This is the brief from hell. Not because of the writing or research, but because of Tenth Circuit requirements on things like appendice, and this labor-intensive, highly technical mandatory electronic filing rule. I could be here all night. All of which means another open thread for you. Here's some things I would talk about, but the choice is your's.

• Jeff Gannon updates and Democrats demanding investigations. Americablog is all over it, and says: " The issue here is whether we might have a male prostitute (or pimp) asking questions of the president and being leaked internal CIA documents." Cable news will feature it as well.

• Congress' debating of the awful Real ID Act today

• LAPD's need for a new shooting policy in the wake of killing of 13 year old.

• The depraved scalping of the Idaho woman

I have a brief due today, so you're on your own. What's on your mind?

[Update. This thread has degenerated, it's being closed. Try the new one, and please, try a little harder to say something others might care to read.]

Congratulations to Peter Daou, of the excellent blogwire Daou Report. It's part of Salon now. Peter was the online communications advisor to John Kerry's presidential campaign. I always appreciated receiving his e-mail updates.

Maybe someone will pick up Memeorandum next, they deserve wider reading as well.

Say hello to The Next Left...it has great photos accompanying the entries. [via TBogg]

Scotus Blog got a bloglift and a new address, update your bookmarks.

There's a ton of stuff I'd like to write about today, some are subjects of the articles listed on the newsfeed on the left, like the prisoner killed on the prison bus while it was going back to the jail from court; Chertoff and Gonzales'; new torture documents; Martha Stewart starring in the Apprentice when she gets on home detention; and not listed, five CT death row inmates have begun a hunger strike and Colorado's Governor Owens has called for the resignation of Professor Ward Churchill due to his remarks about 9/11.

But I'm juggling too many things at work right now to write about any of them, so you go ahead, and no need to stick to what I would have written about--pick your own topics if you'd like.

Go ahead, live blog or comment, - your turn. Here's a segment of the speech:

Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before. For example, in the year 2027, the government will somehow have to come up with an extra 200 billion dollars to keep the system afloat - and by 2033, the annual shortfall would be more than 300 billion dollars. By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be drastically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.

And one more:

Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage.

Don't miss this article in the Weekly Standard on Markos and the Daily Kos, and why politicans need to take him seriously.

The Daily Kos is the most popular and important force in the blogosphere; it's a fact with which Democrats are just now coming to grips.

It recaps the history of Daily Kos, Markos' shrewd instincts, his up front acknowledgment that he is an activist, his at times in-your-face style and the undeniable fact that his is the most influential voice in the blogosphere.

And in the spirit of full disclosure, Markos designed TalkLeft in its current incarnation.

We've been blogging like crazy the past few weeks, and could use some help with donations, particularly from our most frequent readers and commenters. If you can throw in a few bucks, it would be most appreciated. Many thanks.

• PayPal
• Amazon (anonymous)

Related Note: Superbowl spammers are out in force. MT-Blacklist does a great job with comments, but the spam is getting through the trackbacks. There were 30 today I had to delete. So I've turned off trackbacks until next week. If you don't have a weblog, no need to even wonder about what this means. If you do, you might want to block strings with "super-bowl" to save your sanity.

Forget live blogging, it's time to pre-blog. Here's Regular Staple's minute by minute account of tomorrow's State of the Union Address. [via Wonkette.]

TalkLeft will not be live-blogging SOTU. I'll be debating what's wrong with mandatory minimum drug sentences on Reggie River's show (PBS, Colorado.) To be honest, I probably wouldn't watch anyway, unless someone paid me. The late night cable and morning-after news coverage, the transcript and blogger reactions will be plenty for me.

Many bloggers are joining together over at Daily Kos to argue against the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General.

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions. In this case, we, the undersigned bloggers, have decided to speak as one and collectively author a document of opposition....With this nomination, we have arrived at a crossroads as a nation. Now is the time for all citizens of conscience to stand up and take responsibility for what the world saw, and, truly, much that we have not seen, at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere. We oppose the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General of the United States, and we urge the Senate to reject him.

Watch this film from Human Rights First on Gonzales. And via Norwegianity:

We have court, court and more court today, with no chance to see the news. Here's a open thread to keep everyone advised as to what is going on. I'll ge back tonight. If something's on your mind, let us know.

I was going to answer Hugh Hewitt, but August at World o'Crap does it so well, I won't bother.