John McCain admits that he doesn't understand much about economics. It's time for him to make the same concession when it comes to constitutional law.

A top adviser to Senator John McCain says Mr. McCain believes that President Bush’s program of wiretapping without warrants was lawful, a position that appears to bring him into closer alignment with the sweeping theories of executive authority pushed by the Bush administration legal team.

In a letter posted online by National Review this week, the adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, said Mr. McCain believed that the Constitution gave Mr. Bush the power to authorize the National Security Agency to monitor Americans’ international phone calls and e-mail without warrants, despite a 1978 federal statute that required court oversight of surveillance.

McCain might want to double-check the validity of his beliefs by reading the Constitution. He should start with the Fourth Amendment. Then he should peruse the rest of the document in a fruitless search for a presidential exception to the Warrant Clause. He might also hazard a glance at Article I, which grants law-making powers to Congress, and at Article II, section 3, which requires the president to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" -- even laws the president doesn't like. (more ...)

For those who do not wonder why sexism and misogyny are not an outright breach of community and societal norms. For those to whom the sexism in this campaign was irrelevant. For everyone.

Katha Pollit:

Clinton's run has put to rest the myth that we are living in a postfeminist wonderland in which all that stands in women's path is women themselves. Like a magnet--was it the pantsuit?--Clinton drew out the nation's misogyny in all its jeering glory and put it where we could all get a good look at it. . . . Vats of sexist nastiness splattered across the Comments section of hundreds of blogs and websites. . . . As for the . . . pundits, thank you, Hillary, for showing us the snickering belittling of women that passes for media commentary . . .

Judith Warner:

The Times Caucus Blog has some tidbits from The Meeting:

Senator Dianne Feinstein of California got the call from Hillary Rodham Clinton Thursday afternoon: Could she, would she let Mrs. Clinton use her home in Northwest Washington for a little sit-down with a certain senator from Illinois, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States? Mrs. Feinstein had made the offer before and it was still good. And so a few hours later, at just about 9 p.m., Mrs. Clinton and Senator Barack Obama arrived for a face to face chat. No staff. No spouses. Just the two of them in Mrs. Feinstein’s living room.

And so it happened, The Meeting, that Democrats knew was inevitable, but for a long while thought would never come. It lasted about an hour.

More . . .

Jeralyn is off to Aspen for the NORML Conference and I do not know a thing about criminal law.

Let's hope TChris comes along and gives us some of his great posts because otherwise it is just me and my yammering about politics.

You can yammer here about anything you want to talk about.

One of Barack Obama's biggest assets in the upcoming campaign is his relationship with the Media. In short, he is their Darling. They have tossed over their long love John McCain for him. This is worth a ton.

The Media has told Barack Obama that he can not pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate. To use the parlance, they have "jammed" him regarding his VP decision. Of course, since the Media is doing the jamming, they will never write that Obama's not choosing Hillary Clinton BECAUSE the Media jammed him is a sign of weakness.

On the other hand, I believe most honest observers know that if Barack Obama picks Hillary Clinton, the November election will be a lock. Of course, Barack Obama can win without Clinton. But with her, he WILL win. More . . .

John Edwards makes a Shermanesque statement about the VP slot:

John Edwards has ruled out being Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket, according to interviews carried by two leading Spanish newspapers on Friday. "I already had the privilege of running for vice president in 2004, and I won't do it again," Edwards was quoted by El Mundo as saying. El Pais, the country's other leading daily, carried similar comments.

Well, that is one less person who has to go through the vetting process.

By Big Tent Democrat

It's that time of year again. I'm off to Aspen for the NORML Aspen Legal Seminar. My topic this year: Crackadoodledoo! A New Dawn in Crack Cocaine Sentencing. (I only wish it were true.) Here's the full schedule.

Like last year, I'll be staying in Woody Creek at Hunter Thompson's Owl Farm, with his wife Anita and his longtime Washington editor, Shelby Sadler. And of course, the peacocks.[More...]

What Hillary can't say Saturday, but I wish she would:

And I'll fight for the right to go over that hill
I will not be persuaded
I wont be still
...I'll be around
If you'll wait for me

This is an open thread.

Comments now closed.

I just got an e-mail asking me when TalkLeft was going to return to covering the politics of crime now that the nomination has been decided. Just today, TChris and I posted these:

• Civilian Oversight and Police Accountability
• Texas To Address Problem of Wrongful Convictions
• Prosecutor Wants More Death in Mississippi
• A War Based on Lies
• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Sings in Court, Welcomes the Death Penalty
• Marine Acquitted in Charges Related to Haditha Killings
• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Arraignment at Gitmo Today

Considering we are practicing lawyers with day jobs, and it's been 24 hours since the nomination has been decided, that's a fairly prodigious amount of writing. [More...]

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are meeting tonight according to news reports.

I have nothing to add to that. I will not pretend to know what is going on beyond that. If you want to see folks pretend to know, turn on the TV.

Oh, and the Lakers are going to beat the Celtics. Too athletic for them.

Funny how they got the story wrong. NOT at Hillary's house. I love how they pretend to know anything/

It's become sort of an Open Thread.

By Big Tent Democrat

Hillary Clinton's spokesman, Howard Wolfson, sent out this message today:

"While Senator Clinton has made clear throughout this process that she will do whatever she can to elect a Democrat to the White House, she is not seeking the vice presidency, and no one speaks for her but her. The choice here is Senator Obama's and his alone."

As I've opined several times, if Hillary doesn't want the Vice-Presidency, we should honor her wishes. BTD believes Obama has a better chance of winning if Hillary is the nominee. That's one consideration, but it's not the only one.

I believe Obama needs to win the White House on his own, with support from those who believe he's the best choice for the country. While I believe he's a far better choice than John McCain, I don't believe we should force Hillary into thinking she owes it to him or the party to be on his ticket. She's given enough.

Comments closed

You have all heard a lot about Obama's Appalachia Problem? That's the Obama supporter theory anyway. Well, if you want to solve it, apparently the way to solve it is to put Hillary Clinton on the ticket. Or so sez SUSA's Kentucky polling:

21% of Clinton supporters today say they will support Obama; 20% say they will support McCain. Another 21% say they will support a different candidate or no candidate at all; 37% say it's impossible to say until they know who both vice presidential candidates would be. Should Obama choose Clinton as his running mate, 57% of Clinton supporters say they will back Obama; 13% would back McCain. If Obama chooses John Edwards, 28% would back Obama; 13% McCain. Should Obama choose a woman other than Hillary Clinton as his running mate, McCain picks up more support from current Clinton backers -- 28% go with McCain, and 21% with Obama.

SUSA's general preference polling indicated that 36% of Kentucky voters prefer Clinton (37% go for McCain, 22% for Obama). Doing the math, putting Clinton on the ticket makes Kentucky Obama/Clinton 43, McCain 42. Obama could win Kentucky if he picks Clinton. KENTUCKY! The heart of Appalachia. These numbers are hard to ignore.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only.