In Egypt, some have argued that it is too soon for elections. In Libya, the Gaddafi regime is floating the idea of elections:

The Libyan government on Sunday renewed its offer to hold a vote on whether Muammar Gaddafi should stay in power, a proposal unlikely to interest his opponents but which could widen differences inside NATO. [. . .] Moussa Ibrahim, a spokesman for Gaddafi's administration, told reporters in Tripoli the government was proposing a period of national dialogue and an election overseen by the United Nations and the African Union.

Should this alternative be pursued? If not, why not? In Egypt the argument against elections is:

Open Thread.

The latest in the ongoing strife between the DEA and Pitkin County Sheriff's. The DEA thinks they are the good guys. The majority of the community, as evident by its overwhelming rejection of pro-drug war Sheriff candidates since 1976 say otherwise. [More...]

Open Thread.

The review court for military commission trials issued an en banc opinion yesterday upholding the conviction of Osama bin Laden's driver, Salim Hamdan.

In justifying trial by military commission, it reached back to 1818.

In that case, U.S. forces under Gen. Andrew Jackson invaded Spanish Florida in 1818 to stop black slaves from fleeing through a porous border. Troops captured two British traders, whom the general ordered face a military commission on charges they aided the enemy by helping the Seminoles and escaped black slaves.

The tribunal convicted the men and sentenced them to a whipping. Jackson, a slave owner, declared the punishment too soft and had them executed.

The opinion is here.

Open Thread.

In New York, now gay persons can be as unhappy in their marriages as straight people.

I kid. A great day for human rights.

A Dkos commenter writes:

If we couldn't do anything useful in Libya -- as is certainly the case in Saudi Arabia and probably the case in Syria -- that would be one thing. But that argument is not being made. It's just that "this is not worth American blood and treasure" -- [. . .] Well, one can't right every wrong in the world. One can't protect every innocent. But when there's something that we can do and choose not to, people can goddamn well own this expression of their priorities.

[People] may not like Qaddafi shelling Misrata and invading Benghazi and Tobruk to clench an iron fist around his subjects collective throat -- but [they] can live with it. [They] won't lose sleep over it. It's not worth American blood and treasure. If he argues that we can't achieve anything there, that's a different matter. It becomes a different argument. But what we can achieve is not part of this debate. It's whether we should try.

I think this raises the question why are we not doing more - not just in Libya, but everywhere. We can do more. Not just in Libya. But let's start with Libya for discussion's sake. Is there any doubt that we could take Tripoli in a month? Sure that requires ground troops, but so what? Are we gonna be "objectively pro-Qaddafi?"

By now you may have figured out that I have begun the process of reductio ad absurdum. It could end at asking why we have not invaded Cuba or Myanmar. It could go further and ask why we are not at war with China. More . . .

Peter Falk has died at 83. His Columbo character was truly one of the best of that era.

I've been in court and jails all day and am now headed up to Boulder for a Lady Defender sleepover party. Enjoy the evening, and I'll be back sometime tomorrow.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Gators lead Vandy 3-1 in the 6th at the CWS. Go Gators! Update: Gator pitching blowing it. Now tied at 4 in the 8th, Vandy has the bases loaded with 1 out.

Gators Win! Will play in the CWS 3 game series final starting Monday night. Go Gators!!

Open Thread.

Via Atrios, Glenn Greenwald catches Secretary of State Hillary Clinton doing her George Bush imitation:

But the bottom line is, whose side are you on? Are you on Qadhafi’s side or are you on the side of the aspirations of the Libyan people and the international coalition that has been created to support them? For the Obama Administration, the answer to that question is very easy.

Shameful. Via Doug Mataconis, Hillary back in the day, on the GOP New McCarthyism on the Iraq Debacle:

“I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration, somehow you’re not patriotic, and we should stand up and say, ‘WE ARE AMERICANS AND WE HAVE A RIGHT TO DEBATE AND DISAGREE WITH ANY ADMINISTRATION!’ “

Speaking for me only

NYTimes:

The House Friday resoundingly rejected a measure that would authorize the United States’s mission in Libya, with 70 Democrats deserting President Obama on an issue that has divided their party and became a major Constitutional flash point between Congress and The White House. The resolution — one of two that the House took up Friday — failed 295 to 123, with 70 Democrats joining an overwhelming majority of Republicans in rejecting it. Only eight Republicans supported the measure, which was based on a Senate measure introduced Tuesday by Senators John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and John McCain, Republican of Arizona that has yet to be voted on in that chamber.