More Odds and Ends

Yes, the House passed another withdrawal bill. It's going nowhere. Here's more news...

A Democratic debate is on CNN tonight, sponsored by the good folks in the coal industry.

Semi-encouraging news... this has a good shot of passing today: "House Democrats plan Thursday to consider a foreign surveillance law update that would restore judicial oversight to foreign intelligence gathering efforts aimed at Americans and would not grant legal immunity to telecommunications companies that facilitated the warrantless surveillance of Americans." AG Mukasey is all mad, telling the Senate not to dare pass this.

All the right-wing torture apologists out there should be required to read this story about an FBI agent who spent a year interrogating Saddam Hussein and brought him to tears... without using torture or physical coercion. Maybe there's a lesson in there somewhere?

Pres. Bush sits down for interview(s) w/ Fox News, Fox Business Channel; circle-jerk ensues.

And on the eve of the long-delayed U.S. intelligence estimate report on Iran (trillions of atoms!1!!), this news: "Iran has met a key demand of the U.N. nuclear agency, handing over long-sought blueprints showing how to mold uranium metal into the shape of warheads, diplomats said Tuesday." But the U.N. still has concerns. Bomb now!

If you can believe it, the FBI investigation into Blackwater did not find good things.

NY Times columnists Paul Krugman and David Brooks are having a subtle debate on Ronald Reagan and the GOP's use of the racist 'Southern Strategy' to win votes. On his blog, Krugman layed the final smackdown.

NY Governor Spitzer officially drops his doomed illegal immigrant license plan.

Finally, did volcanoes help kill off the dinosaurs? New evidence looks at this possibility.