Ezra Klein continues to argue that the BaucusCare excise tax will lead to increased wages. There are two points to be made about this.

First, if that is so, then Ezra can not credibly claim that the excise tax will be more deficit neutral than the House's wealthy individual income surtax for health care. Why? Because, according to Ezra, employers will structure the compensation+benefit packages to avoid the BaucusCare excise tax. Wealthy people will not make less money to avoid the health insurance income surtax. Second, Ezra claims that:

Yesterday, Steve Benen wrote:

At this point, there really shouldn't be any lingering doubts surrounding President Obama's support for a public option -- he's endorsed, promoted, and defended the idea repeatedly for months. [. . .] Indeed, wavering lawmakers are now well aware of some key truths: [. . .] the White House wants a public option [. . . It's now up to Obama to "weigh in" and tell these dithering members, who are unmoved by these obvious and important details, exactly what to do?

Obvious is it? President Obama begs to differ:

Medicare for Everyone sounds great, but I think it does not work right now as a rebranding effort. Why? Because the public option that is even possible now is not Medicare for Everyone. The Hill:

Say hello to “Medicare Part E” — as in, “Medicare for Everyone.” House Democrats are looking at re-branding the public health insurance option as Medicare, an established government healthcare program that is better known than the public option.

The flaw in this approach is revealed when one considers one of the main proponents of the rebranding, Jim Oberstar (D-MN):

There's been a lot of posting today, but no open thread. Here's one where you pick the topics. What haven't we covered?

The Senate has passed the bill authorizing trials of Guantanamo detainees in U.S. criminal courts. But, it also prevents those who are acquitted from remaining in the U.S. What happens to those who can't return to their home country for fear of torture? If they can't stay in the U.S., Guantanamo is closed and they can't go to their home country, where will they go?

Also, those who are convicted won't be allowed to serve their sentences in US prisons. Will we build new prisons abroad for them? That's a terrible idea. We need to get out of the prison business.

The bill now goes to President Obama for signing.

There's more to the bill: No release of torture photos: [More...]

So it was the Swiss authorities after all who alerted the U.S. that Roman Polanski would be in Switzerland to accept the film award. The Associated Press obtained the fax and emails between the Swiss Federal Office of Justice sand the U.S. Office of International Affairs, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Swiss officials wanted to know if the U.S. would be submitting a request for Polanski's arrest....After receiving the tip, federal officials alerted the Los Angeles district attorney's office, which immediately began drafting an arrest warrant.

I've read in a few places that the Swiss Government was involved in the Film Festival which extended the award invitation to Polanski. For example, the Swiss Ministry sponsored an "Industry Day" for the festival.

The Zurich Film Festival's first Industry Day will take place at the Seefeld Razzia on Tuesday, September 29. Sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and Swiss Films, this event is aimed at all professionals involved in the filmmaking industry including producers, directors, authors and actors.

If so, I've been wondering if the Swiss action could be considered a "lure" which would violate DOJ policy, according to the U.S. Attorney's Manual.[More...]

This ad to close Guantanamo will air on cable tv channels for a week beginning tomorrow. From the press release (received by e-mail, no link)

The campaign, called the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo, was launched with a press call with Retired Generals Bob Gard and John Johns, VoteVets.org Chairman Jon Soltz and former US Congressman and Director of the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo Tom Andrews. The campaign will support President Obama’s call to close the prison and urge Congress to reject the scare tactics of Dick Cheney, and the far right, and shut down the Guantanamo.

[More...]

The Death Penalty Information Center released a new study today (pdf) showing that states could save millions by ending the death penalty. A poll of police chiefs across the country was released with the report, Smart on Crime: Reconsidering the Death Penalty in a Time of Economic Crisis (pdf).

[The poll] found that they ranked the death penalty last among their priorities for crime-fighting, do not believe the death penalty deters murder, and rate it as the least efficient use of limited taxpayer dollars.

From DPIC:

“With many states spending millions to retain the death penalty, while seldom or never carrying out an execution, the death penalty is turning into a very expensive form of life without parole. At a time of budget shortfalls, the death penalty cannot be exempt from reevaluation alongside other wasteful government programs that no longer make sense,” said Richard C. Dieter, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center and the report’s author.

[More...]

The Supreme Court today granted cert in the case of Kiyemba v. Obama, brought by the Chinese Uighurs held at Guantanamo despite being cleared for release.

Kiyemba v. Obama is a habeas corpus petition filed in the D.C. District Court on behalf of 17 innocent Uighur men who have been imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay for almost seven years. The government acknowledged as early as 2003 that the imprisoned Uighurs were improperly detained and eligible for release. They remain imprisoned because a transfer to China would be illegal as they would be at grave risk of torture or other forms of persecution; and the US government has both refused to accept the men into the US and been unwilling or unable to find other countries willing to accept them.

The issue is whether a court can order the Uighurs released into the United States when there is no other remedy. Of the 30 detainees found to be improperly detained, 18 are still being held. [More...]

A Swiss appeals court has denied Roman Polanki's request for bail.

Polanski has 10 days to appeal the decision on his release to Switzerland's highest tribunal. He also can continue attempts to persuade the Swiss Justice Ministry to release him. More court proceedings are expected after Washington files its formal extradition request, which it has until Nov. 25 to submit.

Polanski's attorney said Tuesday's decision was a disappointment. "It's probable that Mr. Polanski will appeal," Herve Temime told reporters in Paris. "I repeat that Mr. Polanski has firmly and strongly stated that he will remain in Switzerland during the entire extradition procedure, regardless of its outcome."

[More...]

Former NY police commissioner Bernie Kerik was jailed this morning after his bail was revoked by the federal judge presiding over his criminal case, set to start trial next week. The judge said he failed to heed his warning a few weeks ago to monitor his legal defense fund website which was posting non-public documents in an attempt to taint the jury pool:

[prosecutors] discovered non-public documents placed on a Web site affiliated with Kerik's defense. "I fear he has a toxic combination: self-minded focus and arrogance," the White Plains federal judge said. That combination shows Kerik feels "the end justifies the means" and that "the rulings of the court are inconvenient and are to be ignored," Robinson said.

Bernie is likely to be held at MCC Manhattan. I assume, as a former cop, they will have to put him in solitary for his own safety. (Update: ABC News reports he's going to a county facility at Valhalla, NY., where the federal government rents space. )

Revoking bail for non-compliance with a court order? I could see charging or jailing him for contempt of court, but what does leaking sealed case information have to do with his risk of non-appearance in court or being a danger to the community? His lawyer says he will appeal.

Is Fox news an arm of the Republican Party? Is the Pope Catholic? Of course Fox News is an arm of the Republican Party and should be treated as such. Caterwauling from other so called journalists only points out how incompetent they are. Now is it good political strategy for the White House to do this? From their perspective, there is no doubt it is smart. Paul Begala gets it:

"This is a mutually beneficial deal,” said Paul Begala [Politico identifies Begala as a former Clinton WH advisor, which he is, more significantly he is a CNN political analyst] “Fox's ratings keep going up, as they're seen as the voice of opposition to Obama. The Democrats need to do something to excite their base, which is suffering from a case of the blues.”

Precisely.

Speaking for me only