Despite a recommendation by federal prosecutors that Marion Jones receive 0 to 6 months in prison for lying to officials about her steroid use and a check scam involving her ex-husband, a federal judge today sent her to jail for six months -- followed 800 hours community service and 2 years of supervised release. Why? He said she let children down.

"Athletes in society have an elevated status," the judge said before imposing sentence. "They entertain. They inspire. And perhaps most importantly, [they serve] as role models for children around the world."

Those children, the judge inferred, were lied to by Jones who should instead have been a model for "hard work, sportsmanship," and the lessons of "how to win and lose within the rules."

Marion Jones didn't plead guilty to lying to children. She pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators. While the judge stayed within the prosecutor's recommendation, he came in at the top end and it seems largely because of her denials of steroid use contained in a book she authored that were not part of the case against her. Is it allowed? Yes. But I'd rather he based her sentence on her criminal conduct rather than on her civic responsibility.

And it does seem like she caught a break for lying about the check scam so perhaps it all balances out in the wash.

O.J. Simpson is back in custody pending a bail violation hearing next week in Nevada. The prosecutor filed this complaint (pdf) alleging he left a voicemail for his bondsman asking him to contact a co-defendant, Clarence Stewart, who is not cooperating, and tell him to not to change his story from what he had previously told O.J. O.J.'s voicemail:

"I just want, want C.J. to know that the whole thing all the time he was tellin' me that (bleep), ya know. I hope he was telling me the truth. Don't be trying to change the mother (bleeping) (bleep) now, mother (bleeping) (bleep) holes. I'm tired of this (bleep). Fed up with the mother (bleepers) changing what they told me."

A condition of O.J.'s bond is that he not contact witnesses, victims or co-defendants personally or through his agents.

[More...]

To my mind, Edwards made a grievous mistake, both as a question of politics and issues, when he decided to give Obama a free pass. It effectively ended his campaign, both as a question of issues and politics. But I must agree with this from Ezra Klein:

Much more so than Obama, it was Edwards who forced a new style of politics, untethered by the fear and timidity of the 90s, adamant that liberalism was an electoral boon and economic justice a popular sentiment. Knowing they had to defend against his challenge, both Hillary and Obama edged closer to his appeal. This left the Edwards campaign without much substance on which to distinguish itself, but it left the Democrats in a much stronger position overall, and forced them to argue for, and commit to, a much broader and more inspiring agenda than we otherwise might have seen.

Thank you John Edwards for that.

Markos gets some flak (most of it candidate support inspired imo) in the thread of his post advocating a Dems For Romney campaign in Michigan (where the Dem primary is unofficial.) Markos wants Romney to scramble the GOP field (I assume he also wants to hurt McCain's chances.) I am dubious of the efficacy of the effort but it does highloght the absurdity of the concept of "open" primaries. If a party is choosing its standardbearer, only members of that party should be allowed to participate. Or as Markos writes:

Open primaries are stupid. Should we be meddling in their primary? To be honest, open primaries like this Michigan one are ridiculous. As far as I'm concerned, if someone isn't a Democrat, they shouldn't get to decide my party's nominee. If someone isn't a Republican, they shouldn't get to decide the Republican's nominee. So if this little campaign adds impetus for closing primaries, so much the better. But as long as the law allows crossover voting, there is nothing wrong with picking up the ballot you think best helps YOUR candidate.

And any progressive member of the Democratic base should support this point of view. Open primaries are invitations to ignoring the base. This seems obvious to me.

Courtesy of the Dutch, you can answer a quick 25 questions and find the top Democrat (or Republican) that most closely matches your positions on issues -- you can even rank the issues in terms of importance to you before they calculate the final results.

VoteMatch USA 2008 is a product of the Dutch Institute for Political Particpation, made for and in cooperation with current affairs programme OneToday.

VoteMatch USA 2008 comprises eight candidates who will take part in the preliminary US presidential elections, three Democrats and five Republicans. These eight candidates are deemed most likely to win by authoritative research institutes such as Pew Research and Brookings Institution...

After you get the results, which are broken down by issue and specify on which ones the three Democrats agree and disagree with you, you can click and read their statements on those issues.

My results (and again, these are based only on the candidates' positions on issues)came out: John Edwards, very closely followed by Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama was third. There was a larger gap between Hillary and Obama.

Take the test, it's very quick, and let us know the results in comments.

From Time's Jay Newton-Small (I never heard of her either):

An interesting endorsement for Obama today. Pelosi's BFF George Miller. . . . [W]hen her top advisor [Top advisor? So that is what George Miller has been reduced to now?] who also happens to be a famous champion of women politicians endorses Obama, does it send the signal: is there room in Washington for both a Speaker Pelosi and a President Hillary?

Okaay. Can't have TOO many women with power in Washington now can we? Sheesh.

Bump and Update: The blogs are joining in the opening of the ACLU's "Close Guantanamo" campaign.

• Daily Kos
• AmericaBlog
• Second Life
• West Virginia Blue

****

On the eve of the 6th anniversary of detainees arriving at Guantanamo Bay, the ACLU has commenced its "Close Guantanamo" campaign.

Guantanamo will forever be a stain on our national legacy. It must close. Please, join the ACLU in this historic and important campaign. Wear orange on Friday. [More...]

I do not and have never doubted that Barack Obama is a committed progressive. My problem has always been with his political style - the Unity Schtick. Because in the real world of DC politics, it will not work. Barack Obama will be savaged by the Right Wing just as would any Democratic nominee. Charles Krauthammer provides a preview of what Republicans would say about Barack Obama should he be the nominee:

Speaking for me only.

Andrew Cuomo commented:

”It’s not a TV crazed race. Frankly you can’t buy your way into it,” Cuomo said. “You can’t shuck and jive at a press conference,” he added. “All those moves you can make with the press don’t work when you’re in someone’s living room.”

Cuomo tried to clarify that he was not referring to Senator Barack Obama. It seems hard to see how he was not. Cuomo must apologize for this racially insensitive, at best, comment. If he does not, the Clinton campaign must repudiate it. It went well over the line.

The Bush Administration and Congress' Real ID plan (code word for national identity card) got another delay yesterday. States will have five more years to put it into effect.

The AP has more here.

Why?

DHS revised its ID plan after states and civil libertarians criticized draft regulations, issued last March and setting a 2013 deadline, as unworkable and threatening to Americans' privacy by creating a de facto national ID for 245 million U.S. drivers. Seventeen states have passed legislation opposing or opting out of the program.

America is supposed to be a country where police don't get to ask, "Where's Your Papers?" For driver's now older than 50, that will change by 2018. For those born after 1964, it may change by 2011.

Maybe we can get a Congress elected by then to repeal this ill-advised law, which the ACLU and others aptly call a "real nightmare." More here and here.

Update: Another article on the event:

A man shouted through an opening in the wall that his wife was illegal.

"No woman is illegal," Clinton said, to cheers.

*****

Hillary Clinton arrived in Las Vegas today and embarked on a door-to-door campaign in a Hispanic neighborhood, asking residents for their help. At a Mexican restaurant afterwards, she sat with locals and talked about her plan to ease the foreclosure crisis, which has hit Nevada particularly hard.

Mrs. Clinton said she would like to freeze interest rates for five years, and create a federal program that would help homeowners get “through a bad time,” to prevent foreclosures. Mrs. Clinton also said she believed “we’re slipping into a recession.”

She arrived a day ahead of Barack Obama. But it doesn't seem like Obama will be staying long since his schedule is packed full in South Carolina Saturday, starting at 8:30 a.m., where he also spent Thursday.[More...]

First it was the cackle. Then it was her flash of anger,the team-attack on her by Obama and Edwards and the moderator saying she wasn't likeable at the debate. Then the media pile-on about her emotional moment. Then the men yelling "Iron my shirt" at her during a campaign event. Then Tweety Matthews saying she only won her New York Senate seat because her husband "messed around." Then the "Buddy System" crack.

The sexist attacks on Hillary have been brutal. The New York Times reports they are also moving women into her camp, even some who previously supported Obama and Edwards. [More...]