John Kerry and Joe Lieberman seem to think that there’s space for a “huge energy debate” in 2011. That’s quite funny. What they are realistic about is that whatever bill they’ll try to muster will be fairly modest, and focused in part on renewing energy tax provisions. Actually, some Democrats are trying to include those [...]

Lisa Murkowski (???-AK) has decided to support the repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, joining Scott Brown, Susan Collins and probably Richard Lugar as Republican supporters. The votes for repeal, then, are there. But in Murkowski’s statement, you still see that the question of time agreements for amendments still hangs over the [...]

That’s New York Times editor Bill Keller, explaining how his organization checked with the US government before publishing any of the Wikileaks State Department cables, redacted all sensitive names from publication at the recommendation of the government, and basically did everything they could in advance to clear the release with the Administration. Carne Ross, the [...]

One reason why I think the new gambit on just extending the tax cuts for the first $250,000 of income won’t work is that there are enough wankers in the Democratic caucus like Joe Lieberman, who will consider a “sensible compromise” the position that gives Republicans everything they want, only to kick the can on [...]

Ryan Lizza offers a tick-tock of the failed effort to pass a climate change bill this Congress. In theory, with 60 Democratic members and the support of an axis of Joe Lieberman, John Kerry and Lindsey Graham, a bill that put a price on carbon could theoretically not be that hard to achieve. In reality, [...]

Here’s the strategery on the Bush tax cuts. Illinois Senator Richard Durbin said Democrats will come together to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the first $250,000 of a married couple’s income, including lawmakers who also want to keep the lower rates for high-earning Americans. Durbin, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, said on CNN’s “State of the [...]

That’s Lisa Murkowski, in her first general election campaign ad, explaining why she will go forward with a write-in campaign. Within a week of that announcement, the Republican leadership in the Senate acted quickly, not only stripping Murkowski of her Vice-Chair position, but taking away her plum committee assignment. Senate Republicans just said they will [...]

The SEIU commissioned a poll in battleground states on taxes, and found substantial support for the Obama tax plan, with an average of 62% support for letting the tax cuts on the top two brackets expire. A strong majority in every state polled favors a proposal that replaces tax cuts for those making MORE than [...]

Watching the Senate debate over the defense authorization bill has been a depressing experience. Listen to Susan Collins up there at right. She says that repealing don’t ask don’t tell is the right thing to do, that it’s only fair, that we should welcome the service of anyone willing and capable to serve their country. [...]

While John Boehner tried to defend his comments about the Obama tax plan by claiming he was merely trying to work himself out of the rhetorical trap laid by the White House, who wants to give the impression that Republicans are holding middle-class tax relief hostage, he was not helped by all of his colleagues [...]

While John Boehner’s comments on the Bush tax cuts reflected a rhetorical swing back to the Obama side of the debate, procedurally speaking, Senate Republicans have the 41 votes needed to block any plan. And Mitch McConnell’s spokesman says he has a pledge from everyone in the caucus to hold firm, and filibuster any bill [...]