Will Democrats let Republicans co-opt their progress on gay rights?

In this case, good policy is good politics. If Democrats had a united front, they could easily toy with Republicans over the Obama tax plan without much trouble, and expose the other party as slavishly devoted to the rich.

But that’s not the world we live in. . . .

Ooopsie.

The correct response, for someone in Goldsmith’s position, would be to say, “stop being such cynical assholes, Republicans, this is about law, not your political stunts!” But instead, he wrings his hand and invents a new legal system to work around the difficulty created by his colleagues in the Republican party.

President Obama holds a press conference today at 11am ET. I’ll monitor it here. The press event is supposed to focus on the economy, though that isn’t sexy enough for the media as some dude with a handlebar moustache burning Korans, so that will probably take precedence. And then the media will wonder why the President isn’t “focusing on the economy.”

Austan Goolsbee, the chief economist during the Presidential campaign and a member of the economic team currently, will become the new head of the Council of Economic Advisers, replacing Christina Romer. If Romer’s tenure on the CEA is any expectation, Goolsbee will spend his time there butting heads with Larry Summers and being stymied on getting his advice to the President.

Remember that Vanity Fair tell all in which Erik Prince offered new details about Blackwater ops? Though Michael Hayden has suggested Prince made up some of the details, it seemed to be a form of graymail targeted at those who approved Blackwater ops now under criminal investigation. Apparently, there’s a long form version.

Befitting this blighted world, Goldsmith endeavors to find some pragmatic ways out of the terrorism detentions stalemate. Among his basic tradeoffs: keep Guantanamo open and lose the military commissions.

Torture is not very hopey and changey.

Next up, were going to boycott Lucky Charms until the get rid of the marshmallow moons