Read the whole thing, but here is the key excerpt, it seems to me:

Olbermman then denies that he was justifying Obama's support for the FISA bill but then goes on to do exactly that:

Seriously, there is little in the polls to suggest McCain has anything to run with other than terror . . . . So why hand them a brick to hit him with -- Obama Voted Against FISA -- if voting Aye enhances his chances of getting himself his own Attorney General to prosecute FISA.

[MORE . . . ]

What a hilarious diatribe:

I think John Dean is worth 25 Glenn Greenwalds (maybe 26 Keith Olbermanns). Thus, as I phrased it on the air tonight, obviously Obama kicked the left in the teeth by supporting the bill. But anybody who got as hot about this as I did would prefer to see a President Obama prosecuting the telecoms criminally, instead of seeing a Senator Obama engender more "soft on terror" crap by casting a token vote in favor of civil litigation that isn't going to pass since so many other Democrats caved anyway.

. . . I don't know much about Mr. Greenwald and I didn't read his full piece, but I do know that the snippet he's taken out of the transcript of my conversation with Jon Alter last night makes it sound like I was saying defying the left was a good thing. I was actually contrasting it to not cowering to the Republicans, simply as a different thing. . . .

Sure you did Keith. Sure. Those of us who saw the segment know a bit better than that. And excuse me, John Dean is no Glenn Greenwald and no one who knows Glenn's work would even think to say such a thing. Unless of course you are a Keith Olbermann and what that has come to mean - Obama's O'Reilly. The man is a farce.

Speaking for me only

North Carolina might do something useful for the victims of wrongful convictions in that state. In addition to increasing compensation from $20,000 to $50,000 per year of incarceration, the legislative proposal would provide for tuition at a state university campus or community college, or for job training.

The bill is inspired by the recent exoneration of Dwayne Dail, who served almost 20 years before DNA showed he was innocent of the rape he was accused of committing.

Just five people since 2001 qualified for the money so it won't create a big strain on state budgets, but it could have a huge impact on the lives of those who spent years in prison for crimes they did not commit.

North Carolina should pass this bill and other states should follow its example. People who have been unfairly disadvantaged by state action deserve the state's help as they try to get their lives back together. Free health care, housing assistance, and therapy should also be part of the mix.

Michael Blair has been saved from a death sentence imposed for a murder he didn't commit.

The ruling comes less than a month after prosecutors acknowledged that DNA evidence does not implicate Blair and shows that another man, now deceased, is a plausible suspect in the girl's death.

That man, identified in court papers only as Suspect No. 4, learned where 7-year-old Ashley Estell was buried and bought a plot for himself as close as he could get to her grave. He's been dead at least 10 years, according to court documents that didn't make it clear whether he was actually buried in the plot he purchased. ... Blair, now 38, was convicted in 1994 of strangling and molesting Ashley in suburban Dallas.

Blair is serving three consecutive life sentences for child sexual assaults he actually committed and to which he confessed. He maintained his innocence regarding Ashley. [more ...]

The Division of Motor Vehicles in North Carolina issued 10,000 license plates that began with WTF before someone spoiled the fun by complaining.

DMV officials got word of the plates last July when a 60-year-old technology teacher from Fayetteville complained about the plate after her teenage grandchildren clued her in.

The DMV actually featured a WTF license plate on its website. According to the linked story, "[o]fficials are trying to remove the plate from the site." Trying? Maybe DMV should call the technology teacher's grandkids to ask for help.

Now that the DMV has been clued in, it's offering all WTF plate recipients a chance to trade in their plates for a less expressive combination of letters. It's also inviting "anyone who has an issue with their plate" to "contact their local DMV office to request a new one." (The linked story helpfully links to a slideshow of 20 internet acronyms someone thinks parents should know.)

Via the Center for Constitutional Rights:

Late yesterday, a federal court judge ruled that the government did not have to disclose whether it was illegally spying on Guantanamo attorneys’ conversations. The judge ruled that the National Security Agency (NSA) could not be forced to reveal information about its domestic spying program because, “confirming or denying whether plaintiffs' communication with their clients has been intercepted would reveal information about the NSA's capabilities and activities.”

Plaintiffs had argued that the government cannot use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to shield illegal surveillance of attorneys. In response, the court said that because of the breadth of a statute protecting the NSA’s secrecy, “the Court need not address plaintiffs’ substantive arguments concerning the TSP’s illegality.”

What it means: [More..]

From the Center for Constitutional Rights:

Today, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed one of the first new habeas corpus petitions since the Supreme Court ruled on June 12 that the men at Guantánamo have the constitutional right to habeas corpus. The petition was filed on behalf of detainee Mohammed Sulaymon Barre, a UN mandate refugee from Somalia protected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

In related news, the CCR, Amnesty International and other groups are challenging the CIA's refusal to release documents about its secret prisons and detention program, alleging a cover-up: [More...]

David Addington, Dick Cheney's former legal counsel and current Chief of Staff (post Scooter Libby) testified before a House subcommittee today on the Administration's interrogation practices and torture.

Crooks and Liars has some thoughts as well as videos of Addington's testimony and the law profs at Balkanization have lots to say about John Yoo's testimony.

Human Rights First has the lowlights of both men's testimony. John Yoo's prepared testimony is here.

In other torture news, the American Civil Liberties Union is calling on the United States government "to appoint an independent prosecutor for U.S. torture crimes, to put an end to practices that involve torture and abuse and to fulfill its obligations under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). "

Glenn Greenwald writes:

On January 31 of this year, Keith Olbermann donned his most serious face and most indignant voice tone to rail against George Bush for supporting telecom immunity and revisions to FISA. In a 10-minute "Special Comment," the MSNBC star condemned Bush for wanting to "retroactively immunize corporate criminals[.]" . . . Olbermann added that telecom amnesty was a "shameless, breathless, literally textbook example of Fascism -- the merged efforts of government and corporations that answer to no government."

. . . . Now that Barack Obama supports a law that does the same thing -- and now that Obama justifies that support by claiming that this bill is necessary to keep us Safe from the Terrorists -- everything has changed. . . . There wasn't a syllable uttered about "immunizing corporate criminals" or "textbook examples of Fascism" or the Third Reich. There wasn't a word of rational criticism of the bill either. Instead, [Olbermann and Jon Alter] hailed Obama's bravery and strength -- as evidenced by his "standing up to the left" in order to support this important centrist FISA compromise . . . [MORE]

Tonight in Denver: Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Proceeds from the tax-deductable tickets go to the American Transplant Foundation. Thu 8 p.m. Wells Fargo Theatre, 700 14th St. $250-$1000. For more information, visit here.

The TL Kid and I will be there... one of the partners at his new law firm gave us their great seats right in front. (Thanks, Jeff.)

This is another open thread as the last one is full.

A few state polls to analyze. First SUSA's Missouri poll that has McCain up 7. the demos are whites (86% of the electorate) for McCain 55-37 and African Americans (12% of the electorate) for Obama 89-8. In 2004, Missouri went for Bush by 7, with Bush winning whites (77% of the vote) 58-41 and Kerry winning African Americans (11% of the vote) 88-11 (Latinos were said to be 8% of the vote in Missouri in 2004, a figure I find impossible to believe frankly, and Kerry won them 53-44.)

Here's my thinking, African Americans will be more than 12% of the electorate in Missouri and Obama will carry 95% of them, making this a closer race than 7. But still, this is a lean McCain state. More

Here's an open thread for today while we're at work.

If you've got an opinion or news to share, you can do it here. All topics welcome.