My “Beloved Spouse” mentioned the Connecticut Senate race, saying something inocuous like “so, Connecticut’s got a real race going on up there, huh?”

But, the response he got wasn’t encouraging:

“Yeah, wow, that Lamont guy is really scary!”

“Beloved Spouse, realizing his colleague was a right-winger, ignorant, likely both, said, “why is that, what do you mean ’scary’?”

The response was: “Well, Lamont has absolutely NO experience at all!”

Lieberfuck and dangerstein have apparently decided to play that chord for all they’re worth. Of course, you and I know there’s nothing to it. But, the Lamont campaign really needs to hammer home the point that Joe Lieberfuck’s “experience” consists of not showing up to vote, voting against his own constituents’ interests, and playing rubber stamp to the most corrupt administration in history.

Cheney signs – now I’m paralyzed with indecision – I’m gonna start working on one, but keep ‘em coming, I’ll check back.

Beers and Shotguns Don’t Mix.

I commented obliquely about the ruling earlier today – but I’ll have mercy on you, and try again!

Don’t panic yet. Judge Walton has been steady as he goes in this case so far, and I haven’t lost faith in him. For some good takes on this ruling, see the comments to emptywheel’s current post at her blog. The real battle starts next week – the 27th – when Judge Walton has to decide what classified information is “relevant” to Libby’s defense and therefore admissible at trial/to the public.

The language in the article that is scaring you is related to the ‘graymail tactic’ of Libby [something akin to “too big to fail” for banks, and high-level lying Republican federal government employees love trotting out the graymail tactic in an attempt to defeat the long arm of the law]. Fitzgerald has been dealing with this issue almost from the get-go of this case. He has received stupendous help and cooperation from the CIA thus far, and successfully negotiated many rapids. Fitzgerald has known from the outset that the case was in danger of dismissal if classified documents were ruled necessary for Libby’s defense, and the agencies involved refused to provide them, citing “national security.” That’s not news, but final push is coming to final shove on it, soon.

Next week is the big test – first of the Judge’s fairness in his rulings, and after that, of the government’s (White House/CIA, etc.) good faith in attempting to accommodate the release for trial of whatever documents the Judge rules are relevant.

So – stay tuned. But don’t worry about today’s ruling (yet).

P.S. Eli – I absolutely agree with your comment about the possibilities waiting to be exploited by framing the debate so that the Republicans are forced to admit they are anti-democracy. Their actions already demonstrate that dreadful fact – yet the damn Democrats couldn’t quote the Constitution on TV if their life depended upon it, which it’s starting to look like it does…

Oilfieldguy @ 97

Signs for Cheney:

They call him Dick on purpose.

Dick Tip:

Long on Halliburton
Short on Armor

Even his friends call him (a) Dick.

Here it is folks, the forces of civilization have asked to be run over. This is from “Deal on detainee treatment quells GOP revolt,” POSTED at CNN.com: 10:32 p.m. EDT, September 21, 2006:

But the agreement explicitly gives the president “the authority for the United States to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions.”

Have the spineless Democrats decided that resistance is futile and capitulated to America’s “Enabling Act”? If they won’t filibuster now, no currently sitting Democrat should ever be forgiven.

Like I said, I hope they have the next move figured out because Rove is aching to paint the Dems as soft of terrorism.

However his game plan has definitely been thrown off track by Powell and Schultz. The Dems should read into the record the objections of those two Republicans, etc.

Daniel Ellsberg up on Colbert.

Eli — I recall that for the 2004 general election, there were teams of Dem attorneys ready to be dispatched to deal with suppression/intimidation or other challenges, and these were responses from the Fla 2000 fiasco. I just find it hard to believe the Dems would be doing less now. btw, the NYT story on the immigration bill noted the Dems all voted as a block against requiring new, special IDs for all new registration.

Wonder if DNC and Dean are organizing something, funded through state parties.

There was an ENORMOUS legal team in Ohio in 2004 but Kerry conceded before they could carry out their challenges.