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Is the NYT's report that Cheney and Condi were considering teaming CIA operatives with Special Forces to conduct operations in Pakistan's tribal areas just a belated effort to get Osama bin Laden?

I think the pundits are still working from outdated conventional wisdom, which was overturned on two counts in Iowa. Obviously, Obama has dramatically altered the universe of voters whom Democrats are going to have to win over. But at the same time, I wonder whether the Republicans have lost a good many of their corporatists who have been disgusted by the rank incompetence of the Bush Administration. If so, it may mean that Huckabee wins big, but wins in what has become a minority party.

At long last, the playoffs are upon us. Well, the playoffs are upon us for the NFL anyway; there are still no playoffs for major college football, so we will once again have to settle for a BCS title game with arguably the wrong participants. I am thinking you folks may have some opinions on all this. Do tell.

I suggested last month that the Liberty City Seven indictment looks more and more like a made for TV event, particularly after a mistrial was declared on most charges and one of the Seven, Lyglenson Lemorin, was acquitted of all charges. Well, now Lemorin is suffering from his own little Orwellian hell. On the day of his acquittal, the judge in the case immediately issued an oral gag order pertaining to the

Many of you no doubt disagree. But I'm not crying about an Obama victory (then again, I wouldn't have been crying about an Edwards or Clinton win, either). But here are the two details that I think are most important. Crazy, record turnout--reportedly well over 200,000. And reportedly, perhaps two-to-one for Dems, compared to the Republicans. Crazy, record turnout among youth.

Jane Harman's letter to Scott Muller verifies something I had speculated--that CIA IG John Helgerson's inquiry into the interrogation practices of the CIA, and his conclusion that those practices constituted cruel and inhuman treatment--were at the center of the torture tape debates.

Remember Bush's surly claimed pocket veto on military pay raises, just in time for New Years? We pretty much dismissed its claim to legality when it happened (See especially PhoenixWoman's link, which has gotten far too little attention for its apparent precedent on precisely the issues in question). But now I'm increasingly intrigued by the political possibilities, particularly with the news that Speaker Pelosi is calling bullshit on Bush's claim

Among new revelations today is the news (not surprise, but confirmed nevertheless) that CIA's IG John Helverson "reviewed" the torture tapes during the period when people were discussing destroying them. That strongly suggests he may have based his report--which found the CIA to engage in cruel and inhuman treatment--on those tapes. No wonder CIA wanted to destroy them.

Mukasey has appointed John Durham to investigate the torture tape destruction. From the sounds of a profile of Durham, Mukasey's not fucking around.

There's been some hand-wringing among Democrats about the New Year's Eve Des Moines Register poll, which showed Obama polling 32% of the vote with strong support from a surprising (and arguably unrealistic) number of Independents participating in the caucus. The WaPo did an entire article suggesting Obama may win the caucus because he's got cross-over appeal.