(Guest Post by Big Tent Democrat)

If you believe this story:

A Democratic Congressman with whom I have very good relations (no, not the Mark Foley kind) was drowning his sorrows tonight at the thought of going into the majority now. His point was that if the Dems lose again this year, they can blame Pelosi and replace her and will inevitably take control in 2008.

But, because of Republican incompetence (to get an accurate account of what he said, insert the "F" word after every second word in this post and after every reference to either party), the Democrats are going to take the majority this year, will have to make Pelosi the Speaker or look really bad, and then she will screw up everything for the Democrats and destroy their majority for the next 25 years. He assures me that this is a widespread sentiment, particularly among Southern and Midwestern members of the Democratic delegation who would rather see Speaker Hoyer or Speaker Anybody but Pelosi.

Heh. I got four words for Republicans on that -- Henry Waxman, Committee Chairman. Steny Hoyer should keep quiet don't you think?

(Guest Post from Big Tent Democrat)

The Washington Post Editorial Board says:

We continue to agree with Mr. Bush that it would be wrong and dangerous for U.S. troops simply to withdraw. But it is also dangerous when leaders such as Mr. Bush, Vice President Cheney and Mr. Rumsfeld continue to resist reality.

But the problem with this formulation is that Messrs. Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld run this Debacle. It would be wrong to simply withdraw says WaPo. Whether that would be true with a competent Administration in place is highly debatable (full disclosure, I opposed the Iraq Debacle from the moment it was first mooted in 2002). But it seems difficult to argue that as long as the Bush Administration is in charge, that an exit strategy is not imperative.

Ironically, the Post's own editorial lays out why this is the case:

(Guest Post from Big Tent Democrat)

The Republican blogs say it baldly:

[N]ow is not the time for a leadership contest. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a fool or a foe. . . . Once the House is securely in the hands of a GOP majority on November 8th, we can reassess our leadership team.

Okaay. Isn't that what dictated Hastert coddling the sexual predator Foley? More:

If we decapitate our leadership right now going into the November elections, we lose the whole shooting match. Our base will completely deflate. There is a time and place to talk about vision and leadership [at the top], but now is not the time."

Shameless.

by TChris

A citizen, whether naturalized or born in the USA, is a citizen. Ohio nonetheless tried to impose a requirement that naturalized citizens provide proof of citizenship before casting a ballot, if challenged by a poll worker. How a poll worker was to distinguish between a citizen by birth and a naturalized citizen is a mystery, but no matter. Judge Christopher Boyko struck down the law, holding: "There can be no second-class American as far as any court is concerned." Exactly. (More on the ridiculous law here.)

Here's the shocker. The rule was so obviously unconstitutional that, when it was challenged in court, Ohio's notorious Secretary of State (and now gubernatorial candidate) Ken Blackwell didn't even try to defend it. So why didn't you refuse to enforce it from the beginning, Mr. Blackwell?

by TChris

Last year, Radley Balko brought the nation's attention to the plight of Cory Maye. The police broke down Maye's door during a drug raid in Mississippi. The officers claimed they knocked, but having gone to the trouble of securing a "no knock" warrant, that claim is suspect. Maye, not realizing that the people invading his house in the middle of the night were police officers and concerned about the safety of his young daughter, shot an intruder without realizing he was shooting a police officer. The officer turned out to be the son of the police chief. The police turned out to have busted down the wrong door; their warrant was for the adjoining unit in the duplex where Maye lived. Maye is black; the officer and jury were white; and Maye, who seems to have been acting in self-defense, was nonetheless sentenced to death.

TalkLeft first wrote about Maye here, and followed up here. Thanks to Balko, Maye's case stayed in the spotlight, attracting the attention of Danny Glover (as TalkLeft reported here) among others. Balko's efforts on Maye's behalf also attracted the attention of a lawyer at Covington & Burling, who persuaded the firm to represent Maye pro bono. Balko reports on the results of their work:

Let me begin by saying that I disapprove of outing people based on their sexual orientation. Once it's reported, there's no point in ignoring it, but I'm not going to be the one to do it.

David Corn today (who also disapproves of the practice) writes that a list of Gay Republican aides is making the rounds. He has the list but is not publishing it.

Aspen (Pitkin County, Colorado) Sheriff Bob Braudis, the most principled, fairest, trustworthy, best law enforcement officer I've known in my career, has launched his re-election website. The music is by Jimmy Ibbotson of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Here's Bob's mission statement, in part:

I have always seen my role as sheriff as a peacekeeper rather than just a law enforcer. Even though it has become fashionable these days to scare people to gain personal power, I prefer to inspire others to be law abiding, kind, generous, and productive members of our wonderful community.

Bob says, "Democracy is not a spectator sport. If you share my commitment to peace and safety in Pitkin County, please vote for me on November 7."

Bob has a challenger this time, a pro-drug war type with a typical cop mentality. Send a contribution to Bob, and keep Aspen safe and free.

by TChris

The latest right wing conspiracy theory, floated by Rush "Gasbag" Limbaugh, holds that Rep. Foley was set up by the teenage boy with whom he chatted via IM, presumably at the behest of evil Democrats. Rush's proof: nobody saves IM transcripts unless they want to use them to bring down Republicans.

Entrapment is a difficult argument to make, given the content of the IM's. It's plainly Foley, not the kid, who persists in turning the conversation toward underage drinking and post-dinner activities. Rush's assertion is silly, but that's what we've come to expect.

More to the point, a free Wall Street Journal article explains that IM transcripts are easy to save. Keep that in mind if you decide to chat up teenagers via the internet.

Update: Another conspiracy debunked.

(Guest Post from Big Tent Democrat)

Kevin Drum writes:

Walter Benn Michaels thinks that liberals have become too obsessed with "diversity." Why? Because, he says, "celebrating diversity" is easy and makes us feel good -- we're fighting racism! and sexism! and homophobia! -- while doing what we should be doing is hard and makes us feel tired. And what is it that we should be doing? Reducing income inequality and helping the poor

. . . I have a certain amount of sympathy for this point of view.

I don't. Heck, why are we concerned about Iraq? Education? The environment? Why pick the fight for racial, gender and sexual orientation justice as the thing that is distracting us? It is the paranoid style, a la Jesse Helms. It is, in a word, disgusting -- deserving of censure, not sympathy.

(Guest Post from Big Tent Democrat)

No, Mark Halperin, ABC Political Director, and John Harris, Washington Post Political Editor, did no Shorenstein Center teeth gnashing, hair pulling review of the media in their book "The Way To Win" (How To Succeed as Media Without Trying") (Ok my subtitle is a joke for those who may be confused). Indeed, that's the problem. As Eric Boehlert reports, instead they wrote a "What's Wrong With the Democrats" book. And that tells you what's wrong with the Media:

Among the most important of Halperin and Harris's take-away tips -- their so-called "Trade Secret" -- is for candidates seeking the White House in 2008 to basically not act like Democrats. Specifically, Halperin and Harris stress that recent campaigns by Gore and Kerry failed because they lost control of their public image via the press, in sharp contrast to Bush's campaigns, which, thanks to the hard work of Karl Rove, were able to control their public image. What Halperin and Harris absolutely refuse to acknowledge is the willing role the press played in those key Democratic setbacks and the media's shrieking double standard that's been on display for the last decade.

Boehlert's piece is terrific, read the whole thing. But the crux of the matter is this:

by Last Night in Little Rock

As the Foley case "swirls" around the GOP leaders who allegedly knew and did nothing, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who supposedly long had knowledge of former Rep. Mark Foley's alleged possible dalliances with young pages, got a "vote of confidence from President Bush."

"Swirls" is a favorite word in the press today, and it is at least once explained as a "journistic storm", maybe because it's hurricane season.

I, on the other hand, think of a toilet, and not for just for Foley.

by TChris

Mark Foley is walking a tightrope. The emails and IM's are out there; he can't pretend they don't exist. Through his counsel, Foley apologized for "inappropriate" communications. A more specific apology - the kind that could be introduced as evidence against him during a sexual assault trial - isn't likely to be forthcoming, as Foley's lawyer denied that Foley had sexual contact with a minor.

As TalkLeft noted here, Foley followed the standard Washington practice of entering an alcohol treatment program. "I did it because I was drinking" hasn't impressed a judge since the days of Wyatt Earp. Today, while carefully offering no excuses, Foley's lawyer alluded to Foley's history of abuse by a clergy member when he was a child. "I did it because I was abused as a child" sounds strained coming from a stalwart of the Party of Personal Responsibility. And these sound suspiciously like excuses from a man who, according to his lawyer, wants to offer no excuses.

Because conservatives have populated courts with judges who don't much care why you did what you did, Foley can't expect sympathy from the judiciary because of his childhood victimization. If Foley wants to soften a potential punishment, he would be wiser to enter a reputable and very private sex offender treatment program.