The federal government doubled its estimate of oil leaking into the Gulf yet again, dramatically raising the amount of total oil in the Gulf, which is the measure of what BP will owe under the Clean Water Act.

Bill Clinton came to praise the health insurance industry, not criticize it, as the keynote speaker at its Las Vegas convention.

Former OLC nominee Dawn Johnsen has a must-read op-ed today describing how the Bybee memo damaged the Office of Legal Counsel. Is there something specific Johnsen is responding to?

Until today’s column, the Washington Post’s Steven Pearlstein had been largely immune from the mind numbing symptoms of deficit hysteria syndrome. That disease has already incapacited the brains of everyone else at the Post. But now it seems he’s become incoherent, simultaneously babbling in conflicting tongues.

When SEIU hatched this idea to start a third party in North Carolina, I was skeptical of their chances at success. Turns out I was right about that – it was too daunting a task to up and start a party in a couple of months, in time to qualify for the November ballot. However, SEIU didn’t quit with their plans at accountability for Democrats they feel betrayed them, and as a result, they are seeking to qualify a third-party candidate to run against Larry Kissell in NC-08.

The lawyers for the plaintiffs in Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial had a conference call to preview what they will say in next weeks closing arguments (which Teddy, bmaz, and I will cover from the courthouse).

The most interesting response from the legal team came in response to questions about the defendants’ complaints about having a trial and their efforts to withdraw almost all of their “expert” witness testimony.

Shouldn’t telling lies on the floor of the House be like, illegal or something?

Soccer is socialism, or Hitler, or something.

Pearl Jam — Black.

Two recent articles in the Guardian.co.uk inspired the question I want to ask of you: what have you been dreaming? What have your non-waking energies been working on? Is there something ahead about which we should talk together? Or do we have to wait and see your art or other works years from now and make the connection too late?