Who Runs Gov

The Plum LineGreg Sargent's blog

Happy Hour Open Thread

* If you missed President Obama’s speech at Langley today, where he told CIA employees why he’d banned torture, why he’d released the torture memos, and why we are all the better for it, check out this video excerpt:

* Is the real meaning of the Obama-Hugo Chavez meeting that Obama has made anti-Americanism uncool now?

* Gallup finds that way more people see “big government” as a threat than see “big business” as one. Flip side: Substantially fewer than that see “big labor” as a menace.

* Conservative bloggers like the new Rasmussen poll claiming to find majorities worried about Federal government overreach.

* Matthew Yglesias and Paul Krugman explain, patiently, that low-tax, low-regulation Texas isn’t rich.

* Tom Davis, the former chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, isn’t terribly optimistic about his party’s chances in the ongoing vote counting in the nationally-watched battle for New York’s 20th District:

“We lost the special election in New York. It’s gone.”

* Deep-in-the-weeds vote-count specialist Eric Kleefeld brings us the latest on that race’s state of play.

* Jason Linkins has a good take-down of that bogus New York Times story I flagged this morning.

* Newt Gingrich says that U.S. Presidents never smile at dictators, prompting John Aravosis to go to the photo archives.

* And I’m not sure that I care what Meghan McCain thinks of Karl Rove’s Twittering skills.

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Posted by Greg Sargent | 04/20/2009, 05:37 PM EST | Categories: Happy Hour Roundup, House Dems, House Republicans, President Obama, blogosphere, polling

19 Responses

  1. lfo | April 20th, 2009 at 05:48 pm

    I am with Axelrod–the real meaning of the handshake is the fact that Chavez has now lost the big bad specter of Bush the Devil to distract away from his own problems. His running to Obama for a handshake is nothing less than he being aware of Obama’s popularity, and in the meantime Tapper said Chavez punked Obama. What an idiot.

  2. alan | April 20th, 2009 at 05:56 pm

    Greg: in the spirit of things I usually respond about 30 minutes after an initial post and Word Press berates me for posting too often. What gives?

  3. Greg Sargent | April 20th, 2009 at 06:03 pm

    alan — it’s an ongoing problem. apologies. I’ll let the tech people know again, and thanks for your patience…

  4. Kelsey | April 20th, 2009 at 06:12 pm

    All of the positive dialogue Obama is having with Hugo Chavez will only help to make Venezuela a potential ally. One of the things I admire most about President Obama is that he is not afraid to show a little humility for past actions of the US. I found a video that goes much further in depth about this issue by compiling global perspectives. http://www.newsy.com/videos/obama_ch_vez_handshake_of_hope/

  5. sgwhiteinfla | April 20th, 2009 at 06:15 pm

    Greg
    .
    Did President Obama actually use the word torture during his speech at the CIA?

  6. sgwhiteinfla | April 20th, 2009 at 07:39 pm

    More deference to Rush Limbaugh from the GOP
    .
    http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/20/tiahrt-limbaugh-apology/

  7. AllButCertain | April 20th, 2009 at 11:54 pm

    Here’s something more on the torture prosecution issue from Peter Baker and Scott Shane in an article up on the NYT site tonight:
    “On Sunday, Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, said on the ABC News program “This Week” that “those who devised policy” also “should not be prosecuted.” But administration officials said Monday that Mr. Emanuel had meant the officials who ordered the policies carried out, not the lawyers who provided the legal rationale.

    Three Bush administration lawyers who signed memos, John C. Yoo, Jay S. Bybee and Steven G. Bradbury, are the subjects of a coming report by the Justice Department’s ethics office that officials say is sharply critical of their work. The ethics office has the power to recommend disbarment or other professional penalties or, less likely, to refer cases for criminal prosecution.

    The administration has also not ruled out prosecuting anyone who exceeded the legal guidelines, and officials have discussed appointing a special prosecutor.”

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