Stephen Costello's municipal contracts

Costello and Karen Derr are locked in a pitched battle for the Houston city council at-large position 1 seat formerly held by Peter Brown. Previously I blogged about Costello's attempts to have his political affiliation (in a non-partisan city election) both ways. John also noted:

Turns out Costello is anything but independent. Not only has he donated to some of the most far right republican candidates, DeLay, Olson, Sekula-Gibbs, and Culberson, he voted in the republican primaries in 2000, 2004, and 2008. And there is more. He is a member of the Republican Leadership Council which...

"indicates those elected officials and candidates who provide generous financial support to the Harris County Republican Party through membership in the Republican Leadership Council."

And on top of that, he has recently become a sustaining member of the Harris County Democratic Party.

But perhaps most oddly, Chris Bell and Gordon Quan are listed as Costello supporters, and Bell has even been doing robocalls to Democratic households -- mine, for example -- urging voters to turn out for Costello.

Costello, to his credit, rejected the Hotze endorsement that Gene Locke cannot. Further, Kuffner broke down the precinct analysis after the general election in November and found the runoff to be a toss-up.

But this post is about this story quoting him (my emphasis) ...

Costello acknowledged that his company, Costello Inc., has received about $3.5 million in Houston contracts over the past 18 years. But he called Derr's attitude “offensive.” “The people that back me are people who bring jobs to the city, who bring economic development to the city,” the 56-year-old said.

So I went to his firm's website and looked at the page entitled "Municipal engineering". It lists the following:

Glenbrook Valley Street & Drainage Improvements – City of Houston – CI is negotiating the contract to provide Phase I, II, and III services that includes: Erie Street (Park Place to Sims Bayou) and the Glenbrook Valley Subdivision (bound by Broadway – West, Belfort – South, Sims Bayou and Tributary – East and North). The project will potentially include $7 million of paving and drainage improvements as well as 2 improved outfalls to Sims Bayou. Improvements may include 30,400 sy of pavement replacements, 4800 lf of storm sewer replacements (24”-48”), utility adjustments, sidewalks, driveways, street lights, and appurtenances. Engineering services will include impact analyses of outfalls to Sims Bayou and the use of HouStorm and Division 9 of the City Design Criteria Manual for storm sewer design.
Highland Village Pavement Reconstruction – City of Houston – CI, as part of a project team, is performing design and construction phase services for the reconstruction of streets in the Highland Village Subdivision. Design activities include pavement and public utility design, private utility coordination, traffic control, construction phasing, tree protection, storm water pollution prevention measures, and possibly a hydraulic impact study for storm system outfall(s). The scope of construction includes replacement of existing asphalt pavement and roadside drainage system with reinforced concrete pavement with curb and gutter/closed conduit drainage system, in addition to the replacement of portions of existing water lines and sanitary sewers (crossings only), sidewalks, street lighting, driveways, tree protection, and offsite drainage outfall(s). The preliminary construction cost estimate is $2.7 million and construction is scheduled to begin in 2007.
Courtlandt Pavement Reconstruction – City of Houston – CI, as part of a project team, is performing design and construction phase services for the reconstruction of Courtlandt Street and Beauchamp Street . Design activities include pavement and public utility design, private utility coordination, traffic control, construction phasing, tree protection, storm water pollution prevention measures, and possibly hydraulic impact study for storm system outfall(s). The scope of construction to include replacement of existing asphalt pavement and roadside ditch drainage system with reinforced concrete pavement with curb and gutter/closed conduit drainage system, in addition to the replacement of portions of existing water lines and sanitary sewers, sidewalks, street lighting, driveways, tree protection, and offsite drainage outfall(s). The preliminary construction cost estimate is $4.2 million and construction is scheduled to begin in 2007.
Holcombe Blvd. Reconstruction – City of Houston – CI as part of a project team, is providing engineering services for the reconstruction of a portion Holcombe Blvd., from Fannin to S. Braeswood. Engineering services include design and construction phase services for the paving and utility improvements, traffic control, maintenance of access, tree protection, storm water pollution prevention measures, traffic signal improvements, sidewalks, construction phasing. The scope of work includes design of concrete curb and gutter street reconstruction, a 30 inch water transmission line, storm sewer improvements (new parallel trunk storm sewer, inlet leads, and inlets), traffic signal upgrades, street lights, and sidewalk improvements. The preliminary construction cost estimate is $12 million.
South Main Storm Sewer Leads – City of Houston – Costello, Inc., as part of a project team, is providing engineering services for storm sewer improvements on portions of South Main St. , from Holcombe to Sunset. The scope of work includes storm sewer improvements and paving reconstruction (Holcombe – Dryden) and storm sewer inlet and lead replacements (Dryden – Sunset). Engineering services include design and construction phase services for storm sewer, inlet and inlet leads, paving reconstruction, traffic control, maintenance of access, tree protection, storm water pollution prevention measures, traffic signal improvements, sidewalks, and construction phasing.
University Blvd. Reconstruction – City of Houston – CI, as part of a project team, is providing engineering services for the reconstruction of a portion of University Blvd., from Travis to Main . The scope of work includes design of concrete curb and gutter street reconstruction, a 12 inch water line, storm sewer improvements (trunk sewer, inlet leads, inlets), and sidewalk improvements. Engineering services include design and construction phase services for the paving and utility improvements, traffic control, maintenance of access, tree protection, storm water pollution prevention measures, traffic signal improvements, sidewalks, construction phasing.
South Braeswood Pavement Reconstruction – City of Houston – CI, as part of a project team, is performing design and construction phase services for the reconstruction of South Braeswood Blvd., from Kirby to Stella Link. The project is approximately 1.5 miles of 4-lane reinforced concrete pavement in a 120 foot right of way including public and private utilities and appurtenances. The scope of work includes 48,000 sy of concrete pavement, approximately 8700 lf of 12-inch water, 1,400 lf of 8-inch to 12-inch sanitary sewer, 5,400 lf of 24-inch to 120-inch storm sewers, including eight outfalls to Brays Bayou, private utility relocations, 38,500 sf of sidewalks, 22,000 sf of driveways, 3-traffic signals, street lights, and all appurtenances. Design elements includes pavement design, utility design, traffic control, traffic signals, storm water pollution prevention measures, tree protection, sidewalks, and all appurtenances. The preliminary cost estimate for construction is $8 million and construction is scheduled to begin in 2007.
Safe Sidewalk Program – City of Houston – This project consisted of the construction and reconstruction of more than 15 miles of sidewalk within the City of Houston. These projects included sidewalks, driveway replacements, and wheel chair ramps. The scope of services included preparation of plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E), field reconnaissance to determine eligibility requirements for the program, TDLR reviews and inspections, and final certification of work for compliance with ADA and other regulations and criteria. Construction cost was approximately $1 million. Preliminary engineering was completed September 2004.
Harris Gully Relief Project – City of Houston – In June of 2001, Tropical Storm Allison caused extensive damage in many areas of Houston. One of the worst areas for street flooding was the Texas Medical Center. Drainage for this area is provided by the Harris Gully dual 15' x 15' box culverts which lie beneath the Medical Center. Because of the critical importance of passable roadways in this area, the City of Houston hired CI to analyze the existing storm sewer inlet and inlet lead capacities and determine whether or not the existing facilities were adequate to limit ponding to only one lane during localized rainfall events with a 10-year frequency of occurring. Where deficiencies were found, inlet modifications were simulated to limit the ponding to the desired levels. Two methods of adding inlet capacity were proposed: adding inlets on grade and replacing older sag inlets when adding inlets was not possible due to space constraints. The City of Houston adopted the preliminary engineering plans and the project has been designed by Costello, Inc. However, just recently, the project scope has been expanded to include the reconstruction of approximately 0.75 miles of Holcombe Boulevard in the Medical Center area. The project will include utility coordination and possible relocation, as well as storm sewer construction along both Holcombe and University Boulevards. Construction cost was approximately $4.5 million. Preliminary engineering was completed October 2002.
Almeda Genoa Road – City of Houston – CI performed preliminary and final design of a 4-lane concrete major thoroughfare to replace a 2-lane asphalt roadway with no shoulders for this 2.0-mile project from Almeda Road to SH 288. The scope of services consisted of a Preliminary Engineering Report, right-of-way plans, and final PS&E for the construction of a 4-lane concrete boulevard with storm sewer drainage, offsite channel improvements including detention, waterlines, sanitary sewers, and traffic signals. The scope of services also included preparation of a Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessment. Construction cost was approximately $8.3 million. Preliminary engineering was completed July 2000.
Gaylord Drive – City of Houston – CI performed design surveys, a hydraulic impact analysis, storm sewer design, traffic signal design, SW3P, and final PS&E for the construction of this 4-lane concrete roadway from Memorial City Way to Bunker Hill Road. This 0.25-mile project was located east of the Memorial City Mall, within the boundaries of City of Houston TIRZ No. 17. Construction cost was approximately $471,000. Preliminary engineering was completed April 2000.
Dunvale-Lipan Relief Storm Sewer System – City of Houston – This project consisted of the preliminary and final design of a relief storm sewer system for a 277-acre area in West Houston from Westpark Drive to Buffalo Bayou. Storm sewer sizes ranged from 24”-72”. Design considerations included complex traffic control issues, tunneling along a portion of Westheimer and pavement replacement on Dunvale, and ACOE permitting for the Buffalo Bayou outfall. The construction cost is $6 million and the project will be completed in 2006.

That seems like a lot more than $3.5 million over 18 years. In fact -- and if the sum of the construction costs are not what is paid to the engineering firms, then I will be delighted to be corrected -- those numbers above add up to:

$ 7 MM in negotiations currently
$ 21 MM solo
$ 27 MM "as part of a project team"
$ Several projects' costs unspecified.

There is also this, from the Houston city council agenda of October 20, 2009 (.pdf):

AGENDA - COUNCIL MEETING - TUESDAY - OCTOBER 20, 2009 - 1:30 P. M.
COUNCIL CHAMBER - SECOND FLOOR - CITY HALL
901 BAGBY - HOUSTON, TEXAS
with notes of action taken
MOTIONS - 2009-0753 to 2009-0776 2009-0752-2
ORDINANCES – 2009-0989 to 2009-1042
RESOLUTIONS – 2009-0026 to 2009-30
PRAYER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - Council Member Noriega
1:30 P. M. - ROLL CALL

70. Ordinance 2009-1026
ORDINANCE appropriating $1,716,755.00 out of Water & Sewer System Consolidated
Construction Fund and approving and authorizing Professional Engineering Services Contract between the City of Houston and COSTELLO, INC for Design of Waterline Replacement in Memorial Plaza Area, Shadywood Area and Regency Square Area; providing funding for contingencies relating to construction of facilities financed by the Water & Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund - DISTRICTS F - KHAN and G - HOLM

That "pending" contract alone represents about half of what Costello says the city has paid his company over the past eighteen years. I would like to know if Mr. Costello is simply mistaken about the value of his business with the city ... or misrepresenting it?

And also leaving aside the question of Costello's duplicity associated with his political affiliation, and even the *ahem* 'confusion' of some otherwise good Democrats who have endorsed him, how does a man whose company has profited from so many municipal contracts expect to extricate his business from the city's?

And how can the voters of Houston expect it to happen so that there is not -- at the very least -- an appearance of impropriety?

Villarreal for Comptroller? *Update: No

Christy Hoppe at the DMN also reveals the party's strategy to geographically diversify the statewide slate (embedded links in the excerpt are mine) ...

Democratic statehouse Rep. Mike Villarreal of San Antonio is considering running for comptroller and is expected to make a decision next week. The five-term House member is an investor who holds a masters in public policy from Harvard.

The state Democratic Party has been trying to recruit candidates from different areas of the state, where their presumed popularity and political cred could attract hometown voters to the polls and lend strength to a Democratic ticket.

Bill White and Farouk Shami, with gubernatorial aspirations, and Barbara Ann Radnofsky, for attorney general, are all from Houston. Marc Katz, who has yet to file but has said he wants to run for lieutenant governor, is a restaurant owner from Austin. Bill Burton, an Athens real estate instructor, is from Athens and has filed for land commissioner. But so far, no one from Dallas or San Antonio is on the ticket.

Villarreal's spokesman said he will be launching a new website that will include a video about his future vision for Texas. Stay tuned. He might be giving Susan Combs what she asked for.

This news may chase Nick Lampson away from a run.

Update: Uh, no he will not. He filed for re-election to his statehouse seat instead.

BTW, here's my post from last year about this time regarding 2010 Democratic possibles. Pretty close to what our status is today.

Updates to earlier posts: BAF, Shami, Kinky, Kay, and Locke

-- Michael McCaul is getting all of the blame for letting the BAF Systems contract slip away to Wisconsin, despite even Bill White involving himself in some last-ditch effort to save it. More at Off the Kuff and Burnt Orange.

-- Farouk Shami -- in the wake of Hank Gilbert's withdrawal and endorsement -- is firing staffers and catching hell over his voting record -- or lack thereof.

-- Kinky is going to take a few more days to decide what to do. Update: Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson took out a personals ad begging for some competition.

-- Kay Bailey filed for governor yesterday, and then she quickly lost control of the day. She caught some flak for it, too.

-- The Gene Locke campaign has been paying for those gay-baiting mailers. Which also explains why he never renounced the endorsement from Hotze's group. How much deeper in the sewer can this campaign sink? Every day brings another fresh-yet-foul flush. More from Kuffner, Muse, Erik, Stace, Neil, and John.

Update: Nick Anderson again with the slam dunk.


Update II: Rick Casey ...

It was bad enough when mayoral candidate Gene Locke told us with a straight face that he wasn't rejecting the endorsement of Steve Hotze and his Conservative Republicans of Harris County political action committee because Hotze was backing him on the basis of something other than his opponent's sexual orientation.

“If it's based solely on that one issue I've rejected them,” Locke said when asked during a TV debate why he accepted Hotze's endorsement. “If it's based on looking at my record and seeing that I am the better candidate, I would accept them.” ...

Now Locke wants us to believe that neither he nor his campaign had anything to do with the fact that his campaign finance chairman, longtime political patron and activist Ned Holmes, and finance committee member James Dannenbaum each gave a whopping $20,000 to Hotze's political action committee just days before that committee sent out the mailer endorsing him over Parker. ...

According to Hotze's report, his committee was flat broke as of three weeks ago. Since then he raised $56,000, of which $40,000 came from Locke's two backers. (The) report shows about $9,700 in expenses for the mailing in November and a balance of $44,285 in the bank.

It's long past time for the Locke campaign to slither back into the ditch they came from. More with video at KHOU.

D's 36, TP's 23, R's 18

Is this good news or bad news?

A new Rasmussen poll suggests that the Tea Party movement is far and away more popular than the Republican Party it seeks to influence -- so much so that if it were a full-fledged political party, it would overtake the GOP on the generic Congressional ballot.

The question was phrased as follows: "Okay, suppose the Tea Party Movement organized itself as a political party. When thinking about the next election for Congress, would you vote for the Republican candidate from your district, the Democratic candidate from your district, or the Tea Party candidate from your district?"

The results: Democratic 36%, Tea Party 23%, Republican 18%.

Some Republicans think this means they would be in the lead, 41-36. That would be the easiest bat-down ever: "NY-23".

While some Republicans have expressed dismay over the emergence of the tea party movement, others have suggested that the GOP should embrace the group and its issues.

Tea party sympathizers recently proposed a resolution to make the RNC withhold its endorsement and funding unless candidates pass an "ideological purity test." The movement will hold its first national convention this January in Nashville, and Glenn Beck has indicated that he intends to stake out a more activist role in politics going forward by holding seminars across the country to educate conservatives on how to run for office without the support of a major political party.

But the Republican party has yet to determine whether or not they can harness the energy emanating from the right wing without being pulled out of the mainstream. This dilemma was highlighted by the GOP's November loss of a congressional seat it had held since the 1800s, after a tea party-supported candidate pressured the establishment Republican out of the race. That race suggested something rather striking: while the GOP may not be able to win without the support of the tea party movement, they might not be able to win with it running the show either.

Both Charles Kuffner and Barb at Kos don't like Rasmussen; I would happen to feel the same way about all polls personally. So accepting the numbers at face value, here are the questions ...

1. Can the TeaBaggers get on the ballot? Where they can, say goodbye to the establishment Republican candidate. The success that the movement has from city to county to state to state will vary greatly, but getting on the ballot may not be their smartest move ...

2. Rather than become a third party -- with all of the obstacles in place by the two-party system -- can they instead be successful in taking over the Republican Party? And again can they do so locally, statewide, nationally? It's probably already happened in Texas, FWIW. Rick Perry had one supporter resign as RPT chair (she immediately joined his campaign) only to be replaced by another. There remains an active effort -- if considerably muted in the wake of Dick Cheney's endorsement and her filing yesterday -- to push "moderate" Kay Bailey out of the race. Then again, it may have expired on 12/3.

Queen of the TeaBaggers Sarah Palin seems to be distancing herself from Governor 39% --or maybe it's him avoiding her -- after many winks and gropes between them earlier in the year.

In other TeaBag developments, Perry is so far ducking debates with Debra Medina, and nutbar Kevin Brady has two challengers from the Republican right flank.

More to post as developments warrant.

Pearl Harbor survivor back for 1st time

Ed Johann will always remember the sound of planes diving out of the sky to bomb U.S. battleships, the explosions and the screams of sailors. He still recalls the stench of burning oil and flesh.

The 86-year-old retired firefighter is due to return Monday to Pearl Harbor for the first time since World War II to attend a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the Japanese attack.

"I really don't know how I'm going to handle it," said Johann, from his home in Oregon. "When I think about it, all I have is unpleasantness. I'm sure it's not like that now."

Johann was a teenage apprentice seaman on Dec. 7, 1941. He had enlisted in the Navy only five months earlier so his parents, who picked and packed tomatoes and other crops in California's San Fernando Valley, wouldn't have to support him.

He and two other sailors were waiting to ferry passengers on a small boat to and from the USS Solace, a hospital ship that was moored in Pearl Harbor, when they saw the Japanese planes.

Read the rest.

The Weekly Wrangle

T'was three weeks before Christmas and all through the blogs,
a few creatures were stirring ... some political hogs!

Fattened at the trough of private insurer money,
they are ready for slaughter; let's cook glazed with honey.

The Texas Progressive Alliance is pleased to bring you last week's highlights from the blogs.

Power to the People! Head over to Texas Vox to learn more about the Fair Elections Now Act.

Xanthippas at Three Wise Men airs out some thoughts on the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, and some painful lessons learned blogging about the war in Iraq.

Bay Area Houston claims the race for Houston mayor is now about race.

Texas is the first state to conduct testing of citizens to determine if their health symptoms are caused from exposure to drilling toxins. But TXsharon is not sure this is such a great idea. Find out why on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

BossKitty at TruthHugger sees a political disconnect between incarceration and rehabilitation within America's "big business prison system". Follow through and accountability are casualties of creative budgeting in the criminal justice system with furlough programs, commutations and pardons BACKLASH. Maurice Clemmons was but a single example of a mentally unstable felon. Where was his follow up? Where was his parole officer? Where was the mental health infrastructure that could have defused this violent explosion?

Neil at Texas Liberal asked who are the Democrats running for Houston municipal offices in the runoff election, and who among the Democrats is someone a liberal can support. The post also features pictures and paintings of scenes of gambling as any election is little more than a spin of the wheel.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme sees tea parties and general batsh*t craziness in Nueces County with Club for Growth guy leading the Republican Party.

Teddy at Left of College Station covers the political maneuvering in local Republican primaries, and writes about Obama's War: Choosing Escalation and Occupation. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.

nytexan at Bluebloggin clearly states "I'm Sick of War." As I listen to Obama's speech to increase troops in Afghanistan, all I can think of is that the US has been in some kind of war my entire life. Just so you know, I was born between the Korean War and the Vietnam War. We are a war nation. No way to get around it.

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts about a conversation over Thanksgiving weekend with two Houston Republicans, or Why Bill White can win.

This was Dickens on the Strand weekend in Galveston and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs took a break from politics and spent the weekend on the island. Here are a few photos from the festival.

Charles of Off the Kuff spent much of the week engaged in an email debate on the Texas Tribune with conservative blogger David Benzion over the merits of Bill White as mayor of Houston and potentially governor of Texas.

liberaltexan reports on political maneuverings in Republican primaries. It seems that the race for Texas state Senate District Five is getting complicated. Check it out at TexasKaos.

The Texas Cloverleaf offered its prediction on whether Bill White would run for Governor. 1-0! Yes!

WhosPlayin thinks the Texas Railroad Commission is on a 'power trip', intervening in the placement of power lines bringing renewable energy to Texas population centers -- ostensibly because the lines might cross over abandoned oil and gas wells, or land that might be used for oil and gas wells in the future.

Lieberman delighted Obama did not mention public option

As President Obama finished his speech to the Democratic caucus in the Capitol's Mansfield Room on Sunday afternoon, Joe Lieberman made his way over to Harry Reid.

The independent who still caucuses with Democrats wanted to point something out to the Majority Leader: Obama didn't mention the public option.

Lieberman was beaming as he left the room and happy to re-point it out when HuffPost asked him what Obama had said about the public health insurance option, perhaps the most contentious issue still facing Democrats as they negotiate their way toward a final health care reform bill.

Must... Resist ... Homicidal... Instinct ...

Obama's reluctance to stand up for the public option has been a source of contention between Reid, who is pushing for it, and Obama. Reid has asked five progressive senators and five conservatives to work out a compromise on the public option. The group will meet again Sunday afternoon, though without guidance from the president.

White House spokesman Bill Burton also mentioned insurance reform and affordability in his statement about the meeting, but neglected to mention the public option. "The president thanked members of the Senate for their hard work so far and encouraged them to continue forward on this historic opportunity to provide stability and security for those who have insurance, affordable coverage for those who don't and bring down the cost of health care for families, small businesses and the government," he said.

Reid, as well as Tom Harkin -- a strong supporter of the public option -- are saying 'don't read too much into this'.

OK, I'll try not to do that. But I'm convinced that if the Senate passes healthcare reform legislation without it and Obama signs it, he won't be re-elected in 2012. Nobody else in the Congress who abandons their electoral base in such in-your-face fashion should reasonably expect to, either.

Especially if this were to follow his Afghanistan decision, liberals and progressives and independents of like mind simply will not vote for him again. Count on it.

Monday Toons (left over from Sunday)

Copenhagen opens today

First: ignore the simpering of conservatives about their misunderstanding of the e-mails they hacked. It's just the latest display of their deep, powerful and appalling dishonesty and ignorance.


Now then ...

The largest and most important U.N. climate change conference in history opened Monday, with organizers warning diplomats from 192 nations that this could be the best last chance for a deal to protect the world from calamitous global warming.

The two-week conference, the climax of two years of contentious negotiations, convened in an upbeat mood after a series of promises by rich and emerging economies to curb their greenhouse gases, but with major issues yet to be resolved.

Conference president Connie Hedegaard said the key to an agreement is finding a way to raise and channel public and private financing to poor countries for years to come to help them fight the effects of climate change.

Hedegaard — Denmark's former climate minister — said if governments miss their chance at the Copenhagen summit, a better opportunity may never come.

"This is our chance. If we miss it, it could take years before we got a new and better one. If we ever do," she said.

Denmark's prime minister said 110 heads of state and government will attend the final days of the conference. President Barack Obama's decision to attend the end of the conference, not the middle, was taken as a signal that an agreement was getting closer.

Need some basic understanding of "cap-and-trade" legislation? Here.

The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.

A few things I have collected to share with you ...

-- 350.org is organizing a weekend's worth of action beginning this Friday.

-- The Associated Press is aggregating their stories on this Facebook page. Everything there is worth a click, including the climate-deniers' efforts.

-- Fifty newspapers worldwide are running this editorial, but in the United States only the Miami Herald chose to participate.

Dickens pics

The chalkboard reads "Baby Pirate College Fund"


Not Cinderella.


Galveston's next mayor Joe Jaworski on horseshit patrol.


The Elissa's mainmast and sails.


Some of Jean Lafitte's crew.

More here, courtesy our friend Lisa D.

Fate of public option may be known today

This is it -- or close to it. mcjoan at the Great Orange Satan:

========================

(Friday) night Senate leadership brought together key progressive and ConservaDems to try to find middle ground.

On hand were Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)--who's been trying to broker a compromise between competing factions for months--Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)--who's been floating a potential compromise modeled on Olympia Snowe's trigger--and Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Ben Nelson (D-NE).

According to Rockefeller, the range of views is an indication that things are coming down to the wire.

"There's no question about that," Rockefeller told reporters. "This should have started a long time ago and thankfully Harry Reid caught it in time to put us together."

Those in attendance were tight-lipped about the developments, describing the meetings, in broad terms, as positive and productive.

Meanwhile, Lieberman isn't budging on the public option--no way no how in any form regardless of triggers or anything else. It seems like Blanche Lincoln has decided to take the same position:

"I’ve been very clear, I don’t support a public option that is government-funded or government-run that puts the taxpayer at risk in the long run," Lincoln said.

The Arkansas lawmaker said she would even oppose setting the public option to a trigger if the insurance program ultimately implemented would be controlled or funded by the government.

We're back where we started. Any kind of trigger that would be acceptable to Snowe would probably have to be her trigger, the Catch-22 designed to never trigger. To meet Lincoln's standard, it would have to not be a public option at all, and to lose any administrative operating advantage it would have, rendering it pretty toothless in terms of competing with private industry. Could there be a trigger that would work, a la the Urban Institute paper? Sure, in a world where these same obstructionist "moderate" Republicans and ConservaDems would agree to a strong public option that would actually be triggered. These guys won't even agree to the opt-out, so that seems highly unlikely.

It would appear that progressives are taking as hard a line in these negotiations, that continued (Saturday) morning.

On Saturday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the staunchest public option supporter, indicated that he will not concede anything.

He said a morning meeting with Senate leadership was about telling them "that there have been a number of compromises already on the public option and enough is enough. We've compromised enough."

"My own view is we need to strengthen the public option, not weaken it from where we are now," he said, adding that he wasn't sure whether there would be another meeting.

Sanders was seen huddling with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), another public option supporter, outside the conference room this morning, discussing their talking points before walking into the meeting.

Brown has urged Obama to get more involved in the negotiations, hoping that a personal pitch from the president will move reluctant members of the caucus.

That could happen (Sunday), as Obama is scheduled to meet with the entire caucus (today) at 2:00.

============================

Here's what Harry Reid said about Aetna dropping 650,000 policies people.

The Senate goes into session at noon today, so call Cornyn and Hutchison and tell them what to you think.

Sunday Funnies

Dickens weekend

"Dickens descendant helps Strand festival’s revival":

The London friends of best-selling British author Lucinda Hawksley could not understand why she suddenly decided to travel to what they considered an small, obscure provincial hamlet in Texas.

“They looked at me like I was mad,” Hawksley recalled in an interview.

Hawksley is making her first trip to Galveston's annual celebration of Charles Dickens, Dickens on The Strand, because her middle name is Dickens. She is the great-great-great granddaughter of the famous writer and members of her family have been attending the two-day celebration that begins today for more than a decade.

The 36-year-old festival, with visitors and entertainers roaming the streets in Victorian-era costumes, is returning to its full 10-square-block area with more than 150 vendors for the first time since Hurricane Ike wrecked Galveston in September 2008, drowning The Strand Historic District in 10 feet of water. Last year's celebration was restricted to The Strand because most of the shops in the Historic District were still repairing damage.

This is Texas' best street festival of the year, and I won't miss it for the rest of my life. We're driving down to the island today and staying over night.

Advance ticket sales this year are about 80 percent of sales at the same time in 2007, when 33,000 attended Dickens on The Strand, said Molly Dannenmaier, spokeswoman for the event sponsor, the Galveston Historical Foundation. Foundation officials were pleasantly surprised that 22,000 visitors showed for last year's truncated celebration.

Officials are hoping that clear weather predicted for today and new attractions like an exhibit from the Charles Dickens Museum in London and screenings of the musical film A Tale of Two Cities, based on Dickens' famous novel, will draw crowds from Houston.

The special events this year are greatly enhanced -- Victorian bed races and exhibits from the London Dickens museum among them. More on that at the end of this excerpt.

Drawing an accomplished author like Hawksley, who has written or coauthored 20 nonfiction books, was unexpected. Her parents, who have attended Dickens on the Strand in the past, had been scheduled to represent the Dickens family. But they were unable to attend and asked Hawksley to come in their stead. “I was really excited to get the chance,” said Hawksley, who admits to being amazed when she first learned that Charles Dickens was being honored in a small, island city in Texas.

Hawksley is known for two biographies: Katey, theLife and Loves of Dickens Artist Daughter, and Lizzie Siddal: Face of the Pre-Raphaelites, which she describes as the story of “a working-class girl who rose from obscurity to become one of the most recognizable faces in Queen Victoria's Britain.”

She is also a patron of the Charles Dickens Museum in London, which has sent to Galveston two curators and a number of valuable artifacts, including a partially completed painting, Dickens Dream so rare that it's being kept under lock and key at an undisclosed island bank when not on display.

Also on display is one of the quill pens Dickens used and the court costume he wore when he was presented to Queen Victoria.

See you there.

What's Kinky going to say on Monday?

Ross Ramsey thinks he'll slide down the ballot and challenge Hank Gilbert. First, Friedman's statement about today's events ...

"I think that all of these things are good for the party and good for the ticket. We all want new leadership in Austin and I think each candidate should be evaluating how best to achieve that. Everyone on the ticket or thinking of joining the ticket should be thinking about what will be best for Democrats in November. We will take the weekend to visit with all of the candidates, my advisors, and many of my supporters and have an announcement about how I believe I can best support our party on Monday."

Follow that with this:

Don't be surprised if he moves to another race. And don't forget that one of the people in this particular smoke-filled room is former Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower, who knows a little something about one of the agencies on the ballot.

Ever since Tom Schieffer dropped out of the race — he endorsed Houston Mayor Bill White on the way out — the Democrats have been talking about changes on the ballot. With two seriously well-finance candidates in the governor's race — Shami and White — there are millions of incentives for the other candidates to find something else to do. After an initial meeting with state party Chairman Boyd Richie, nobody moved. But reality is setting in, and there are open slots on the ballot that need to be filled by people — people who might otherwise get pureed in a contest that includes two candidates with big treasuries.

A bit of ballet lies ahead if Friedman wants to run for agriculture commissioner. Gilbert endorsed Shami and Shami "accepted" his endorsment and said nice things about him. But he didn't endorse Gilbert for ag commissioner. Shami is a longtime business associate of John McCall, who was Friedman's financial angel in the 2006 race for governor. McCall hasn't been nearly as generous this time around — you have to wonder if that has anything to do with having two friends in the same race — and might be more comfortable if Friedman ran for, say, ag commissioner. As long as there's no deal to break between Shami and Gilbert, that could work.

To that I say "harumph". If Kinky drops out of the governor's race and wants another statewide position, then I think he ought to run for land commissioner, like K-T (no disrespect to Bill Burton).

Truth to tell ... I'd just as soon see him go away.

Three Latinas will contend for Texas Supreme Court

Two Republicans, one Democrat, all for the seat vacated by Scott Brister and filled just last month by Rick Perry appointee Eva Guzman. Buried in this article from the Rio Grande Guardian:

... El Paso Justice Guadalupe Rivera, who is challenging for the Place 9 slot on the Texas Supreme Court. “Guadalupe has impeccable credentials as a judge and is going to be a fantastic candidate for the Democratic Party at the statewide level,” (2008 TSC Democratic nominee Judge Linda) Yañez said.

If Rivera wins the Democratic Party primary she may face one of two Republican Latinas in the general election. Thirteenth Court of Appeals Justice Rose Vela has said she will run in the GOP primary for the Place 9 slot on the Texas Supreme Court. Gov. Rick Perry appointed Eva Guzman to this slot in October. Guzman has said she will be running and has the endorsement of Republican Party of Texas Chair Cathie Adams.

This is shaping up as the kind of contest that can really drive voter turnout.

Gilbert will run for Agriculture Commissioner, endorses Shami

In our conference call (just completed) Hank Gilbert stated that he would switch from the gubernatorial contest to a re-challenge of Todd Staples for commissioner of agriculture, and endorsed Farouk Shami in the Democratic primary.

My best to Hank, his family, and the campaign's staff.

Update: From the link above ...

“In August when I made the decision to enter the race for Governor, it was to provide the leadership and bold ideas this state needs. At the time, I believed I was the only candidate who could win and carry a tide of Democratic victories from the state House to the courthouse,” Gilbert said.

“With recent entries into the race, it’s become clear that there are now two people seeking the support of Democrats who can continue this fight to victory and allow me to return to the race for Agriculture Commissioner,” Gilbert continued.

“One of them I’m proud to support as a friend and fellow Texan, a man who will serve the citizens of this amazing state faithfully and provide them with the leadership to overcome any challenge. It’s my honor and privilege to endorse Farouk Shami for Governor of Texas ..."

“Farouk will force the transformation of Texas into a global leader in education, renewable energy, civil rights, and transportation,” Gilbert said.

Update II: Other reactions ...

Ross Ramsey at the TexTrib:

He said he endorsed Shami over Houston Mayor Bill White on the basis of trust. "I was raised to be a man of principle. I was taught that a man's word is his bond... On two separate occasions throughout this campaign, he gave me his word that he was going to stay in the Senate race," Gilbert said. "I never would have got into this race had I thought that he or John Sharp was going to get out of the Senate race and into this race.

"To me, it's a trust issue... I told him, 'Bill, you violated my trust.'"

Karl-Thomas Musselman at Burnt Orange Report:

I feel that endorsement serves as a distraction from what I view as encouraging and exciting news that Gilbert will remain a strong candidate for an office in which he will excel in running. It remains to be seen if it will have much impact on the race ...

Charles Kuffner of Off the Kuff:

... Hank Gilbert announced that he was dropping out of the Governor’s race, and will run instead for Ag Commish, which is where he started out. He also endorsed Farouk Shami for Governor. Whatever – next summer at the convention, when White is the nominee, no one will remember that.

Wayne Slater at the DMN's Trail Blazers:

... Gilbert says he's convinced that (Shami has) the state's interests at heart and "can make the difference for people of this state, to pull the wagon out of the ditch." While he clearly has differences with White at the moment, Gilbert is considered an unalloyed Democrat by party loyalists.

White in for governor (and other filing news)

Even though he still hasn't said so himself (that is to be tonight, downtown), the Chron says Bill White is a candidate for governor:

Mayor Bill White will formally enter the race for governor today, instantly becoming the Democrats' best hope of winning a statewide office in seven years.

White, a three-term mayor who is balding and known for something of a bland personality, is expected use self-deprecating humor to tell a Hilton Americas crowd of supporters that he knows he is not a “perfect candidate” but is someone who can get things done.

Hank Gilbert will have a statement today at noon...

Gilbert's campaign says he will conduct "a virtual press conference with Texas media to address his status in the race for Governor of Texas." The Democrat's staff sent the notice out at midnight, offering no clues as to what's going on. Other Democrats have been talking (constantly) about the shape of the party's ticket if White's in the race for governor. Gilbert, who ran four years ago for Agriculture Commissioner, could stay put, get out, or move into another statewide race. The most likely landing spot? Probably land commissioner, or another run at agriculture.

I think that lieutenant governor is equally likely, but I have no inside information; just playing a hunch. With all of the policy work Gilbert and his campaign have done, I would hate to see that go by the wayside. So I am hoping this man will aim high. Whatever he decides to do, Hank Gilbert will have my unqualified support. In my book he would be as valuable to Texans if elected to serve in any capacity as my friend David Van Os.

Yesterday -- the first day for candidates to file for the March 2010 primary -- brought Rick Perry in along with a gaggle of other Republicans. On the good guys' side, first to file were Barbara Ann Radnofsky (attorney general), Jeff Weems (Texas Railroad Commission, against Republican incumbent Victor Carrillo, presuming his surgery for a benign brain tumor last month does not preclude him from running for re-election), and Bill Burton (Commissioner of the General Land Office). Two more unknowns also filed for governor:

Dr. Alma Aguado, a San Antonio physician, says she's switching from the U.S. Senate race to the race for governor — still running as a Democrat. She's got a federal campaign account going — it had a $750 balance at the end of September — but hasn't run a state report yet. That filing isn't due until next month. William Corwin Dear, a private investigator from Mt. Calm, filed to run for governor, too.

The Texas Tribune has all this news and good explanations ...

It's also possible for candidates to move once they've filed. They can change races, pull out, you name it. It's a one-month biennial festival of political ambition, bluffing, chicanery, and rumor. It culminates when the doors close on January 4th and the parties stop accepting filings, and there's almost always something expected at the deadline.

Candidates file with the state parties if they're running a race in a district that crosses county lines. Statewide races cross all of them. But lots of urban and suburban candidates have districts that don't cross the lines; they can file in their county party offices. The state parties put the filings on the Internet; local offices have varied levels of skill. So the lists we've got are incomplete, because not all of those local parties have distributed the information.

The Republican Party of Texas lists its candidate filings here. The Texas Democratic Party's list is here. We'll add links for other counties, and to a comprehensive list we'll compile from those, when they open the spigots.

This reporting is what the Trib folks should really do well, and I look forward to their extensive coverage.

Finally, this off-the-wall speculation from Gardner Selby about Grandma Carole Many Names ...

I kiddingly speculated some time ago that I wouldn’t be surprised if Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the 70-year-old former Austin mayor twice elected as state comptroller, ran next year as a Democrat for governor.

That no longer looks even remotely likely with Houston Mayor Bill White poised to join the gubernatorial field.

But maybe she’s looking at another statewide office.

White, expected to say Friday that he’s shifting his political sights from the U.S. Senate to the Democratic nod for governor, confirmed Thursday that Strayhorn has tried to reach him.

Asked if he’d welcome Strayhorn to the Democratic ticket as, say, a candidate for her former office of state comptroller, White weaved. (The only Democratic figure otherwise believed to be eyeing the state comptroller slot: former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson.)

Take a pass, Grandma.

War. What's it good for?

The Bible has a liberal bias

At least according to conservatives.

The Gospel of Luke records that, as he was dying on the cross, Jesus showed his boundless mercy by praying for his killers this way: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

Not so fast, say contributors to the Conservative Bible Project.

The project, an online effort to create a Bible suitable for contemporary conservative sensibilities, claims Jesus' quote is a disputed addition abetted by liberal biblical scholars, even if it appears in some form in almost every translation of the Bible.

The project's authors argue that contemporary scholars have inserted liberal views and ahistorical passages into the Bible, turning Jesus into little more than a well-meaning social worker with a store of watered-down platitudes.

"Professors are the most liberal group of people in the world, and it's professors who are doing the popular modern translations of the Bible," said Andy Schlafly, founder of Conservapedia.com, the project's online home.

Yes, he's related. Continuing from the AP link ...

This liberal slanting, Schlafly argues, ranges from changing gendered language - Jesus calling his disciples to be "fishers of people" rather than "fishers of men" - to more subtle choices, like the 2001 English Standard Version of the Bible, which uses "comrade" and "laborer" more often than the conservative-friendly "volunteer."

And this from the Right Wing Watch link (the original source's link, the Nashville Tennessean, appears to have expired):

The most radical change in the Conservative Bible might be dumping two passages of familiar Scripture.

One is the long ending of Mark's Gospel, which includes verses about snake handling and the story of the woman caught in adultery. Neither is found in most of the oldest Greek manuscripts used to translate the Bible. Schlafly says that adultery story, in which Jesus says, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" should be cut because it portrays Jesus as being soft on sin.

"It's a liberal addition, put in by people who wanted to undermine the reality of hell and judgment," he said.

Now I frankly had more than enough quarrels with Christianists without learning of this devolution.

The "best" part is the substitution of 'Pharisees' with 'intellectuals', and also 'liberals'.

Conservatives have their own news network to tell them how to think; they are vigorously denying and reinventing their own science as it relates to climate change and evolution; why, it's simply a "logical" extension to find them rewriting the Bible in their own (craven, misguided mental) image.

The Locke campaign's self-immolation

We're nearing the merciful end of a bad campaign run by a really bad candidate and some truly awful staff.

Parker campaign manager Adam Harris called the claims from Tejano Chair Sandra Puente and black Dems' leader Gabrielle Hadnot "twisted and misleading." Using the same spreadsheet from which Locke's team compiled its findings, Harris calculated that more than 71% of the Controller's Department staff is composed of minorities.

As Martha notes, one day the candidate says this:

“I am not going to go into issues of race, issues of sexuality ...”

And the next day his campaign says this:

“It is unacceptable that in this day and age, a citywide elected official would employ such discriminatory hiring practices,” said Sandra Puente, HCTD Chair. “Annise Parker is not someone we can trust to lead our city. The leadership of her office does not reflect the great diversity of our city.”

Imploding in a foul-smelling morass of lies, bigotry, and disgraceful conduct is no way to run for political office, people. You highly paid out-of-towners can now be dismissed to pack up and move on, and you locals need to line up to be deloused.

Update:

A day after black and Hispanic groups criticized Annise Parker's record of hiring minorities in the city controller's office, the diversity record of her runoff opponent's law firm has been called into question.

A January 2007 report compiled by four minority attorney organizations shows that Andrews Kurth, the law firm in which Gene Locke is a partner, scored a "D" under a formula the groups developed to assess minority representation in 21 of Houston's largest law firms.

The report, which was emailed anonymously to me, showed that Locke, an African-American, was one of 116 minority partners -- 5.2 percent -- at Andrews Kurth in 2006, when the figures were gathered. The scoring formula gave greater weight to partners than to lower-ranking attorneys. Winstead Sechrest & Minick had the highest proportion of minority partners at 17.4 percent.

The overall score for Andrews Kurth was 64 on a scale of 100, the sixth-lowest among the firms included. Weil, Gotshal & Manges was the winner with a score of 100.

Kimberly Devlin, a senior strategist for Locke, said his campaign didn't issue the statement criticizing Parker and would have no comment on the law firm diversity report.

Poor Sandra. Muse has the coup de grace.

One-stroke penalty for grounding your club in a hazard

It may be OK this time to hate the playah and not the game ...

Tiger Woods said he let his family down with transgressions he regrets “with all of my heart,” and that he will deal with his personal life behind closed doors.

His statement Wednesday follows a cover story in Us Weekly magazine that reports a Los Angeles cocktail waitress claims she had a 31-month affair with the world’s No. 1 golfer.

“I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves,” Woods said on his Web site. “I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.”

The cocktail waitress, Jaimee Grubbs, told the magazine she met Woods at a Las Vegas nightclub the week after the 2007 Masters — two months before Woods’ wife, Elin, gave birth to their first child. Grubbs claims to have proof in 300 text messages. About three hours before Woods’ statement, the magazine published what it said was a voicemail — provided by Grubbs — that Woods left her phone on Nov. 24, three days before his middle-of-the-night car crash outside his home in Florida.

Shorter Grubbs (for once, the paramour has an appropriate name): Gee, I'm sorry I sent the voice mail and the 300 text messages to the media and I'm sure this has severely damaged your squeaky clean reputation and could cost you your marriage and hundreds of millions of dollars in endorsements alone, but I sincerely hope we can remain good friends.

The voice mail?

“Hey, it’s, uh, it’s Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor. Um, can you please, uh, take your name off your phone. My wife went through my phone. And, uh, may be calling you. If you can, please take your name off that and, um, and what do you call it just have it as a number on the voicemail, just have it as your telephone number. That’s it, OK. You gotta do this for me. Huge. Quickly. All right. Bye.”

This story isn't quite as ridiculous as the Balloon Boy Caper or even the Salahis crashing the White House state dinner, but it does reveal a continuing American fascination with lurid distractions. I used to blame the media exclusively for it, but the truth is that in a miserable advertising environment they're just chasing ratings (or clicks, as the case may be)...

We in the respectable media are not interested in Tiger Woods' car crash for prurient reasons. Oh, no. We don't care about what a celebrity, but a private citizen, may or may not have been doing with his extracurricular time. Nor do we care about the rush of viewers and readers—like you there, who came to this article by Googling "Tiger Woods car crash affair rumors"—and how good it will make us look to our advertisers if we indulge it.

No, we care only for high-minded reasons. It's about, um, the business impact of the story on the lucrative sports-endorsement business. It's about, um, the ever-changing culture of American celebrity. It's about, um, traffic safety! How many more innocent trees must suffer? Wait, no! It's about the media coverage itself! That's the ticket! So here is a blog post about the media coverage itself! ...

But whenever a story like this breaks, the first thing that gets exposed is the gap between media outlets, like TMZ, that unashamedly love this kind of story and cover it well, and more-traditional media outlets, who are either uncomfortable with or unsuited to the story, yet finally can't ignore it.

These outlets aren't blind, either to the news or to the interest in it. They are as capable as you of seeing, for instance, that the most searched term at the New York Times website is, as of this morning, Tiger Woods.

And yet the "serious" news outlets can't just wholeheartedly revel in the human filth of the story. Not just for high-minded reasons, either: there are cold business reasons. As with so many things today, traditional media are caught between a newfangled audience, with new expectations, and an old-fashioned audience that expects old-fashioned standards of propriety.

All too true. The reason we -- you and me; American citizens -- cannot focus on the critical topics like healthcare or Afghanistan is because we are all too willingly distracted by the titillating gossip and celebrity scandal, not to mention the wannabe reality-show contestants trying to clock in on their 15 minutes or the cocktail waitresses digging for gold.

So we can wring our hands and cluck our tongues and bemoan the loss of role models or the weakness of the male of the species and how they (we) think with our little heads too often, but we probably can't whine any longer about stories like this not being 'news'.

Locke: Hotze endorsement acceptable based on "my record"

Just an amazing prevarication.

(Debate moderator and ABC-13 anchor Gina) Gaston: Mr. Locke, are you comfortable with political help or endorsements by people who oppose Annise Parker solely on the basis of her sexual orientation?

Locke: The reality is this: Both Annise and I oppose bigotry. Both Annise and I have been victims of bigoted attacks during this campaign. But this election is not about me or her. It's about which of us has the best chance to move this city forward -- to keep it safe, to grow jobs, to protect our neighborhoods and give a quality of life to our citizens. Understanding that, I will accept endorsements from those people who believe that I am the best candidate, and they would join a long list of folks who have endorsed me, from the police officers union to the firefighters to the Realtors to the home builders to the Teamsters. I think my criteria is, do you believe I am the best candidate, and if you do I accept your endorsement.

Parker: The mayor of Houston must represent all Houstonians and do it effectively. But the mayor of Houston does not have to embrace all of their ideas, and there are certain endorsements that I don't believe are appropriate to accept.

Gaston: Do you accept those endorsements of people who are choosing your campaign over hers based solely on that one issue?

Locke: If it's based solely on that one issue I've rejected them. If it's based on looking at my record and seeing that I am the better candidate I would accept them.

So let's get this straight (no pun intended): Locke will accept Hotze's endorsement not because Hotze is a homophobe, but because Locke isn't. The endorsement of a virulent bigot is acceptable not because Gene Locke is also the same sort of bigot, but because the bigot thinks Locke has been a successful attorney. Or has been endorsed by the police officer's union. Or something.

Seeing as how Locke insists he has never been a lobbyist when in fact he was registered with the state of Texas as one, perhaps he is also forgetting -- or wants us to forget -- that he asked for this endorsement. And he did not seek it because Hotze was about to endorse Parker. And Hotze most certainly is not endorsing Locke because of "his record", no matter what Locke says.

Then again ... maybe he is.

More from last night's debate here. KTRK has the entire debate file videos posted; you can see the specific exchange excerpted above here.

Reactions to the Afghanistan escalation

Mr. Obama never used the words "Coalition of the Willing," but his high-flown rhetoric about NATO and an international alliance to deal with Afghanistan stood in stark contrast to reality. Hardly anyone in the international community appears to have much interest in sharing or increasing the burden of continued warfare - a few of those hesitant nations have personal experience with that region in their history, none of it positive - leaving Mr. Obama and the United States pretty much on their own going forward. This may change, but not by much.

Where Mr. Obama departed from the well-worn script of Mr. Bush was in the realm of the rhetorical. He weaved a tapestry of interconnected American interests - economic, social, diplomatic - to explain why the war in Afghanistan must not just go on, but grow. Take this gem, for example:

But as we end the war in Iraq and transition to Afghan responsibility, we must rebuild our strength here at home. Our prosperity provides a foundation for our power. It pays for our military. It underwrites our diplomacy. It taps the potential of our people, and allows investment in new industry. And it will allow us to compete in this century as successfully as we did in the last. That is why our troop commitment in Afghanistan cannot be open-ended - because the nation that I am most interested in building is our own.

Indeed, it was all wonderfully phrased and brilliantly delivered. But in the end, Mr. Obama simply told us what we have been hearing for too long already: we must beat our swords into ploughshares by using swords. Mr. Bush never said it so well, but he said it all the time nonetheless.

Mr. Bush was proud to call himself a war president - "I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign policy matters with war on my mind," he famously boasted to Tim Russert with that signature smirk on his face. On Tuesday, Mr. Obama was nowhere near as blunt, but nonetheless, the torch has been passed. Whether or not his strategy for Afghanistan will be successful remains to be seen, but he sold it to the American people in exactly the same fashion as his predecessor. There was a little more sugar to make the medicine go down, but the taste of it remained all too terribly familiar.

-- William Rivers Pitt

This is a continuation of the Bush Doctrine; the waging of war based on the possibility of a future threat.

-- Rachel Maddow

I oppose sending 30,000 additional American troops to Afghanistan because I am not persuaded that it is indispensable in our fight against Al Qaeda. If it was, I would support an increase because we have to do whatever it takes to defeat Al Qaeda since they’re out to annihilate us. But if Al Qaeda can operate out of Yemen or Somalia, why fight in Afghanistan where no one has succeeded?"

I disagree with the President’s two key assumptions: that we can transfer responsibility to Afghanistan after 18 months and that our NATO allies will make a significant contribution. It is unrealistic to expect the United States to be out in 18 months so there is really no exit strategy. This venture is not worth so many American lives or the billions it will add to our deficit.

-- Sen. Arlen Specter

I may be the only person in the United States who was trying to wait for President Obama's Afghanistan speech to make up my mind about his war plans. Of course, I mostly failed at that. Sure, all of Obama's options are bad, but still, few decisions seem as clear-cut as this one. Escalation is hard to see as an exit strategy. Obama has no clear path to "victory." We are likely to waste more lives than we save. I thought that was true before Obama's big speech, and I still think it now, afterwards.

At the moment he needed all of his persuasive powers, Obama gave the worst major speech of his presidency. I admit: I expected to be, even wanted to be, carried away a bit by Obama's trademark rhetorical magic. But I wasn't; not even a little. I found the speech rushed, sing-songy and perfunctory, delivered by rote. I despise the right-wing Teleprompter taunts, but even I wanted to say, Look at your audience, not the damn Teleprompter, Mr. President. Obama looked haggard, his eyes deeper set, and I believe this decision pained him. But I'm not sure even he believes it's the right decision. Neocon Danielle Pletka Tweeted happily mid-speech: "So far, could be Bush speaking" and later, approvingly: "count me gobsmacked." That makes two of us. Rep. Maxine Waters spoke for me on "Countdown" tonight when she opened her remarks by telling Keith Olbermann: "I'm very saddened." ...

So what's an increasingly disappointed Democrat and Obama supporter to do?

-- Salon's Joan Walsh

I agree with President Obama that it would be a setback for democracy and stability if the Taliban regained power, but I have serious concerns.

First, why are American taxpayers and our brave soldiers bearing almost all the burden in what should be an international effort? Where are Europe, Russia, China and the rest of the world? Second, why in the midst of a severe recession – with 17 percent of our people unemployed or under-employed and one out of four kids on food stamps – are we going to be spending $100 billion a year on Afghanistan when we have so many pressing needs at home? Third, I worry about how we can forge a dependable partnership with an Afghan government that is ineffective and corrupt.

My nightmare is that we may get caught in a quagmire situation from which there will be no successful exit.

-- Sen. Bernie Sanders

It's the strategy that worked in Iraq.

-- Sen. Joe Lieberman

And I would have to ask a question: Why 30,000 troops and not 40? Why 30,000 troops and not 20? Why 18 months and not 16 or 24? These are artificial time lines and numbers that have no true military significance as planners sit down and develop what's called "troop to task" requirements. There is nothing that I heard tonight that would convince me that we are embarking on a strategic mission that is both vital and necessary. We invaded Afghanistan with less than 1,000 special forces personnel and killed or captured over 98% of all the terrorists that we could identify.

And now with the remaining few, less than 100 according to the national security adviser, we are going to deploy an army of 100,000 to rebuild a nation?

The president says, as one of his major points, we are going to act as a partnership with the Afghan government and yet we all know, anyone who has studied it, anyone who has his eyes and ears open, that that government is corrupt beyond malice. I think and I hold strong objection to sending American soldiers into harms' way and combat to prop up a government that is more corrupt than Tony Soprano and his lieutenants. And so, no, I heard nothing tonight that would sway me against my absolute objection to what I consider to be a fool's errand.

-- Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY)

Don't be deceived into thinking that sending a few more troops into Afghanistan will make a difference, or earn you the respect of the haters. They will not stop until this country is torn asunder and every last dollar is extracted from the poor and soon-to-be poor. You could send a million troops over there and the crazy Right still wouldn't be happy. You would still be the victim of their incessant venom on hate radio and television because no matter what you do, you can't change the one thing about yourself that sends them over the edge.

The haters were not the ones who elected you, and they can't be won over by abandoning the rest of us. ...

All of us that voted and prayed for you and cried the night of your victory have endured an Orwellian hell of eight years of crimes committed in our name: torture, rendition, suspension of the bill of rights, invading nations who had not attacked us, blowing up neighborhoods that Saddam "might" be in (but never was), slaughtering wedding parties in Afghanistan. We watched as hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians were slaughtered and tens of thousands of our brave young men and women were killed, maimed, or endured mental anguish -- the full terror of which we scarcely know.

When we elected you we didn't expect miracles. We didn't even expect much change. But we expected some. We thought you would stop the madness. Stop the killing. Stop the insane idea that men with guns can reorganize a nation that doesn't even function as a nation and never, ever has.

Stop, stop, stop! For the sake of the lives of young Americans and Afghan civilians, stop. For the sake of your presidency, hope, and the future of our nation, stop. For God's sake, stop.

-- David Van Os, "An Open Letter to President Obama"

As a nurse, I have been involved in major traumas. I remember one in particular: a young woman was involved in a motor vehicle accident. Her sports car went under the back of an 18-wheeler. It took the top of her head off, as well as many other injuries, but that was the most spectacular. She came in with large bore IV's. We were squeezing the blood in by hand while it was running out of holes everywhere else. We were literally ankle deep in it. She was losing it so fast that we couldn't keep up with the volume.

After slamming in 15+ units of blood, and still not able to get a viable blood count, we had to let her go. All of the blood in the world couldn't replace what was lost. We tried, but there was nothing more we could do.

This is how I feel about Iraq. It is analogous to a country bleeding to death and our troops are the transfusion. However we simply cannot transfuse fast enough, because when we stop one bleeder, there are 20 others to take its place.

It's time to pronounce the patient, Mr. Obama. Our resources can be conserved to utilize when it can make a difference. Now, it simply does not.

-- "Horse With No Name"

Oh no. Not at all.

So, not only is Sarah Palin's new book chock-full-o-crap, so is the so-called bus tour she's taking to promote it:

As much of her entourage, including HarperCollins publicist Tina Andreadis, risked a collective case of White Line Fever, covering more than 3,000 road miles during the book tour’s first week, Sarah Palin herself seems to have remained above it all, apparently cosseted in the luxury of a Gulfstream II 12-passenger jet rented from Universal Jet Aviation of Boca Raton, Florida, at a cost of more than $4,000 per hour.

More than two weeks ago, quoting Andreadis, USA Today reported that Palin would be “making two and sometimes three stops a day, traveling in a bus painted with the cover of her book.” And just before the tour started, Palin herself said on her Facebook page: “I’ll post our progress from the road.” To further the illusion, the populist heroine gave televised interviews from the bus, including one to Greta Van Susteren en route to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. [...]

It seems now that Palin hasn’t been on the bus, except for short hops between local airports and hotels and book-signing sites. Instead, as first reported by the Alaskan blog Palingates, she’s apparently been aboard UJT750, the Gulfstream American twin-jet ...

Both Palin and the publishing house that has invested so many millions of dollars in her seem to have felt it would send the wrong message to let the “common-sense conservative” be seen winging her away across the country just like any other good old-fashioned Republican CEO.

She's so real and honest.

Gordon Quan may take on Emmett

Miya Shay breaks ...

Former City Council Member Gordon Quan is THISCLOSE to throwing his hat in the ring for Harris County Judge. I heard the rumors a few days ago, but confirmed with Quan this morning...

When we spoke earlier today, I asked him what prompted him to consider challenging Ed Emmett. He replied, "Well, I'm thinking it's now, or never." However, Quan was quick to point out that this is not a "done deal." He's getting legal opinions on what relationship he can maintain with his firm. He's also looking at the quality of campaign consultants that would be available. In addition, he's got to convince his family members, who are often tough cookies.

Quan says he will make a decision in the next two weeks on whether or not to jump in the race. If he does, he says he will make a call to Judge Ed Emmett first, as it is the proper thing to do. Quan estimates he'll need at least a million bucks to run for County Judge. Considering his vast connections within the legal, political, and Asian-American communities, it should be a reasonable goal. In addition, the fact that Mayor Bill White is expected to jump into the Governor's race only makes more sense for Quan. He thinks it will be a well coordinated campaign county wide.

In 2004, after he was term-limited off city council, there was a big Democratic rally at which several people (a group I was part of) publicly begged Quan to run against John Culberson in CD-07. He passed on that; he also passed on a challenge to Tom Delay in 2006 -- ceding a certain win-and-then-out to Nick Lampson. He wasn't rumored for much in 2008 despite the clarion call of the presidential election (and likely could have had whatever he wanted and been elected to it). He also skipped the mayoral race this go-around. Quan would present an enormous challenge to "Hunker Down" Ed, who continues to accomplish nothing of distinction in the county's most powerful slot.

This announcement, frankly, would be more greatly anticipated this week than that of another Houstonian "considering" a run for higher office.