Eliot Spitzer's downfall was his involvement in a prostitution ring, but this allegation is much more troubling:

Four Spitzer administration officials violated the state’s ethics law when they used the State Police last summer to gather travel documents they hoped would tarnish Joseph L. Bruno, then the State Senate majority leader, according to a report released on Thursday by the State Commission on Public Integrity.

The report drew on 3,000 pages of testimony and thousands of internal documents, and depicts an administration on a war footing, with Gov. Eliot Spitzer seething over attacks from Mr. Bruno and eager to strike back.

Spitzer always postured himself as being all about law and order. His administration's misuse of the state police "to gather and publicize sensitive information about Senator Bruno’s travel" further tarnishes that image.

Long Beach police are investigating a claim that officers pulled Shalonica Michelle Patton off of a bus after she gave them the finger, "slammed" her down on the sidewalk (breaking four bones in her face), and knelt on her back while handcuffing her. Portions of the arrest were captured on what appears to be a cell phone video shown about three minutes into this YouTube post.

[Patton was] booked on a charge of criminal threats, battery on a police officer, using offensive words/gestures in public and causing a disturbance on public transit.

Security cameras on the bus apparently captured the initial interaction between Patton and the officers. The department has promised to make that tape available whenever it concludes its own internal investigation. Why not do it now?

In response to Byron York's peeve at an Obama phrasing ("The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil"), Meteor Blades writes:

York's take on this not only begrudges other countries their loss, but also renders that loss a provincial, American loss. Obama is attempting, years after the fact, to remind the world of the opposite, of the universal horror of that day and the way that people from every corner of the globe - from France to Iran - stood in solidarity with New York and Washington on September 11. And, of course, by implication, how attitudes like York's within the administration squandered that sense of solidarity.

Meteor Blades and Obama speak for me here. More . .

Bump and Update (TL): The "Spam King" Eddie Davidson is dead. His body as well as that of his wife and three year old daughter were found today. All died from gunshots. An eight month old son was unhurt and a teenage daughter was grazed by a bullet but is okay. Developing...

Further update (TChris): Good background on Davidson's mental health problems here.
******

By TChris

It isn't likely anyone will make a movie about this less-than-daring escape, and there's no need to fear that this former prisoner will terrorize the community. You might soon find your email box filled with even more spam, however, if he evades capture and returns to his former employment.[More...]

Mike Farrell, the actor who achieved a measure of fame in M*A*S*H, and Don McCartin, formerly known as "the hanging judge of Orange County," team up in this call for an end to California's death penalty. Hollywood actors are often liberal, but why is McCartin taking an anti-death stance?

Don McCartin, having sentenced nine men to death and then watched as the system examined, re-examined and finally overturned all of his convictions while executing none of them, now believes the death penalty is a hideously expensive fraud. It tortures the loved ones of murder victims by dragging them through the years of complex appeals required by the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to protect the innocent.

Farrell's point: [more ...]

John McCain takes a shot at Sen. Barack Obama and his Berlin speech today:

While Barack Obama took a premature victory lap today in the heart of Berlin, proclaiming himself a 'citizen of the world,' John McCain continued to make his case to the American citizens who will decide this election. Barack Obama offered eloquent praise for this country, but the contrast is clear. John McCain has dedicated his life to serving, improving and protecting America. Barack Obama spent an afternoon talking about it."

More...

UPDATE by BTD

Jeralyn expends a great deal of time, effort and yes, money, to keep this site operating. If you appreciate what we provide, how about making a donation to the Talk Left cause.

You may not always agree with us, but you know we mean what we say and let you tell us what you think about it. So how about a donation?

If you prefer alternative methods for donating here are some:

In a letter to Rep. Lamar Smith, Karl Rove claims he had nothing to do with the prosecution of Don Siegelman. How reassuring. So why is he unwilling to repeat his assertions under oath? And if his fealty to executive privilege doesn't bar him from making that claim in a letter, what's stopping him from repeating it in a congressional hearing?

This is Siegelman's response. Siegelman has also assembled a handy archive of materials addressing his prosecution.

Had enough of Karl Rove? Vent your anger by joining more than 100,000 people who have signed a petition at Send Karl Rove to Jail. Or just stop by to look at the picture of Rove behind bars. It might make you feel better.

James Leo Bishop was executed in Mississippi last night. His last words included an apology to his victims and a request for people to vote for Sen. Barack Obama:

Before he died Wednesday evening, death row inmate Dale Leo Bishop apologized to his victim's family, thanked America and urged people to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

"For those who oppose the death penalty and want to see it end, our best bet is to vote for Barack Obama because his supporters have been working behind the scenes to end this practice," Bishop said.

There's no question Sen. Barack Obama is more attuned to the racial disparity in the application of the death penalty and plight of the wrongly convicted than John McCain. However, he's not a death penalty opponent.

Nonetheless, Mr. Bishop makes the right call between McCain and Obama. May he rest in peace. [More...]

Over at Slate, Emily Bazelon, Kara Hadge, Dahlia Lithwick and Chris Wilson have put together an interactive guide to crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush Administration, from warrantless wiretapping to coercive interrogation to the DOJ U.S. Attorney hiring and firing scandals and more.

Each scandal is represented by a colored circle that encompasses the people who are implicated. As it's easy to see, many of the players here are mixed up in two, three, or more of the alleged crimes.

A text-only version is here. If you get confused, they write:

fall back on this golden rule of wrongdoing in the White House: All roads lead to Gonzales.

MoveOn can be tremendously successful without being effective.

-Chris Hayes describing criticism of Move On

I am a vociferous critic of Move On's tactics of the past few years, believing that it has lost its way as an issue organization and instead largely became solely a Democratic cheerleader with little focus on issues. Chris Hayes, the editor of The Nation has a piece that sees good and bad in Move On:

What started as a simple one-sentence petition hastily posted to the web has evolved into the most readily identifiable group in the vanguard of a revived progressivism, with a membership that exceeds 3 million. Capable of dominating a news cycle with a single ad and raising millions of dollars with a lone e-mail, MoveOn pioneered an entire approach to conducting politics through the Internet that has been replicated and spun off across the country and around the globe, an approach that, as the Obama campaign has dramatically demonstrated, has permanently transformed the landscape of American politics.

More . .

It's unusual that all three writers here are working offline at our day jobs at the same time but that seems to be the case today.

Here's an open thread for you. And thanks to all who responded to BTD's earlier request for support. The kind words and donations are very much appreciated.