Happy Birthday, Keith. Here's a great photo tribute, set to "Sister Morphine."

And a more fun one, set to Johnny B. Goode:

How about Keith and Willie Nelson and Ryan Adams singing Dead Flowers? Or, since it's his birthday, here's Keith and Sheryl Crow singing Happy. Or, since it's almost Christmas, how about Run, Rudolph, Run?

• Des Moines businesswoman Phyllis Davis died in the cross-fire of a gang-related shootout between the occupants of two vehicles in 1996. One of the vehicles matched a distinctive SUV that David Flores owned. Via the Des Moines Register, Flores makes a strong argument that he was wrongly convicted of killing Davis.

[N]o murder weapon, no fingerprints and no eyewitnesses ever placed him at the scene. During Flores' controversial trial, four witnesses - including three for the prosecution - testified that a black man, not a light-skinned Hispanic like Flores, was in the SUV from which prosecutors believed the fatal bullet was fired.

This year, the judge in Flores' post-conviction case learned a newly discovered FBI report from 1996 shows another man, Rafael Robinson, might have been involved in Davis' death. At least two people also agreed to testify in sworn depositions that Robinson, a gang member who was also fatally shot in 1996, was the man witnesses saw in the SUV that day.

[more ...]

and do what they do. Kos remembers this critical point:

Obama wouldn't be out there making perhaps the strongest statement in support of gays and lesbians by a president (though he's still not technically one, I know) if it wasn't for the sturm and drang this choice generated. It is precisely this backlash that has forced Obama to clearly affirm his commitment to equality. And it will be continued pressure that will force him to do the right thing on the issue. If we shut up, he'll take the path of least resistance. And that path of least resistance is kowtowing to the conservative media, the clueless punditocracy, and bigots like Warren.

Emphasis mine. Speaking for me only

Voting is still open in the ABA Journal's top 100 law blogs for 2008. TalkLeft was fortunate to be nominated for the second year in a row. We were ahead a few weeks ago, but we've fallen behind.

It takes less than five seconds to vote, so if you enjoy Talkleft, please go here and vote for us.

Thanks, everyone! And this is an open thread.

From the time Sen. Barack Obama announced his candidacy, I wrote and wrote about his record on criminal justice issues, particularly with respect to our drug laws. I didn't like what I learned and said so repeatedly. While his policy positions and Hillary's were quite similar, the difference between them, I thought, was that he had spent a lot of time thinking about these issues and legislating on them as a state senator in Illinois. I felt, rightly or wrongly, that we least had a chance with Hillary to convince her on a few points since she hadn't paid a great deal of attention to these issues in the past, either as First Lady or as Senator. She'd be more of a blank slate. Of course, that's all water under the bridge. I only mention it because readers are bound to respond with, "Well Hillary wouldn't have been any better." It's beside the point.

On his website, Change.gov, Obama asked readers to ask a question about the policy change most important to them. The results: the number one question among 7,000 policy topics raised was legalization of marijuana. His response: No way. [More...]

NBC announces:

NBC News announced today that Political Director Chuck Todd has been named chief White House correspondent. Joining him on the beat will be Savannah Guthrie, who has been named White House correspondent. The announcements were made today by NBC News President Steve Capus, and are effective immediately.

Chuck has been a friend of TalkLeft and we have long respected his political reporting work. But clearly this is a new path for him - which will require policy focus. He is plenty bright so he can definitely handle the job and I offer my heartfelt congratulations to him. I consider this to be a major upgrade in the reporting we will get from the White House than we have gotten in the past.

Speaking for me only

One of the reasons I didn't support Barack Obama in the primaries was that I objected to his constant refrain, "We aren't red states or blue states, we're the United States." What's the point of electing a Democrat if he's going to give equal time to Republicans? We've had 8 years of Republican rule and we elected a Democrat to reinstate Democratic values and positions.

We didn't get that with Rick Warren, of course, and I'm not surprised. Obama today defends his choice.

Get ready for more of the same. The last line of the article quotes Obama as saying:

A "wide range of viewpoints" will be presented during the inaugural ceremonies.

Shouldn't President-Elect Obama be showcasing Democratic viewpoints and values as an indication to the country and world of the change he's going to bring from the last 8 years?

When will jurors learn? You can't do your own research on the case you are deciding. Judges always advise them of this.

A juror in the murder trial of former Sorpranos' actor Lillo Brancato got booted today.

A mistrial was avoided Thursday in the trial of a former "Sopranos" actor accused in the shooting death of an off-duty police officer after it was discovered a juror had been taking notes during testimony and doing research on the case at home.

Lillo Brancato, charged with second-degree murder in the December 2005 shooting death of Officer Daniel Enchautegui, agreed to a substitution with an alternate juror after the original juror was dismissed.

So, deliberations start over with the new juror.

Jailed Iraqi Journalist , Muntader al-Zaidi has asked for a pardon. It's Christmas. Give him one.

The Uptake provides great coverage of what trying to enfranchise all voters look like. Things are looking good for Franken right now BTW.

Go Al!

A few weeks ago I called Ross Douthat's claim of conservative moderation on the issue of choice disingenuous. Digby, in writing about her justified dismay (the dismay has been expressed across the Left blogosphere) that Rick Warren will be legitimized by President-Elect Obama's choice of Warren to give the inaugural invocation, provides me with the clinching argument on Douthat's disingenuousness:

“Of course I want to reduce the number of abortions,” Warren told Beliefnet Editor-in-Chief Steven Waldman[,] . . . “[b]ut to me it is kind of a charade in that people say ‘We believe abortions should be safe and rare,’” he added. “Don’t tell me it should be rare. That’s like saying on the Holocaust, ‘Well, maybe we could save 20 percent of the Jewish people in Poland and Germany and get them out and we should be satisfied with that,’” Warren said. “I’m not satisfied with that. I want the Holocaust ended.”

Warren proves that Douthat's column was deeply disingenuous, if not outright dishonest.

Speaking for me only

As Glenn Greenwald has documented, the Media simply cannot tell the truth about John Brennan and why many of us strongly opposed consideration of him for CIA Director. The Associated Press' Pamela Hess provides yet another example of the Media's inability to tell the truth about John Brennan:

The search for a new CIA chief has been stalled since November, when John Brennan, Obama's transition intelligence adviser, abruptly withdrew his name from consideration. Brennan said his potential nomination had sparked outrage among human and civil rights groups, who believed Brennan was not outspoken enough in his condemnation of Bush policies.

(Emphasis supplied.) Excuse me Ms. Hess, but if you do not know by now that Mr. Brennan not only was not "outspoken enough" agianst rendition and enhanced interrogation, that in fact Mr. Brennan was quite outspoken in defense of these criminal practices, then you should stop writing about the subject.

Speaking for me only