While I was out for an appointment, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has pulled the US Senate into a secret session. This is a big deal. John at AMERICAblog is covering it as follows: Harry Reid blasts the Republicans, and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS specifically), on the Senate floor by John in DC - 11/01/2005 02:55:00 PM Holy sh*t, put on CNN by John in DC - 11/01/2005 … [Read more...] about Senate in Closed Session

Tuesday, November 8th at 9pm (check your local listings) The abortion issue has divided the country for over thirty years. FRONTLINE investigates the steady decline in the number of physicians and clinics performing abortions, and focuses on local political battles. … [Read more...] about PBS FRONTLINE: THE LAST ABORTION CLINIC

From an L.A. Times editorial:Black-box nominees such as Miers and, to a lesser extent, John G. Roberts Jr. are chosen in part because they give senators so little to go on. Roberts had thousands of pages of memos from his years of service in the White House, but most were off-limits to the Judiciary Committee, and those that remained he was able to disavow — or "distinguish," … [Read more...] about Quote Of The Day On The Samuel Alito Nomination

A first hand account of viewing the civil rights great with some impressions, thoughts — and a lingering question. … [Read more...] about Honoring Rosa Parks At The Capitol Rotunda

The UN Security Council has passed a resolution demanding Syria cooperate with the continued investigation into the assassination of Rafik Hariri:The United States, France and Britain pressed for the resolution following last week's tough report by the U.N. investigating commission, which implicated top Syrian and Lebanese security officials in the Feb. 14 bombing that killed … [Read more...] about UN Resolution on Syria Passes

When I was a kid I had a little piggy bank that my grandparents gave me. Actually, I had several of them during my childhood years. I "fed" my piggy bank money and, like most pigs, it just never seemed to have enough until one day it'd finally become stuffed. And, oh, the joy of seeing it stuffed and knowing I could unstuff it and that my smiling piggy friend had helped me … [Read more...] about British Banks Ban “Offensive-To-Islam” Piggy Banks

The nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court has obliterated a seeming "truce" in the the fever-pitch build up of polarization that was seen this year with the Terri Schiavo affair, "nuclear option" filibuster threats, and preparation for all out political war once President George Bush began to get ready to announce his Supreme Court picks. What changed it? … [Read more...] about Samuel Alito Nomination Will Squeeze Senate Moderates

Scooter Libby was not the only Bush administration official to be indicted this month. In September, the White House's top procurement official, David Safavian, was arrested in connection to his ties to GOP superlobbyist Jack Abramoff; early this month, Safavian was indicted on the same basis. And now, as Josephine Hearn reports for The Hill, a key Republican Senator is taking … [Read more...] about McCain to Push Abramoff Probe to the Administration

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Arlen Specter is all but waving a written sign saying he's likely to back Judge Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court:Time and again Specter used his Monday afternoon press conference to defend President Bush’s nominee to the high court and to justify some of his controversial rulings. “I think he’ll be an excellent witness,â€? … [Read more...] about Arlen Specter Signals Support Of Supreme Court Nominee Alito

It's been less than 24 hours since the Alito nomination has broke. How is that everybody is absolutely sure of who Alito is, what he represents, what his views are on critical issues of judicial philosophy, etc. etc.? There simply isn't any way that the entire blogosphere could have come to an informed opinion on this in the space of a few hours! What are the implications of … [Read more...] about Y’all are QUICK!

The End of the Raven by Edgar Allan Poe's Cat from POETRY FOR CATS by Henry Beard On a night quite unenchanting, when the rain was downward slanting, I awakened to the ranting of the man I catch mice for. Tipsy and a bit unshaven, in a tone I found quite craven, Poe was talking to a Raven perched above the chamber door. "Raven's very tasty," thought I, as I tiptoed o'er … [Read more...] about The End of the Raven

And you can download it here. (We're sure there are also similar masks available this year for those who support him as well...although since Halloween is apparently the devil's work, that may thin out the rank of partisans a bit...) TMV thanks Rick in Miami for the tip. … [Read more...] about Some Say It’s The Scariest Halloween Mask EVER

Cross-posted to Random Fate. --- I have a post in the works on the entire "Pajamas Media" story, but at the moment, this email I received today encapsulates the hypocrisy: Subject: NY Launch Invite For New "Citizen Journalism" News Service - Pajamas Media Hi Jack, On November 16th, 2005 Pajamas Media will launch a new publishing medium that brings together some of the … [Read more...] about What a joke…

cross-posted to my blog at Basie.org President Bush's nomination of doctrinaire conservative Samuel Alito -- "there will be no one to the right of Sam Alito on this Court," says NBC legal analyst/George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley -- is clearly a move to wipe the legal and ethical issues surrounding the administration and the GOP off of the front pages. … [Read more...] about American Loss of Life in Iraq Creeping Up

FOX News: I am normally reluctant to write about the highly charged issue of abortion, but this time is an exception. For those of you who consider all abortion to be murder, you should stop reading now. These remarks are directed to the rest of the population that considers abortion appropriate in at least some circumstances — a clear majority of the American public. Two … [Read more...] about Martin Frost: Reality Vs. Rhetoric in the Abortion Debate

President George Bush has nominated conservative judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court — giving conservatives the kind of judge they hoped they were going to get after John Roberts was named Chief Justice and likely guaranteeing a Democratic battle: "Judge Alito is one of the most accomplished and respected judges in America," Bush said from the White House, with Alito … [Read more...] about Bush Nominates Solidly Conservative Nominee To Supreme Court: The Big Battle Begins? (UPDATED)

Someone's spoiling for a fight! … [Read more...] about According to CNN, MSNBC, BBC & WP it’s ALITO….

From MSNBC.com: WASHINGTON - President Bush is nominating Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, The Associated Press has learned, choosing a long-time federal judge embraced by judicial conservatives to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Bush plans to announce the nomination at 8 a.m. EST, officials said. The story continues with an observation that this choice may … [Read more...] about President Bush will nominate Judge Samuel Alito to the US Supreme Court

(Cross-posted at The Reaction.) The Washington Post is reporting that President Bush will "announce a new Supreme Court nomination today, moving quickly after a weekend of consultations to put forward a replacement for the ill-fated choice of Harriet Miers in hopes of recapturing political momentum, according to Republicans close to the White House". The three leading … [Read more...] about BUSH TO NAME SCOTUS NOMINEE TODAY

Generally, they're good for liberals and bad for conservatives -- at least for conservatives who claim to be originalists (as if it's possible to know the "original intent" of the Framers, as if what applied back in 1789 can possibly apply in full in 2005). Plus, my fellow blogger Vivek Krishnamurthy, now at Yale Law School, comments on conservatism, originalism, and … [Read more...] about So what’s a superprecedent? — or why Luttig is looking better and better