This is not the idea behind the Surge I think:

The renegade cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged the Iraqi army and police to stop cooperating with the United States and told his guerrilla fighters to concentrate on pushing American forces out of the country, according to a statement issued Sunday. The statement, stamped with al-Sadr's official seal, was distributed in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Sunday — a day before a large demonstration there, called for by al-Sadr, to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. "You, the Iraqi army and police forces, don't walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your archenemy," the statement said. Its authenticity could not be verified.

We all know that Rudy Giuliani was behind Bernie Kerik's failed nomination for Homeland Security Chief.

Why is it coming out now that Alberto Gonzales personally was the one who vetted him....and failed to quash the nomination? The Washington Post devotes 4 online pages to the Gonzales-Kerik connection.

Alarmed about the raft of allegations, several White House aides tried to raise red flags. But the normal investigation process was short-circuited, the sources said. Bush's top lawyer, Alberto R. Gonzales, took charge of the vetting, repeatedly grilling Kerik about the issues that had been raised. In the end, despite the concerns, the White House moved forward with his nomination -- only to have it collapse a week later.

How is it that Rudy thinks he can pass this off onto Alberto Gonzales? It gives new meaning to "kick him while he's down."

The Bernie Kerik fiasco would not have happened but for Rudy. The blame is his. He knew more about Bernie than anyone else.

Thousands protested President Bush Saturday n L.A. over his immigration plan. While the radical right tries to convince Americans Bush is promoting amnesty for the undocumented, the truth is, despite his calls for a guest worker program, Bush's proposal is unattainable for most undocumented residents:

Immigrant rights advocates say many of the area's illegal immigrants feel betrayed by President Bush, who they had long considered an ally....

More....

It's astounding, time is fleeting Madness takes its toll, But listen closely, not for very much longer, I've got to keep control I remember doing the TIme Warp, Drinking those moments when, The blackness would hit me and the void would be calling, Let's do the time warp again... Let's do the time warp again!

John McCain is all chutzpah today:

The new political-military strategy is beginning to show results. But most Americans are not aware because much of the media are not reporting it or devote far more attention to car bombs and mortar attacks that reveal little about the strategic direction of the war.

Back to the show:

It's just a jump to the left And then a step to the right, With your hands on your hips, You bring your knees in tight
But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane, Let's do the Time Warp again!

Update: The photos.

Bump and Update: Please welcome to the planet earth, Elisandra Elexy Zuniga-Battista:

Markos has phoned in the following report:

Mother and daughter are doing great. Baby weighed in at 8 lbs, 15 ounces, born at 5:01 PM. She's 20.5 inches, and Dad reports, "She looks just like us! With dark, curly hair!"

Elisa's labor was about six hours, things went smoothly and -- needless to say -- both parents are ecstatic.

Original Post: Markos Baby Watch and Open Thread

Markos of Daily Kos and Elisa are off to the hospital. Contractions are six minutes apart.

I can't wait to be a tia again.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Via a lot of people (check the trackback), Mark Thoma hosts a discussion on economics that includes comments from Paul Krugman, Bruce Bartlett and a lot of people who seem to know what they are talking about and seem to have honest differences of opinion while trying to stick to the facts.

Very refreshing. I hope we law types can emulate this.

"God does not play dice." -Albert Einstein

In the most recent issue of Time, Walter Isaacson publishes an excerpt of his new book "Einstein and Faith" - a very interesting piece on Einstein's thinking on faith and science. One of the most interesting aspects of Einstein's faith was his belief in predestination and an uncaring God:

Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein sen[t Einstein] a very direct telegram: "Do you believe in God? Stop. Answer paid. 50 words." Einstein used only about half his allotted number of words. It became the most famous version of an answer he gave often: "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony of all that exists, but not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind."

This is a disgusting story on so many levels.

Mercy was in short supply the night of Oct. 5, 2006, at Theo Lacy jail. Someone – perhaps a deputy – had inaccurately fingered inmate John Derek Chamberlain as a child molester. And that mistake became a death sentence.

Chamberlain, a 41 year old software engineer, was in custody because he couldn't make bail on a $2,500.00 misdemeanor child porn charge. A deputy inaccurately told other inmates he was a child molester. Prison-style vigilantism took over and as the guard watched television, later saying he wasn't aware anything was going on, Chamberlain was brutally murdered by a gang of inmates.

In the days prior to his murder, Chamberlain had called his ex-girlfriend and his public defender to say he was afraid and being threatened. The public defender called the jail and asked if he should be moved. He wasn't moved.

The details of the grisly murder.

More...

Meet Marco Allen Chapman. Charged in Kentucky with murdering two children and leaving another child and their mother for dead, and facing a potential death penalty if convicted, he waived his right to a trial and pleaded guilty before the Court. He asked the Court to sentence him to death. The Judge complied.

His case is different from defendants who have waived appeals of death sentences. Chapman never had a trial.

His court appointed lawyers say this is state-assisted suicide. The Kentucky Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case Monday. All death penalty sentences are appealed automatically.

More...

The Pentagon is notifying 14,000 National Guard troops they may be heading to Iraq.

The Pentagon has identified some 14,000 National Guard soldiers who may go to Iraq as part of planning for deployments stretching as far as 2010, a senior U.S. defense official said on Friday.

Some of the Guard soldiers, part of the U.S. military's reserve component, may face deployment far sooner than the Pentagon's goal of five years at home for every year they are mobilized, the official said.

This is in addition to the redeployment of 4,500 active troops announced earlier this week.

More...

John McCain will run for President based on his record on Iraq. I kid you not:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will launch a high-profile effort next week to convince Americans that the Iraq war is winnable, embracing the unpopular conflict with renewed vigor as he attempts to reignite his stalling bid for the presidency. With the Virginia Military Institute as a backdrop, McCain plans to argue in a speech on Wednesday that victory in Iraq is essential to American security and that President Bush's war machine is finally getting on track after four years, aides and advisers said.

I think John McCain will be the GOP nominee if he promises that as President he will continue to prosecute the Iraq Debacle. And I think this is a political loser in the General Election. But will the Dem nominee recognize this? I have my doubts.

Via TPM, the Gonzo Justice Department is at it again, this time smearing the Minneapolis prosecutors who self-demoted themselves:

Ms. Paulose’s defenders at Justice Department headquarters said the criticism of her was unwarranted. They said older lawyers had difficulty dealing with a young, aggressive woman who had tried to put into place policies important to Mr. Gonzales like programs to combat child exploitation.

Yes, these older, sexist lawyers were in favor of child exploitation you see. That is why they don't like Ms Paulose.

Michelle Malkin must be eating this up.