• In case you missed it, Jenna Bush was married to Henry Chase Hager yesterday on the Crawford ranch.  A lovely Texas ceremony by all accounts, and the NYT notes:

  On Saturday afternoon, the Hager family hosted wedding guests at a barbecue in Salado. The wedding, which began at 7:30 p.m., took place on the Bush ranch, before a white limestone altar erected next to a man-made lake. The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston officiated at the ceremony. Mr. Caldwell, a longtime religious adviser to Mr. Bush, has endorsed Senator Barack Obama.

• The battle between the IRS and churches may be heating up as churches with a political bent seek to challenge the tax exemption laws.

  A conservative legal-advocacy group is enlisting ministers to use their pulpits to preach about election candidates this September, defying a tax law that bars churches from engaging in politics.

  Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale, Ariz., nonprofit, is hoping at least one sermon will prompt the Internal Revenue Service to investigate, sparking a court battle that could get the tax provision declared unconstitutional. Alliance lawyers represent churches in disputes with the IRS over alleged partisan activity.

  The action marks the latest attempt by a conservative organization to help clergy harness their congregations to sway elections. The protest is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 28, a little more than a month before the general election, in a year when religious concerns and preachers have been a regular part of the political debate.

• The US Military has court-martialled an Iraqi-Canadian working as a translator for the US in Iraq.

  In 2006, Congress gave the military authority to prosecute crimes allegedly committed by civilians working for the armed forces.

  Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the second-ranking U.S. commander in Iraq, referred the case, the military said in a statement.

  "This is the first time a civilian will be tried by court-martial" under the 2006 amendment, it said.

• Cokie Roberts was on This Week with George Stephanopolous - as usual - but this week she was saying how unfair the media has been to Hillary, calling for her to drop-out and that it surely must be for sexist reasons.  Then she muttered something to the effect of "and I don't even read the blogs, I can't even begin to imagine what they're saying." Link to the video. Oh--- how awful it must be to have to suffer through the voice of actual voters, Cokie.  I've got news for you sweetheart -- it can't be any harder than listening to you and George Will bloviate on and on, all the while feeding each other's smug sense of entitlement on an otherwise pleasant Sunday morning.
• It seems William Kristol will always have fierce competition for the title "Dumbest Conservative Pundit" (DUCPU), even at his own profoundly shallow magazine. Here is one of his stable of ignoramuses, Michael Goldfarb, parroting the Republican Party line:

  “As to whether Bush is a recruiting tool for terrorists--who cares? Al Qaeda was recruiting before Bush was in office and they will continue to do so after he's gone. The important thing is that we keep killing those recruits. Eventually, one side will give up. And if Obama wins in November, we know which side that will be.”

  - smintheus

• Happy Mother's Day to all the Kossack mothers and grandmothers.  Enjoy the day.

• Convicted New Hampshire phone jammer has high hopes of selling his story to Hollywood.  - SusanG
• We've got hope. What do they have? Corruption and more of the McSame.  

  PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers].

  On Sunday, BarbinMD will be taking a comprehensive look at McCain's record in the Senate of pushing highly profitable deals for his biggest campaign donors and lobbyists pals.

• Dick Cheney continues to live in his own fantasy world.  

  In Northeast Philadelphia Thursday morning, Vice President Dick Cheney said that America's economy "remains the envy of the world," and that a recent economic "slowdown" could have been much worse without President Bush's economic policies.

  Cheney said that because of those policies, particularly tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003, "the slowdown that did come was a fairly mild one."

  "For the better part of six years now, this nation's economy grew without pause," Cheney said.

• A Fox News Assistant was fired for stopping John McCain on the red carpet at the Time 100 Gala and blurting out - on camera - I voted for you in the primary, you're going to win.

  Insiders tell us the assistant, identified as Jennifer Locke, was on assignment with a camera crew to cover the entertainment angle of the event. When Sen. John McCain walked by, the assistant said, "I voted for you in the primary, you're going to win."

  McCain was overheard saying to her, "You're not supposed to reveal that." Locke apparently continued to explain that she is the daughter of Vietnam veteran.

  Insiders who were at the event were surprised and shocked to hear the disclosure, which was recorded on videotape. A Fox News insider called it "journalistically unacceptable." An FNC spokesperson would not comment on the personnel matter but did confirm Locke is no longer with the company, where she'd worked for a couple of years.

  Too bad a 24 year old assistant gets fired while their blatantly biased reporting continues unabated.

• Nelson Mandella has discovered that he is on the US terrorist watch list. To her credit, Condoleezza Rice called the situation, "embarrassing."
• The number of soldiers kept in uniform involuntarily by the Army's stop-loss program has nearly doubled in the last year since the Pentagon extended combat tours. - smintheus
• Once again, after denouncing Iran for being behind smuggling of arms into Iraq, the Pentagon has quietly backed off the charge and produced no weapons made in Iran. On Wednesday a briefing by M. Gen. Kevin Bergner about hundreds of weapons seized in Basra and Karbala didn't even try to link any of them to Iran. The Pentagon's policy has been to accuse Iran first, look for actual evidence second.

  A plan to show some alleged Iranian-supplied explosives to journalists last week in Karbala and then destroy them was canceled after the United States realized none of them was from Iran...When U.S. explosives experts went to investigate, they discovered they were not Iranian after all.

  - smintheus

• The Arizona Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill prohibiting the state from implementing Real ID. The AZ House has passed a weaker version of the bill, so the pressure is now on Gov. Janet Napolitano to sign the measure into law. It would make Arizona the 9th state to join the anti-Real-ID rebellion. - smintheus
• Send your mom a Mothers' Day card from you and John McCain (so she can know that John McCain thinks she doesn't have a right to fair pay) -DHinMI
• China is so determined to suppress opposition to its rule in Tibet that it has instituted a law regulating reincarnation. It's now illegal for Tibetan lamas to be reincarnated without first having applied for and received authorization from the Chinese government. - smintheus

Obama is gaining steam among Native Americans and picked up a superdelegate endorsement this morning from Native American activist Kalyn Free. More on the endorsement from the Obama campaign:

CHICAGO, IL  -- Kalyn Free, an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee, today announced that she supports Illinois Senator Barack Obama for the party's presidential nomination. As a DNC member, Free will serve as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention. Free is also founder and President of INDN's List, an organization dedicated to recruiting and training American Indian candidates.

This brings the total number of superdelegates to endorse Barack Obama to 258. Senator Obama is 276 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination.

Free said she was excited to see two qualified candidates emerge from the field of Democratic contenders.

"Today, I am casting my support for a new kind of leadership and a new possibility of what America can be.  Barack Obama is a once-in-a-generation kind of leader and the best hope the American people have to rebuild the erosion our collective foundation has endured the last eight years. In 2008, we must elect a President who will restore our faith in the possibilities of each and every American, including the First Americans.

"As a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, I am proud of what it means to be an American Indian. I am proud Barack Obama is committed to our unique issues and willing to tackle our toughest problems, from historical inequities and injustices to contemporary issues, like protection of our right to tribal self-determination, access to health care for our elders, and education for our children. Despite the threats that have faced our culture and our people, hope has lifted Indian people through the most difficult times. Because we remain connected to our past, our culture and our communities, we never gave up that hope. American Indians need not just progressive ideas but new and visionary leadership that inspire us to build a better future for all Americans. No President alone can rebuild the American public after eight years of George Bush's disastrous policies and poisonous politics. I support Senator Obama because I believe the only way to rebuild America is to rebuild what makes us great – the hope and drive of the American people.

"Senator Obama is committed to bringing American Indians into the national discussion and into the political process as voters, organizers, and leaders. He will start a two-way dialogue with Tribes by coming to Indian Country to seek solutions for our unique issues and by bringing Indians into his administration.

"For centuries the First Americans have had politicians talk to them, not with them. That kind of politics-as-usual leadership hasn't worked for Indian Country, and it isn't working for America. Senator Obama will forge a new era for the First Americans by looking for answers in Indian Country, not from Washington lobbyists.

"I am proud to stand in solidarity with another DNC Indian superdelegates Frank LaMere (Winnebago) in support of America's best hope for a better tomorrow, Senator Barack Obama."

Senator Obama said, "Kalyn is an effective and compassionate leader in the Native American community, and I'm proud to have her support. I admire the work she has done to build a grassroots movement, elect Native Americans to public office, and mobilize voters in tribal communities to become part of the political process.  And as President, I will work with tribal leaders and Kalyn to ensure that they have a true partner in the White House.  With Kalyn's support, we're going to bring about real change not just for the Native American community, but for all Americans."

• Microsoft has officially given up its attempt to buy Yahoo!
• Although celebrity endorsements do little to influence opinion, Tom Hanks took the unusual step of endorsing Barack Obama via his MySpace page and on YouTube.  Agree or disagree with the endorsement, it's a well thought out statement.
• Howard Dean made an appearance on Fox News this morning and told Chris Wallace exactly why Democrats have been avoiding Fox Noise:

  DEAN: No, I think it was the right thing to do, because there are some things in the news department that have really been shockingly biased and I think that's wrong and I just say so right up front.

  He then followed with some serious pandering to Chris Wallace and Fox viewers, but not before he explained that Republicans use "hate" and "race-baiting" to win elections. All in all, a solid appearance by Dean.

• The Boston Herald investigates how Iraq contractor, KBR, has avoided hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare and Social Security taxes by using offshore shell companies to hire employees. Let it be said again.....you simply cannot trust Republicans with your money.

• Ron Paul is weighing in on the remaining candidates, saying that he prefers Obama over McCain.
• Gas prices have Americans stampeding to buy smaller vehicles. Unfortunately, it is another trend that American automakers are woefully unprepared for:

  "It’s easily the most dramatic segment shift I have witnessed in the market in my 31 years here," said George Pipas, chief sales analyst for the Ford Motor Company.

  The trend toward smaller and lighter vehicles with better mileage is a blow to Detroit automakers, which offer fewer such models than Asian carmakers like Toyota and Honda. Moreover, the decline of S.U.V.’s and pickups has curtailed the biggest source of profits for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

• An astounding 70% of Americans believe things are going badly.

  "Seventy percent is a lot worse than two years ago, when 48 percent thought times were bad and the Republicans lost control of Congress," CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider added.

• From Think Progress, more of the McSame from McCain and Bush:

  McCain’s staff and Bush’s staff talk ‘everyday.’ At a lunch hosted today by the Christian Science Monitor, former uber-lobbyist Charlie Black, who is a senior adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), said that McCain’s staff talks to the President Bush’s staff "everyday." Black also said that before McCain offered harsh words last week about Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina, the campaign gave the White House a "head’s up."

• Seeking to reel in soaring rice prices, Thailand is considering an OPEC-style alliance of rice exporters.
• US Marine Merlin German passed away this week after surgical complications. In 2005, he was hit by a roadside bomb and survived with 95% of his body covered in burns.  His will to survive had become a source of hope and inspiration for many and he propelled that into creating a charity to help young burn victims and their families.

This is the tale of one tough little iPhone. One that has become very near and dear to my heart. I've been traveling on a busy schedule with several hotel stops along the way. Upon checking in one afternoon, I was excited to see the hotel had a laundry room.  There was only one machine and knowing my co-workers were soon to be checking in behind me, I ran to my room, got the laundry together and happily threw in the first load of the night.

I moseyed back to my room, thinking I'd call ahead to warn the others to get change.  One quick look around the room and I didn't see my phone.  I turned over a couple of items, took a quick look through my bag, then another frantic look around. It all happened in the span of about 30 seconds.  I felt a sickness in my stomach and I knew......my iPhone was in the washer.  I've never run so fast in a pair of flip-flops in my life.  I reached the washer, tossed open the lid, and saw the pants in question with a steady stream of water beating them down.  Sure enough, the phone was in the pocket and completely submerged. The horror! Water was draining from every possible orifice.  In a state of shock, I frantically tried to dry it.  I shook the water out, trying to hold on to some sliver of hope that it would work again.  Admittedly, it did not look good, but I persisted with the tech equivalent of CPR.

I returned to my room and decided to wedge it in the vent of the air conditioner in my room.  I turned it on and left it there to dry out for about 16 hours, occasionally rotating sides.  My curiosity began to get the better of me.  It appeared dry.  No visible signs of water.  In my heart, I knew I should wait....but the impatient side of me won out. I could wait no more.....so I plugged it in and hit the power button.  Surprisingly, it powered on and showed my background graphic. Hope!  But, there were clearly still indications of water damage on the screen and it wasn't behaving normally, so I promptly powered it off. On the way to my next stop, I baked it on the dashboard for another six to eight hours. A friend Google'd for solutions and found the suggestion to put it in a bowl of rice to help absorb water.  So, I bought a bag of rice and tossed it in for another full day.

I tried to turn it on again and this time there was no response whatsoever.  Distraught, I made an appointment for the Genius Bar at the Apple Store back home and tossed it in my bag for the last two days of the trip. I rediscovered life without a cell phone.......and I don't recommend it.

After the long journey, I finally made my way home. Still feeling defeated, I went directly from the airport to the Apple Store......expecting to hear the worst. After all, I hadn't been able to get any response or a hint of a pulse for days. The young Apple tech reached over, plugged it in and lo and behold.....it was working! There was my graphic.....my contacts......my calendar......my photos! The "genius" was amazed and said he'd never seen one recover from such water damage. I had my MacBook with me and we promptly backed it all up, then continued testing all the features.  Aside from a few streaks on my screen that are only visible when looking at the device from the side view, it seems to be working like a champ. Things could still go awry down the road, but hopefully not until the new version comes out (rumored around June).

So, let that be a lesson to all of you cell phone users out there....and iPhone users in particular.  Never give up hope if your iPhone has been submerged.  Exhibit patience.  Get creative.  Try the rice. You too may be able to resurrect your recently submerged device.

In the meantime, please remember to back-up your data tonight. You never know when a tech disaster or your own incompetence may strike.

Now, I'm off to catch-up on a few calls.

• All 29 ports on the west coast shut down yesterday as union workers called for an end to the war in Iraq.

  "We are supporting the troops and telling politicians in Washington that it's time to end the war in Iraq," union president Bob McEllrath said.

  McEllrath, whose comments came in a press release handed out by union officials in the Port of Los Angeles area, said rank-and-file members decided in early January to stand down on May 1.

• Barack Obama is proposing a windfall profits tax on oil companies.

  Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal for a windfall profits tax on oil companies could cost $15 billion a year at last year's profit levels, a campaign adviser said.

  The plan would target profit from the biggest oil companies by taxing each barrel of oil costing more than $80, according to a fact sheet on the proposal. The tax would help pay for a $1,000 tax cut for working families, an expansion of the earned- income tax credit and assistance for people who can't afford their energy bills.

  ``The profits right now are so remarkable that one could trim them 10 percent or so, which would turn out to be somewhere in the $15 billion range,'' said Jason Grumet, an adviser to the Obama campaign.

  Obama's plan may be three times larger than the $50 billion, 10-year plan contemplated by his Democratic rival, New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Republican candidate John McCain, an Arizona senator, has no plan to raise oil and gas industry taxes, said his economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin.

• More signs of a slowing economy, the NASCAR race this weekend is not sold out -- for the first time 16 in years. In the meantime, the Bush administration continues to deny there is a recession.
• Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and coal power opponents won a major victory yesterday.

  Plant opponents called the vote historic, saying it may go down as a turning point in which Kansas becomes a leader in the movement away from old energy sources toward sustainable, environmentally friendly technologies and energy efficiency. They hoped Thursday’s vote was decisive

• At least 60 people were killed this morning by three separate suicide bombers in and around Baghdad.  It is the worst attack since March.
• The chief of police in Tehran was arrested with six nude women in an underground brothel. Ironically, he was in charge of "fighting vice".

  Zarei was in charge of a program to clean cities from corruption and in recent months had reported arrests of young men and women for illicit relationship or not respecting the Islamic dress code.

• Bankruptcy - it's not just for consumers anymore.  The NYT takes a look at the growing number of retailers who are closing their doors and filing for bankruptcy protection.
• Brazil may have discovered a huge oil field, possibly the largest discovered in decades.
• Atrios points to a worthy observation by Dana Millbank:

  So much for the liberal media.

  John McCain and Barack Obama both appeared before the nation's newspaper editors yesterday. The putative Republican presidential nominee was given a box of doughnuts and a standing ovation. The likely Democratic nominee was likened to a terrorist.

  - SusanG

• PBS' Frontline sent reporters around the world to look at universal health care:

  FRONTLINE teams up with T.R. Reid, a veteran foreign correspondent for The
  Washington Post, to find out how five other capitalist democracies--United
  Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland--deliver health care and
  what the United States might learn from their successes and their failures.
  In Sick Around the World, airing Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 9 P.M. ET on
  PBS (check local listings), Reid turns up remarkable differences in how
  these countries handle health care--from Japan, where a night in a hospital
  can cost as little as $10, to Switzerland, where the president of the
  country tells Reid it would be a "huge scandal" if someone were to go
  bankrupt from medical bills.

  -DemFromCT

• Republican David Vitter lucked out and won't have to take the witness stand to discuss his "sins" in the court case against DC Madam, Deborah Palfrey.
• With food costs still on the rise, public school cafeterias are struggling to find a balance between serving healthy (expensive) foods and keeping costs reasonable.
• IRS audit rates for large corporations (making more than $250 million annually), are less than half of what they were 20 years ago.  Conversely, small and mid-size corporations have seen an increase in audits.
• Windows XP fans are circulating a petition to get Microsoft to reconsider permanently pulling it from store shelves.
• A group of student protestors were arrested in front of the White House yesterday as they called for an end to crisis in Darfur.
• Rupert Murdoch was announced as one of four new members of the Associated Press Board of Directors.
• For those trying to make sense of today's wildly gyrating ARG poll on PA, Mark Blumenthal and Charles Franklin provide some perspective at pollster.com (Comparing Pollsters in Pennsylvania.) The Q poll is out tomorrow. - DemFromCT
• Still hoping to see a reconstituted Federal Election Commission during 2008?  It's time to be even less hopeful, as former FEC chairman Bob Lenhard has withdrawn his name from consideration as a nominee for one of the vacancies, frustrated by the ongoing stalemate.  --Adam B

• The IOC is warning Olympic athletes that they risk being expelled, under anti-propoganda rules, if they display the Tibetan flag at Olympic venues.
• Speaking of China, the Chinese Central Bank reports their foreign reserves surged $1.68 trillion.
• Jimmy Carter told George Stephanopolous this morning that he has no intentions of endorsing until the convention.
• A Lonely Planet travel author confesses he plagiarized and fictionalized many of his "travels". Of course, he's written a book all about it.
• Bush's National Security Advisor, Stephen Hadley, said boycotting the Olympic opening cermony would be a "cop-out".
• Bush is pulling out all the stops for Pope Benedict's arrival, with multiple large ceremonies planned. The Pope will also address the United Nations on Friday.

For years now, the Republicans have tried to peg many Democrats as "elitist" and "latte-drinking liberals". Never mind that Karl Rove and the DC Republican types are addicted to Starbuck's. It's been an effective branding campaign and the end result has been for many hard-working people to turn away from the very party working for their best interests. Thomas Frank famously wrote about the success of this movement in his book, What's the Matter with Kansas?

Today, as Hillary courts working class voters in Indianapolis, she returns to the Republican theme of painting a Democratic opponent as an "elitist" and "out of touch."  She harkens back to bring us tales of her grandfather working in a factory and how she lived amongst the people in Arkansas.  Never mind that it has been nearly 20 years since she lived without a full security detail, let alone anywhere near "the people" or Arkansas.  You can see her full comments here:

Not to be outdone, Barack Obama addresses the controversy head on while speaking to a crowd in Muncie, IN:

Amazingly, Barack Obama doesn't seem to be out of touch at all. In fact, it is probably Hillary Clinton and John McCain's worst nightmare that Barack Obama seems to be exactly in touch with the voters and their readiness for change.  

Barack Obama is an elite candidate, not an elitist candidate. Big difference. And why wouldn't Americans want the best?

• John McCain's maverick civil rights record is under more scrutiny.

  McCain defiant on vote against 1990 civil rights bill. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush vetoed a civil rights bill requiring employers to show a “business necessity” to screening out women or minority applicants, arguing that it would impose quotas for hiring minorities. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) voted to sustain Bush’s veto — a veto that survived by only one vote in the Senate. Last weekend, McCain was unapologetic for his vote, calling the issue “more complicated in the 90s” and repeating the false argument that it would have led to quotas. Seven years earlier, McCain had also voted against the creation of a holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., though he now calls that vote a “mistake.” (HT: Huffington Post)

• Not content with taking over the cement and steel industry in Venezuala, yestereday President Hugo Chavez ordered troops to seize 32 sugar plantations.
• The outrage over excessive CEO salaries continues to grow, with calls for big changes.
• Turns out there is one good by-product of the falling dollar.....drug traffickers are taking their cocaine to Europe instead of the US.
• The Pope will be arriving in the US this week.  Oddly enough, the Pope is declining to attend a White House dinner in his honor, although Catholic leaders from around the country are expected to attend.

For decades, Wal-Mart has used Flagler Productions, a small company based in Kansas, to record their internal meetings.  In 2006, Wal-Mart suddenly stopped using their services - wiping out about 95% of their total business. As a consequence, Flagler is struggling to stay afloat and recently made the decision to open its archives to attorneys, unions, activists, and anybody else with a few bucks in their pocket.  Needless to say, Wal-Mart is not happy. So, what exactly is on the tapes? From the KC Star:

Those moments never meant for public display include a scene of male managers parading in drag at an executive meeting, a clip used by union-backed critics at Wal-Mart Watch for a recent advertisement castigating the retailer's attitude toward female employees.

"The videos provide insight into the company's real corporate culture when they're not in the public eye," Wal-Mart Watch spokeswoman Stacie Lock Temple said Tuesday.

Much of the interest in the candid videos is coming from plaintiff lawyers pursuing cases against Wal-Mart.

"The rarity is that it exists at all," said Brad Seligman, lead attorney in a massive class-action lawsuit that alleges Wal-Mart discriminated systemically against female employees.

"Once in a while you come upon documents that are helpful in a case," the Berkeley, Calif.-based lawyer added. "What's amazing about this is that this company has a video record going back many years showing senior management in at times fairly candid situations."

It's a dream come true for plaintiffs and attorneys who are suing Wal-Mart.  But, what does Wal-Mart think about the archives being sold? As you might imagine, they are not amused.

"Needless to say, we did not pay Flagler Productions to tape internal meetings with this aftermarket in mind," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Daphne Moore said.

She declined to comment on any legal steps the company might be considering.

Flagler says Wal-Mart has no legal power over the videos because the two sides did not sign a contract when founder Mike Flagler was hired in the 1970s to produce Wal-Mart meetings and management conferences.

Ouch! Wal-Mart forgot to sign a contract spelling out the terms of their production services.  I've leave it up to the legal eagles on this board to offer a more informed opinion, but this can't be good.....for Wal-Mart. The article notes there are periodic discussions with Wal-Mart in regards to buying the archive outright. So, if you have an interest in the collection, you'd better get in touch with them sooner than later. In the meantime, strike one for the little guy!

It's official. Joe Lieberman and his 2006 campaign staff were either incompetent, dishonest, or both. Atrios has the story.  

On the day of the 2006 primary, Joe Lieberman's website came crashing down. Lieberman and his mouthpieces spent the day running around to all the media that would listen, claiming that their site had been hacked by Lamont supporters or other "extremist leftwing elements". Sadly, the media was all too eager to buy into the narrative and they relentlessly pushed the idea that "dirty campaign tactics" by bloggers simply had to be at the root of it.  

The problem was, even at the time, it was crystal clear that this was sheer incompetence by the Lieberman camp. Kos pointed to it that very same day:

But now I have the definitive answer as to why Lieberman's site went down.

They are paying $15/month for hosting at a place called MyHostCamp, with a bandwidth limit of 10GB. MyHostCamp is currently down, along with all their clients.

Here's the deal -- you get what you pay for. My hosting bill is now over $7K per month. A smaller site doesn't need that much bandwidth, but if you're paying $15 because your $12 million campaign is too freakin' cheap to pay for quality hosting, then don't go blaming your opponent when your shitty service goes out.

For their part, the Lamont campaign has offered its technical expertise to get Lieberman's site back up (which could be done in an hour by a competent sysadmin), and has added a link to the googlecached version of Lieberman's site at the top of their blog.

Turns out that federal investigators came to the same conclusion in October 2006 after Lieberman's camp demanded a full investigation. From The Stamford Advocate:

A federal investigation has concluded that U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman's 2006 re-election campaign was to blame for the crash of its Web site the day before Connecticut's heated Aug. 8 Democratic primary.

The FBI office in New Haven found no evidence supporting the Lieberman campaign's allegations that supporters of primary challenger Ned Lamont of Greenwich were to blame for the Web site crash.

Lieberman, who was fighting for his political life against the anti-Iraq war candidate Lamont, implied that joe2006.com was hacked by Lamont supporters.

"The server that hosted the joe2006.com Web site failed because it was overutilized and misconfigured. There was no evidence of (an) attack," according to the e-mail.

A program that could have detected a legitimate attack was improperly configured, the e-mail states.

"New Haven will be administratively closing this investigation," it concluded.

The e-mail, dated Oct. 25, 2006, was included in a technical packet of information recently sent to The Advocate in response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act filed in late 2006 with the offices of state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor.

Yes, you read that right. The investigation was closed on Oct. 25, 2006, but is just now being reported and only because of The Stamford Advocate's persistence in demanding the investigation results.  Will Joe Lieberman publicly apologize to Ned Lamont?  And when exactly is the investigation going to begin into Lieberman's election tactics?  I seem to recall that after he lost the Democratic primary to Ned Lamont, he decided to thumb his nose at Democratic voters in Connecticut and run on a third party ticket.  The problem was that there never was a 3rd party and he seemingly violated Connecticut election laws.  When does that investigation begin?

On a final note, you may have noticed that Daily Kos was down for a little while this morning.  We are actively investigating whether Joe Lieberman or other extremist rightwing elements may have been responsible.  Stay tuned.

Update:  Primary day video from the Lamont camp:

While Joe's 3rd party status remains murky, there are a few other outstanding questions that were never addressed. What about the suspicious $387,000 that Joe claimed as petty cash in the waning days of the campaign? And did the Lieberman campaign knowingly file a false report in an effort to influence the election?

• The Internet, as we know it, could become obsolete in the not-too-distant future.

  At speeds about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection, “the grid” will be able to send the entire Rolling Stones back catalogue from Britain to Japan in less than two seconds.

  The latest spin-off from Cern, the particle physics centre that created the web, the grid could also provide the kind of power needed to transmit holographic images; allow instant online gaming with hundreds of thousands of players; and offer high-definition video telephony for the price of a local call.

  David Britton, professor of physics at Glasgow University and a leading figure in the grid project, believes grid technologies could “revolutionise” society. “With this kind of computing power, future generations will have the ability to collaborate and communicate in ways older people like me cannot even imagine,” he said.

• The Olympic torch arrived in San Francisco this morning.
• Almost half of the workers on one floor of a NASA building have reportedly developed cancer. The affected employees all work for at an experimental engineering building within NASA.
• Dick Cheney will become the first Vice President to receive a government funded security detail after he leaves office. Traditionally offered to the President and family, it has not typically been extended to an outgoing VP. Didn't he make enough money off of Haliburton to pay for his own private security?
• CBS is considering outsourcing some of its reporting duties to CNN.
• Google unveils another amazing new map feature, designed to track refugees.

  Internet search giant Google Inc. unveiled a new feature Tuesday for its popular mapping programs that shines a spotlight on the movement of refugees around the world.

  The maps will aid humanitarian operations as well as help inform the public about the millions who have fled their homes because of violence or hardship, according to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, which is working with Google on the project.

• iLoveMountains.org and the NRDC have made this a day to call your representative and urge support of the Clean Water Protection Act. The momentum is shifting on this issue, and the Act is really gaining traction.  So keep pushing!  For more information go here.- devilstower
• Progress Now unveiled their new video thanking Colorado's Republican candidate for Senate, "Big Oil Bob" Shaffer, for record oil profits at the expense of taxpayers.
• And, last, but certainly not least ---  The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Memphis Tigers last night, 75-68, to become the NCAA Champions. It was an incredible game, culminating with a last second 3 point shot by Mario Chalmers that would send the game in overtime and give the Jayhawks the momentum to win the game.  For any midwestern Kossacks/Jayhawkers, if you can get to Lawrence today, the team will be arriving at Memorial Stadium at 3 pm CDT.  Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

• At least 35 pro-Tibet protesters have been arrested in England as the Olympic torch makes it way through London.
• Newsweek examines the appalling reversal of women's rights for Iraqi women. Many are now subjected to "medieval mores."
• A Sri Lankan coach and Olympic runner were killed by a suicide bomber during the opening ceremonies of a Sri Lankan marathon. Twelve were reportedly killed and more than 90 injured by the attack.
• Charlton Heston passed away Saturday night at the age of 84.
• Investigators are looking into excessive credit card charges made by VA employees:

  WASHINGTON - Veterans Affairs employees last year racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in government credit-card bills at casino and luxury hotels, movie theaters and high-end retailers such as Sharper Image and Franklin Covey — and government auditors are investigating, citing past spending abuses.

  All told, VA staff charged $2.6 billion to their government credit cards.

• The Seattle Times wonders whether blogging is bad for your health. - mcjoan
• The Kansas Jayhawks defeated UNC last night and will now advance to play Memphis in the NCAA Championship game on Monday night.

• Iraqi advisors are not happy that The US State Dept renewed the Blackwater contract.
• The violence in Tibet continues. At least eight people were killed and dozens injured  after the Chinese military opened fire on a crowd of protesters.  

  They searched the room of every monk, confiscating all mobile phones as well as the pictures. The monastery’s website (www.donggusi.com) says that it is home to 350 monks. A contact telephone for the monastery was not operational yesterday.

  When the officials had removed the photographs, a 74-year-old monk, identified as Cicheng Danzeng, tried to stop police from throwing the images on the ground — an act seen as a desecration by Tibetans, who revere the Dalai Lama as their god king. A young man working in the monastery, Cicheng Pingcuo, 25, also made a stand and both were arrested.

  The team of officials then demanded that all the monks denounce the Dalai Lama, who fled China after a failed uprising in 1959. One monk, Yixi Lima, stood up and voiced his opposition, prompting the other monks to add their voices.

  About 6.30pm, the entire monastic body marched down to a nearby river, where paramilitary police were encamped and demanded the release of the two men. They were joined by several hundred local villagers, many of them enraged at the detention of the elderly monk, who locals say is well respected in the area for his learning and piety.

• H&R Bloch is now offering tax advice in Second Life.

  As a tax pro for H&R Block, Kathy Burlison has helped countless traditional customers. She’s also helped vampires, cartoon characters and a knight doing the tango in a full suit of armor.

• John Ashcroft was loudly booed after he incorrectly (and perhaps on purpose) mispronounced Barack Obama's name.
• The cash-strapped US Forest Service is buying high tech weaponry to combat terrorist campers or something. The purchases include two drone aircraft as well as $600,000 worth of tasers that were never distributed and neither needed nor wanted. - smintheus
• That other stupid Kagan has advice on Iraq. - smintheus

• Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced plans to increase the number of US troops in Afghanistan in 2009.
• The Navajo Nation may lose their Internet service on Monday.
• US Consumers are feeling the pinch as food prices continue to rise.
• Pirates in Somalia have taken control of a French cruise ship. No word on how many passengers are aboard.
• US Intelligence officers and officials from the Department of Justice say that the Chinese spy network in America is rapidly growing.
• Think Progress notes a study that shows strict abstinence-only programs in Florida have led teens to believe that marijuana prevents pregnancy.

  A recent survey that found some Florida teens believe drinking a cap of bleach will prevent HIV and a shot of Mountain Dew will stop pregnancy has prompted lawmakers to push for an overhaul of sex education in the state.

  The survey showed that Florida teens also believe that smoking marijuana will prevent a person from getting pregnant.