Kossack evandmiller makes an interesting catch: “Breaking news – the National Republican Senatorial Committee has given up on Norm Coleman! For the past few months, the NRSC has been pushing their visitors to a donate page supporting Coleman’s efforts. Now, with the most recent court decision going in Al Franken’s favor, it seems that the GOP doesn’t want to urge anymore of their supporters to fund a lost cause.”

I thought it was a bit out of the ordinary when the Center for American Progress put up a petition calling for Bybee to be impeached last week. Then yesterday, John Podesta appeared on State of the Union with Pete King:

PODESTA: Look, the one thing I disagree with you and David about is I do think there is a distinction between going back and prosecuting in the criminal courts

The GOPeevish keep jacking up the nopes. Look what all their empty gestures are getting for the American public. Exhibit A: That swine flu epidemic that may be headed across the globe? Wondering why we don’t yet have a CDC Director? Effect? Meet cause

• Epidemic.
• Going global.
• EU: don’t go to US/Mexico.
• CDC: wash your hands.
• Porkulus!
• Good on Pat.
• Guns on the back burner?
• President Carter on the assault weapons ban.
• Sign of the times.
• I agree: can’t afford to ignore ‘em.
• So much for moral clarity.

Well, let’s hope puffy shirts and pukka shells stay rare. But mostly, don’t panic

The Work Song and Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boofrom Cinderella (1950).

What’s on your mind tonight?.

If the Obama Justice Department investigated and indicted Bush Administration officials for torture, for developing the legal framework for that torture, and for proposing, permitting, and encouraging that torture, is that criminalizing policy differences?

No, that is not criminalizing policy differences. That is war crimes prosecution. And it is required of every signatory to every torture treaty. So, will we do the dirty work of revealing the war criminals among us, or will we have it done to us?

At dawn a US raid hit the village of Kut in Wassit governate in Iraq. During the raid, a man (reportedly a local policeman) and his sister-in-law were killed by US forces. Now al-Maliki wants those responsible turned over to Iraqi courts.

If the economic numbers are to be believed the plunge of this downturn is over. That precipitous fall that began in late August, accelerated through September, and continued unabated. However, the consensus is that this is not merely a pause in the plunge, but it is also not a bottom.

Stock brokers make money by taking a small fee on lots of transactions. Then there’s the Goldman Sachs way: trading for its own account “with” its clients. What does that do for the average citizen who is paying for the bailout?