Odds and Ends

More miscellaneous news on this busy day...

But first I wanted to add some thoughts on the resignation of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador. All the newspaper editorial boards seem to be shedding some real tears over the news. The conventional wisdom seems to also blame the Democrats for this. Two problems with this. #1- who cares? #2- That's total BS. This is spin, pure and simple. The Republicans have controlled the Senate. If the President couldn't even get Bolton voted out of committee with his rubberstamp congress, how popular could he have been? And it was outgoing Republican senator Chafee who did more to stop Bolton than any Democrat did. The guy was not a popular nominee; the Senate blocked his confirmation. That's how the system works. It's called checks and balances... The other thing all the editorials are saying is that this is bad because the U.N. needs a reformer-- someone who will go in there and really shake shit up, and force the old U.N. guard out of complacency. I fully agree with that. But John Bolton was not that person. The man was not shy about openly loathing the institution itself. You don't send an arsonist to reform the Fire Department. Just my two or three cents.

Moving on... Arianna Huffington has a message for Sen. Clinton who is realizing now her sure-thing candidacy is anything but: 'Obama happens'. I doubt Obama will be the nominee either, but any alternatives to Hillary are welcome. Talking Points Memo readers also share their thoughts on the misguided Clinton candidacy.

Over on the GOP side, the media loves it when John McCain lies to them. He's a maverick, you know.

Democratic congressional leaders prepare for a return to oversight in January. Rep. John Dingel (D-Mich), incoming chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called the GOP approach "nothing more than Kabuki theater." Says Barbara Boxer, "Since his first day in office, President Bush has worked to roll back more than 350 laws and regulations that protect our public health and the environment. Any one of these rollbacks should be cause for a hearing in the Congress, should be a cause for consternation among the people. And I have to tell you, this has got to stop." And fellow California Senator Dianna Feinstein, slated to become Chairperson of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, plans to introduce legislation requiring paper trails for all electronic voting as well as audits.

Amnesty or not amnesty? Semantics will engulf congressional plans for immigration legislation.

ABC News has this from Brazil: "A swath of Amazon rain forest the size of Alabama was placed under government protection Monday in a region infamous for violent conflicts among loggers, ranchers and environmentalists."

Meanwhile in New Orleans, levee work has significantly slowed down.

Why does the religious right hate our Constitution?

Finally, what exactly is the Supreme Court about to do on school desegregation?