"... one of the largest alleged financial frauds in U.S. history."

How many times have we heard that phrase in the last few years?

""Political Animal" didn't make the cut on Time's list of the Top 25 blogs, but I sincerely appreciate those of you who gave us a shout-out in the comments section over there."

Time magazine wouldn't know.

Forget the GOP: They're the G-No-P!

Steve Benen noted: "The Obama administration on Tuesday agreed to review whether it should regulate carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, portending a major reversal of the Bush administration's policy on global warming."

For those commenters who wondered on an earlier thread why in the world the Washington Post editorial board and columnist George Will would deliberately deceive their readers about the reality of anthropogenic global warming, there is your answer.

With the passing away of the Cheney-Bush regime and its obstinate denial of climate science, it appears that the Obama administration and the Democratic majority in Congress may at long last take some action -- however inadequate -- towards reducing the CO2 emissions from fossil fuels that are causing global warming.

Any such measure will necessarily lead to reductions in the use of coal and oil, and will thereby reduce the trillion-dollar profits of the fossil fuel corporations.

And of course the response of those corporations will be a renewed onslaught of deceitful, anti-science, global warming denialist propaganda.

And the bought-and-paid-for shills for America's Ultra-Rich Ruling Class, Inc. -- like Fred Hiatt and George Will -- will be only too happy to do their part to keep the American people ignorant and confused about the reality of global warming, so as to reduce public support for legislation to address it.

This is my favorite blog. No question.

"...The problems that slammed stocks last year -- ailing banks, foundering automakers, tumbling home prices and cash-strapped consumers -- haven't let up. Instead, the issues have festered, and are threatening to push U.S. stocks back to levels not seen since the late 1990s."

How can the 95% of us ever expect to regain prosperity after being so thoroughly robbed by the other 5%. The disparity in wealth is the primary cause of the economic meltdown. Face it, those at the top are not suffering a bit except for the fear of losing their holdings.

Deregulation and bribery enriched a small entrenched group who can afford to hire their own armies to protect their holdings because they will let the economy fail and all of us starve before they would return a single dime. Only the government is big enough to seize their holdings and revers this economic situation and so far the real battle is between those factions of the government already owned by the extremely wealthy and those who are not

The TV oriented soft power controlled classes will decay in their arm chairs as they are marshaled by our police state to do the "right thing" and what they are told. This is the time when we the people must take our resources and the wealth they produced back from these "economic royalists". It begins with reversing the Reagan tax cuts (netting $500 billion in the first 2yrs for social programs and infrastructure...which only results in removing CEO bonuses for these royalist). Sorry but after the first $3.2 million/yr, your taxes are going to go up...Sorry but those 400 families getting billions in inheritance money are going to pay a high unearned income tax.

Time to stop Grover Norquist's plan of making sure no rich people should pay tax and making sure our government collapses rather than become more efficient as the population grows. The government is we the people and should work for we the people and by we the people and not by an elite ultra wealthy ruling class.

The wealthy have been ripping us off through the government since Reagan while we allowed them to become wealthy in our nation. This economic disaster is a result of losing the class warfare with the wealthy elite while the poor sacrifice their children in wars to protect their multinational corporations. Ending poverty while protecting our children's future is change we can believe in. The republicans will obstruct every step of the way.

"The Recovery.org project gets underway."

A tiny thing-but I think you mean Recovery.gov

Pharyngula DEFINITELY should be in the Top 25 blogs.

Time's list of 25 top blogs? What about the Ptolemaic Award for Cosmology?

with apologies to professor wagstaff...

"no matter what it is, if obama commence it...
i'm against it.

–house minority whip eric kantor

I love your blog, Steve. It is first-rate work. You haven't been here that long but you'll be making all the lists soon, I assure you.
You are good on the TV too. It's all good.

the only redeeming feature of time's top 25 blogs list is the comment thread to the post with the link in that swampy rathole where tumulty lurks.

I'm still wondering how Time magazine ended up being experts on quality blogging...

What? "Iron Eagle III" doesn't even make the cut?

What do they have against Louis Gossett Jr.?

Karen Tumulty! If I were you Steve I wouldn't want to on any list that "that women" put together.
She's one of the primary Al Gore bashers.

Rocky III is way better than II.

Also, "Boehner." Huh-huh.

Cornyn got a flight to Antigua. The Democrats got $1.2 million. Did you miss that ?

Well, it looks like Bristol Palin's baby Tripp is real after all - he was shown on Entertainment Tonight this evening. If you don't get why being "real" is a revelation, or care - good for you, just passing it on ...

And yes, this is a great blog. The commenters are very informed and clever as well, snarky but not bitterly vicious - compare to LGF or etc ...

* Busted: "Federal authorities today charged a prominent Texas businessman and three of his companies with carrying out a 'massive, ongoing fraud' [...] R. Allen Stanford and two colleagues,[...] -- Steve Benen

That's *SIR* R. Allen Stanford to you, peon! It's high time you learnt how to appreciate the difference between getting royally screwed and getting just plain shafted.

* I find The Trilogy Meter fascinating, especially the fact that the third movie so frequently seems to be the worst. -- Steve Benen

One of the reasons I'm not much of a film series watcher is that I found that principle to be generally true in books. A writer has a splendid idea, it takes off like a rocket, so he tries to cash in and writes a sequel. But, usually, it's weak tea in comparison to the original. OTOH, books which had been *designed* to be a series from the start, can be PDG throughout (my favourite reading and re-reading are the two Dorothy Dunnet's series).

Cornyn got a flight to Antigua. The Democrats got $1.2 million. Did you miss that ?

I think you missed some things:

-- Tom Delay had a close association with Stanford. The financier donated large sums to the Sugar Land Republican and according to Bloomberg, "DeLay's committees paid for flights on Stanford's jets at least 16 times since 2003, including on Oct. 20, the day the former House majority leader was booked in a Houston courthouse on money-laundering charges."

Also, Republicans got half a million from this guy. In response to this investigation Cornyn said "“No one is above the law, and prosecutors should follow the facts, wherever they may lead,� and he's right.

Oh, dear... For a party which is willing to go to its death defending principles -- among them the right for the private market, not socialist rules to determine the shape of the world -- they seem to have a fairly *liberal* attitude towards "borrowing" other peoples' ideas...
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/17/aerosmith-cantor-video/

I'm still wondering how Time magazine ended up being experts on quality blogging... -grape_crush

Since they didn't include Political Animal and said DKos was overrated, I don't think they are experts on quality blogging.

Meh, as soon as that new web editor gets here and they get a new coat of paint on this old house, Time will regret leaving Political Animal off the list.

Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff:

I don't know what they have to say,
It makes no difference anyway,
Whatever it is, I'm against it.
No matter what it is or who commenced it,
I'm against it.

Your proposition may be good,
But let's have one thing understood,
Whatever it is, I'm against it.
And even when you've changed it or condensed it,
I'm against it.

Obligatory YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtMV44yoXZ0&feature=related

The main difference between Groucho Marx and Eric Cantor is that Cantor's serious. Scary, huh?

1994, Akerlof and Romer: Bankruptcy for Profit.

If so the normal economics of maximizing economic value is replaced by the topsy-turvy economics of maximizing current extractable value, which tends to drive the firm’s economic net worth deeply negative. Once owners have decided that they can extract more from a firm by maximizing their present take, any action that allows them to extract more currently will be attractive - even if it causes a large reduction in the true economic net worth of the firm. A dollar in increased dividends today is worth a dollar to owners, but a dollar in increased future earnings of the firm is worth nothing because future payments accrue to the creditors who will be left holding the bag. As a result, bankruptcy for profit can cause social losses that dwarf the transfers from creditors that the shareholders can induce. Because of this disparity between what the owners can capture and the losses that they create, we refer to bankruptcy for profit as looting.

http://pong.tamu.edu/wp/?p=104.htm

"The Obama administration on Tuesday agreed to review whether it should regulate carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, portending a major reversal of the Bush administration's policy on global warming."

the stimulus bill included $2 billion to build a demonstration CO2 sequestration test model large scale coal-fired power plant in Illinois. The U.S. now gets 55% of its electricity from coal-fired plants. Besides, there are a lot of coal miners who vote Democratic, and the President needs every Democratic senatorial vote he can get. For those and other reasons, I expect that the actual policy recommendation from the Obama administration will await the results of performance tests on the new Illinois plant, as well as smaller demonstration projects now underway. It would be unscientific to make recommendations in the absence of results from those tests.

Perhaps a tax on CO2 emissions or coal purchases, but everyone knows that increasing taxes in a recession (or weak recovery) is a bad idea, so I don't think that will get very far either.

SecularAnimist, if we are both still writing here two years hence, we shall have to compare notes. Alternative energy sources are growing nicely (and have a boost from the stimulus), and CO2 sequestration technology is improving.

Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff:

I don't know what they have to say,
It makes no difference anyway,
Whatever it is, I'm against it.
No matter what it is or who commenced it,
I'm against it.

Your proposition may be good,
But let's have one thing understood,
Whatever it is, I'm against it.
And even when you've changed it or condensed it,
I'm against it.

Obligatory YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtMV44yoXZ0&feature=related

The main difference between Groucho Marx and Eric Cantor is that Cantor's serious. Scary, huh?

In other words, this Cantor isn't like Eddie...he's a Marxist!

Taliban threatening people in America

NYTimes: The callers, who did not identify themselves, told Mr. Khan he was “too active� and ordered him to bring $1 million with him on his next trip to Pakistan.

“Or you know what will happen,� one caller said, according to Mr. Khan, who is also the owner of a limousine company based in Queens. “We know your family.�

The most recent call came last Tuesday. “You’re still active,� Mr. Khan quoted the caller as saying. “This is the last warning.�

On Wednesday, he received a dire call from his brother, who at that very moment was hiding in a forest on the outskirts of the valley’s largest city, Mingora, with their 97-year-old father.
The elder Mr. Khan had received a letter from the Taliban earlier in the day warning him that he would be kidnapped unless he handed over $200,000.

The note specifically instructed the father to get the money from his son in the United States. “My 97-year-old father is on the run,� exclaimed the younger Mr. Khan, his voice choking up in sadness. “Tragedy! Tragedy!�

Can the Federal Govt. please monitor these phone calls? If the Taliban aren't terrorists what the hell are they? We have a war going with these bastards. For god sakes, trace the calls...

"I'm still wondering how Time magazine ended up being experts on quality blogging..."

Me to!!

But, on a more serious note, I'm very concerned about more troops in Afghanistan. Why oh why are we terrorizing these people. I'm sorry, but I don't get it. We send jets with bombs and drones killing innocent people and destroying their lives. Think about how you would feel if this was done to you. us.

Recession has stunned everybody.If the current market condition running as the way running for about 6 months then we all have to struggle for existence in future.Hoping that we will overcome the situation very soon.

We all have to aware about Global Warming and try to prevent it.

Banning on murdering animal is a very good move.

Tonight's "Frontline" special, "Inside the Meltdown," looks like it'll be a good one.

It was - as was a two hour documentary last week on CNBC (House of Cards). But I have one big question. Why was "short selling" given so much air time in Sept '08, and absolutely zero on these two documentaries? Is it possible that Paulson was merely using it as a ploy to avoid explaining the run on money markets? Or to give cover to those who blame George Soros?

You're in good company by TIME's neglect. In 2006 the magazine published its list of "All Time 100 Albums."

http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/

No Frank Zappa. No Duke Ellington. No Smokey Robinson. No Bo Diddley. No Crosby, Stills and Nash. No Roy Orbison. No Pink Floyd. No Cream. No Blind Faith. No Jefferson Airplane. No Mahalia Jackson. No Supremes. No Temptations. No Nat King Cole. No Eric Clapton. No Janice Joplin. No Louis Armstrong.

""Political Animal" didn't make the cut on Time's list of the Top 25 blogs, but I sincerely appreciate those of you who gave us a shout-out in the comments section over there"

I can't even read some of the self-serving "liberal" dribble (coughC&Lcough) who got a shout without my head exploding. Political Animal rocks. Thanks for all your hard work and excellent writing.

"Political Animal" didn't make the cut on Time's list of the Top 25 blogs, but I sincerely appreciate those of you who gave us a shout-out in the comments section over there"

Steve, Add my name to the growing list of fans who appreciate your insight. You're hitting all the right notes. You cover all of the items that I need to be aware of in a way that makes sense to me. It's logical, well sourced, and an easy read throughout the day. It's not overly snarky or bitter but you're not afraid to make light of what's wrong or show what's ridiculous or stupid.

I also don't feel like you're presenting the information in a way that's not so biased that it loses it's veracity. Although I haven't tested it yet, I think I could be conservative (not brainwashed by FoxNews but truly conservative) and read your blog and respect what your saying, maybe even agree (or worse convert to the Progressive side!).

I like the way you format your blog as well. The other ones are sort of harsh and difficult to read. It's easy on the eyes.

Thanks for providing a source of information that I can trust and turn to while there's lying, spinning, misinforming sources everywhere else abound.

Matthew Marler wrote: SecularAnimist, if we are both still writing here two years hence, we shall have to compare notes.

Sure, Marler. You don't admit when you're called on your bullshit in the very same thread. What reason is there to believe you'll be any less intellectually dishonest two years hence then you've been over the years you've already been posting your bad-faith bullshit?

Besides, you really don't want to have two years of your comments fact-checked. You wouldn't look so good, you stinking liar.

No one is fooled by your occasional pretenses as an honest commentor, Marler. Shame on you.

Re: taliban threats- they are listening, they just don't care about one swarthy gentleman being threatened by a swarthy thug. Keep it in the ghetto and nobody cares.

Frontline was good, if basic. I was sorry they didn't spend 5 minutes on the whys of Freddie and Fannie instead of just saying they had to be rescued.

And don't get me started about the 100 best albums....

SecularAnimist, if we are both still writing here two years hence, we shall have to compare notes.

Oh that's rich - coming as it does from the man who steadfastly ignores it every single time he is called on the carpet over his unsubstantiated denunciation of the Lancet study on Iraqi deaths since the start of the war.

It has been two years since you made the assertion that it would be debunked, yet you have neither acknowledged you were wrong nor defended your thesis.

Why the hell would anyone believe that you will follow through two years hence?

Never mind - Gregory got there first, so let me just amend my last comment to "seconded."

let me just amend my last comment to "seconded."

Marler's dishonesty over the Lancet study is truly one of his more egregious examples, and the two-year timeline has a nice symmetry to it, but it's far from the only example of Marler ignoring criticism of his bullshit and bad faith.

Here's a clue, Marler: Affecting a pompous libertarian persona and eschewing profanity may have made a big splash for you back in the Usenet days, but we leftys have better criticial thinking skills than conservatarians do. Your bullshit is obvious, and your bad faith even more so. No one is fooled into imagining you're an honest comentator.

Why the hell would anyone believe Marler about anything, ever?

Shame on you, Marler.