The headline is obviously referring to the blog, which is currently under repair. I think the only thing showing right now are the actual posts. Spent most of the weekend working on it, but ran into some frustrations. Eventually (probably over the course of the week), you will see a new look, along with possibly a new URL. Stay tuned...

Lots to mention to get this week started, one that looms large in political circles. More on that later and probably in another post.

Let's start with a birthday, born of a $1.65 billion investment. That is how much Google paid for YouTube in 2007, considered a major risk at the time. Well, last October, the internet video powerhouse eclipsed some one billion page views per day, and just recently it announced that figured had doubled. Today, YouTube turns five.

It is almost amazing to think that YouTube didn't exist when I was in high school. In what is clearly a sign of the information age, it is so prevalent right now as to give the impression that it has always existed. Yes, I was born before computers were even that ubiquitous. When I was in elementary school the cool thing to do on a computer was play Oregon Trail." Now, well, on this browser alone, I have nine different tabs open (five of them are related to this blog actually).

Google as a corporation has revolutionized information, taking advantage of the internet in the same way Microsoft did the personal computer. There is no slowing this train down. What I find funny to remember is the man who is largely give credit for creating the internet (financially anyway), Al Gore, is now so widely criticized in his current endeavor (clean energy) as to think he's never successfully done any forward thinking. Even Gore could not have expected this. The internet, as you don't need to be told, has changed the foundation of just about everything in the world, including the family. Google has been by far the leader.

So happy birthday to one of its arms, YouTube.

Uplifting, yet sad at the same time, the University of Virginia women's lacrosse team opened up the NCAA tournament with a win yesterday, in its first game since the murder of one of their own, Yeardley Love. Love's mother and sister were in the stands as the entire team held up pieces of paper with the number "1" on them, a reference to the motto of both teams in the NCAA tournament, "One Love." The alleged killer was a member of the men's team, which returned to action with a win on Saturday.

BP is claiming some success today, after a pipe inserted into the 21-inch riser pipe was able to begin diverting oil to a tanker on the surface. The mile long pipe is just four inches wide, means its effect is minimal, but it marks the biggest positive step anyone has seen in stopping the leak. Late last week reports suggested that more than 10 times more oil was leaking that previously thought. At the original rate there would have been about 5.6 million gallons spilled up to today, in the fourth week of the spill. In the newer range that has been hypothesized, somewhere around 100 million gallons has already spilled. That would be about 10 Exxon Valdez spills, with the end still of in the distance.

A Rhode Island school that fired all of its teachers has reached a tentative agreement to rehire all of them, after a three month process. The school board of the district voted to fire every staff member, teachers and administrators, over low student performance. A new deal would allow the teachers to return to work in the fall without having to re-apply for their jobs.

After 40 years, the Boston University class of 1970 walked in a graduation ceremony this weekend, a chance the 3,000 graduates never got during the turmoil of the time. Final exams and the ceremony were canceled that year after the university, like so many others, became the site of strikes, sit-ins, building takeovers and fire-bombings. That spring saw President Richard Nixon invade Cambodia and National Guardsmen killing nine students at Kent State.

Attorney General Eric Holder gave the commencement speech to the entire graduating class, including the 2010 grads, saying, "I love you all," then gesturing toward the class of 1970, sitting in front him, "But these are my people."

--

Amazingly, I avoided Congress and politics for a while there, but no longer (I will be avoiding the Mariners, however, so if you want to be depressed, try the Seattle Times).

• Politico suggests that President Obama is rolling his sleeves up and taking a more hands-on approach with Congress right now, as financial reform and possibly energy work their way through. That can only be good for those efforts.
  
  It probably also shows that, with some Democrats unwilling to campaign on a health care bill that was painted in such a negative light, the administration needs to give them something else. Cracking down on Wall Street should work every time.
• Not necessarily political, but I absolutely loved this interview yesterday in the New York Times Magazine, with Alan Greenberg of JP Morgan Chase.
• Congressional hearings this week on the oil spill in the Gulf will focus on the federal response. Two things to watch:
  - Are federal officials just as non-committal (or even finger-pointing) as their oil executive counterparts. After the speech Obama gave on Friday, for his administration to point fingers at oil companies would likely backfire.
  - That said, expect to see the officials talk about how their response was appropriate and swift, even though there was very little the government could do initially. Quite frankly, what is often missed is that oil companies know best how to handle these sorts of things, which is why BP is still involved at all. If the hearing gets into how close the oil companies and their regulator are, or why BP was not required to do a full assessment before drilling the well, it could get ugly for the administration.
• Here is a quick primer on what is going on in Pennsylvania, something my later post will cover. This one is far more interesting than the others, to me at least, simply because I really do think Arlen Specter is the only one that can win the general.
• Expect to see something from me on this as well, as questions loom over whether Governor Christine Gregoire will be nominated for the solicitor general position being vacated by Elena Kagan. That obviously has ramifications across Washington state politics. This next day or so of blogging is going to be fun.

My sports-related note comes from where else but UW. After a marathon NCAA tournament last year, that saw the Husky softball team travel from Massachusetts to Atlanta to Oklahoma City on chartered jets for three straight weeks (with no trips home), the team will host an NCAA Regional, partly thanks to that success.

Despite being a higher seed at both the regional and the super regional last year, the Huskies were forced to travel because their stadium did not have lights, an NCAA requirement for hosting. The Huskies turned the lengthy road trip (which, unlike basically every school outside of the west coast, was in the middle of the academic quarter) into a positive and rode it the program's first national championship.

Along the way, their story was told over and over again on ESPN, leading to an influx of donations and the unveiling of lights to begin the 2010 at Husky Softball Stadium. The Huskies (45-6, 17-4) will host a regional starting Friday. Despite being the top-ranked team in the country for the entire season, unanimously for most of it, the Huskies are just the No. 3 overall seed. Alabama and Michigan are one and two, respectively.

A couple more things on this: The Huskies head into their 17th-consecutive postseason appearance coming off of the best regular season in school history. Washington missed out on the tournament in its first season of existence, 1993, but has been there in every year since.

And not only was this a big season for the team, but, as mentioned in previous posts, reigned National Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie has cemented her place as maybe the greatest pitcher to ever play the game and certainly one of the best athletes in UW history. She set the Pac-10 career strikeout record over the weekend. Lawrie heads into the postseason with, get this, a 35-2 record, 0.99 ERA and 407 strikeouts in 247.1 innings, while also hitting .322 with team highs of 14 homeruns and 55 RBI. Have the Mariners even scored 55 runs yet this season? Before last weekend she was almost out-homering that whole team.

Finally, if you can get past the blatant partisanship here, the way he presents this is absolutely hilarious. Obama was talking to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Yes, he is completely finger pointing, but tell me when he says, "No!", you didn't laugh.



Happy Monday

"This is 10 percent luck, 20 percent skill, 15 percent concentrated power of will. Five percent pleasure, 50 percent pain, and 100 percent reason to remember the name."

It is hard to differentiate between spring and summer here, but I'd say the latter has definitely arrived with a bang this weekend. Saturday it was 88, perfectly clear and beautiful. Yesterday, closer to 90 and clouding over. Today, raining and brutally humid. If I ever leave this place, that is one thing I will absolutely not miss.

On to the news.

The city of New Orleans swears in a new mayor today, Mitch Landrieu, its first white mayor in more than three decades. The last white mayor in city, about two-thirds black, was Landrieu's father, Maurice. For those political types like me, who immediately said "I recognize that name," yes, he is the brother of Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu.

Are his views on offshore drilling on par with his sister's, who got a bill opening up 8.3 million acres in the Gulf to oil exploration? Well, probably not today. Talk about walking into a beehive. Landrieu assumes his role of mayor amidst a natural disaster, though those are coming one after the other in the region these days.

Right now, according to someone in the area (couldn't figure out just who said it), the best case scenario is another week of what Florida Governor Charlie Crist called a, "volcano of oil." That said, I've been paying very close attention to this, as you can imagine, and I've yet to see someone definitively say that any one thing they are doing is actually going to stop the flow of oil. I'm guessing we'll still be dealing with the flow for quite some time, after which the cleanup will begin.

That cleanup may well extend all the way to the east coast.

Said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Meet the Press yesterday: "We are already preparing a campaign for a major restoration of the Gulf Coast." Again.

Now, I realize I ask this question pretty much every week, but no one ever answers. When, if ever, have we seen a time period where disasters hit with such frequency? Earthquakes are shaking the planet every day it seems. There was on in Arkansas last week. Arkansas. The Gulf Coast has been getting absolutely tortured by natural disasters, mostly hurricanes. Now, what is poised to be the worst oil spill in US history creeps toward the coastline by day. Tornadoes and other storms killed about a dozen people in Tennessee and Mississippi over the weekend. Two coal miners were killed last week, just three weeks after 29 were trapped in a West Virginia mine, all dying.

Someone apparently forgot to tell two car bombers that it wasn't April anymore, when they hastily parked near Times Square. The idea that these oft-used insurgency tactics could land on the busiest street in America is plenty to get your attention, I would think.

But seriously, who even remembers that Haiti is still digging itself out from an earthquake? We used to get breaks to recover and prepare for the next thing. Not anymore. There is no need to remember "where you were when that happened." Just pull out your calendar; chances are something happened today.

I am not trying to create fear amongst all my readers, Fox News does that just fine. This is just an honest question: has there ever been a time period like this? Where each day is so unpredictable, and each catastrophic event as devastating as the last? Or do we just sensationalize each thing more? Usually, I would say the latter. However, at least 42 people have died in energy disasters in the last month. More oil is going to be spilled in the Gulf that the total average in the US in 1990. If this spill hits the Exxon Valdez number, it will 10 times the average spill total in the US today. Port au Prince is destroyed, as are parts of Chili. Oh, and let's not forget that the Ninth Ward is still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina. And that is just the Western Hemisphere.

All of this and I have yet to mention the recent horrifying details of men in China going into schools and stabbing children. Sadly, the most frustrating part of the story in China isn't even the children (that is more terrifying), it is the way the Chinese government covers it up.

Maybe this is sad, or just a reflection of how frequent these types of headlines have become, but I have come to expect these things everyday. Which is why I ask, when was the last time the world was like this? The Cold War? Ever? Or is my being an American and living here shielding me from the fact that many other places have been like this forever?

It was almost fitting that last night I sat down to watch "The West Wing". It is by far my favorite television show ever, and the episode I watched last night is why. In September of 2001, the show was preparing to open its third season, complete with the president announcing he was going to run despite never disclosing to the public that he has MS. Then September 11th happened. Many people channeled their emotions through different skills they have, and Aaron Sorkin, the show's writer, was no different. He sat down and pulled off the most clutch, masterful piece of writing I've maybe ever seen.

"Isaac and Ishmael" was the title of the special episode that aired in place of the season premiere. It was a play, done specifically to talk about terrorism. Now, you might say that terrorism is not what I've been talking about this entire post, but that isn't the point. This is: about midway through the episode, a group of kids is peppering Sam Seaborn (played by Rob Lowe) about why he thinks terrorism has a 100 percent failure rate. A girl then say to Lowe, "they still do it. Their failure hasn't stopped them." You can tell she is stuck in this American principle that, when something doesn't work, you stop trying it (ah, if only more Americans actually lived by this policy). Lowe is unrelenting, however, and just says that's how it is. So the girl, all of 17 maybe, asks Lowe, "what do you call a place where the pizza place your sitting in could just blow up at anytime?" Without missing a beat, Lowe responds: "Israel."

So yes, maybe we are simply getting a small taste of what many places in the world already face everyday. And maybe we should recognize that our lives, while unpredictable and often frustrating, are still relatively safe and free of worry. My biggest problem this weekend was staying cool as the temperature rapidly increased. My life is not difficult, even compared to those who live in the same relative comfort I do. It's like Josh Lyman (played by Bradley Whitford), says in the same episode: "My government salary may not be much, but I still make more than the guy whose job it is to stand in front of the bullet. How do I tell him I quit?"

I'm going to work for that guy.


Links:

- I was honestly going to link the video from the Correspondents dinner, where everyone gives funny speeches and Washington talks about how awesome it is. However, Jay Leno (who I considered not even bolding) was so not funny that I refuse to put it on my blog. Adamantly refuse. Obama's best joke was something like: "Unfortunately, John McCain couldn’t make it. Recently he claimed that he had never identified himself as a maverick. And we all know what happens in Arizona when you don’t have ID."

Obama also joked that, while his star may have fallen some in the past year, so has the media's, and said that Senator Scott Brown is a special kind of politician, since rarely do you find one with nothing to hide. He was obviously referring to the nude centerfold piece Brown once did. Finally, he referred to RNC Chairman Michael Steele as the Notorious GOP. Too bad Leno was awful after him.

- After blowing another fantastic pitching performance (8 innings of shutout ball), that Mariners made some organizational moves last night. In the serious against Texas they scored a grand total of three runs in 32 innings. The Phillies scored nine in one inning last night.

- Pay attention to what is going on with Charlie Crist in Florida. It matters. He would certainly be a moderate voice in the senate, possibly voting with Dems on energy issues (though hopefully they get that done before he arrives) and a few other things, such as education.

- This continued sentiment, however, could derail energy in congress. Amazing that a drilling disaster could be what stops us from passing legislation designed to move us away from oil.

That's all I've got time for this morning. I'll certainly be back. No mom, I didn't proofread it again. My apologies.

How fitting that the morning after my Roger Dorn (and his wife) reference, we get a story circulating that Charlie Sheen is cheating on his wife. Can I just say that, of all of the guys named or related to Sheen's, Martin is by far my favorite? He's certainly one of a select group of Hollywood actors that would ever do a commercial in opposition of a death with dignity law, but that isn't why.

This is obvious: The West Wing, plain and simple. Although, as my mother and grandparents can attest, I've seen Emilio Estevez in The Mighty Ducks a few times in my life. Quack, quack, quack, quack, Mr. Ducksworth.

Moving on.

On this date in 1865, just a few days after the end of the Civil War, an actor named John Wilkes Booth yelled the words, "sic semper tyrannis," moments after shooting the President of the United States in the back of the head.

Abraham Lincoln died the following day in a house across the street from Ford's Theater, just about two blocks from my Washington office. It still stands.

"Thus always to Tyrants," is a Latin phrase attributed Marcus Junius Brutus (I love Latin names) as part of the assassination of Julius Caesar. It is also the motto of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as recommended by George Mason. Reports say that Timothy McVeigh, who was put to death in Terre Haute, Ind. in 2001 for planning and carrying out the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, was wearing a shirt with the phrase and a picture of Lincoln when captured. Monday will mark the 15th anniversary of the 1995 bombing, which means it will also mark the 17th anniversary of the Waco Siege. More than 250 people died between the two events.

April is a difficult month for many, as I will chronicle in the next few days. Specifically the dates between April 15-20 have been as bloody a time in our history as there has ever been. However, if not our greatest than certainly our second or third greatest president was murdered on this day. Just days after he had finished saving this union.

The irony of the phrase, sic semper tyrannis, "thus always to tyrants," should not escape you. For it was Lincoln who not long before reaffirmed this country's departure from tyranny.

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

And who even more recently had boldly stated that it was time this country moved forward to be more perfect.

"Let us judge not, that we be not judged," he said. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

--

Whew, how was that history lesson?

- Since we are moving to forge a lasting peace with all nations, what better news to report than the extremely positive outcomes of the nuclear summit held here in Washington this week. Countries around the world boasted of laws to limit nuclear trafficking (Egypt), while other vowed to limit or abandon weapons-grade uranium projects. China became active in talks to sanction Iran and as president Obama put it, "a new way of thinking," about nuclear weapons prevailed. Ronald Reagan once said we could not rest until we see the day that nuclear weapons, the age of Mad (Mutually Assured Destruction), were gone from this earth.

- Poland had the body of its late president on display yesterday, as it plans for internment. The plans have proven controversial.

- If you haven't picked up this story yet, start paying more attention. Nebrasa has introduced multiple pieces of legislation, with high prospects of passage, that would put significant limits on abortion. If your first reaction is, "the Supreme Court will never allow it, well, remember the balance of the court.

The two main bills were actually signed into law yesterday, one requiring mental and physical screening of abortion candidates, and the other making abortions past 20 weeks illegal. This New York Times story has some incredible detail, as well as quotes, noting that the most important part of either bill was the language in the second one. It was based on the premise that a fetus can feel pain, something that "Right to Life" advocates will be celebrating. If the debate can turn to a fetus being a real, living human being, maternal rights would become really blurry.

And again on the SCOTUS question, this quote says it all: “You need five votes,” Ms. Balch said. “I think there are five on the current Supreme Court who would give serious consideration to Nebraska’s claim.”

She's right.

- There are two interesting hearings that relate to my line of work today, the first being much more focused on a major current events. Several coal executives, none named Don Blankenship, will be answering some tough questions in Rep. Ed Markey's committee, while my rep., Jim McDermott, will be talking about green jobs in the Ways and Means committee.

- Couple of sports notes: The Blue Jays' Ricky Romero came very close to throwing a no-hitter last night, before, get this sequence, he bounced a ball to White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who then started hopping around and ran to first base, as if the ball hit him. This obviously isn't the first the much-maligned catcher has deked an ump. Romero had to go into the stretch and proceeded to serve up a fastball that Alex Rios deposited into the left field seats. What I love the most? The media is going to blame Pierzynski for this. Reality: the umpire messed up by getting the call wrong (instant replay anyone?), Romero messed up by putting a ball on a tee to Rios, but Pierzynski did his job. It was only 4-0, not 10-0. He didn't bunt or just try to slap the ball. He didn't even get a hit (nor did he get hit, either). He got on base. That's called doing your job. Just like it was when it helped Chicago get to, and win, the World Series.

Congrats to the Mariners for, you know, winning a baseball game. And woe to you Seattle, as you get to watch the Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics play in the playoffs against the Lakers this spring. Never has that city been so solidly in the corner of a frontrunner.

Remember Seattle, this is where we were:

Q: Brady's out. That really sucks. But it could be worse -- you could be a Seattle sports fan. Let me break it down for you: The Mariners are struggling through one of their worst seasons ever. Our Sonics, the only team to win a professional title in Seattle, moved the team to Okla-friggin-homa and stuck us with the Storm. And the Seahawks -- in Holmgren's final year, mind you -- are now without their TOP FOUR RECEIVERS! Imagine losing Moss, Welker, Gaffney AND Kelley Washington. Plus our quarterback is having back problems (including rumors of bulging discs), and our best running back left last week's game with an injury. Of course, a 6-10 record might win our division, which means we get to lose in Round 1. Oh, and the travesty that was the excessive celebration call on Washington's Jake Locker. But on the bright side … well, I give up. Be thankful you don't live in Seattle.
-- Dan Gomez, Seattle

SG: I have to say, that made me feel a little better. Maybe the good people of Seattle should form an organization called "It Could Be Worse," in which they send e-mails to suddenly traumatized sports fans from other cities to talk them off the ledge.

This is where we are.

Just don't forget where we came from.

Good Monday morning, where we are trying to be Forever Young (livin' life like a video).



May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows.

The biggest piece of news I read yesterday was actually sent to me by a friend of mine who knows my interest in education policy. Last week, DC schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced that she had reached a tentative agreement with the Washington Teachers' Union, the culmination of two years of closely-watched talks in one of the most scrutinized districts in the nation.

While it still needs to be ratified by the union and approved by the D.C. City Council, represents and fundamental shift in how teachers are paid and evaluated in the district. Rhee came to this position with much hype, but this agreement would seem to validate much of that.

The agreement includes a voluntary pay-for-performance program that will allow teachers to earn annual bonuses for student growth on standardized tests and other measures of academic success. It also calls for dramatically expanded professional development opportunities for teachers -- including school-based professional development centers -- and mentoring and induction programs for new educators.

Under the program, teachers could make up to $130,000 a year, but would need to submit themselves to more rigorous evaluation, much of wish would be based on their students' success.

Teacher tenure was obviously one of the centerpieces here, as it always is when teachers' unions are involved. Rhee spoke directly to that point: ""What has evolved is our common understanding of what is important and what is not important. The thing that is important is that everyone understands that tenure doesn't mean a job for life."

The agreement does so as well:

The pay package covers five years, with base salary increases of 3, 3, 5, 4 and 5 percent. If the council ratifies the deal, the first 11 percent will be paid retroactively to the District's 3,800 teachers, who have not had a raise in nearly three years. The other major piece of the deal would allow officials more freedom in deciding whether to retain teachers who are "excessed" when schools are closed because of budget or enrollment issues. Under the proposal, teachers would be cut according to a formula that gives greatest weight to the previous year's evaluation. Seniority would receive least weight.

Obviously this is a new type of program, especially for a public school district. It will be heavily scrutinized, if not for all of the previously mentioned reasons, then because it will rely heavily on private donations (which it attracted mostly because of the structure of holding educators responsible). Some will say it amounts to privatization of public schools.

No district in the country spends more per student than the DC school district. Over decades, however, this city has languished as one of the nation's worst. In fact, more students in this district attend private or charter schools than public ones.

Will this scare some of the best teachers away? Maybe. What it also might do is bring in some of the most driven teachers who may see this as a district ready to give its teachers the necessary resources, and compensation, in exchange for results. Kind of like any other job. As always, the most important details will probably lie in the evaluation system, which is essentially impossible to perfect. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try, however.

Kudos to this district and to Rhee. In reality, Washington ought to be one of the most advanced districts in the country given its vast resources and proximity to brilliant minds. Maybe a corner has been turned.

--

The other big news in Washington today is actually an event, the president's nuclear summit, to take place at the convention center beginning today. It will be the "largest assembly of world leaders hosted by an American president since 1945," when the U.N. was formed.

Started today, 47 world leaders will do nothing but focus on how nuclear weapons can be kept out of conflict and out of the hands of terrorists. It is a noble, if slightly unattainable goal, that nevertheless must be embarked upon. Keeping the weapons out of conventional war may be very possible. The second part is still a question mark, yet remains the largest threat to the security of any country, including the U.S.

Interestingly, and often forgotten, is this simple fact: only one country in the history of the world has ever used a nuclear weapon in conflict. If you don't know who it is, open up your U.S. history book to WWII, then go ask your history teachers how they got their jobs.

Not surprisingly (because this is DC), the focus for the vast majority of the people who aren't taking part in the conference is the major inconvenience. The Mount Vernon metro station is closed (the convention center sits above the station). I walked past one of the diplomat hotels yesterday and couldn't get within a block. Streets are closed and dozens of parking spots are lost. A nearby school even had to close just two weeks before it is scheduled to administer its No Child Left Behind Act mandated standardized test.

That said, this quote says all you need to know:

"The timing's unfortunate," Boyd said of the nuclear summit. "But we accept it as one of the prices that you pay for being in the nation's capital and having world governance unfolding before you."

Indeed. When something happens in this town, the world watches.

--

Two bits of congratulations:
- First to Phil Mickelson, who won his third green jacket yesterday, in the same year that both his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer. Tiger Woods may have been the ratings draw and the big story, but Mickelson, as he always is, was the fan favorite. This time was also sentimental for Lefty.

- Second to the Washington Husky softball team, for sweeping away the Arizona Wildcats over the weekend. The top-ranked, defending national champions won 2-1, 7-0 and 9-3 against No. 2 Arizona, the first time the program has ever recorded a sweep over the Wildcats. Arizona came in as the top scoring team in the country, yet was outscored 18-4 by the Huskies and reigning national player of the year, Danielle Lawrie, was at her best just a week after her grandmother died.

The games were all in front of sold-out crowds at Husky Softball Stadium. Washington is now 33-3 on the season and has started the Pac-10 regular season 5-1 against No. 5 UCLA and No. 2 Arizona. Would not be surprised to see them return to their perch as the unanimous top-ranked team, the way they started the season.

--

In case there was any question, Mitt Romney is the leader for the 2012 Republican president nomination. It comes down to dollars. Consider that he won the straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference when he didn't even go.

That same story has more bad polling for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

- Finally, I have the MLB app on my iPhone that allows me to listen to Mariners games wherever I am (unless I'm in the metro). The cool thing is that I get to listen to the local broadcast and therefore the local commercials. Specifically I have heard the one against the so-called beverage tax about 100 times. It is an awful commercial. The tax may or may not have merits, but this country taxes a huge percentage of things that are bad for you, like carbonated drinks are. That isn't the point though - it's just a bad commercial. And as down to earth as it may seem, paying a couple of extra cents for a Diet Coke is not the biggest problems Washingtonians have right now. Not even in the same ballpark.

Oh, and with the amount of money spent running the commercial during a Major League Baseball game, I'll be the entire tax bill could've been paid. Just saying. (Alas, it's about "principle. Yet, the state with enough millionaires - many of whom are billionaires - to fill the professional sports stadiums has budget shortfalls and that isn't the problem?)

Hey, stay up and remember, stay young forever. We will get there.

"You can call this revolution. You can call this a people's revolt. Either way, it is our way of saying that we want justice and democracy."

Those words, though sounding stunningly like those spoken by our founding fathers, were instead uttered yesterday, by Roza Otunbayeva, former foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S. and now interim leader of Kyrgyzstan.

For the past few days the country is been in the midst of a takeover that left its leader exiled on his own plane and riot police huddled next to each other while being attacked. Yes, it was bloody.

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is a natural manure."

Those, famous words of Thomas Jefferson, speak to the difficulties of revolution, and the realities too. Although, none may have ever spoken so eloquently on the subject than Malcolm X, who reminded that "revolution" is not a word to be thrown around lightly.

"...you don't have a peaceful revolution. You don't have a turn-the-other-cheek revolution. There's no such thing as a nonviolent revolution.

A revolution is bloody. Revolution is hostile. Revolution knows no compromise. Revolution overturns and destroys everything that gets in its way. And you, sitting around here like a knot on the wall, saying, "I'm going to love these folks no matter how much they hate me." No, you need a revolution. Whoever heard of a revolution where they lock arms, as Reverend Cleage was pointing out beautifully, singing "We Shall Overcome"? Just tell me. You don't do that in a revolution. You don't do any singing; you're too busy swinging.

Without specifically endorsing his politics, I can say that this was one of the best speeches Malcolm X ever gave, and the one I agree with the most. Revolutions are bloody, not peaceful. They overturn things. As happened this week.

--

What I was going to write about today, until I got wrapped into revolutionary talk, was far more technical, yet equally important: the economy.

Washington Post writer Ezra Klein wrote a piece yesterday, detailing the significant uptick in the economy since Barack Obama became president. And it is FULL of graphs and charts - awesome. One thing before I get into it: some of this can absolutely be attributed to George W. Bush. He didn't want to pass a bailout, but he had to and it appears to have worked. Now we need tougher regulations to ensure that is never needed again, but at that time, it was.

This first chart started circulating a couple of months ago, but has since been updated. It is a job growth chart for the last two years.
Now, just like unemployment rate, these are hard to look at without some context. First, jobs are often the last thing to recovery after a recession, simply because businesses want to make sure they are actually out of it before they start taking on payroll. Included later in his post was an unemployment chart, which may be an even worse indicator. Not only is it held down (up?) by the late recovering job market, but there is another line on that chart that shows what the "real" unemployment is - including people who have stopped looking or are working less than full-time. As that number (which no one pays attention to) comes down, the other one goes up, as a result of more people going back into the job market. So no matter what, the unemployment rate is still going to be high in November.

Just two other graphs I wanted to share, the first being probably the biggest indicator of wealth in this country: housing values.
Why are these important? It is like I said, housing values are a major indicator of wealth. A large portion of this country has their personal finances tied up in their house. I have had multiple friends with parents who, after getting them out of the house finally, sold their house and moved into a condo, or something like it. You see how high those values got after the Clinton administration, meaning people were taking significant profit on a house purchased a decade before. Few places saw this as starkly as Seattle.

When housing values go up, wealth goes up. Spending follows and economies recover.

And finally, GDP growth. This graph covers the entire Obama administration by quarter. It sort of speaks for itself, but the underlying point is that the economy is getting better. Just know that.

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Couple of other notes on this no-so-sunny, not-nearly-as-warm Friday:

- Check this blog out. It is written by a former teacher of mine, Steve Miranda. He is no longer at Garfield, but at a community school where he does a ton of thinking on how education can actually work for students. By all means disagree, that's part of the point.

- President Obama called Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's omission of slavery "unacceptable".

- Rep. Bart Stupak, who obviously made himself the leader of the Democratic pro-life movement in the last year, before being called a "baby-killer" on the floor of the House of Representatives by a Republican, is retiring from his Michigan seat.

- Also, pay attention the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Newt Gingrich is there, saying that Republicans actually need to offer real, alternative plans to the "secular, socialist, machine now running Washington." Is that not a good enough tease?

Alright y'all, it's been a long week. I may sleep until Monday. Or I might find something else good to write. The possibilities...

President Barack Obama threw out the first pitch on Opening Day at National Stadium today. Watching it live looked a lot worse than it looks on replay. Still, it was just a bit high and just a bit outside. But he got it there.

Watch:

President Obama landed in Kabul yesterday for a surprise visit to Afghanistan and meetings with President Hamid Karzai. He also spoke in front of American troops at Bagram Air Force Base. I do find it somewhat interesting that he opened his remarks with his familiar "How's it going [city name]," as if he were at a campaign rally. Then again, few presidents have ever been the campaigner he is and his public events are always about stirring excitement, rarely about being serious. Obviously his last military speech, when he announced the deployment of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan notwithstanding.

The visit, however, capped off a huge week for the president as he takes advantage of renewed momentum, while at the same time making his first visit to a place that is drawing more U.S. attention than anywhere else.



In a move many have been waiting month for, President Obama announced 15 "recess appointments" over the weekend. For those who don't know, this is an executive appointment made while the Senate is not in session, meaning there is no confirmation. Eventually there will be, but this way these people can actually get to work instead of constantly being blocked by Senate Republicans.

One of the key appointments, Craig Becker, who was actually already rejected by the Senate once, was again appointed to the National Labor Relations Board. Just last week, Chief Justice John Roberts, in hearing a case involving the NLRB, said these nominees needed to be appointed during the recess. Right now, only two of the five positions on the NLRB are filled.

The president has more than 200 pending nominations, with 77 awaiting floor action.

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- An interesting column that shouldn't be judged by its headline. It has a good wrap-up of the protesting of health care, along with analysis about who is protesting and why. The best point: how can you not call it racist when a black member who wasn't even close to a major player was spit on by a protesters and slurs were throw at both another black member and a gay one? You can't.

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- Which brings me to another thing that actually peaked anger in me, a Glenn Beck clip, where he takes a shot at Nancy Pelosi for the Democrats locking arms to, "compare themselves to Civil Rights activists. "How dare you," he said. Well, ignore Pelosi for a minute and look at who is standing next to her. That is Rep. John Lewis, the member who was called the "n" world by a protester.

Glenn, John Lewis sat at those lunch counters. At 23 years old he was the chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC - pronounced "snick"). He was a Freedom Rider beaten bloody in Montgomery. And he spoke in front of the same crowd that heard Martin Luther King, Jr. say that he had a dream.

John Lewis led that group Glenn, arm-in-arm with Pelosi. So how dare you, Glenn. That's a real American hero you're talking about.

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- And speaking of the Tea Party, one of the questions I often find myself asking during Tea Party rallies is: "don't these people have jobs." That is a reaction to their middle-of-the-week, middle-of-the-day protesting. Well, the short answer is no. Many of them actually rely on government assistance - a head-scratching irony. The real question, however, is what happens when the economy picks up and these people get jobs. Are they no longer such a force?

This also reminds me of something that frustrated me while watching Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio debate today. Some said Rubio was impressive. Maybe. But I noticed that when the question of the health care bill arose, their answers were different. Obviously, they both called for its repeal. Rubio said, "we can't afford it." Crist said, "we can do better and here is how we already are in Florida."

While I disagree with the "repeal" part, Crist seems like the one actually prepared to govern. I am so sick of the "we can't afford argument." Fine, you think we can't afford. So give me a better idea, because I know you think something needs to be done. But all I hear is, "we can't afford it." Well, watch us.

Note: Rubio is up 11 in a recent poll for that seat.

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Chinese company to buy Volvo from Ford Motor Company.

It appears Iran will begin work on two new nuclear sites, both in the mountains, a clear defiance of the United Nations.

Finally, an interesting tradition from the White House. Love these little anecdotes, though.

Let's have a great week!

Hey it's Friday. How about that. The New York City school district is closed, generally an apocalyptic sign given that this is only the fourth time in six years that has happened. The weather in the Big Apple is apocalyptic, however, as they are comparing the storm sitting over it right now to the "great storm of 1888." So, you know, it's big.

We, thankfully, are getting only the edge of that storm, which has led to wind gusts in the 60 mph range. If I turn up missing, just check down wind.

Oh yeah, and there was some event up near the White House yesterday too.

A summit on health care.

The Paul Krugman, New York Times take, noting that this whole reconciliation thing was used pretty recently - to pass two Bush tax cuts. That's also being called the "nuclear option." Somehow, I don't think people will care what it was if the bill gets done.

My own note to the reconciliation part: I am watching Fox News as I write this and they have a former Senate Majority Leader (Bill Frist) talking. He is saying it has only been used for things like the Bush tax cuts and welfare reform in the 1990's. In other words, bills that help rich people. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

I think it is safe to call this an opposing look at the summit (also, why is everything a summit now? Just like anything bad that happens is a "-gate". Can't we come up with a title?) Anyway, read the whole thing as it has some good political analysis near the end.

Happy Tuesday y'all. I have to say that one of the more entertaining things I've ever seen is a Republican giving a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference commending the sponsor for inviting a gay pride group.

It happened on Friday and just turned into a shouting match - exactly how I want government to be run. It's on CSPAN again right now. Almost felt like I was at a Democratic event.

I'm not sure if there has ever been a time in our history where parties were more ceremonial. So many people I know hold views that span the entire political spectrum that they all end up becoming one issue types. As in, what is the most important issue in your eyes? That's your party.

What this isn't is a call for a third party. It is just interesting to wonder if people will actually vote the whole ballot, unlike what is historically done.

Anyway, looking forward to the rest of this week even though it's going to be really busy starting today. We have an event outside of the Verizon Center, where to Black Eyed Peas will be playing, tonight. It is part of a fly-in of students from across the country that have full schedules while they are here, taking them all over DC. Should be fun.

Some news/links

• I'd be interested to know what people think about the new "jobs bill." It is going to pass it appears, after Harry Reid was able get 62 votes for cloture yesterday. The question is: is this necessary or just political. I am very inclined to think the latter, simply because nearly $500 billion of the stimulus hasn't actually been spent yet, so adding $15 billion now does close to nothing.
• A nice story about the success of charter schools in New York.
• Some video from Charlie Cook, the expert on this stuff, where he calls health care Obama's Iraq. He also says he sees no one way the Democrats hold onto the house.
• I believe that as of now, Dick Cheney is still at George Washington University Medical Center, where he was taken last night after experiencing chest pains. The former Vice President has of course had multiple heart attacks.
• Think the party split is only in the beltway? Take a look at this poll breakdown between how Republicans and Democrats view Obama. Also included are some morning notes.
• Last night's Hotline After Dark, a wrap of nightly news, has a musical flavor. Points to anyone who can immediately name the song in the headline. Also, points for admitting that.
• I'm objecting to this headline, "Court Making Life Difficult for Oregon's James." I'm all about innocent until proven guilty (especially in a case such as this), but if it is so serious that the judge isn't allowing him to go to school on a huge state-school campus, James made life difficult for James. And what has happened to Oregon? Shades of Miami of the '80's.

Off to do, you know, whatever it is I do every day.

I'm guessing that you've noticed, probably read or heard about, the gap between sides in Washington. It has been in existence since the invention of this government, when the Republicans and Federalists used newspapers to bash each other and good friends Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were on opposite sides.

In 2010 we may be looking at a gap of historical, Grand Canyon-like proportions. And it may have little to nothing to do with real partisan divide.

Just yesterday, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh said while announcing that he will not run for a third term (despite a lead in the polls and something like $13 million in the bank - AKA the race won already) that the Senate has become too partisan, making progress impossible. Where he's been the last six years is another thing, but that doesn't make his point false. As a matter of fact, it might be the truest thing he could have said.

(Side note: heard an interesting, sort of joke, idea today that went like this: Hilary Clinton only wants to do one term of Sec. of State, so she resigns. Then Biden resigns to take Sec. of State job - sounds crazy, but he isn't going to be president, meaning he's holding this incredibly ceremonial job with no end reward - then, you guessed it, Mr. Moderate, Bayh runs as VP candidate in 2012. Crazier things...)

Happy President's Day. I should probably have written this post back on Martin Luther King, Jr. day, but the stories delving into the topic have only increased more recently. I spent most of the weekend reading many of them and reflecting on a couple of questions. Now, with Remember the Titans on my T.V., I write.

Has Barack Obama been good for the black community? Is he the one black leader who should be blamed for astronomical unemployment rates in that community? Does it matter?

And one I just thought of as I watch the previews to this movie: what is more important: a president with good policies that help the black community, or something to rally around, like the Texas Western basketball team that completely and forever changed the face of college basketball? It isn't such a crazy argument to say that that team created more economic and academic opportunities for young black males than anything ever has. Just a thought.

To the actual post.

About two weeks ago, a story was posted on my Facebook headlined, "Blacks question Obama's approach to race." I'm not even sure if I read the story at that point, but looking back at it, I pulled out this paragraph:

"On Capitol Hill, members of the Congressional Black Caucus have expressed irritation that Mr. Obama has not created programs tailored specifically to African-Americans, who are suffering disproportionately in the recession. In December, some of them threatened to oppose new financial rules for banks until the White House promised to address the needs of minorities."

Obama, of course, is the leader of the black community, whether you like it or not. He is the most high-profile, high ranking black person in the world. No matter what happens politically now as it pertains to black people, Obama will be blamed.

Well that was quick. Yesterday, I wrote that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should try to kill Max Baucus' bill, despite the bills bipartisan support. I think he may have torpedoed it before I even hit publish. And so went the day that Reid, "cut a wide swath through the Senate."

From Politico:

"Grassley and three to four Republicans would have voted for it, but all the other Republicans would have beaten the living s—t out of us [during the 2010 midterms], claiming the bill was too bloated," said a Democrat who supported Reid's decision, explaining the leader's logic."

As the story says, the Majority Leader replaced the bill with a much smaller and narrower $15 billion version. There is some question as to whether the bill is too small, which is funny considering that Republicans have been bashing Democrats for about nine months now for wanting to pass big bills. How can you not love politics?

And if you ever wonder why people look down on voters, it might be because they believe this stuff.

Some links:

• You may have heard that Bill Clinton was in the hospital yesterday. He apparently will be released today and is alright after having two stents placed in one of his coronary arteries.
• Interesting look at Obama's politics and whether he really does want to be a "great one-term president." I also noticed this exchange and remembered it:
  

  "If the price of certainty is essentially for us to adopt the exact same proposals that were in place leading up to the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression . . . the result is going to be the same. I don't know why we would expect a different outcome pursuing the exact same policy that got us in this fix in the first place." He continued: "If our response ends up being, you know . . . we don't want to stir things up here," then "I don't know why people would say, 'Boy, we really want to make sure those Democrats are in Washington fighting for us.'"

• Uh, thing is, very few of you out there think DC is doing anything good right now. Thank goodness I don't have an approval poll. Just living here would bring it down.
• For those of you who just say, "a Kennedy could fix everything," well, for the first time in half a century, there will not be one in Congress.

The first of February means that it is Black History Month, a federally recognized celebration of black history that began in 1976. Prior to that it was actually Black History Week, which is generally credited to a man named Dr. Carter Woodson, who said, "We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice."

I was once very skeptical of Black History Month, thinking that the history of a race should not be confined to a month, nor that the race should be divided from that of American history. I still stand by the thesis of one of my college papers that being black in America is more American that anything except probably being rich and white in America.

That said, as we continue to separate ourselves from slavery and the Civil Rights movement, a month dedicated to the history of a race that frankly has a lengthy and important history in this country simply cannot hurt. As long as it is tied to American history. Black history is American history and American history is the entirety of Black history. Especially in those communities that are still struggling as poor and largely black, the history of their communities and leaders is invaluable knowledge.

What a week, huh? For me as well, since it included a redeye flight across the country, only to be sitting in my office less than an hour off the plane.

Anyway, wanted to start this off with a little anecdote from the New York Times. In the Week in Review section:

"A new insurance industry study found that bans on use of handheld cellphones while driving had made no difference in accident rates.

Researchers said they were puzzled, since it was clear that using a handheld phone while at the wheel increases accident risk and that the bans sharply reduce use of the phones. "We would expect to see a decrease in crashes," said Adrian Lund of the highway Loss Data Institute. "But we aren't seeing it."

Amazingly, the last sentence of the blurb notes that one theory is the "hands-free phones...may be just as distracting as the handheld kind.

Ya think? Seriously, it is somewhat amazing that this hasn't become part of this debate at all. Many cities (and the entire state of Washington) have banned talking or texting on cellphones while driving. None have admitted that the distraction is your mind being focused on the phone conversation, not holding the phone to your ear. If that were the case, we'd have to ban stick-shift cars too.

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To a review of the week. You all know that the president gave his State of the Union on Wednesday. It honestly doesn't nearly matchup with his visit to the House Republican's retreat in Baltimore on Friday. (By the way, how did the House GOP get so screwed that they only went to Baltimore, while the rest of the party is in Hawaii right now?)

That is the crux of most major headlines this morning, detailing that by giving the speech last night and calling for increased troops totals, president Barack Obama has made the Afghanistan war part of his legacy. There is no evidence in recent history that such things are exactly good for a legacy. At the most basic level, the president as ordered 30,000 new troops be sent to Afghanistan, many rushed there in the next six months. He is also requesting the help of NATO, with something between 6-8,000 troops. He then set a timetable, 18 months, that seems somewhat based on the situation on the ground. His rational on the timetable, which is sure to anger Republicans - although House minority leader Mitch McConnell seemed to think it is flexible - is that Afghanistan must take its security into its own hands. At one point he pointedly said the U.S. does not want to occupy Afghanistan. It is there to protect its own security. I don't pretend to be an expert on any of this stuff, but I can talk about the politics: they are bad. There is nothing that is going to make this a political win for Obama, except may a quick win. Mr. Bush ruined that whole "mission accomplished" thing for everybody. The U.S. has to capture and/or kill all of their targets, and be out of there in 18 months. Otherwise, guess what kicks into high gear in a year and half? You guessed it, the 2010 elections. Some coverage on the speech/troop increase: Politico seems to have a less-than rosy outlook. New York Times. Thomas Freidman says: "People do not change when you tell them they should. They change we context tells them they must." The New York Post is an awful paper, but this column against the plan was so over the top... Vice President Joe Biden went on the offensive this morning. The Senate will have panel hearings today. And in case you didn't see it:

Evening y'all. Hope all is well.

They tell me that this is when life really gets busy.

Today Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry unveiled their version of the House's ACES. While the title, Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, doesn't exactly roll off the tongue - okay, we'll be honest, it's horrible - it cannot get lost how groundbreaking this is.

This is the cliched "uncharted territory." There had never been a bill on this issue passed through either chamber of Congress, so to have passed a bill and now have one introduced in the Senate is a huge deal. Not to mention, while someone light on details, the things that are present in this bill are much stronger than they started in the House. The Senate bill is certain to be weaker at the end of the process, should it be passed.

So today we had a big event on the East Lawn of the Capitol, with quite a few people and almost ever member of the Energy and Public Works Committee. Follow ActGreen in the next few days for updates and more information about what is going on. The LCV website also has some good stuff, along with a lot of pictures. There was a particularly unfortunate photo of John Kerry raising his hand in a Heil Hitler solute. Needless to say, it was not used.

I will try and keep you up to date with the things that will be going on around the bill. Life is about to get pretty crazy.

Some links:

It is absolutely ridiculous politics that John Boehner would attack president Obama for going to Copenhagen to help Chicago's Olympic bid. The Olympics are HUGE for a country and the region they are in. And had he stayed home, Obama would have been the only leader of a contending country not present. Congressman Boehner is fine with telling the president to stay out when he is in Washington, but the second the leader of the free world leaves for 24 hours, Boehner can't handle it.

Remember that Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) amendment? This is exactly what she was trying to stop.

China is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic.

And a very well researched, especially interview-wise, story about theJohn Edwards situation.

Stay up y'all. So awesome that fall is here.

So I wasn't going to blog tonight, but I had to tell someone this.

Here I am, about 10:30 at night and I am watching the Senate Finance Committee hearing on Sen. Baucus' healthcare bill. About 10 minutes ago John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced an amendment to force all members of Congress to enroll in the Medicaid program in their home states.

His reasoning: "the program is broken. If we all had to enroll in it, I guarantee it would get fixed."

Baucus responded by saying: "It's getting to be on 10:30 now. Getting a little late. Does anyone have any debate, any comment?"

Unnamed speaker: "Mr. Chairman, I feel that we do our worst work when it gets to be this late."

Baucus: "That was my point."

A subsequent roll call vote obviously failed.

The point here is that if you think Congressmen are grownups, you are way wrong. This amendment won't help Cornyn back in Texas. He is safe anyway. He was just being annoying.

Let me add a couple of links:

Just a quick thing from the New Jersey governors race. If you look more into it, you'll find that one of the negative ads very subtly attacks his weight.

You wonder if one day 50 years from now, people will be saying that a president should channel is inner Barack Obama.

In Washington, this is called the "revolving door" between the Capitol and K Street. Full disclosure: my office is considered a K Street office.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized today. It is widely speculated that she will be the next justice to retire.

You Seattle people will know all about a city under siege from protest.

Shocker, they are protesting at Berkeley. Never heard that before.

Warning: gruesome. Disgusting way a U.S. census bureau field worker died (suicide has not be ruled out) in Kentucky.

Hate to end it like that, but it's hard to even change the subject. Go watch the end of the USC-Ole Miss game. Could be good.

Night.

If at some point I have a little freak out while writing this post, know that everything is fine. There just happens to be some workers pounding the ceiling over my head. I am waiting for the roof to cave it - which is actually why they are up there. We have been having some leak problems. But you would think, renting property in the rather high-rent area we are in, that this could be done some time other than the middle of the workday. No big deal though. Just wanted to get that out there.

A little update:

So far, to my knowledge, this rider hasn't or will not materialize. I've heard nothing about it for a couple of days and, despite being in the office late for other reasons, have not done much work for it since I last mentioned it. That does not mean that it hasn't, or won't, come up. Just that I haven't heard anything. So stay tuned. UPDATE: This apparently is going to happen today.

At the end of that last paragraph I gave some serious thought to making fun of Alaska (Murkowski's home state), but obviously didn't. What it reminded me of, however, is something I read a couple of days ago, advising Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick on how to select an interim Senator now that the legislature has given him power to do so. It said, do not ignore the upstart, young politician that is looking to get ahead. It will bite you. In December 2002 a governor named Frank Murkowski passed on a little-known mayor from Wasilla, instead appointing his daughter, Lisa, to his own unexpired Senate seat, vacated by his being elected governor. In 2006 it came back to bite him, when that little-known mayor ran against him in his bid for re-election and wiped the floor with him. And thus, Sarah Palin was born.

Some other links for the day:

A quick way to follow what is going on in energy policy.

National Journal also has a "promise audit."

And the NJ's "Play of the Day," poking fun of the fact that all of the world's leaders arrived in massive convoys for a meeting on climate change.

A story garnering quite a bit of press is President Obama basically throwing Gov. Patterson (NY) out the window. Someone was actually quoted as saying, "if you become a probably for Obama, don't stand close to a window."

President Obama will head to Pittsburgh for the G-20.

It appears the previously-mentioned MA Senate seat will go to Paul Kirk, former DNC Chairman and Kennedy advisor.

Libya would like Obama to stay president forever.

Walter Mondale has jumped on the Jimmy Carter train, calling the attacks on Obama racist. Editors note: I am really just not going to get into this; not yet at least. In some ways I very much agree with the way Obama is handling this. While there are serious racial issues and yes I do very much believe there may be some racial tilt to these protests, the president understands that his agenda goes nowhere if he comes out and starts calling people racist. See: the Harvard professor. In addition, some day race has to stop being an excuse for black people, whether it is justified or not. Crazy people are going to say what crazy people are going to say. And yes, Glenn Beck, is crazy. His own town doesn't even want him back (and you have to admit, that crack about the Mount Vernon mayor like George Wallace is clever).

Speaking of racial issues, the Emancipation Proclamation was delivered 147 years ago Tuesday.

And sticking with the "Today in history theme":

I Love Lucy showed its final episode in 1961.
The Mormon church officially renounced polygamy in 1890.
And the first Supreme Court was established in 1789.

Alright here I am. I had to get on here and write about what I did today.

Mostly just about how this conference I went to helped me understand a way in which I can seriously get behind the issue I work for. Any of you who have ever worked know that it is much easier to work hard for a cause you really care about.

Now, I care about the environment. Just not necessarily from the environmentalist point of you. That argument that intrigues me (and most Americans actually) is the national security one. So when my boss asked me yesterday if I wanted to go to this conference on the climate change and national security, I jumped at it.

The conference opened with a talk by former CIA Director Robert Woolsey. Woolsey served the CIA under President Clinton, in addition years of experience in foreign policy and as a DC lawyer. He broke down the causes of our national security issues based on whether they are malignant or malevolent. His conclusion: malignant causes lead to malevolent ones.

For example: a driver in the U.S. does not drive their SUV around thinking, "I bet I can waste a bunch oil, pollute the air and cause climate change." This person is causing a national security threat, but not purposely. But a terrorist, who benefits from the this country's insatiable need for oil, absolutely is malevolent in their goals to harm America. He pointed out that eight of the top nine oil exporters in the world are in dictatorships or autocracies. When these governments fail, as they so often do, this is a national security concern for the U.S.

The a 35-year Navy vetern, Admiral Dennis McGinn got up there (he looks strikingly like Terry O'Quinn from Lost - which I only know because he was also in the West Wing). He talked about the dangers for the military and that the costs of climate change will, "be seen in human lives. It will be seen in military terms."

Those weren't even necessarily what got me though. It was the last three talks that got me. A man from Pakistan walked up to the podium and gave a stirring case study of the effects of climate change on third world countries. He did it using an analogy. If you were to look at the world from an exterior point of view, from another planet if you will and view the world as on entity, like a country, it would be a third world country. The reason he uses these terms is that climate change is a worldwide issue and a human issue that is solved on the state level. It is a very valid point. Solving climate change takes regulation, even though it might be business/individually caused and a problem for the world. The free market does not adjust for clean energy because it doesn't seem a necessary investment.

He went on to talk about the melting of the Himalayas and the critical issues that would occur in the center of three nuclear powers in south Asia. "This is a water problem," he said. It all seems to be a water problem and water will certainly cause some sort of conflict.

Still, not yet the moment I knew I had a passion. Instead it was during the talk of Dr. Michael Oppenheimer. The Princeton professor is one of the world's leading climate experts and a member of the IPCC. He gave a lecture on the basics of climate change. So beyond understanding the issue, I understand that it is an issue. I get that the world is warming. I get that he, as a scientist, is afraid to really say what he thinks or knows because frankly, people will think he is crazy. They disengage from the issue. These are who they call alarmists. But his speech, scientific as it was, held my attention, for 35 minutes, after having been sitting there for more than two hours already.

However, even after all of that, the fact that I understand the issue, I understand more than I think some people who work above me do, I wasn't convinced it was a political problem. I would argue what I argued against above: the market corrects itself, right? Well no. So then who comes in, on a cane and all, but Senator John Kerry.

Let me quickly mention that for some reason I was never that big of a Kerry fan. I remember in 2004 people loved this guy. He has grown on me. But for most of my life this big names don't awe me like they do other people. You saw my reaction to Obama's speech last night. Anyway, today, I really heard his words.

Forget the technical stuff, let me give you three things he said.
First, global warming is already happening. This isn't some future phenomenon that we are guarding against. It is happening now. Do we know whether global warming has caused more severe storms already? No. But do we know it will? Yes. Do we know whether it has caused wildfires? No. But we certainly know it can. More on that later.

Second, a story he told about the Navy. Absolutely the sea level is rising. This is scientific fact. Whether it is a cycle or something that we caused doesn't matter. We think we can do something about it. And if we don't? Well Navy piers were built for the current sea levels (Adam, argue as you so choose, but I'll tell you that Admiral McGinn also reiterated this to after the conference). In other words, if sea levels rise to where they could in the next 75 years, our Navy piers around the world, but specifically in the U.S. will face significant issues, including immersion at some point. Can we deal with this? Of course. But it will be expensive.

Finally, back to his first point. So say that we are all wrong. Say that global warming doesn't exist. Say that sea levels don't rise, the world doesn't warm, we stop having oil problems, all of it. Say we are wrong about all of it. But we pass a comprehensive clean energy and climate change bill anyway. What is the worst that can happen? We will have added millions of jobs to a struggling market, transformed our economy to a sustainable, self-sufficient entity and reaffirmed our role as a world leader. That's the WORST. The best? Use your imagination.

That was when he got me. When he finished that line of thought by saying, "It will challenge our leadership, but it ought to challenge our conscience." And it does. This is the defining issue of this time. Not health care (although it could be), not gay rights, not any of that. Global climate change and its close ties to energy independence (not electricity, oil stupid - sorry, I've been reading too much James Carville recently) will shape our actions in the world for decades. Clean energy could be the foundation of some leading country's economy. It should be ours.

This is why I almost felt called today. It was a lightbulb flicking on. It was me figuring out why I am doing the work I am doing. Realizing that there is a considerable majority, not just environmentalist, but serious members and former members of the military, religious groups and more that believe it is time for America to do the right thing here.

Reminded me of quote: "The Americans will always do the right thing, after exhausting all other alternatives." - Winston Churchill.

Maybe not this time.

Hey y'all.

Sorry for the lacking info today. It was a little extra sleep or the blog. Figured one day could by. Plus it seemed appropriate to sit down and write right now, as I watch the President's entourage make its way into the chamber for his speech to the joint session.

Had to flip it to Fox News to see how pissed they are that it is taking so long for him to get up there. Also, I know for those of you who only watch Congress during the State of the Union, it is not weird to see Nancy Pelosi up there in front. For me, it is. On a normal day she is never up there. Ever. She is on the floor or in the halls whipping votes, her main job. She appoints someone to stand up there.

Then, as he walks up there, it is hard not to get the feeling that all the boys are back together. As much as they all disagree with each other and argue and complain, these people are all co-workers. They all work together and eat together and party together. So, randomly, on a Wednesday, all the boys (and the girls) are back together. Notice also that Nancy Pelosi didn't want to let his hand go.

No, I am not going to sit here and live blog this. Moving on.

This is a huge speech. It is the first time the President has really staked his reputation on something. He will step out and say how he thinks this should be done and what should be done. If they ever stop clapping. Really though, he attack this challenge and tell Congress that this is how it is going to be. "I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last."

Alright, let's be honest, I'm going to keep you with me as a write this. John Dingle is awesome by the way. He really does introduce a healthcare bill at the beginning of each session.

"We are the only advanced democracy on earth, the only wealthy nation, that allows such hardship for millions of its people. One in every three Americans goes without health insurance at some point." I am currently one of them.

"We spend one and half times more per person on healthcare than any other country. But we aren't any healthier for it....Our healthcare problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close."

"Under this plan it will be against the law for health insurance to deny you coverage because of pre-existing conditions. When I sign this bill it will be against the law for companies to drop your coverage or water it down because you get sick. We will place a limit on how much you can get charged in out of pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke when they sick."

And he throws a bone to McCain. "We will immediately provide low-cost healthcare for you if you should get seriously ill." McCain responded positively.

Individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance.

8:41 President Obama announces public option in insurance exchange. Eric Cantor looks like a 15 year old kid ignoring a lecture...

"I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans cannot find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice."

If you didn't watch it, you got just a few quotes. Near the end of the speech he talked about a letter he received from Ted Kennedy. When he said, as Rachel Maddow said, government for the people is a good thing.

It was a good speech. "Touch of greatness" might have gone too far. There is definitely a sense among many people, specifically those my age (and MSNBC obviously), that anything he says is the greatest thing ever said. That isn't true. His speech in New Hampshire, that was great. This speech, I am proud of. I am not proud that my president is very good with words. I am not proud that he is a great public speaker and delivers a great two-line quote. I am proud that he did what was easy. Only for politicians is it so hard to stand up and say what you think needs to be said. I am proud that he knows that honesty and good policy is easy. I am proud of that. I am proud that he gave a thesis-type argument, breaking down each argument against his plan and saying what was right. And I am proud that he is a leader.

What I am not proud of is Keith Olberman's first statement after the rebuttal, reminding his viewers that the LA Congressman that spoke has been sued for malpractice. Or that maybe had questions about the president's birth certificate. These are the exact things our leader of a president just said to throw out the window. Five minutes after he finished saying it, a leader opinion maker flat ignored it. I am not proud of that. And he is a Democrat.

The health insurance industry needs to be regulated. It flat out does. If doctors cannot handle rules then they cannot practice in this country. But they should also not have to make every decision with questions about whether they will be sued. Patients should have to worry that they will be dropped from insurance or taking tests multiple times. Simple fixes.

And yes. This is America. Every individual citizen should have health insurance. Period. We are a century behind schedule on this.

President Obama gave a good speech and led. But leadership doesn't end as he leaves the building. He better call out individuals like he said will. This fight is partisan, no matter what he says. But it is one he needs to win.

Let me know your thoughts. I will be watching it again and possibly commenting later. Sorry for these convoluted first thoughts, but they've got to be more interesting. My main point is that I agree this has the be done now. I needed to be done yesterday and the day before that and 100 years ago. But the President tonight made two overarching, point blank statements:

"We did not come to fear the future, we came to shape it."

"I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last."

For the sake of this country, I hope he is.