Hillary Clinton's campaign has released this statement explaining why she voted against the Iraq funding bill:

"Tonight I voted against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill because it fails to compel the President to give our troops a new strategy in Iraq. I believe that the President should begin a phased redeployment of our troops out of Iraq and abandon this escalation. I fully support our troops, and wish the President had followed the will of the people and signed the original bill we sent which both funded the troops and set a new course of phased redeployment. But the President vetoed Congress's new strategy and so Congress must reject the President's failed policies. I will also continue to press with Senator Byrd for our legislation to end the authorization of the war in Iraq.

While I am deeply disappointed that the supplemental does not provide for a new course in Iraq, I want to recognize the many worthy parts of this bill: funding to help those sickened in the aftermath of 9/11, additional relief for Katrina and Rita victims, homeland security funds for high-threat cities like New York City, resources to protect parts of New York affected by recent flooding, $650 million for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and the first federal minimum wage increase in ten years. I support these measures but cannot support this Emergency Supplemental which will not change our course in Iraq."

In an increasing sign of Mexico's reliance on and willingness to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement, Mexico has been expanding its wiretapping -- without court orders. Funding for the program comes from the United States.

The expansion comes as President Felipe Calderon is pushing to amend Mexico's constitution to allow officials to tap phones without a judge's approval in some cases.

The $3 million program is the Communications Intercept System.

The system would allow authorities to track cell-phone users as they travel, according to the contract specifications. It would include extensive storage capacity and allow authorities to identify callers by voice. The system, scheduled to begin operation within the next month, was paid for by the U.S. State Department and sold by Verint Systems Inc., a politically connected company based in Melville, N.Y., that specializes in electronic surveillance.

Documents describing the upgrade suggest that the U.S. government could have access to information derived from the surveillance. Officials of both governments declined to comment on that possibility.

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Update: 7:19 pm by TL: The Senate has also passed the bill, by a vote of 80 to 14. Hillary and Obama both voted against it.

Update [2007-5-24 19:0:28 by Big Tent Democrat]: The Iraq Supplemental passes 280-142. Link to the roll call vote. I think all the nays were Dems. So the Dems split 142-89 I believe.

The Debate on the Capitulation Bill, as Kos coined it, starts now on C-Span.

Obey looks beaten down.

Basically Obey's argument is we don't have a veto-proof majority. And how that changes for the next appropriation process? It doesn't.

What Obey admits is that the entire House Supplemental process was a joke form the beginning. I agree with him on that. Time to adopt the NOT funding option Rep. Obey.

Update [2007-5-24 17:31:7 by Big Tent Democrat]: The Floor Manager Obey will vote against the Capitulation Bill, joining the Speaker of the House in opposing the bill that Rahm emanuel argued was a great victory. That said, good for Obey.

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Democrats followed through today with plans to ask for a no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

"It is the sense of the Senate that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales no longer holds the confidence of the Senate and of the American people," it reads. Chiefly sponsored by Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California, the measure contains no preamble setting out the reasons behind the resolution, an omission made in hopes of drawing more votes.

The vote is scheduled for mid-June.

Happy 66th birthday to Bob Dylan today.

The times have changed, just not enough.

I'm still standing on the pavement, thinking about the Government .

If you want to chime in, here's the list.

Action Alert just received by e-mail from the Anti-Arab Discrimination Committee:

Cornyn Amendment Would Allow Use of Secret Evidence

Thursday, May 24, 2007…Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has introduced an amendment (#1148) to the on-going immigration debate that would deny lawful permanent residents the opportunity to become U.S. citizens based on secret evidence.

....Senators are voting on this amendment as early as 12:15 EST. As this late breaking amendment has just been added and will be voted on very shortly, we are asking everyone to call rather than email their senate offices. The US Capitol operator is (202) 224-3121.

The details:

• Cornyn’s Amendment denies lawful permanent residents the opportunity to become U.S. citizens based on secret evidence:

• This amendment gives the Attorney General unreviewable discretion to use secret evidence to determine if an alien is ‘described in’ the national security exclusions within immigration law.

• A person applying for naturalization could have her application denied and she would never know the reason for the denial.

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Credit where credit is due, and today it goes to New Mexico Governor and presidential hopeful Bill Richardson, who says he will oppose the Immigration compromise because it is too onerous for immigrants:

Mr. Richardson initially said he would support the immigration compromise announced earlier this week. But on Wednesday, he said that after reading it in detail, he had decided to oppose it, saying the measure placed too great a burden on immigrants — tearing apart families that wanted to settle in the United States, creating a permanent tier of second-class immigrant workers and financing a border fence that Mr. Richardson had long opposed.

“This is fundamentally flawed in its current form, and I would oppose it,” he said. “We need bipartisanship, but we also need legislation that is compassionate. I’m not sure that this is.”

Thank you, Governor Richardson.

More....

I have often said in discussing the Iraq Debacle that if you want to be a pure political cynic, then what you must to do is consider what your positions and actions will look like to voters on the days they are going to vote. Don't think about what your poll numbers will look like the day after you do something, think about what they will look like the day of the election. Thus, despite murky polling, in early 2005 and throughtout the next two years, I urged a strong Democratic opposition to the Iraq Debacle, arguing then that since Iraq WAS a Debacle and Bush was not going to turn it around, better to opposing it as soon as possible. Today Digby and Matt Yglesias make similar points. Yglesias discusses today's Iraq Supplemental vote:

President Bush:

President Bush said he supports a $120 billion war spending bill on track to pass Thursday, ending weeks of wrangling with Democrats on whether to end the war.

The bill funds the war through September as Bush wanted and does not set a date for U.S. troop withdrawals. . . . "By voting for this bill, members of both parties can show our troops and the Iraqis and the enemy that our country will support our service men and women in harm's way," Bush said in a Rose Garden news conference.

Translation, all of you will sign onto my GOP Debacle. I chuckled at this reaction from Rep. David "There Is No Deal" Obey:

"I hate this agreement," said Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Vote against it then Congressman. The bill cleared the procedural motion by 218-201. There will a vote on the motion adopting the Senate Amendment later today. Let's see who wants to rubberstamp President Bush this afternoon.

From CBS News:

As President Bush and Congress hammer out an Iraq war funding bill, a CBS News/New York Times poll shows the number of Americans who say the war is going badly has reached a new high, rising 10 percent this month to 76 percent.

And another pony for Holden:

BUSH’S JOB APPROVAL RATING
Approve 30%
Disapprove 63%

But Congress is headed in that direction:

APPROVAL OF CONGRESS
Approve 36%
Disapprove 52%

I wonder why? Could it be . . . rubberstamping the Iraq Debacle?

Since J, Chris and LNILR seem otherwise engaged, and I have only Iraq on the brain, I thought I'd give an Open Thread with some links to other topics:

NYTImes and WaPo thunder against Goodling and Bush Justice Dep't.

Kevin Drum on bush and Iran.

FDL reviews ACLU President Anthony Romero's book "In Defense of Our America."

Avedon Carol has a nice roundup, featuring especially some sharp words for Gonzo and his "innocent discussions" with Monica Goodling.

Don't forget the diaries listed in the right hand column. Good stuff from John Horse, Scribe, as always, peaches and many others.

The backdrop of today's vote of the GOP/Blue Dog Iraq Supplemental Alternative, is the Beltway delusion that come September, as Greenwald outlines:

The single greatest and most transparent delusion in our public discourse right now -- and that is a distinction for which there is always an intense competition -- is that Something Weighty and Significant is Going to Happen In September with regard to the Iraq War.

September, you see, is the real turning point, the real Day of Reckoning. . . . That is the read deadline for George W. Bush.

. . . But all that is going to happen In September is that we are going to await with baited breath for General David Petraeus -- he of infallible wisdom, judgment and honesty, and unquestionable objectivity -- to descend upon Washington and reveal whether there is Real Progress being made (by him) in Iraq.

. . . And, needless to say, General Petraeus will, cautiously though emphatically, declare that progress is being made, though there is much work that remains to be done. And therefore we must redouble our resolve and stay until The Job is Done.

Well my friends, if Democrats REALLY BELIEVE this September nonsense, then we are doomed. Greenwald says "The central unyielding truth in our political landscape is that -- no matter what -- the War in Iraq is not going to end before the end of the Bush presidency." If that is true, then we will be debating Iraq in 2010, and likely 2012 as well. Democratic or Republican, the next President will not want to "lose Iraq."