The Republicans are in a rabid frenzy about offshore drilling. They've finally realized that the US has to break away from its dependence on foreign oil.

But what has caused their sudden epiphany?

You'd think I'd have boggle fatigue by now. But this report is still mind boggling.

There's an explosive article appearing in Der Spiegel online.

It starts off by criticizing Bernanke and Company for applying their 20th Century mindset to the current economic crisis. The Fed is still operating under a set of principles developed when the US was the sole, undisputed economic Superpower

The textbook conclusion is that [developments in the US economy] will stabilize the value of money, because no one will dare demand higher wages or higher prices. But the macroeconomics textbooks are no longer worth much in the age of globalization.

That's a mild rebuke, compared to the rest of the article. The rest of the article is jaw dropping.

There have been heaps of rumors circulating on the internet about Barack Obama. "Some people are saying" that Barack Obama is a Muslim Manchurian Candidate. Now the Washington Post has adopted FauxNews "journalistic" standards: the WaPo is reporting on what "some people are wondering".

But, they have chosen the wrong candidate for their "Manchurian Candidate" scenario.

Kos rightfully praises Obama's party building here.

But party building is not just an opportunity to get more Democrats.

It's not just an opportunity to get better Democrats.

It's an opportunity to get a better Democratic Party.

The best way to get the Democratic Party you want, is to be the Democratic Party.

Well, maybe not.

There's a diary currently at the top of the rec list; it claims a war resolution is passing through Congress.

What is left out of the breathless rhetoric of that diary, is the fact that this resolution is a "Sense of Congress" resolution.

Here's the header from the bill itself:

Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the threat posed to international peace

You can't be too Black, to be President.
You can't be too White, to be President.

Gender is not a Presidential qualification.

You can't be too female, to be President.
You can't be too male, to be President.

From the same Administration that brought you this gem in 2005:

"I think we may well have some kind of presence there over a period of time," Cheney said. "The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."

They now bring you: "Al-Qaida close to defeat in Iraq"

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq [Ryan Crocker] said Saturday that al-Qaida's network in the country has never been closer to defeat, and he praised Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for his moves to rein in Shiite and Sunni militant groups.

I posted this comment in another forum.   It's a pointed response, directed at someone who said environmentalists were a bunch of whiners who stood in the way of energy progress (ANWR).

When I was finished with it, I realized that it might make a good diary, because it has some good arguments that I haven't heard in the debate.

There is a small brouhaha over Arriana Huffington's claim that John McCain did not vote for Bush in 2000.

McCain has denied this:

"It's not true," McCain spokesperson Tucker Bounds, told the Washington Post, adding, "I ask you to consider the source." Huffington replied, "By all means!"

....is becoming a "Politics as Usual" politician.

Obama has my strong support, because he seems to be the candidate most likely to change a dysfunctional political process. Bush is just a symptom; the process is the reason why we get Presidents like him. We need a system of political discourse that focuses on real issues, not flag pins and Rev Wrights.

Obama was making good headway at shrugging off the "Politics as Usual" syndrome. During the ABC debate, he chided them for the questions they asked. On the campaign trail, be drew attention to the disconnect between the process and the issue.

Any return to meaningful discourse must include the marginalization of FoxNews.

This diary is presented as a convenient source of information showing Bill Clinton wasn't much of a friend to the US working class.  He wasn't as bad as the Bushes, but that is damning with faint praise.

From what we've seen, I think we can expect Hillaryto be the same kind of DLC "New Democrat" that Bill Clinton was.

Here is some information that counters the myths about how good a Clinton Presidency is for wage earners.

Sure, he's got a lot of charisma and some people are really galvanized by his speeches.  I also concede that he brings a youthful energy to the race. He would indeed: represent a whole new generation of leadership.

But even if he were to win in November, then the Republicans would still do everything possible to "kneecap" him.  

We must be pragmatic and consider how the Republicans would exploit his vulnerabilities.

More on the flip:

When I sent the Clinton campaign some feedback, I knew that I would end up on their email list.

Little did I realize that my feedback would have such a powerful impact: Bill Clinton himself has personally contacted me.  He told me that he's urging Hillary to forget her silly "Bittergate" controversy; he wants her to focus on the issues.

Some text of the email on the flip:

When Al Gore said:

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.

The media and the Republicans crucified him for "inventing the internet". The accuracy of his statement was irrelevant. "Al Gore inventing the internet" is shorthand for one of the the main reasons why he lost in 2000.

AP Report: " Gates: Iran boosts support for militias"

WASHINGTON - Iranian support for militias in Iraq has grown, top U.S. defense leaders said Friday, asserting that recent battles in Basra gave the Iraqis an eye-opening view of Iran's increased negative role there. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the U.S. will be as aggressive as possible to counter that increase, adding that the Iraqis "are in a position themselves to bring some pressures to bear on Iran."

I was motivated by the diary titled: This is Why We're Going to Win. I'm not trying to call out the diarist, I just believe that his diary should be titled: "This is Why We Should Win".

Bear-Stearns and JP Morgan are reconsidering what had seemed to be a done deal. Major Bear-Stearns shareholders are very upset that their worthless company has only attracted a $2/share offer.  Disregarding the billions of dollars in outstanding debt to their depositors, Bear-Stearns argues that their headquarters building alone makes the company worth about $6/share.

Why do they feel entitled to disregard their billions of dollars in liabilities? Follow me onto the flip....

A Sense of Entitlement To Power.

Willing to Say Anything To Get It.

Willing to Do Anything To Get It.

Willing to Destroy Anyone Who Gets in The Way.

Willing to Destroy Anything That Gets in The Way.

Doing Whatever it Takes, To Get It.

Because the Ends Justify the Means.