Midday open thread

• Some less than inspiring words from General David Petraeus on that 2014 Afghanistan deadline:

  “I think-no commander ever is going to come out and say, ‘I'm confident that we can do this.’  I think that you say that you assess that this is-- you believe this is, you know, a reasonable prospect and knowing how important it is-- that we have to do everything we can to increase the chances of that prospect,” the top commander in Afghanistan told me. “But again, I don't think there are any sure things in this kind of endeavor.  And I wouldn't be honest with you and with the viewers if I didn't convey that.”

• Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), crushed that he can't ride his pony in a parade, wants to know why everyone is always picking on Christians.
• Hopefully this state senator from Texas is working on his I am not a bigot speech:

  For the last few weeks, we've been chronicling efforts by right-wing activists in Texas to replace Republican House Speaker Joe Straus, who is Jewish, with a true "Christian conservative." And last week we noted that while David Barton was saying that the efforts to replace Strauss had nothing to do with his faith, State Republican Executive Committee member John Cook was sending out emails saying "We elected a house with Christian, conservative values [and] we now want a true Christian, conservative running it."

  Now, via The Washington Monthly, we see that the Texas Observer's Abby Rapoport has gotten Cook to speak on the record about his campaign, allowing him to explain that conservative Christians "do the best jobs over all" and that he could not possibly be bigoted against Straus because "Jesus Christ is a Jew, and he's my favorite person that's ever been on this earth":

  And Cook, who stands by his email, doesn't mince words: he maintains that his demands are in no way bigoted.

• A plea from the national Tea Party Nation group:

  The national Tea Party Nation group is planning to send a letter to Sarah Palin asking the former governor of Alaska and John McCain sidekick to run for chair of the Republican National Committee.

  Ostensibly, the request is in the interest of saving the Republican Party from "the establishment." The more likely reason? The thought of a 2012 Palin presidential campaign even scares the bejeezus out of teabaggers.
  

• Because being harassed and bullied by their peers just isn't enough:

  Gay teens receive harsher punishments at school and in the court system than straight teens who engage in similar behavior, a new Yale University study suggests.

  "Our analysis found that, consistently, gay and bisexual youth were at a greater risk of being punished by school and criminal-justice authorities than their straight peers who exhibited the same behaviors," said study leader Kathryn Himmelstein.

  Girls, in particular, were singled out for harsher treatment, according to the study, published online Dec. 6 in Pediatrics.

• Considering that Planned Parenthood commissioned the poll, it must be taken with a grain of salt ... that said, it's a pretty funny grain of salt:

  Most American women don't trust Mama Grizzly on abortion, birth control and sex ed, a new poll obtained by POLITICO shows.

  The survey, conducted for Planned Parenthood by Democratic pollster Hart Research Associates, found that just 24 percent of registered voters choose Sarah Palin as trustworthy on women’s health issues, versus 54 percent who consider Planned Parenthood trustworthy.

• Oh sweet Mother of God, say it won't come to this:

  Worried that lawmakers will allow taxes to rise for the wealthiest Americans beginning next year, financial firms are discussing whether to move up their bonus payouts from next year to this month.

• From the Department of No Shit:

  Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, says the call she placed to Anita Hill in October "was probably a mistake on my part."

  No word on whether Thomas is demanding that Hill apologize for her mistake.

• There's just two more days in the annual Holiday Bazaar. Among the items up for bidding: an afghan, homemade fudge, a professional photo session, jewelry, and scores of other items. Proceeds go to benefit Netroots Nation's sister organization, the Netroots Arts and Education Initiative (NAEI), and helps fund some of the smaller events throughout the year as well as working with foundations to fund travel to the annual Netroots Nation convention for grassroots activists who might otherwise not be able to attend. NAEI is a 501(c)(3) organization so all donations are tax deductible. Don't wait too long. The bazaar ends tomorrow.
• Dandy Don Meredith, an original member of the Monday Night Football crew, has died. Meredith was 72-years old.