as an enemy, journalists employed by the network, Russian News Service, say they were told by the new managers, who are allies of the Kremlin.

Read the whole thing.

Kinda puts it all in perspective.

Gates: Timetable = Good

Guess who dropped this refreshing gem:

"The debate in Congress ... has been helpful in demonstrating to the Iraqis that American patience is limited. The strong feelings expressed in the Congress about the timetable probably has had a positive impact ... in terms of communicating to the Iraqis that this is not an open-ended commitment."

A) John Kerry

B) Nancy Pelosi

C) Jacques Chirac

or, D) Robert Gates, Bush's hand-picked Pentagon Czar.

If you guessed, D, you're correct! Bush's top military adviser recognizes the logic behind a planned, phased withdrawal. When will the rest of Washington and the punditocracy?

Bush: Congress Has Right to End War

Check out this quote:

Asked at a recent news conference about congressional war powers, Bush seemed to suggest that while he disagrees with efforts to set a timetable for withdrawal, lawmakers are within their constitutional rights to do so. "The Congress is exercising its legitimate authority as it sees fit right now," Bush said. "I just disagree with their decision."

Note to conservative pundits: even Bush recognizes that Congress has the legitimate authority to end the war. Bush just disagrees about which Iraq policy is best. So, stop hiding your untenable war behind fantasy constitutional voodoo, and start discussing the actual issues facing our country and Iraq.

Remember Whitehouse?

Remember October?

Remember the 2006 elections? How we spent every weekend in Rhode Island, fighting to help Sheldon Whitehouse unseat an incumbent Republican Senator?

Well, it was worth it. Check out this new WashPo profile of Whitehouse, and how he's rocking the Senate as one of the party's top new Senators.

Savage on America and Freedom

"The [terrorist] enemy himself probably listens to this show and says, 'My God, if more of America was like this guy, I probably wouldn't even want to overthrow the country. I'd have nothing to overthrow. I'd be proud to be part of it." -Michael Savage

"The terrorists hate our freedom." -George W. Bush

Only one way to square that circle.

It's the Corruption, Stupid. Or, "Clinton Didn't Do The Same Thing."

One of the most persistent talking points out there regarding the US Attourney scandal is that the USA position is an intrinsically political one, and left to the President's sole discretion; after all, Presidents since Reagan, and including Clinton, have fired virtually all of the old President's USAs upon assuming office.

This is true but irrelevant. What makes this a scandal is one word: intimidation. Bush was using his constitutional right to appoint these USAs, and using it illegaly, to intimidate them into not pursuing corruption cases against Republicans, or to intimidate them into pursuing bogus voter fraud cases against Democrats. And this is a huge issue - these were the same prosecutors going after Jack Abramoff and his ilk, the people who cost Republicans the House.

That is the story. That is the scandal. Intimidation, Republican corruption, and obstruction of justice. Nothing else matters.

So the next time someone tells you that "Clinton did it," you'll know what to respond.

Remember Heather Wilson?

The one we phone banked against all fall?

Well, she's the DCCC's first target for 2008

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog...

Update (from Markus): Here's the DCCC's ad--

Global Warming Debate, Michael Crichton Stoop to New Low

Wow. If you thought political discource in this country was rough, you aint seen nothing yet.

Michael Crichton, a popular novelist, has been one of the GOP's favorite "global warming is a hoax" pundits. In a recent TNR cover story, columnist Michael Crowley criticized Crichton for his very unscientific position.

In response Crichton made up a character in his next book named "Mick Crowley, a Washington-based political columnist." And... well, you have to click the link to find out just how low Crichton went to smear Crowley. It's not suitable for our family establishment here at Dem Apples.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002156.php

Congress in Review

Frank Luntz has written a memo largely attributing recent Republican losses to poor communication and strategy, leaving voters unaware of Congress' many accomplishments

Because it couldn't POSSIBLY be that a Republican Congress was ACTUALLY a FAILURE, could it?

Oh, wait:

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Despite criticism for adjourning last week without acting on several major legislative initiatives, members of Congress can boast significant achievements in at least one area of federal lawmaking -- naming post offices.

"Of the 383 pieces of legislation that were signed into law during the two-year 109th Congress, more than one-quarter dealt with naming or renaming federal buildings and structures -- primarily post offices -- after various Americans."

It's Not About Us - It's About Them

Nancy Pelosi's eventual choice for House Intel chair doesn't know if al-qaeda is shiia or sunni. (hin: sunni.)

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/New_Dem_House_Intel_chief_cant_1210.ht...

This is part of a larger and incredibly disturbing trend. Americans see the conflict in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East and Ccentral Asia through the lense of our own society, concerns, ideologies, and interests. But that's not how Iraqis see it. They have their own set of values. And for us to navigate our way to any non-disastrous result in Iraq, we need to realize that.

Read this whole primer by Simon Rosenberg, A+ Democratic commentator.

http://ndnblog.org/?q=node/530 

Paging irony department: clean up in aisle four!

Whoa boy. Guess who wrote this introduction to their shiny bew blog:

"Unfortunately, many D.C. insiders are simply incapable of looking outside the capital beltway for fresh opinions and new approaches that might otherwise help our nation.
 
I have created this blog in order to provide Americans with a new meeting place where such opinions and viewpoints might be better shared, discussed, and debated; a place where Americans conservative Americans might really speak truth to power and to one another."

Is it, A) David Brooks, B) John McCain, or C) Pat Buchanan.

If you guessed D), Tom DeLay, you're 100% right! 

http://www.tomdelay.com/display/ShowJournal?moduleId=962320&creatorId=13...

Image Manipulation

Power Line (reader beware - a neocon blog) has posted an interesting tutorial in the art of photoshoping a picture to make the subject look horrible.

Through a combination of contrast adjustments, saturations, and focus manipulation, a normal picture of Hillary was made to look like the wicked witch of the west.

 http://powerlineblog.com/archives/016167.php

ISG: Bush Hid Extent of Violence

So the ISG has, to a large extent, done what everyone expected it to - give a bipartisan seal of approval to the already formed consensus that we need to change the course.

One underreported nugget that's buried deep inside it, though, is the report's finding that Bush has systematically hid the true extent of violence in Iraq. For example, "The ISG report said that U.S. officials reported 93 attacks or significant acts of violence on one day in July. Yet a careful review of the reports for that single day brought to light more than 1,100 acts of violence." 

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/columnists/jonathan_s_landay/16179553.htm?source=rss&channel=krwashington_jonathan_s_landay

via TPM 

Democrats: Putting Congress Back to Work

The incoming Democratic leadership has made a bold move - Members of Congress will now have to work FIVE WHOLE DAYS each week! That's a full majority of the week! I think this quote says it all about Republican double standards between themselves and their buddies, and working class America:

"Keeping us up here eats away at families," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who typically flies home on Thursdays and returns to Washington on Tuesdays. "Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR200612...

vvia kos