Martha Stewart Meets...Rachel Maddow

The definition of awkward.

Paul Krugman is not happy

By GottaLaff

When Krugman's not happy, my knees start shaking:

Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman puts those cuts in perspective:

Now the centrists have shaved off $86 billion in spending — much of it among the most effective and most needed parts of the plan. In particular, aid to state governments, which are in desperate straits, is both fast — because it prevents spending cuts rather than having to start up new projects — and effective, because it would in fact be spent; plus state and local governments are cutting back on essentials, so the social value of this spending would be high. But in the name of mighty centrism, $40 billion of that aid has been cut out.

My first cut says that the changes to the Senate bill will ensure that we have at least 600,000 fewer Americans employed over the next two years.

Will someone please tell me why the ObamAdministration is not paying close attention to this Nobel Prize winner? There are a kazillion people advising him, but none of them are named Krugman.

The real question now is whether Obama will be able to come back for more once it’s clear that the plan is way inadequate. My guess is no. This is really, really bad.

Here are the cuts:

Partially cut:

• $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion)

• $75 million from Smithsonian (original bill $150 million)

• $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 million)

• $100 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (original bill $427 million)

• $100 million from law enforcement wireless (original bill $200 million)

• $300 million from federal fleet of hybrid vehicles (original bill $600 million)

• $100 million from FBI construction (original bill $400 million)

Fully eliminated

• $55 million for historic preservation

• $122 million for Coast Guard polar icebreaker/cutters

• $100 million for Farm Service Agency modernization

• $50 million for Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

• $65 million for watershed rehabilitation

• $100 million for distance learning

• $98 million for school nutrition

• $50 million for aquaculture

• $2 billion for broadband

• $100 million for National Institute of Standards and Technology

• $50 million for detention trustee

• $25 million for Marshalls Construction

• $300 million for federal prisons

• $300 million for BYRNE Formula grant program

• $140 million for BYRNE Competitive grant program

• $10 million state and local law enforcement

• $50 million for NASA

• $50 million for aeronautics

• $50 million for exploration

• $50 million for Cross Agency Support

• $200 million for National Science Foundation

• $100 million for science

• $1 billion for Energy Loan Guarantees

• $4.5 billion for General Services Administration

• $89 million General Services Administration operations

• $50 million from Department of Homeland Security

• $200 million Transportation Security Administration

• $122 million for Coast Guard Cutters, modifies use

• $25 million for Fish and Wildlife

• $55 million for historic preservation

• $20 million for working capital fund

• $165 million for Forest Service capital improvement

• $90 million for State and Private Wildlife Fire Management

• $1 billion for Head Start/Early Start

• $5.8 billion for Health Prevention Activity

• $2 billion for Health Information Technology Grants

• $600 million for Title I (No Child Left Behind)

• $16 billion for school construction

• $3.5 billion for higher education construction

• $1.25 billion for project based rental

• $2.25 billion for Neighborhood Stabilization

• $1.2 billion for retrofitting Project 8 housing

• $40 billion for state fiscal stabilization (includes $7.5 billion of state incentive grants)

Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Sea is pulling out of the Alaska market

By GottaLaff

How lyrical: Serenade of the Sea, lalala. But what isn't so lalala is this:

With the announcement last week that Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Sea is pulling out of the Alaska market in 2010, will other cruise lines do the same?

Travel agents are telling me that the sales numbers for Alaska are down compared to last year at this time, but Royal Caribbean is not blaming its pullout on the softening travel market: It is blaming the high cost of business in Alaska. The major cruise lines that serve this market have complained about high costs over the years, but Royal Caribbean is the first line to pull a ship out because of them.

The company singled out high head taxes charged for each passenger, high local taxes and fees, corporate taxes, gaming taxes and the cost of marine pilots.

It will be interesting to see how the other major cruise lines will respond to this move.

Interview-Me Palin's Alaska is awfully pricey and tax-y... too pricey and tax-y for cruise ships that carry tourists who help stimulate Alaska's economy.

And isn't it the Republicans who keep telling us they don't like all those nasty taxes? But, hey, that's our little Interview-Me, going all mavericky on us again.

H/t: Punky 36

VIDEO: Unions step up to fight for Secretary of Labor nominee Solis

By GottaLaff

Go unions!

Increasingly frustrated by Senate Republicans stalling the confirmation of Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) as Labor Secretary, unions are preparing to amp up a national campaign for the nominee.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) blasted a web video to 60,000 online activists Friday asking them to support Solis’s confirmation. In the video, SEIU President Andy Stern asks viewers to sign a petition to back the California Democrat for the Labor position. [...]

The web video is the beginning of a national push by unions for Solis as her confirmation process stumbled since her hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month. [...]

“We are going to ramp this up as much as we need to ramp this up to see Rep. Solis confirmed,” said Ramona Oliver, SEIU’s communications director.

The union, the nation’s largest with 2.8 million members, already has an impressive nationwide apparatus to turn to in support of Solis.

Announced last month, SEIU started the “Change that Works” campaign, which is pushing in 2009 for health care reform, the economic stimulus bill and the EFCA. The union has committed 30 percent of its staff and financial resources to the campaign, costly roughly $50 million.

“We have a nationwide field operation. That could quite easily be tapped into for this,” Oliver said. “We could pull anything from that toolbox.”

This is who the Republicans want to destroy. They not only represent hard-working citizens, they also represent more Democratic victories. That's a big part of what this is all about.

Some Senate Press Offices Think Politico Tax Info Request = A Threat

By GottaLaff

This e-mail from Politico caused a few Senators to reach for their Xanax. Now what would make them so jumpy:

From: FBDC DELETED NAME
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 10:12 AM
To:
Subject: Tax Story

Hey XXX,

We're doing a story about how all 100 senators prepare their taxes, and we're putting together a chart of how everyone responded and whether people didn't respond. My editors want to start posting answers this weekend, so we'd like answers by end of the day Friday, if possible.

You may recall that we did something similar last year in asking all 100 senators about their mortgages. Here's just one story from that series. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11353.html

Thanks for your help, I appreciate it. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Here are the questions:

1. Do you prepare your own taxes?
2. If not, who does?
3. Have you or the IRS ever discovered an error on a tax return you've filed?
4. Have you ever paid back taxes?
5. If the answer to either 3 or 4 is yes, please explain.

NAME DELETED BY FBDC

Politico

Wow. Scary, huh?

The email says that Politico will use the information for a database they plan to construct and write about.

An FBDC source says "the e-mail has created a raging controversy among the Senate press offices over whether to respond or not. Many staffers believe it is meant to intimidate each office into complying."

More details here.

There's an awful lot of controversy over tax records these days. It's gotten to the point where the very word sends chills up and down the spines of public officials. Maybe someone should invent a vaccine. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of investigation.

PhotObama: Sasha and President Daddy out on the town

By GottaLaff

At Kennedy Center. Lerve it.

On a housekeeping note, we have new ads so click through and check them out. You can also always make a donation through the PayPal button to the right (donations are very welcome), and if you are thinking of buying anything from Amazon, if you use the links over to the right, just using one of those links to buy anything gets us a couple pennies a transaction.

Official: Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius near top for health post

By GottaLaff

Her name keeps coming up on every list I've seen for HHS:

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was very near the top of President Barack Obama's list of candidates to head the Health and Human Services Department, a senior administration official said Saturday.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private administration deliberations, said no decision was imminent. But the official added the former Kansas insurance commissioner was rising as Obama considers prospective candidates. [...]

Her name had been floated for several Cabinet posts, but she announced in early December that she had removed herself from consideration from a Cabinet job, citing Kansas' budget problems that needed her attention. [...]

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen also was on Obama's list to run the nation's massive health programs. Already, though, some advocacy groups were lining up to oppose the Democratic governor.

He remains under consideration, the senior official said.

Pre-depression depression

By GottaLaff

Let's get that recovery package going, okay?

(via)

(click on image to enlarge)

Definition of the Day

Found this over at Steve's place and had to share-

From the Unabridged Dictionary of Republican-Speak:

Bipartisanship - Democrats give republicans everything they want.

True Bipartisanship - Democrats give republicans everything they want & apologize for not having done so sooner.

Nail meet hammer.

Did Saddam Hussein Bug Dan Rather Before the Iraq War?

By GottaLaff

Saddam Hussein really bugged us for a long time, didn't he? What a pain he was. He was an especially irritating source of buggage for Dan Rather... but not the kind you might think:

It was probably the most important interview before the Iraq war: Dan Rather vs. Saddam Hussein. But we learn in the new book Hide and Seek: The Search for Truth in Iraq by Charles Duelfer, longtime United Nations and CIA weapons inspector, that Saddam likely got a peek at Rather's questions. [...]

Rather told reporters that his preinvasion quiz was so important that he practiced his questions before a mirror in his Rasheed Hotel room. But Duelfer notes that Saddam had the city so heavily wired for surveillance that his posse probably heard every question. "It is simply surprising," Duelfer tells Whispers, "that someone as worldly as Dan Rather would not assume his room was bugged in one of the most security-conscious regimes on the planet."

Didn't Rather learn anything from all those James Bond movies?

VIDEO: Harry Reid, yes that Harry Reid, gets rave reviews

By GottaLaff

It's all about getting him re-elected:

As the Senate prepares to vote on a nearly $800 billion stimulus package, a prominent Democratic group is set to begin a new advertising campaign praising Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in his home state.

Americans United for Change is spending $50,000 to run the 30-second spot thanking Reid for his work nearly two years before he faces what could be a tough re-election bid. [...]

The ads could be an early boost to Reid, whose recently low approval ratings make him perhaps the most endangered Democrat facing re-election next year. The spots will launch on Sunday in the Las Vegas and Reno markets.

It's the liberal group's second foray into the Silver State this year. An earlier radio ad pressured Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) to vote for the stimulus package after conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said the package was doomed to failure.

Give 'em ... um, something, anything, Harry!

UK milkman delivered cannabis with bottles of milk

By GottaLaff

Speaking of potent pot-ables, do you think this guy moonlights as a designer of customized bongs made from recycled milk bottles?

A British prosecutor says an elderly milkman supplied customers with cannabis as well as bottles of milk.

Robert Holding, 72, delivered marijuana as he made his daily rounds in the town of Burnely, in northwestern England.

Prosecutor Sarah Statham said Friday that Holding offered the drug to elderly customers suffering from aches and pain. She says the customers left Holding notes on their doorsteps to order the drug.

The milkman pleaded guilty. They gave him a 36 month sentence, suspended.

I love this guy. A lot. He really.... delivers.

H/t: Babzter

Myth-Information: Explaining The Cable TV Booking Disparity

By GottaLaff

That media bias we keep howling about? Ambinder tries to explain it to us:

One reason why Republicans have taken control of the debate about the stimulus bill is that they're managed to muscle their way onto political television, which influences how other reporters cover the debate. [...]

There's a very simple reason.

The bookers of the shows look to the White House, not to House Democrats, for the Democratic perspective. If no White House aide can be booked, then they'll quote from the Gibbs briefing. And since the White House's perspective on the stimulus is different, since it's institutional interest is different, they're not going to match the Republican partisan response.

In this way, the presidential megaphone becomes a mild disadvantage. Now -- the White House has started to own the bill. They're putting out more surrogates. Obama's traveling to Florida and Indiana to sell it. The language is getting more aggressive.

Guess the prez still has to learn the ropes. I thought he was savvy already, but apparently, he's not quite savvy enough.... yet.

Potent Pot-ables for 100, Alex: "It is no longer federal policy to beat up on hippies"

By GottaLaff

President Obama is not in the least bit dazed and confused about this:

The White House won't say it explicitly. Neither will the Drug Enforcement Administration. Yet there is a whiff in the air that U.S. policy is about to change when it comes to medical marijuana.

The message is clear, said UCLA professor Mark Kleiman, a former Justice Department official and an expert on crime and drug policy.

"It is no longer federal policy to beat up on hippies," said Kleiman.

Thank goodness for that. To deprive the seriously ill of relief is cruel and amoral.

"Anyone possessing, distributing or cultivating marijuana for any reason is in violation of federal law," Sarah Pullen, a DEA spokeswoman in Los Angeles, said Thursday.

That may be the law, but it contradicts the medical marijuana position of the new president.

"The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind," said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro, repeating past statements. [...]

Philip Heymann, a former deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration who is now a Harvard professor, said it's time for the agency to put more effort into fighting drugs more dangerous than marijuana. [...]

Heymann said he expects the Obama administration will eventually instruct the DEA to emphatically scale back raids on dispensaries, and conduct such raids only in instances where investigators believe a business is abusing the dispensary system as a cover for other criminal behavior.

So last week's raids in California may be the last of their kind.

Cool.

To those who make accusations about our "blind Obama adoration"...

By GottaLaff

It goes without saying, I am a strong Obama supporter, but not an uncritical one. Here are a few areas about which President Obama and I do not agree:

• Panetta: No prosecution for CIA interrogators

• Panetta may consider some harsh methods: Panetta retracted the assertion he made Thursday that the CIA had sent prisoners to other countries to be tortured. He also clarified the Obama administration’s stance on the use of so-called “renditions,” or secret transfers of prisoners to other countries. [...] Panetta made it clear that those renditions could continue, largely unchanged from Bush-era policies.
  

• The Obama administration asks Federal Judge to stay ruling, takes position that President can bypass Congress to 'listen in' on Americans' communications

• The Bafflement that is Judd Gregg as Obama’s Commerce Secretary
  

• 42% tax cuts, 58% spending... for now [I'm in wait-and-see mode].
  

• Biden Says U.S. Will Pursue Missile Plan Russia Opposes: It was unclear on Saturday if Mr. Biden’s statements on missile defense were meant to suggest that the Obama administration had decided to continue some of the Bush administration’s tougher stands on Russia or were part of a bargaining strategy. [I'm in wait-and-see mode here, too]

• Obama's energy pick endorses nukes, clean coal [Again, wait-and-see]
  

I think President Obama is a vast improvement over you-know-who, and in many, many more ways than not, he is an excellent leader. However, he was not my first choice in the primaries for a few reasons, despite my obvious admiration for him and many of his policies. This article is what dampened my initial enthusiasm.

However, that was then, and this is now. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I stand by President Obama and think he is an extraordinary man brimming with potential, loaded with intelligence, chock full-o'-great ideas, and exactly what we need at this moment.

But that doesn't mean I applaud his every move or go along with every plan. That said, GObama... with a few reservations.

VIDEO-- Wall Street Madam: CEOs, Bankers Used Corporate Credit Cards for Sex

By GottLaff

Hey oversighters, who was overseeing this?

Wall street lawyers, investment bankers, CEOs and media executives often used corporate credit cards to pay for $2,000 an hour prostitutes, according to the madam who ran one of New York's biggest and most expensive escort services until it was busted last year.

But prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney's office chose not to pursue any of the corporate titans, says Kristin Davis, who pleaded guilty last year to charges of running a prostitution business that used more than a hundred women.

Can we take the word of a madam?

Davis provided ABC News with a print-out of her computerized client list, the same one she says that was offered to the district attorney.

The document shows Davis kept meticulous notes about her clients, their credit card numbers and mobile phone numbers.

And here we have a veritable orgy of names (pun intended):

Among the names the network says it confirmed:

* a vice president of NBC Universal (owned by General Electric)
* the part owner of a Major League Baseball team who "loves Kelsey"
* the CEO of one of the country's largest private equity firms who met "Cameron" at the Peninsula Hotel
* a major New York real estate developer who, according to the list, "will come to the door wearing women's panties"
* a partner at the Wall Street law firm Cravath Swaine Moore "looking for a party girl to come fully equipped" and spent a total of $20,000
* an investment banker from Lehman Brothers who saw "Kelsey and Keely together" and later saw "Aria and Skyler at the same time"
* an investment banker at JP Morgan Securities who "loves Brooke" and spent $41,600
* an investment banker at Goldman Sachs who "only wanted all-American girls" and spent $27,000
* a managing director from Merrill Lynch who saw "Lana" using the name "Nataly"
* a managing director from Deutsche Bank "who called about seeing Nataly again"

Kelsey seems to be on the A-List, as does that apparent CEO sentimental favorite, the ever-popular menage a trois:

Shepard Fairey, of Obama poster fame, arrested in Boston

By GottaLaff

Photo by Matt Stone

First, copyright issues, and now this. Do you believe in Faireys?

A street artist famous for his red, white and blue "Hope" posters of President Obama was arrested in Boston, where he was wanted on warrants for tagging property with graffiti.

Shepard Fairey, 38, was arrested Friday night on his way to the Institute of Contemporary Art.[...]

Two warrants were issued for Fairey on Jan. 24 after police determined he’d tagged property in two locations with graffiti based on the Andre the Giant street art campaign from his early career, Boston Police Officer James Kenneally said Saturday.

Fairey, of Los Angeles, is scheduled to be arraigned on the misdemeanor charges Monday in Brighton District Court, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for the Suffolk District Attorney. Wark said Fairey would also be arraigned on a default warrant related to a separate graffiti case in the Roxbury section of Boston. [...]

The museum described the reason for Fairey’s arrest as "his efforts posting his art in various areas around the city."

"We believe Shepard Fairey has made an important contribution in the history of art and to popular thinking about art and its role in society," the statement said. "We are enthusiastic to be working with him and are pleased to be showing the first museum retrospective of his work."

The museum said Fairey was released a few hours after his arrest, but that could not immediately be confirmed by authorities. A California lawyer who has represented Fairey in the copyright case didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment on the arrest.

Ginny Delany, who was at the ICA Friday night, told The Boston Globe that Fairey’s arrest "makes him even more of a hero to me."

"The fact that he is arrested for his art shows that it is meaningful to him and he cares about what he is doing," said Delany, a graduate student from Cambridge.

Maybe... just maybe... if we clap three times, this will all go away.

"George W. Bush's penis has made it to Broadway"

By GottaLaff

There are some visuals I never, ever want inside my tiny little noggin. Here's one now:

As The New York Times reports this morning, former President George W. Bush's penis has made it to Broadway. And it was not demure in saying so.

Yes, this member of the administration has a cameo in the new Will Ferrell tribute, "You're Welcome America," already one of the toughest tickets in town. It appears suddenly in the show, in living color, projected on a big screen, drawing gasps but also a few ahhs. It goes away and then appears again, provoking more shock and awe.

Must've been a small screen.

I assume Broadway got around the penal-- or in this case penile-- code.

Reviewers have often beat around the Bush in describing, or failing to describe, the body part. [...]

Since Will Farrell could not get the real thing his team searched the Web for a possible likeness.

How did that happen? Director Adam McKay tells Playbill.com, "There are plenty of dudes out there who don't mind having their [penis] used in a Broadway show. I'd love to know whose it is. He's putting himself on the line as much as anyone out there."

The idea of using the image of a penis originated one day in rehearsals. McKay and Ferrell recalled Dubya's comment that he had enjoyed being "a free man" before he entered the White House.

"We were joking that now that he was out of office, he could do whatever he wants," McKay told the Times, "and so I said, 'Let's have him show his own penis,' and Ferrell was like, 'O.K.' He is a frat boy, a big party guy, and you could imagine him doing this...."

I'd rather not imagine that, but hey, if it sells tickets, go for it.

One reviewer noted, "There is full frontal male nudity, ostensibly to imply that President Bush is compensating for something."

Understatement.

Get ready... Here comes my "shortcomings" line. Nah, never mind. You've heard it before. I obviously need to bone up on my penis jokes before I really blow it. Although, I have to admit, I'm having a ball thinking of them. But it's harder than I thought... really hard. Maybe I should pour myself a stiff drink.

I'll be heading off now, before I get myself into real trouble. I wouldn't want you guys to give me the shaft.

Cowabunga! Econ 101 via cows

By GottaLaff

Stolen from Steve Clemons, because it's presented so clearly that even I can understand it, plus, it's so very a-moo-sing. 21 economic models via "cows" ... yes, cows (go here for the rest):

SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbour.

COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away...

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty
times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 2 cows.
You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.

They milked that for all it was worth. Udderly hilarious. Cudn't be funnier.

KBR wins contract despite criminal probe of deaths

By GottaLaff

From the Department of WTF? Paging ObamAdministration oversight, spill on aisle KBR:

Defense contractor KBR Inc. has been awarded a $35 million Pentagon contract involving major electrical work, even as it is under criminal investigation in the electrocution deaths of at least two U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

The announcement of the new KBR contract came just months after the Pentagon, in strongly worded correspondence obtained by The Associated Press, rejected the company's explanation of serious mistakes in Iraq and its proposed improvements. A senior Pentagon official, David J. Graff, cited the company's "continuing quality deficiencies" and said KBR executives were "not sufficiently in touch with the urgency or realities of what was actually occurring on the ground." [...]

KBR announced last week it won a new $35.4 million contract from the Army Corps of Engineers to design and build a convoy support center at Camp Adder in southern Iraq. It will include a power plant, electrical distribution center, water purification and distribution systems, wastewater and information systems and road paving.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the new KBR contract was inappropriate. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said he has formally asked the Corps of Engineers whether it was confident KBR could accomplish it and whether the Corps had any alternatives.

"This is hardly the time to award KBR a new contract for work they've already failed to perform adequately, and which put U.S. soldiers at even greater risk," Dorgan said in a statement. "Ultimately, contractors must be held accountable, and so should those who continue to award these contracts." [...]

Separately, court papers filed in Houston on Friday show KBR is preparing to plead guilty to federal bribery charges for promising and paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to officials in Nigeria in exchange for engineering and construction contracts between 1995 and 2004.

And they were re-hired... why?

H/t: Babzter

VIDEO: Hypocrisy, thy name is McConnellGrahamKylSessions

By GottaLaff

Why do Republicans keep forgetting that there are such things as the InterWebs, video, newspapers, radio, and the Tee Vee Machine?

The Republicans who now call the $800 billion recovery package “too big” jumped on the Bush bandwagon claiming his $1.35 trillion in tax cuts were just what was needed to jump start a sluggish economy. [...]

If you compare the condition of the economy in 2001 to the current state of the economy, the numbers show that those who now call the recovery package too big, were willing to spend far more when the economic situation wasn’t nearly as precarious:

	2001	2009
Cost of package:	$1.35 trillion	$900 billion
Unemployment:	4%	7.6%
Percent of Population Living In Poverty:	12.7%	17%
Foreclosure Rates:	.48%	1.19%
Americans Relying On Food Stamps:	17 million	Over 30 million

Classic. Keep talking, McConnellGrahamKylSessions. If anyone is still listening, they'll soon stop.

Ann Coulter, Economic Expert

With slurred words, Coulter, who has no discernible expertise in economics, provided just the kind of thoughtful and insightful analysis of the stimulus plan you'd expect from her.

First, she declared the three Republican Senators (Snowe, Collins and Specter) who are supporting the Democratic plan, “literally, a couple of the stupidest, most traitorous** Republians.”

Then Coulter displayed her money mojo. “The government doesn't do anything,” Coulter said. “It doesn't make money.”

**They sure do throw around traitor with ease.

GOP leader Steele's campaign spending questioned

Tsk tsk. The ink is barely dry on his GOPer King certificate.

WASHINGTON - Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors.

Federal agents in recent days contacted Steele's sister, a spokesman for Steele said yesterday.

The claim about the payment, one of several allegations by Alan B. Fabian, is outlined in a confidential court document. Fabian offered the information last March as he was seeking leniency for himself during plea negotiations on unrelated fraud charges. It is unclear how extensively his claims have been pursued.

GOP Strategist: Wussy Republicans are voting for stimulus

Maybe if we can keep them fighting amongst themselves we can get something done. APU, I found another great headline this morning, from my personal fav Dick "Toe Sucker" Morris-

Specter and Collins Commit Treason

Saturday Links

CSpan is especially frothy this morning. ZOMG, did you know that ACORN is getting bazillions of dollars in Umba Mogambu Obama's Socialist Takeover White People Suk Bill?

Fourteen killed in Australian wildfires

Startled Iraqis welcome,sort of, their first tourist

What is white phosphorous and is Israel using it in Gaza?

Venezuela's Jews in fear after Chavez's anti-Israel attacks

Is it Jesus or Sasquatch on door?

California Medical Board investigates doctor who implanted embryos in mother of octuplets

Left powerless by Kentucky ice storm, family finds web of complications

Even elderly are facing eviction

Headline of the Morning

Not taking a chance that there'll be another good one yet today.

Stimulus Compromise: Less Spending, More Tax Cuts, Three GOP Votes
Whew, that sure was worth all the sturm and drang.

Added Meme Alert- Looks like one of the Wingers coined a new phrase- "Spendulus Bill". It's like they're all 5th graders.

President Obama's Weekly Address

PhotObama: Big Night Out at Kennedy Center edition

By GottaLaff

A night out:

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive at the Kennedy Center for the the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance Friday.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

On a housekeeping note, we have new ads so click through and check them out. You can also always make a donation through the PayPal button to the right, and if you are thinking of buying anything from Amazon, if you use the links over to the right, just using one of those links to buy anything gets us a couple pennies a transaction.

R.I.P. James Whitmore

By GottaLaff

If you are not familiar with James Whitmore's work, you've missed a lot. He was excellent:

James Whitmore, the many-faceted character actor who delivered strong performances in movies, television and especially the theater with his popular one-man shows about Harry Truman, Will Rogers and Theodore Roosevelt, died Friday, his son said. He was 87.

The Emmy- and Tony-winning actor was diagnosed with lung cancer the week before Thanksgiving and died Friday afternoon at his Malibu home, Steve Whitmore said. [...]

His long-running "Give 'em Hell, Harry," tracing the life of the 33rd president, was released as a theatrical movie in 1975. Whitmore was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor, marking the only time in Oscar history that an actor has been nominated for a film in which he was the only cast member. His Teddy Roosevelt portrait, "Bully," was also converted into a movie.

He later became the TV pitchman for Miracle-Gro plant food, and used the product in his large vegetable garden at his Malibu home.

While not known for his politics, Whitmore was an early supporter of President Barack Obama. He stumped for Obama during a 2007 rally at the Gibson Theatre at Universal Studios, telling the crowd that Obama had the wisdom "to deal with a very, very confused and complex country, and the world." Whitmore also appeared in TV commercials in 2008 for the "First Freedom First" campaign, which advocates religious liberty and preserving the separation of church and state. [...]

Besides war movies, he appeared in Westerns ("The Last Frontier," "Chato's Land"), musicals ("Kiss Me Kate," "Oklahoma!"), science fiction ("Planet of the Apes," "Them"), dramas ("The Asphalt Jungle," "The Shawshank Redemption") and comedies ("Mr. O'Malley and Mrs. Malone," "The Great Diamond Robbery.") [...]

Whitmore often appeared on television, starring in the series "The Law and Mr. Jones" (1960-1962), "My Friend Tony" (1969) and "Temperatures Rising" (1972-1973). He received an Emmy in 1999 as guest actor in a series for "The Practice."

Poll-itics: Challenging the Punditiots edition

By GottaLaff

Dear punditiots,

Please take a look at the following polls. Then explain all that doomy-gloomy slippage you insist has occurred.

Sincerely, Laffy

(to view this without glasses, go here...)

(...and here)

H/t: Hippie_Cyndi

Pakistan Lifts Restrictions on Nuclear Proliferator

By GottaLaff

Um...

A Pakistani court freed one of the most successful nuclear proliferators in history, Abdul Qadeer Khan, from house arrest on Friday, lifting the restrictions imposed on him since 2004 when he publicly confessed to running an illicit nuclear network.

Mr. Khan, 73, considered in the West as a rogue scientist and a pariah who sold technology to North Korea, Libya and Iran, is revered as a national hero in Pakistan for his role in transforming the country into a nuclear power.

The ruling to set him free seemed as much a political decision as a legal one, intended to shore up support for the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, which has been derided in the Pakistani press as being too close to the United States. The government has been under intense domestic pressure to free Mr. Khan, and that outweighed the backlash that Mr. Zardari knew the action would trigger in Washington.

Issued by a court of limited jurisdiction set up under the previous government, the decision came just days before the Obama administration’s special enjoy to the region, Richard C. Holbrooke, was scheduled to visit Islamabad. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said “the so called A. Q. Khan affair is a closed chapter.”

Khan, always the diplomat, said “I don’t damn care” about the international reaction to his release. Sleep well, everyone.

Not so fast, punditiots

By GottaLaff

I've been thinking all along, as many of you have, that President Obama is usually one step ahead of the rest of us. At the very least, IMHO, more often than not he has good reasons for what he does:

What's holding President Obama back from wielding his considerable political power like a club and smashing the Republican congressional opposition to his stimulus package? [...]

The conventional wisdom in Washington is that Obama is losing the all-important spin campaign to Republicans -- and that it's time for him to flex some muscle. [...]

But Obama's basic response to the criticism that he is not playing the Washington game right is that it shouldn't be a game in the first place. And the reason he has let Congress shape the bill rather than doing it himself is that he thinks that's the way American government is supposed to work.

Is it possible we've gotten so used to the way former President Bush played the game -- and rolled Congress -- that we are judging Obama by his standard? And if so, is that the right standard? What explains Obama's conduct? Is it naivete, or is it humility?

Maybe he's just smarter, fairer, more human, and more thoughtful than Bush. Maybe it's that simple. Maybe the punditiots should stop being so damned judgmental instead of being in such a hurry to jump on the propaganda bandwagon.

Details, details

By GottaLaff

Here are a few things you may want to know about the recovery bill:

"We trimmed the fat, fried the bacon and milked the sacred cows," Nelson said. He said the compromise includes $350 billion in tax cuts that would reach 95 percent of all Americans. [...]

Among the amendments that passed today was one sponsored by Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) that would restrict the hiring of foreign workers by banks receiving federal bailout money. The provision would require banks to seek American workers when hiring instead of giving those jobs to foreigners brought in under the H-1B visa program.

Sanders said the measure, which would be in effect for two years, would ensure that banks receiving federal money "are not allowed to import cheaper labor from overseas while they are laying off American workers."[...]

Two sticking points for Republicans were funding for school construction and Head Start, both viewed as worthy programs but not ones that would provide a sufficient boost to the economy. [...]

Some items on the cutting board included $99 million in technology upgrades for the State Department's National Cyber Security Initiative, $200 million for benefits for Filipino veterans, $55 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, and $122 million for the Coast Guard to purchase new or renovated polar icebreakers.

But senators also debated whether to keep in the bill numerous big-ticket items that their colleagues had fought for. About $14 billion in Pell grant funding appeared to have survived, but some senators were targeting at least $10 billion in other education programs. Billions of dollars in energy efficiency incentives and state aid also were under review by the centrist group.

There you go.

Republican Congressman Twitters a Security Breach

By GottaLaff

From the Department of Oy Vey:

"A congressional trip to Iraq this weekend was supposed to be a secret," CQ Politics reports.

"But the cat's out of the bag now, thanks to a member of the House Intelligence Committee who broke an embargo via Twitter."

Guess who it was:

A delegation led by House Minority Leader John A. Boehner , R-Ohio, arrived in Iraq earlier today, and because of Rep. Peter Hoekstra , R-Mich., the entire world — or at least Twitter.com readers—now know they’re there.

“Just landed in Baghdad,” messaged Hoekstra, a former chairman of the Intelligence panel and now the ranking member, who is routinely entrusted to keep some of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets.

Before the delegation left Washington, they were advised to keep the trip to themselves for security reasons. A few media outlets, including Congressional Quarterly, learned about it, but agreed not to disclose anything until the delegation had left Iraq.

Nobody expected, though, that a lawmaker with such an extensive national security background would be the first to break the silence. And in such a big way.

Not only did Hoekstra reveal the existence of the lawmakers’ trip, but included details about their itinerary in updates posted every few hours on his Twitter page, until he suddenly stopped, for some reason, on Friday morning.

And Republicans have the nerve to accuse President Obama of being weak on security?

The Stimulus Saga, Part 10729

By GottaLaff

Politico Guy on MSNBC is now saying the Republicans have 48 hours to spread their propaganda, but they know that the recovery package will be passed. He also says $780 billion is not the final number. Obama will be campaigning to gain more support for the bill.

Watching Keith Olbermann now, who is repeating what I said down thread that 42% of the bill is now... tax cuts. Think of it this way: John McCain only got 42% of what he wanted.... right after he contradicted himself saying "tax cuts don't stimulate the economy."

Richard Wolffe: Yes, it's rushed, but the political/economic pressure from Obama is too much. They want to read it more slowly and wait until Sunday. Reid doesn't want to force this to a vote. Kennedy is a needed vote, especially with no Al Franken. However, there are enough Senators making a compromise that they still have enough votes. In the end, the Republicans will lose this, because the president will get what he wants. Nobody wants to say they got in the way of creating jobs, so the Rs are in a bind.

VIDEO--Todd Palin Guilty: Contempt of Senate

By GottaLaff

Senator Hollis French introducing Senate Resolution 5; Finding Troopergate witnesses in contempt of Senate. Witnesses included: Todd Palin, Randy Ruaro, Ivy Frye, Annette Kreitzer, Dianne Kiesel, Nikki Neal, Brad Thompson, Michael Nizich, Kris Perry, and Janice Mason.

Remember the good old days when Interview-Me Sarah was guilty of abusing power, and Husband Todd was subpoenaed, and everyone was one big happy scofflaw family? Remember how frustrating all that was? Time to exhale... One down:

At 10:09am on February 6, 2009, Senate Resolution #5 passed 16-1. This resolution finds the witnesses who ignored their subpoenas GUILTY OF CONTEMPT of the Alaska State Senate.

This resolution did not address the actions of Talis Colberg. It called for no penalties to the 7 witnesses because they were being guided by the Attorney General and they did cooperate with Mr. Branchflower as soon as their lawsuit was thrown out of court.

There was very little discussion on the floor.

The lone dissenting vote? Senator Con Bunde. Rule of Law Anyone? Strange, because as I watched Gavel to Gavel this morning, I saw Senator Bunde put his hand on his heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance with the rest of the Chamber. "With liberty and justice for all." Maybe those are just words. I guess in Con's world, it's OK to ignore subpoenas.

This weekend is the Iron Dog Snowmachine Race. Todd Palin will drive his machine to Nome with a new cloud. Todd Palin is in contempt of the Alaska State Senate.

H/t: Ellen

Tentative stimulus deal: The sequel to the updates

By GottaLaff

Chris Matthews: The Democrats are making the point that this is an imperfect package.

We know, nobody needs to make the point.

I'll be updating regularly.

Chris Matthews says the Democrats should make the Republicans filibuster. I couldn't agree more. Dare the Republicans to oppose it, he says. Bring the cots in, and point out the Republicans opposing the recovery package.

David Axelrod: We have enough votes to pass a package. We'd like to build the coalition.... Those who want to turn back the clock put themselves in jeopardy. The president believes there is value in talking, but the time for talk is done.

If you're tired of the punditiots saying that Obama is losing the p.r. war, raise your hand. Maybe if this weren't happening, he would "win" it.

Reid went to the Democratic Caucus... who objected to the cuts. But they have accepted the deal, and now Reid will try to get the amendment on the floor tonight. That will clear the way to final passage. Now the question is, will the Republicans try to filibuster?

The Dems say they have "about 3" Republicans, which gives them 60... barely.

UPDATE: It's 42% tax cuts, 58% spending now.

Ben Nelson and Susan Collins have been working together. Nelson is speaking now.

There will not be a vote tonight, but there are enough votes to pass the amendment and then the package, says MSNBC Guy. 58 Dems, including Ted Kennedy, 3 Republicans, so a total of 61.

Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg to return to bench in 17 days

By GottaLaff

Good news:

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg plans to return to the bench less than three weeks after being hospitalized for pancreatic cancer, her office said Friday.

Ginsburg anticipates returning to the bench for the court’s next arguments on Feb. 23, according to Kathy Arberg, a spokeswoman for the Supreme Court.

The tentative stimulus deal, update

By GottaLaff

Chris Matthews now on MSNBC: Harry Reid says take the 90%, the 780 billion and go with that. He's facing opposition on the left. Ted Kennedy made a trip down to the Senate to add his voice, his vote.

So Harry's trying to sell it to the Democratic Caucus. That's the gist.

9/11 victims' families happy with today's meeting with President Obama

By GottaLaff

I'm watching a 9/11 victim's relative on MSNBC right now, and she is saying that she was more than pleased with her president when they met today. President Obama will investigate all the cases thoroughly, he told her, and she feels very reassured.

He answered their questions for 45 minutes and assured them they would get "swift and certain justice," says a firefighter who was working that day (I believe I got his identity right; please correct me if I didn't).

Update by Paddy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Judge: Sarah Palin used her child as a "prop" which "blew her (the judge's) mind"

By GottaLaff

It seems like just the other... hour... that I posted this:

"Bored, anonymous, pathetic bloggers who lie annoy me."
--Sarah Palin

I'm so bored and anonymous (I won't go so far as to call myself "pathetic," and I don't lie) that I shall now post this post, post haste:

A federal judge [U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ] presiding over a case involving an autistic boy took a shot at former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin for bringing her Down syndrome child on stage after a debate last year. [...]

"That kid was used as a prop," the judge said. "And that to me as a parent blew my mind."

Such conferences are often held behind closed doors, but the remarks were overheard by a reporter for the New York Daily news.

That was amusing. I must remember to be bored more often.

Anonymously yours,

Laffy

More proof of hypocrisy for "Precious" Andy Card to deny

By GottaLaff

Andy, Andy, dainty little "Precious" Andy, looky what one of our Commenters found:

H/t: Pigboy

Senate reaches tentative deal on stimulus package

By GottaLaff

Hardball's Chris Matthews is saying there is impending breaking news on the recovery deal. I'll update this post the second I hear. Expect a blog title change.

UPDATE: I changed the blog title to reflect the "Breaking News" banner that appears on MSNBC right now.

The "bipartisan group" (Nelson, Collins, etc.) is putting something together for tonight, says Tweety. Waiting for more.

UPDATE #2: The deal totals just under 800 billion dollars. I wonder what got cut, and how angry some of us will be when we find out. Harry Reid is trying to discuss this deal with the Democratic Caucus as we speak. We are still speaking, aren't we?

UPDATE #3: Tim Kaine says it will go to conference, sure, but that it's a balanced approach that includes Rachel Maddow's favorite word: Infrastructure. It also includes job assistance.

UPDATE #4: What the heck is a Democrat doing on the air? (See #3)

Afternoon Distraction

Today would have been Marley's 64th birthday. I had tons of problems with the city of Miami the 15 years (on and off) that I lived there, but this song brings back wonderful memories of Monty's By The Bay. Hot breezes, cool drinks and mellow music.

The Last Straw

Good lord. h/t Ben.

On Stimulus, Democrats Beating GOP On Party Unity

A silver lining. Via Nate.

There have already been 13 distinct votes on various amendments and elements related to the stimulus package; these are roll call votes numbers 37 through 49 in the Senate's official record.

So far, Senate Democrats have voted in accordance with what we believe to be the administration's position 97.4 percent of the time -- or 98.1 percent of the time if the most common "Democratic" dissenter, Joe Lieberman, is excluded from the tally.

By contrast, the Republicans have voted against the administration's position an average of 89.2 percent of the time. That's fairly unified also, but the Democrats are nevertheless picking off an average of 4 Republican votes on each amendment, whereas the Republicans are getting an average of only 1 and 2 Democrats siding with them. That's a net swing of 2 or 3 votes in the Democrats' direction -- possibly enough to get them to 60 votes when the final bill comes up for passage.