As Congressional expert David Waldman explains, supporters of the public option allowed the process to move forward in the Senate Finance Committee by voting for a bill without a public option in it, but detractors feel no such compunction to move the process forward by allowing cloture on a bill with the public option instead of joining a Republican-led filibuster. . .

The same traditional media that has no trouble demonizing lefties (either real, like Van Jones, or perceived, like Ward Churchill) just can’t so much as let the word “extremist” pass their collective lips when it comes to known nutjobs like Michele Bachmann. A recent case in point: a fawningly submissive story, by the New York Times’ Monica Davey, on Minnesota’s greatest shame, Michele Bachmann.

ROCKEFELLER: Harry Reid can put into that mark whatever he wants. And so if he puts in mine – less likely – Chuck Schumer’s – more likely, – if he decides to do that, then it’ll take 60 votes to take it out because it will be in the mark and that’s the genius of that melding of both ways.

  The New York Times finally caught up with the phony claim Max Baucus and CBO foisted on the media that the Baucus reform bill is the only bill that is deficit neutral. But that’s all smoke, mirrors, and heroic assumptions about how much Congress will cut Medicare payments to doctors and allow middle-class taxes [...]

The whole thing was just unbelievable.

Charles Grassley, crazy American.

Sir Paul McCartney – Birthday, live at Red Square, Moscow.

Its my birthday too, yeah!

What’s on your mind?

Well, now you’ve gone and done it, blogosphere! Republican fameball Meghan McCain has holed up in her million-dollar New York City apartment/graduation present from Mrs. Budweiser and has threatened to cancel her Twitter account if people don’t stop . . . or is it “do stop”? . . . talking about her! For those who’ve been [...]

Bank of America may be trying to save face by saying they are going to waive attorney client privilege, but they know — and we know — that they waived the privilege back when they claimed reliance on advice of counsel to the SEC.

Based on this interview by Mike Stark, Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor apparently would not join a Republican filibuster of health care reform legislation, barring something “completely objectionable.” STARK: Is there any chance you would join with the Republicans to stop health care, say if there was a public option in the Senate version bill? PRYOR: [...]