After 18 months Rep. Darrell Issa finally releases his report which finds, hold on for a shocker folks, NO connection between the White House and the IRS "scandal." What?

Courtesy of the LA Times:  

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) wasted enormous congressional resources over the last 18 months trying to inflate the IRS "scandal" into a mountain. The release Tuesday of his final, petulant report on the affair marks what may be its final decline into a mouse. 

The bottom line: Contrary to his assertions in countless appearances on Fox News, there's no evidence that the Obama White House directed -- or indeed was involved in any way -- in the supposed targeting of conservative nonprofit groups for special scrutiny by the IRS. There's no evidence that "tea party" groups were exclusively targeted, as opposed to tax-exempt "social welfare" organizations from across the political spectrum. 

The evidence set forth in the report, which was issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's GOP majority without sharing it first with the Democratic minority, instead depicts an IRS struggling to apply complicated rules for nonprofits engaging in political activity, all without guidance from Congress. 

Issa launched his investigation last spring with the charge that the IRS had screened c-4 applications for words such as "tea party" in their names in an effort to deprive conservative organizations of a tax exemption.

Of course that turned out to be bullshit as the report  reveals that the IRS also applied scrutiny to various liberal groups seeking the c-4 exemption as one of the keywords they were looking for was "progressive."

In fact the ONLY group applying for the exemption, who did not receive it, was a group called Emerge America, which trains Democratic women to run for office.

So in other words there was a wild goose and Darrell Issa spent millions of taxpayer money to chase it around for a year and a half. 

And let's not forget that Issa wasted similar amounts of taxpayer money in his "Fast and Furious" and Benghazi investigations.

God what a tool.

President Obama brought an early Christmas present for the Democrats, and the rest of the country.

Courtesy of The Hill:  

Democrats on Tuesday received a gift high on their wish list — an invigorated economy that they believe will give President Obama much-needed clout when he faces off with a Republican Congress next year. 

Current and former Obama aides say they expect the White House to get a year-end boost from the 5 percent expansion rate of the economy in the third quarter, and expect the president to aggressively talk up the gains in the months to come. 

The growth figures also could give the White House new leverage as it seeks common ground with Republicans on a range of policy areas, such as trade and taxes, and as it prepares for battle in others, like changing the healthcare law. 

"The proof is in the pudding," one former senior Obama administration official said. "There's really nothing else to say."

Yeah there really is nothing left to say is there?

It seems the minute that the polls closed on November 4th, and before the Republicans could even uncork their champagne bottles to celebrate what they thought was a victory, the President was already opening the can of whoopass that he was planning to present them with for the next two years.

God I love the holidays, don't you?

Just a site with some of the best President Obama pictures you have ever seen.

You know every once in a while I will need a great Obama picture to complete a post.

Well now I know where to find them. Right here.

John McCain responds to the Tea Party's idea of recruiting Sarah Palin to run against him for his Senate seat, with laughter.

Courtesy of AZ Central: 

McCain, R-Ariz., is expected to officially announce his re-election bid after the first of the year. The New York Times reported Nov. 25 that national "tea party" leaders consider Palin, a former Alaska governor, "their fantasy candidate" to run against McCain in Arizona's Republican Senate primary and hope to persuade her to do so. McCain, the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, is deemed too moderate or liberal by many far-right conservatives. 

"Oh, that's foolish," McCain told The Arizona Republic when asked about the talk of a rival Palin candidacy. "Sarah and I have maintained a very close and warm relationship. That's just not in the realm of possibility." 

"I know that they will do everything they can to recruit somebody, but I can promise you it's not Sarah Palin," McCain said.

Well it's nice that they have a "very close and warm relationship" (Whatever that means for Sarah Palin these days), but of course the main reason that McCain's job is because being a Senator is work, and Palin simply does not do work anymore.

In fact according to her staffers, Levi Johnston, she never really did.

McCain might actually lose his seat this next election cycle, but it will NOT be to the creature he helped create back in 2008.

Creepy Congressman, who owns creepy domain name, accused of being creepy.

Courtesy of Breitbart Unmasked:  

Shocker! Rep. Blake Farenthold, a Republican Congressman from Texas who was recently outed as the owner of the dirty domain name www.blow-me.org, is facing a lawsuit from a former employee who claims he created a hostile workplace filled with gender discrimination and inappropriate sexual comments. 

Lauren Greene, who worked for Farenthold from February 2013 through her termination in July 2014, cited a number of incidents of sexually-charged misconduct in a lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court last week. 

Greene’s complaint paints a picture of a man-child who couldn’t keep his sexual comments and behavior to himself — so his staff was tasked with keeping him in line. She claimed that Farenthold “regularly drank to excess, and because of his tendency to flirt, the staffers who accompanied him to Capitol Hill functions would joke that they had to be on ‘red head patrol’ to keep him out of trouble.” When she observed that Farenthold seemed to be avoiding her during part of her employment period, his executive assistant, Emily Wilkes allegedly told her “that Farenthold had admitted to being attracted to Plaintiff and to having ‘sexual fantasies’ and ‘wet dreams’ about Plaintiff.” 

He even allegedly bragged to her about his invitation to a threesome with a lobbyist. (Which, aside from the grossness of the proposition, also raises some serious ethics questions.) Also: Yuck. Just yuck. 

Okay let's all just relax.

I mean he hasn't been convicted of any....I mean it's not like he looks cree....It's probably just a misund.....yeah I got nothing. The guy totally creeps me out. 

In fact the characteristics described by the plaintiff are EXACTLY what I have pictured about this guy from the second that I saw him back in 2010.

Boy I bet he regrets having his picture taken in those duckie pj's now.

President Obama restores diplomatic relations with Cuba. Republican heads to explode in 3..2..1 Update!

Courtesy of Reuters: 

The United States will restore diplomatic relations it severed with Cuba more than 50 years ago, a major policy shift ending decades of hostile ties with the communist-ruled island, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday. 

Announcing the end of what he called a "rigid" policy of isolation of Cuba that had been ineffective, Obama said the United States would move toward normal ties and would open an embassy in Cuba. 

Obama discussed the changes with Cuban President Raul Castro on Tuesday in a nearly hour-long telephone call. Castro spoke in Cuba as Obama made his announcement on a policy shift made possible by the release of American Alan Gross, 65, who had been imprisoned in Cuba for five years.

At the end of this article the reporter writes this:

Obama will likely face resistance on this.

Gee, ya think?

Republicans are going to lose their freaking minds over this. Especially since he is doing it on his own, and without working with Congress.

In fact Hillary's 2016 opposition has already expressed his displeasure.

Here is a timeline of US relations with Cuba just to give you an idea as to how big of a deal this will be.

Update: Oh yeah Marco Rubio is throwing quite the hissy fit over this:  

"This entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, based on a lie,” Rubio, who is the son of Cuban immigrants, told reporters on Capitol Hill. 

"The White House has conceded everything and gained little." "I’m committed to doing everything I can to unravel as many of these changes as possible," he added. 

"This Congress is not going to lift the embargo," Rubio declared at the end of his news conference.

You know I think Rubio is just pissed that Obama undermined his base with this decision, and is making all of the Republicans look like obstructionists on ending an embargo that has gone on for far too long.

I think he just needs to take a drink of water and calm down.

Better?

Jeb Bush is just George W. Bush as seen from a different angle.

Think Progress has gathered together a number of facts about Jebbie that paint his as essentially the keeper of the George W. legacy, and an uber conservative to the core.

Here are a few:  

He doesn’t recognize exceptions to abortion restrictions. When a severely retarded woman was raped and impregnated while in the care of the state, Bush asked a court to appoint a guardian for the fetus in an effort to block her abortion. 

He opposes the expansion of Medicaid in Florida. When current Gov. Rick Scott (R) accepted federal money designated under the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid coverage to more low-income residents, Bush said he had doubts about the program because funding will be phased down after three years. 

He has worked to suppress voting rights. Florida currently has one of the worst restrictions blocking many convicted felons from voting, even after they are released from prison. In 2000, Bush’s administration also misidentified 12,000 eligible voters, more than 40 percent of which were African American, as convicted voters and purged them from the voting rolls. 

He has passed NRA-supported “Stand Your Ground” legislation. In 2005, Bush signed into law the bill which gave Floridians the right to use deadly force when they are in danger in public places, despite opposition from police chiefs in the state’s high crime Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The law famously came into play when George Zimmerman shot and killed unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. 

In 1999, he abolished affirmative-action in higher education and state contracting through a unilateral executive order, triggering widespread protests across the state. His other major education reform, a statewide voucher program that directed taxpayer funds to private schools, was declared in violation of the Florida Constitution. 

 On national security, Jeb’s doctrine adheres closely to that of his brother George and he believes the U.S. should not back away from engaging allies and enemies around the world. 

When it comes to climate change, Jeb Bush claims the “not a scientist” defense. He started using that now-ubiquitous line back in 2009, when he also declared that the climate “may not be warming.”

The "New Coke" version of Bush is going to try very hard to reinvent himself as a moderate, and  is going to make distance from both his brother and father when it seems politically necessary to do so.

However Jeb has a record, and it is not one that can be buried under 25,000 e-mails hand picked to put a shine on his reputation.

What I find truly humorous about the idea of Jeb becoming the 2016 GOP candidate is that conservatives have put a lot of stock in an already visible attempt to smear Hillary using Bill Clinton's past sexual peccadilloes against her.

However I am fairly certain that the voters are going to be far less concerned with the husband of one candidate's wandering eye than the brother of the other candidate's past attempts to single-handedly destroy this country.

Al Franken endorses Hillary Clinton in 2016, though at first he did not realize he was doing that.

(Franken's somewhat clumsy endorsement comes at the 7:25 mark, but really the whole interview is worth a listen.)

Courtesy of HuffPo:  

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, even if he didn't realize it at first. 

"I think that Hillary would make a great president. I haven't announced that I am supporting her, but -- does this count? I guess? Maybe this counts," Franken said in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday. 

When asked if he felt he needed to see other potential candidates before endorsing Clinton, who has yet to declare she's running, Franken said he's ready for her to make a move. 

"I think that I’m ready for Hillary," Franken said. "I think that we've not had someone this experienced, this tough, and she's very, very impressive."

I think that right now Franken is my favorite member of the Senate. 

Mostly because I think we are on the same wavelength most of the time. 

Though arguably he is a tad wittier. 

Jeb Bush officially throws his hat into the presidential ring for 2016.

I am excited to announce I will actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States: https://t.co/luY4lCF2cA.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) December 16, 2014

Not that this is a surprise, but now there is not longer any remaining doubt.

I actually think that this will do for the Republican field, essentially what having Hillary contemplating a run has done to the Democratic field.

I'm not saying that Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Rand Paul, and Chris Christie will not necessarily run, I am just saying that they will have little chance of beating Jeb. And he will for all intents and purposes draw the majority of media attention.

And let me just add at this point that the Democrats have no choice but to rally behind Hillary at this point. Because like it or not she has the very best chance of beating Bush in the general.

Pulling back the facade on Sarah Palin and her Wasillabilly family.

Before you start reading this post remember that this is only the information that I can share that does not out my source completely. There is much that is being left for future posts when she decides that she is in a position to reveal her identity.

When that happens all of this will have a far bigger impact. As will what is soon to follow.

As I have shared before the impetus for this source seeking me out was the drunken brawl in Anchorage. When all of that was in its early stages this person was afraid that Palin was about to skate free and decided she simply could not watch that happen yet again.

So as it turned out this person also had an acquaintance that was at the party in Anchorage the night of Throwdown at the Hoedown and I shared that information back in early October.

However after the police audio came out, all of the dust settled, and it became clear that the Palins would NOT face any prosecution, I reached out to my source to tell them that apparently it was up to the two of us to make sure the family did not get away scott free.

That, of course, elicited the response "I'm in."

And after some miscommunication which had me doubting that, it turns out that indeed she is in.

During some of our initial conversations my source made it clear that the behavior captured on audio that night was in NO way new for the family. And in fact heavy drinking and drug use is as common to the Palins as swimming is for fish. (Well except the ones in the lake of theirs. Those just float.)

According to my source the drinking is a learned behavior that the Palin men inherited from their father Jim Palin who, once again according to this very well placed source, was a prestigious drinker with a bad temper. (He also apparently had some problems with the ladies, as he seems to have lost his job with MEA back in the 90's for "sexual harassment." Now why is THAT not surprising?) 

Anyhow Todd and other members of his family seem to have followed in their father's footsteps and developed drinking problems of their own. Apparently a favorite place to indulge is the Petersburg cabin. But when they cannot get there, Todd's garage will do, where, according to my source, the favorite topic of conversation is what a c**t Sarah is.

But of course it is not all just drinking. Also according to the source Todd has a back problem that he treats with liberal doses of Hydrocodone. (In case you're wondering, yes the directions suggest that you avoid drinking alcohol when taking this medication.)

However as we already know drugs are even more of a problem for other members of the Palin family. Like Dianne Palin for instance, who apparently started her breaking and entering career by stealing from various family members first, including Sarah and Todd, though nobody thought to get her any help because, well it wouldn't look good now would it?

And then there is Track, who my source tells me has a crippling problem with substance abuse which seems to only be getting worse. (What you heard on that audio is apparently what Track is like much of the time.)

As for the fighting, well the fighting is also a component of the family dynamic.

There have been multiple knock down drag outs between Sarah and Todd of course. But the one that was new to me was a rather ugly fight that happened between Todd and Bristol back when she was still dating Levi.

Once again according to this source Todd flat out hated Levi's guts, and wanted Bristol to stay away from him. Apparently the argument devolved into a physical altercation which found the two getting all MMA with each other. At one point Todd had Bristol by the hair and was dragging her around with Bristol responding by grabbing him by the crotch. (And here I thought MY family had anger issues.)

Of course as we know Bristol did NOT stop seeing Levi and even conned the poor guy into impregnating her loser ass, so that she could then accuse him of getting her drunk and raping her.

As for Sarah herself my source claims that her decision to quit as Governor of Alaska was nothing new as she had tried to quit just about everything at one time of another.

When she was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to quit in her first term and had to be talked out of it by Jim Palin who told her that she owed a lot of people who had helped get her elected.

She also resigned her position on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, but of course was able to rework that as an ethical choice in response to all of the corruption that she witnessed.

The most famous one was when she quit as Governor. But perhaps the most egregious resignation was from her responsibilities as a parent, leaving Todd and other members of the family to take up the slack.

As it turned out Sarah uses children as part of a barter system with Todd, according to this source.

As I understand it, when Sarah wants to do something, and needs Todd to sign off on it, she births him another baby. According to my source Todd loves kids and by doing that Sarah has managed to get her way a number of times.

Let's break it down shall we?

• Palin was already pregnant with Track so that got Todd to marry her. 
• Bristol was born in 1990, so Sarah was able to run for city council in 1992. 
• Willow was born in 1994 allowing Sarah to run for Mayor in 1995.
• Piper was born in 2001, and Sarah ran for Lt. Governor in 2002.

Yep kind of all works out.

Oddly enough there were no babies before Sarah ran for Governor, but we all sure know what happened right before she was tapped as John McCain's running mate.  Don't we?

I asked my source if there was one thing that she wanted people to know about Sarah Palin, and her answer was that:

"The family is a facade."

As she states it there is no love lost between Todd and Sarah. As for the kids they are deeply troubled and essentially only respond to financial incentives provided to them when Sarah needs them to play their parts.

None of that should be considered all that surprising of course.

We have already seen the daughter whose name was copyrighted so that mom could hire a ghostwriter to play her part for public consumption.

The son whose military "career" was arranged for his mother's political benefit, and whose troubles are covered up with mounds of cash.

The wild child who is kept under lock and key.

The youngest girl who is being groomed as Sarah's little doppelganger.

And of course Trig, the political prop who has almost outlived his usefulness. (Who my source says most certainly did NOT issue forth from Sarah's loins. Though she is not sure where he did come from.)

I cannot say that I found too many of these revelations shocking, however I was surprised that this person was willing to say them publicly.

As for my source well I have already told you that she is going to go public in the near future. What I have NOT told you is that she actually has others from Palin's past that also want to get a few things off their chest, and who may be willing to do so either publicly like their friend, or as anonymous sources who will back up or flesh out the statements from others.

And for my final tidbit I thought I would share with you the fact that my source was made aware of a certain book entitled "Boys Will Be Boys." And though she remains blissfully unaware of Todd's possible side business, she has learned that some of the names mentioned in the book are people who are very familiar to her.

I know right?

So hopefully this post satisfied those of you who waited so patiently these last several months.

Like I said this is only the beginning, and once certain things are straightened out there will be much, much more.

Stay tuned.

Just in case you harbored any doubts that Jeb Bush was running for President.

Courtesy of Politico: 

Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who is considering a run for president, said in an interview aired this weekend that he’s going to release about 250,000 emails from his time in office. 

The move seems designed to get ahead of opposition researchers poring through his time in office — the Democratic research super PAC American Bridge already has started digging in on the candidates — but also to contrast Bush with people like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both of whom have been accused of creating a fog of secrecy in their government offices.  

Unlike the records of Christie and Clinton, Bush’s document trove is fairly dated — he was in office from 1999 to 2007. But the idea, he told WPLG-TV in Miami, is to create “transparency.” Bush was known as an active emailer while in office, often responding to queries himself.

Old Jebby is also writing an ebook. (Can't get an actual publisher?)

So yeah, I think we can all assume that Jeb is definitely throwing his hat into the ring.

Hundreds of former Obama supporters are now urging Elizabeth Warren to once again deny Hillary Clinton the Democratic nomination.

Courtesy of CNN:  

More than 300 former Obama campaign staffers signed an open letter Friday morning urging Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run for president in 2016. 

The letter draws parallels between Obama's come-from-behind insurgent candidacy and Warren, who would enter the race an underdog against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if the latter runs, as expected. 

Clinton is seen as the likely Democratic nominee if she jumps in the race, and leads every survey of the potential Democratic field by double digits. But the same was true during her first run for president, in 2008, when a then little-known senator from Illinois jumped in and upended what many expected to be a coronation for the former first lady. 

"We believed in an unlikely candidate who no one thought had a chance," the letter opens. 

"We know that the improbable is far from impossible," it goes on.

Once again I am conflicted.

Like many others I have some reservations concerning Hillary. Though I still see her as the Democratic party's best hope in 2016.

That being said the speech that Warren delivered on the Senate floor Friday spoke to me in a way that I have not felt since Obama's amazing speeches during his campaign and in the early days of his presidency.

If there were no Hillary, I have no doubt that I would be pushing with all my might to encourage Warren to run.

However I also believe that Warren will be a powerful voice in the Senate and that in those chambers she can electrify the Democrats like few others can these days.

Of course if Hillary taps Warren as her running mate then for me that would be the best of all possible options.

Anybody care to disagree?

As Michele Bachmann leaves Congress she claims to have no plans to run for President but still plans to be a major pain in the ass.

Courtesy of CNN:  

Rep. Michele Bachmann says now that she's leaving Congress, she can "take the handcuffs off." 

In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday, the eight-year Minnesota congresswoman said she wants to play a major role in the 2016 presidential campaign -- even though she has no plans to seek the Republican nomination. 

"I intend to go around the country and speak nationally on a variety of issues. I'll be writing. I'll be affiliating with groups," she said.

Well I don't know who had Bachmann handcuffed, but that just seems wrong.

If they really wanted to control her they would have gagged her instead.

As for her plans to "go around the country and speak nationally on a variety of issues,"  I think she might be trespassing on somebody else's turf.

Besides who can really take her seriously until she gets her own channel?

Right?

Elizabeth Warren takes to the Senate floor to take on Citigroup and condemn the politicians who seemingly work for them. Amazing speech!

Courtesy of MSNBC:  

“You know,” Warren said Friday, “there is a lot of talk lately about how Dodd-Frank isn’t perfect. There is a lot of talk coming from Citigroup about how Dodd-Frank isn’t perfect. So let me say this to anyone who is listening at Citi – I agree with you. Dodd-Frank isn’t perfect. It should have broken you into pieces.”

I cannot remember when the last time was that I wanted to stand up and cheer for a speech on the Senate floor, but I certainly did yesterday.

Elizabeth Warren has now thrown down the gauntlet for her fellow Democrats, and I really don't think they can ignore it. 

And you can tell that Warren really frightens the Republicans by who is coming after her since this speech.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), responding to Sen. Elizabeth's Warren (D-Mass.) criticism of the $1.1 trillion government spending bill's provision that allows banks to take more risk with taxpayer money, on Friday evening went after Warren and other Democrats who sided against the bill. 

"If you follow the lead of the senator of Massachusetts and bring this bill down … people are not going to believe you are mature enough to run the place,” Graham said on the Senate floor. “Don’t follow her lead. She’s the problem." 

"I'm sure on MSNBC you're going to be well thought of, and on the liberal version of talk radio you'll have your moment with that crowd," Graham said, chiding Warren and other Democrats who deplored what has been called a Wall Street giveaway. 

"You're tired, you're frustrated, you're upset about a provision in the bill you don't like," he added of Warren.

Yeah way to talk down to somebody who is clearly your intellectual superior. 

By the way as you may have noticed from the previous post Warren has at least one well known conservative figure essentially agreeing with her about the Cromnibus bill. Sarah Palin.

Gee I guess we can all look forward to an impassioned ghostwritten Facebook post in favor of Senator Warren. Right?

Right?

Not right?

John McCain gives impassioned speech in support of the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA torture.

Courtesy of CNN:

Republican Sen. John McCain broke with members of his party Tuesday, lauding the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on torture and decrying the use of torture as having "stained our national honor" and doing "much harm and little practical good." 

McCain, a survivor of torture himself from his Naval service during the Vietnam War, said from the Senate floor that the techniques outlined in the report "not only failed their purpose — to secure actionable intelligence to prevent further attacks on the U.S. and our allies — but actually damaged our security interests, as well as our reputation as a force for good in the world." 

McCain said that while "the truth is a hard pill to swallow...the American people are entitled to it." And he acknowledged that violence against the U.S. from the "Muslim world" is "possible..perhaps likely," but argued that America's enemies "hardly need an excuse" to attack the nation, so the good done by the release of the report should trump any security concerns. 

"This report strengthens self-government and, ultimately, I believe, America's security and stature in the world," he said. 

You know it has been a long time coming, but finally there is something good to report about Senator John McCain.

I have long said, and I still believe, that much of McCain's legacy was  wiped out after he snatched Sarah Palin from the wilds of Wasilla, hosed her off, and plopped her on the national stage.

However at least in this case McCain has partially redeemed himself.

And it is particularly striking considering how many other politicians and Right Wing pundits are reacting to this report.

Of course the next question is what do we do next?

For the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the answer is obvious: 

“In all countries, if someone commits murder, they are prosecuted and jailed. If they commit rape or armed robbery, they are prosecuted and jailed. If they order, enable or commit torture – recognized as a serious international crime – they cannot simply be granted impunity because of political expediency. When that happens, we undermine this exceptional Convention, and – as a number of U.S. political leaders clearly acknowledged yesterday – we undermine our own claims to be civilized societies rooted in the rule of law.” 

Unfortunately I do not believe that is going to happen here, especially with the Republicans about to take  back the Senate.

So what other option do we have?

Well Anthony Romero of the American Civil Liberties Union has a novel idea.

Pardon the torturers: 

The Obama administration could still take measures to hold accountable the officials who authorized torture. Some of the statutes of limitations have run out, but not all of them have. And the release of the Senate’s report provides a blueprint for criminal investigations, even if that’s not what the intelligence committee set out to do.

But let’s face it: Mr. (President) Obama is not inclined to pursue prosecutions — no matter how great the outrage, at home or abroad, over the disclosures — because of the political fallout. He should therefore take ownership of this decision. He should acknowledge that the country’s most senior officials authorized conduct that violated fundamental laws, and compromised our standing in the world as well as our security. If the choice is between a tacit pardon and a formal one, a formal one is better. An explicit pardon would lay down a marker, signaling to those considering torture in the future that they could be prosecuted. 

Mr. (President) Obama could pardon George J. Tenet for authorizing torture at the C.I.A.’s black sites overseas, Donald H. Rumsfeld for authorizing the use of torture at the Guantánamo Bay prison, David S. Addington, John C. Yoo and Jay S. Bybee for crafting the legal cover for torture, and George W. Bush and Dick Cheney for overseeing it all. 

While the idea of a pre-emptive pardon may seem novel, there is precedent. Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson pardoned Confederate soldiers as a step toward unity and reconstruction after the Civil War. Gerald R. Ford pardoned Richard M. Nixon for the crimes of Watergate. Jimmy Carter pardoned Vietnam War draft resisters. 

The spectacle of the president’s granting pardons to torturers still makes my stomach turn. But doing so may be the only way to ensure that the American government never tortures again. Pardons would make clear that crimes were committed; that the individuals who authorized and committed torture were indeed criminals; and that future architects and perpetrators of torture should beware. Prosecutions would be preferable, but pardons may be the only viable and lasting way to close the Pandora’s box of torture once and for all. 

This is something that I admit would never have occurred to me, but it would be quite the spectacle don't you think?

Could you imagine the outrage that would come from the conservatives over this?

Fox News broadcasts would consist simply of one long primal scream.

What do you think?

George W. Bush on his brother's chances against Hillary in 2016: "I think he'd beat her."

Courtesy of HuffPo:  

George W. Bush says that he badly wants his brother Jeb to run for president -- and that if he were to face off against Hillary Clinton, he would "absolutely" beat her in a 2016 matchup. 

"He knows I want him to run," the former president told Candy Crowley on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. "If I need to reiterate it, I will: Run, Jeb. I think he'd be a great president." 

Asked if he considered Clinton to be "formidable," Bush said, "Very much so. No question. So is he, though. 

"I think he'd beat her," he said.

I have a policy against ever agreeing with Bush on anything, but I think he is not to far off here.

While I don't necessarily think that Jeb could beat Hillary for the presidency, I will say that he has the best chance hands down of doing so.

If he runs, and it really looks like he will, 2016 is going to be an incredibly ugly campaign season.

Probably even worse than what we saw done against Obama this last time around.

The thing to remind everybody about is that Jeb helped to steal the election for "W" in 2000, and his brother then damn near destroyed the country. All of the problems that this country has faced in the last fourteen years, that the Republicans keep trying to blame on President Obama, are the the fault of George W. Bush. And by extension the brother who handed Florida to him on a plate.

That simply CANNOT be stressed enough.

Democrats lose their final Senate race in Louisiana last night. And you know who gets the credit right?

Courtesy of the AP: 

Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy has denied Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana a fourth term, calling his Senate victory "the exclamation point" on midterm elections that put Republicans in charge on Capitol Hill for President Barack Obama's last two years in office. 

With nearly all votes counted, unofficial returns showed Cassidy with a commanding victory in Saturday's runoff as he ousted the last of the Senate's Deep South Democrats. In the South, Democrats will be left without a single U.S. senator or governor across nine states stretching from the Carolinas to Texas.

Of course this is just the latest win in a string of victories for the Republicans who essentially ran the board this election cycle.

The Republicans were able to convince the barely attentive voters that President Obama was an abject failure and slime any Democrat who had dared work with him to pass legislation. Resulting of course in the loss of several Senate and Congressional seats.

Landrieu was doomed from the very start.

However that is the factual explanation for what happened.

In Sarah Palin's world she done did it.

Yeah of course she was trying like crazy to get Bill Cassidy's conservative opponent Rob Maness elected up until the official November, at times even seeming to be blissfully unaware that he had no shot, but she showed up in that airport hangar for Cassidy (She even got all dressed up.), and  that is all she wants people to remember.

When the chips were down and her candidate was crushed like a ball of soggy wet tissue paper, she suddenly decided that Bill Cassidy was her guy all along and she went to work for him. Which in her case meant a Facebook post or two, and showing up in an airport hangar in her "trolling for men in bars" outfit.

I mean if she had not shown up to support Cassidy who knows whether he could have pulled off this victory or not? (Spoiler alert:  He would have.)

Newest jobs report exceeds all expectations. Probably the one thing the conservatives will not blame on Obama.

Courtesy of CNN Money: 

Hiring surged in November as employers added 321,000 jobs, crowning 2014 as the strongest year for job growth since 1999. The unemployment rate remained steady at 5.8%, according the government report released Friday. That's down from 7% this time last year. 

Hiring blew out the consensus forecast from economists surveyed by CNNMoney, who expected a gain of 228,000 jobs. 

"The number is almost off the charts, given what we've seen over the past 10 years," said Patrick O'Keefe, director of economic research at accounting firm CohnReznick, who does not feel it's an anomaly. "Companies are making up for hiring that was deferred earlier in the cycle." 

The U.S. economy has been gaining an average of 224,000 jobs a month over the past year. Any month with job gains over 200,000 is considered strong.

Gee it's too bad that President Obama made the poor choice of being born with too much pigment in his skin, or this might really really impress people. 

I swear if they announced that this man had cured cancer the conservatives would bitch about all of the doctors and researchers that he had put out of business.

By the way somebody remind me, who was the President in 1999? And WHICH party did he belong to?

Newly elected Alaska Governor Bill Walker brings back several of Sarah Palin's top officials. Oh that doesn't sound good.

Courtesy of Alaska Journal of Commerce:  

New Gov. Bill Walker took office Dec. 1 and ordered immediate changes in top echelons of state government. Walker brought back several top officials from Gov. Sarah Palin’s administration for senior positions in the natural resources and revenue departments.

These include Marty Rutherford, who was deputy Natural Resources commissioner under Palin and one of the architects of the ultimately failed Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, or AGIA, project.

Walker named Rutherford as acting resources commissioner and as permanent deputy commissioner, a position she held before.

(Marty Rutherford was a close Palin confidant who is widely quoted in this 2011 ADN article on Palin's decision to quit her job.)

Another former Palin official, Marcia Davis, was named acting commissioner of Revenue. She was deputy Revenue commissioner for tax under Palin.

I thought that getting rid of Parnell would signal an end to Palin's influence over Alaska and its policies, but now I wonder if I was a little too naive in my thinking. 

This does not necessarily mean that Palin is pulling any strings, but if there are puppets to be manipulated I think we know the puppeteers quite well.

 Fuck.

I think we are already seeing strong evidence to suggest who will be the contenders in 2016.

Courtesy of TPM:

 Hillary Clinton has recently met with two of the names most frequently floated to be her campaign manager in 2016, should she choose to run, Politico reported Thursday. 

She met Wednesday with Guy Cecil, who oversaw the national Democratic Senate campaign arm during the 2014 election, according to Politico's sources. Clinton has also met with Robby Mook, who ran Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's 2013 campaign, though Politico could not secure firmer details of the meeting.

No surprise here, I think we all know this is a given at this point. 

But then check this out, also courtesy of TPM: 

Republican operatives in New Hampshire have told Real Clear Politics that they've been contacted by a Jeb Bush confidant about running his operation in the state for a 2016 presidential campaign. 

The unnamed GOP strategists told the news outlet that they had been told to "keep your powder dry" by those close to Bush. 

"I think the decision’s been made, personally,” one of the strategists said. Another added: “I’ve definitely perceived an uptick in the perception of him doing this."

Yeah I tend to think the decision has been made as well. 

In fact Bush said publicly that he was thinking of running, and let's face it you don't really say that in front of an audience unless you are convinced you are going to run.

And if he runs my friends, and I know that many of you don't want to hear this, he will more than likely win his nomination. And, your going to hate this part, he actually has the best chance against Hillary of ANY OTHER Republican candidate.

As much as people say they hate the idea of political dynasties there is a lot to be said for name recognition.

So in my opinion, barring some unforeseen event that derails one or both of these candidates, I think that image above represents the 2016 presidential campaign.