Who knew the she-pundit is a long-standing Deadhead? Via Amanda at Pandagon and Sadly No, here's the Jambands interview with the divine Ms. C.

She estimates she's been to 67 Dead concerts and reports she doesn't smoke pot. One of the funniest quotes:

I fondly remember seeing the Dead when I was at Cornell. It was the day of the fabulous Fiji Island party on the driveway "island" of the Phi Gamma Delta House. We'd cover ourselves in purple Crisco and drink purple Kool-Aid mixed with grain alcohol and dance on the front yard. Wait - I think got the order reversed there: We'd drink purple Kool-Aid mixed with grain alcohol and then cover ourselves in purple Crisco - then the dancing. You probably had to be there to grasp how utterly fantastic this was.

Copyright 2006, Chicago Tribune.

Carlos de Luna was texecuted in December, 1989. A new investigation by ace Chicago Tribune reporters Maurice Possley and Steve Mills, in the three part series Did This Man Die for...This Man's Crime begins today and shows another man confessed to the murder and other evidence points to de Luna's innocence.

Part One of the series is here.

Newsweek runs two blogger profiles today. One is an overt attack on Markos of Daily Kos, the liberal blogosphere and politicians who seek their support. The other is a total puff piece on conservative Hugh Hewitt and his plans to combine right-wing talk radio with right-wing bloggers and build an effective right wing political movement.

Why the venom towards Markos and the hailing of Hewitt? Both pieces come off as being written by journalists with a right-wing agenda. Even the accompanying photos show the bias. In the piece on Kos, there is no picture of him [added: on the first page of the article] only of Bush protesters in Washington state which has nothing to do with the article. For the Hewitt article, there's a nice calm photo of Hugh in suit and tie standing in front of what could be a courthouse right under the headline. It's like they are equating liberals with anarchy and conservatives with justice.

Andrew Sullivan at Time reviews Stephen Miles' book, Oath Betrayed, about doctors who violated the Hippocratic oath by helping to coverup torture of prisoners in Iraq.

Sullivan concludes

After a while, you get numb reading these stories. They read like accounts of a South American dictatorship, not an American presidency. But we learn one thing: once you allow the torture of prisoners for any reason, as this President did, the cancer spreads. In the end it spreads to healers as well, and turns them into accomplices to harm.

There's a lot going on today, feel free to weigh in on these or other topics:

• Crooks and Liars has finally left Radioland behind and moved to Wordpress. The site looks the same but will be so much easier for us to navigate and John to manage.

• Jane's sister writes in at Firedoglake to thank everyone for their kind words on their mother's passing. And Parachutec does Late Nite FDL with a video of Bob Dylan doing Subterranean Homesick Blues. The tag line of TalkLeft since inception has been "The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles." Great choice.

• The Miami 7 are chickenfeed: See Juan Cole. I hope he won't mind me quoting a couple of paragraphs:

That was quick. After writing yesterday about the new Iraqi Government's proposed peace plan to be presented Sunday, 11 insurgent leaders have already rejected it.

Representatives of 11 Iraqi insurgent groups told The Sunday Times yesterday that they would reject the peace offer because they did not recognise the legitimacy of the government.

A senior commander authorised to speak on behalf of other groups warned that they would continue to fight. "As long as there is an occupation and an illegitimate government, the resistance and insurgency will continue," he said.

Newsweek has more on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's "master plan."

The Observer takes a look at the Heartland today and finds Republicans not only deserting Bush but switching party affiliation to the Democrats. It begins in Kansas with Mark Parkison who changed affiliation recently.

a few weeks ago Parkinson was a Republican. In fact, he was Kansas Republican party chairman. His defection to the Democrats sent shockwaves through a state deeply associated with the national Republican cause and the evangelical conservatives at its base. Nor was it just Parkinson's leave-taking that left Republicans spluttering with rage and talking of betrayal. It was that as he left Parkinson lambasted his former party's obsession with conservative and religious issues such as gay marriage, evolution and abortion

The Republicans' loss is the Democrats' gain:

The Observer has a very personal interview with Neil Young, in which he discusses his family, his two sons with cerebral palsy, his life and Iraq.

If you don't yet have a copy of Living With War, get it here:

14 Saudi detainees at Guantanamo have been returned to Saudi Arabia. Of them, one was declared by the U.S. not to be an enemy combatent.

The releases bring to 310 the number of detainees who have departed Guantanamo to other governments, including Albania, Afghanistan, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden and Uganda.

About 450 detainees remain at Guantanamo, including 120 who are considered eligible for transfer or release. Decisions in those cases depend on discussions between the United States and other nations.

The Road to Guantanamo is showing in several cities now. It really is an important film to see. Details are here.

Legal eagle and television commentator Mickey Sherman and Fox News Legal Analyst Lis Wiel got married last night at Valbella in Greenwich, CT. Both are great friends and I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend in person. Here's the invitation.

Mickey's good friend Michael Bolton sang as they walked down the aisle.

Congrats to both, they are great together and individually. I wish them both many, many happy years to come.

Patsy Ramsey, the mother of Jonbenet Ramsey, has died of ovarian cancer at age 49.

Rest it peace, Patsy. You endured not only the heartbreak of losing your daughter, but of being accused for years in the court of public opinion of having something to do with her murder.

Someday Jonbenet's killer will be found through DNA testing and you will be vindicated once and for all. Our thoughts are with John and Burke Ramsey today, how sad that they must endure yet another tragedy.

Note to commenters: In respect for the passing of Patsy Ramsey, there will be no comments allowed attacking her or speculating she was responsible in any way for her daughter's death.

Update: The Washington Post has a more thorough article about Patsy.

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson (the evangelical leader called by Karl Rove to help sell the Harriet Miers nomination) is revealed in a feature article by Pulitzer prize winner Eileen Welsome in this month's 5280. And on the Eighth Day, Dr. Dobson Created Himself is free and online, don't miss it.

The evangelical leader is going strong at 70:

Today, his behemoth ministry, based at the foot of the Rockies, reaches more than 220 million people around the globe through its radio and television programs, magazines, books, videos, audio recordings, and a powerful website that offers webzines, podcasts, music, and even movie reviews.

Tom Delay credits him with "walking him back to Jesus." Republicans generally are in his debt: