Last week, in response to a Star Tribune editorial suggesting that the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Thomas Heffelfinger stemmed from his refusal to investigate "voter fraud" allegations, Heffelfinger and former Minnesota Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer teamed up to throw some dust in the air.

Heffelfinger and Kiffmeyer are quoted in a Star Tribune report by Dan Browning, Heffelfinger had no reason to think he'd be ousted, he says. It is tempting to describe Heffelfinger's comments in this article as a non-denial denial, but they do not even rise to that standard. In actuality, Heffelfinger admits to a "dispute" with Kiffmeyer over her allegations of "unlawful and discriminatory" registration practices in two Minnesota counties.

Browning chooses to bury Heffelfinger's admission, and further, allows Kiffmeyer to mischaracterize the nature of her "voter fraud" complaints.

Below the fold: Heffelfinger and Kiffmeyer contradict each other, and Dan Browning earns the praise of Power Line for allowing himself to be spun by the pair of Minnesota purge protectors.

Take the time to read just one more Imus diary. You'll like this one -- it's not really about Imus. It's about how the internet is altering the media landscape in ways we are probably only beginning to understand. It's about a people-powered revolution, one that exhibits its strength not just through electoral change, but through the distributed power of thought and action that has created a million media watchdogs.

Time for a little good old-fashioned blog triumphalism. I happen to think that what blogs are best at isn't argument, but simple reporting. The ability for millions of people to observe and report news is unprecedented. And the fall of Imus is yet another example of how powerful blogs are becoming. Imus' racist and sexist remarks might have slipped by this time. But somebody was watching.

After the jump: how Media Matters for America brought down a behemoth of the traditional media by simply reporting what he said.

I see that TPMmuckraker is reporting yet another White House excuse for the missing emails:

Today, during the White House press gaggle, Dana Perino gave an explanation of sorts:

But there was a conversion sometime between 2002 and 2003 to convert people that were using Lotus Notes when we first arrived to Microsoft Outlook. And I know that the tech people worked to get us all transferred over. We had to save our Word documents and all to make sure that they weren't lost in that transition.

Blame the tech people. The dog ate my homework, indeed. Well, I have a theory -- I'll bet that many of the IT folks who have worked at the White House and RNC might not be your typical loyal Bushies. In fact, they just might not be willing to lie to Congress and risk having their lives destroyed in order to save Karl Rove's butt.

Just noticed an interesting report on a Giuliani campaign stop in Montgomery, Alabama, on Tuesday:

Giuliani off the mark on grocery costs
The AP's Phillip Rawls leads like this:

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani hasn't done a lot of grocery shopping lately — at least based on his answers about the cost of milk and bread.

And Rawls wastes no time conjuring up ghosts of the 1992 presidential campaign, in which President George H.W. Bush's lack of familiarity with a common supermarket scanner helped frame the contrast between himself and Bill Clinton. But the story also goes on to suggest a secondary subtext to Guiliani's campaign event in Montgomery -- racial sensitivity (or lack thereof).

Below the fold: Giuliani talks about Imus and the Confederate flag.

A member of the traditional media may have finally crossed the Rubicon. On last Friday's Hardball, Chris Matthews began to leap where mainstream journalists fear to tread, introducing a topic that is long overdue in our national discourse: accountability for the war crimes that launched the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. War crimes now confirmed by the Pentagon itself.

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: It‘s official.  Saddam was not allied with al Qaeda.  Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.  It had no nuclear program.  But who is going to pay for the propaganda that got us into Iraq?

Let‘s play HARDBALL...

Ed Rendell is at it again. And I'm sick of it.

Rendell's behavior on the national stage is right out of the Joe Lieberman school of self promotion. The Pennsylvania governor has a history of intentionally undermining national Democratic Party positions in order to boost his own independent, maverick image. And that's unacceptable.

So I wasn't at all surprised when I heard Rendell's advice being used as a bludgeon to attack congressional Democrats on Meet the Press yesterday. Thanks again, Ed.

Below the fold: Governor Rendell tells Judy Woodruff that Democrats should stop playing chicken with Bush...and flashback: see DNC Chairman Rendell betray Al Gore following the 2000 Presidential election theft, and recoil in horror as Ed joins George W. Bush in attempting to privatize Social Security. Plus, a quick action item!

In what appears to be a leak of an unfinished campaign promotional video, Republican Mitt Romney is shown hunting rabbits and other small rodents, backing up claims made this week by the former governor. Some say the video is an attempt to merge Romney's suave, sophisticated persona with the macho varmint-hunter to which America has just been introduced...

When I think about politics, I tend to get pretty wrapped up in strategy. I would guess that many people on a site like Daily Kos would say the same thing about themselves. Nothing wrong with that. But every now and then I come across something that reminds me of how proud I am to be a Democrat...something that speaks to our core values. Because, truth is, I think most Democrats are "values voters". And, damn, I'm proud of the values that bring us together in common political cause. Make the jump and be inspired by Charlie Rangel...

Glenn Greenwald's latest on Rudy Giuliani calls out the former New York City mayor for the disturbing assertion that the President can somehow fund the Iraq war without Congress appropriating the funds. According to Giuliani, the commander-in-chief possesses an "inherent authority to support the troops." Stunning.

Go read the whole thing.

Scooter Libby. Susan Ralston. Kyle Sampson. Monica Goodling.

Which of you Bushies will be next?

They didn't tell you about this part, did they? Karl said it was all worked out. Republican domination as far as the eye could see. You even believed him when he talked about "The math." And now the bottom has fallen out.

Welcome to D.C.

Who's next? Nobody will save you. You?? They didn't even save Scooter.

Career destroyed. Humiliation. Prison. For what? A pyramid scheme. Are you from Austin? No. Sorry 'bout that, because everyone else is expendable.

Think it's bad now? Wait till they really do take down one of the Austin crew. You still want to be on the team the day after Fredo testifies?

Who's next?

Still basking in the afterglow of better than expected fundraising numbers, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign sent their new press secretary, Kevin Madden (Tom DeLay's former communications director), on Hardball yesterday to keep the momentum going. Romney found new respect among the political elite this week by bringing in impressive amounts of campaign cash, but doubts about the former Massachusetts governor's foreign-policy credentials have yet to be addressed. And if Madden's performance on Hardball was any indication, Romney's views on national defense, and particularly on the U.S. occupation of Iraq, consist of little more than empty catchphrases and sound bites echoing the Bush Administration's failed policies. Below the fold: Chris Matthews skewers Romney's hapless press secretary...

Tuning into Road to the White House on C-SPAN this evening, I had the unpleasant experience of watching Representative Duncan Hunter campaigning for the presidency in New Hampshire. I quickly learned that like President Bush, Hunter's utterances range from typical GOP cheerleading of the war to inappropriate humor about that horrible conflict.

Reminiscent of the kind of jokes the current commander-in-chief likes to tell, Duncan Hunter apparently believes the situation in Iraq is fodder for humorous quips. Read on and be disgusted...

President George W. Bush is in the midst of confronting his greatest obstacle. It is not the war in Iraq. It is not USAgate. And it is not the challenge of congressional oversight.

The obstacle George now faces is epistemological and metaphysical. It is about the nature of knowledge and about how we as human beings define reality.

Last night, JuliaAnn posted an intriguing diary regarding the unusual spectacle of the President of the United States citing Iraqi bloggers to provide evidence for the success of his "surge" policy. JuliaAnn noted that these bloggers, Mohammed and Omar Fadhil, have a supiciously right-wing blogroll and pointed out that the Fadhil brothers had actually paid a visit to George W. Bush in October 2004. Subsequent investigation by commenters revealed that the Fadhils' blog, Iraq The Model, is subsidized by a charitable organization called Spirit of America.

This diary is an attempt to sort out what we know so far about a couple of Iraqi dentists who sound like Bush Administration apologists, and what the story is with their benefactor, Spirit of America.

Despite Keith Olbermann's journalistic integrity and some occasionally solid reporting and analysis on Hardball (not to mention even Joe Scarborough making sense now and then) there is still plenty of hackitude at MSNBC. But even among the usual parade of media whores on that best-of-the-worst cable news network (hello Norah O'Donnell), Tucker Carlson stands out as extraordinarily biased and unserious. Nobody recites right-wing talking points with quite the enthusiasm and flare that Tucker displays, and his show usually comes across as something out of the FOX Noise alternate universe, or perhaps as a leftover from the GOP-MSM glory days of five years ago. Let's take a quick look at the nonsense Tucker was spewing today, culminating in his attempt to give Democrats equal blame for Bush's Iraq invasion.

I have never really been able to figure out if Tom DeLay is truly delusional or just your typical sociopathic Republican liar. After today's Hardball, I am convinced he is a little of both.

Matthews' interview with DeLay (about his new book) was lengthy enough to provide the Hammer with plenty of opportunities to make bizarre assertions. Among these, an interesting interpretation of the executive-privilege process, as well as an admission of past criminal behavior. Read on for details.

Faced with Speaker Pelosi's hundred-hour agenda, Republicans are about to find themselves defending a number of uncomfortable positions, opposing popular initiatives like a minimum-wage increase and funding for stem cell reseach. But I've been particularly curious to hear how they'll justify opposing Democratic plans to require the federal government to negotiate with big PhRMA for lower drug prices under Medicare Part D. Just how do you explain to the nation's seniors that they shouldn't pay less for their medication while the pharmaceutical industry keeps cashing in?

Never fear, the GOP has come up with something, no doubt with a little help from the panicked drug lobby. If several trial balloons launched by Senator-elect Bob Corker (R-TN) are any indication, we're about to a see the GOP do what they do best: reframe an issue with a distracting appeal to some of our worst primal impulses, in this case jingoism. What to do about high drug prices?

Blame the foreigners!

Last week I noted the launch of a new Republican talking point: that the policies of the Reagan and Bush I Administrations led to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  (pause)  Yes, this is actually what Republican leaders are now saying. First, it was Tony Snow and Ken Mehlman. And last week Dick Cheney joined the fray, also targeting Reagan in the 9/11 blame game.

Well, if Republicans want to associate the Democratic strategy for Iraq with the foreign policy of Ronald Wilson Reagan, who most voters believe saved the United States from the Evil Soviet Empire, I say bring it on...