It's hardly enough for a diary, I know. But there's something I don't know:

Where's the War Czar? Has he been sent to the Eastern Front?

Is he busy with the DNA analysis of the body thought to be that of the last REAL Czar?

Is he slaving over a hot mainframe computer cooking statistics?

Is he busy doing contingency planning for an invasion of Iran?

Is he poolside with a margarita?

Will give mojo for clever suggestions and actual facts!

By way of M.J. Rosenberg's blog entry at the TPM Cafe, we find New York Sun reporter Russell Berman's article on Alan Dershowitz' latest foray into the public square. Following closely on Dershowitz' apparently successful campaign to pressure DePaul University into denying his arch-nemesis Norman Finkelstein tenure,he has apparently set his sights on bigger game: Presidential hopeful Barack Obama and his foreign policy advisor, Zbigniew Brzenzski. Dershowitz is apparently concerned that Brzenzenski's defense of academic inquiry and debate is entirely too robust:

They are still in Washington, their staffs are still in their offices, and they are still taking phone calls.

Call, fax, or e-mail to let them know that you oppose any ratification of legislation amending FISA to allow warrantless wiretapping.

E-mail and phone contact information for your representative can be found here.

This is a serious matter. It's the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution that is on the line, and the sad fact of the matter is that a great many of our so-called "leaders" would rather take a vacation than fulfill their oaths of office.

It's not over till it's over.

The list of the contributing editors who, in some respect "represent" Daily Kos has been posted.

A poll to assess the most representativist of all has been posted.

The question begs to be asked:

If you could pull the credentials of one contributing editor, who would it be?

I'll refrain from voting for a while to avoid any skew from my side.

It's time to talk about War Crimes Prosecutions. It's time to ask Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid about War Crimes Prosecutions. Of course, Harry and Nancy being, well, Harry and Nancy, they're certain to tell us that War Crimes Prosecutions against Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Libby, Addington, Yoo, Bybee, Gonzalez, and a host of other Administration luminaries are....OFF THE TABLE.

But they would be willing to support a Congressional Investigation....

So what laws might have been violated?

Handcuffed and shackled, long-time Newark political boss Sharpe James appeared in Federal Court today to answer a 33-count indictment including allegations of misuse of City-issued credit cards, improper reimbursment for personal expenses, embezzlement of Federal funds, fraudulent sales of city-owned properties to benefit himself and a "travelling companion," conspiracy to defraud the City of Newark, and other charges.

The full indictment can be found here

by Adam Liptak @ the NYTIMES with breaks by Gregor Samsa and Yellow Canary

On Wednesday,
the administration announced
that an unnamed judge
on the secret court,
in a non-adversarial proceeding
that apparently cannot be appealed
had issued orders
that apparently both granted surveillance requests
and set out some ground rules
for how such
requests
would be handled.

In particular, a sex scandal.

So we're springing to the call from the East and from the West,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom.
And we'll hurl the Rebel crew from the land we love the best,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom.

Full lyric on the flip....

Sure, she's getting a lot of national ink, but as the Times points out, Hillary doesn't seem to have any active interest in exposing her "Lieberman-lite" policy views to New York voters prior to the September 12 Primary. As the Times puts it:

New York voters have been exposed to all the political drama in Connecticut over Senator Joseph Lieberman, who like Mrs. Clinton supported the invasion of Iraq. She has been far more critical of the Bush administration's handling of the war -- a point the Clinton campaign makes pains to point out. But she has not been forced to discuss in great detail exactly what she thinks should be done now that things have gone so far awry in the Middle East.

There's more:

We can close our eyes and blame the Bush Administration, or we can examine our own candidates in solid blue districts and ask ourselves if the policies they support have brought us closer to peace in the Middle East, or if they have led directly to the current hostilities.

Eliot Engel isn't part of the solution, he's part of the problem: http://www.jessicaflaggforcongress.com/

But I don't think that's a good reason to withhold support in 2006. Here's why:

Coming on the heels of Hunter's excellent diary, When Corporate Meets State, it occurred to me that perhaps the Post and Dershowitz were right -- but right for all the wrong reasons.

More beyond the flip.

Okay, that's all very well and good, but what does this have to do with politics? Read on:

http://rawstory.com/...

But I think it's possible to move beyond simply pushing opinion and the "apparent consensus" that television news feels it can't move outside.

According to the current wikipedia entry for the Neilsen Ratings

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nielsen_Ratings

Tivo has been providing the television industry with DVR usage and rating information since January of this year.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/07/06/chile.pinochet.reut/index.html

Yes, there is another appeal, and Augusto has won appeals before.

But the spectre will remain. There will be another prosecution and another, until he is convicted or dead or both.

And this is the spectre that haunts George Bush, for his trials are just beginning.....