We have a two party system so to have a race you need to have two candidates with different "team colors" yet especially in the House you are going to find "Democrats" from certain congressional districts that are more conservative than many Republicans from other more "liberal" districts. This should not come as a great surprise to anyone. Districts are drawn to maximize this situation (distortion) and maintain party and incumbent control. If Lieberman wasn't so prowar and pro telcom immunity he is basically quite "liberal".

Did anyone see the recent AP story on the FISA court? In 2007, the FISA court approved 2370 wiretap warrants and rejected 3. That was a 6% increase in wiretap approvals from 2006. They rejected 1/10th of 1% of warrant applications. To say that the FISA court is a rubber stamp, would be an understatement. Yet even that isn't enough for the Bush admin, they need more wiretapping powers. They need to be able to wiretap with impunity. Now how hard is it for the dems to make the argument that FISA works just fine? That there is no obstacle what so ever in getting wiretap approvals.

LWM-

"NARAL loves him.

100%"

You probably know they endorsed Joe Lieberman last time around, even after he spoke out against ensuring that "morning after" contraception be made available at all hospitals.

"If Lieberman wasn't so prowar and pro telcom immunity he is basically quite "liberal"."

Yeah and if a Bullfrog had wings, he wouldn't burn his ass when jumping over the campfire.

Lieberman belongs in the Knesset, not the US Senate.

It's time to start buying stock in Bekins and sending one of their vans to the Washington residence of every single sonofabitching Bluedog.

Appreciate your following up on this story. Was looking at MSNBC FirstRead Article http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/29/956580.aspx

talking about all of the things that Congress is NOT doing, in one browser window, and reading your column in another. Thus, it occurs to me that the most likely strategy to be followed by Hoyer and the Blue Dogs is to sit on this until later in the fall, with the Olympics, the Conventions, and the Presidential race eating up MSM coverage, and try to force it through then. My guess; it will be wrapped into the Iraq war spending bill. Hoyer, et al, may well use the argument that "we" (Dems) need to get the war funded for at least the first six months of 2009, to give the new Pres some breathing room before having to tackle the War, and the only way to get Bush to "compromise" and fund the war longer is to give him what he wants on FISA.

See? Bush gets a 2-for-1, and everybody wins, right?

If Lieberman wasn't so prowar and pro telcom immunity he is basically quite "liberal".

Yes. And if snakes weren't cold-blooded and didn't lay eggs, they'd be quite similar to mammals.

Obviously, I was snarking, as this is no CT. Well, it might be a theory in that we don't yet have enough hard evidence as to their complicity and culpability in these crimes--precisely because these lawsuits have not been allowed to proceed, and congress has not investigated this properly (whatever happened to thos subpoenas, Steney?). But you'd have to be pretty damn stupid to not see the connections here. There's a huge stink here that they're trying to cover up and keep from being revealed, for fear of how it might affect them.

And I, for one, could genuinely care less about that. If this takes down 10% of the Democratic party, so be it. I honestly don't care. Anyone who's allowed these illegal programs to go on doesn't deserve to be in congress, period, regardless of what party they belong to. My primary loyalty is to the country and its constitution and inhabitants, not to the Democratic party or its individual members. And if any of them are disloyal to the former, they need to revealed to have been disloyal, and face the consequences, including and perhaps especially losing their seats (but I don't mind jail time or fines if found to have willfully broken the law).

I've taken some heat for it, but I continue to firmly believe that one of the most promising and necessary ways to end this ethical, moral and legal corruption that has caused so much damage to the country and world is by legally, politically and publically "taking out" some of the most egregious violators, be they in congress, the Bush administration, the media, in the corporate world, and elsewhere. Ruin their public images, let them face the consequences, and let it be a warning to the rest, that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated. That's our job as constituents and citizens. It's literally as simple as that. Enough of this entitlement crap where certain people are allowed to get away with symbolic and sometimes literal murder just because they're "special". No one is that special in a democracy. NO ONE.

So whether it's a Brian Williams, a Joe Klein, a Rush Limbaugh, a Jerry Lewis, a Mike Mukasey, or a Steny Hoyer, if they do the wrong thing, or fail to do the right thing, they need to be revealed as such, and made to face the consequences. PERIOD. And Jay Rosen can do with that as he pleases, but this is not some theoretical academic question, but as real as it gets. I LITERALLY want the career and reputation of such people to be destroyed beyond redemption, for them to lose their jobs, reputations, wealth, social status, etc., and made to feel like the people that they've been crapping on and treating contemptuously for years. It is necessary, and absolutely fitting. This Village must be destroyed in order to save it.

Looks like I looked up the wrong AmeriPac, it's not the ultra conservative one.

FWIW, to Hoyer for 2008 campaign:

Comcast Corp $6,000

Time Warner $2,500

Viacom Inc $2,500

AT&T Inc $7,500

Verizon Communications $2,500

XO Communications $2,500

It's important to understand that these numbers are for the 2008 campaign only. So while contributions may seem low, one can see how overtime incumbents receive a lot of money from each organization. Plus, these numbers are only for one candidate, so multiplying by the number of candidates - it's a lot of money.

AT&T is the single largest corporate contributor giving out 39M since 1989.

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.asp?order=A