I really enjoy Atrios' "Wanker of the Day" series. But today he really misses the mark though, naming Richard Cohen Wanker of the Day, thanks to some overblown reporting by Media Matters.

Today Cohen wrote a terrific column on Al Gore. It seems impossible to me that Cohen could be the Wanker of the Day for that column. If that is the worst of the day, then our work is done as bloggers and we can all go back to our previous quiet lives.

It's Tuesday open thread day. If you have something you'd like to discuss, here's a place for you.

It's been a week since I've been wandered around my home town of Denver, almost a month actually if I count three trips to Washington for the Libby trial and one to San Diego. I need to grocery shop, visit the TL mom, do some laundry, etc.

While I'm off doing these non-eventful activities, here's a place for the rest of you to discuss what's going on in the world.

I'll be back in time for the Oscars, so consider this a non-Oscar related open thread.

I'm off now to San Diego where I'll be speaking Thursday on using the internet for legal research and investigation and on Friday, conducting a workshop on blogging for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL).

I'll be checking in periodically, and of course, staying on top of the Scooter Libby jury deliberations.

After the verdict is in, I'm scheduled to do a live chat for the Washington Post

Here's an open thread to discuss other issues, and as always, a big thanks to TChris and Big Tent Democrat for keeping TalkLeft going while I've been on Libby assignment.

I'm flying back to Washington today for Tuesday's closing arguments in the Scooter Libby trial. Since today is a holiday, I don't know how many people will be online, but I figured I'd give those of you who are a place to talk.

My live-blogging Tuesday will be over at Huffington Post. My nightly wrap-ups will appear both there and here.

A big thanks to TalkLeft readers who helped make possible my three trips to cover the trial and to Arianna Huffington , Firedoglake and Media Bloggers for the press passes.

• Michael Isikoff on Rove crony and lobbyist Richard Hohlt acknowledging (confirmed by Rove's lawyer) that Hohlt faxed a copy of Novak's article to Rove on July 11. Christy at Firedoglake adds her thoughts. I'd just add that those of us in the media room during Novak's testimony found Hohlt's name on the trial witness list (We were trying to figure out how to spell Hohlt.) So at one point, Wells must have been thinking about calling him, but changed his mind.

• Another released Iraqi detainee from Camp Bucca describes his torture at the American detention center. They used an electric prod on him. Another former prisoner says it happened to him too.

• Raw Story on a new, secretive U.S. prison program that targets and isolates Muslim and Middle Easterners, likely in violation of their rights.

• Larry Johnson debunks Victoria Toensing's WaPo op-ed. (Dead link removed 4/28/21

I'm off to D.C. this morning for the Scooter Libby trial. Until I get my internet access back, here's another open thread for you.

A very young Neil Young.

How do you know when you visit a business' web site that glowing blog comments aren't written by the business and passed off as coming from a consumer? You don't. Britain is set to do something about it.

Hotels, restaurants and online shops that post glowing reviews about themselves under false identities could face criminal prosecution under new rules that come into force next year.

Businesses which write fake blog entries or create whole wesbites purporting to be from customers will fall foul of a European directive banning them from “falsely representing oneself as a consumer”. From December 31, when the change becomes law in the UK, they can be named and shamed by trading standards or taken to court.

Naming and shaming will also be used.

How about an open thread to get the weekend off and rolling? Some things I'm reading:

• A report by the Pentagon's Inspector General says Administration manipulated intel in linking Saddam Hussein to al-Qaida in run-up to Iraq war. Attention is focused on the Office of Special Plans. Scarecrow at Firedoglake has more.

• Fired Seattle U.S. Attorney John McKay disputes DOJ allegations about his office's performance.

• CREW releases a report on the 25 most corrupt officials in the Bush Administration

• Arianna on the two trials going on in the Libby courtroom.

It's time for the Tuesday open thread where you pick the topics. Have fun and stay warm. I'll check in later in the day.

Some stuff I'm reading:

• Media Matters challenges Chris Matthews' statements on Hardball yesterday touting Rudy Giuliani. I happened to catch that segment and just shook my head. Thanks to MM for the real facts.

• Judi Nathan Giuliani touts Rudy's testosterone and his loving side (gag reflex inducing) (hat tip Raw Story)

• Ted Haggard says he's completely heterosexual, he never was gay, just acting out.

Both Balkanization and Beltway Blogroll today discuss a rash of proposed state bills that would hold bloggers liable for defamatory content posted by others on their website -- and why they seemed doomed to fail.

Note that there is nothing wrong with holding bloggers responsible for defamatory content that they themselves produce, as long as the states' rules are consistent with the constitutional rules of New York Times v. Sullivan and later cases. Section 230 only affects state laws that try to hold a blogger liable for content posted by someone else.

I try to delete what I consider defamatory content once it's called to my attention. But sometimes, people don't tell me about it, they e-mail me when I'm too busy to read e-mail and I don't see it in the comments because I can't read every comment on this site. And TalkLeft isn't one of the highest-trafficked blogs out there -- certainly not in the sense of a Daily Kos, Atrios or their right-wing counterparts.

There's no question it's a drag to read something disgusting about yourself on the Internet. But the remedy it seems to me is to go after the person who wrote it or who further disseminates it, not the person whose site it got posted on. And I think we already have laws on the books for that.