Belgian and Swiss media are reporting that according to exit polls, Nicolas Sarkozy, the candidate of the right-wing, has been elected President of France by a margin of 53 or 54 to 46 or 47 for Segolene Royal, the socialist candidate.  Royal is the first woman to make it this far in a French presidential election.  Her run was hobbled by some early gaffes from which she seemed unable to recover her footing.  Sarkozy plans to pursue close ties with Bush and the U.S. and a neoliberal economic program that will hurt the most vulnerable in French society.

Giuliani clearly thinks he has a good shot at the presidency, and general election matchups suggest that he would, if he were nominated.  But he is pro-choice and pro-gay.  Do you think he would have any chance at winning the Republican nomination with his moderate views on social issues?

In addition, what are some weaknesses of his in the general that we can start talking about to deflate any potential Giuliani momentum?

My first thought on this is: "the bastards who voted for this must be punished."  So let's never, ever, ever give any money to DINOs Landrieu, Akaka, and Inouye again.  I'm not going to say we should kick them out of the party because we need Reid as leader, but these three are traitors to our country and our world.  Republicans McCain, Chafee, Collins, Snowe, DeWine, Coleman, and Smith voted for the amendment, but they must also go down as their punishment for supporting the leadership of Frist and the chairmanship of Domenici.

But punishment is not enough.  We must still save the Refuge.

At first, I was skeptical about the possibility of blaming the Bush administration for the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.  However, the more I read about it, the more I realize that the policies of this adminitration really have placed the residents of the Gulf Coast, especially south Louisiana, in severe danger.

This diary makes an important point. Apparently, the Bush administration has severely cut funding for the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA), funding which would have gone to improve floodwalls, levees, and pumping stations. Because this funding was cut, New Orleans was placed in more danger of flooding from hurricanes. Strike 1.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- U.S. President George W. Bush said on Israeli television he could consider using force as a last resort to press Iran to give up its nuclear program.

"All options are on the table," Bush, speaking at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, said in the interview broadcast on Saturday.

Asked if that included the use of force, Bush replied: "As I say, all options are on the table. The use of force is the last option for any president and you know, we've used force in the recent past to secure our country."

Below the fold, read German Chancellor Schroeder's badass rebuttal.

Yesterday, President Bush signed a massive highway bill providing for $286 billion (that's 286 with nine zeroes). Of that, $24 billion was clearly pork--wasteful spending added on specially by members of Congress so they can calim to their constituents that they "brought home the bacon." The three states that receive the most pork appropriations from the highway bill are California, Illinois, and New York, the 1st, 6th, and 3rd most populous states. Illinois came out so well because the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert (R), was able to secure lots and lots of pork. Bush actually signed the bill in Hastert's home district. However, the really big winner in the battle for pork was the state that received the fourth largest set of approprations: the 48th most populous state, Alaska.

Yesterday's Ohio 2nd election reminds me of another: the 1993 election in Wisconsin's 1st district. Rep. Lee Aspin (D) was appointed Secretary of Defense, so a special election was held. Peter Barca (D), a state assemblyman, ran against businessman/math teacher Mark Neumann (R). The 1st had been held by Democrats since 1970 and was considered a safe seat. Though Barca narrowly won by 675 votes, Neumann dramatically outperformed expectations. The election portended major Republican gains in November 1994, when Neumann came back to defeat Barca by 1,120 votes.

It's very possible that, should Hackett decide to have another run at this seat, he could pull it off, especially in an election year with unpopular Sen. Mike DeWine (R) on the ballot and a race to replace uber-unpopular Gov. Bob Taft (R, 19% approval). Although that's not really the point; it's only one seat.  The truly important lesson of OH-02 is the same lesson as the WI-01 12 years ago: the current congressional majority is extremely precarious.  Smart Democrats will take advantage of the situation to gain a majority in 2006.

The most recent hint that this race is going to be lively comes on a post today on BizzyBlog, a conservative blog styling itself "The business end of the blogosphere."  Today's post is entitled GOP Leaders and Candidates--It's Sober-Up Time in the 2nd Congressional District.  The thrust of the post is that if Paul Hackett wins the Democratic nomination, as is looking increasingly likely (with endorsements from the Hamilton, Pike, and Clermont County parties and the UAW and IBEW), then "audible GOP gulps will be heard across the 2nd District."  More interesting quotes below.

By now, you've seen the bad news: the Cantwell amendment to strike Arctic Wildlife Refuge drilling from the budget has failed, 51-49. LINK

It is not time to give up. This battle can still be won. We must take the following steps immediately.

I'm tempted to say that I would have to bite the bullet and vote for Langevin, but what does that say, if I'm willing, for the sake of partisanship, to compromise on one of the issues nearest to my heart?

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Sam Reed (a Republican) is due to certify Gregoire as governor-elect tomorrow.

1. Gephardt challenges Jim Talent for his Missouri Senate seat.  I think it's winnable if Gephardt drowns out the morality bullshit with a consistent, focused economic message.

2. The DSCC issues an ultimatum to Lincoln Chafee--switch parties, fool, or we'll run Patrick Kennedy against you and he'll win.  Rhode Island is the bluest state in the union and it is served poorly by having a Republican senator.

3. Similar ultimatum to Olympia Snowe.  While Maine is an uphill battle, a well-funded challenge by Gov. John Baldacci would have a real shot at unseating her.  Why can't Democrats be RINO-hunters?  Hopefully, Club for Growth will challenge the RINOs from the right and weaken them further.