Much has been made of Congressman Jim Gibbons (R-NV)recent speech intended to rally the GOP.

Patriotic spirits soared as Elko's Grand Old Party had a grand old party Friday night at its annual Lincoln Day Dinner. The fervor was whipped up by a fiery speech by Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., during which he passionately proclaimed his heartfelt support for troops waging the war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan and voiced blistering contempt for certain celebrities for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

Atrios reports it's been given before - and by someone other than him.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is being criticized by a few school officials, who sound like MADD-types. We're with Oscar on this one.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman told a group of fourth graders on Monday that if he was marooned on a desert island the one thing he would want to have with him is a bottle of gin. And when a student quizzed Goodman about his hobbies he replied that "drinking" was one of them, said Mackey Elementary School Principal Kamala Washington, who was present for the mayor's visit.

Goodman was unapologetic for his comments that came during his visit to the elementary school in North Las Vegas. "I'm the George Washington of mayors. I can't tell a lie. If they didn't want the answer the kid shouldn't have asked the question," Goodman said. "It's me, what can I do?"

If you read through the article, it was no big deal to the kids, only to the school administrators. Oscar is a devotee of gin martinis. In 2002, he was a spokesman for his favorite, Bombay Sapphire.

We happen to know Oscar has a favorite candy, too. Tootsie Rolls. I bet if Tootsie Roll Industries asked, he might make them the official candy of Las Vegas.

Oscar for Governor.

by TChris

Federal prosecutors are trial lawyers. Insurance defense lawyers are trial lawyers. The corporations that overwhelm federal courts with commercial litigation are represented by trial lawyers. Even the lawyers who represented Bush in his lawsuit against Gore to decide which Florida ballots would (or would not) be counted are trial lawyers.

With so many trial lawyers helping the interests of the wealthy and powerful, why is it true (as today's New York Times reminds us) that "within conservative circles and inside the White House, the term 'trial lawyer' is an epithet"?

The right thinks this is the way to get support for Bush's plan to privatize social security accounts:

[ad removed now that TRO has been granted against USA Next]

It's an ad running on the American Spectator website (column on the right as of now). It clicks through to USA Next. Yes, the lobbying group that brought us Swift Boat Vets. They will spend $10 mil to attack the AARP.

For the truth: There is No Crisis.

[Via Steve Gilliard and Atrios.]

Doug Wead, an author who was an aide to the former President Bush, has released secretly recorded tapes of his conversations with GW Bush when GW was Governor of Texas and contemplating a run for the White House.

Memorable moments: Bush indicates he smoked pot and says he won't answer questions about his drug usage, and, Bush thought John Ashcroft should either be a Supreme Court Justice or his Vice-Presidential candidate.

Colorado Representative Marilyn Musgrave has made the Republican's list of House members it considers to be the GOP's 10 most at-risk. The list is part of the Retain Our Majority Program (ROMP.)

ROMP was designed by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) in 1999 to funnel money from legislators hailing from safe seats to those who represent more marginal districts. Typically, a ROMP beneficiary receives upwards of $100,000 from each event and rarely spends less than $2 million defending his or her seat.

Why is the champion of the Gay Marriage Amendment so vulnerable? According to today's Denver Post,

Dr. George Hunnsinger, a frequent reader and commenter on TalkLeft, is the McCord professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, and the coordinator of Church Folks for a Better America (CBFA). He is interviewed by Katrina Vanden Heuval in the new Nation.

Hunsinger is working hard to reframe the "moral values" debate by raising tough questions about how torture, pre-emption, unjust war, and poverty can be tolerated by people of moral and religious conviction....[He] gives the lie to the Right's caricature of progressives as anti-religious zealots.

Hunsinger has tapped into a rich tradition of religious progressive activism--from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Father Robert Drinan to Rev. William Sloane Coffin.

Here's some of what he had to say:

by TChris

Echoing some of the concerns raised by bloggers, the mainstream press is asking questions about John Negroponte, President Bush's nominee as director of national intelligence.

[As ambassador to] Honduras, Mr. Negroponte "looked the other way" when evidence of rights violations came to light, said Reed Brody, counsel to Human Rights Watch. "Unfortunately," Mr. Brody said, "today the United States is involved in serious human rights crimes committed in the process of collecting intelligence. Is he just going to look the other way again?"

While this is the kind of question that Senate Democrats should raise during Negroponte's confirmation hearing, don't count on any serious opposition from a party paralyzed by fear of being labeled "obstructionist."

Newly elected Colorado Senator Ken Salazar's votes have puzzled many Democrats who voted for him. I write about why, here. The important question: Which way will he go with judicial nominations, particularly that of William G. Meyer, III, whom Democrats strongly oppose for his environmental record?

Eric Alterman devotes today's Altercation column to John Negroponte, Bush's newly announced choice for Intelligence Chief.

Think Progress and Campaign Extra has more.

How did Tennessee County Commissioner Curtis Adams get his 15 minutes? By leaving the Democratic party and becoming a Republican...which led to his appearance on national tv.

He was asked about new party chairman Howard Dean, and he said he had "already got his tail in a crack."

He said the party "has gotten down so low that it would take a real pro to turn it around. He's not the one to do it."

Commissioner Adams told of how most elected officeholders in Hamilton County used to be Democrats and now are Republicans. Asked who he voted for in the last presidential election, he said Bush.

Crooks and Liars has the video.

Message to Mr. Adams: Good riddance. Don't let the door slam you...

Former California Governor and Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown is blogging...a simple affair using Typepad. Unfortunately, his first post is one endorsing a curfew for people on probation. [link via BuzzMachine.]

Why the get-tough-on crime position? Maybe because Brown already has thrown his hat in the ring for the 2006 California Attorney General's position.