This has been a really bad week for the Republicans. Not only are a slew of polls showing a disillusioned and pissed off electorate that wants little to do with the GOP (see ABC/WaPo: Bush At all Time Low (31), Obama Extends Lead Over McCain, Whom Do You Trust? Not the GOP and No One Wants To Be A Republican Part II), the MS-01 win for Dems is reverberating throughout the political world. More than that, it is setting the media narrative that Republicans are in trouble this fall.

The MS-01 stories completely wiped the Dem primary battles off front pages everywhere (and left even less room for McCain). Of course, that battle is just about over. So, given McCain's lack of money and need for exposure, and given Bush's "I am relevant, honest" status, our fearless leader decided to cross an unspoken line and attack Obama from overseas. The backlash was swift and fierce (and isn't over). It prominently included Hillary Clinton and even brought in John McCain, so arguably Bush in one fell swoop highlighted his own foreign policy failures (how much did gas cost today?), united the Democratic party, gave Hillary a chance to support the presumptive nominee and tied himself even closer to McCain. Nice job.

If anything, the week brought out many of the inconsistencies in McCain's positions (he contradicts himself frequently) and the difficulty he'll have in running away from Bush and the Republican party he was and is so much a part of.

The funny thing is that some Republicans like Pat Buchanan think this is great for the GOP because it talks about their strength (foreign policy and security). Yeah.

Perhaps the biggest surprise comes from the fact that Democrats are now trusted more when it comes to National Security and the War on Terror, an issue long considered a GOP stronghold. The latest polling, however, shows that 49% of voters now trust the Democrats more on this issue while 42% trust the Republicans more. This shift comes at the same time that confidence in the War on Terror has fallen significantly.

The fun thing running against Republicans is that they still think it's 2002. They also don't get that the national conversation won't stop being about the economy, health care, Iraq and the direction of the country because of any decisions they make. It seems to me that they haven't even grasped that they don't control the national conversation.

Even the idea that the California Supreme Court's decision that the GLBT community should not be considered second class citizens won't do much for the GOP. The Republican governor does not support a referendum to overturn, and neither presidential candidate is going to make this a flagship issue this fall ([no phony sanctity of marriage campaigns as distraction,] not with real concerns to be dealt with). The fall campaign is going to be more about issues than any recent Presidential campaign I can remember... not because the candidates want, but because the voters want.

Oh, well. I won't be the one to tell them. They'll have to figure out that one themselves.

At the Washington Post, Robert D. Novak writes:

^{A Column's 45 Years}

On May 15, 1963, Rowland Evans and I published our first column. That makes today the 45th anniversary (the first 30 years under the Evans & Novak byline) of the nation's current longest-running syndicated political column. ...

The longevity record for syndicated political columnists (57 years) is held by David Lawrence, whose life and column ended in 1973, when he was 84. As he did, I would like to die in the saddle without retiring. But Lawrence, the founder of U.S. News & World Report, had done little reporting since he covered President Woodrow Wilson for the Associated Press. I cannot write a column without reporting, and I hope I can continue to do so and newspapers see fit to print me so that I can celebrate my 50th anniversary.

Hey, Bob? Bite me.

You're a waste of ink and newsprint and pixels. As Amy Sullivan so perfectly put it four years ago:

Novak likes to trade on his reputation as a reporter to retain credibility as a journalist. But if challenged, he shifts and claims that he is only a columnist, voicing opinions.

If only your editors and all the folks out in syndication land would get a clue, Bob, they wouldn't see fit to print you until you reach that golden anniversary. But then, they haven't wised up yet, so I'm sure we're stuck until you fall out of that saddle. The only good news - bittersweet as it is for us old journalists - is that the plunging circulation of most of the nation's newspapers means fewer and fewer people are subjected to your crap.

+ + +

The Overnight News Digest is posted.

This evening's Rescue Rangers are Louisiana 1976, watercarrier4diogenes, hhex65, Got A Grip, BentLiberal and joyful with Avila as editor.

Please take a moment to read Cantinflas' compassionate photo diary, China's Grief and Pain (Graphic Images Warning) and help if you can.

• juliewolf describes the rigors and requirements of volunteering to do "defense" at clinics which performs abortions in I did clinic defense for three years. (hhex65)
• StrangeAnimals gives us a personal account of a terrible tragedy in It Was Ten Years Ago: The Thurston Massacre. (Got a Grip)
• Julia Rain gives a moving personal account of two of her friends, one who left us too soon and another who may soon follow, in Why Are Republicans Killing My Friends? (Got a Grip)
• Not Brit points out an obvious flaw in Bush's "appeasement" drivel in A REPUBLICAN said that, Mr. Bush while Crashing Vor throws some light on one very special Nazi appeaser and how the media might help in educating the country in general and one of his descendents in particular in My Challenge to the Media. (Got a Grip)
• LithiumCola eloquently dissects the seemingly mild-mannered but actually alarming call for a permanent U.S global counterinsurgency campaign, in Robert Gates' New Rhetoric and The Forever War. (Avila)
• NeverStopTheProgress continues a heartrending series on the despicable treatment of our military in Diary Series, Part IV: The Trauma of Silence. (Got a Grip)
• Thomas Dobbs examines, from a position of knowledge and expertise, our planet's food crisis and its roots, in More reliance on 'markets' to deal with world food crisis, or less reliance? (watercarrier4diogenes)
• Project Vote's Erin Ferns writes of the alarming trend toward laws that require voters to provide proof of citizenship, with a potential to disenfranchise an estimated 13 million Americans lacking ready access to documentation. Block The Vote! Proof of Citizenship On The Rise, Flashpoint Mo. (BentLiberal)
• Breakfast this morning, Wow is nuggatron's simple and elegant lament on the loss of his diner and his town to the short-sighted economic policies of the Bush Administration. "The truth is war is armed robbery, plain and simple...the American people are being robbed..." There's plenty more nuggets like this one. (BentLiberal)
• "The nail sticking up is very likely to be hammered down." dogemperor delves into a fascinating scientific study demonstrating how people's basic psychological makeup changes after spending time in coercive religious groups, when compared to a control group of mainstream, non-coercive denominations. Cell churches, personality changes, and coercion. (BentLiberal)
• All right, history buffs: Line up to see how the 13th century Catholic Church compares with the Bush-Cheney administration in iampunha's May 15, 1252: The beatings will continue until morals improve. (BentLiberal)
• BENAWU tracks in detail the 2008 slate of Democratic House candidates in 417 House races filled. (hhex65)
• GOTV for the Republican candidate as CarmenT brings us all the snark-a-lious reasons why in the hilarious THANK YOU: Vote for John McCain. (joyful)

jotter has High Impact Diaries - May 14.

emeraldmaiden has Top Comments - Internetus Interruptus.

Please promote your own favorite diaries in the open thread.

The superdelegates continue to trickle in and Obama continues to widen his lead.  This morning US Congressman Jim McDermott (superdelegate) announced his support for Obama:

Congressman McDermott said, “I am proud to endorse Barack Obama today, because I believe he will bring us together to achieve the kind of change we need in this country moving forward.  As Democrats, we are fortunate to have two very talented public servants running to be the nominee of our party, and I have great respect for Senator Clinton. But I believe now is the time to unite behind Barack Obama so we can be in the strongest place possible to win in November.  Barack Obama has chosen to spend his career speaking out for those who need a voice and reaching across the aisle to bring change that matters in the lives of working families. I am confident that as president, Barack Obama will end the war in Iraq and bring our sons and daughters home, he will make universal health care a reality and he will restore our moral standing in the world.  Barack Obama won the race in my home state by an overwhelming margin and I am thankful that so many new voters have become engaged because of the kind of campaign he has run, and I am happy to support him today.”

He was followed by Congressman Henry Waxman and Congressman Howard Berman.  Both are California superdelegates:

"Senator Obama's vision for change has inspired tens of millions of Americans," Chairman Waxman said.  "And he's also proved that he has the experience, judgment, integrity, and toughness to bring real reform to Washington. Our nation faces big challenges.  We need to bring our troops safely home from Iraq.  We need to solve global warming and finally enact universal health care legislation.  And we need to create new jobs and strengthen our middle class. Senator Obama is the leader we need both here and around the world. He will be an extraordinary President, and I look forward to working with him to make his vision for change the new reality in Washington."

"Barack Obama has laid out a foreign policy vision driven by principle and conviction, and he understands that our moral authority and our safety as a nation go hand in hand," Chairman Berman said. "I spoke with him about a number of foreign policy issues that most concern me.  He assured me that he shares my views. The moment President Obama takes office, we'll send a powerful message to the world that America is back and ready to lead again—that we haven't abandoned the values that made us the light of the world, and neither should anyone else."

Communications Workers of America President, DNC member, and superdelegate Larry Cohen got on board:

I’m convinced that Senator Obama’s message of hope and ‘change we can believe in’ has resonated across our country. He is building a broad base of support, inspiring new voters to join in the political process and demonstrating great appeal to all those who are looking for positive leadership to move us beyond politics-as-usual in Washington.

The Democratic unity theme continued as the United Steelworkers Union weighed in with an Obama endorsement this morning, having previously backed John Edwards.

As a result of the Edwards endorsement, Obama began picking up former Edwards delegates, including the eight listed below.  Hat tip to ourhispanicvoices for the list:

EDWARDS DELEGATES FOR OBAMA
CNN finally listed names

1. Joshua Denton (NH)

2. Mike Evatt (SC)

3. Lauren Bilton (SC)

4. Daniel Boan Kershaw(SC)

5. Machelle Crum (IA)

6. Christine Brennan-Bond (SC)

7. Robert Groce (SC)

8. Susan Smith (SC)

note:  John Moylan is an alternate delegate for Edwards, if he's needed he has backed Obama.

Obama +1 Addition in NC: NC Officials have said Obama will gain an extra delegate and Clinton will lose one due to numbers becoming official and he over performing in an area.

All told, Obama picked up 13 votes and Clinton loses one vote.  He's in cruise control at this point.

On a final note, for those interested in becoming a community organizer for Obama, today is the last day to apply for the Obama Organizing Fellowship. Applications are due by 11:59 PM EDT.

Okay, so this is funny, as reported by Media Matters:

O'Reilly compared Moulitsas to white supremacist David Duke

Summary: Bill O'Reilly compared Markos Moulitsas, founder of the progressive Daily Kos blog, to white supremacist David Duke and criticized Newsweek for its decision to hire Moulitsas as a regular contributor, stating: "And Newsweek magazine, by the way, has legitimized him by giving him a columnist position. I talked to the editor by email, and I said I can't believe that you're -- that's like hiring David Duke. Again, I use Duke too much, but I have to -- the level of hatred coming out of that website is unprecedented."

O'Reilly is pissed that we're mocking him for his Inside Edition freakout. So he had one of his hapless interns find some diary which juxtaposed images from Jenna's wedding with images of the Iraq War. Apparently, that was The Worst Thing Ever because we must pretend that we're winning and that war has no consequences.

O'Reilly's rant predictably generated a "flood" (like 20) emails from his acolytes. You want to see an "unprecedented level of hatred"? Check out some of those emails:

You are a queer little fucking retard!!  Stay gay you cock sucker!!

You have gone too far with this liberal, fascist bullshit....sit down and SHUT UP and stop posting despicable stories to further your own ends. I am sick and tired of the radical left and I hope people like Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck can exert their influence to SHUT YOU DOWN!!!!! If you don't like America, get the fuck out!

Hey asshole if I ever run across you in public I am going to really gonna give my best attempt to beat the living dogshit out you!!! Especially if I see you fly through DFW or if I go through O'Hare and run into you there. You suck!!!!

ive given ur actual city, state address to al qaida websites...i do believe they will be taking you out very shortly and not a soul will care...not even ur mother......

now i know why u dont go driving around or walking around in public...ur the skinny, nerdy high school kid who gets punched out for just being stupid looking and im sure that would still happen....after all, cowards are always cowards....

Fuck you communist sons-of-bitches! If you really want a war your leftist ,commie,scumbag asses had better be good to go! there is no more room in the United States for garbage like you! Anytime motherfucker!!

you guys are the scum of the earth. Your hatred of America and Bush is treasonous. Bush is a man of honor. You are not even in the same league.

You are truly disgusting.

Too bad you came back from visiting Grandma with little Spannish-speaking Eli.

Better luck for all of us next time you visit your homeland.

Go home, foreigner.

Hooray. I only found out about you today and I am celebrating. Your web site is so outrageous and literally full of it that intelligent people will be turned off, the same as with Michael Moore, Moveon.org, and totally incompetent people like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and all your ilk!!!!

You are pieces of shit. You do not deserve to live in our great Nation. Get the fuck out. Do not let me catch you on a free street.

Hey Fagg,

Go let your Gay lover buttfuck you to death and quit taking up bandwidth!

You're an incredible asshole 'Markos' for your idiotic snot / blog on the bush wedding. The only jackasses that had a problem with that are the few liberal freaks who have nothing to contribute other than complaints.  And I think ICE should check your status.

You classless fucktard. You're the fucking problem with this country you cocksucking asshole. I hope some one beats the living shit out of you and that Mahler3 scumbag soon.

Drop fucking Dead!

Watch your back you fucking liberal ass..... ALL our days are numbered and yours is getting shorter... trust me.

Hmmm, a bizarre obsession with homosexuality, as if being gay is bad and being called gay is an insult (it's not and it's not). Mix it in with hatred toward my Latino heritage (some of it even directed at my one-year-old daughter). Some standard-issue threats. Unhealthy anger levels. Fake bravado. And, without a doubt, an unprecedented level of hatred.

But my favorite is this one:

Markos is a pig,and a certain secret society is watching you. And we dont like liberal Pigs like you, and the people that read this shit.The left are few,the right are many, and Pigs like Liberals will never run America.And your boy Obama is a Pig like the rest of you scum.

You know who else is a member of a "secret society" which doesn't like people like me (immigrants) and Obama (black)?

David Duke.

Bill O'Reilly and his illiterate fans are truly comic relief.

Today President Bush used a speech to a foreign audience, the Israeli Knesset, to paint Democrats as soft on international terrorism by likening them to those who appeased Nazis in the 1930s.

Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.

The implication of "some" was clear - Bush was caricaturing Barack Obama's position that the US needs to seek diplomatic solutions to differences with Iran. In case anybody had failed to understand the attack, White House aides stated privately that it was directed against Obama and other Democrats.

When Bush was lambasted by Democrats for the stunt, WH spokeswoman Dana Perino ridiculed the idea.

I would think that all of you who cover these issues and have for a long time have known that there are many who have suggested these types of negotiations with people that President Bush thinks we should not talk to. I understand when you're running for office you sometimes think the world revolves around you -- that is not always true and it is not true in this case...I'm not going to get into '08 politics. The speech was not about '08 politics. If they want to try to make it about '08 politics -- and obviously be helped by the media -- so be it. But the President is President  of the United States.

So, was it an over-reaction to assume that the President was politicizing foreign policy when he compared "some" to Nazi-appeasers?

My review of occurences of the phrase "some seem to believe" and similar expressions at the White House website(*) shows that the only likely interpretation is that Bush was belittling Democrats. I've found a few joking references to some people's assumptions about Bush, plus an occasional neutral (i.e. non-polemical) mention that some believe this, others that. In the great majority of cases, though, George Bush's references to the beliefs of "some" people are polemical and condescending if not dismissive. Frequently the formulation introduces a straw-man argument. Almost always they are partisan references to Democratic critics. Here is a characteristic example among many such:

"Now, some would say, protect yourselves by withdrawing from the world."

One of the most remarkable patterns I discovered is that Bush uses these "some" formulations (whether in prepared speeches or off-the-cuff remarks) in regard to a very narrow range of topics: Iraq/Afghanistan; the 'Global War on Terror'; creating democracies in the Middle East; Social Security privatization; tax breaks; education (NCLB and private-school vouchers); and immigration reform. On every one of these topics except the last, Bush has been heavily criticized by Democrats. Indeed he uses "some" formulations most commonly in defending his most unpopular proposal of all, the 2005 attempt to dismantle Social Security. It's clear that "some" stands in almost always for "Democratic critics" of George W. Bush.

There are only a few exceptions, and these are telling. First, Bush has used the expressions "some people think/say" a total of three times to refer to those who disagree with his immigration policy. It's the only time one of these vague formulations is directed against Republicans - not surprisingly, given that it's one of the only issues where Republicans in Congress have ever criticized Bush.

The only other exceptions are two occasions when Bush claimed he takes the high road in political discourse: in his 2001 Inaugural speech ("Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small."); and in talking to the Congressional Democratic caucus in early 2007:

"You know, I welcome debate in a time of war, and I hope you know that. Nor do I consider anybody's -- nor do I consider a belief that if you don't happen to agree with me you don't share the same sense of patriotism I do. You can get that thought out of your mind, if that's what some believe."

It could hardly be clearer that when Bush uses a "some" formulation in a political context, he's almost always trying to rebut Democratic critics of his policies.

(*) The expressions whose use by Bush I catalogued were: "some seem to believe"; "some think"; "some believe"; "some say"; "some would say"; "some people believe"; "some people think"; and "some people say".

Hat tip John Cole, also covered by diarists AntonBursch and Glic. Matthews tears this clown's throat out. Words can't do it justice, you just have to see it. The fun begins at about four minutes in:

Hillary Clinton stood firmly with Barack Obama today, blasting President Bush and his implied comparison of Senator Obama to Nazi appeasers. From Ben Smith at The Politico:

Hillary, today in Rapid City, South Dakota, defended Obama from President Bush's apparent comparison of him to Neville Chamberlain, Ken Vogel reports.

She told reporters:

President Bush’s comparison of any Democrat to Nazi appeasers is both offensive and outrageous on the face of it, especially in light of his failures in foreign policy. This is the kind of statement that has no place in any presidential address and certainly to use an important moment like the 60th anniversary celebration of Israel to make a political point seems terribly misplaced. Unfortunately, this is what we’ve come to expect from President Bush.

“There is a very clear difference between Democrats and Republicans on foreign policy and that difference will be evident once we take back the White House.

McCain jumped at the chance to get in the mud, despite claims in his maverick speech this morning that he wanted to take the high road. When asked about the controversy, McCain replied that he took the Bush camp at their word that GWB was not referring to Senator Obama, but was quick to add:

"This does bring up an issue that we will be discussing with the American people, and that is, why does Barack Obama, Senator Obama, want to sit down with a state sponsor of terrorism?"

If that's the high road, what does the low road look like?  No matter, Senator Obama responded "swiftly" and appropriately with the following statement:

"It is the height of hypocrisy for John McCain to deliver a lofty speech about civility and bipartisanship in the morning and then embrace George Bush's disgraceful political attack in the afternoon.  Instead of delivering meaningful change, John McCain wants to continue George Bush's irresponsible and failed Iran policy by refusing to engage in tough, direct diplomacy like Presidents from Kennedy to Reagan have done," Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said

Senator Clinton also joined the fray:

"I think today we’ve had two examples of why this country is going to be voting for a Democratic president. And I hope that people really look seriously both at President Bush’s comment and at Sen. McCain’s speech and realize that the only way we’re going to restore our leadership and our moral authority and deal with the very real challenges we face in the world is by electing a democratic president and I believe that I am a stronger candidate against Sen. McCain and will be a president who could accomplish that," she said.

Isn't that nice?  Democrats attacking Republicans instead of each other? Is that the light at the end of the tunnel? Let's hope that Senator Clinton will continue to coalesce around Senator Obama and exit the race in a graceful fashion. It's time to heal our primary wounds and get busy attacking the entire Republican machine that has taken this country so far off track. If her comments today were any indication, she's ready to do just that......and not a moment too soon.

Today John McCain gave his own little "I Have A Dream" speech, predicting that a McCain presidency would mean most of the troops would be home from Iraq by January, 2013. What's this?  A terrorist-appeasing timetable from the man who wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years?  Not at all, says McCain:

It's not a timetable; it's victory. It's victory, which I have always predicted. I'm not putting a date on it. It could be next month, it could be next year, it could be three years from now.

Sound familiar?  Donald Rumsfeld on Iraq on Febuary 2, 2003:

It is unknowable how long that conflict will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.

1.) Denial:

2.) Anger:

3.) Bargaining:

And that's where things stand right now. We've just got to get through the depression stage before we finally get to acceptance. We're slowly getting there.

What's going on in your mountain range these days?

Update by kos: Already posted in brownsox's race roundup, but I want to add Alaska Senate candidate Mark Begich's response to Schaffer again:

"While Alaskans can understand why Bob Schaffer would promote our beautiful mountain, I hope he doesn’t expect Alaska to cede North America’s highest peak to the State of Colorado."

It's not only funny, but it's nice to see this kind of solidarity with our Senate candidates. At a time when Republicans are desperately trying to run away from each other, it's good to see our party coming together and having fun for once.

Joe Lieberman, talking about pastor John Hagee who, as the Fox News anchor cited from a DNC release "compare[s] women to dogs, hold[s] racially insensitive fundraisers, and call[s] one of the worst natural disasters in our country's history God's punishment":

"He represents a lot of people in this country, particularly Christians who care about the state of Israel."

That he does, Joe, that he does.

Hagee can say the only difference between a woman and a doberman is lipstick. He can assert the Catholic Church, Muslims, Russia, China, Iran and the ACLU are all agents of the Antichrist. He can call America cursed by God -- Wright can't, but Hagee can, because Hagee is... well, what? A Republican? White as the inside of a dinner roll? Too inextricably tied to the GOP power structure to remove? He can write a book with assertions that Jesus wasn't really the Messiah after all, which is a hell of an odd thing for a Christian preacher to start muttering. He can blame the destruction of New Orleans on the nasty gays, even though God apparently has crappy celestial aim, considering that he smited the holy hell out of a bunch of poor black people but left the part of New Orleans planning a Gay Pride parade relatively unscathed in comparison.

But hey, he apologized to fellow professional media outrage source/sink Bill Donohue for people being upset over his whole Catholics-secretly-love-Hitler schtick. What the hell more do you people want?

You know, I don't think any of us want McCain to renounce Hagee. Hagee's just one preacher out of many in the far-right cable TV Republican God machine, a bunch of supposed preachers and prophets who see visions of a 900 foot tall Jesus whose sole message to the world is to hold fundraisers, who time and time again make prophecies that prove to be roundly false, who spend far more time telling people who to hate than who to love and who pull in ungodly (cough) amounts of personal wealth for their trouble. They seek violent military confrontation with Islam and Iran and anything and everything else non-Christian or not sufficiently their brand of Christian, and preach that the Jews must be returned to Israel so that they can unlock the Jesus Stargate, at which point they will all be either converted or slaughtered.

Why would any Republican want to renounce any of that? After more than ample evidence of their own behavior when given actual power, cultist End Times preachers like Hagee are the only avenue the Republicans have left for claiming they are the party of God.

But Hagee certainly represents a lot of people in this country, I'll grant him that. And he represents the modern Republican notion of "Christ" to a T. What Joe Lieberman sees in him, I have no idea.

Republican Senator Arlen Specter is "incensed over "Spygate," and is demanding an independent investigation. Does this mean that he will finally throw his weight behind investigations to reveal the truth about the administration's warrantless wiretapping program?

Of course not.  Here's Specter's version of Spygate.

Hold on, NFL. Spygate isn't over. Not if the "incensed" Pittsburgh Steelers fan in Congress has anything to do with it. Sen. Arlen Specter on Wednesday called for an independent investigation of the New England Patriots' taping of opposing coaches' signals, possibly similar to the high-profile Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball.

"What is necessary is an objective investigation," Specter said at a news conference in the Capitol. "And this one has not been objective."

Pathetic.

Bawk! Bawk!

By a vote of 149-141, the Democrat-controlled House rejected a measure that would have given the Pentagon $162.5 billion to keep the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan running through next summer, slightly below President George W. Bush's request.

A large group of anti-war House Democrats voted against the funds. That, coupled with 132 Republicans voting "present," meaning neither "yes" nor "no," killed the measure for now.

Yes, our brave, brave House Republicans have taken the president's valiant example ("Fore!" "Incoming!") to heart and have given up voting while our troops are at war.

You may recall that at about this time last year, Chickenhawk Republicans were demanding that Democrats who wanted to bring the war in Iraq to a close had to have "the courage of their convictions" and vote their conscience on the funding. But today, those same Republicans chose to abandon their posts -- and they're some cushy posts, at that -- and vote "present" instead of having the courage to vote "no" on a bill they disapproved of.

And why? So they wouldn't fall into their own stupid trap. The one that says if you vote against a war appropriations bill, you're not "supporting the troops."

You think maybe some of those troops would like to have the option of answering "present" instead of "Yes, sir!" when they're ordered out on patrol? Not saying they'd exercise that option, of course. They, after all, have a sense of duty about their jobs.

But not our brave Republicans of the "Present" 110th!

Voting's scary!

CO-Sen: It's only been one day, but Bob Schaffer's "Mt. Macaca" moment is fast becoming the stuff of Internet legend.

Schaffer released a TV ad yesterday, his first of the cycle, in which he claimed "Colorado is my life". Unfortunately, he said this as the ad depicted a photo of Mt. McKinley, the tallest peak in North America...and located in the State of Alaska.

As MissLaura noted in the midday open thread, the DSCC has put together a nifty little quiz for our man Schaffer, so as to prepare him better for the rigors of campaigning in the State of Alaska Colorado.

Meanwhile, the campaign of Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mark Begich had a dryly hilarious response:

"While Alaskans can understand why Bob Schaffer would promote our beautiful mountain, I hope he doesn't expect Alaska to cede North America's highest peak to the State of Colorado."

AK-Sen, AK-AL: Speaking of Begich, Kos posted the remarkable polling numbers out of Alaska earlier.

Begich leads incumbent Senator Ted Stevens, an Alaska institution currently under investigation by the FBI, by a margin of 48% to 43%. Given Stevens' tenure, and (until recently) his tremendous popularity, it's remarkable to think that he may very well lose his bid for reelection. Alaska has been GOP country, and Stevens country, for my entire lifetime.

Meanwhile, House candidate Ethan Berkowitz leads 34-year Republican incumbent Don Young by an even wider margin, 50% to 40%. Provided Young survives his primary challenge from Lt. Governor Sean Parnell-which is no certainty-Berkowitz could hardly be in better position for the fall.

Even the presidential race is somewhat competitive in Alaska; it's hard to look at these numbers and not sense that we're entering a new era for the state of Alaska and the Democratic Party.

GA-Sen: Republican polling outfit Strategic Vision has polled the Democratic primary in Georgia, as well as general-election matchups. Unfortunately, Vernon Jones is leading the Democratic primary, with Dale Cardwell second and Jim Martin third. Jones is a real piece of work, as Tondee's Tavern notes.

Worse luck, Saxby Chambliss has a 30+ point lead over all Democratic challengers, and while I certainly don't expect that we'll win this seat, I sure would like to come closer than 65%-35%.

House Races

ID-01: Congressman Bill "Absolute Idiot" Sali is getting hammered by the local press for canceling a debate appearance against primary opponent Matt Salisbury.

IL-14: After four failed campaigns-two for U.S. Senate, one for Governor of Illinois, one for the U.S. House-perennial candidate and famed nutter Jim Oberweis has decided it's time for an image overhaul. (Good thinking, Jim).

Dairy magnate Jim Oberweis (R) is trying to soften his image in suburban Chicago, according to local media reports, going so far as to cold-call reporters in search of why he lost ex-Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R) seat in a March special election.

Dubbed the "What Went Wrong Tour" by The Aurora Beacon News, Oberweis is trying to overcome his smug reputation, earned after four highly negative political campaigns on which he has spent millions of dollars of his own money.

"People like to support people they feel like they know and can identify with," an Oberweis spokesman told the newspaper. "We can do a better job of letting people know who Jim is."

See, there's the problem. After four campaigns, people already know who Jim Oberweis is. It's why they voted for Bill Foster.

GA-10: Republican incumbent "Porno Paul" Broun made the mistake of defeating a favored GOP candidate in last year's special election, and as such, he has been targeted by the Georgia Republican establishment in this year's primary.

Porno Paul faces a remarkably stiff primary challenge (pun intended) from Barry Fleming, one so serious that House Republican leaders are forced to come to his rescue. Given their recent track record, I'm not sure Broun should be seeking their help.

If that primary gets ugly enough, it could create an opening for Democrat Bobby Saxon. This race is a long shot of long shots, but it should be interesting to follow at least. And one never knows...we've been doing some very exciting things in Southern House races lately.

LA-04: Speaking of Southern House races, Roll Call has an article about the Democratic resurgence in the South, marked by the two recent special election victories. Next on the Democratic hit list in the region is likely LA-04, home of the retiring Jim McCrery.

The district is 33% black, and has a PVI similar to Rep. Don Cazayoux's district of LA-06 (it's R+6.5). The Democratic candidate is prosecutor Paul Carmouche, and Roll Call seems surprisingly optimistic about Dem chances:

If Democrats can avoid a divisive primary battle and bring to bear the party’s vast fundraising resources — which will only be bolstered by the party’s performance in the recent special elections — then the 4th district will present another key Southern opportunity in the same mold as Louisiana’s 6th and Mississippi’s 1st.

It's real nice to  be taking the fight to Republicans in their regional stronghold, as DemFromCT noted yesterday.

NM-01: Democrat Martin Heinrich has aired his first TV ad:

Race tracker wiki: GA-Sen GA-10 NM-01 LA-04 ID-01 IL-14 AK-Sen AK-AL CO-Sen

In 2004, George W. Bush beat John Kerry 61-36 in Alaska. Now, the latest R2K poll for Daily Kos shows that McCain leads Obama only 49-42 in the 49th state.

So Obama is actually competitive for the state's three electoral votes, trailing only by seven.

But it's even better than that for Obama, as Reason's Dave Weigel notes.

Alaskan voters, all 470,000-odd of them, are unusually amenable to third parties. In 2000, Ralph Nader crested 10 percent of the vote here. In 1992, Ross Perot got 28 percent. The Libertarian Party's best ever state result was Ed Clark's 12 percent haul in 1980—I'm pretty sure he knocked Jimmy Carter into third place in some precincts.

So a lot of the scaffolding is there that could make this state a Libertarian target. Bob Barr, for example, voted for drilling in ANWR, and could lace into McCain on the issue. A higher-than-normal number of Alaskans will be voting Democratic down the ballot, and might want to split it... and hey, there'll be another conservative candidate they can vote for if they can't stomach Obama. (The Constitution Party's Chuck Baldwin will be on the ballot, too.) If the LP shot for a 1980-sized 10 percent of the vote—around 30,000 ballots--it's possible to see Obama winning the state with 45 percent.

Alaska Republicans hate McCain, in large part because of his votes against ANWR. And sure, while Obama also opposes drilling in ANWR, that's expected from Democrats. For a Republican to oppose it is heresy.

That position has so damaged McCain in the state that he came in  -- check it -- FOURTH place in Alaska's caucuses (out of four candidates):

Yup, McCain couldn't even cross the "Paul Line".

So you mix in McCain's unpopularity in the state, Alaska's affinity for third party candidates, a credible Libertarian like Bob Barr, the GOP's endemic corruption, and top it all off with a resurgent Democratic Party with top-tier candidates in the Senate and House races, and you've got yourself quite a potent cocktail.

As House members debated the latest "emergency supplemental" spending bill for Iraq, David Obey delivered a nice smackdown to John Culberson (R-TX) after he tried to trot out the usual Republican canard about Democrats, supporting the troops and pork:

John Culberson (R-TX):  ...it contains provisions that have nothing to do with our troop's survival and safety in the field.  To burden our troops with pork, with tax increases, with special provisions that have nothing to do with the war, adds to, I think, the obvious misuse of the process and I urge members to vote against the pork and support our troops.

Obey:  I yield myself 30 seconds...I'd like the gentleman from Texas to point out a single piece of member pork in this bill.

Culberson:  Does the gentleman yield?

Obey:  Yes.

Culberson:  Mr., Mr. Chairman, there's a number of un-un-unnecessary provisions in this...

Obey:  Name one.

Culberson:  Well, why are we separating out, sir, why aren't we just passing...

Obey:  (nearly yelling)  Name one.

Culberson:  Why are we...

Obey:  (yelling, finger pointing)  Can you name one or can't you?  The fact is there is not a single piece of member pork in this bill.  You ought to...

(pounding gavel, "time expired")

Culberson:  (inaudible)...why are we passing provisions in this bill with tax increases?

(pounding gavel)

"The gentlemen will cease their conversation.  The time of 30 seconds has expired.  All members are asked to address their remarks through the chair."

Obey:  I yield myself one additional minute....and through the chair, I would invite the member to name a specific piece of congressional pork in this bill.  He cannot because there is none.  He's at least had enough time to read the bill to know that.

Culberson was probably too busy memorizing his GOP talking points to actually read the bill.

Update: