Think Progress:

Today, Sister Julie McGuire had to turn away 12 fellow Indiana nuns — all in their 80s or 90s — from a polling place because they lacked a state or federal photo ID, as mandated by the recent Supreme Court decision. AP reports:

“One came down this morning, and she was 98, and she said, ‘I don’t want to go do that,’” Sister McGuire said. Some showed up with outdated passports. None of them drives.

They weren’t given provisional ballots because it would be impossible to get them to a motor vehicle branch and back in the 10-day time frame allotted by the law, Sister McGuire said. “You have to remember that some of these ladies don’t walk well. They’re in wheelchairs or on walkers or electric carts.”

Sister McGuire also underscored the difficulty in obtaining IDs for these women: “We’re going to take from now until November to get them out and get this done. You can’t do this like school kids on a bus. I wish we could.” More on the ID Divide here.

Think Progress

Appearing on Hardball’s “College Tour” today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was asked about the recent offensive led by the Iraqi government in Basra. Admitting that the performance of Iraqi soldiers was poor (at least 1,000 deserted), McCain claimed the rest of the forces did “pretty good”:

In full disclosure and frankness and candor and straight talk, the Maliki movement to Basra had a very big downside to it. As you know, we saw a thousand police and military desert their posts. But the rest of the military did a pretty good job, did a pretty good job. We did secure the port of Basra. Maybe I’m digging for the pony here.

Watch it:

Reuters reported that Maliki’s “crackdown on militias in the southern oil port of Basra appears to have backfired, exposing the weakness of his army and strengthening his political foes ahead of elections.”

McCain has been “digging for the pony” in Iraq for a quite a while. When asked in April 2007 by conservative bloggers about efforts by Sadr to oppose the surge, McCain predicted Sadr wouldn’t end up opposing U.S. forces — but admitted he may be “digging for the pony.” At the same time, Sadr released a statement urging Iraqis to consider the U.S. their “archenemy” and to “turn all their efforts on American forces.” Subsequently, “hundreds of thousands of Shia protesters…burned and trampled on US flags in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf.”

McCain’s constant “digging for the pony” has only created one giant hole.

Progressive Democrats of America

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Edwards campaign characterized the Nevada race as a three-way dead heat in a conference call with reporters today, pointing to poll numbers and a robust field operation in the state.

Speaking from Nevada, David Bonior, the national campaign manager, said the Edwards campaign contacted 15,000 potential caucus goers last weekend, roughly one-third of the overall expected turnout.

“This campaign is a three way race,” Mr. Bonior said. “And this is a huge sign of strength for John Edwards as we march into Nevada and South Carolina.”

Mr. Edwards has made 17 trips to the state, roughly the same as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama combined, Mr. Bonior added.

The poll by the Reno Gazette-Journal, released Monday morning, showed Mr. Obama with 32 percent, Mrs. Clinton with 30 percent and Mr. Edwards with 27 percent.

The Edwards campaign has played down Mr. Edwards’s losses in Iowa and New Hampshire, saying that he is prepared to continue campaigning through Super Tuesday and beyond even without winning a single state.

Hoping to show that the campaign is still looking ahead to Super Tuesday states, the campaign is planning a “fly-around” on Thursday and Friday, stopping in California, Oklahoma, Missouri and Georgia, before returning to South Carolina to campaign before the primary on Jan. 26.

On the morning of election day 2002, repeated hang-up calls assaulted six phone lines tied to the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Three Republican operatives, including consultant Allen Raymond, eventually ended up in jail for their involvement in the phone jamming scheme. A fourth, former RNC offical James Tobin, will begin a second trial in February.In his new book, Raymond alleges that the scandal goes “to the top of the Republican Party” because “the Bush White House had complete control of the RNC” and there was no way such a risky tactic wouldn’t have been “vetted by” Tobin’s “high-ups”:

“The Bush White House had complete control of the RNC, and there was no way someone like Tobin was going to try what he was proposing without first getting it vetted by his high-ups,” Raymond wrote in How To Rig an Election, a book set for publication next month. “That’s if Tobin, rather than one of his bosses, had even thought of the ploy himself - which seemed unlikely.”

Phone records obtained in a civil suit brought against the NH GOP by the NH Democratic Party show that “Tobin made 22 calls to the White House political office in the 24 hours before and after the jamming” while the Republican National Committee has paid over $6 million in legal fees for Tobin.

Yesterday, McClatchy reported that “senior Justice Department officials” delayed prosecuting Tobin “until after the 2004 election” as part of an effort to protect the GOP “from the scandal until the voting was over“:

However, the official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, told McClatchy that senior Justice Department officials slowed the inquiry. The official didn’t know whether top department officials ordered the delays or what motivated those decisions.

The official said that Terry O’Donnell, a former Pentagon general counsel who was representing Tobin, was in contact with senior department officials before Tobin was indicted.

Marcy Wheeler notes that Tobin’s lawyer, Terry O’Donnell, is also “Dick Cheney’s long-time personal attorney.”

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) wrote to Attorney General Michael Mukasey today, requesting documents and answers about the case.

Paul Kiel has more here

The Free Press
by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman

Ohio’s Secretary of State announced this morning that a $1.9 million official study shows that “critical security failures” are embedded throughout the voting systems in the state that decided the 2004 election. Those failures, she says, “could impact the integrity of elections in the Buckeye State.” They have rendered Ohio’s vote counts “vulnerable” to manipulation and theft by “fairly simple techniques.”

Indeed, she says, “the tools needed to compromise an accurate vote count could be as simple as tampering with the paper audit trail connector or using a magnet and a personal digital assistant.”

In other words, Ohio’s top election official has finally confirmed that the 2004 election could have been easily stolen.

Brunner’s stunning findings apply to electronic voting machines used in 58 of Ohio’s 88 counties, in addition to scanning devices and central tabulators used on paper ballots in much of the rest of the state.

Brunner is calling for widespread changes to the way Ohio casts and counts its ballots. Her announcement follows moves by California Secretary of State Deborah Bowen to disqualify electronic voting machines in the nation’s biggest state.
Continue Reading »

Cindy For Congress

During Cindy Sheehan’s Campaign Headquarters Open House, Cindy expressed her contempt for such measures which suggest that the Democrats are colluding with the Bush administration and not presenting a true opposition that reflects the will of the people– particularly in San Francisco where Cindy is now running as an independent. She also expressed her desire to implement healthy changes which will begin by bringing American troops home from a war that is universally known today as having been founded on lies.

Cindy For Congress

Actor Sean Penn endorsed dark horse Democratic presidential contender Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) in what was billed as a “major political address” given by the actor Friday in San Francisco.

Lambasting Democrats in Congress for their refusal to pursue the impeachment of President Bush, Vice President Cheney and other members of the current administration, Penn praised Kucinich for his “moral courage,” according to an advance copy of the speech provided to RAW STORY.

“[O]ur cowardly Democratically dominated House and Senate can barely find one voice willing to propose so much as an impeachment. That one voice of a true American,” said the actor. “That one voice of Congressman Dennis Kucinich.”

Penn went on to say that the former Cleveland mayor’s record and vision outweighed “conventional wisdom” about Kucinich’s long-shot chances of winning the presidency.

“I’m torn between the conventional wisdom of what we all keep being told is electability and the idealism that perhaps alone can live up to the challenges of our generation,” said Penn. “Of the Democrats running for President, only Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s candidacy is backed by a voting record of moral courage and a history of service to our country that has fully earned our support and our gratitude.”

Added Penn, “So, here’s the question. We got Iowa coming up, we got New Hampshire right on its ass. Do we sell it for electability? If Hitler were the only candidate, would voting for him be most American?”

Electability, he said, was in the eye of the beholder. “It is for us to determine what is electable. And here’s how simple it is: If we, those of us who truly believe in the Constitution of the United States of America, all of us, vote for Dennis Kucinich, he will be elected. Could we call him electable then?”

Earlier, Penn excoriated the Bush administration for treason, adding that although he wasn’t a proponent of the death penalty, “existing law provides that the likes of Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld and Rice, if found guilty, could have hoods thrown over their heads, their hands bound, facing a 12-man rifle corps executing death by firing squad.”

The actor also had some harsh words for Kucinich’s frontrunning rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY). “Let’s remind our friends in the social circles of New York and the highbrow winner-friendly and monied major cities that support Mrs. Clinton, that this is not Bill Clinton,” he said, going on to praise the former president. But he warned that the same “personal agendas” that led to what he characterizes as poor policy decisions from the president could rub off on the former first lady.

“Don’t underestimate the damage her poisonous ambition can do to this country,” he said of Sen. Clinton. “We can’t wait for the benefit of hindsight to service the benefit of Mrs. Clinton’s career.” Penn took another shot at Clinton while speaking about the recent Democratic debate in Las Vegas. “I found the debate infuriating, nearly an argument for fascism with few exceptions, key among them Dennis Kucinich,” he said. “Of course as a strategic politician, Mrs. Clinton pulled out her set of Ginzu knives and dominated once again on ‘centrist’ political strategy.”

Concluded Penn, “So, let’s give the Constitution another read, shall we? And then decide who its greatest defender would be. I suggest that Republicans, Independents, and Democrats alike will find that they know what’s really right in their hearts and minds.”

Talking Points Memo
In the wake of Trent Lott’s announcement that he’s resigning from the Senate, several news accounts have reported that Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, a Republican, will immediately appoint a replacement — and Barbour further announced today that a special election will be held to fill the seat on election day in November of 2008.

This would be a big boon to Republican efforts to hold Lott’s seat. That’s because it would allow whoever the appointee is the next 11 months to build up a record, raise money, and amass the advantages of incumbency in advance of the special contest.

But what does election law really hold?

National Dems who are scrutinizing the relevant statute say that they think that in fact it stipulates that the election is to be held within 90 days of the date of Lott’s resignation, which he hasn’t announced yet.

If true, that would effectively minimize the GOP advantage. Because of this — and because an earlier special election might have a lower turnout — it would give Dems a shot at winning that special contest.

And guess what — it looks as if the Mississippi Secretary of State has confirmed that the special election is in fact supposed to happen 90 days after Lott’s resignation date — and not in 2008, as Barbour is claiming.

National Dems say that Barbour is ignoring election law to rig the game in their favor — and that an earlier contest would play to their advantage. “Republicans clearly know they will have a very hard time holding this seat if they election is held in 90 days,” a national Dem strategist tells TPM Election Central. “They get ugly when their backs are to the wall, and Barbour is just doing what they always try to do — bending the law to suit their purposes.”

Local Mississippi Dems are already upping the pressure on Barbour to follow the statute. “The Mississippi Code makes clear that if Senator Lott does indeed resign during this calendar year, as stated, then Governor Barbour must call a special election for within 90 days,” says Mississippi Democratic Party chair Wayne Dowdy, adding that “we expect the Governor to uphold the law.”

It’s unclear whether Dems would be able to capitalize on the 90-day provision, because it’s uncertain who will run for the seat and the situation remains in flux.

Barbour, meanwhile, is sticking to his vow to hold the election in November of 2008 — meaning that a legal fight over the fate of the seat is likely.

Because of all this, the statute also creates an interesting dilemma for Lott. Dems note that the statute holds that there is a way around the 90-day problem: If Lott were to set his resignation date for some time next year, that would nullify the 90-day provision. That’s because the statute says that if the resignation happens in a year when a Congressional election is already set to happen, the contest to fill the vacancy happens on that year’s election day. That would help the GOP, because the special appointee would hold the seat for much longer before the contest.

But if Lott resigns next year, rather than in 2007, that will create a problem for him. That’s because next year a new lobbying law will take effect requiring him to wait two years before entering the lobbying biz.

So, in effect, Lott has to choose between resigning this year, which would help his short term lobbying career, and resigning next year, which would help the GOP hold his seat.

By Leonard Doyle, Independent UK

The US arms industry is backing Hillary Clinton for President and has all but abandoned its traditional allies in the Republican party. Mrs Clinton has also emerged as Wall Street’s favorite. Investment bankers have opened their wallets in unprecedented numbers for the New York senator over the past three months and, in the process, dumped their earlier favourite, Barack Obama.

Mrs Clinton’s wooing of the defense industry is all the more remarkable given the frosty relations between Bill Clinton and the military during his presidency. An analysis of campaign contributions shows senior defence industry employees are pouring money into her war chest in the belief that their generosity will be repaid many times over with future defence contracts.

Employees of the top five US arms manufacturers - Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop-Grumman, General Dynamics and Raytheon - gave Democratic presidential candidates $103,900, with only $86,800 going to the Republicans. “The contributions clearly suggest the arms industry has reached the conclusion that Democratic prospects for 2008 are very good indeed,” said Thomas Edsall, an academic at Columbia University in New York.

Republican administrations are by tradition much stronger supporters of US armaments programmes and Pentagon spending plans than Democratic governments. Relations between the arms industry and Bill Clinton soured when he slimmed down the military after the end of the Cold War. His wife, however, has been careful not to make the same mistake.

After her election to the Senate, she became the first New York senator on the armed services committee, where she revealed her hawkish tendencies by supporting the invasion of Iraq. Although she now favours a withdrawal of US troops, her position on Iran is among the most warlike of all the candidates - Democrat or Republican.

This week, she said that, if elected president, she would not rule out military strikes to destroy Tehran’s nuclear weapons facilities. While on the armed services committee, Mrs Clinton has befriended key generals and has won the endorsement of General Wesley Clarke, who ran Nato’s war in Kosovo. A former presidential candidate himself, he is spoken of as a potential vice-presidential running mate.

Mrs Clinton has been a regular visitor to Iraq and Afghanistan and is careful to focus her criticisms of the Iraq war on President Bush, rather than the military. The arms industry has duly taken note.

So far, Mrs Clinton has received $52,600 in contributions from individual arms industry employees. That is more than half the sum given to all Democrats and 60 per cent of the total going to Republican candidates. Election fundraising laws ban individuals from donating more than $4,600 but contributions are often “bundled” to obtain influence over a candidate.
Continue Reading »