Leahy Wants Truth Commission To Investigate BushCo

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says a “truth commission” should look into the Bush Justice Department to “get to the bottom of what happened” on the issues of torture, surveillance, and interrogation.

Leahy called his proposal a “middle ground” between those critics of the Bush administration seeking to prosecute officials, and others wishing to concentrate on the future as opposed to investigating the past. “We need to be able to read the page before we turn it,” said Leahy.

Asked his position on investigations of his predecessor at Monday night’s news …

Does Mideast Peace Depend On Outcome Of Israeli Election?

Benjamin Netanyahu has been wanting back in power ever since his last tour of prime minister.  He belives his hardline views are best for the security of Israel.  But Foreign Ministe Tzipi Livnin of the Kadima Party is closing the gap at the last minute, and the long-predicted decisive victory for Bibi seems in doubt.  But with hardliners likely to be elected to parliament, Livni might have trouble putting together a coalition.  But Livni would likely have a better working relationship with the Obama administration.

Netanyahu opposes ceding land to the Palestinians and favors allowing Israeli settlements in the West …

On Monday’s Radio Show…

• Obama Meets the Press: Alan analyzes the highlights of the president’s first prime-time press conference.

• Army war resister Cliff Cornell, who faces military charges after fleeing to Canada to avoid serving in Iraq, shares his story with Alan.

• “Manhattan Madam” Kristin Davis, whose prostitutes catered to former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, joins Alan to reveal what went on behind closed doors.…

Who’s Got The Bigger War Chest?

Fans of porn star Stormy Daniels are behind an effort to get her to run for the seat held by Louisiana Senator David Vitter.  Vitter, you may recall, was on the client list of the DC Madam, in spite of being a co-sponsor of  “The Marriage Protection Act”, and in spite of being a “family values” candidate who used his kids in his 2004 campaign ads.

Daniels says she’s intrigued with the idea of a run and is planning a listening tour around her native Louisiana.

According to a capsule bio on the Draft Stormy Web site, Daniels has …

RIP The Apostrophe

Well, maybe not yet. But that’s what’s happening in Birmingham, England, where, after years of sliding down a slippery slope of non-use on street signs, the apostrophe has been banned altogether.

Councilor Martin Mullaney, who heads the city’s transport scrutiny committee, said he decided to act after yet another interminable debate into whether “Kings Heath,” a Birmingham suburb, should be rewritten with an apostrophe.

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“Apostrophes denote possessions that are no longer accurate, and are not needed,” he said. “More importantly, they confuse people. If I want to go to a restaurant, I don’t want to have …

Norm Coleman: “God Wants Me To Serve”

Minnesota’s possibly former Senator Norm Coleman’s message appears to change based on the audience in front of him.  Speaking to conservative radio talker Mike Gallagher, Coleman said he’d vote against the stimulus package and then commented on the Minnesota recount.

When asked about the recount and how it is affecting him personally, Coleman said he starts every day with a prayer and that he knows “God wants me to serve.”

Gallagher’s show is syndicated by Salem, a religious outfit.  But when speaking with Minnesota Public Radio, he conversation was less God-centered.

Also on Friday, Coleman talked to Tom Crann …

Americans Favor Obama Over Congress

Gallup numbers out today show the president with a 67% approval rating in terms of how he is handling efforts to get his stimulus package passed.  By contrast,  Democrats get a 48% approval rating, and Republicans get 31%.  Fifty-two percent favor a stimulus package of $800 billion.

Interestingly, more than half of Americans say their confidence in Obama has increased since he’s taken office.

The very people who messed up the economy in the first place are the ones fighting against a plan to fix it, offering no new ideas of their own other than more tax cuts.…

Katie Couric Deserves Her Due

She scored with asking good, direct questions of Sarah Palin. Not “gotcha” stuff, just pure, unadulterated good interviewing.  She did the same thing with Captain Chesley Sullenberger on “60 Minutes” where she brought out his character and the true emotion of the crew and passengers of Flight 1549.

Couric is too often criticized, and one has to wonder if it’s because she’s not a member of the boys’ club.   Besides her likeability as an anchor, she truly shines in high profile interview situations.

…

What Should Obama Say Monday Night?

The president gives his first prime-time news conference Monday night.  Here’s what some experts say he should say, as gathered by Politico:

Elizabeth A. Sherman, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Admin., GW University:

We can return to a robust, expansive and just economy but to do so will require three things: (1) targeting tax cuts and other incentives to get the private sector investing and hiring again with confidence in the return of customers and profits; (2) generating jobs through infrastructure construction and green industries; and, (3) helping those hardest hit with expanded unemployment, retraining and …

Is Right-Wing Radio The PR Arm Of The GOP?

John at Crooks and Liars links to the RNC’s web page, where the party urges its supporters to call talk radio shows to get the message out.  You can then go to a page that lists all the national conservative bull horns available.

In the WaPo, Bill Press shows how lop-sided talk radio is.  And the argument conservatives love to put forth that liberals are bound to fail on talk radio is a myth.  My colleagues Lionel, Stephanie Miller, and Ed Schultz, among others, are extraordinarily gifted radio performers.  On a level playing field, on stations with good …

Did Hoekstra Tweet Classified Info?

Michigan Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, used Twitter to inform his followers that he was on a secret trip to Iraq.

“Just landed in Baghdad,” messaged Hoekstra, a former chairman of the Intelligence panel and now the ranking member, who is routinely entrusted to keep some of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets.

Before the delegation left Washington, they were advised to keep the trip to themselves for security reasons. A few media outlets, including Congressional Quarterly, learned about it, but agreed not to disclose anything until the delegation had …