After admitting that he helped eight other servicemen kidnap and kill an unarmed Iraqi, while "staging his body to appear that he was an insurgent planting a roadside bomb," Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler Jackson was sentenced to 21 months in military custody.

Jackson pleaded guilty to reduced charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice in a plea deal with prosecutors. Murder and kidnapping charges against Jackson were dropped in exchange for his testimony. Of the eight serviceman originally charged in the case, the four most senior Marines still face courts-martial ....

The Marines murdered the wrong man, as described in this story. On Wednesday, Marine PFC John Jodka III, was sentenced to 18 months for participating in the kidnapping and murder.

At least 16 U.S. service personnel have been convicted or have pleaded guilty in the unwarranted killing of Iraqis since the war began in March 2003. Two received life sentences. ... The Marine Corps is still investigating whether to file murder and other charges against Marines from Camp Pendleton for the deaths of 24 Iraqis at Haditha in November 2005.

IF the leadership elections in the House are referendums on ethics and reform, what does this tell us about Republicans?

[John Boehner] blows out Mike Pence 168-27 to become House GOP minority leader. Roy Blunt is expected to become whip in a few minutes. . .

From Media Matters:

From the November 14 edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: . . . What is noteworthy is that Keith [Ellison] is the first Muslim in history to be elected to the House of Representatives. . . .

[BECK to ELLISON] OK. No offense, and I know Muslims. I like Muslims. I've been to mosques. I really don't believe that Islam is a religion of evil. I -- you know, I think it's being hijacked, quite frankly.

With that being said, you are a Democrat. You are saying, "Let's cut and run." And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, "Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies."

Digby:

It's worth noting that the last time the House turned over, in 1994, Tom Delay beat Newt Gingrich's handpicked choice for majority leader and somehow the whole town didn't interpret that as Newtie's waterloo.

Newt Time's Man of the Year

. . . There are no honeymoons for Democrats. Remember that. And "moral authority" is about haircuts and Hollywood, not torture and illegal wars. It is not merely a fight against the Republicans or a fight over politics and policy. It is a non-stop battle with the press to cover events with seriousness and responsiblity. For some reason, when Democrats are in power the press corps immediately goes from being merely shallow to insufferable, sophomoric [jerks].

The 2006 election was nine days ago and this is what CNN had on their screen today:

Pelosi Damaged Goods?

These are Clinton rules, folks. Get used to it.

Since I'm traveling today, I think an open thread is appropriate.

To set the mood, here's a Friday Funnies I received by e-mail:

In honor of Trent Lott's return to power, coffee shops are bringing back the popular "Trent Latte."

It's separate but equal parts of milk and coffee.

Also, Poor Man begins the pre-nominations phase for Golden Wingers Awards.

Via Oliver Willis, the military about to ask for another $127 billion to fight the Bush Administration wars.

The Bush administration is preparing its largest spending request yet for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a proposal that could make the conflict the most expensive since World War II.

The Pentagon is considering $127 billion to $160 billion in requests from the armed services for the 2007 fiscal year, which began last month, several lawmakers and congressional staff members said. That's on top of $70 billion already approved for 2007.

Now that Steny Hoyer has won the Majority Leadership over Jack Murtha, imo mainly based on false charges of ethical lapses against Murtha, I think it is now incumbent upon Hoyer to give up his K Street ways and lead the charge on lobbying reform,

The Nation describes Hoyer's victory as based on other things:

Hoyer's seniority, experience and deep connections helped win support from a broad array of groups within the caucus. He courted incoming freshman Democrats by emphasizing the $4.4 million he gave or raised for House members and won a majority of endorsements from them. Before the conservative Blue Dog Democrats and moderate New Democrat Coalition he touted his centrist reputation and work to make the party more inclusive. Appealing to members of the Progressive Caucus, he detailed in great depth, his "commitment to core Democratic principles," such as raising the minimum wage and protecting reproductive rights and the environment. Hoyer boasted of a perfect score from NARAL and an "F" from the NRA, the exact opposite of the socially conservative Murtha. Opposition to the war could only carry Murtha so far.

I am not convinced of this at all. If this were so, the smear campaign against Murtha would not have been necessary. Hoyer won as the ethics candidate, ironically. But that means he has a big responsibility now. To lead the charge on ethics. One thing he will NOT be leading the charge on is Iraq. That will still be Jack Murtha.

And an interesting and, imo, unfortunate consequence of this result is that I think Jane Harman's chances of chairing the Intelligence Committee, and I support her for that slot, are greatly diminished. Alcee Hastings will likely be passed over too in favor of Rep. Reyes, the emerging compromise candidate. I think that is a shame and that Steny Hoyer was not worth it. But that is the reality imo.

Michael Crowley and TNR continue to embarrass themselves:

Update: Reader AM asks a compelling question: "Would the Hammer ever have allowed himself to be humiliated this way?"

DeLay was never Speaker, but it so happens:

Regarding Hoyer's win, it's worth noting that Tom DeLay beat Newt Gingrich's preferred candidate for Majority Whip in 1994. So this isn't the first time a Minority Leader has presided over a historic victory but failed to totally consolidate power.

Apparently TNR allows itself to be embarrassed in this way EVERY DAY.

I'm heading back to Omaha Friday where I'll be until after court ends Monday afternoon. This sculpture [larger version here] is my favorite of the many public art works there. It's a tribute to the workers in the labor unions that helped build Omaha and is the second largest labor memorial in the country.

Kudos to CT Senator Chris Dodd who will introduce the Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act of 2006 (complete bill here, pdf) which would amend the Military Commissions Act to restore habeas corpus to detainees and bar evidence obtained through coercive techniques.

“I take a backseat to no one when it comes to protecting this country from terrorists,” Sen. Dodd said. “But there is a right way to do this and a wrong way to do this. It’s clear the people who perpetrated these horrendous crimes against our country and our people have no moral compass and deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But in taking away their legal rights, the rights first codified in our country’s Constitution, we’re taking away our own moral compass, as well.”

The key provisions, received from his office, are set forth below.

Florida has opened a criminal investigation into his e-mails and conduct.

"It was a preliminary inquiry before, but we found the basis to open up a criminal investigation," Kristen Perezluha, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, said Thursday. She would not elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation. The FBI is also investigating whether Foley broke any federal laws.

What might the charges be?

Florida law prohibits seducing or attempting to seduce a minor. However, authorities have said the term "seduce" is open to interpretation.

If there is no evdience of actual physical seduction of minors, they ought to save the taxpayers' money or spend it on real child molesters. Splitting hairs over the definition of "seduce" is overkill.

The Wall St. Journal reports (free link):

John Altenburg said that when he accepted the job as “appointing authority” for the military commissions, he expected Guantanamo trials to start in short order—and that he’d be back at his job at the Washington law and lobbying firm Greenberg Traurig by mid-2005. Instead, the military commissions collapsed under a concerted assault by military and civilian defense attorneys, who eventually won a landmark Supreme Court decision in June declaring the entire project unlawful.

....No one has been selected to fill the slot, and it could remain vacant until the likely new defense secretary, Robert Gates, takes office.