Midday Open Thread

• The Senate Ethics Committee has dismissed complaints against Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) "over allegations that they received improper discounts on home mortgages."
• The sergeant at arms at the U.S. Senate is warning:

  ... senators and staff to be ready for flaring tempers and dangerous situations at public appearances during the August recess.

  Apparently he doesn't think Senators follow the news.

• South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford will have to learn how to love his wife again from a distance. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) won't like that.
• From The Albany Project, a statement from Rep. Carolyn Maloney on her decision not to mount a primary challenge against Kirsten Gillibrand:

  The right decision for me and the people I represent is to stay in the House of Representatives and use the leadership positions I hold, including Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, to get things done.

  I make this decision, not because I fear a tough political fight, but because I love one. In this Congress, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to enact meaningful health care reform, restore the trust and confidence in our financial systems, and  take a step toward a clean energy future.

  We can do all this and more, but not without a mighty effort that deserves all my focus and all my energy. I welcome the challenge of shaping those bills and passing those reforms.

• Where does your congressman stand on DADT?
• The Anti-Defamation League condemns Rush Limbaugh for his most recent vile attack against the President:

  The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called attempts by some opponents of health care reform to bring Nazi imagery into the debate, “outrageous, deeply offensive and inappropriate” and condemned remarks by talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who compared President Obama’s health care logo to a swastika, and policies championed by the Democratic Party to those of the Nazis.

  “Regardless of the political differences and the substantive differences in the debate over health care, the use of Nazi symbolism is outrageous, offensive and inappropriate,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and a Holocaust survivor.  “Americans should be able to disagree on the issues without coloring it with Nazi imagery and comparisons to Hitler.  This is not where the debate should be at all.”

• Screamers don't like it when they're told to stop watching Glenn Beck.
• Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) is a strong opponent to health care reform for humans, so naturally he has:

  ... introduced legislation to create a tax deduction for pet owners’ expenses related to their pets.

  According to the pet industry trade magazine, Pet Product News, McCotter, a Livonia Republican, introduced the legislation July 31 in conjunction with a Pet Product News survey on the industry.

  The legislation is being supported by the lobbying arm of the pet industry, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC).

  According to the PPN story, the proposed legislation will amend the IRS code to allow pet owners to deduct up to $3,500 in pet related expenses, including veterinary care.

• And from the world of entertainment:

  John Hughes, the director and screenwriter who helped define a young generation with his ’80s films “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink,” has died.

  The cause was a heart attack, according to a statement from the publicists Paul Bloch and Michelle Bega.