At daily kos, Lawrence Lessig writes:

As we all know by now, insurance giant AIG sparked national outrage by paying more than $165 million in executive bonuses after receiving a $170 billion taxpayer bailout. What fewer people know is that AIG gave more than $9 million in campaign contributions to Congress . . . The Number 1 lifetime recipient of AIG money? Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd, who received $281,000 (just edging out George W. Bush).

Lessig promulgates a false implication - that Senator Chris Dodd acted as he did because of AIG contributions. It is clear now that in fact Dodd acted as he did at the behest of the Obama administration. In fact, in last week's issue of The Economist (p. 29) (before the AIG bonus scandal broke), the following was written:

Chris Dodd, who faces a battle to retain his Connecticut seat in 2010, inserted tough new restrictions on bankers' pay into the fiscal stimulus package despite the administration's objections.

Lessig's implied narrative is simply false. Whether Lessig's agenda is good or not, using falsehoods to support it is clearly wrong.

Speaking for me only

At RCP, Mort Kondracke touts Republican House member Paul Ryan's (R-WI) "Sweden" plan for addressing the financial crisis:

In the case of the bank crisis -- and other areas of economic policy, too -- Obama and his top advisers ought to mix it up regularly with conservative Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who, they would discover, has some constructive ideas that Obama might adopt. Such as: Instead of injecting vast new cash into the banks, institute a system of government insurance guarantees to protect asset-holders against losses. Also, triage the banks and commence a Resolution Trust Corporation-style liquidation of those that can't be saved.

(Emphasis supplied.) This is in essence, the Sweden plan. There is a hitch however. Ryan proposes:

Last night I tried to make the point that folks who are trying to pooh pooh the AIG bonus issue are missing the mindset behind them that effects economic and financial policy on a wider scale. I wrote:

What's interesting about the new DC J-List insiders' (just kidding) take on the AIG bonus mess is how they do not make the obvious connection to the bigger problem of Treasury's timidity regarding the financial crisis. Of course in the scheme of things, the AIG bonuses are a drop in the bucket -- but the problem here is, to coin a phrase, "systemic." Too much energy and political capital has been wasted by the Obama Administration in propping up the old Wall Street order and not enough in trying to figure out what exactly would be best for the country.

Via Digby, Atrios puts it more succinctly (and less charitably):

Bump and Update: I just finished watching Leno. I thought President Obama was terrific. I understood what he was trying to say about the economy and AIG -- he seemed to enjoy himself which made me enjoy him-- and it was great to see him in a non-formal, non-political setting. It's obvious he's on top of what's going on and I felt reassured that if it can be fixed, he'll see that it gets fixed. (The "if", however, remains a pretty big question.)

The best part was when Leno said we need to jail lots of folks over the financial mess, and he didn't join the call and say his Department of Justice would do just that. Instead, he pointed out much of what the financial companies did was legal and we'd be better off changing the laws. How refreshing to have a President who understands that using the criminal justice system to jail more people is not a cure or a fix to the country's problems.

Update: Heeeere's Barack (the transcript.)[More...]

Elena Kagan, of Massachusetts has been confirmed by a vote of 61 to 31 as Solicitor General.

Kagan became the first woman dean of Harvard Law School in 2003. Prior to that, she was President Bill Clinton's Associate White House Counsel. Clinton nominated her for a Court of Appeals judgeship but Sen. Orrin Hatch killed it.

She's known for being a legal scholar, not a trial lawyer.

Before this appointment she had limited courtroom experience (she has never argued a case at trial) and has not argued before the Supreme Court of the United States.

83 year old Josias Kumpf, a resident of Racine, Wisconsin since 1956, was http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/March/09-crm-252.html, following his removal from his home earlier this week by ICE officials. The New York Times reports:

[Kumph]admitted that he participated in a murderous November 1943 Nazi operation that went by the code name “Aktion Erntefest” — Operation Harvest Festival — in which roughly 42,000 Jewish men, women and children were murdered at three Nazi camps in eastern Poland in two days.

Mr. Kumpf acknowledged his role was as a guard and an assassin at the Trawniki Labor Camp, where 8,000 men, women and children were shot dead in a single day, Nov. 3, 1943, Justice Department officials said.

In 2007, Spiegel Online reported Kumph obtained U.S. citizenship in 1964 but it was stripped from him in 2005, because he failed to disclose his past on his entry visa. [More...]

Since the onset of the war in Iraq, the U.S. has detained over 100,000 people in Iraq. Very few have been charged with crimes.

Now, as the U.S. prepares to hand over the detention system to the Iraqis, thousands are expected to be freed this summer. Why?

[B]ecause there is little or no evidence against them.

[More...]

What's interesting about the new DC J-List insiders' (just kidding) take on the AIG bonus mess is how they do not make the obvious connection to the bigger problem of Treasury's timidity regarding the financial crisis. Of course in the scheme of things, the AIG bonuses are a drop in the bucket -- but the problem here is, to coin a phrase, "systemic." Too much energy and political capital has been wasted by the Obama Administration in propping up the old Wall Street order and not enough in trying to figure out what exactly would be best for the country. Thus when Yglesias writes:

NYTimes:

Spurred on by a tidal wave of public anger over bonuses paid to executives of the foundering American International Group, the House voted 328 to 93 on Thursday to get back most of the money by levying a 90 percent tax on it. . . . In one sign of the bonus issue’s political potency, 85 Republicans joined 243 Democrats in the House in voting for the measure, rather than for a rival proposal put forth by the Republican leadership. Only 6 Democrats voted against the bill, along with 87 Republicans.

The GOP House Leadership voted against:

I'm busy at work today, as is BTD. But here are some random thoughts. Feel free to add your own:

Things that make me feel old:

• Charles Manson is 74, take a look at him then and now.

Things that make me annoyed:

• The number of emails I get that from people and organizations promoting their online content that have no relevance to issues covered by TalkLeft.
• Unsolicited faxes where you have to call the 800 number to be removed
• People who twitter boring stuff or news everyone already knows with no added original content

[More...]

The Obama political team seems to be out of whack these days. Via Greg Sargent, Axelrod reveals some real political tone deafness:

People are not sitting around their kitchen tables thinking about AIG,” Axelrod said. “They are thinking about their own jobs.”

I assume Axelrod said that earlier in the week. No way he said that yesterday or today. At least, I hope not.

Speaking for me only

Today is the beginning of the great distraction known as March Madness. I am tied up today (and not watching March Madness) so posting will be light from me. J, TChris and Ethan will no doubt hold down the fort.

This is an Open Thread.