Yglesias:

In both political and policy terms, I think all of the candidates should consider that in the real world they need not Iraq policies that will make sense in the fall of 2007, but Iraq policies that will make sense in January 2009 . . .

Does Yglesias believe this holds true for the Congress as well? 4 Senators and 1 Congressman are running for President. Is the leadership they demonstrate in the Congress NOW irrelevant to Yglesias? Atrios writes:

If you're by a computer today and have something to say, here's a place.

If you'd like to post a diary, cross-posting is fine,I'll be back later to add a link here. Basic rules for diarists are here. If you don't yet have "diarist" status on TalkLeft, send me an e-mail and I'll adjust your permissions.

From the past few days:

• Take the damn ball, Obama by Geekesque

• Gore Says Yes On Protests: Study Shows Effectiveness by Patriot Daily

What I'm thinking about today: Oprah's fund-raising for Obama. Does she have enough clout to sway an election? What do you think?

WaPo has a deceptive title on Bill Richardson's Op Ed piece. They call it "Why We Should Leave Iraq Now." It should be called "Watch Richardson Try To Exploit 'Differences' on 2009 Iraq Policy and NOT Talk About Leaving Iraq Now." Read the first three grafs of the piece:

More...

At dkos, Georgia says:

. . . Let them prove their commitment to that promise now by doing "everything in their power" to stem the tide of inevitably atrocious bills that will be heralded by too many in our party as the "reasonable" and "bipartisan" way for a "new direction" in Iraq.

Members of Congress who are also presidential candidates have a unique power . . . They are the only politicians with practically a 24/7 news detail following them. They are the only politicians whose most innocuous moves (low cut blouses, anyone?) attract a media frenzy. They have the national megaphone necessary to shout down bad bills and to correct administration lies. Simply put, they have the power to almost instantaneously and drastically change the tone of this debate, if they wanted to do so.

So to them, to those who promise to do everything in their power to end this war (and that's not just Senator Clinton), I say follow through. Recognize the awesome power that you have by virtue of your unique position, and use it, all of it. Use it to lead, to get the Democratic Party to operate in harmony and to take decisive and binding action to truly end this war.

. . . Enter, leaders. Stage left

AP:

The No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. Senate said on Friday he could no longer vote for funding the war in Iraq unless restrictions were attached that would begin winding down American involvement there.
"This Congress can't give President (George W.) Bush another blank check for Iraq," said Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, who has always opposed the war but until now voted to fund it. "I can't support an open-ended appropriation which allows this president to continue this failed policy," he said in a speech at the left-leaning Center for National Policy.

Where's Obama?

Rudy's right, it's a civil offense, not a criminal violation, to be in this country without proper documentation. Many of the persons the right blasts as being illegal entered this country legally and then overstayed their visas. Their initial entry was lawful. Staying past the expiration date on their visa is not a crime.

(Note: That's why the term "illegal immigrant" is a misnomer and "undocumented resident" is the correct term.)

Deportation proceedings (which are now called removal proceedings by the way) are also civil, not criminal.

Romney was appalled by his comments. Tancredo would probably be apopletic.

Meanwhile, Fred pretty much bombed in Iowa today.

The Republicans need a viable alternative to Rudy. Who will it be?

The nursing home owners on trial for negligent homicide and cruelty for failing to evacuate during Katrina were acquitted today. 35 elderly patients died at the home.

Prosecutors say the Manganos should have evacuated the home as the storm closed in. Defense lawyers say levee failures and a government that never called a mandatory evacuation are to blame.

....The Manganos have said the area had never flooded in the 20 years St. Rita's was in operation, and defense attorney Jim Cobb said that was the basis for their decision to ride out the storm.

"We're talking frail people, people with special needs, people who would be at risk during an evacuation," Cobb said before the trial began. "The Manganos thought they were saving lives by sheltering in place."

Gov. Blanco testified during the trial that no mandatory evacuation order was given.

Thanks to the WSJ for putting the 237 page appeal brief (pdf) filed by Enron's former President and CEO Jeffrey Skilling online.

I'm just starting to read it, but the section on why oral argument is requested gives you a good sense of its flavor. After pointing out that contrary to the public's perception, Skilling was not convicted of causing Enron's collapse, it states:

Profound, inherent weaknesses in the government’s case—not just gaps in its evidentiary proof, but doubts about its basic theories of criminality—motivated the government to resort to novel and incorrect legal theories, demand truncated and unfair trial procedures, and use coercive and abusive tactics.

No word yet from the Court as to whether it will accept such a long brief. Appeals courts have strict limits on the length of briefs. I remember when the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals fined Timothy McVeigh's court-appointed appeals counsel for filing an overly long (226 page)brief. I thought it was very unfair.

More...

An appeals court in Tennessee has ruled the state's tax on illegal drugs unconstitutional calling it "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable."

More like this please.

The law allows the state to go after the belongings of people who are caught with illegal drugs or alcohol that don't bear the special tax stamps, regardless of the outcome of their criminal cases.

..."Because it seeks to levy a tax on the privilege to engage in an activity that the Legislature has previously declared to be a crime, not a privilege, we must necessarily conclude that the drug tax is arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable, and therefore, invalid under the constitution of this state," Judge Sharon G. Lee wrote.

This just in, via Daily Kos, Hillary's new statement on Iraq.

As General Petraeus prepares to testify before Congress next week, it is clear that the increase in U.S. troops in Iraq has simply not led to political reconciliation in Iraq. Rather than continuing the escalation, we must begin the immediate redeployment of U.S. troops out of Iraq, in order to end this war as soon as possible. I continue to support legislative efforts requiring the Administration to begin to withdraw our troops and to complete the redeployment of combat troops in 2008, and I encourage the Congressional leadership to ensure that we will have an opportunity to vote for such legislation.

More...

Why Matt Baii moderated the Yearly Kos Prtesidential forum still remains one of those unexplainable mysteries. Why Matt Bai's book is taken seriously by anyone actually familiar with the Netroots is another mystery. We have one final mystery to solve about Matt Bai - why is he considered a good reporter? This story on Rudy is simply appalling. Take this part for instance:

The logic of Giuliani’s pitch to voters on terrorism will feel familiar to anyone who paid close attention to his political ascent. When he first won office in 1993, New York was widely considered a city beyond governance, an uncontrollable metropolis where violent crime, entrenched bureaucracy and swollen welfare rolls were accepted as the grim but unshakable realities of urban decline.

Say what? You mean a reporter can just write whatever they want and say it was "widely considered?" This is not reporting - this is bloviating. And should be labelled as such. But it gets worse. More.

Former Denver Mayor Federico Pena, who served in President Bill Clinton's cabinet as Transportation and Energy Secretary, has announced he will be a co-chair of Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

When asked about Obama's relative lack of experience, Pena didn't contend Obama was sufficiently experienced. Rather, he said, Obama has judgment and wisdom and those count for more than experience.

Pena's role:

He said one of his chief roles will be to help build Obama's Hispanic support.

[cross-posted at 5280.com]