12.01.09 -- 5:50PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)

Af-Pak Blogging

We'll be here covering the President's address at 8 p.m. ET. Excerpts from the speech are expected soon (they're actually behind schedule on that release).

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 3:54PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (5)

'As Identical To Stupak As It Can Be'

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) plans to introduce an anti-abortion amendment to the Senate health care bill "as identical to Stupak as it can be."

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 3:40PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (4)

More Troops = More Contractors

Justin Elliott, with a gentle reminder on how the costs of war continue to be hidden by outsourcing war-fighting to private contractors.

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 3:24PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)

The Euphemism That Won't Die

Obama administration officials briefing reporters this afternoon on tonight's presidential address are calling the additional troop deployments a "surge."

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 3:02PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (13)

Enabling

Last year CNBC was touting the conspicuous consumption of politically-connected Indiana businessman Tim Durham, in a segment called "Untold Wealth: The Rise Of The Super-Rich." Today Durham is accused by the feds of running a Ponzi scheme. It's not the first time CNBC has been burned by its fawning coverage (Durham has almost 70 cars "but sometimes loses count") of tycoons later accused of running Ponzi schemes.

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 1:04PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (11)

He Goes There ...

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has a message for seniors about health care reform: "You're gonna die sooner."

I wanted to be charitable and considered the possibility that Sen. Coburn really said, "You're gonna die a Sooner." As in, Oklahoma will opt out of a public option and everyone will want to retire there. But that generous interpretation doesn't really work in context. Watch.

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 12:01PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (12)

'A Big Fat Wet Kiss' for Insurers

Jim Manley, senior spokesman to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, takes a shot at John McCain's proposed amendment to the health care reform bill:

The self-described foe of all earmarks is with one single amendment providing a big fat wet kiss for his friends in the insurance industry. All at the expense of millions of senior citizens.

More here.

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 10:28AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (6)

No Surprise Here

Accused Florida Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein has now been officially accused in a federal complaint.

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 10:15AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (30)

Standup Guy

Dick Cheney: "I basically don't" think the Bush Administration is responsible for the Afghanistan problem.

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 10:02AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (10)

DOJ: We Mean It This Time

The Justice Department tells TPMmuckraker that the Office of Professional Responsibility's report on torture lawyers, Yoo, Bradbury, et al. will be released "soon." (Our hunch is today.)

Late Update: Or then again, maybe not. DOJ now signaling the release is not imminent. It's a strange situation. The report has been in draft form for nearly a year. There was reportedly vigorous internal opposition to the report in the waning days of the Bush Administration. Attorney General Holder has promised its release. In his most recent congressional testimony in November, he said it would be released by the end of the November. Now it's December and still nothing.

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 9:28AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (14)

Pardon My French

Jon Stewart on the White House party crashers: "The Real Asswipes of Washington, D.C."

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 9:17AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)

TPMDC Morning Roundup

The D.C. City Council will hold an initial vote today to legalize gay marriage. That and the day's other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 8:47AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (10)

Shot in Seattle

Early this morning a lone Seattle policeman shot and killed the alleged Washington state cop killer whose sentence had been commuted by then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee nine years ago.

--David Kurtz

12.01.09 -- 8:43AM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)

Limelight!

White House state dinner crashers get the Matt Lauer treatment. Video soon ...

--David Kurtz

11.30.09 -- 11:57PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (58)

High-End Grifters

We now seem to have the first really tangential details on what was behind the White House crasher story. The Post has it -- and the gist is that, for reasons that are not at all clear, the Salahis had exchanged several emails Michele Jones, a recently retired, highly decorated Sergeant Major in the Army who is now a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, asking for Jones help swinging an invite to the State Dinner.

Read more »

--Josh Marshall

11.30.09 -- 8:50PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (24)

Great Moments in CNN Journalism

I think I just heard CNN report that the CBO says the senate health care plan will make everyone's premiums higher but that there will also be some subsidies to help with some but not all of the increases. In case you missed it, we describe here what the report actually says.

--Josh Marshall

11.30.09 -- 5:39PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (9)

Malaise

Larry Sabato, on why Democrats are less motivated than Republicans.

--David Kurtz

11.30.09 -- 5:38PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (30)

Obstructionism Trumps Transparency

Remember all the Republican demands that Democrats' health care reform bills be posted online for at least 72 hours before a vote for everyone to read?

Well, forget about that. Republicans shot down an effort today by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) to post proposed amendments to the health care reform bill online for before a vote. That would affect how many amendments the GOP could offer in hopes of gumming up the works, so they refused to go along.

--David Kurtz

11.30.09 -- 3:23PM // RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (7)

Big Week for Tea Partiers

Tuesday: Tea party groups from New York and Vermont hit Capitol Hill to lobby against health care reform.

Wednesday: Tea Party: The Movie has its world premier at the Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. (watch the trailer here).

Thursday: It's national tea party recruitment day.

Who can keep up? More here.

--David Kurtz