This is good news indeed, as Nancy Pelosi has proven to be a miserable failure as a House Speaker. That was no surprise of course, but still.

Break on through to the other side for some of the article and further commentary:

You can have Billy Boy Kristol. But I'm sure he'll throw himself on the floor and have a tantrum and refuse to go.

Billy Boy seems to be sporting a brand new, more august-looking photo in his latest Op-Ed for the New York Times, in which he whines about Move-On again.
http://www.nytimes.com/...

I am a Barack Obama supporter. Once enthusiastically, now a bit less so. I am willing to let the politics of this play out this week and see where things stand in the Senate before writing Obama off. Aside from waiting though, I want to do something on this issue. I live in Oregon my House member David Wu voted against this legislation and I know my Democratic Senator stands opposed so there is nothing to be done here.

I got to thinking, how can I make a difference? How can I sway Obama to see reason and not support sacrificing any of my RIGHTS and LIBERTIES any furher? I have written emails, letters and made phone calls to all the staff I have access to on the campaign (not many). I want to do more.

It occurred to me that the longest running story of this campaign has been Obama's fundraising prowess online. How can we voice our displeasure, maybe sway his vote on FISA? Give money to Ralph Nader. That will get Obama's attention, heck, maybe even Pelosi would notice:

UPDATE HERE: Somebody actually came up with a better idea than money to Nader:

Support the ACLU

Happy first day of summer! I love summer; you won't hear me complain too much about heat because I despise winter and being cold.

And, the chosen color choice for the Friends of Olbermann shirts is [insert drum roll here]...purple and white in honor of those infamous purple ties that are such the hot topic when they're worn! Thanks to everyone who voted. Tonight's poll will decide which number will be assigned to the jersey we will make for and send to Keith. Whether or not he wears it is entirely up to him! ;) So, don't forget to vote.

And, now, here we go with tonight's Countdown diary!

**UPDATED TO FALL IN LINE WITH THE RULES**  
I removed the offending link to Sheehan's site.  Now, I believe this diary is simply newsworthy as it states a rival candidate's views.  Am I "safe" now?

Last night, after hearing about Pelosi's capitulation on FISA, I got angry.  Angry that I supported her and gave her the benefit of the doubt back when she took impeachment off the table.  Angry that she once again gave Bush cover for his crimes.  I had enough.

Last night I donated to the Cindy Sheehan campaign.

Today I received a message from Cindy Sheehan's campaign:

The FISA "compromise" that the House voted on today was a disgrace.  We all know this.  The idea that Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi put such a horrible bill in front of Congress shows just how bad our government is.  I want to show Pelosi just how upset I am.  I made the phone call but feel I need to do more.  I now have the answer.

MoveOn Iraq War and Recession Report Release - Boca Raton, Florida

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Toiled ever upward through the night."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Peace comes upon us without much fanfare.  Most await an announcement or seek a moment of resolve.  However, the message never comes.  In this country, in our local communities, and perchance planet wide, a small number of people acknowledge goodwill is not created in an instant.  It grows.  The transition from warfare to common welfare is invisible.  Tranquility enters; and no one stands triumphantly.  

Torture is the tool of those who have power but no moral authority.  Today America is run by people who think torture makes sense.

I have a problem . I just cannot help myself from arguing with those who support or condone its use.   And lately I have been arguing a lot about this ugly reality.  Eventually I disconnect from these people.  
Torture is a defining issue to me. I do not want to have anything to do with people who torture.  I don’t want them to come to my home, I don’t want to talk to them in social settings, I don’t want to work with them, I don’t want them in police stations or in the Pentagon and I don’t want them in the White House or Congress.  

So, as of today, where do the presidential contenders stand on torture?  Which one gives me the most hope that the creeping cancer of torture will be contained and eradicated, which one will shut down Guantanamo faster, which one will most probably bring to justice those who have committed this crime, which one will set America on the path to reclaim some degree of the moral authority to play any leadership role in global politics?

It was one of those eye-rolling moments when I read in the SF Chronicle that Ms. Sheehan followed through with her threat to "challenge" Speaker Pelosi for the Democratic nomination. Apparently "Chicken John" Rinaldi declined to run for the seat, which cleared the way for Ms. Sheehan.
Here's the  story.
If you want to kindly ask her to reconsider her efforts (or offer your support and a $2,300 donation)please contact her here

Here's what I wrote to her...

Oh christ...

Like we didn't have ENOUGH problems with the schisms within this Party right now.

She's now on the hunt for the 10,189 siganatures to be qualified for the Ballot, I assume as an INDEPENDENT.

I'm going to present this, WITHOUT OPINION. (At least up here!)

I live in CA-8, Nancy Pelosi’s district.  In fact, I live right in the middle of downtown San Francisco. I see, literally every day, some of the ills of gentrification, as well as the high-rise development in downtown and the dire situation of drug use and homelessness that plagues our nation. I have lived in and traveled all over Europe, and I’ve never seen the devastation of the San Francisco Tenderloin.

I have to take a moment today to remember someone who I never met but who means a lot to me. Casey Austin Sheehan died 4 years ago today in Iraq. A day I will never forget 04/04/04. (Forgive me for not knowing how to add his picture)

I think of Casey often. I think about how he didn't want to go to war but he did. He did it because he always did the right thing. He was that kind of person. He was a good guy who came from a wonderful family.

Being a parent I can't imagine having one of my children missing from my life. It happens to so many. Cindy, Casey's Mom spoke about the masses of death and also told us some telling things about Casey....things I think we should all remember. A mother knows her child best

"When your child is killed in a war, they always say ‘Your child volunteered. Your child was a hero.’What makes him a hero if he was ordered to kill innocent Iraqis?" -- Cindy Sheehan.

The convergence of today's 5th anniversary of "shock and awe" with Christian Holy Week and Iraq Moratorium #7 has sparked hundreds of antiwar actions across the country this week.

The Iraq Moratorium, a loosely-knit grassroots movement, is usually observed on the Third Friday of every month, but March events are spread throughout the week.

It began last weekend, when more than 500 people gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of San Francisco for a rally, march and vigil. Speakers included Daniel Ellsberg, Cindy Sheehan, State Sen. Carole Migden and former San Francisco Supervisor and current Green Party vice presidential candidate Matt Gonzalez.

Lest we think that opposition to the war and occupation of Iraq is limited to the left in this country, consider the lineup of speakers for a March 16 Iraq Moratorium event in San Francisco:

Several of the usual suspects: Sean Penn; Cindy Sheehan; the Rev. Gregory Stewart, senior minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church; Matt Gonzalez, ex-president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and rumored vice presidential candidate on the Green Party ticket.

And one Justin Raimondo, libertarian and paleoconservative (look it up; we did) author who also runs the website Antiwar.com, where he writes things like:

Former United States Representative Elizabeth Holtzman wrote on the need for impeachment, and why the excuses for not doing it hold no water whatsoever.  Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel (yes, he's still running, no matter how much some want to deny it) is calling for impeachment -- as is Cindy Sheehan, who is rightly trying to unseat Nancy Pelosi for her complicity in the crimes of the Bush-Cheney regime.

On Friday's front page, kos pointed out that

We don't have much power. In fact, we have very little.

As we've learned this year, Democrats in DC are more afraid of David Broder, Joe Klein, and Mr. 24%, than they are of their constituents. They are more concerned with Beltway opinion than they are with the national consensus. They are happier dealing with lobbyists than they are dealing with real people. They are more concerned with avoiding criticism than they are of delivering campaign promises.

(snip)  

And they know damn well we'd rather hold our nose and vote for them than risk an even viler Republican slip in their stead.

So what does that leave us? Well, we have one tool at our disposal, our only way to influence the behavior of our elected officials:

We can primary them

Good enough. But then there's Nancy Pelosi's district, the California 8th. So far, there is no Democratic primary challenger to Nancy. There are two Rs running, a potential Green (not Matt Gonzalez, thank G-d), and she-who-must-not-be-named-here, running as an Independent. All this comes together after the jump.  

Let's get one thing straight up front – I'm a Democrat. I have been a Democrat long enough (my whole life) to remember what the Democratic party stands for. (If you have any doubts what the Democratic party stands for, I recommend renting It's a Wonderful Life this Christmas. Frank Capra gets it across much better than I could.)

I do NOT support abandoning the Democratic party for a third party. I believe that, while the Democratic leadership does not deserve our support, and this includes most of those elected in Washington, it does not serve the interests of the progressive movement, or the Democratic wing of the Democratic party, to hand the government back to the Republicans.

I believe that, even though she is a card carrying member of the Washington Establishment (otherwise known as "the problem), a Hillary presidency would be much better than any Republican running.

I also believe that, though the Senate houses the worst of our party, we simply cannot afford to hand it back to the Republicans either.

Sometimes when I can't sleep, I plug in a name at Project Vote Smart and start reading that person's public statements for any little gems I can find.  Here is today's gem:

Statements from Mike Huckabee's website have made it to Project Vote Smart, including this:

What I accomplished as Governor proves that there is a lot more that a pro-life President can do than wait for a Supreme Court vacancy, and I will do everything I can to promote a pro-life agenda and pass pro-life legislation. If I'm saddled with a Democrat Congress, I'll veto any pro-abortion legislation they pass. I will staff all relevant positions with pro-life appointees. I will use the bully pulpit to change hearts and minds. I have no desire to throw women in jail, I just want us to stop throwing babies in the garbage.

He has no desire to throw women in jail - but he may just have to!  Stupid, slutty women!  They just like to throw babies in the garbage.  Why, women hardly qualify as people.  They're more like dumb animals, really, but more skanky.