The Unification Church has now released its first official statement on the turmoil at the Washington Times.

Makes Kremlinology look like simple addition.

Former Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) was sentenced today to 13 years in federal prison for his conviction on corruption charges.

Sen. James Webb (D-VA)

Sen. Webb (D-VA) responds to Holder announcement on trials for KSM and others ...

"I have never disputed the constitutional authority of the President to convene Article III courts in cases of international terrorism. However, I remain very concerned about the wisdom of doing so. Those who have committed acts of international terrorism are enemy combatants, just as certainly as the Japanese pilots who killed thousands of Americans at Pearl Harbor. It will be disruptive, costly, and potentially counterproductive to try them as criminals in our civilian courts.

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Rudy Giuliani is right now being interviewed on the Cavuto show -- yeah, I know, just stop now. And it's amazing the utter contempt this man has for the American justice system. I can't even begin to dig out of the pile of nonsense he's spewing. But we'll have some of the video for you in a few moments.

I will give Rudy credit for realizing that the most important thing about fighting terrorism is the catch-phrases we use to describe it.

See the video after the jump.

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TPM Reader LL, in saltier language than I'll use, laments that the trial of KSM et al. won't take place in his home state of Texas because he's not sure he can rely on a New York jury to give them the death penalty. So he's sorry that the Governor of Texas is too scared to bring them to Texas.

President Obama stops briefly at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska (peers at Russia) on his trip to Asia.

Just a few minutes ago, at a Federalist Society conference in DC, fmr. AG Michael Mukasey slammed Attorney General Holder for his decision to bring key 9/11 plotters to New York for trial. Holder's plan "creates a cornucopia of intelligence for those still at large and a circus for those being tried," said Mukasey.

The Danville, Virginia Tea Party organization has announced a "Fired Up for Freedom" rally at which they'll burn Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA) in effigy, along with Speaker Pelosi.

No end to the crazy.

I'm so old I can remember when ritualized symbolic execution of public officials wasn't cool.

While Greg Craig's departure as White House counsel has been rumored for weeks, the precise reason for his leaving remains publicly unknown even after today's announcement of his resignation.

Into that void leaps Rep. Steve King (R-IA) who claims that Bob Bauer is being brought in as Craig's replacement to help cover up the alleged ties between Obama and ... ACORN.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), whose district includes both TPM HQ and Ground Zero, issued this statement on today's announcement ...

"I thank the Department of Justice and Attorney General Eric Holder for their diligent efforts to bring to justice those who have committed acts of terrorism against the United States. In particular, I applaud the decision to bring those individuals responsible for the attack on the World Trade Center to New York to face trial in our federal courts. New York is not afraid of terrorists, we want to confront them, we want to bring them to justice, and we want to hold them accountable for their despicable actions.

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Who can blame Palin for trashing the McCain folks? What have they ever done for her?

Perry beating Hutchison by 11 points in the Texas GOP primary, says Rasmussen.

Nothing like a good lunar science newsbreak.

Election Years: When Dems fete centrist and center-right Dems for claiming new territory in red states.

Off Years: When Dems pillory centrist and center-right Dems for foot-dragging on major policy initiatives.

Here's something to make you pause and take stock of the limits of our knowledge:

NASA today opened a new chapter in our understanding of the moon. Preliminary data from the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates that the mission successfully uncovered water during the Oct. 9, 2009 impacts into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus cater near the moon's south pole.

The impact created by the LCROSS Centaur upper stage rocket created a two-part plume of material from the bottom of the crater. The first part was a high angle plume of vapor and fine dust and the second a lower angle ejecta curtain of heavier material. This material has not seen sunlight in billions of years.

Exciting stuff.

The Obama Office of Personnel Management has issued new regulations to crack down on the notorious process of 'burrowing in'. That is, political appointees who try to worm their way into the permanent civil service.

The new regs have caused a storm on the right with wingers arguing that it's the beginning of a purge of Bushies who did this under the Bush administration -- and though the practice is by no means new, the Bush administration was particularly egregious at it. When we first looked at the story I was interested to see whether this was actually the case because it would pose a really interesting and important question about how to balance contending interests in good government. On the one hand, the Bush administration did this so egregiously, a lot of these folks probably should be removed. On the other hand, doing so would set a very troubling precedent, with each new administration, potentially, beginning with a review of new federal bureaucrats whose views they don't like.

Alas, it turns out that this isn't even what the administration is doing. So the right-wing criticism seems to be bunk, thus depriving us of an interesting reporting question.

Khalid Sheik Mohammed

I didn't live in New York on 9/11, though my wife did and was down there near the base of the buildings before they fell. I moved here in 2004. But as someone who lives here with his family, someone who's made his life here, I feel really good that the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks are going to be brought back here to the scene of the crime to face justice as criminals. This isn't just a matter of wanting to see punishment. It also vindicates our system of justice and values -- and for it all to happen here, the scene of the crime, among the people of this city, not out on some island or in some secret jail.

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Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart bid farewell to the man, the legend, and the award-winning xenophobe: Lou Dobbs.

There was some word the CBO would come back today with its scoring of the Senate Democrats' health care bill. But we've just found out it won't be today but is expected next week.

A lot will pivot on what CBO says.

Read Gregory Craig's letter of resignation as White House counsel. More here.

Michael Steele, on the RNC quickly dropping abortion coverage from its health insurance plan:

Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose. I don't know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled.

The RNC isn't the first conservative organization to get busted for this -- busted in the sense that the Republicans' recent anti-abortion argument in opposing health care reform has been that any federal money that goes to purchasing insurance that covers abortions amounts to the federal funding of abortions.

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The big Oprah interview with Sarah Palin doesn't air until Monday, but Oprah is dribbling out excerpts in advance.

After birther attorney Orly Taitz fails to pay a $20,000 fine for filing frivolous motions in a failed birther lawsuit, a federal judge in Georgia orders the U.S. attorney to go collect the money from her.

Oops, the RNC quickly drops abortion coverage in the health insurance plan it offers its employees. That and the day's other news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.

Jon Stewart replays his live reaction to Sean Hannity's admission that The Daily Show busted him for splicing in crowd footage to make the Michele Bachmann tea party last week appear bigger than it actually was. Watch.

According to NBC, Greg Craig is out as White House Counsel and Bob Bauer is in. All to be announced tomorrow, according to NBC.

Lanny Davis resigns as Wash Times columnist in wake of Solomon resignation.

TPM Reader JP had to do a double take when he saw this article title in the Christian Science Monitor: "Irish priest kidnapped in Philippines released by MILF"

When you go back over all the crazy-old-man stuff Lou Dobbs has said just recently, you come away actually a little less put out by him and a lot more put out that CNN had him on the air for so long:

After a week of upheaval at the conservative daily, the paper has announced the resignation of John Solomon as executive editor, effective last Friday.

The announcement came in a terse one-sentence email from the paper's outside PR firm: "Effective November 6, 2009, John Solomon has resigned his position as the Executive Editor of The Washington Times."

Jon Stewart to Michael Steele: White Republicans aren't afraid of you because you're black -- they're afraid of you because of the stupid sh*t you say on TV.

This morning I suggested everyone read James Gordon Meek's piece in today's New York Daily News about his encounter with Obama at Arlington yesterday. Meek is a DC reporter for the NYDN but he was at Arlington visiting a friend's grave.

Meek went on MSNBC today to discuss what happened. Definitely worth your watching. See the video after the jump.

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Even though the NY-23 race showed that an intra-GOP grudge match could hand a seat to the Democrats, conservative support continues to coalesce around former House Speaker Marco Rubio in the GOP primary in Florida for U.S. Senate against Gov. Charlie Crist. In the latest development, Rubio has been tapped as the keynote speaker at next year's Conservative Political Action Conference, a plum invite for him and a strong statement from the party's right wing that the purge continues.

For all the obvious reasons the Stupak amendment to the House health care reform bill has catalyzed both sides of the abortion debate. But when you start to look at the practical impact of the amendment on access to abortion, things start to get fuzzy. Brian Beutler has run the numbers and talked to experts to try to bring this issue into focus. Here's his report.

If only red/purple state Dems vote against health care reform, the GOP will cut them some slack in 2010.

The FBI now says that the fraud allegedly perpetrated by Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein could be as much as $1 billion.

President Bush chooses UVA think tank to conduct oral history of his presidency.

I'm just going to leave it vanilla. Apply your own humorous aside.

You may have heard that Joe Klein and TNR's Jamie Kirchick all but came to blows in a panel discussion on "The Pro-Israel Lobby and the Media" on Tuesday. Our Zack Roth talked to the moderator to see what happened.

Phony-Baloney "seniors" astroturf group 60 Plus Association will target Dems who support health care reform.

Here's today's read out on the latest from the whirlwind at the Washington Times.

Lou Dobbs: The Obama Administration conspired with the Center for America Progress and others to "carry out constant and absolutely insidious and sordid attacks on me."

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) forced to concede that using Holocaust imagery to depict the horrors of health care reform is "wholly inappropriate."

Powerful piece by Daily News reporter on Obama trip to Arlington. Just go read.

ACORN claims the law Congress recently passed amounts to an unconstitutional bill of attainder.

Condi Rice's chief of staff confirms to TPMmuckraker what we originally reported yesterday: Rice and Stephen Hadley have formed "a small strategic advisory firm focused on helping U.S. companies doing business abroad."

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) finally agreed to sit down to answer questions about that iffy foundation we and others have been telling you about and ... well, it did not go well.

It's crunch time for Obama's decision on an Afghanistan strategy, with a flurry of new developments. That and the day's other news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.

Sean Hannity: "Although it pains me to say this, Jon Stewart, Comedy Central, he was right." Watch.

The vast majority of us understand that in our legal system everyone deserves a fair trial and the legal representation that makes that possible even if many of us, at a gut level, have a hard time understanding being the individual person who mounts a zealous defense of someone who is factually, if not yet legally, guilty of a horrific crime. But today I was surprised and almost nauseated to see Wolf Blitzer go in for the most stereotypical, craven and showboating knock-about of the retired JAG officer who's representing Nidal Hasan. (Hasan has a regular military defense counsel as well as a civilian attorney retained by his family.) It's not about ideology certainly or even theories of what's right or not about the law. But we know bullying and pompous showboating when we see it.

The retired JAG, Col. John Galligan, stood up to it very well. And actually got back in Blitzer's face in a way that's pretty hard to do and uncommon for a non-TV personality going up against a big shot host. If we want Hannity, we've got Fox for that. Right?

Texas Gov Rick Perry goes the full anti-Obama crazy to hold on to Gov's mansion.

Really crazy, lurid stuff. Dangerous times. Hofstadter perhaps surprisingly ahead of his time.

See the video after the jump.

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TPM Reader MT points out that the only Republican to vote for the Dems' health care reform bill is also one of, I believe, only two in the House GOP caucus with any actual experience living in a Communist country, as opposed to the fantasy-Tea Bag version of Communism / Socialism / Fascism / Dictatorshipism.

That's Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA), who came to America as a refugee from Vietnam.

The other is Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) who was born in Havana in 1954, though I'm not clear in what year Diaz-Balart left Cuba, which could bear on the question.

To be clear, I tend to think Cao's district may be the prime motivator here, not his early life as a refugee, though his Catholicism may also be a factor.

And as long as we're on the topic, are there any other House Republicans who began life in Communist states?

Late Update: Okay, we've got a third: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). She was born in Cuba in 1952. It's funny. Diaz-Balart's younger brother is actually in Congress too. And I thought and confirmed that he was born in the US. But I forgot about Ros-Lehtinen. Any others?

Lou Dobbs reportedly out at CNN. Tonight's show to be his last.

Late Update: Dobbs said in his departure announcement that he's considering several other options.

That poll yesterday showing Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) vulnerable to a primary challenge from the right has one conservative PAC licking its chops.

Images from around the country and the world (remember this used to be Armistice Day here, too):

After President Obama's inauguration, the folks who ran the Obama campaign (Obama for America), relaunched the campaign organization and infrastructure as Organizing for America. So what are they doing and what have they been able to accomplish? Our Christina Bellantoni got an exclusive interview and a look at how they've fared after one year after the election.

We've got the latest on the epic trainwreck/implosion at the Washington Times. We mentioned in our earlier piece the Moon family and organization appears to be in the midst of a succession crisis. And it seems that the son who controls the Times went rogue and fired top management without getting his father's blessing.

And if you just can't avert your gaze, here's some internal memos on the Times evolving financial situation.

Condi Rice (Secretary of State) and Stephen Hadley (National Security Advisor) team up to create a RiceHadley Group LLC to provide Bush-era foreign policy know-how and "strategic consulting" for a fee.

There are many ways in which the political moment (hyper-polarizing) and the technological moment (Twitter, instant news cycles) creates a self-perpetuating arms race of hyperbole. On the other hand, some of these new publishing and communications systems do allow us to get a view into where the head of a big chunk of the country is at.

To that end, we've got the story of the Colorado state senator who represents the hyper-conservative Colorado Springs compared Obama to the al Qaeda terrorists who took over Flight 93 on 9/11 and real patriotic Republican Americans to the passengers who had to retake control of the plane.

On the one hand, this is textbook feverish, eliminationist incitement. On the other hand, I think back to how paranoid and in the thrall of their own victimization these folks were a few years ago when they ran the entire country. So I'm not sure we should be surprised that they go totally crazy when they're largely shut out of power in the country at the national level.

40 Democrats voted for the Stupak amendment and the Dem health bill. But House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) says it actually netted about 10 votes for the Dems' health care reform bill. In other words, if push came to shove, 30 of those Dems would have voted for the final bill even if the Stupak amendment weren't included in the bill.

When you figure that the Dems were certainly holding a few votes in reserve -- just in case -- on the final vote on the bill. You can see the Stupak amendment probably comes down to a matter of a half a dozen votes when the bill comes back for final passage.

Yesterday we brought you this story about how a feud/succession struggle within the Moon family seems to be the underlying reason for the staff shake-up that happened over the weekend -- and the possible departure of Executive Editor John Solomon. We're going to have new reports for you on this story shortly. But one key is that the future operation of the Washington Times -- either as a print newspaper or in any form at all -- seems to be in real question, whether that's because the Moon family decides for its own ideological or familial reasons to pull the plug or because the fighting within the family creates a cash shortfall that prevents the paper from staying open.

If you're a staffer at the Times or anyone else who has tips or insights on what's happening at the paper, we definitely want to hear from you. Send us an email at the comments address at the upper right of the site.

Jon Stewart catches Sean Hannity splicing in footage of the 9/12 rally on the Mall to make Michele Bachmann's Capitol Hill tea party last week look much, much bigger than it actually was. Watch.

The President has another round of meetings with his national security team on Afghanistan. That and the day's other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.

Bill O'Reilly: "[W]e can't kill all the Muslims. So we wanna win as many hearts and minds of good moderate Muslims as we can." Watch.

TPM Reader JF:

What would happen if a few female members of the House put in (or merely proposed) an amendment to the health care bill which stated that men would be barred BY LAW from purchasing health insurance which covered Viagra, all hair-growth medications or procedures or transplants, etc.?

Jonathan Cohn, on new evidence of Big Pharma's sweetheart deal.

Scenes from the somber public memorial service at Ft. Hood, Texas:

Sarah Palin is getting so whacked with her nonsense, they're even fact-checking her now at Fox News.

Jasen D. Bruce

From the St. Petersburg Times ...

A Marine reservist armed with a tire iron beat and chased a man he thought was an Arab terrorist and even called 911 to say he was detaining the man, police said.

But the man he assaulted was actually a Greek Orthodox priest visiting from overseas who spoke limited English, police said.

...

Instead of offering help, Bruce struck the priest on the head with a tire iron, police said.

Ye Olde long distance ethno-credal identification. Works every time.

Full story here.

Late Update: Oh my .... TPM Reader LM points out that assailant Jasen D. Bruce (or someone with the exact same name who looks an awful lot like him), in addition to bludgeoning Islamic terrorist Greek Orthodox priests, also does some (NSFW) modeling.

Joe Lieberman, on whether there's any wiggle room in his opposition to a public option: "I don't feel like wiggling."

From Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) ...

Met with FDA today to make case for LA oysters - will keep pushing to protect these LA jobs and our ability to enjoy raw Gulf oysters.

Tea partiers venture into electoral politics with a new PAC.

Former President Clinton implored Senate Democrats during their weekly luncheon today to pass health care reform: "The worst thing to do is nothing."

From Obama's prepared remarks to be delivered at this afternoon's memorial service at Ft. Hood, Texas:

I think all of us - every single American - must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who have come before.

We need not look to the past for greatness, because it is before our very eyes.

This generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have volunteered in a time of certain danger. They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known. They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different and difficult places. They have stood watch in blinding deserts and on snowy mountains. They have extended the opportunity of self-government to peoples that have suffered tyranny and war. They are man and woman; white, black, and brown; of all faiths and stations - all Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half a world away the chance to lead a better life.

The full text is here.

The memorial service for the victims of the rampage at Ft. Hood, where the Obamas will participate, is just getting underway. We have the live feed here.

Late Update: Read the text of Obama's prepared remarks.

Things seem to be getting a little freaky at the Washington Times.

After the firings over the weekend, management brought in armed guards to protect the third floor, where management works. And staff has been told the third floor is "closed."

More details on beefed up security at Wash Times HQ here.

Murdoch says Glenn Beck "was right" to call Obama a racist.

John Solomon

Newsroom sources at the Washington Times say they don't expect Executive Editor John Solomon to return. He hasn't come in to the office since the staff shake up over the weekend. And there are some suggestions that problems with the paper's growth and revenue figures may also be figuring into the on-going controversy.

Public Policy Polling just conducted a poll in which they tested how well Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) would do in a GOP primary against an unnamed right-wing/conservative challenger. In other words, how well she'd stand up against a stiff Hoffmanization. I'd figured Snowe was pretty much invulnerable in Maine, even though Republican primary electorates can lean pretty far right. But not so. PPP had the winger candidate crushing Snowe by a 59% to 31% margin.

Not surprisingly, Snowe's approval among in-state Dems is far higher than among Republicans.

Laura Ingraham, on Fox News this morning: "Nancy Pelosi basically did everything except sell her own body to get this bill passed."

Fox host says, if you're despondent, depressed about being shipped overseas, "you take out yourself." But you shouldn't take others with you.

TPM Media LLC is hiring a Publisher, the first time we're hiring for such a position. We're looking for someone with extensive experience in the digital publishing and news arenas who will help manage and guide the next phase of our expansion. We also want someone who really knows TPM.

For more on what we're looking for and how to apply, see our job listing here.

Holocaust posters, leis, and prop babies, oh my! Jon Stewart recaps the weekend's health care vote. Watch.

Obama wants to revise the Stupak amendment so that neither side in the abortion debate feels "betrayed" by any change in the status quo. That and the day's other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.

Today in fun word choice, from Politico: "Few political observers or elected officials doubt that an energized GOP has a headwind at its back."

Perhaps not using "tailwind" was intentional: The GOP boldly striding into the future butt first? Facing a fierce headwind, the GOP simply turned around and pretended the wind was at its back? The interpretational possibilities are endless.

Bill Clinton will address Senate Democrats at their weekly Hill lunch today. Topic: health care reform.

Gen. Jim Jones is pushing back on reports President Obama has made his decision about Afghanistan. TPMDC has the story.

It's a busy foreign policy night at the White House, as the administration also released a basic readout of the Obama-Netanyahu meeting.

Palin takes to Facebook to denounce "disastrous" health care bill that will bring an end to America as we know it.

No ones quite sure what the language in the amendment would actually do.

Be sure to take a look at our Monday piece on the six Democratic senators (at least ones who are members of the Dem caucus) who Harry Reid absolutely needs to get a health care reform bill on President Obama's desk.

Beneath the chatter about Blue Dogs, or "moderates" or conservative Dems, each of the six is on the fence for very different reasons, each with their own asks, red-lines and quirks. Key reading to understand the health care debate over the next month.

With President Obama not willing to force the process foward, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas seems inclined to force a crisis. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says Abbas intends not just not to run again but to resign his office and lead an exodus of senior PA officials that would likely lead to the collapse of the Palestinian authority.

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What do we really know about Nidal Malik Hasan? Justin Elliott rounds up the very latest.

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) has reportedly moved out of "C Street", the evangelical group home and shagatorium that became notorious over the last year for being the home of several conservative Republican legislators mired in sex scandals (Ensign, Mark Sanford and Chip Pickering). One might speculate that like a recovering alcoholic avoiding users and bars, Ensign wanted to find an environment free of temptations. But apparently he wants to spare C Street more publicity over its association with him.

Author of Muslim Mafia, the book that kicked off the Muslim intern spy hunt on the Hill, says now would be the right time for a backlash against the American Muslim community.

The American Family Association seems to agree, though they're willing to start with the military.

Gibbs says no change in US policy on West Bank settlements.

The six members of the Democratic caucus Harry Reid needs to get a health care reform bill to the president's desk -- and what each one wants.

First, Bonner & Associates got caught sending out forged letters to members of Congress for Big Coal clients. Then after Bonner got called up to the Hill he told Congress he'd hired AU Professor James Thurber as his firm's new ethics counselor. But things started to spin out of control when only a few days later Thurber placed an ad in Roll Call praising Bonner.

Now Thurber seems to be throwing Bonner under the astroturf ethics bus.

With a health care bill now through the House, attention now turns to the senate. And with that in mind, we've put together a list of the six senate Dems who stand between you and a health care bill on the president's desk. What does each want, need, care about, and more. We'll have it for you shortly.

Earlier we mentioned the staff shake-up at the Washington Times -- and the possible departure of Editor John Solomon. Now there's another weird wrinkle. The day before Jonathan Slevin was promoted to be president and acting publisher of the paper, the Times was forced to admit that he had violated Times policy by choosing the author who would review his own book in the Times pages.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is in Washington today and he will meet with President Obama early this evening at the White House. It would be fascinating to hear what they have to say to each other. Because even though the health care debate, Afghanistan and other stories have pushed the Israel-Palestine question off the front pages in the US, it's hard to see where Netanyahu hasn't gotten the US to cave on the critical issue of settlements.

A brief review is helpful.

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A fringe anti-gay group is protesting this morning outside the Obama girls' school.

A purge of top executives at Washington's conservative "other" daily could lead to the departure of Executive Editor John Solomon less than two years after he made the jump from the Washington Post.

President Obama meets today at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That and the day's other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.

TPM Reader BK disagrees that health care reform's greatest vulnerability will be the 2010 election.

Actually, its greatest point of vulnerability will be the 2012 election, since much of it doesn't take effect until 2013. The mandates that will drive up costs will take effect before then--young people will pay much more since premiums will be equalized for all age groups and private companies will have to cover even sick people. Since there will be no opt-out or no competition, they will be able to charge whatever they want.

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There are many events in life that, while more or less predictable in themselves (House passage of the health care bill), turn out to have an impact and significance that is only truly apparent after they occur. The passage of the House health care reform bill last night strikes me as one of them.

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President Obama in a short Rose Garden statement just thanked lawmakers for taking a "courageous vote" on health care last night. He said he is "absolutely confident" the Senate will do the same.

He didn't single out Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA), the only Republican to break ranks and support the measure.

Read more about Cao here and learn his take on the vote here.