I've been at work all day, and will be Wednesday as well. We have a new diary up by James TX on an interesting Kansas case involving the prosecution of a doctor who prescribed pain medication.

Nonpartisan has a diary on Wilmington, Delaware and the attempt to create a Green Zone for jobs.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Some are noticing this story. President Obama is meeting with Republicans today on the issue.

The question is this - is Obama posturing by holding this meeting or will he offer even more concessions (his proposal pre-conceded on a lot already)? Is this a play to the Media? If so, will it work? Or does Obama think this description was apt?

I'll wait to see what Obama does.

Speaking for me only

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals held oral argument Monday in the appeal of Zacarias Moussaoui, who is trying to withdraw his guilty plea.

The grounds:

Moussaoui's guilty plea was invalid because he was confused about the charges and didn't know that other al-Qaeda members had given information to interrogators that could have cleared him.

[More...]

Your turn.

This is an Open Thread.

Via Steve Clemons, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote:

I and many others believe that the use of torture and indefinite detention have not only tarnished our honor but also diminished our security. In this global counterinsurgency effort against al Qaeda and its allies, too often our means have undercut our efforts by wasting one of our best weapons: the legitimacy that comes from our moral authority.

. . . Torture elicits lies -- not just from those experiencing it, but from those who seek to conceal it. After years of Orwellian denials and legalistic parsing, what a relief it was to hear our new attorney general-designee finally acknowledge what we know to be true: that yes, "waterboarding is torture."

As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Kerry seems well positioned to investigate and document these hard truths. It should be part of his work now.

Speaking for me only

Here is the actual CBO report (PDF) (as opposed to the GOP press release on a partial report) on the economic stimulus legislation. The report concludes that the stimulus plan will have a positive impact on job creation and economic growth (kind of a "duh" conclusion). The report does not seem to tell us how much impact. This economic stimulus plan seems entirely too timid to me.

Speaking for me only

Eugene Robinson would be in jail today after writing this ignorant and unintelligent column:

[I]t is unclear to me what else Blagojevich has done that a duly constituted jury would find illegal. Even in the matter of his menacing mop, at worst he's a co-conspirator in a dastardly act committed by his barber.

Try reading the Illinois House's impeachment report (PDF) or the US Attorney's criminal complaint (PDF) next time Gene. It will save you from the stupid.

Speaking for me only

The Liberty City aka Sears Tower trial begins again in Florida after two mistrials in which jurors couldn't agree on a verdict.

Prosecutors tried to prove that the original seven defendants, a group of laborers from the tough Liberty City neighborhood, provided “material support” to a terrorist organization, and planned to destroy buildings. But they relied mostly on the men’s words, citing their loyalty oath to Al Qaeda and aggressive comments made to two F.B.I. informants.

More concrete evidence did not emerge. Testimony showed that a search by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of what it called the group’s headquarters did not yield guns, explosives or blueprints for an attack. Besides a samurai sword, no weapons were found.

This was the trial hyped by Alberto Gonzales to the media. The Bush Administration played the "fear card" to the max and still couldn't get a guilty verdict. It should be more difficult this time around.

As University of Miami Law Prof Bruce Winnick says, it's more like a grade B movie plot than a criminal case.

Our past coverage of the trials is accessible here.

Here we go again. House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers subpoenaed Karl Rove to testify about the U.S. Attorney firings and Don Siegelman case. Via Marcy, here's the subpoena (pdf).

The subpoena commanded Rove to appear on Feb. 2 for a deposition on the U.S. attorney firings and the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, a Democrat.

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey named a special prosecutor in September to investigate whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, other Bush administration officials or Republicans in Congress should face criminal charges in the firings of the U.S. attorneys.

Conyers is hoping having Obama in the White House may make a difference.

''Change has come to Washington, and I hope Karl Rove is ready for it. After two years of stonewalling, it's time for him to talk.''

There's a lot of TV tonight, it's multiple Tivo time. There's 24, the Bachelor, a new Closer (I've never seen the show but people seem to like it) and HD Net has the 1974 classic Chinatown with Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.

What are you watching? Or, if you're checking news instead, what did we miss today?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Slow drivers, watch out. The Colorado House today passed the "slowpoke driver" bill.

House Bill 1042 would require drivers who are traveling below the speed limit with five or more cars backed up behind them to pull over at the first safe opportunity. They also can travel in the right-hand lane on two lane roads.

This just gives the cops another reason to stop motorists. And what if it's snowing or icy out? I always drive at a snail's pace when it's snowing or icy.

One criticism I think is far-fetched:

Lawmakers worried aloud Wednesday about leaving tanker trucks on the side of the road vulnerable to terrorist plots.

Like we've had so many of those here. It's far more likely wildlife will be killed crossing the highway. Friday, 16 elk were killed crossing I-70 as a result of a traffic accident.

For those who hoped for a stop to the escalation of the war on drugs, this isn't your year. During 2008, Congress snuck a few new laws in, and today the Sentencing Commission released its proposed guideline amendments for 2009 (pdf), adding the new offenses and increased penalties. They will appear in tomorrow's federal register and there are 60 days to provide comments.

What's new?

• Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008. (starts at page 25)
• Drug Trafficking Vessel Interdiction Act of 2008 (starts at page 30)

The first prohibits controlled substance sales and advertising over the internet. The second prohibits drug sales on submarines (ok submersible vessels, and the difference is explained here.)