Critical News

Comfortable that Byrd wouldn't be making the trip, and with Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) voting no, Pryor switched his vote to a yes and Rep. Thune's (R-SD) expansive concealed-gun amendment failed with Democratic votes to spare, 58-39. Pryor could now say at home that he stuck with the National Rifle Association. Phew! - Juneau Smog from Bookmarklet

c/o Borowitz Report.... - Kyle Curtis from Bookmarklet

Why do actions from conservatives re: competition not match their rhetoric? Why are they so scared from a little competition? - Kyle Curtis from Bookmarklet

Wow, China and the U.S. are actually talking to each otehr about steps to halt climate change. Good news! - Kyle Curtis from Bookmarklet

"One strategy that stood out to me is to call efforts to reform our broken health care system a "bailout for the insurance industry."" - Simon Taylor from Bookmarklet

From new approaches to two wars to more than a trillion dollars of government spending; from pirate attacks to flu epidemics; from controversial cartoons to Senatorial defections; a full news day has not this administration lacked. However, stories that once could or would receive front page treatment have faded fast. Indeed, some of the most consequential changes made by the president to date - affecting our nation's health care system, infrastructure, urban and foreign policy - have received modest to little coverage, either discussed but not appreciated, or reported but not in great depth. - Juneau Smog

200,000 Pennsylvania changed party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in the last election. As is typical for the Senate, Specter is not leading, but he is following the trend laid out for him by his constituency. Oh, and it makes this official: the "moderate wing of the Republican Party" is now an euphemism for Maine. And lastly: you can guarantee that Coleman v. Franken will be argued in front of the Supreme Court. - Kyle Curtis from Bookmarklet

President Barack Obama is staunchly opposed to any truth commission, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has backed the White House over Leahy. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced last week that her panel would begin its own investigation which is expected to last six to eight months, and Reid has said that he doesn’t want any such commission formed until after Feinstein has finished her work, at the earliest. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) plans to move ahead with his “truth commission” proposal anyway, sources close to him say. - Juneau Smog from Bookmarklet

Rep. Eric I. Cantor, the House minority whip, led House GOP opposition to President Barack Obama's $740 billion stimulus program. Yesterday, though, the Henrico County Republican said bringing high-speed rail to the region could further spur economic development, creating as many as 185,000 jobs and bringing $21.2 billion to a region already home to about a half-dozen Fortune 500 companies and 20,000 small businesses. - Juneau Smog

"I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary," said Specter in a statement. "I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election." Specter's decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster proof majority in the Senate assuming Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next senator from Minnesota. - Juneau Smog

A recent study from Ohio State University found there was no significant difference between different political groups in thinking Colbert was funny, but conservatives were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and was not serious when offering political statements. - Juneau Smog from Bookmarklet

Conservatives don't know that Stephen Colbert isn't serious? Oh, the iro- oh, never mind. - Kyle Curtis

What's the hold up? The churches clearly violated the IRS code- strip of their tax exempt status all ready.... - Kyle Curtis from Bookmarklet

Development of GOP argument regarding torture: It's just a few bad apples --> It's just isolated instances, not systemic --> We had to do what was necessary to protect the United States ---> It works ---> We weren't warned about the potential perils of sever methods.... - Kyle Curtis from Bookmarklet

Give me a break, GOPers! - Kyle Curtis

Obama pretty much tells GOP leadership to 'stick it.' - Kyle Curtis from Bookmarklet

Oh yeah, this election was also a 'major priority' for RNC head Michael Steele. Another 'major priority' was the new movie about Mike Tyson, who Steele skipped out on a speech to a religious group to go see... - Kyle Curtis

Obama's stimulus plan was a major factor in the special election to fill Kristin Gillibrand's seat in the Republican-leaning 20th district in upstate New York, with the Democratic candidate Scott Murphy- a supporter of the stimulus- emerging victorious. too soon to tell how this result translates for the chances of the Party of No in 2010. - Kyle Curtis from Bookmarklet

"And GOP Conference Secretary John Carter (Texas) became the first member of leadership to call for the secretary's resignation, saying Wednesday that Napolitano should be removed or resign. Conservative House GOPs think Napolitano should resign because of the release of a report that singled out conservatives as “right-wing terrorists,” according to several GOP lawmakers." - Juneau Smog from Bookmarklet

Several times a month in his young presidency, Barack Obama has done things that cause conservatives to bray, using the phrase once invoked by Bob Dole, “Where’s the outrage?!” The outrage is definitely there, in certain precincts of Republican politics. What’s notable, however, is that it mostly has stayed there — with little or no effect on Obama. - Juneau Smog

A former financial adviser in Tennessee will plead guilty to criminal charges in the first fraud case related to the federal bank bailout program, his lawyer said Wednesday. - Juneau Smog

General Motors Corp. is planning to temporarily close most of its U.S. factories for up to nine weeks this summer because of slumping sales and growing inventories of unsold vehicles, two people briefed on the plan said Wednesday. The exact dates of the closures are not known, but both people said they will occur around the normal two-week shutdown in July to change from one model year to the next. Neither person wanted to be identified because workers have not been told of the shutdowns. - Juneau Smog from Bookmarklet

Condoleezza Rice, John D. Ashcroft and other top Bush administration officials reviewed and approved as early as the summer of 2002 the CIA's use of harsh interrogation methods on detainees at secret prisons, including waterboarding that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. has described as illegal torture, according to a detailed timeline declassified by Holder at the request of the Senate Intelligence Committee. - Juneau Smog

Rep. Todd Tiahrt's spokesperson said in response to Tiahrt's comments last week that Rush was "Just an Entertainer" now says, "The congressman believes Rush is a great leader of the conservative movement in America — not a party leader responsible for election losses,” Sackett told The Eagle editorial board. “Nothing the congressman said diminished the role Rush has played and continues to play in the conservative movement." - Juneau Smog

Norm Coleman today proposed a slower schedule for his election appeal than Al Franken wants, asking that oral arguments in the case be held no sooner than mid-May. - Juneau Smog

Looks like Team Sarah failed to block Sebelius. If only any of them knew that Sarah doesn't have a chance in hell at running for anything. But don't tip them off. They are fun to watch. - Juneau Smog

"Obama just can't close the door on an investigation of illegal interrogation techniques by the former administration. President Barack Obama said Tuesday the United States lost "our moral bearings" with gruesome terror-suspect interrogations and left the door open to prosecuting Bush administration officials who vouched for their legality. At the same time, Obama said the question of whether to bring charges 'is going to be more of a decision for the attorney general within the parameters of various laws and I don't want to prejudge that.'" - Juneau Smog from Bookmarklet

As expected, Norm Coleman formally appealed the results of the Minnesota recount election to the state's Supreme Court on Monday, adding another stage to an already lengthy electoral process. - Juneau Smog

Democrat Al Franken may not yet be a senator, but that did not stop him from naming his first Senate staffer Monday—a Minnesota state director “to ensure that we hit the ground running on Day One” when he officially takes office, Franken said. - Juneau Smog