Obama “Surprised” By Gates Flap

In a segment for Thursday night’s “Nightline,” President Obama reiterates that he believes the Cambridge police “acted stupidly,” but praised police and arresting officer Sgt. James Crowley as “an outstanding police officer.”  Crowley says he doesn’t see color and in fact, once tried to save the life of the late basketball star Reggie Lewis.  But Obama says it makes no sense to arrest someone in his own home if he’s not causing a disturbance.

“I think it was a pretty straightforward commentary that you probably don’t need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who’s in …

On Thursday’s Radio Show…

• Was the arrest of Henry Louis Gates a case of racism? Alan examines the newest evidence.

• Alan confronts “Christian Civil Liberties Union” activist Robert Braun, who’s demanding a book-burning at his town library.

• Is it fair for a man to lose his job because his wife is a porn star? Alan evaluates the logic of firing Fort Myers Beach Town Manager Scott Janke.…

Florida Town Manager Fired For Marrying Porn Star

Fort Myers Beach Town Manager Scott Janke married a woman named Anabela Mota, whose professional name is Jazella Moore, and who has done adult movies.  They lived in wedded bliss for a year until an adult industry website outed Moore as the town manager’s wife, and now town commissioners voted unanimously to give Janke his walking papers.

“It’s our job to keep things on course and focused,” Mayor Larry Kiker told NBC2.com. ”If you look at it, the man didn’t do anything illegal but it’s obvious what the issue is.”

Kiker said the city has been bombarded by media …

“Christian Civil Liberties Union” Calls For Book Burning

Robert Braun, who says he’s president of a Milwaukee group called the “Christian Civil Liberties Union,” and three other men, are calling for a book called Baby Be-bop to be burned.  The book, housed in the West Bend, WI public library, is a fictional work about a homosexual teenager that Braun is calling “explicitly vulgar, racial and anti-Christian.”

Braun and three other plaintiffs are injecting themselves into a dispute between a West Bend couple, Jim and Ginny Maziarka, who want certain books moved from the teen to the adult section of the library, and other local parents and the …

How Happy Is the Cambridge Police Department With Obama?

When asked about the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates for disorderly conduct, President Obama didn’t discount that race may have been a factor, and said, “The Cambridge police acted stupidly when arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.”

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Obama News Conference: Did He Convince You?

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Sen. Lindsey Graham To Vote To Confirm Sotomayor

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham announced he will vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor to the high court. Graham’s support is a bellwether of how bipartisan the eventual vote will be.

Graham’s announcement may have consequences as well. Had he gone the other way, it would have signaled that Republicans were gearing for as close to a party-line vote on the nomination as achievable. But his support ensures that Sotomayor will be voted out of the Judiciary Committee next week with some bipartisan backing — which would provide some political cover for others in the Republican caucus who decide to vote …

On Wednesday’s Radio Show…

• Can President Obama stop the obstructionists who oppose health care reform? Alan examines the highlights of tonight’s presidential press conference.

• Conservatives say they support states’ rights, so why did so many GOP lawmakers vote to shoot holes in state sovereignty? Alan exposes their hypocrisy.

• Alan analyzes the strange reluctance of Republicans to speak out against the “birthers.”…

Ohio State Rep Wants Men To Consent Before Women Have Abortions

Ohio Republican (of course!) state Representative John Adams has introduced a bill that would require women to get written consent from the men who impregnate them before they could get an abortion. Providing false information would bring criminal penalties against women. (h/t Think Progress)

In the case where the father isn’t known, House Bill 252 would compel the woman to provide a list of names of people who may be the father in an effort to determine paternity. The bill also would make it a crime for women to lie about who the father is, and make it illegal …

Wingnut Of The Day: CA. Congressman John Campbell

Congressman John Campbell continued to insist there are questions about whether Barack Obama was born in the United States, even when confronted with his birth certificate by Chris Matthews.

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Liz Cheney Defends Birthers

Liz Cheney, on Larry King Live, refused to renounce the crazies who continue to insist Obama wasn’t born in the US.

“I think the Democrats have got more crazies than the Republicans do,” Cheney said. “But setting that aside, one of the reasons you see people so concerned about this, I think this issue is, people are uncomfortable with having for the first time ever, I think, a president who seems so reluctant to defend the nation overseas …”

Asked directly by King if she actually thought Obama was born in Kenya, Cheney responded, “No, I’m not saying that.” …