Guest Blogged by Alan Breslauer

Edited down Fox News special, "Radical Islam: Terror In Its Own Words", to show only the comments of host, and mother of eight, E.D. Hill.

Blogged by Brad Friedman from Phoenix, AZ...

In a conference call with several bloggers concluded moments ago, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) had a number of harsh words concerning today's procedural bickering and fillibustering by Republicans in the Senate, which stifled both votes on his own legislation to end the Iraq War as well as amendments offered by other lawmakers to several non-binding resolutions that also failed to come to the floor for a full vote.

Feingold's remarks were highly critical not just of the Republicans, but even moreso of his own Democratic caucus colleagues, "Washington insider consultants," and even former Senatorial colleague-turned-presidential candidate John Edwards, for failing to take a tough stand to end the war in Iraq.

In a passionate, thirty-minute call, Feingold stressed, "This is an important moment to see if we're gonna try and end this war. Frankly, I'm disappointed that Democrats are playing it safe on this one."

"We need to play hardball on this. We're gonna have to take the lead on this issue and we're gonna need to tie this place up as long as it takes," he said in describing what he sees as a fear and timidity in his colleagues who now hold a slight majority in the Senate...

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org

According to an ‘Opinion’ in the New York Times today, “Governor Crist is asking the Legislature to finance the purchase of new optical-scan machines, and it is expected to agree. Choosing optical scans is Governor Crist’s second good move. In optical-scan voting, voters mark a paper ballot that is then read by a computer. Polling place lines are shorter, because many voters can fill out ballots at the same time. These paper ballots are the official ballots, and can be recounted by hand to resolve a dispute. More than half the states — including large ones like California, New York, Illinois and Ohio — require computerized voting machines to produce a paper record. The addition of Florida would be a major defeat for election officials and voting-machine companies that have stubbornly opposed paper-trail requirements.”...

Blogged by Brad Friedman from Phoenix, AZ...

While Florida's new Republican Governor Charlie Crist deserves credit, perhaps even a rarely-bestowed BRAD BLOG "Intellectually Honest Conservative" Award --- for his recent announcement alongside Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) that he would propose some $32 million to replace the Sunshine State's failed touch-screen voting machines with paper-based optical scan systems, it seems that the old state guard is still lying and covering up for their failed e-voting systems which undermined democracy last November.

An article on the Crist/Wexler initiative from last Friday's New York Times offered this refreshing quote from the Florida Republican on concerns about the cost of tossing the state's recently purchased touch-screen systems: "The price of freedom is not cheap. The importance of a democratic system of voting that we can trust, that we can have confidence in, is incredibly important."

To that, we say, right on. But apparently the folks in Crist's Department of State (DOS) have yet to get the memo that it's time to stop covering up the massive electoral system failures in Florida.

In a blog item today by Princeton University's computer science Professor Ed Felten, he reveals that the state's "independent audit" of the contested 13th Congressional District election between Democrat Christine Jennings and Republican Vern Buchanan --- in which some 18,000 votes disappeared on Sarasota County's paperless touch-screen machines in a race decided by just 369 votes --- is built on more lies than previously realized.

The Princeton University professor who led the team that revealed Diebold touch-screen systems could be hacked in less than 60 seconds and implanted with a vote-stealing virus which could undetectedly flip an entire election has exposed yet another lie from the state-convened team of scientists supposedly investigating the FL-13 incident.

The audit team, convened by state officials at the FL Department of State, has been appropriately criticized for its partisan make-up, lack of transparency, and apparent conflicts of interest in demonstrating that they were not to blame for having certified the very voting systems they have charged themselves with "investigating."

Felten, however, has revealed the case is even worse than that. Apparently they have lied about who is actually on the team, listing Felten in official documents as one of the team members despite his early refusal to take part in the state-run investigation...

*** Special to The BRAD BLOG
*** by Libby/CIA Leak Trial Correspondent Margie Burns

Yesterday, we looked at faux-journalist "Jeff Gannon's" assiduous work at planting administration propaganda during White House press briefings. His "questioning" of then-Press Secretary Scott McClellan seems to have been focused quite specifically on the story line --- which we now know to be wholly false --- as being propagated by Office of the Vice President. In retrospect, it leads one to wonder just what Gannon's relationship to the OVP might have been.

On the other side of the coin, the real journalist, Helen Thomas, seemed to be cutting quite close to the bone when she opened the White House press briefing with questions about the CIA leak on Monday, September 29, 2003. An unnamed "senior administration offical" in the WashPost the day before had said that two administration officials had mentioned Mrs. Wilson’s CIA link with at least six Washington journalists, and shouldn’t have done so.

After – or during – this press briefing, things started happening even faster; the DOJ requested the FBI to investigate the leak, Bob Novak made a defensive television appearance on Crossfire, and DOJ notified the CIA that its Counterespionage division had also requested an investigation.

The briefing itself shows White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan aggressively trying to evade even a direct denial that the White House was involved, though he opened with the now-quite-dubious "The President expects everyone in his administration to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. No one would be authorized to do such a thing."

Here's how Thomas's line of inquiry began and continued that morning...

Guest Blogged by Alan Breslauer

*** Special to The BRAD BLOG
*** by Libby/CIA Leak Trial Correspondent Margie Burns

We do not have a political system of government by one man. By virtue of that fact, by definition the man at the top --- the president --- is responsible for what his people do. When former ambassador Joseph Wilson belatedly published demurrals about purported Iraq efforts to obtain uranium, in July 2003, CIA skepticism about the uranium story also gradually became known to the wider public. In simplest terms, what followed was that the White House including Cheney’s office launched a campaign not only against Wilson personally but also against offices within the CIA that still functioned in intelligence gathering and analysis.

In this endeavor, the Bush-Cheney faction relied heavily on the media, and the Libby trial demonstrates how the administration took a campaign to, and through, major media figures to attribute purported nepotism to a CIA office. But just as a reminder, “Jeff Gannon” -- actually James Guckert --- demonstrates that small fish also had their uses; it wasn't only the Tim Russerts of the world who served.

The excerpts below from White House Press Briefiings and Gaggles during Scott McClellan's tenure represent only a fraction of the faux-journalist Gannon/Guckert's White House-friendly lines and, undoubtedly, helpful Administration-approved attacks on Wilson...

Blogged by Brad from Phoenix, AZ...

All the archives from this week's guest hosting stints on PBC and Malloy are below. But before that...In case you weren't able to play along at home, here's what happened....

I was scheduled to Guest Host the Peter B. Collins Show last Thursday and Friday. We came to Phoenix to do it with the assistance of 1480 KPHX, Phoenix's Air America affiliate and Nova M Radio Network flagship station. Thursday went well enough with three hours of the PBC show as smartly broadcast from the studio. Friday, however, was another story.

Despite (hasty if) best-laid plans to hold a live AZ Election Integrity townhall forum Bradcast from the Plumbers & Pipefitters Union Hall here in Phoenix, we were unable to establish contact from the remote location up to PBC's network hub in San Rafael. While a big house of eager folks waited patiently in the hall throughout the technical snafus, and as "Best of PBC" shows played in the meantime, we received a call from Mike Malloy that he was not feeling well and would be unable to do his show on Friday night which airs right after PBC's on KPHX/NovaM and on Sirius Radio, etc.

He asked if we could fill in for him and the answer, making lemonade outta lemons was; "Sure! If we can get back to the studio in time!" After which we invited everyone in the hall who wished to join us back to hang with us at the studio as we then hightailed it back and did the final hour of PBC live over there instead followed by three hours filling in for Malloy.

And so it was. We picked up a bit of our planned AZ Election Integrity forum for the last hour of PBC and the first hour or so of Malloy as many folks hung around throughout the entire night. Got to hang throughout with several BRAD BLOG commenters as well, including RAM, Mike Shelby and others. A great time was had by all (I think) and a bunch of radio fun ensued.

The archives for all of the above follow below. Including some great wingnut calls during Malloy's show. I always enjoy a bit of good troll-stomping as I'm sure you will as well. If I had the time, I'd pull out some of the great callers who were both very kind to me along with the wingnut calls and their ensuing stompage. (Any audiophiles out there who are so inclined to do so, and send me such a collection, I'll be happy to post it.)

Thanks to ALL of the great folks in Phoenix who made all of it possible. You are an inspiration. Listen up to all below...

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org

ABC News reports this quote: "This is the wave of the future, that states are looking to scrap their electronic touch screens and move to some other system that has a paper trail," said Michael McDonald of the Brookings Institute. "It's not always good to get ahead of ourselves," he said. "The best way of doing elections is just the old-fashioned way, by paper." To which I say: “This wave is the result of the unprecedented work of thousands of Election Integrity activists around the country. Aided by the Internet and new means of communication the Election Integrity community has grown and its voice is being heard. The fight is not over but we have them on the run." // U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) announced that the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee has scheduled a hearing on Wednesday, February 7 on "The Hazards of Electronic Voting – Focus on the Machinery of Democracy." The hearing will focus on concerns related to the security and auditability of voting systems used in federal elections, with an emphasis on reported problems in the 2006 federal elections....

Blogged by Brad from the road...

See RAW STORY for their excerpts from Frank Rich's analysis about what's going on at the White House and in Dick Cheney's brain right now. We happily associate ourselves with Rich's take on things. Particularly the part about most of the DC insiders "misunderestimating" all that is likely at stake --- and on display --- vis-a-vis the Libby trial.

Blogged by Brad from the road...

Shop talk. From a new article "investigative blogging" at NewAssignment.net, a site dedicated to "open-source reporting." Yours truly quoted liberally...

For my comments on that and more wise-crackery, see the full story...

LATE UPDATE: All the audio archives of my Guest Host stints last week on the Malloy and PBC shows are now available here for your listening pleasure...

========

Today's special live Townhall BradCast from AZ is sponsored by AuditAZ.org, Arizona Advocacy Network, VelvetRevolution.us and 1480 KPHX Phoenix's Air America/Nova M affiliate!

A great show lined up! Tune in to find out if I'm telling the truth or not and feel free to use this item as an Open Thread while we trash Peter B. Collins's good reputation! (While the mouse is away!)

If your local affiliate doesn't carry the PBC show, Listen online here or here

Call in at 1-888-5-PeterB! More details back here on today's show!

If you're in the Phoenix area, join us at the Plumbers & Pipefitters Union Hall, 24th St. & Earl (1 block N. of Thomas) from 4pm-7pm AZ time!

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org

According to an article in Hometown Annapolis; “Addressing the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee yesterday, state Elections Administrator Linda Lamone conceded that a paper voting record will be a part of future Maryland elections, although she still believes in the integrity of the state's current system. "After meeting with you and other policy-makers over the past several days, it is clear that there is a consensus to take the next step towards a voter verifiable voting system," Ms. Lamone said. "As we move forward, I want to work with you to ensure that we do not lose the advantages that we have gained - a secure, accurate and reliable system - or make mistakes that will undermine the rights of voters with disabilities or diminish usability."” Lamone will continue to ‘jibber-jabber’ about her paperless Diebold machines until they pry them from her control....

Guest Blogged by Alan Breslauer

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org

According to a BradBlog article [see below] by Michael Richardson, “CIBER, Inc., the nation’s largest so-called “independent test authority” (ITA) of electronic voting machines is at the center of a growing scandal about lax testing of voting equipment. The recent release of a long-kept secret assessment of the company by the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) detailing a shocking record of sloppy, incomplete or non-existent testing by CIBER led the test lab’s CEO, Mac Slingerlend, to call the report “old news” in an interview with the Rocky Mountain News. While CIBER’s shortcomings may be “old news” to Slingerlend, unaware election officials around the nation are angered at not being informed by the EAC prior to the November 2006 elections when voting machine models “tested” by CIBER were used by 68.5% of the registered voters in the country.” // The big story continues to be the total change of opinion in Florida where the Republican Governor has joined with a vocal Democratic Congressman (Wexler) to recommend the state change to optical-scan voting by 2008. They are now being joined by the Speaker of the State House of Representatives and some DRE county election officials. // “The price of freedom is not cheap. The importance of a democratic system of voting that we can trust, that we can have confidence is, is incredibly important.” Florida Gov. Charley Crist....