I had to run to catch a train (pant, pant) or my last comment would have been longer... and it would have acknowledged the chuckle you provided. Laugh out loud funny!

That must

[sigh] Looks like some fun here, but I have to go out for some dinner and some local music. I'll check back in later.

That must be it!

I haven't seen any comments or posts about the irony of GWB asking Musharraf to take off his military uniform. This from the world leader who lives to strut around in costume... especially military costume. [sigh]

Maybe we paid too much attention to the chopsticks? But they provided so much comic relief...

Lots of good excerpts in Froomkin's column today, including references to some polls, perhaps the ones discussed up thread. A 70% and even a 71% were mentioned.

Just as war begets more war, ya gots to give peace to get peace.

Pedinska: Without the word "escalate," there are some who would likely not get it.

I'm only half-way through the comments, so someone else may have asked/answered this question.

Didn't last night's vote come up suddenly? I thought that Reid had said it wouldn't come up immediately, but then it got cobbled together last night... too late (perhaps?) for the candidates to get there in time to vote?

Just to be clear, I wasn't trying to make excuses for those who were in place to vote or not, but merely to point out that the candidates were not given enough notice (I thought.)

Thanks to bethincary for mentioning the TPM story on same.

As for Reid, in an earlier post on some previous thread, I said I was done with him. I had defended him in the past, figuring he needed some time to stop, change directions, and turn things around, but a year (since previous election) should be long enough. Too bad that Dodd didn't get to be Senate Democratic leader. I wonder how that might have played out. He was in the running.

As for replacing Reid, I really doubt it's something that anyone will be taking up now, no matter how they feel about him in that position. They'll figure it would be too disruptive now with the 2008 election just getting underway. Too much ammunition for the M$M and their GOP constituents. [sigh]

I don't really agree with you on Pelosi, except for her having taken impeachment off the table. I do think she was (mentally) prepared for being speaker, but Reid obviously was not prepared to be the Senate leader. (So few pundits predicted that changeover.)

Despite all of the polls that Glenn cited earlier expressing disapproval of waterboarding, the Republicans are itching for another fight on “torture.”

Then we should just let the GOP pick another fight on torture... if that's what they really want. In fact, that would be the Democrats' best chance of defeating them, like when Bush et al went after Social Security, and much later, immigration. When the GOP goes on the offensive (and I mean that in so many ways) on issues where the public is sooo not behind them, they often over-reach. So, let them do it again. But this time on something as repugnant as torture. Really, the Democrats should just leave it alone for now, rather than make it any worse. (...by, e.g., creating some kind of past or future immunity.)

I think we're on the same wavelength... I just don't have the T-shirts to go with it. I should do something about that.

Under other circumstances, perhaps the Democrats might stand a chance of defeating the GOP by allowing them, once again, to over-reach.

Of course, I had not seen that quote from Schumer, since I rarely open his email (I think I asked to be removed from his list).

I did, however, just receive something similar from Ted Kennedy"

Waterboarding and every other form of torture are wrong. Now we have a chance to make this crystal clear in U.S. law.

President Bush's nominee for Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, claims current law is not specific enough for him to stand up and stop President Bush's misguided policy. He won't have any more excuses after this legislation passes.

Here's what's happening. I've introduced the Torture Prevention and Effective Interrogation Act to make one basic reform: apply the Army Field Manual -- which prohibits brutal techniques like waterboarding -- to all U.S. government interrogators, not just those in the Department of Defense. With this simple measure, we will clarify the law this Administration has so shamefully distorted.

Stand with me against torture: http://www.democraticmajority.com/torture

There's more, but you probably received a copy, too.

As I also said in my comment, I really think the Democrats should just leave it alone for now, rather than make it worse. by providing some further (unintentional?) immunities.

If Schumer or Kennedy or anyone else passes a law banning waterboarding or requiring (henceforth) that the Army Field Manual, or whatever, be applied, then they automatically give full immunity to Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, any and all military leaders, CIA members, Blackwater personnel who ordered or conducted waterboarding or any other torture.

That was the point I was trying to support... but from the opposite POV. Just let the GOP try and do something with it-- if they really are itching to have another fight over torture-- and then they can find out how wrong they are. Another Schiavo. Or Social Security, etc., etc.

Whenever the GOP tries to take the lead on an issue where the polls clearly show they don't have the support of the public, they just come across as being completely and totally tone-deaf, not to mention "immoral."

Bush doesn't need to visit any fox holes... since he already has "firsthand" experience with war.

Froomkin really covers the coverage on that one today:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html