Think kind and healthy thoughts for Chief Justice Roberts, who suffered a seizure yesterday.

Doctors called Monday's incident "a benign idiopathic seizure," Arberg said. The White House described [a similar] January 1993 episode as an "isolated, idiosyncratic seizure." Both descriptions indicate that doctors could not determine the seizure's cause or link it to another medical condition.

Update (TL): Justice Roberts has fully recovered. And yes, he did tell the Senate Judiciary Committee about his 1993 seizure.

More...

The Federalist society is hosting an online debate on the Bush Administration's claim of executive privilege. For the "good guys" are Jack Balkin, Marty Lederman, Michael Dorf and Peter Shane. Not totally on topic but I loved this entry from Shane:

Chuck, The Dems do not need filibuster-proof support to defund selected positions in the Executive Office of the President. They simply have to refuse to pass out of the House any appropriations bill that contains such funding. Whether this is too blunt an instrument, I am not sure; it's a far more surgical strike threat than the 1995 government shutdown that Gingrich produced.

Zactly! On all issues!

Here's a lesson in non-discrimination we could learn from Mexico City:

The prison system in Mexico City has begun permitting gay prisoners to have conjugal visits from their partners.

The city authorities accepted a recommendation by a human rights commission which said the visits would help to end discrimination.

As for other lessons:

Mexico City's centre-left government has taken a series of controversial decisions, including allowing same-sex civil unions and legalising abortion, despite strong opposition from conservatives and religious groups.

Al Gore III pleaded guilty to drug possession in Los Angeles today and was granted diversion.

He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of drug possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug possession without a prescription, and one misdemeanor count of marijuana possession, the district attorney's office said.

Jaime Coulter, senior deputy district attorney, said Gore's sentencing will be continued until Feb. 7. If he has complied with all the conditions of the diversion program, the sentencing will be continued again for another year, with charges possibly being dropped in 2009. "At that point, he will be able to withdraw his guilty plea as if he never entered it," Coulter said.

That's the correct resolution. Now, if we could only ensure it was available to all who are similarly situated. Rather than castigate Gore for getting special treatment, as some undoubtedly will, I'd rather people use his case as an example and to send a message to prosecutors and legislators that this outcome should be available to all in need of drug treatment.

In Pennsylvania, a pregnant inmate is left in her Lackawanna county jail cell alone during labor while guards monitor her with a camera and refuse her assistance.

Despite her pleas for help and screams, she was forced to give birth unattended. After the baby was born, a female jailer reportedly cut the umbilical cord with her fingernails. Only then, were mother and daughter brought to the hospital.

The county has praised the prison staff's actions.

County officials are contending the staff at the prison reacted "fantastically" and told local reporters they believed the prison guards and the nurse on duty were diligent in their care.

County commissioner and chairman of the county prison board A.J. Munchak, Warden Janine Donate and Dr. Edward Zaloga, the county prison's chief medical director, all praised the staff. "As I said yesterday [Monday], medically, medical-wise and security-wise, everything was done properly," Munchak told the Scranton Times-Tribune

The mother has filed a lawsuit alleging violation of her civil rights. The baby is now in foster care.

Via Oreo at Daily Kos, Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) will introduce a resolution before the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow asking that an inquiry be initiated to determine whether there are grounds to impeach Alberto Gonzales.

RESOLUTION

Directing the Committee on the Judiciary to investigate whether Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General of the United States, should be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary shall investigate fully whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to impeach Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Contrary to Big Tent Democrat who favors Gonzales' impeachment, I don't have a position on it. Generally, I'm inclined against impeachment proceedings as an unnecessary usurption of Congressional time and money that could be better spent elsewhere.

Gonzales is a bigger detriment to the Republicans in 2008 if he remains as Attorney General. He will tarnish Bush's legacy permanently and Republican candidates will face a backlash because of him. If he goes early, voters may get over it by then.

More....

In an interview with Mark Knoller of CBS news that airs today, Vice President Dick Cheney voices support for Alberto Gonzales and says he was truthful with Congress.

In the 13 minute interview, which you can watch here, Cheney also discusses Scooter Libby.

Contrary to Bush who said he accepted the jury's verdict but thought the sentence was excessive, Cheney says Libby's jury got the verdict wrong.

I don't know when the interview was conducted, but I assume it was yesterday or today since Cheney was in the hospital getting his pacemaker battery updated Saturday. I don't have time to watch the interview now, but I wonder if the Knoller asked Cheney if he was the one who sent Gonzales and Card to John Ashcroft's hospital room in March, 2004. A New York Times editorial Sunday said Cheney directed the visit, but no one else seems to have confirmed that.

More....

As an "Evil Democrat", wishing us defeat in Iraq, let me further undermine the troops by pointing to posts that demonstrate why Michael O'Hanlon and Ken Pollack have lost all credibility on Iraq:

Glenn Greenwald

Think Progress

Greg Sargent and . . . .

Joe Klein. Yep, that Joe Klein.

See also Robert Farley:

Blogometer's Conn Carroll writes:

[T]here was a clear opening for Barack Obama to embrace the netroots and tap into their enthusiasm for a more progressive Dem party. . . . Obama could have joined forces with Sen. Russ Feingold (D) to end the war through de-funding and cemented his anti-war credentials.

Instead he chose a more measured path on the war (timelines, some residual forces, etc.) and did not pro-actively engage the netroots community. Now, as more and more are noting that his numbers have flatlined, Obama may be changing course.

Using his dictator-meeting exchange with HRC as launching point, Obama has launched a major netroots banner ad buy featuring a 'Judgment Matters' message that touts his pre-Senate opposition of the war and his eagerness to talk to 'our adversaries.'

It has always been my view that Obama's biggest campaign mistake was his failure to differentiate himself on Iraq. It amazed me that not only had John Edwards seemed to have outflanked him on the issue but that Hillary Clinton had neutralized it. More.

There's a six page feature article on Judith Giuliani in the new Vanity Fair which will be on the newstands this week. You can read it online now.

By the middle of the first page, you know it's going to be a train wreck for Judi. By the end of the article, there are no survivors, least of all Judi and Rudy.

Some of the juicier tidbits, like her ex-husband's allegation contained in court papers that she shouted anti-semitic insults at him and the intricate details about how, as an employee of U.S. Surgical, a company that performed live demonstrations of its surgical devices for doctors, she would have had to participate in the cruel killing of dogs, are going to seriously raise the blood pressure of Rudy's campaign staff. Others, like how her Louis Vuitton purse is so large it gets it own seat on their private plane and is nicknamed "Baby Louis" are amusing.

Mostly, she comes across as a phony, money grubbing, power-seeking wannabe.

Towards the end, there is speculation that Rudy's wandering eye is back.

The position of "Mrs. Giuliani" has not historically been a secure post. Although the candidate has lately been warned by advisers to avoid any hint of scandal, there is a sense that perhaps he is not listening. "Does a leopard change its spots?" says one close friend.

A source described as a friend of Rudy's says:

"Rudy has no willpower when it comes to relationships. This is why it's such an issue," says a Giuliani friend.

In all, it's a hatchet job but one you just can't stop reading.

Update: Wonkette's recap had me laughing out loud.

Last July, Sen. Barack Obama, speaking about Democrats and faith, said:

Democrats, for the most part, have taken the bait. At best, we may try to avoid the conversation about religious values altogether, fearful of offending anyone and claiming that - regardless of our personal beliefs - constitutional principles tie our hands. At worst, some liberals dismiss religion in the public square as inherently irrational or intolerant, insisting on a caricature of religious Americans that paints them as fanatical, or thinking that the very word "Christian" describes one's political opponents, not people of faith.

This false caricature of Democrats was bad political rhetoric. Obama improved here. And in this e-mail interview with a Christian Broadcasting Network reporter, improves again, but fails to improve in other respects:

Jeff Toobin has a new article in the New Yorker on the unsolved murder of Washington (Seattle) Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Wales.

After detailing the life and murder of Wales, a well-liked AUSA who was politically active in a gun safety group, Toobin connects some dots between the Justice Department's initial lack of enthusiasm for investigating the murder and the later firing of Washington U.S. Attorney John McKay, who had nudged (pressured is too strong a word) those at Main Justice to try harder to find the murderer.

There's also a suspect in the murder, and Jeff details his history as well.

It's a great read, and available free online.