Open Thread for Night Owls & Early Birds

From CongressDaily (subscription only):

^{Dorgan Assails Pentagon For Inaction On Contractorss}

Senate Democratic Policy Committee Chairman Byron Dorgan of North Dakota Wednesday castigated the Defense Department for not addressing contractor malfeasance in Iraq.

"I’ve seen precious little activity out of the Pentagon," Dorgan said at a meeting of his panel, which focused on Kellogg, Brown and Root.

Charles Smith, the former chief of the Field Support Contracting Division for the Army Field Support Command, said he personally saw KBR submit $1 billion in overcharges to the Army, including excessive meal counts for more soldiers than were stationed at a camp and more trucks than the Army needed, and was fired for protesting.

Smith, who was in charge of the LOGCAP III contract in Iraq overseeing the KBR contract, said the Defense Department Contracting Agency documented $1.8 billion in unsupported charges from KBR.

"In 31 years of doing this work, I have never seen anything like the way KBR’s unsupported charges were handled by the Department of Defense," Smith said.

Surely there is an immunity deal that can be cooked up to save KBR and other contractors from embarrassment and legal action.

The Overnight News Digest is posted.

"Bowing" to Mr. 28%

From those guys who want to sue bloggers:

Senate bows to Bush, approves surveillance bill
By PAMELA HESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bowing to President Bush's demands, the Senate sent the White House a bill Wednesday overhauling bitterly disputed rules on secret government eavesdropping and shielding telecommunications companies from lawsuits complaining they helped the U.S. spy on Americans.

That's the way for Democrats to show the American people that they are strong and tough and will fight for what they believe in --

By capitulating to the most unpopular president since polling, and the worst president in American history.

Bravo, I guess.

By the time the election rolls around...
the only people left supporting Bush will be the democrats in the House and Senate.

Open Thread and Diary Rescue

This evening's Rescue Rangers are Louisiana 1976, vcmvo2, jennyjem, dopper0189, grog and srkp23, with jennyjem doing double-duty as editor.

Tonight, Kossacks sound-off about

• The Dem capitulation on FISA potentially means that We Will Never Know. In this comprehensive look at how we got here, kamarvt recounts the main events in the sad story and how a lazy and self-serving legislative branch of government bears as much of the responsibility as does the Bush Administration. (grog)
• Red Wind eloquently explains what makes the FISA vote tough to swallow - no matter how hard you pinch your nose - in A heartbreaking work of staggering cynicism. (jennyjem)
• mikey666 provides a maybe-not-so-fictional account of the life, and death, of a country in New York Times Obituaries page A-22. (grog)
• Fonsia has a more positive outlook on the FISA capitulation and really puts it into historical context when comparing the recent votes to those who compromised on slavery during the Constitutional Convention in Unacceptable Founding Fathers? (grog)

• tardigrade argues that California is rapidly headed for a dry "Katrina" in Calif. = Power, Money but where's the Water?. (Louisiana 1976)
• blueintheface, who evacuated from NOLA the day before Katrina hit, brings outrageous news of the formaldehyde-ridden FEMA trailers, in GOP Rep: "Businesses won't want our money if we don't let them poison us". (srkp23)
• A Siegel lightens up as he celebrates a recent satiric look at the environment by the Onion in Savoring a Green Onion. (vcmvo2)

• Diarist Schoenke writes that as a result of the NRA overreaching Obama is on the right side of the real gun issues in 2008. (dopper0189)
• djtyg flouts the idea that talking about supporting the troops is "off limits" with regard to either Presidential candidate in On Service And Supporting The Troops. (jennyjem)

• In Meanwhile back at the Vomitorium, Lovo describes the very real plight of those who die of hunger while others feast. (vcmvo2)
• Femlaw explains Why We Should Care About an Open-Source Convention. (jennyjem)
• Milos Janus Outlook puts forth a provocative proposition in asking for A Truth Commission? (vcmvo2)
• In Econ For Kossaks II: The Dismal Science, VA Classical Liberal tells how and why economics, though important, is not a popular social science. (Louisiana 1976)
• sallykohn responds to various commentators about her views on her own generation, its politics and the use of online tools as they relate to off-line communities in To Be Even More Provocative on Millennials and Activism... (grog)

Enjoy and please promote your own favorite diaries in this open thread.

George Bush:  From soul-senser to believer

As the Bush presidency (finally) winds down, it seems that George has lost his ability to sense a man's soul. Here was his take on Vladimir Putin seven years ago:

I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country. And I appreciated so very much the frank dialogue.

But sadly, this was all he could come up with for Dmitry Medvedev:

You know, I'm not going to sit here and psychoanalyze the man, but I will tell you that he's very comfortable, he's confident, and that I believe that when he tells me something, he means it...My judgment is that when he tells you something he means it...

With his ability to read souls gone, it's good to know that we can still count on George Bush's judgment.