Funny one from DougJ:

Executives at National Public Radio recently asked the network’s top political correspondent, Mara Liasson, to reconsider her regular appearances on Fox News because of what they perceived as the network’s political bias [. . .] Liasson was summoned in early October by [. . .] NPR executives [who] said they had concerns that Fox’s programming had grown more partisan, and they asked Liasson to spend 30 days watching the network.

At a follow-up meeting last month, Liasson reported that she’d seen no significant change in Fox’s programming and planned to continue appearing on the network [. . .]

(Emphasis supplied.) Honestly, who can quibble with Liasson's assessment? Fox has not changed in its entire existence - it has always been an arm of the Republican Party. The issue of course is that Liasson should not be on NPR. Let her stay on Fox. Just get her off of NPR.

Speaking for me only

Here's some details on the upcoming deal to lower the age of Medicare and drop the public option.

Under the potential trade-off with party moderates, near-retirees beginning at age 55 or 60 who lack affordable insurance would be permitted to purchase coverage under Medicare, which generally provides medical care beginning at 65. Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor, would be open to all comers under 300 percent of poverty, or slightly over $66,000 for a family of four.

So, it's only for those over 55 without affordable insurance. What does that mean? How many people is that? Why can't all people over 55 get it?

Sen. Mark Udall and ten other freshman senators who have drafted an "amendment package" will be holding a press conference tomorrow. Udall will be one of those speaking on the Senate floor.

The Republican effort to reject the Medicare cuts in the bill failed today. [More...]

Italy insists Amanda Knox's conviction and 26 year sentence for murdering her roomate is fair.

Some think she has a good chance on appeal. Others say she was the victim of anti-Americanism and never stood a chance.

Washington Senator Maria Cantwell has problems with the verdict. [More...]

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has a new op-ed in the Washington Post explaining his grant of clemency to Maurice Clemmons, suspected of killing four police officers in Seattle.

He explains why he granted clemency to Clemmons, noting that no one objected and if the same information was available to him today, he'd make the same decision. Any fault, he says, lies with prosecutors' decisions in later years.[More...]

The left has been pushing Obama hard from the moment he took office

Digby must be thinking of TalkLeft commenter Andreas and his organization, the Worldwide Socialist Web Site. The rest of "the Left," me included, not so much.

Speaking for me only

This should be interesting:

President Obama on Thursday will talk about his decision to send 30,000 more troops to fight the war in Afghanistan when accepting his Nobel Peace Prize. [. . ] "The president will talk about what it means to receive a Nobel Peace Prize in the wake of his Afghanistan decision," the aide said. "He will also focus on ways in which the international community can more effectively prevent needless conflict and promote peace across the globe."

(Emphasis supplied.) That reminds me of that SNL skit -- "What Were They Thinking?"

Speaking for me only

New charges have been filed (pdf)in Chicago against accused terrorist and former DEA cooperator David Headley, aka Daood Gilani. The U.S. Attorney's office confirms he is cooperating with both the investigation into the Danish newspaper plot and that of the 2008 Mumbai bombings. The text of the new complaint is here (pdf).

In March 2008, Headley and his co-conspirators discussed potential landing sites for a team of attackers who would arrive by sea in Mumbai, and he was instructed to take boat trips in and around the Mumbai harbor and take surveillance video, which he did during his visit to India starting in April 2008, the charges allege.

At various times, Headley allegedly conducted surveillance of other locations in Mumbai and elsewhere in India of facilities and locations that were not attacked in November 2008, including the National Defense College in Delhi, India.

The Government today also unsealed charges (available here, pdf)filed in October against retired Pakistani army major Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed (Abdur Rehman). The two-count complaint charges him with conspiracy to murder and maim persons in a foreign country, and providing material support to that foreign terrorism conspiracy, in connection with the Danish plot. [More...]

It's funny how when your team gets demolished in the conference championship game you lose all interest in this discussion.

This is an Open Thread.

Seton Hall University School of Law’s Center for Policy & Research has released a new report on the Guantanamo suicides. You can read the full report, Death in Camp Delta, here (pdf). From the press release:

[T]his report highlights the derelictions of duty by officials of multiple defense and intelligence agencies who allowed three detainees to die and elected not to conduct a proper investigation into the cause of the deaths.

[More...]

Markos:

Of course Obama and Clinton had similar platforms. They're both mainstream Democrats!

They'll say that now. During the primaries? Not a chance.

Speaking for me only

Let's hope Ezra has good sources:

Sources who have been briefed on the negotiations say that Medicare buy-in is attracting the most interest.

(Emphasis supplied.) Medicare for Some? That's a start towards Medicare for All. Take out the mandates, increase Medicare eligibility, use the House funding model and I can support this health insurance premium assistance bill.

Speaking for me only

Ezra Klein writes two good posts. In the first one, he writes:

[s]o far as health-care reform goes, the public option is fairly simple, and undeniably prominent [only 30% of Americans think they can explain it.] Imagine how many could explain the exchanges, or the mandate, or the benefit package ...

Further, I doubt 10% even know the words exchange or mandate have anything to do with the health care bill. That rude awakening is the biggest political pitfall for Democrats. There is no support for a mandate or the Exchange because no one has been honest about these provisions. The second post from Ezra states: