Midday Open Thread
by BarbinMD
Fri Aug 01, 2008 at 12:45:11 PM PDT
- Glenn Greenwald takes the definitive, in-depth look at the anthrax scare in light of the news of the suicide of the chief suspect. -SusanG
- GM reports a 15.5 billion dollar loss, the government revised its numbers to reflect "the first official slide backward since the last recession in 2001," and 51,000 jobs were lost in June bringing unemployment to a four-year high. But not to worry. It's all psychological, remember? - SusanG
- Latest strategy advice for Republicans from NRCC chairman Tom Cole: Run against Republicans. - SusanG
- In contention for the stupidest story of the campaign cycle thus far (admittedly a crowded field), the Wall Street Journal asks if Obama's too physically fit to be president (duly noted by Bob Sackamento in a recommended diary. So far, the best response has been from former Wonkette Ana Marie Cox, who remarks, "And you thought I was superficial," and asks, Does This Candidate Make My Butt Look Fat?. - SusanG
- Having learned in a closed-door briefing of the Bush administration's overhaul and centralization of U.S. spy agencies, Michigan Republican Peter Hoekstra was furious Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times:
In an interview, Hoekstra, the committee's senior Republican, said he told [Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell that he was disgusted with what he described as the Bush administration's
continuing effort to undercut any kind of outside oversight."This is part of a systemic problem of the administration, and I said
I'm not going to take it anymore," Hoekstra said.Glad to hear it, Pete. Where have you been the past ... uh ... seven years? - Meteor Blades
- From the realm of the truly bizarre, the Kansas City Star reports that the ex-wife of Democrat Chris Koster has donated $200,000 to a PAC designed to sink her ex-husband's campaign for Missouri Attorney General:
Koster, in the midst of fiercely contested race for the Democratic nomination for attorney general, is bracing for $187,500 in television ads paid for by ex-wife Rebecca Bowman Nassikas.
Nassikas, who now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., ponied up $200,000 last week to oppose his candidacy. She gave the money to a dormant political committee called Missourians for Honest Leadership.Now, there is someone who knows how to hold a grudge. - brownsox
- Nate Silver reviews the recently posted cross-tabs from Gallup and finds Obama outperforming Kerry, (including regionally, as Kos pointed out with the R2K poll). - DemFromCT
- ::
