The Hollywood Liberal

Schiavo debate relived in Valley
Should govt. be able to overrule family members in case of comatose woman?

McCain Caves To Right Wing On Gay Adoption, Says Orphans Shouldn?t Have Gay Parents
Earlier this month, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) took an extreme position on gay adoption, telling the New York Times he believes in “traditional” families even if it means leaving children in orphanages. “I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no I don’t believe in gay […]

Earlier this month, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) took an extreme position on gay adoption, telling the New York Times he believes in “traditional” families even if it means leaving children in orphanages. “I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no I don’t believe in gay adoption,” he said.

But in follow-up statement, McCain aide Jill Hazelbaker backtracked, stating, “McCain could have been clearer.” She added that the senator would support gay adoption if there were no alternative:

However, as an adoptive father himself…he recognizes that there are many abandoned children who have yet to find homes. McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative.

Interviewed on ABC today, however, McCain reverted to his original radical position, telling George Stephanopolous that he does not support gay adoption in any circumstance:

McCAIN: I think that family values are important, when we have two parent — families that are of parents that are the traditional family.

Q: But there are several hundred thousand children in the country who don’t have a home. And if a gay couple wants to adopt them, what’s wrong with that?

MCCAIN: I am for the values that two parent families, the traditional family represents.

Watch it:

McCain didn’t acknowledge that a two-parent family can also consist of same-sex parents. Unlike his spokeswoman, he also didn’t recognize that rejecting adoptions by same-sex parents means leaving thousands of children with no parents. As Winnie Stachelberg and Robert Gordon noted, about 130,000 children wait in the foster care system each year for a permanent home. And every year, half of these children are never placed.

In the interview, McCain repeatedly said that he is “for the values and principles that two parent families represent.” He also said preserving traditional families is “not the reason why I’m running for president of the United States.” Just seconds later, however, he reversed course and bluntly stated, “I’m running for president of the United States because I want to help with family values.”

For Obama, Hurdles in Expanding Black Vote
MACON, Ga. — Amanda Bass, a volunteer for Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, had already tried once to get Wilmer Gray to register to vote. But when she glimpsed him in a black T-shirt and White Sox cap again on a recent weekday at the main bus stop here, she was determined to give it…

Will Obama’s Overseas Trek Pay Off?
Dan Balz, Washington Post

Genocide’s Epic Hero
Aleksandar Hemon, New York Times

Obama Gets Bounce From Overseas Trip
When asked about the political ramifications about his recent trip abroad, Sen. Barack Obama told the New York Times, “I wouldn’t even be surprised if in some polls we saw a little bit of a dip because we’ve been out of the country for a week.”

However, at least two daily tracking polls show Obama getting a decent 6-7 point bounce.

Before the trip:

• Rasmussen: Obama 46%, McCain 46%
• Gallup: Obama 45%, McCain 43%

After the trip:

• Rasmussen: Obama 49%, McCain 43%
• Gallup: Obama 48%, McCain 41%

Another McCain Veep Rumor
Marc Ambinder: “On Sunday, McCain hosts a group of political allies and major fundraisers at his ranch in Sedona, AZ.  That’s a fact. The rumor is that he’s going to use the event to introduce his vice presidential choice to his inner circle, and then, on Monday, introduce the choice to the world.”

Pull Up A Chair…
After everyone giggled about it through PUAC last weekend, Mr. ReddHedd and I went out on a date yesterday evening — first one we’ve had in ages — and saw Mamma Mia. As promised, it’s a hoot. Although, honestly, Pierce Brosnan…hottie, but not a crooner. Christine Baranski, though — just awesome, the whole way through.

After everyone giggled about it through PUAC last weekend, Mr. ReddHedd and I went on a date yesterday — first one in ages — and saw Mamma Mia.  It’s a hoot.

Although, honestly, Pierce Brosnan…hottie not a crooner.  Christine Baranski, though — just awesome.

As we laughed through the film, it occurred to me:  (1) I need more girlfriends, not necessarily pals who dress up in platform boots and sing ABBA songs, but the sort who will be there through the laughs and tears…in person.  

Lately, I’ve been neglecting the human side of my life.  Making political changes is a hard thing to fight for, but you can’t lose sight of what you want more of in the end, either.  

And (2) laughter is contagious, and we all need more of it.

So, with that in mind, what are your favorite feel good, laugh until you cry or dance your feet off movies and songs?  Let’s talk fun, laughter, smiles, and friendships this morning.  Pull up a chair…

What “Egregious Crimes?” Part 3

(Parts 1 and 2.)

What does Obama legal advisor Cass Sunstein think about this idea

The proposal for a Church Committee-style investigation emerged from talks between civil liberties advocates and aides to Democratic leaders in Congress, according to sources involved. . . . Looking forward to 2009, when both Congress and the White House may well be controlled by Democrats, the idea is to have Congress appoint an investigative body to discover the full extent of what the Bush White House did in the war on terror to undermine the Constitution and U.S. and international laws. The goal would be to implement government reforms aimed at preventing future abuses — and perhaps to bring accountability for wrongdoing by Bush officials.

Given that he endorsed the Bush Administration’s lawlessness, I feel confident that he will oppose this idea. It is another reason why Cass Sunstein should have no place in an Obama Administration and should never be referred to as a progressive legal scholar. He has a long history of endorsing the extreme right wing legal views of the Bush Administration on executive power.

Speaking for me only

Media Matters
From Jamison Foser.

Word of the Day
P-r-e-s-u-m-p-t-u-o-u-s

How Should the Next President Deal with the Bush White House’s Crimes?
A debate between two progressive legal experts on the FISA bill and the idea of prosecuting of Bush and White House officials for criminal acts.

McCain Jokes About Obama’s Overseas Trip And Press Coverage
The McCain campaign couldn’t help but get in a joke about Barack Obama’s overseas trip, with the candidate delivering a joke that encompassed two separate narratives: That Obama is being ridiculous by traveling all over the world, and the press…