New York Gov. David Paterson will take over on Monday.

He is New York's first African American Governor. He is legally blind. He's highly respected and well liked.

I hope he puts repeal of the draconian Rockefeller drug laws at the top of his agenda.

Paterson is a super-delegate for Hillary Clinton.

Update: Text of Statement.

Embattled New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is expected to announce he is resigning at 11:30 a.m. ET.

More details of his trysts:

A person with knowledge of the service’s operations said that Mr. Spitzer had begun meeting with the prostitutes of the Emperor’s Club about eight months ago and had had encounters in Dallas as well as Washington. A law enforcement official said Mr. Spitzer also had an encounter with a prostitute in Florida. On some trips of several days’ duration, Mr. Spitzer scheduled more than one visit with a prostitute, this person said.

Update: He's now in the building. Updates below

From the Clinton Campaign, Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams' letter to the Obama campaign manager David Plouffe on Michigan and Florida:

Clinton Campaign Calls for Michigan and Florida Voices to Be Heard

David Plouffe
P.O. Box 8102
Obama for America
Chicago, Illinois 60680

Dear David:

The 2008 primary campaign has been a spirited contest that has resulted in record voter turnout. Both of our candidates can proudly boast of bringing new people into the process and energizing our Democratic Party.

With the campaign now entering the final phase of the nominating contest, it is vital that both of our campaigns come together to ensure that the delegations from Florida and Michigan be seated to reflect the will of the voters.

More...

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only.

In reference to the attitude of the Florida congressional delegation with regard to the mail in primary revote proposal that will be made by the Florida Democratic Party this week, I believe this quote says it all:

Some of South Florida's Democratic leaders were skeptical about holding a mail-in vote, but considered it as a possible option."If it's the only alternative, it's certainly better than our votes not being counted," said Joseph Geller, Mayor of North Bay Village and Hillary Clinton supporter. "Anything is preferable to our votes not being counted."

(Emphasis supplied.) It is the only option. It is preferable to Florida's votes not being counted. That is the bottom line. Time to get behind the Nelson mail in revote plan.

BTW, in an ironic twist, Barack Obama has co-sponsored the Senate version of this bill, "The Universal Right To Vote By Mail Act". Alcee Hastings is a co-sponsor of the House bill. And here is the ACLU praising the bill.

Let me add that my "campaign" for a revote started a month ago. For more on this from Talk Left, see the links here.

Shorter version: Forget $80,000. We're down to $19,000. His lawyers are insisting there was no crime, there should be no charges. In other words, no plea bargain. We also get the name of one of the banks that dropped the dime on him: Capital One Corp.'s North Fork unit.

On his gubernatorial financial disclosures, Mr. Spitzer lists North Fork as one of his primary personal banks.

As to the three wire transfers:

[Spitzer]made three payments of roughly $5,000 each through wire transfers in the spring and summer of 2007 from personal bank accounts, according to a person familiar with the matter. The New York governor allegedly paid an additional $4,300 in cash to the ring in connection with an encounter at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington on Feb. 13, making his total payments to the group more than $19,000.

As to why there may have been no illegality [More...]

The Defense Department is instituting a new policy for the Guantanamo detainees. They will be allowed to phone home -- once every six months for an hour.

The Bush Administration thinks this demonstrates "commitment to maintaining the health and well-being of Guantanamo detainees." More likely, it is intended to boost the image of the gulag before the Supreme Court decides the next case on the detainees' rights.

Reactions from some of their defense lawyers: [More...]

By Big Tent Democrat

First, the Secretary of State of Mississippi seems pretty bad at his job to me. He said turnout was light and there would be about 150,000 votes. There will be more than 400,000 at the end of the night.

Second, Obama smoked Clinton by more than 20 points and 100,000 votes. A BIG night for Obama. The exit polls UNDER estimated Obama's vote. Bottom line a big big Obama night.

Third, yet again it appears that the selected delegate process is exposed for its voter dilution flaws. Based on his popular vote, Obama should have received 20 of the 33 available delegates. It appears he will receive 18. What a way to pick a nominee.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only.

So the Florida Congressional Delegation is said to oppose the only viable plan for a revote in Florida:

[A]fter meeting with Mr. Nelson on Tuesday night, Florida’s Democratic members of the House of Representatives added a serious new wrinkle by announcing they were unanimously opposed to a mail-in contest. They did not elaborate, but released a statement that said, “Our House delegation is opposed to a mail-in campaign or any redo of any kind.” The statement also said the delegation was committed to working with state and national Democrats and the two candidates “to reach an expedited solution that ensures our 210 delegates are seated.”

It is too late for sitting down for more blather. Senator Bill Nelson has the plan, the financing plans and the preapproval of Howard Dean. This is the only way to have a representative Florida delegation seated. The Florida Congressional delegation has a dollar and a dream. They have done no work at all on this. These Florida Congresspersons will find they have hell to pay if they are the obstacles to seating the Florida delegation. The Florida Democratic Party is submitting this plan. Period. What do these Congresspersons plan to do? Be the reason why Florida does not have a delegation at the Convention? They need to get over it and get with the plan.

NOTE - Comments are now closed.

By Big Tent Democrat

Florida finalizes mail in voting revote plan:

Facing tight deadlines for a do-over election, Florida Democrats are rushing to deliver to the national party as soon as Thursday a plan to vote again in the presidential primary — this time, by mail. If approved, ballots could start going out to voters in April.

MORE . . .

Just to remind everyone of what is at stake in November....

The House today failed to override President Bush's veto of the anti-torture bill.

The 225-188 roll call Tuesday by which the House failed to override President Bush's veto of a bill that would have prohibited the CIA from using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques on terrorist suspects.

House Democrats today stuck to their guns and rejected telecom immunity for warrantless wiretapping in abscence of a FISA court order :

Locked in a standoff with the White House, House Democrats on Tuesday maintained their refusal to shield from civil lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without a secret court's permission.

But they offered the companies an olive branch: the chance to use classified government documents to defend themselves in court.

The ACLU says the compromise is an improvement but there are still concerns.

By Big Tent Democrat

White vote - 73% Clinton, Obama 26%.

A-A vote - 90% Obama, 10% Clinton.

Turnout was almost 50/50 White-A-A. Projecting the exit poll, It will be 58-42. I expect on THIS demo breakdown, a 17-16 delegate split.

In the popular vote, if turnout was 150,000, Obama would win 87,000 to 63,000, or a net gain of 24,000 for Obama.