The Hollywood Liberal

Strickland Eyed as Possible Veep for Obama
Robert Novak: “Support is growing in Democratic ranks for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland as vice president. He would bring to the ticket maturity (he’s 66), experience (six terms in Congress) and moderation (rated ”A” by the National Rifle Association). He is very popular in Ohio, a state Republicans must carry to elect a president.”

Another important factor: As a supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton, Strickland could help unite the Democratic party.

Emanuel Slams Kennedy
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) called the New York Times to criticize Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) “for remarks he made when asked about the possibility of” Sen. Barack Obama choosing Sen. Hillary Clinton as his running-mate.

Saud Enanuel: “I have a lot of respect for Ted Kennedy, but I don’t know how the hell he comes off saying that. The gratuitous attack on her is uncalled for and wrong. He is a better senator than that comment reveals.”

Late Late Nite FDL: Apolitical Blues

Little Feat with guest Mick Taylor performing Apolitical Blues at the Rainbow Theatre London, 1977.

This is Late Late Nite FireDogLake, where off topic is the topic … so dive in. 

Little Feat with guest Mick Taylor performing Apolitical Blues at the Rainbow Theatre London, 1977.

This is Late Late Nite FireDogLake, where off topic is the topic … so dive in.

Rahmbo Blasts Kennedy’s Attack On Clinton

Good on Rahmbo:

[Rahm] Emanuel called to assail Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, for remarks he made when asked about the possibility of Senator Barack Obama of Illinois choosing Mrs. Clinton, of New York, as his running-mate. “I have a lot of respect for Ted Kennedy, but I don’t know how the hell he comes off saying that,” said Mr. Emanuel, who has ties to Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama and has not endorsed in the race. “The gratuitous attack on her is uncalled for and wrong. He is a better senator than that comment reveals.

(Emphasis supplied.) Good on Rahmbo. and I think probably good on the Obama campaign who might have spurred Rahmbo to do this.

Sad
Though sadly unsurprising as well.

So many victims of this war.

I Missed This
And if I’m the only one who did, my apologies.

Last week, dday over at digby’s linked to a Stoller post that examines the breadth of Obama’s plans.

Money: MyBarackObama.com: With 1.5 million donors, this campaign has blown away anything we’ve ever seen in terms of grassroots fundraising. The technology is all centralized, so Obama knows the name, address, giving patterns, and occupation of every donor out there, as well as social networking information, like who the best raisers are. He has bypassed Actblue, and will probably end up building in a Congressional slate feature to further party build while keeping control of the data.

One email from Moveon to their full list can bring in between $100k to $1M for a candidate, with $1M being the very top end of the range. With one good email to his list, in a few months, Obama will probably be able to bring in $1-3M for a Senate candidate under attack or split that among several. 10-20% of the money going to Senate candidates this cycle might come from Barack Obama’s internet operation. Stunning

Field: MyBarackObama.com (MyBO): MyBarackObama.com is the cornerstone of the campaign, and it will have between 10-15 million opt-in members by election day. This group can be used for lobbying on legislation, GOTV, and donations. It’s a cross between Moveon.org and the DNC, and with the White House, it can transform progressive politics and further amplify the power of the Presidency. As coordinated campaigns pick up, and the top of the ticket brings coattails, organizing power is going to further flow to the Obama campaign.

He’s put together his own network of dirty fucking hippies without even asking our permission. It’s a BIG network. It really is a network, with connections. It’s not just lotsa people. It’s lotsa people who know how to use Facebook.

It Isn’t Morning in America Anymore — It’s Dusk on Planet Earth
If we want to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed, we’ve got to cut CO2 emissions.

Fossella Friend: He’s Planning To Run Again
There seems to be a serious obstacle in the way of GOP leaders who want to get rid of Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY), in the wake of his DUI arrest and admission of having a child outside of his marriage….

Feds Unlikely to Charge Blackwater for Baghdad Shootings
From the AP: Blackwater Worldwide, the security contractor blamed by an angry Iraqi government for the shooting deaths of 17 civilians, is not expected to face criminal charges — all but ensuring the company will keep its multimillion-dollar contract to…

The Last Live “Seder on Sunday”

Today at 4 PM ET will be the final live “Seder of Sunday” broadcast. Sam posts that there is still a chance he will take over Air America’s 3 PM ET slot, and regardless, is still committed to remaining in liberal talk radio. To that end, there is still time to tell Air America to return Sam to its daily lineup.

So today will also be the final on-air installment of the Weekend Watchdog, but have no fear, because the Watchdog will remain on patrol at the Campaign for America’s Future blog.

Zimbabwe runoff must be delayed
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s presidential runoff cannot take place in the time allotted by law, the head of the electoral commission said in an interview published Sunday…

Cost of veterans care to rise, despite decline in total number of vets.
The AP reports that despite a decline in total veterans “as soldiers from World War II and Korea die,” the government “expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today’s $29 billion,” according to internal documents. The VA “concedes the bill could be much higher” as […]

The AP reports that despite a decline in total veterans “as soldiers from World War II and Korea die,” the government “expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today’s $29 billion,” according to internal documents. The VA “concedes the bill could be much higher” as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars go on:

Inflation accounts for a big chunk of the increase. But even when the VA factors out inflation, the compensation for disabled veterans would still grow from $29 billion to $33 billion in today’s dollars — a more than 10 percent increase. And the department acknowledges the estimate could rise by 30 percent.

Earlier this year, Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz predicted that a “lifetime health-care and counseling for veterans” from Iraq and Afghanistan could in part push the total cost of the wars to $5 trillion to $7 trillion, far higher than current expectations.