Peter Daou has a depressing but accurate assessment of the efficacy of progressive blogging - borne out by the NSA Scandal and the Alito hearings. We're one side of a broken triangle.

This, then, is the reality: progressive bloggers and online activists - positioned on the front lines of a cold civil war - face a thankless and daunting task: battle the Bush administration and its legions of online and offline apologists, battle the so-called “liberal” media and its tireless weaving of pro-GOP narratives, battle the ineffectual Democratic leadership, and battle the demoralization and frustration that comes with a long, steep uphill struggle.

....Unfortunately for the progressive netroots, the intricate interplay of Republican persuasion tactics, media story-telling, and 21st century information flow seems beyond the ken of most Democratic strategists and leaders. The hellish reality progressive bloggers have acknowledged and internalized is still alien to the party establishment. Dem strategy is still two parts hackneyed sloganeering and one part befuddlement over the stifling of their message.

My recap of yesterday's Alito hearing is up at Altercation, called "Alito Plays Dodge Ball."

Here's some space to vent, on Alito or anything else.

Last Night in Little Rock is off to Africa in the morning for a month, where he will be continuing his representation of defendant Sam Hinga Norman, charged with war crimes in the Special Court for Sierre Leone.

Three alleged leaders of the former Civil Defence Forces were indicted separately on 8 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law. Sam Hinga Norman was indicted on 7 March 2003. Moinina Fofana and Allieu Kondewa were indicted on 26 June 2003. On 28 February 2003 the Trial Chamber ordered the joint trial of Norman, Fofana and Kondewa, and on 5 March prosecutors issued a consolidated indictment.

The CDF trial began on 3 June 2004. On 14 July 2005, the Prosecution concluded its case. On 20 September, Trial Chamber II heard oral arguments on Defence Motions for Acquittal.

Since LNILR updates his 4th Amendment blog daily, even from Africa, he likely won't have time to post on TalkLeft until his return. We wish him a productive journey, and look forward to his return.

Say hello to Blog for Choice. You can see their ad on the right.

BushvChoice and NARAL Pro-Choice America are proud to announce the launch of the Blog for Choice campaign. Blog for Choice is bringing together top pro-choice bloggers to speak out on reproductive rights and health issues.

Who's blogging? Pandagon, Feministe, Bitch PhD, LiberalOasis, Majikthise, Pseudo-Adrienne's Liberal Feminism Bias, Blackfeminism, I Blame the Patriarchy, TalkLeft, MediaGirl, and Pacific Views.

I'll also be writing some Scoring Scotus pieces on the Alito hearings for Eric Alterman at Altercation.

Yesterday I mentioned PFAW's 155 page report on Judge Sam Alito. I also recommend the Alliance for Justice report, available here. Also, read why 500 law professors around the country signed this letter opposing Judge Alito.

The Alito hearing schedule is here. The Senate Judiciary Committee
is another good resource, and you can access the webcast of the hearing from this link on their site.

[Graphic created exclusively for TalkLeft by C.L.)

It's in the high '60's in Denver today. The outside beckons. Here's a thread for you.

Nominations are open for the 2006 Bloggies Awards. If you nominate TalkLeft, I hope it will be for Best Topical Weblog or even Best Design. You can nominate blogs in multiple categories and up to three blogs per category. Here's my nominations:

• Best American Weblog: Atrios and Daily Kos
• Weblog of the Year: Firedoglake
• Best Political Weblog: Daily Kos and Crooks and Liars
• Best Group Weblog: Huffington Post
• Most Humorous: TBogg and Jesus' General
• Best Writing: Digby and Body and Soul
• Best New Weblog: Firedoglake
• Best Community Blog: Daily Kos

You can only vote once, so go ahead, take a few minutes and nominate your favorite bloggers. Once the nominations are done, the final voting is done by a committee of 50, so nominations are all you get to make.

Does anyone feel like blogging today? I need to attend to other things, so I hope readers will take over.

The new law blog at the Wall St. Journal is reporting that Ana Marie Cox will be leaving Wonkette and replaced by David Lat, the male prosecutor who authored Underneath Their Robes pretending to be a female named Article Three Groupie.

If true, count me as underwhelmed and very disappointed. The few times I read Underneath Their Robes, Lat was praising conservative judges to the hilt. His favorite word was "hottie."

As for whether the report is true, while Gawker Media won't confirm, Lat did quit the U.S. Attorney's office last week and said he'll be back blogging in Washington. Today on the UTR, he says he's leaving for a two week vacation in India.

Good luck to Ana Marie, who reportedly is about to begin a national book tour to launch her new book, Dog Days.

On the other hand, the Wall St. Journal law blog is well worth reading and free.

It's a new year. Let's get started on the right track.

There are too many right-wing chatterers commenting on TalkLeft who are making noise without substance. Several are new in the past few months, and may not have read the commenting rules. They are here. Please read them. If you continue to comment in disregard of the rules, you will be banned.

In particular, there is a four a day comment limit for right wing chatterers. Readers should let me know when a new chatterer pops up or violates the rules. I will then find their last or their offending comment and add a warning. So, if you are a contrarian commenter on this site, check back to the last comment threads you've posted on. Once you are notified you're a chatterer, it's four a day max for you. If you disregard the limit, you will be banned.

Next, and this goes for all commenters regardless of your political philosophy: Lose the insults, the name-calling and degrading responses to other commenters. You may think you are being witty, I don't.

I'm a little late getting this up today, but I'm busy at work and so awash in paper I might drown. I need one of these, badly. [Update: A huge thank you to the generous reader that just contributed the money to buy the scanner. TalkLeft readers never cease to amaze me. This is so appreciated.]

In case I miss the news about whether Jack Abramoff has a plea deal, please fill us in. Also of note:

• Raw Story: Abramoff's firm knew of the payments he received from ex-DeLay aide before the story broke.

• Va. Gov. Mark Warner has two weeks left to order DNA testing in the case of Roger Coleman, executed in 1992. If he does, and if it turns out he was innocent, he will be the first known case of wrongful execution in the country.

• Atrios on 2005 being the year of the President who believes he can break the law.

• Crooks and Liars has some great Daily Show clips up.

• Reddhedd at Firedoglake reviews the Patriot Act debate and the Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Doctrine as applied to Bush's warrantless NSA surveillance. Also read Judd at Think Progress on how the NSA plan put us all at risk.

Congratulations to Steve and Melissa. Preston Davis Green has arrived on the planet earth. Another example of beautiful people making beautiful babies. And check out the hair!

Happy New Year to all, from Jeralyn, TChris and Last Night in Little Rock. We hope it rings in justice and peace.

For those of you who will be online, this is an open thread.

Update: Here's a live streaming thread of the gathering in Times Square, including music, courtesy of Crooks and Liars.

Here's a smattering of what I've found interesting today:

• RJ Eskow on today's WaPo Alito article
• Avedon Carol's always excellent round-up.
• Glenn Greenewald on threatening Administration critics with prosecution
• Digby on Constitutional Thuggery
• TBogg's soccer post about his daughter Casey
• Norgwegianity leads us to Separated at Birth, for anti-Cheneyites everywhere.