Harry Reid Could Support For Reconciliation Vote On Public Option

By GottaLaff

Here's an update to my earlier post about President Obama's signaling support of the other R word: Reconciliation.

For the first time, Harry Reid is saying that if reconciliation is chosen, then the public option will come to vote. But there are a lot of buts:

With more and more Senators signing on to the letter urging Reid to hold an up or down vote on the public option under reconciliation rules, Reid spokesman Rodell Mollineau sends over a statement signaling Reid’s qualified support for the move:

Senator Reid has always and continues to support the public option as a way to drive down costs and create competition. That is why he included the measure in his original health care proposal.

If a decision is made to use reconciliation to advance health care, Senator Reid will work with the White House, the House, and members of his caucus in an effort to craft a public option that can overcome procedural obstacles and secure enough votes.

That’s a fairly big step forward: Up until now, Reid, while supporting the public option throughout the process, had been silent on whether he’d support a reconciliation vote on it.

Go read Greg Sargent's piece to see what the hurdles are.

But still, for the first time, the Majority Leader’s office has now said that a reconciliation vote on the public option is a real possibility.

Glimmers.

Glimmer of hope? Spanish judge wants to keep Gitmo case alive

By GottaLaff

I'm getting whiplash. I'm not too optimistic, but this is still good to hear:

MADRID, Spain (CNN) – A Spanish judge moved Friday to keep alive an investigation into six former Bush administration officials for alleged torture of prisoners at the U.S. detention camp for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay. Cuba.

He acted just hours after prosecutors urged the case to be dropped, according to a court document.

The more attention paid to BushCo's war crimes, the better, so I consider this good news, no matter how it plays out.

President Barack Obama shortlisted for two British book awards.

At least the Brits will be showing him some love.

Mr Obama could be crowned Borders' author of the year for The Audacity of Hope, which outlines his own deep-felt political and personal values.

Also, his memoir of his early life and African-American heritage Dreams From My Father is a candidate for Tesco biography of the year.

The awards, which cover commercial bestsellers and literary prize-winners, give readers a say, with the winners decided by a mix of industry academy and public voting.

The Galaxy Book of the Year, the ultimate prize for the reading public's very best book of the year, will be selected on the night.

VIDEOS: Myth-Information: Cable "news" edition

By GottaLaff

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

(Here is the full context of Bill Clinton's remarks.)

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

Here is a clip of Pat Buchanan making an ass of himself over Alaska's governor (start at about 3:07) on Morning Joe yesterday. It's subtle compared to today's bout of Palin-reflux.

Watching MSNBC and CNN is damaging to one's health. Who's brain wouldn't explode after exposure to Pat Buchanan's unbridled giddiness over the Sarah Palin calendar (he was positively awash in saliva over "Miss September" depicting Limelight Sarah with her shotgun)? The video above doesn't begin to compare to the panting Buchanan's repeatedly calling her "hot" and openly lusting over her on this morning's regular Peter Fenn/Pat Buchanan fest (If anyone can find a clip, I'll happily post.).

That moment was somehow topped by the incessant focusing on an out-of-context clip of Bill Clinton's remarks about President Obama's apparent inexplicably sudden inability to be positive. Yes, according to cable news [sic], the audacity of hope president has lapsed into the audacity of nope. Are these people really so lazy that they can't do any real reporting?

If President Obama were to drop his realistic approach to what's left of our economy, and start morphing into a Hooveresque "prosperity is just around the corner" mantra, he'd be crucified for that, too, for obvious reasons: It wouldn't be true.

Obama hasn't exactly been morose. And in case anyone on the Cable Tee Vee Machine has noticed, he consistently infuses even his most serious speeches with notes of optimism.

News has gone completely tabloid. It's criminal. There is no way to achieve an informed, truly democratic electorate when the media forcefeeds us propaganda, half-truths, and superficial broadcasts laced with stories intended to raise ratings instead of awareness.

At a time when honest, frank, accurate reporting of pertinent information is mandatory for a country desperate for an improved quality of life, this is no time for self-serving, greed-driven synthetic product. Just as a diet of cheap carbs may temporarily satisfy hunger, it is no substitute for a healthy diet. And in the longrun, it's detrimental to our longterm well-being.

VIDEO-- Obama's influence on education: He inspires teacher's book

By GottaLaff


Okay, so there's this kid sitting in the back of the class. And he totally gets the teacher to listen to him when he had a suggestion about all that boring vocab memorization:

The Rev. Eugene Williams Sr., of Clinton, has self-published "Words, Cross & Across: Word Searches on Barack Obama," a book of word searches and puzzles based on the president-elect and his family.

Mr. Williams, 67, said he got the idea for the book last year when his 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade English students at Annapolis Road Academy, in Bladensburg, didn´t understand many of the words in Mr. Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. [...]

Mr. Williams said he eschewed the traditional memorization approach to vocabulary by building on the suggestion of student Aaron Johnson, who sits in the back of the class.

Pshyeah. Teens are so kewl that way. Serious.

Mr. Williams said he crafted the searches and charts with word meanings and usage components so students also could learn definitions. [...]

Words such as "father," "nice" and "bank" are included to balance out "elucidate," "puissant," and "gregarious" so that even younger children can learn from the book. [...]

Mr. Williams said he spent months researching before writing the 156-page book, even watching the president-elect on the Web site YouTube, to help him make better associations with Mr. Obama's word choices. [...]

"One best remembers words through association," Mr. Williams said, adding that students will not forget the word "loquacious" when used to describe them.

Omg, I know, right? Like, Bush: Cretin. Bush: Embarrassment. Bush: Destruction. Cheney: Torture. Cheney: Felon. Cheney: Unconstitutional.

The proceeds from his most recent book will go to Academic Resources Unlimited Inc., a nonprofit group created by Mr. Williams that provides tutoring services for underprivileged students in the D.C. area. [...]

Mr. Williams also has taken a more "grass-roots" approach to sales. He is allowing residents to sell copies of "Words" for 30 percent to 40 percent commission. This not only gives the book publicity, but it also allows people looking for a little extra cash to take advantage of "Obamania."

"People are buying everything about Barack Obama," Mr. Williams said.

Upon release, he sent two copies of "Words" to the Obama campaign office in Chicago - one to Mr. Obama, another to the president-elect's wife, Michelle.

Mr. Williams said he knew the Obamas would appreciate his book because they shared the same philosophy on education.

"With an educated populace, we have a better society," Mr. Williams said.

That last sentence explains so much about the policies of the past eight years. With an uneducated populace, we have a weaker, more compliant society. And what more could a power-hungry administration wish for?

Valerie Jarrett: Realize the promise

By GottaLaff

Those damn community organizer types! Accentuating the positive, realizing the promise, who do they think they are:

Valerie Jarrett, who has been selected to be a senior adviser to President-elect Obama, got back to her Chicago roots by reaching out to community organizers at a roundtable event at the Washington Hilton yesterday. “Realizing the Promise,” a forum designed to give the transition team input on solutions from the grassroots level, showed Jarrett in a light similar to the president-elect, rallying the masses with a message of hope.

“Yes we can!” she cheered, stirring up the crowd. The audience, filled with nearly 2,500 community activists from around the nation stood to their feet as she entered the room.

[...] She relied on rhetoric about how optimism and unification are the keys to the success of the new administration.

“Our future is bright, and there’s nothing we can't do if we can come together as one,” said Jarrett. “The challenges are daunting ... but [we can] hold hands and follow the vision of President-elect Obama's campaign, which is let's not talk about all the issues that divide us, let's talk about what we have in common.”

Melody Barnes, the soon-to-be director of the White House domestic policy council, echoed Jarrett about the importance of community effort in setting the policy agenda.

[...] Jarrett continued the plea for outreach from the ground level, suggesting that town halls and forums are the best way to brainstorm during the transition.

“We can count on you to advise us,” said Jarrett. “You know better than anybody else what your community needs in order to improve your neighborhood.”

The audacity of a painting called "Hope"

By GottaLaff

Inspirational:

[I]n the past two weeks, this cozy little art gallery nestled in central London has attracted a growing trickle of visitors in search – literally – of hope.

In this case it takes the form of a painting which may have helped inspire Barack Obama.

Entitled "Hope," the canvas hanging inside London's Guildhall Art Gallery as part of an exhibition by Victorian painter George Frederic Watts might appear unremarkable to some.[...] [I]t depicts a young blindfolded woman strumming on the last unbroken string of a harp, her ear to the instrument.

Obama's controversial former pastor Jeremiah Wright invoked the image as a symbol of inspiration during a sermon in Chicago 20 years ago.

The harpist, he preached, "is sitting there in rags ... her clothes are tattered as though she had been a victim of Hiroshima… [yet] the woman had the audacity to hope."

The imagery stayed with Obama. [...]

Staff say they are surprised at the level of interest in the current Watts exhibition, and specifically in "Hope," and insist that the timing of the exhibition was purely coincidental.

Thanks to its "Obama connection," which has been reported in a few articles in the British press, the exhibition has sparked interest not just among art lovers but among those who normally care little for a few brush strokes. [...]

As an admirer of Watts, the US president-elect will have ample opportunities to admire the latter, which the Englishman gave to the American people.

Where was it eventually installed on the orders of Theodore Roosevelt?

The White House.

So whaddya think... will it make its way on to coffee mugs and tee shirts now that a very popular Barack Obama is president?