Mitt Romney basically won the GOP nomination last night. He now has a very sizable lead among GOP delegates (better than 3-1 over his closest challenger Santorum), the GOP Establishment support (all the GOP super delegates will go his way) and challengers with no money and no paths to the nomination. In essence, the race is really over.

But a funny thing has happened - the Media, demonstrating its basic incompetence on even the thing they like to cover - the horse race - has declared the issue "wide open." See Ed Kilgore. This is a good thing for Democratic prospects and the prospect of President Obama's reelection. Instead of immediately pivoting to recover ground lost with independent voters, Romney will be forced continue the grovel to the wingnut voters of the GOP. Contrast this with the impatience to end an actual close race in 2008, when Obama and Clinton were never separated by nearly the number of delegates Romney leads Santorum by (with a larger pool) - and yet the "it's over" started even before the March 4, 2008 Ohio and Texas primaries. Chuck Todd is not being trotted out to discuss the "delegate math" and Nate Silver is not being used to ask "why won't they drop out?" More . . .

Vice President Joe Biden in Mexico today on U.S. drug policy:

There is no possibility that the Obama-Biden administration will change its policy on legalization."

Biden said the Obama Administration will ask for more funding for Central America's drug war in addition to the $361 million we've given so far:

Biden said the U.S. has provided about $361 million in anti-crime aid under the Central America Regional Security Initiative, but leaders in the region called that insufficient. Biden said the administration is asking more from congress.

[More...}

Anonymous is an idea, not a group. Those associated with Anonymous say they will continue despite today's arrests. They also point out that LulzSec disbanded last June. (Here's the pastebin announcement, assuming it's really by LulzSec, which it seems to be.)

As for Sabu, aka Hector Xavier Monsegur, it appears he began cooperating the night of his arrest, June 7, 2011. Fox got some firsthand information on his takedown. Now that the docket has been unsealed, I see this entry:

Minute Entry for proceedings held before Magistrate Judge James L. Cott: Initial Appearance as to Hector Xavier Monsegur held on 6/8/2011. Deft appears with Assistant Federal Defender atty Peggy Cross. AUSA James Pastore present for the gov't. Agreed conditions of release: $50,000 PRB. Other conditions: Deft to be supervised by the FBI with respect to travel and reporting and all other issues. Deft to be released on own signature. See Sealing Order dated 6/8/11. ( Preliminary Hearing set for 7/8/2011 at 10:00 AM before Judge Unassigned.) (My emphasis)

[More...]

Our earlier open thread is full. Here's another one, all topics welcome.

Looks like Mitt Romney does okay, winning 3 states so far (VA, VT, MA). Newt Gingrich won Georgia. Santorum took Tennessee. Ohio is still out.

Santorum takes North Dakota and Oklahoma.

Update: Romney takes Idaho. The AP just called Ohio for Romney. [More...]

Here's the U.S. Attorney's press release on the arrest of six alleged members of Anonymous and LulzSec today.

Hector Xavier Monsegur, aka Sabu, was cooperating and led to the others. He pleaded guilty in August. The charged offenses include hacks of Fox Broadcasting Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and the Public Broadcasting Service (“PBS”) .

One person from Chicago, Jeremy Hammond, a/k/a “Anarchaos, was charged with the Stratfor hack.

Barrett Brown says on Twitter that his apartment was raided by the FBI this morning and they took laptops but he wasn't arrested. [More...]

It's a work day for me. A big primary day for the Republicans

It's also a day I'd rather be outside because we don't get too many 70 degree days in the first week of March here in Denver.

In case I miss the news feel free to report it in this thread, along with any other things you'd like to share or discuss.

All topics welcome.

Protecting a "legacy", the Breitbart adherents report:

In 1998, a small Chicago theater company staged a play titled The Love Song of Saul Alinsky [. . . President] Obama was not only in the audience, but also took the stage after one performance, participating in a panel discussion that was advertised in the poster for the play.

In the words of Colonel Jessup, "Please tell me you have something more[.] Please tell me that [the keepers of the Breitbart flame] ha[ve]n't pinned their hopes to a [play]bill."

Speaking for me only

At 4:30 pm ET, Attorney General Eric Holder will explain and attempt to legally justify the U.S. policy on targeted killings in a speech at Northwestern University in Chicago. He will also discuss the revamped military commission trials and successes of federal terror prosecutions.

Update: Prepared remarks here.

Update: KPUA radio station in Hawaii has dropped Rush Limbaugh's radio show. One down, 599 to go.

We are strong believers in the first amendment and have recognized Mr. Limbaugh's right to express opinions that often times differ from our own, but it has never been our goal to allow our station to be used for personal attacks and intolerance. The most recent incident has crossed a line of decency and a standard that we expect of programming on KPUA whether it is locally produced or a syndicated program like the Rush Limbaugh show.

Carole Rosenberg at the Miami Herald writes about Republican outrage over a $750,000 soccer field just completed at Guantanamo for the detainees. It opens in April. It cost $750,000.

One Republican, Rep. Dennis Ross (Lakeland, Fla.) has even introduced a bill called the “NO FIELD Act” which stands for " None of Our Funds for the Interest, Exercise, or Leisure of Detainees Act." It would reduce the Defense budget for 2013 by

The first-term Ross shows his lack of knowledge about who is being held at Gitmo with this comment: [More...]

The U.S. filed its extradition request for Kim Dotcom and the other MegaUpload defendants on Friday in the North Shore District Court in Auckland. The deadline was March 5.

The court is not releasing the documents at this time. The hearing is August 20.

If you missed last week's TV3 News interview with Kim Dotcom in which he quite articulately explains why he's committed no crime (summary here), you can still view it online here.