You know it's a go when the MSM says so...
AP, via Yahoo! News:
WASHINGTON - Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) is no longer on a fast track to Senate confirmation as secretary of state, but the slowdown appears to be temporary as Democratic foes of the war in Iraq (news - web sites) line up to have their say.
Nine hours have been set aside Tuesday for debate, divided equally between Democrats and Republicans. On Wednesday, a brief series of statements is expected -- and then the vote to put her in charge of U.S. diplomacy.
Emphasis Mine
Of course, we all know what the Right has to say:
[flip]
"We are talking about the safety and security of this country, so I very much and very quickly want to move with Secretary Rice," Senate Republican leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said. He said he was disappointed by the delay and was confident the Senate would confirm her on Wednesday.
[snip]
Last week, White House chief of staff Andrew Card said the Democrats' decision to have a day or more of debate on the nomination amounted to "petty politics."
"She certainly is qualified and ready to be the secretary of state," Card said. "We're anxious to have her there, and there's not a doubt in my mind that she will be confirmed and she should be confirmed quickly."
[snip]
"Condoleezza Rice may have been in the chair, but some may have seen President George Bush (news - web sites) sitting there, so there was a face-to-face confrontation, some important questions," Lugar said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition."
Conspiracy! Damn the Dems! Where are the torpedoes?
Set your TiVos tomorrow to C-SPAN [or VCRs for the less tech savvy], grab some snacks and get ready for a 15 part live thread.
Speaking of live thread, I think we should be a bit more prepared this time...so lets make sure everyone knows the ground rules, and possibly start a signup for 'moderators' [basically people who are watching for a set amount of time].
Suggested Rules For Live thread:
- Designate your category upon posting a comment: Update, Comment, Rant[?]. This is to help those coming in late to catch up.
Or as per emptywheel: Title your comment with whichever senator is speaking. Open to discussion on this convention.
- No Image Posting. The live threads get large very quickly and slow way down with images. If you really, really feel the need, find an open thread, post the image there and link to the comment.
- 300 comment limit for each thread. After that, start a new diary and archive the old. Change diary title to reflect such.
Feel free to critique below. This is just a suggestion, just thought it better to hash it out beforehand.