The Monday ‘BushWhack’ing

Over the weekend…

• Former Democratic Senator Zell Miller is still a conservative tool…
• The Iraqi cabinet voted “overwhelmingly” on Sunday to approve a security agreement that would require coalition forces to withdraw from Iraqi cities by summer 2009 and from the whole country by the end of 2011. Believe it when I see it…
• Count Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) among those Senators – joining Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) – to publicly condemn Joe Lieberman and urge his chairmanship be stripped. (As it should… Lieberman is not, and has not been for a very long time, a Democrat. Some senator’ capitulation to him is mind-boggling, and they should be worried about a voter backlash if they keep him in)
• Thousands turned out in eight countries, 50 states, and 300 cities over the weekend to voice their support of marriage equality…
• President-elect Barack Obama brought the weekly radio address into the 21st century Saturday as he recorded the “Democratic Radio Address” via audio AND video. Odds are high that his weekly radio addresses as president will also be recorded on video and placed on sites like YouTube…
• South Korea President Lee Myung-bak said over the weekend that he would “welcome” and “support” a meeting between President-elect Obama and North Korea’s Kim Jong Il after taking office… the question is, can Jong last that long?

Monday already, son of a…

• As the curtain starts to close on “President” Bush’s presidency (YAY!!), a record number of felons are seeking presidential pardons or commutations, which are causing one of the “largest backlogs” in applications for clemency in a LONG time... including junk-bond king Michael Milken, American-taliban John Walker Lindh, convicted former Congressman Duke Cunningham as well as Edwin Edwards, the former governor of Louisiana that was convicted of racketeering back in 2000. Surprisingly, Scooter Libby did NOT request a pardon, though odds are high that Bush will give it to him since he’s already commuted his sentence. Stay tuned…
• The lines are getting more drawn as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said yesterday that Gov. Palin won’t be the next leader of the Republican party, saying; “I think that she is going to be a significant player. […] But she’s going to be one of 20 or 30 significant players. She’s not going to be the de facto leader.” (ooooo, a battle between Palin and Gingrich… should be juicy, stay tuned)
• President-elect Obama is meeting today with Sen. McCain… supposedly NOT about a cabinet post.
• Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani isn’t ruling out another run at the White House… could this be another entry for 2012? And wouldn’t that be a fun battle between Rudy, Newt and Sarah? The mouth waters at the possibilities…
• Arizona republican Sen. Jon Kyl said the gop would “welcome [Lieberman] with open arms.” (Fine, take him. Only a matter of time before he either turns on you and/or gets booted out of office by a state that no longer likes him…)
• And have we mentioned? That some “experts” believe we could see an Obama baby boom? Per Newsweek; “In the hours and days since Obama’s victory, many of his exhilarated supporters have been, shall we say, in the mood for love. And though it’s too soon to know for sure, experts aren’t ruling out the possibility of an Obama baby boom — the kind of blip in the national birth rate that often follows a seismic event.” (Really… what else could be said after reading something like this, other than… giggity)