The Hollywood Liberal

Bonus Quote of the Day
“Quite flattering and a little surreal.”

— Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, quoted by the AP, when asked how it felt to be mentioned as a potential running mate for Sen. Barack Obama.

Late Nite FDL: Bob Barr Says “George Bush Worse Than Bill Clinton”
As someone who spent the latter part of the 90s wanting to throw large objects through my TV set during the impeachment hearings, the idea that me and Bob Barr would be sitting around jawing cheerfully about…well, anything — was an unlikely event.

Bob made it up to me. I haven’t had a cigarette in six years, but after that, I felt like I needed one.

As someone who spent the latter part of the 90s wanting to throw large objects through my TV set during the impeachment hearings, the idea that me and Bob Barr would be sitting around jawing cheerfully about…well, anything — was an unlikely event.

Bob made it up to me. I haven’t had a cigarette in six years, but after that, I felt like I needed one.

CS& N Benefit Tonight, Open Thread

Tonight in Denver: Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Proceeds from the tax-deductable tickets go to the American Transplant Foundation. Thu 8 p.m. Wells Fargo Theatre, 700 14th St. $250-$1000. For more information, visit here.

The TL Kid and I will be there… one of the partners at his new law firm gave us their great seats right in front. (Thanks, Jeff.)

This is another open thread as the last one is full.

Morning Coffee
Whole bean? Maxwell House? Instant? (Does anybody drink instant anymore?)

Bought on the way to work?

Brownbackery
Even aside from the fact that Brownback himself worked with Obama on things, it’s a bit weird for him to suggest that Obama only will “talk bipartisan” even as Brownback’s Republican colleague, Gordon Smith, is running ads touting their record of working together.

Not that I personally care about bipartisanship, of course.

Bush and McCain Happily Presiding Over Massive Transfer of Wealth to Oil Companies
Republicans are funneling billions into the coffers of their oil baron backers; it’s no surprise Bush and McCain aren’t pushing for renewable energy.

The Ones that Got Away
Aubie84 brings up Robert Wexler’s “Manhattan II” approach to energy independence and compares it to Obama’s “race to the moon” analogy. Either way, “it’s a no-brainer. We should start tomorrow.” Billy Glad points out a paragraph in a report on…

If Not Mitt, Then Jindal
I noted before our strong affinity for Mitt Romney as McCain’s veep. But if it can’t be Mitt, then we won’t be too disappointed if we have to settle for that exorcism-attending, chemical-castrating Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal:…

UBS charged with securities fraud
UBS charged with securities fraud

Law ‘flexes its Web- snooping muscle’
The first of four juveniles has been sentenced to up to nine months in what’s been called the Bellevue MySpace rape. And while the case underscores the threat of Internet predators, it has an upside…

Addington: Vice President Isn?t Part Of Executive Branch, ?Attached? To Legislative
In a protracted battle with the National Archives last year, Vice President Dick Cheney sought to avoid submitting records to the archives by claiming that the office of the vice president is not part of the executive branch. During today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, Cheney’s chief of staff David Addington reasserted that position, declaring the […]

In a protracted battle with the National Archives last year, Vice President Dick Cheney sought to avoid submitting records to the archives by claiming that the office of the vice president is not part of the executive branch. During today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, Cheney’s chief of staff David Addington reasserted that position, declaring the vice president’s office to be a separate entity that “attached” to the legislative branch:

REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): Mr. Addington, what branch are we in?

ADDINGTON: Sir, perhaps the best that can be said is that the vice president belongs neither to the executive nor to the legislative branch, but is attached by the constitution to the latter. […]

COHEN: So he’s a member of the legislative branch?

ADDINGTON: No I said he’s attached to the latter.

Watch it:

The assertion is ridiculous. President Bush and Cheney have themselves repeatedly tied the office of the President and Vice President together in the executive branch, not to mention the White House and the Senate websites. In fact, there is video showing Cheney lauding the strength of the vice presidency, asserting that “the vice president’s become an important part of the administration of the executive branch“:

In fact, in 2001 Cheney sought to avoid a lawsuit over his energy task force by claiming that a congressional probe “would unconstitutionally interfere with the functioning of the executive branch.”

Despite Politico’s Mike Allen’s claim last June that Addington and Cheney were “throwing in the towel on the claim that the vice president is distinct from the executive branch,” the next month Cheney continued to insist that the Vice President’s office is a “unique creature.”

Justices Reject D.C. Ban On Handgun Ownership
The Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia’s ban on handgun possession yesterday and decided for the first time in the nation’s history that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual’s right to own a gun for self-defense.