It remains to be seen whether this compromise will give Congress enough new oversight powers to prevent the abuses that happened under Bush (and heck–I assume the Gang of Four, if not the Gang of Eight–has signed off on assassinating US citizens solely on the President’s say so, so it’s not clear that oversight will be any use in protecting the Constitution). But Jeff Stein reports both Pelosi and DiFi declaring victory, while the White House and DOD remain silent.

Voters in California have heard or seen something about Proposition 19 at levels almost unheard of for any other ballot measure anywhere in the country. Among young voters, awareness of Prop 19, which would legalize, tax and regulate marijuana, is at an unprecedented (and almost impossible to believe) 94 percent.

Forty-seven House Democrats insisted to Pelosi in a letter that Congress extend capital gains and dividend tax cuts for the rich. Ben Nelson spoke at the Heritage Foundation in support of extending all the tax cuts. The majority of the House Democratic caucus may favor the Obama tax plan, but the majority of Congress simply doesn’t agree.

I really thought “welfare queen” had gone the way of Willie Horton and had been banned from polite conversation, but I guess the GOP’s minority outreach program is on hiatus this election.

All too often, those who proclaim to have strong principles regarding free speech or domestic spying or torture when “the other guy” is in power abandon those concerns when it’s their own party’s turn at the helm.

Not Russ Feingold. He’s the rare person of conviction who stood alone and heroically voted against the Patriot Act when every other member of the Senate voted “aye.” If you want to know what political courage looks like, read what Russ said on the floor of the Senate before casting the only “nay” in a 98-1 vote.

In the wake of 9/11, that took guts. What’s more, Russ’s principles don’t change just because there’s a new resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

But he’s is in a tough battle. He’s trailing his well-funded opponent by a wide margin. If Russ loses, while party bosses on both sides of the aisle can conspire to keep Joe Lieberman in the Senate, it sends a message to every member of Congress that there is no popular support for those who put themselves on the line in defense of our first amendment rights.

Our country can’t afford for Russ Feingold to lose this election.

Please donate $5 or more to Russ Feingold and fight for our civil liberties. It’s critical we keep his voice in the Senate.

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One explanation put forth for why President Obama and his aides are so upset with the liberal base of the Democratic Party is that they believe Obama has achieved legislative success rivaling that of President Lyndon Johnson, but the base does not appreciate this success. Even NPR’s Mara Liasson easily refuted the “success” aspect of the comparison, but the comparison to LBJ is an especially poor choice for a number of other reasons, as well.

The President and his economic team chose not to force those solutions. They chose not to do what’s necessary. And as a result, we still have a broken housing market, which will drag on recovery as long as it remains broken.

You see, from the start this war was designed to be our longest war. Because all those Commander-in-Chief powers both Republicans and Democrats have grown to love so much depend on it continuing.

Unable to score points against Elizabeth Warren on the merits, the business press is now reduced to dredging up a two year-old lawsuit to try and present the appearance of impropriety in her conduct on the Congressional Oversight Panel.

Lawrence O’Donnell ropes FDL Newser David Dayen into some high-flying hyperbole, announcing the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party is joined! Between, according to Lawrence, the Leader of the Free World and his Vice President of the United States on one side — and a blogger on the other. Good luck, David!