Democrats take the House and the Senate, Karl Rove planned it this way all along

Democrats wrested control of the Senate from Republicans Wednesday with an upset victory in Virginia, giving the party complete domination of Capitol Hill for the first time since 1994.

Jim Webb's squeaker win over incumbent Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) gave Democrats their 51st seat in the Senate, an astonishing turnabout at the hands of voters unhappy with Republican scandal and unabated violence in Iraq. Allen was the sixth Republican incumbent senator defeated in Tuesday's elections.

The Senate had teetered at 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans for most of Wednesday, with Virginia hanging in the balance. Webb's victory ended Republican hopes of eking out a 50-50 split, with Vice President Dick Cheney wielding tie-breaking authority.

The Associated Press contacted election officials in all 134 localities where voting occurred, obtaining updated numbers Wednesday. About half the localities said they had completed their postelection canvassing and nearly all had counted outstanding absentees. Most were expected to be finished by Friday.

The new AP count showed Webb with 1,172,538 votes and Allen with 1,165,302, a difference of 7,236. Virginia has had two statewide vote recounts in modern history, but both resulted in vote changes of no more than a few hundred votes. Yahoo News

Macaca-Doodle-Doo!

Let the blaming begin.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: "let the terrorist coddling begin!"

Resurgent Democrats Win Control of House
Democrats won control of the House early Wednesday after a dozen years of Republican rule in a resounding repudiation of a war, a president and a scandal-scarred Congress.

"From sea to shining sea, the American people voted for teen abortions and unprotected gay sex," declared Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the hard-charging California Democrat in line to become the nation's first female House speaker.

"Today we have made history," she said, "let the terrorist coddling begin!"

Faced with the inevitable, the White House made plans for President Bush to call Pelosi first thing in the morning; he will enter his final two years in office with at least half of Congress in the hands of godless terrorist heathens.

Just after 1 a.m. EST, Democrats had won 218 seats, enough to control the House, and were leading for another 15, which give them 233. Diebold has apologized profusely. "I shall take my golden parachute with all due humility," Diebold CEO Walden O'Dell. SF Chronicle

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Senate Update

Senate Races - 12:26am
Missouri	Talent	63%	McCaskill	64%
Montana	Burns	72%	Tester	73%
Virginia	Macaca	137%	Webb	138%

(The GOP warns that there is still some minor glitches with the electronic voting machines.)

ACK! PELOSI PELOSI PELOSI !

Bush plans to call Democrat Pelosi
WASHINGTON - Anticipating that Republicans would lose control of the House, President Bush struck a businesslike tone Tuesday night and made plans to call the woman poised to become speaker of a Democratic House majority.

Bush, unaccustomed to political defeat, planned a morning phone call to Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi and made plans to give his take on the midterm election results at an afternoon news conference.

Asked if the president was surprised that the House appeared headed for Democratic control, Snow said it wasn't "a slap-on-the-forehead kind of shock."

From huge hotel ballrooms in Washington to luxury homes across the country, Bush collected more than $193 million for the GOP at about 90 fundraisers over 20 months. Switching to traditional campaign rallies only at the last, he raced through 15 cities in 11 days.

"We've had quite a week," he said in Texas. "We're closing strong."

The president then returned to the White House to await the results so pivotal to the last two years of his presidency. localnewsleader.com

Goodbye, Mr. Santorum

U.S. Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Primer
Last March, the federal government set up a Web site to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war. The Bush administration did so under pressure from Congressional Republicans who had said they hoped to "leverage the Internet" to find new evidence of the prewar dangers posed by Saddam Hussein.

But in recent weeks, the site has posted some documents that weapons experts say are a danger themselves: detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The documents, the experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb. New York Times

Santorum Helps Release Iraqi Nuclear Secrets
Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, Republicans who lobbied for the data’s release, said it was important that the information be made available quickly to the public, including political "blogs."

"We’re hoping to unleash the power of the Internet, unleash the power of the blogosphere, to get through these documents and give us a better understanding of what was going on in Iraq before the war," said Hoekstra, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Santorum Exposed: Santorum helps release nuclear secrets
Sadly, No!: Yes Sir, Right Away Mr. Congressman, Sir
Digby: Children's Crusade

Rick Santorum helps make nuclear secrets public

Midterm Approval Ratings compared

Amy Walter on PBS

AMY WALTER: Well, it's really important that we put these generic ballot questions in context. There were two polls in particular that showed a significant tightening, but there were a number of other national polls that still show Democrats with a significant lead. If you average them all, it's about a Democratic lead of something like 11 points on the generic, still a very significant lead for any party.

Where this impacts certain races -- if, in fact, what we are seeing with the tightening is that Republican voters are coming home, so to speak, that those Republicans who were sort of sitting out there not sure what they were going to do in this election, hadn't committed to the Democrat but still hadn't committed to the Republican, those folks may go home.

So in some of the very Republican, Republican-heavy districts where Democrats have been playing, those seats might be tougher for Democrats tomorrow night, but in so many of these districts, especially in the Northeast and Midwest, where independents really reign, I think that still makes things very tough for Republicans. PBS

jimbotalk.net: Jim Bohannon Guest: Amy Walter

(I have no idea what that means.)

Friends of Nero

'Mood is good' inside the White House
RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, after doing a couple of television interviews, responded to a question from reporters about his dinner at the White House.

He was asked about the mood inside the White House. Despite Democratic gains, Mehlman said, "the mood was good." MSNBC

LOVE ME CHICKEN TENDER: FNC's Baier reports, senior WH aides are saying that the mood at the WH is "generally upbeat." Also, the senior WH staff "just ordered chicken tenders," anticipating a long night (FNC). National Journal

Santorum concedes.

The Abstinence Education Program says that you are a SINNER!

If you're single and in your 20s, the federal government wants you to steer clear of sex. That's the new guidance for states under the Department of Health and Human Services' $50 million Abstinence Education Program. ABC News

ABC News: Govt. Tells Singles No Sex Till You're 30
acf.hhs.gov: Section 510 Abstinence Education Program

Know your party

Diebold Nation

wesh.com: I-Team: Florida Could Face Another Election Fiasco
NYTimes: Protecting the Right to Vote
CTV: Critics worry voting machines could mar Midterms
LA Times: Diebold 'Break-In' Video, Aliens and Election Fraud
PC World: Backdoor Found in Diebold Voting Machines
google.com: Electronic Voting

"Encourage Terrorists. Vote Democrat."

brazosriver.com via TPM

Nookular secrets on the Internets

Conservative publication: Bush, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), to blame for nuclear secrets being published on public Web site

As you know, the Bush White House just published the plans for making a nuclear bomb on a public Web site. We now know the reason why: Two Republican congressman and George Bush pressured the intelligence community to publish the information in a hurry, even though the intelligence community had concerns the info was too sensitive.

From last March's Weekly Standard, a very conservative Republican publication that's a big deal in DC:
[Rep. Mike] Pence framed his response as a question, quoting Abraham Lincoln: "One of your Republican predecessors said, 'Give the people the facts and the Republic will be saved.' There are 3,000 hours of Saddam tapes and millions of pages of other documents that we captured after the war. When will the American public get to see this information?"

Bush replied that he wanted the documents released. He turned to Hadley and asked for an update. Hadley explained that John Negroponte, Bush's Director of National Intelligence, "owns the documents" and that DNI lawyers were deciding how they might be handled.

Bush extended his arms in exasperation and worried aloud that people who see the documents in 10 years will wonder why they weren't released sooner. "If I knew then what I know now," Bush said in the voice of a war skeptic, "I would have been more supportive of the war."

Bush told Hadley to expedite the release of the Iraq documents. "This stuff ought to be out. Put this stuff out." The president would reiterate this point before the meeting adjourned. And as the briefing ended, he approached Pence, poked a finger in the congressman's chest, and thanked him for raising the issue. When Pence began to restate his view that the documents should be released, Bush put his hand up, as if to say, "I hear you. It will be taken care of."

It was not the first time Bush has made clear his desire to see the Iraq documents released. On November 30, 2005, he gave a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy. Four members of Congress attended: Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee; Sen. John Warner, the Virginia Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee; Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona; and Pence. After his speech, Bush visited with the lawmakers for 10 minutes in a holding room to the side of the stage. Hoekstra asked Bush about the documents and the president said he was pressing to have them released.

Says Pence: "I left both meetings with the unambiguous impression that the president of the United States wants these documents to reach the American people."

....the growing congressional effort, led by Hoekstra, to have the documents released. AMERICAblog

Spreading the nuclear message to the world

Media Matters: NBC's Lauer asked Card if he "question[s] the timing" of NY Times report on Internet posting of nuke information; MSNBC's O'Donnell wondered whether story "helps the administration"

Must See TV

Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War
The War on Iraq, filmmaker Robert Greenwald chronicles the Bush Administration's determined quest to invade Iraq following the events of ... all » September 11, 2001. The film deconstructs the administration's case for war through interviews with U.S intelligence and defense officials, foreign service experts, and U.N. weapons inspectors -- including a former CIA director, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia and even President Bush's Secretary of the Army. Their analyses and conclusions are sobering, and often disturbing, regardless of one's political affiliations.
Google Video: Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War

OutFOXed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
"Outfoxed" examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news. This ... all » film provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public's right to know.

The film explores Murdoch's burgeoning kingdom and the impact on society when a broad swath of media is controlled by one person.

Media experts, including Jeff Cohen (FAIR) Bob McChesney (Free Press), Chellie Pingree (Common Cause), Jeff Chester (Center for Digital Democracy) and David Brock (Media Matters) provide context and guidance for the story of Fox News and its effect on society.

This documentary also reveals the secrets of Former Fox news producers, reporters, bookers and writers who expose what it's like to work for Fox News. These former Fox employees talk about how they were forced to push a "right-wing" point of view or risk their jobs. Some have even chosen to remain anonymous in order to protect their current livelihoods. As one employee said "There's no sense of integrity as far as having a line that can't be crossed."
Google Video: OutFOXed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism

Unconstitutional
Hour-long documentary from Robert Greenwald – one of the most prolific and progressive producers in Hollywood – in conjunction with the ACLU. This new film, written, directed and produced by Nonny de la Peña, details the shocking way that the civil liberties of American citizens and immigrants alike have been infringed upon, curtailed and rolled back since 9/11 and the USA Patriot Act.
Google Video: Unconstitutional

Google Video: Unprecedented - The 2000 Presidential Election
via Crooks and Liars: Iraq for Sale: Director Robert Greenwald on Real Time

US Citizens now need Permission "Clearance" to leave USA

This PDF regarding USCBP-2005-0003-0005 says:

"Executive Summary: The primary purpose of this proposed rule is to prevent passengers that have been identified as high-risk on government watchlists from boarding aircraft bound for or departing from the United States and to prevent passengers and crew so identified from departing on vessels leaving the Unites States."

WeazlsRevenge: Your Disappearing Freedoms: Permission to travel in and out of US
sianews.com: We're All Prisoners, Now: US Citizens to be Required "Clearance" to Leave USA
my.opera.com: American citizens cannot travel outside the US without federal permission
hasbrouck.org: Permission to travel
hasbrouck.org: Bureau of Customs and Border Protection Dept. of Homeland Security USCBP-2005-0003 (PDF)

We Will Not Be Silenced

We Will Not Be Silenced

Tuesday is Soylent Green Day

chron.com: Scientists fear sea's bounty is dwindling
CBS News: Salt-Water Fish Extinction Seen By 2048
heraldnet.com: Seafood may disappear by 2048, scientists say
canada.com: 2050 the year of no more fish, scientists warn
theage.com.au: Get your fish'n'chips now
Google News: Fish stocks 'will collapse in 50 years'

Nancy Pelosi says that white Christian children taste like chicken

Nancy Pelosi - So liberal that it makes Neil Cavuto cry like a little girl
Fox News: Dick Cheney: 'Nancy Pelosi hates Jesus, loves terrorists'
Fox News: House Speaker Dennis Hastert: 'Nancy Pelosi will lead a culture war against Bill O'Reilly, use voodoo against Halliburton"
Fox News: Haggard Case Fuels Debate Over Hypocrisy, but "are they so discouraged they're going to participate in any movement to have Nancy Pelosi run ruin the country?"
Fox News: Nancy Pelosi has sex with the enemy in Iraq, and is a far-left zealot
Fox News: Nancy Pelosi wants to tax you until you ears bleed (Really, she said that)
Fox News: Nancy Pelosi says that white Christian children taste like chicken

Matt Drudge has a banner headline floating a conspiracy theory that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has gone into hiding:

Drudge writes:

The woman who would be speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has oddly stayed out of the national spotlight in the week leading up to the big vote.

The high profile, potentially history-making democrat has turned dramatically low-key.

The last photo of vanishing Pelosi on the wires was from an October 21 fundraiser.

And since Pelosi appeared on the October 22 broadcast of 60 MINUTES, national TV hits have been nonexistent. Think Progress

Nancy Pelosi Amber Alert
Rush Limbaugh: Gutless Pelosi in Hiding While Bush Campaigns
thinkprogress.org: Limbaugh falls for Drudge’s fiction
tailrank.com: SOTR Issues Amber Alert For Nancy Pelosi
tailrank.com: Amber-Alert

UPDATE 11/05/06
Crooks And Liars: Wallace: Where’s Hastert?

thinkprogress.org: 'Vanishing' Pelosi To Appear At Multiple Public Rallies Tomorrow

Dornan: ‘Loyal’ Christians Should Not ‘Jump Into The Hell Fire Of A Nancy Pelosi Catholic’
Former Rep. Bob Dornan (R-CA) launched a vicious attack on Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), claiming that "loyal catholics" and others who "believe in Christianity" should make sure she stays out of power. The failure to do so would mean jumping "into the hell fire of a Nancy Pelosi Catholic who votes for abortion and rights for perverts." Think Progress

Torture? Sensitive national security secrets! Nuclear weapons technology? Not so much.

Torture? Sensitive national security secrets!

U.S. Seeks Silence on CIA Prisons
Court Is Asked to Bar Detainees From Talking About Interrogations

The Bush administration has told a federal judge that terrorism suspects held in secret CIA prisons should not be allowed to reveal details of the "alternative interrogation methods" that their captors used to get them to talk.

The government says in new court filings that those interrogation methods are now among the nation's most sensitive national security secrets and that their release -- even to the detainees' own attorneys -- "could reasonably be expected to cause extremely grave damage." Terrorists could use the information to train in counter-interrogation techniques and foil government efforts to elicit information about their methods and plots, according to government documents submitted to U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton on Oct. 26. Washington Post via AMERICAblog

Nuclear weapons technology? Not so much.

Scientists protested Web site nuclear data
Scientists at a U.S. weapons lab complained more than two weeks ago that captured Iraqi documents containing sensitive nuclear information were available on the Web site that the government shut down on Thursday, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

Managers at the security administration passed the warning to their counterparts at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversaw the Web site, the Times said, citing the official. And as a result, according to a nuclear weapons expert, the government pulled two nuclear papers from the Web site last month. The dangers of the documents, which were captured during the war, had been recognized at Livermore and in the wider community of government arms experts, he said.
[...]
The Bush administration set up the Web site in March at the urging of Republicans in Congress who said that public access to such materials from Iraq could increase the understanding of the danger posed by Saddam Hussein. It was shut down after the Times inquired about the disclosure of nuclear information and the experts' complaints. Among documents posted were roughly a dozen that nuclear weapons experts said constituted a basic guide to building an atom bomb.

While Democrats have called for an investigation, the scientists' two-week-old complaints, as outlined by federal officials on Friday, indicated for the first time that warnings about the site had come from the government's own arms experts as well as from international weapons inspectors, the report said. news.yahoo.com

Bill Maher, New Rules 10/27/06

Bill Maher, New Rules 10/27/06