George Allen refuses to concede Virginia. He just made a statement thanking everyone for their prayers and saying vote-counting will continue tomorrow. We all thought it was going to be a concession speech, no such luck.

Like Amnesty International, TalkLeft condemns the death sentence imposed on Saddam Hussein. From their press release:

"This trial should have been a major contribution toward establishing justice and the rule of law in Iraq, and in ensuring truth and accountability for the massive human rights violations perpetrated by Saddam Hussein's rule," said Malcolm Smart, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme. "In practice, it has been a shabby affair, marred by serious flaws that call into question the capacity of the tribunal, as currently established, to administer justice fairly, in conformity with international standards."

For Pastor Haggard:

Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield, 1999)

For Mike Jones:

Can I get a Witness? (Dusty Springfield, 1964)

Chris Bowers is a treasure. But he is prone to this type of knee jerk nonsense:

Democrats are once again showing weakness in the face of attack, an eagerness to apologize for calling the right-wing names, and a willingness to close Daou's triangle on themselves.

Just look at the latest AP headline:

Some Democrats join Republicans in pressing Kerry for apology. Game over. So much for showing strength in the face of attack. Once again, we are weak, divided, and grovelling for forgiveness. The triangle is officially closed on this now. Well done, Democrats. My only remaining hope is that this story goes away quickly.

This is dumb beyond belief. Chris, it was game over the moment Kerry pushed this thing big with his stupid press conference. There is no reason for Democrats to have to go to bat for John Kerry in THIS ELECTION!! The Left Blogs have been dumb as hammers on this one. There was one thing to do with this story for the word go - hope the story went away quickly. MY gawd, Chris wanted to fight on the issue of whether John Kerry insulted the troops?

Now Stoller joins the dumb act. What is it with these guys? Kerry misspoke AND apologized. So what the heck is there to defend now? Honestly, stupid pills abound.

America is less secure. So if you see commercials telling you to be afraid of terrorism, remember, it's because of Iraq."

Great ad from VoteVets.

My good friend Ed Kilgore of the DLC is a terrific writer, a good Democrat and a smart and reasonable man. But I have always felt frustrated with his refusal or inability to distinguish between partisan politicking and pragmatic governance. He writes:

E.J. Dionne, explains the larger meaning of this collapse of GOP support among independents:

President Bush's six-year effort to create an enduring Republican majority based on a right-leaning coalition is on the verge of collapse. The way he tried to create it could have the unintended consequence of opening the way for an alternative majority. . . . The strategy pursued by Bush and Karl Rove has frightened most of the political center into the arms of Democrats. . . [T]his approach created what may prove to be a fatal political disconnect: Adventurous policies designed to create enthusiasm on the right turned off a large number of less ideological voters.

In other words, the Rovian politics of polarization, along with the failed policies it produced, are in ruins. And the long-term choice facing Democrats after this and (if we win) the next election is whether we pivot to a governing agenda that restores the confidence in progressive government that was becoming evident during the Clinton years, or go down the same road to perdition the GOP has followed, with disastrous results for their party and the country.

Why does Ed equate partisan politicking with ideological governance? It is the basic mistake of the DLC and many other Centrists and it tears at the fabric of our Big Tent for no good reason. I'll explain again on the flip.

After four days in Omaha, I'm more than ready to get home and back to a desktop monitor and blogging.

On the plus side, I'm blogging from the airplane which is about to take off -- I got online in the jail even though there were those white cement blocks for walls -- and just about everywhere else in Omaha -- slow as molasses, but a lot better than not being online at all.

I think I could exist on a desert island with my laptop, online access, my ipod and a few movies from Netflix or Movieline.

Back to politics and crime tonight.

Andrew Sullivan:

We can fight over Medicare and hate crime laws another time. But habeas corpus, war, torture and basic fiscal responsibility are the issues now. I will join happily with any liberal, any leftist, any conservative, any Christian, any Muslim, any Jew - to fight for these basic principles. I don't care about these labels as much as I care about this country. And it needs saving right now from the thugs and incompetents who are running it.

Richard Viguerie:

The big-spending, high-deficit, morally-deficient Republican Party hasn't anything to offer conservatives except Halloween scare tactics about the Democrats.

I'm on the road until Monday and will be blogging sporadically. Here's an open thread to keep you going.

Here's Scribe's diary on the Scooter Libby hearing yesterday concerning Libby's proposed memory expert.

Omaha....somewhere in middle America.
Starts at 1:27 in.

That's where I'll be until Monday afternoon. Mostly at the jail, but I'll try to get some blogging in.

John Cole has some choice words for, believe it or not, a friend of mine from Red State:

[S]ince Leon wants to lecture me about making Republicans honest, how about he start with Red State? How about a few less front page posts to videos in which you pose as a question whether or not Harold Ford’s called someone a cracker? Sure, he didn’t really call anyone a cracker- but the truth isn’t really what matters at Red State. Winning is what matters, because, as they will tell you any time you listen- the Democrats are worse. Or how bout some more defenses of Rush Limbaugh attacking Michael J. Fox? Watch the video- he was just asking legitimate questions, right? Or how ‘bout some more links to videos of a talking fetus- pretending that is same thing as an embryonic stem cell would fall under honesty, right?

I am a partisan too in case you have not noticed. But like Cole, I like to think I can keep my integrity at the same time. Witness my criticism of Harold Ford's gay bashing.

Don't forget to check the right side of TalkLeft for recent diaries by readers who also are diarists. You can recommend the diaries if you like them. Remember, just as with comments, recommend the diary based on content, not on point of view or the author.

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♦On the NJ Gay Marriage case - briefly
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♦The End of Empire: Liberalism and the Far Left
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♦How Could the Republicans Miss This Anniversary?
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