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.

♦Loserman: I fathered Iraq war, Bush enforces my policy there
By scribe

♦On the NJ Gay Marriage case - briefly
By scribe

♦The End of Empire: Liberalism and the Far Left
By Peaches

♦How Could the Republicans Miss This Anniversary?
By scribe

I have just returned from working the past three days in gorgeous Telluride. A huge thanks to Big Tent for keeping TalkLeft current on political issues in my absence.

I probably won't resume blogging until the morning as I have a few hundred work and blog related emails to read first, many voicemails to listen to, a lot of mail to open and family members to check in with.

For the past 30 years, my heart has belonged to Aspen, but I have to say, Telluride is one of the most charming, laid back, beautiful towns anywhere. I'm just glad I don't have to choose between them.

And yes, this is an open thread.

I gave discussed George Lakoff before and much of this post will sound familiar. But Lakoff has a new post that, I think, illustrates my earlier points. Lakoff writes:

The right wing has worked for decades to alter the meanings of concepts that define our way of life. The Bush administration's distortions of language are a culmination of these efforts. To restore the meaning of values such as respect for the rule of law and reverence for human life, we all must do our part. We have many strong progressive leaders who are working to reclaim these concepts, but, as in the election at hand, they can succeed only when we are all fully engaged in this struggle.

Fair enough. Nothing to quarrel with there. Now let's consider what Lakoff specifically proposes.

Brilliant, not:

Kerry's spokesman, David Wade, sounds similarly entitled:

Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, came under fire last week when it was pointed out that he had contributed only $15,000 this year to the party’s senatorial committee. Heyjohn.org, whose creator has remained anonymous, highlights the fact that Mr. Kerry has $14 million in his campaign accounts.[...]

“Cowards can hide behind anonymous Web sites,” Mr. Wade said, “but Democrats out in the country, party leaders and real net-roots activists know how hard John Kerry has fought to win these elections.”

So Kerry works hard to make inroads with the Netroots and David Wade decides to piss it all away. Nice job David.

I'm working at my day job today and tomorrow in beautiful Telluride. The weather is spectacular, it's off-season and the town is empty and it's days like these I really appreciate what I do for a living.

For those of you with the time and inclination, here's an open thread and I'll check in late this evening. (Yesterday we worked nonstop from 9 am until 11 pm, I suspect today will be a repeat.)

When I defended Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy earlier, I must admit it was not because I was thinking of this:

Could it be that Howard Dean is really a savvy political strategist? . . [F]ollowing the Mark Foley scandal, Democrats are talking about not just winning the House but piling up as many as 40 new seats and also capturing the Senate. And some of the places where they are now competing lie in the blood-red states where Dean has been on his lonely crusade to find blue voters. . . . "If we win a House seat in Nebraska, Howard Dean will get more credit than Rahm Emanuel," says Barry Rubin, executive director of the Nebraska Democratic Party.

I disagree with Atrios when he says:

[W]hether you gave the thumbs up or thumbs down to any particular conflict, no matter how right or wrong it seems after the fact, doesn't necessarily say all that much about you. However, I would say an exception to that is the current conflict in Iraq, which was sold to the country in an especially divisive and dishonest manner. Supporting this war wasn't just about supporting the war, but "supporting the supporters" who, by the time the bombs dropped at least, had clearly demonstrated that they were very bad people who were not acting in good faith. Though, I suppose, they weren't quite as smelly and annoying as Some Guy With A Sign somewhere.

I disagree because I believe that the policies you support, be they war, tax cuts or what have you do of course say a lot about your judgment. War being the most important decision, it especially says something about you how you decided and what you decided on that question. He is also wrong to say that supporting the Iraq Debacle made you, by necessity, a Bush supporter. Why would it do that? Because atrios thought they were "very bad people"? That is not convincing. More on the flip.

Since I'm leaving on a 3 day trip early Sunday morning, I bring you Canned Heat and "On the Road Again."

Spencer Ackerman has left The New Republic and it is major hit to that publication, for Ackerman was clearly the best they had. There are other fine writers still at TNR of course, Chait for instance and Frank Foer himself. But Ackerman stood out.

Ackerman has a new blog -
I am sure it will fast become a must read.