If Big Tent Democrat were here (he's still on vacation) he would be writing about these posts.

• Digby: Partisan Soljahs on the Obama-Krugman flap.

• Eriposte at Left Coaster:

I have seen enough of Sen. Obama's supposed "post-partisan" non-ideology in action to know that, while he will certainly be better than any Republican as President, he is definitely not my #1 choice in the Democratic primary. I have deep concerns about what an Obama administration would be like - one that will likely be interested in compromise as an end in itself, while repeatedly ditching the progressive netroots as he has been inclined to do already (even before winning), when his soaring rhetoric meets the reality of the not-so-soaring ideology of Congress and the Republican Noise Machine. It is probably the expectation of this dynamic, along with Sen. Obama's willingness to repeatedly throw progressives under the bus, that has Obama supporters like Andrew Sullivan - who once infamously tarred swaths of the left in this country as a fifth column - energized and welcoming of his candidacy.

• DpAndrews at MyDD: Obama has Republicans Licking Their Chops

Update: No verdict today (Tuesday.) They'll be back tomorrow morning.

*****

It looks like another defeat for the feds in the homegrown terror trial of the Liberty City, Florida defendants they said wanted to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and federal buildings in Miami. (Background here.)The trial began in September and went to the jury on December 4. The jury deliberated four days and told the Judge Thursday it was deadlocked. Today, the Judge gave the dynamite instruction, called the Allen charge, and told them to keep going. They'll be back tomorrow, but trial oberservers don't expect a verdict.

The case was one of those trumpeted by Alberto Gonzales. It seemed like overblown hype from the beginning.

The defendants assert they were ensnared by an FBI informant and had no intention of participating in such schemes. Six months after their arrest, Narseal Batiste, the lead defendant, sent a 25 page letter to the media, explaining his position.

More...

A new New York Times/CBS Poll taken Dec. 5 to 9 finds Hillary Clinton maintaining her lead nationally over Barack Obama. But what about Oprah?

Forty-four percent of Democrats said Mr. Clinton’s involvement would make them more likely to support Mrs. Clinton. The poll found just 1 percent said they might be swayed by the involvement of Oprah Winfrey.

More results:

• Democrats are happier with their candidates than Republicans.

• Demorats view Hillary "as a far more electable candidate" than Obama or Edwards in November.

  63 percent of Democrats said they thought Mrs. Clinton has the best chance of all the Democrats in a general election, compared with 14 percent who named Mr. Obama and 10 percent for Mr. Edwards.

  .... Not only did substantially more Democratic voters judge her to be ready for the presidency than those who believed Mr. Obama is prepared for the job, the poll found, but more Democrats said Mrs. Clinton could bring the country together than those who said Mr. Obama was someone who could unite different groups.

More...

The death penalty in New Jersey is on it's way out.

The state Senate approved legislation Monday that would make New Jersey the first state to abolish the death penalty since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to impose the sentence.

Death sentences would be changed to life without parole. The bill is expected to pass the Democratic-controlled House, perhaps Thursday, and then go to Gov. John Corzine. Corzine, a death penalty opponent, likely will sign it into law by January 8.

This is not a sudden development. [More...]

Meet former CIA Agent John Kiriakou. He's come out to ABC News, admitting he's the one who waterboarded Abu Zubaydah (background here.) He tells ABC that Zubaydah "broke in less than 35 seconds," and that yes, water-boarding is torture.

"We're Americans, and we're better than this. And we shouldn't be doing this kinda thing," he said.

Mother Jones has a new article about Mike Huckabee, Huckabee Hides His Full Gospel?

The question is, if elected President, how much would Huckabee inject his faith into his policy?

Huckabee won't release his sermons, but there's plenty of other clues. This comment he made while Governor in 1997 is pretty telling:

[T]hat year, Huckabee refused to sign legislation to assist storm victims because the measure referred to tornadoes and floods as "acts of God." Putting his name on such legislation, Huckabee explained, "would be violating my own conscience" due to the bill equating "a destructive and deadly force" as "an act of God."

Jane of Firedoglake talked me into it. I'll be joining her and other bloggers in Des Moines from December 31 through January 4 to cover the Iowa caucuses being held Jan. 3.

The race is so close between Hillary, Obama and Edwards that it's just too exciting not to be there personally and analyze the dynamics, the mood, the goings-on and the last minute efforts of the candidates to get out the vote.

If you are able to send a few bucks TalkLeft's way for expenses (or even just for holiday cheer) that would be very appreciated.

Bump and Update: 24 year old Matthew Murray, the home-schooled son of a prominent neurologist, has been identified as the shooter in yesterday's Colorado Springs church shooting.

The law enforcement official said Murray was believed to be the gunman in both attacks. Murray did not appear to have a criminal history but "hated Christians," the official said.

....Murray's father, Ronald S. Murray, is a neurologist who is chief executive of the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center in Englewood.

Murray attended the Youth With a Misson program in Arvada about three years ago but was kicked out. He began sending them hate mail a few weeks ago.

***

Original Post 12/9/07

Shooting Deaths at Two Colorado Evangelical Sites

Three people and a gunman are dead in Colorado following two shooting sprees at evangelical sites, 70 miles apart.

More...

Conrad Black didn't do too badly at his sentencing today. He got 6 1/2 years, the bottom of the guidelines, he has to return $6.1 million and pay a $125,000 fine. The Government initially sought a 24 year sentence, but after the Judge rejected its guideline computations and adopted a guideline range of 6 1/2 to 8 years, it dropped its request to 8 years. Still, Black got the bottom of the range. Also,

The judge allowed Black to remain free on bail until March 3, when he is to report to prison. She granted a defense request that he serve his term at a low security facility at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. She rejected U.S. requests to seize Black's Palm Beach, Florida, home or the proceeds of the sale of his Manhattan apartment.

....The judge rejected U.S. efforts to sentence Black under tougher guidelines or to consider the higher fraud amount found by the internal Hollinger investigation.

Turns out, Eglin's closed, so he'll have to go somewhere else.

I wonder if Michael Vick is sorry now that he surrendered on Thanksgiving weekend to start serving his sentence. It doesn't seem like it made a bit of difference. A federal judge today sentenced Vick to 23 months in prison.

Even though Vick pleaded guilty and surrendered early to begin serving his sentence, and the plea agreement (pdf) contemplated a two point "acceptance of responsibility" reduction, the Judge didn't give it to him. Nor does it seem he got a cooperation reduction which the Government said it might request if he provided helpful and truthful information.

The Plea Agreeement also said the prosecutor would ask for a sentence at the low end of the applicable guideline range, but the AP says it asked for a sentence at the high end. Sounds like Government doesn't think Vick held up his end of the bargain.

[More...]

If you're a blogger (particularly on state issues) and want to get media credentials for the August 25 to 28 Democratic Convention in Denver, the process begins today.

Big media goes through the Congressional Galleries. Bloggers go through the DNCC's Press Gallery. The basics are here -- 50 blogs on state issues, one from each state, will get credentialed first. National and niche bloggers will go into a second pool of applicants.

DNCC PRESS GALLERY: all other news organizations including blogs community newspapers, the publications of membership organizations, quarterlies, college media, production houses and media service organizations. Please visit the DNCC blog for more information on the blogger credentialing process.

DNCC Press Gallery
1560 Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80202
Phone: 720-362-2008
Email: dnccpressgallery-at-demconvention.com
www.demconvention.com

More....

The Supreme Court today affirmed rulings of two district court judges in cases in which they had granted downward departures from the federal sentencing guidelines. One case involved crack, the other ecstasy.

The cases are Kimbrough v. U.S., 06-6330 (opinion here, pdf) and Gall v. U.S., 06-7949, opinion here (pdf).

In Kimbrough, the Court had imposed a 15 year sentence instead of the 19 to 22 years called for by the guidelines. In Gall, the Court granted probation instead of a 30 to 37 month sentence.

Scotus Blog explains the decisons. Law Prof Doug Berman of Sentencing Law and Policy is very excited and will have a lot of commentary as soon as he's digested the opinions.

Tomorrow, the U.S. Sentencing Commission will announce its decision on whether its recent crack cocaine guideline reduction will be retroactive and thus apply to the 19,500 crack offenders now in federal prison.

Update: Two quotes from Kimbraugh on the difference between mandatory minimums and guidelines and ability of judges to consider the disparity between crack and powder cocaine penalties: