I couldn’t help but notice the awfully well-decorated house of Pauline McAreavy, who was quoted in yesterday’s NYTimes article, saying she wishes there had been more immediate change under Obama.  From the looks of your digs Pauline, I wouldn’t want to change too much!

Then came the 2007 car crash that kept him submerged in an induced coma for 11 days, followed the next year by the crash on Wall Street, which had much the same effect on the state’s economy

-Bai on Corzine in this weekend’s New York Times Magazine

Politico reports today that the West Wing is “fired up” this morning after getting wind of Cheney’s remarks at the Center for Security Policy Wednesday night.

“The White House must stop dithering while America’s armed forces are in danger. Make no mistake: Signals of indecision out of Washington hurt our allies and embolden our adversaries. Waffling, while our troops on the ground face an emboldened enemy, endangers them and hurts our cause.”

Gibbs has already torn into Cheney at a WH press conference today.  But, aside from the fact that Cheney and Bush let a proposal to increase troops in Afghanistan sit on their desks for 8 months, isn’t the sheer act of publically second guessing your current Commander-in-Chief doing just that — emboldening the enemy?

Maybe Cheney should take notes from a once reviled Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara.  In an interview on Charlie Rose with director Errol Morris shortly before McNamara died, the former Secretary of Defense, under much pressure from Rose and Morris, refrained from commenting or critiquing the way the Bush administration was handling the war in Iraq.  An exasperated Rose even called McNamara’s refusals to weigh in on the war debate “silly”.  McNamara maintained that weighing in or showing public criticism would embolden the enemy.

Watch the full interview here…really fascinating and gets pretty uncomfortable around 14:30!

Wall Street is back at it again.  They’re bundling, that word turned dirty from the recent sub-prime mortgage fiasco.  It may be even dirtier than liberal.  Yes, as the front page of the New York Times today warns Wall Street is packaging hundreds or thousands of life insurance policies to resell as bonds, allowing investors to cash in when people with life insurance die.  Aside from the rather callous act of betting on when Grandma is going to croak, aka Wall Street’s version of a death panel, what’s alarming is that the financial world has basically pitted itself against the core, progressive policy proposals of the Obama administration, or any Democratic administration for that matter.  Here’s what I mean, if there’s a ton of money to be made by people dying, then there’s obviously less incentive to take care of others through programs such as universal healthcare, schools, even the police.  So, in light of Obama number one policy proposal, healthcare, how will Wall Street react?  My guess is that those trying to cash in on these “life settlement” packages will be overwhelmingly Republican. Most Democrats, it’s safe to assume, will be willing to bet that more people will live longer under Obama’s healthcare plan, diminishing returns for those investing in life insurance bundles. Republicans, viciously skeptical of Obama’s plan and its death panels ready to call it quits for Grandma, will most likely try cashing in.  Interestingly, the winners and losers trading on these financial products will fall along party lines.  But don’t worry about those conservatives betting against healthcare reform’s success…if they go broke, at least they’ll have free healthcare.

Clearly, not of any political significance, but is this not a slap in the face to the Williams’ sisters? One Dominant, Americans Sow Seeds of Renewal

Update: I emailed Greg Bishop about the headline, it’s been changed to : “American Men Looking for  a Rebound”

Unbelievable.  Maria Bartiromo asks 44-year old Anthony Weiner if Medicare is so good, why don’t you have it? Is it me, or does Maria sound like she’s reciting, word for word, today’s Republican talking point?  First, CNBC misleads the country about the health of the economy.  Now, healthcare reform?  Wow.  And for the record, I visited my grandparents in Rochester, New York this weekend.  They’ve been in and out of the hospital a lot this year.  I asked them how they felt about Medicare, expecting a lukewarm response.  They said they were very satisfied and pleased with the care.

Reader bones sent in this awesome rebuttal from Rep Barney Frank at a recent townhall: “Mam, arguing with you would be like arguing with a dining room table”

Thanks bones!

Looking for Taibbi’s article on the healthcare reform bill out this week and came across his latest blog post on Truth Slant:

“I’ll say this for George Bush: you’d never have caught him frantically negotiating against himself to take the meat out of a signature legislative initiative just because his approval ratings had a bad summer. Can you imagine Bush and Karl Rove allowing themselves to be paraded through Washington on a leash by some dimwit Republican Senator of a state with six people in it the way the Obama White House this summer is allowing Max Baucus (favorite son of the mighty state of Montana) to frog-march them to a one-term presidency?

To quote Method Man’s Calvin “Cheese” Wagstaff character from The Wire, “This is some shameless shit right here.”

First of all, the fact that he quotes The Wire is amazing.  Second, who would have predicted that 8 months into his term Obama would be making Bush look good?  For all the vitriol directed at the former president for acting like a cowboy-bully in the White House, it’s ironic that the left is  asking Obama : Why can’t you be more like Bush?

But, politically speaking, I wonder how productive it is for Democrats to rail against their party as weak or afraid of its own shadow.   Is it really what’s best for the party?  And could it do more harm than good? I hestitate to step into the echo chamber and agree with the cricitism of democratic weakness because it usually perpetuates a talking point whose origin can usually be traced back to the RNC.   Democrats will never be billed as the strong, united party when its accused as being weak at the faintest sign of a flinch.  But, the Dems do need a kick in the butt.  They are dropping the ball on healthcare reform by letting the Republicans control the debate.  Remember this death panel rumor was one they should have been prepared for.  For the sake of the party and healthcare reform, dems need to be told grow a backbone — without being call spineless.

From Krugman:

National Health Service has problems, but over all it appears to provide quite good care while spending only about 40 percent as much per person as we do.

From TPM:

The American right wing’s attack on the British National Health Service is now getting a strong rebuke — from the British right wing, who are joining in on the Twitter campaign of Britons proud of the NHS.

Among the many British politicians, journalists and Twitter users chipping in to debunk the attacks on the NHS is now Conservative Party Leader David Cameron, who is heavily favored to win the next election and become Prime Minister. He’s now blogged in support of the pro-NHS Twitter campaign:

People still care about the issues they care about, and thanks to the internet they can voice their concerns whenever they want. Just look at all the support which the NHS has received on Twitter over the last couple of days. It is a reminder – if one were needed – of how proud we in Britain are of the NHS.

Millions of people are grateful for the care they have received from the NHS – including my own family. One of the wonderful things about living in this country is that the moment you’re injured or fall ill – no matter who you are, where you are from, or how much money you’ve got – you know that the NHS will look after you.

“I support the NHS 100% and the Conservative Party supports the NHS 100%,” he told the BBC. “We are the party that gives the biggest amount of support to the NHS. It is incredibly important to my family. It is incredibly important to this country.”

Cameron’s reassurance that the Tories support their country’s socialized health care comes after one of his party’s members of the European Parliament bashed the NHS and called it a “60 year mistake.” Cameron declared: “He does have some quite eccentric views about some things, and political parties always include some people who don’t toe the party line on one issue or another issue.”