Evian-Boarding, Supreme Courting, No more Me Bad...

Dana Millbank
Lois Romano
Michael Steele

"The torture debate is becoming tortuous." - Dana Millbank

"Dick Cheney is 68, white and bitter. He is the Republican Party today." - Roger Simon

“Cheney, who had five deferments himself to get out of going to Vietnam, would rather follow a blowhard entertainer who has had three divorces and a drug problem (who also avoided Vietnam) than a four-star general who spent his life serving his country.” - Maureen Dowd

Dana Millbank has a great suggestion in his recent column, one that will settle many questions about the use of waterboarding as torture. We set up and question the lawyers and members of the Bush administration using the techniques in question. This can be done on the floor of Congress, and we can use the CIA as interrogators, which will tell us if they have anyone proficient in using the techniques, or not. But it shouldn't be limited to John Yoo, let's go all the way and get important information that may save lives from Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld... Then, we can do it to leading sympathizers of waterboarding, like Sean Hannity, who agreed to be waterboarded for charity, and then Keith Olberman pledged $1000 per every second that Sean lasts, to go to that charity. CSPAN can broadcast it, we could make it a national charity event like the tea parties, and I can come up with some more bumper stickers like:

WATERBOARDED ANYONE YOU LOVE, LATELY?

Jennifer Granholm is coming to Washington today, to possibly be interviewed for the open gig on the Supreme Court. From the Washington Post: "The Canadian-born Granholm, 50, is a graduate of Harvard Law School, who served as a federal prosecutor and Michigan attorney general before being elected governor in 2002.

At least one conservative group has launched an early salvo criticizing her for, among other things, her stewardship of Michigan, where the economy was in steep decline long before the global economic downturn.

As the White House continues to winnow the list of candidates to replace retiring Justice David H. Souter, Obama has not yet interviewed any candidates, Gibbs said today -- something that is sure to change soon." She is my favorite choice, and I hope she will be chosen. Another scenario I'd like to see is either Bill Clinton nominated to the Supreme Court, or have Hillary Clinton nominated to the Supreme Court to be replaced by Bill Clinton as Secretary of State. All win/win situations. If Obama is smart, he'd even ask George HW Bush to be ambassador to Saudi Arabia...

Usually, the hearings for a nominee for Supreme Court are a contentious, knock-down, hitting below the beltway affair. Popcorn and a good drinking game for us spectators. But I'm afraid that the Republicans are protesting pretty weakly right now; even if there's no official candidate, they should be getting their own list together to submit to Obama. Given, Newt Gingrich will trash talk along with the bone-headed John Boehner, so maybe things are settling into a slow simmer until Summer. I'll be making Supreme Court Sweet Tea...

I have the full transcript of the Washington Post interview with Ken Salazar, in all of its straightforward, pull no punches crankiness, click on the link above for Lois Romano: "We have taken a major effort in this department to clean up the mess, and there was a mess that was left here by the prior administration, and it essentially revolves around a perspective around here that the laws were to be skirted, and the consequence of that is that we're dealing with many decisions that have had to be revisited...

The oil and gas leases in the State of Utah are an example of that. There was a United States District Court that enjoined the issuance of those leases. And so it's in the context of cleaning up the mess and bringing about change and a new direction that there has been a swing back by some in the Republican Party, where they have decided that, you know, someone who is a fine person, who is very qualified to be Secretary of Interior, who's been confirmed by the Senate before for this position, and who was frankly recommended to this position by Republicans and Democrats together in the United States Senate, and now they're in a position where they are filibustering him because they don't like the fact that we are bringing about change in this department..." Read the whole thing, great stuff...

Michael Steele has actually written a well thought out piece in Politico, and presents his case: "The Republican Party finds itself the minority party in America for the first time in more than 15 years. I’ll be the first to admit it has taken some adjustment.Republicanshave engaged in some healthy soul-searching since Election Day, trying to come to grips with our minority status and debating the best way forward as we point out our differences with the Democrats and chart our return to the majority.

This has been an important debate within the Republican Party, particularly because of the place in history America currently finds itself. Last year the Democrats told voters they would bring “change” to Washington, but their version of change has been to push America to the left farther and faster than I think anyone could have imagined..." Now to see if there will be any back biting two faced trash talk, dissing as only old white guys know how...


Late night jokes:

"In a reversal of his position, President Obama this week said he now opposes the release of photographs showing terror suspects being abused in Afghanistan and Iraq. Meaning we'll just have to wait for Dick Cheney's Christmas card." --Amy Poehler

"Donald Trump announced Tuesday that despite the controversy over Miss California Carrie Prejean's stand on gay marriage and racy pre-pageant photos, she will keep her crown. Hmm. Who would have ever imagined Donald Trump would side with the hot lady who likes to take her top off?" --Amy Poehler

"I'm speechless, which is more than I can say for Dick Cheney. Dick Cheney will not shut the f**k up. He's all over. He's on Fox News, he's on 'Face the Nation,' he's on every radio show. Today, he was on 'Oprah' complaining John Edwards cheated on him. He's everywhere. Remember the good ol' days when the guy who got tortured did the talking?" --Bill Maher

"Torture. That is the story that just will not go away in this country, and now with Nancy Pelosi in the middle of it. Yes, Republicans keep changing their story on torture. First it was, 'We didn't torture.' Then it was, 'Okay we tortured, but it worked.' And now it's, 'Nancy Pelosi said we could! She said it was okay!'" --Bill Maher

"Newt Gingrich yesterday was all over TV. He called Nancy Pelosi a 'trivial politician.' Pretty strong words from a guy who goes on CNN just to swipe food from the green room. A 'trivial politician,' as opposed to Newt himself, who is a very serious, unemployed fat guy who runs a think tank out of his basement." --Bill Maher

"I'll tell you what I'm pissed off at. Obama was speaking at Arizona State University, and they denied him an honorary degree, because his body of work, according to them, is 'yet to come.' This is Arizona State University, the ultimate dumbass party school? You know when strippers say they're 'working their way through college?' This is the college. You can have a double major in binging and purging at this school. But Obama's not good enough for an honorary degree. The first black president of the Harvard Law Review, got more votes than anyone who ever ran for president. He's been on 'Oprah!'' --Bill Maher

"Our governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, wants to 'legalize the marijuana.' He says that taxes on it will help raise money to balance the budget. Now, see, this can go one of two ways. Either California raises some revenue and balanced the budget, or California still goes broke, but everybody is too stoned to care. So, you see, it is a win-win, really." --Jay Leno

"You think security in Washington is so good? A Capitol police report said that a drunken man spent several hours wandering through the Hart Senate Office Building late at night, after he parked his car in the garage, staggered into the building drunk, didn't get stopped or challenged by anybody. Security didn't do anything to the guy. In fact, they first realized he wasn't a real senator when, after three hours, he hadn't groped anybody, raised taxes or taken a bribe." --Jay Leno

"And a New York City auction house is having something unusual. It's selling a large variety of torture devices dating from the 16th century. A bunch of torture devices. Said the whole thing looks like a Dick Cheney garage sale." --Jay Leno

"And yesterday at the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama said that the White House is a place where people should feel free to speak their mind. Except, of course, Joe Biden.'" --Jay Leno

"This Sunday, President Obama is receiving an honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame. Or as Obama calls it, safety school." --Jimmy Fallon

"This is a big controversy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the CIA lied to her in 2003. Yeah, apparently, they sent her a document saying that her makeup looked subtle. They lied to her." --Jimmy Fallon

"Did you guys see Oprah's show today? On Oprah's show today, she gave everyone in her audience a free Chrysler dealership. It was so nice of her. It was under the seat.'" --Jimmy Fallon