They seem to be driven by two things. First, there's the fear of investigating Authority, and second... boobies.

If we want them to seriously cover this case, somebody's going to have to dig up Ivins' corpse and give it breast implants.

Heck, we're losing an entire STATE, looks like. Maybe that's it: the terrorists have hijacked the Mississippi River.

Well, they did. And I'm going to say the same thing about it this time that I said last time... don't go whaling on the Democratic leadership *too* quickly.

The Republican leadership in Congress is going to be bringing this up, constantly, right through the end of this session. They *need* telecoms immunity; it covers up their own criminal acts. It's only rational to expect James Boehner to try to drag Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer off and pitch immunity every single time he sees them. (They've gotta be avoiding him like the plague by now.)

Since it's genuinely important to them, every time Boehner manages to get Hoyer into a corner, one of his staffers is going to "leak" the "fact" of an "imminent compromise" on immunity. The corporate media then repeats what they're given; it's what they DO, these days, anybody who reads this blog knows that. You can always get some low-level staffer from some Blue Dog's office... hey, look, it's Rep. Carney!... to provide "bipartisan" gloss.

I'm NOT saying, don't watch the news stories. I'm saying, on this particular subject, watch for substantiated quotes from Democratic leaders. Nothing else matters. When, last week, Silvestre said he was "fine" with a bit of kabuki-theater language that would have effectively given the telecoms immunity, that was worrisome. Today's NYT story is nothing.

Letters to your Representative saying, "I know, the Republcans are still pushing on this issue, and all of us who are your actual friends appreciate your continued willingness to stand up to them", those are helpful. Letters saying "OMG UR CAVING AGAIN KILL YOU KILL YOU ALL!!11!!"... not helpful.

The substance of your post is, as always, depressingly correct, and I don't really have anything much to add there. However, there is one tiny thing... the phrase "very-liberal-media." Please lose the second dash, we don't want you going all Doc Bronner's on us.

By McCain :

think we have been generous. I think we have never sought someone else‘s country, certainly not in the last century or this one. And I think that with all our faults and failings, most people in the world still look up to us.

He's just really, really lucky that the Spanish-American War was started in 1898, two years *before* the "last" century. 'Cos, you know, you can give people a mulligan on things like Puerto Rico, but the Phillipines... that's some serious acreage, there.

As a fervent Democrat (a), I am happy to see the Politico pushing this narrative. I will be even MORE happy to see John McCain campaigning on his support for continuing the Iraqi occupation. It will ensure Democratic wins for the Presidency, for more contested Senate and House seats, for everything down to dogcatcher. It makes campaigning EASY for Democrats: you get up and you say "Look! I believe in getting your sons out of that meatgrinder in the Middle East, and that other guy... wants them to STAY there. Forever.", and people VOTE for you. Witness last week's election of Bill Foster, in Denny Hastert's old district, on a get-us-OUT-dammit platform.

a) I wouldn't normally be, but since the Republicans have become the "crazy batshit evil party", what choice do I have?

Yeah, the Edwards hair. Just wonderin'. Nobody hurt yourself looking it up-- I wouldn't wish the fate of reading six months of Howard Kurtz on a dog-- I'm just wondering if anybody remembers off hand.

I shall choose to be happy at this gesture of defiance by the House Majority Leader. Because, well, it's at least POSSIBLE to be happy about it.

Also, re Shooter: He doesn't say SOME stupid stuff. He's ALL stupid stuff, all the time. He probably watches "All in the Family" reruns and says "Yeah! Woo!" at everything Archie Bunker says.

It's probably legal under the PAA to wiretap the phones of the entire Republican delegation to Congress, because they're obviously conspiring with Osama. "Osama is mighty!" "Osama is powerful!" "Osama will defeat you!" Jeez, it's like our own version of Lord Haw-Haw or Tokyo Rose.

Dodd's still vowed to filibuster any bill that contains telco immunity.

There still has to be a final cloture vote on the bill as a whole, with whatever amendments have passed, before it gets voted on.

If that final bill has immunity in it, we're in exactly the same place we were a month ago. The agreements that have been set up make it almost inevitable that things will happen this way... except Dodd's filibuster is moved to February 4th.

After being spanked like that, well, he might not sit down for a week. Heck, he might not be sitting at Time at ALL anymore, if Glenn keeps up. (I wouldn't mind that.)