Update: Former Dean Campaign Manager Joe Trippi endorses Simon Rosenberg

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It's official, Howard Dean has announced he's running for Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Daily Kos has his full statement.

Here's a press release I received by e-mail on Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid's position on Social Security. I like it.

“If the president wants to know how people really feel about his Social Security plan, he should start by asking them how they will react to having their benefits cut nearly in half, which is what seniors will see if Republicans proceed with their privatization plan.

Social Security is America's promise to those who work hard and play by the rules. But through news reports and White House leaks, we know the President intends to break this promise. I hope the President uses today’s conversation to come clean about this fact.”

My previous reservations about Senator Reid are fading fast. TalkLeft received an invitation today to participate in a conference call betweeen bloggers and his staff Thursday. Unfortunately, I have a scheduling conflict but I'm most appreciative of the offer. Last we I participated in such a call with DNC Chair hopeful Simon Rosenberg. The call left me very open to him. I'm glad that the give and take of actual conversation hasn't been replaced by blogging but is being used as an adjunct. I'm also impressed by those in political positions who are reaching out to the blogosphere. Netroots activism at work.

He may be suffering in the court of public opinion, but Bernie Kerik is still in demand among one group--jailers.

[the]...former nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security will be a keynote speaker [today] at the American Correctional Association's conference in Phoenix.

"Mr. Kerik's tales of leadership, valor and determination will serve as motivation for hundreds of attendees in reaching their desired goals," the association says on its Web site.

Kerik was booked for the speaking gig a long time ago, and the group's President said it would be awkward to cancel now. His topic is terrorist threats to prisons and jails. He has waived his speaking fee.

There is a move afoot to make Puerto Rico bi-lingual by requiring the compulsory learning of English as a second language. The argument in favor of the proposal points to China and Chile which have successfully implemented programs to teach school children English and could provide Puerto Rico an opportunity to act as the gateway to South American business.

Proponents of the measure say that fears of "cultural elitists" that a bilingual Puerto Rico would eventually translate into statehood for Puerto Rico are misguided, and that fluency of the English language serves as a tool to ensure prosperity and not as a danger to cultural heritage.

There's lot's more on Puerto Rico at Let Puerto Rico Decide.

Law Prof Doug Berman of Sentencing Law and Policy analyzes the responses of Alberto Gonzales at his confirmation hearing with respect to some non-torture issues, particlarly, those dealing with rehabilitation of prisoners and the Sentencing Guidelines. In response to a question by Sen. Arlen Specter about differentiating between violent and non-violent criminals, Gonzales replied:

I agree ... that for people who commit violent crimes and are career criminals, they should remain in our prisons. But there is a segment of the prison population — juveniles, for an example, as you mentioned, and first-time, maybe sometimes second- time offenders — who can be rehabilitated. And as I said earlier in response to a question, I think it is not only smart, but I think it's the right thing to do. I think it is part of a compassionate society to give someone another chance.

But, as Professor Berman notes is a follow-up post, the plot thickens. Today's Buffalo News reports the Bush Administration is eliminating its shock incarceration program.

Here's the list of inaugural balls set for Bush's second coronation. Check out the names: There's the Stars and Stripes Ball, the Freedom Ball, the Patriot Ball, the Liberty Ball, the Democracy Ball, the Independence Ball...it's enough to make you sick.

On that topic, say hello to Makes Me Ralph, a (mostly) Colorado blog.

Back to the Balls, I wonder if there's any chance MTV will replay the 1993 MTV inaugural ball for then-President Clinton. Maybe they could replay it on the 19th or in the late afternoon or evening of the 20th. It opened with Don Henley singing "Dirty Laundry" and Leonard Cohen's "Democracy." ("Democracy is coming, to the U.S.A.") Even Bob Dylan's "The Times, They Are a Changing." Talk about a backslide...

The Office of Government Accountability is an investigatory arm of Congress. Thursday it released its finding that Bush's anti-drug videos broke the law:

The Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress, said on Thursday that the Bush administration violated federal law by producing and distributing television news segments about the effects of drug use among young people.

The accountability office said the videos "constitute covert propaganda" because the government was not identified as the source of the materials, which were distributed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. They were broadcast by nearly 300 television stations and reached 22 million households, the office said.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzegger announced in his State of the State address Wednesday he would reverse 100 years of policy and shift the focus of the state's penal system from punishment to rehabilitation:

Reversing a century-long tradition of allowing California's prisons to operate as fiefdoms, Schwarzenegger administration officials Thursday unveiled a new model that places one man in charge and aims to reduce crime by better preparing inmates for release. Under the plan, prison leaders for the first time in decades emphasize rehabilitation, marking a shift away from an era when punishment was the overriding mission.

Over the past year, California's prisons have been rocked by federal investigations, budget overruns, a videotaped beating of juvenile inmates, audits exposing waste and mismanagement and a federal judge's threat to place the adult lock-ups into receivership. Since his election, the Republican governor has expressed a strong desire to clean up the mess, visiting prisons and declaring that "the purpose of corrections should be to correct."

Gov. Arnold is ready to put his plan into action.

Some media write-ups of Alberto Gonzales' confirmation hearing Thursday suggest he got a pass. As Salon puts it:

As the protest against Bush's certification fell flat and they rolled over for Gonzales, it was a day of humiliation and futility for Democrats.

More reaction: The Washington Post calls it a "senate grilling without much heat."

Here is the full text of Sen. Richard Durbin's (D-IL) floor statement today at the confirmation hearing of Alberto Gonzales.

The full text of the confirmation hearing is here (html)

Alberto Gonzales suggested today during his confirmation hearing that the U.S. revisit the Geneva Conventions:

Gonzales promised that as attorney general he would abide by the 1949 Geneva treaty but also said the White House was looking at the possibility of seeking revisions. Now I'm not suggesting that the principles, the basic treatment of human beings, should be revisited," Gonzales said. "But there has been some very preliminary discussion: Is this something that we ought to look at?"

The discussions haven't gone far, Gonzales said. "It's not been a systematic project or effort to look at this question," he said. "But some people I deal with, the lawyers, indicate maybe this is something we should look at."

....He refused to back away from his legal opinion to Bush that terrorists don't deserve Geneva Convention treatment if captured by Americans overseas. "My judgment was ... that it would not apply to al-Qaida - they weren't a signatory to the convention," he said.

Thank goodness neither he nor Bush nor all their neo-con law scholars have the power to change them. The international community is not going to pay them any heed. As for what else happened at the hearing:

Does this father-son team look alike or what?