Gitmo detainees likely to end up in Illinois supermax prison

By GottaLaff

(Lane Christiansen/chicago Tribune Via Associated Press)

That sound you hear is the hair being ripped out of Rushpublic heads:

Despite opposition from congressional Republicans, the Obama administration is signaling that a state prison in rural Thomson, Ill., will probably become the new home for scores of terrorism suspects now housed at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Oh noes! Batten down the hatches! The terrorists will be released the second they hit Illinois soil and make a mad rush for your children's swing sets!

What-oh-what will the president do to calm frayed GOP nerves and paranoia? Xanax? Valium?

To reassure skeptical Republicans, they emphasized security.

Oh... that.

If all goes well, administration sources involved in closing the Guantanamo Bay prison anticipate a handover of the Thomson facility by late winter. It would then take several months to prepare the prison to a level "beyond supermax" and put the staff in place, according to federal estimates.

That's it. Thomson will be Ground Zero for Bad Guy Central. Plot after evil plot will be hatched. Never mind that we already have convicted terrorists safely locked away with no escapes, no havoc, no Al Qaeda recruitment offices opening up within prison walls.

In other words, politicizing as usual is a big fat waste of time:

"We can defeat Republican efforts to stop this," said Schakowsky, who contends the GOP is "'absolutely politicizing the situation. They're looking for any angle that would make the president somehow look soft on terrorists. Fear, in the past, has been their friend."

So it's true: You can judge a person by who their friends are.

"When a Progressive Blog for Profit Like HuffPost Starts Peddling Panic, It's Time for Reflection"

By GottaLaff

Your daily dose of BuzzFlash--excerpt:

We have enormous respect for the Huffington Post and particularly for Arianna Huffington's brilliant analysis. But when a progressive Internet site -- and the leader on the web -- takes a turn toward the sensational and panic peddling, it's time to pause for reflection upon the impact of commercial investment on the web.

Huff Post started out as a sort of a celebrity blog version of the Daily Kos -- and with the oversight of a former AOL honcho and the infusion of millions of dollars in capital, it expanded into a progressive online newspaper. It had the money, the celebrity panache, and the brainpower to create the news source of the future, and people -- particularly liberals -- flocked to Huff Po.

But in the past few weeks, its photos and screaming mile-high headlines on the homepage appear more like the New York Post or an attempt to out-Drudge the Drudge Report.

More here. I have to say, I've heard similar thoughts from a number of people.

GOP officials in "paranoid tizzy" over impending Franken win

By GottaLaff

The tizz factor has risen dramatically:

The possible, perhaps, impending victory of Al Franken to the Senate has sent GOP officials into a paranoid tizzy.

In an "urgent message" to supporters, the Republican National Lawyer Association accuses Franken and his "liberal allies" of "working feverishingly [sic] to steal the Minnesota Senate election."

"Feverishingly"? If I were the righties, I'd look for new lawyers.

For those following the recount closely, the letter is filled with a variety of obvious misinterpretations and inaccuracies. For instance, the RNLA gives the impression that during the canvassing process, officials "found errors favoring Franken so incredibly statistically improbable that statisticians are questioning the officials in these counties." It's not clear which statisticians the RNLA is referring to. But a study done by a Dartmouth professor actually predicted the very gains made by Franken.

The thought of an Al Franken victory driving this bunch over the edge (well, more over the edge than usual) is nearly as unbelievably suh-weet as the thought of Billo the Clown's potential meltdown.

The funniest bit, however, comes at the end of RNLA letter, in which the group makes a plea to help Coleman match the money Franken has raised for their "legal battle."

"Since election day when it was clear Norm Coleman had won, Al Franken raised millions of dollars to continue his legal battle. We need to do the same for Norm Coleman."

The Minnesota Republican, of course, is mired in an ethics scandal that could threaten his Senate seat should he win reelection. Franken is just lawyering up for the recount.

Poor ol' Normy may have to return to his previous drug-induced state.

Obama On Bailout- Americans Need Assurances