Odds and Ends

Trying to catch up... here's a start...

A major issue that someone might want to look into before 2008: "After six years of technological research, more than $4 billion spent by Washington on new machinery and a widespread overhaul of the nation’s voting system, this month’s midterm election revealed that the country is still far from able to ensure that every vote counts."

Remember that big liquid bomb plane plot out of the UK this past summer that was hyped up as the next 9/11, but ultimatelt turned out-- surprise!-- to be less than advertised? Well now it turns out the U.S.'s attempt to rush the investigation for political purposes may have had unintended consequences: "A team of suspected terrorists involved in an alleged UK plot to blow up trans-atlantic airliners escaped capture because of interference by the United States, The Independent has been told by counter-terrorism sources... As a direct result of the surprise detention of the [initial] suspect, British police and MI5 were forced to rush forward plans to arrest an alleged UK gang accused of plotting to destroy the airliners. But a second group of suspected terrorists allegedly linked to the first evaded capture and is still at large, according to security sources." Oops.

A lot of attention is being paid to Nancy Pelosi's decision to back Rep. Alcee Hastings (who as a judge was impeached by a Democratic congress in the '80s) for chairman of the House Intelligence Committee over the presumed would-be chair Rep. Jane Harman for a number of reasons. No decision has been made yet, but it's been a controversial subject. Talking Points Memo has thoughts on this matter as well as some history on Hastings. Let's hope a third person gets the slot.

Did Mitt Romney support gays before he hated them? Americablog has more on a flip-flopping GOP '08 frontrunner.

In the Middle East, more of the same: " Israeli troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip as an unexpected truce took hold Sunday, but two major Palestinian militant groups, saying they had no intention of stopping their attacks, fired volleys of homemade rockets into Israel."

Finally, an editorial in the American Conservative says good riddance to the GOP majority.