Majikthise

If we want to expand Medicaid, we've got to enhance it

I've heard several progressives suggest that Democrats abandon comprehensive health care reform and just expand Medicaid to cover everyone who can't afford insurance. Expanding Medicaid could provide coverage for 35-45 million Americans and ultimately save billions of dollars.

Now that the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority is toast, reformers are brainstorming alternative routes to reform. According to one school of thought, the House should just pass the Senate bill, or a modified version thereof. Another camp maintains that the bill should be broken down into smaller, less controversial chunks which the Republicans wouldn't dare filibuster. Be skeptical of any political strategy predicated on the assumption that something is so universally beloved or obviously beneficial that the GOP wouldn't dare obstruct it.

Bipartisan brutality: Senior Dems also got sneak peak at waterboarding in 2002

Senior members of Congress, including Reps Nacy Pelosi (D-CA) and Jane Harman and Sens. Bob Graham (D-FL) and John D. Rockafeller (D-WV) were briefed about waterboarding as early as 2002, the Washinton Post reports.

Only one official dissent was launched in response to the 30 hours of CIA briefings on waterboarding and other forms of torture used against suspected terrorists, according to the story. One legislator asked whether the techniques were tough enough. (The story doesn't specify that official's party affiliation.)

Harman says she filed an official letter of protest that she was forbidden to air publicly because of secrecy laws. Graham claims he doesn't remember being told. Pelosi and Roberts declined to comment about the briefings.

Rep. Rohrabacher: ‘I hope it’s your families that suffer’ from a terrorist attack

Last week, at a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on "extraordinary rendition," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) addressed those who criticize the American practice of kidnapping suspects to be tortured abroad, telling them that he hoped their families would be ones to suffer from a terrorist attack.

Watch the video.

Tom DeLay has a blog

Disgraced former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has a blog. With comments, no less.

DeLay is even going to host a Carnival of the Conservatives every other Friday.

DeLay's blog is part of his Grassroots Action and Information Network, appropriately called "GAIN." Ranks up there with CREEP among the worst Republican acronyms of all time.

Preliminary investigations suggest that this is not a hoax, although I'm not aware of any official confirmation from DeLay's office.

See also: The TomDelayDotCom tribute blog, a celebration of the first 75 minutes of DeLay's online life.