How can the Iraq Debacle be ended? Some say only after the 2008 election:

Matt Stoller makes it explicit:

My strategic end goal is to end the war. To do that involves a process of showing that the Democratic caucus is unified behind putting restrictions on Bush and his ability to fight the war, and then using that pressure to remove Republicans (and wayward Democrats) from office in 2008.

Some think that the House Iraq supplemental funding can lead to a confrontation with the President in the Supreme Court:

If [Bush] ignores [the House proposal], we sue and the courts enforce it. if he ignores that, we're in massive constitutional crisis.

Gov. Bill Richardson thinks deauthorizing the Debacle and invoking the War Powers Act can lead to a Supreme Court resolution:

the Congress authorized the war and the Congress should deauthorize the war. Then, there will be a legal fight - the administration will say "well, we don't recognize the war powers act." Then you go to the Supreme Court.

Are any of these options realistic? Or acceptable? Waiting for the next election could work but it is morally unacceptable and, imo, not likely to work. As for counting on the Supreme Court, assuming a bill could be enacted, issues of standing and the political question doctrine preclude these avenues. The reality is, as it always has been, the Congress' power to end the Debacle lies in the Spending Power.

Carl Levin and Barack Obama must be pleased to have gotten the David Broder Seal of Approval:

From the start, Democrats ought to concede one big point: Absent any readiness on their part to cut off funds to the troops in Iraq, those forces will be there as long as George Bush wants them to remain. Once that point is conceded, Bush should be called upon to pay some attention to the Democrats' demands -- and the public opinion that supports them.

Levin and Obama are one step ahead of you Broder:

We're not going to vote to cut funding, period," Levin said. "But what we should do, and we're going to do, is continue to press this president to put some pressure on the Iraqi leaders to reach a political settlement."

Obama is not going to play chicken, he'll just be chicken. Of course, as Matt Yglesias points out, bargaining with the Decider is just plain ridiculous.

Neocon Paul Wolfowitz, former Deputy Defense Secretary who is now President of the World Bank, has responded to charges he improperly granted a promotion and raise to his girlfriend. (Background here.)

Too funny is Wonkette's photo of Wolfowitz with holes in his socks "at a mosque in Turkey, where he was meeting with extremists to plan new attacks on America."

Gwen Ifill speaks:

For all their grit, hard work and courage, the Rutgers girls got branded “nappy-headed ho’s” — a shockingly concise sexual and racial insult, tossed out in a volley of male camaraderie by a group of amused, middle-aged white men. The “joke” — as delivered and later recanted — by the radio and television personality Don Imus failed one big test: it was not funny.

[Imus'apologies] seem[] forced and suspect because he’s done some version of this several times before. I know, because he apparently did it to me.

. . . It was not until five years later, when . . . I was a Capitol Hill correspondent for the network — that I discovered why people were asking [why she did not appear on Imus' show.] It took Lars-Erik Nelson, a columnist for The New York Daily News, to finally explain what no one else had wanted to repeat.

“Isn’t The Times wonderful,” Mr. Nelson quoted Mr. Imus as saying on the radio. “It lets the cleaning lady cover the White House.”

More:

It's rare that a federal circuit court of appeals issues its ruling on the day of oral argument. But that's exactly what happened in the case of Georgia Thompson, the Wisonsin state procurement supervisor who was convicted of depriving the state of her honest services based on a vote to award a contract to a travel consultant to a donor of Democratic Governor Jim Doyle.

According to one judge on the panel:

"I have to say it strikes me that your evidence is beyond thin," federal Appeals Judge Diane Wood told prosecutors. "I'm not sure what your actual theory in this case is."

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Finally, the justice system has corrected itself and freed Wisconsin's unwitting political prisoner, Georgia Thompson. The former state procurement supervisor went to trial and to prison on the basis of evidence so flimsy it's scary. If such weak proof can put her behind bars, are any of us safe?

The larger question involves U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic:

Is his quickness to put the heat on Democrats the reason he was spared in the purge of U.S. attorneys? Is he a "Bushie," as a White House aide called top prosecutors who toe the party line?

More...

MSNBC is suspending the simulcast of Don Imus' radio show for two weeks.

NBC News President Steve Capus released this statement late Monday:

"Beginning Monday, April 16, MSNBC will suspend simulcasting the syndicated 'Imus in the Morning' radio program for two weeks. This comes after careful consideration in the days since his racist, abhorrent comments were made. Don Imus has expressed profound regret and embarrassment and has made a commitment to listen to all of those who have raised legitimate expressions of outrage. In addition, his dedication ' in his words - to change the discourse on his program moving forward, has confirmed for us that this action is appropriate. Our future relationship with Imus is contingent on his ability to live up to his word."

What do you think? Is that enough punishment? What should CBS do?

Update: CBS has also suspended him for two weeks.

Rev. Al Sharpton was on CNN's Situation Room today, discussing Don Imus's appearance on his radio show.

Interesting that John McCain and James Carville have said they will continue to go on Imus' show. As I suggested here, since corporate dollars are at stake making it unlikely Imus will be fired, the most effective way of silencing him would be for his advertisers and prominent guests to boycott him. And for those who want to help kids with cancer to give to St. Jude's instead of his ranch.

Here's the transcript (received by e-mail from CNN):

BLITZER: Saying sorry is apparently hard to do, especially when you are being grilled for racially insensitive comments. That's what Don Imus faced today over comments he made about a woman's basketball team. The person he faced, the Reverend Al Sharpton. Reverend Sharpton is joining us now from New York. Reverend Sharpton, thanks for coming in.

AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Thank you.

BLITZER: All right, so, did he reassure you, or you still want him fired?

SHARPTON: Oh, no, we want him fired.

More...

Um, what people I-Man?

A reminder for Tom Oliphant:

"That's some rough girls from Rutgers," Imus said. "Man, they got tattoos ... ." "Some hardcore hos," McGuirk said. "That's some nappy-headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that," Imus said.

Tom Oliphant, the whitest man on the planet, stands by his brother Imus:

Boston Globe columnist Tom Oliphant began his appearance on the April 9 edition of Imus in the Morning by stating: "Good morning, Mr. Imus, and solidarity forever, by the way." Oliphant also referred to political pundits like himself who appear on the show as Imus' "constituency."

Hahahahaha! White people are funny. h/t atrios.

Matt Stoller discovers what some of us have known for a while, since last July - Obama has a lot to learn about politics:

[T]he Obama strategy of not challenging power structures is working to collect lots of money and push him up in the polls. But when that first negative ad hits, when he's smacked for caving to special interests or trying to have it both ways on Iraq, will he have the credibility to say that this is just the old way of doing politics? I don't know. But so far, the Democratic base is saying 'Why should I trust this guy?'. And he hasn't given us a good answer. He could. He could drop out of the Fox News CBCi debate. He could lead on Iraq. . . . There are many transformational 'bar fight' moments he could embrace. It's incumbent upon all Obama supporters to push him to do any of these things, so that he has a chance to become President and change the country. This country is crying out for change, and it's up to us to push our candidates to deliver it. We didn't do that in 2000 and 2004, and look where it got us.

Matt is right. So I have been saying since last July.

Image from BBC news.

The hunger strike at Guantanamo has resumed.

Force-feeding is painful.

The military's rationale for force-feeding?

"Because our policy is to preserve life."

Then why won't it take the death penalty off the table?

Another blast from the past: A special report by the Guardian on the mistreatment of detainees.

Embattled radio host Don Imus spent almost an hour of his show this morning (transcript here) apologizing again for his racist comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

As I facetiously suggested here, he's on the road to rehab. He's going to be on the Al Sharpton radio show this afternoon and meet with the Rutgers team.

Imus said he hoped to meet the Rutgers players and their parents and coaches, and he said he was grateful that he was scheduled to appear later Monday on a radio show hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has called for Imus to be fired over the remarks.

"It's not going to be easy, but I'm not looking for it to be easy," Imus said.

Update: Prior post here.

Crooks and Liars has the Imus-Sharpton audiofile.