Odds and Ends

I remembered to wear green today. Good for me. Here's the news...

The Washington Post had a good story on the Democrats' victory on FISA, adding this: "Lawmakers from both parties said the gulf between the administration and House Democratic leaders is now so wide that the issue may not be resolved until a new president takes office next year." Honestly, at this point, that's the ideal outcome.

My new governor-- David Paterson-- was officially sworn in at noon today.

The second 'Winter Soldier' event-- the first was held during the Vietnam war-- was held this past weekend. At the event, soldiers provided accounts of their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Iraq, the Red Cross reports that "millions of people there are still deprived of clean water and medical care."

Meanwhile, in Iran, parliamentary elections yielded higher than expected turnout, with a little over 30 reform candidates winning seats at the expense of the religious conservative faction. Encouraging news.

Shit between China and Tibet continue to remain ugly and depressing.

Moving on to news of the presidential campaign, Sen. Obama has quietly been picking up more delegates, picking up at least 7 more delegates in Iowa as things were finalized there. Following this, Mark Kleiman reworks where the delegate math stands at this point.

Obama is also going after Clinton full-throttle on ethics and transparency. He has released to the media full information and documentation on his tax records, and his relationship with indicted developer Tony Rezko. He is challenging Clinton to embrace similar transparency on tax returns and other issues.

Finally, Sen. Clinton attempts to explain her emphasis on wins in the big states.