Illinois Prison Could House Gitmo Detainees

The Obama administration may buy a near-empty prison in rural northwestern Illinois to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay along with federal inmates, a White House official said Saturday.
The maximum-security Thomson Correctional Facility, about 150 miles west of Chicago, was one of several evaluated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and emerged as a leading option to house the detainees, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a decision has not been made.
President Barack Obama wants alleged terrorism suspects from the controversial military-run detention center in Cuba to be transferred to U.S. soil so they can be prosecuted for their suspected crimes.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has been hinting at a possible new use for Thomson, and he issued a statement saying he would hold a news conference Sunday to outline those plans. AP

Fox News Sunday panel discussed this today:

Not on the video, is the discussion they had about Sarah Palin.
Liz Cheney says it would be sexist to say that Sarah Palin couldn't be president.
Bill Kristol fawns over Palin and Juan Williams sets them straight.
I'm surprised that they only briefly talked about Obama's bow to the Japanese emperor. It's on fire in wingnut circles. Bill Kristol says Palin wouldn't bow or even curtsy to anyone. That's because she doesn't know enough to know whether she should.
Republicans always talk about the need for less political correctness, well how about this, Palin is an idiot when it comes to international relations. Let's not pretend.
Liz Cheney also suggests Cheney 2012? Cheney Palin? Never. Never. Never. Ever.

Fox News Debates Palin's Presidential Chances

Liz Cheney says it would be sexist to say that Sarah Palin couldn't be president.
Bill Kristol fawns over Palin, as usual, and Juan Williams sets them straight.
I'm surprised that they only briefly talked about Obama's bow to the Japanese emperor. It's on fire in wingnut circles.
The panel also talks about the trials of KSM and holding terrorists in U.S. prisons. The Obama administration is looking to hold Gitmo detainees at a prison in Illinois:

The Obama administration may buy a near-empty prison in rural northwestern Illinois to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay along with federal inmates, a White House official said Saturday.
The maximum-security Thomson Correctional Facility, about 150 miles west of Chicago, was one of several evaluated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and emerged as a leading option to house the detainees, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a decision has not been made.
President Barack Obama wants alleged terrorism suspects from the controversial military-run detention center in Cuba to be transferred to U.S. soil so they can be prosecuted for their suspected crimes.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has been hinting at a possible new use for Thomson, and he issued a statement saying he would hold a news conference Sunday to outline those plans. AP

Some sense at the ABC roundtable. David Brooks calls Palin a joke:

Larry Summers on Fox News Sunday and This Week

Part 2

Here's the shortened version of Summers on Fox News and This Week

Transcript of Summers and Michael Steele, the new RNC head, on This Week.

Axelrod Vs. Davis

Good luck hearing either one say anything. Rick Davis wouldn't shut up. Every time Axelrod tried to talk, Davis would babble. Axelrod played his game. Chris Wallace just let them talk over each other.

Rick Davis Pulls the POW Card

Surprise! Rick Davis, up against David Axelrod for Obama, said that McCain was a POW when George Wallace was inciting violence. Funny. That POW card is all used up. Davis insisted that Obama apologize for remarks that Congressman John Lewis made (Lewis has backed off on comparing McCain to Wallace).
He then went on and on, speaking on top of Axelrod the whole show. 
Davis is icky. Partial video. 
Here's where Davis insists Obama should apologize:

Obama Raises $66 Million in August

On Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace is chatting it up with ugly man Karl Rove (I'm talking about his ugly insides) and announced that Obama raised $66 million and gained 500,000 new donors. 

Rove says you can't believe the fact check organizations but concedes McCain goes to far in his ads. 

Obama Influencing Bush Policies

The folks on Fox News Sunday had a hard time arguing for Bush McCain this morning on this point. 

Philly: To an amazing extent, Bush foreign policy seems to be turning toward the positions of Barack Obama.
On Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and other issues, the administration was shifting gears just as the Illinois senator left embarked on his overseas voyage. Some of these changes were forced on the White House by events. Some reflect late recognition that policies were not working.

These shifts may well boost Obama when he argues that his approach to foreign policy is best. Such arguments will only work, however, if he refrains from hubris. His foreign-policy speeches reveal a man still on a learning curve.

Let's hope he listens and learns on his whirlwind trip.
Recent policy shifts at the White House have been quite stunning. On Friday, after talks between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the White House announced that the United States and Iraq will seek a "general time horizon" for deeper troop reductions. This was a Maliki demand that the White House had not anticipated or sought.

Bush officials insisted this was not an "arbitrary date for withdrawal," like the 16-month deadline Obama has promised for a U.S. troop exit. Yet Maliki has changed the tone of the U.S. political debate during the campaign season. It is now harder for Bush or John McCain to denounce Obama for talking of timelines.

Moreover, just in time for Obama's arrival, Maliki dropped a bombshell. In an interview with Der Spiegel that appeared yesterday, he said a U.S. withdrawal should come "as soon as possible." He then said Obama's timeline of "about 16 months" would "be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes."

I Turned on Fox News Sunday

Meet the Press is off for tennis and I'm saving George for later. 

But what a mistake tuning into Fox. These people aren't worth the salary they're paid. There isn't a single Obama supporter, or an objective mind on the panel. Juan Williams is a fond Obama hater. He gets all flustered when he talks about Obama and barely keeps himself together. 

The sad thing is, as a contributor to NPR, a real news outlet that I'm fond of, Williams often pushes his anti-Obama stance in a more even-handed manner, so that he appears as a legitimate news person. 

The panel moves on to McCain and his staff shakeups and somehow the conversation moves back to Obama. I guess this is a good thing. 

Bill Kristol argues that John McCain wants to be a good leader but his campaign won't let him. What a bunch of baloney. (He also argues the last 1.5 years in Iraq have been a success. Can you say Out of Touch. These people think we're on the verge of "winning" there). WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT WINNING IN IRAQ LOOKS LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whew.

Kristol then asserts that Obama has appeared more presidential than McCain. Yes, that's because he is. 

What drives me nuts about McCain is he speaks like he's speaking to a room of children. His famous "That's not change we can believe in" line from that infamous speech he gave on Obama's night, rings in my mind every time I hear him speak. It sounds like the refrain in a children's story. 

Juan Williams suggests that McCain needs to get a platform on kitchen table issues and then he can say to Americans: now you can trust me. 

Everyone keeps talking about the polls -- why isn't Obama doing better in the polls. That's just people huffing. It's too early. 

Williams also thinks Hillary is the best vice president for Obama. That's telling. 

Another thing, all this yakking or yucking about Obama being "inexperienced" means nothing to Obama supporters. For one, we think of experience in a different light. Experience has been a hindrance to Bush and Cheney and the rest of the crew. Experience, in the way they mean it, is overrated. 

I would argue brilliance and the ability to think on your feet, weigh the facts and do what's best, is more important. Leadership is also key. A president needs charisma and a vision. 

Organization, or the ability to pull people together in a structured manner, is also important. Obama's foes always diminish his organizational experience but it's gotten him this far. He beat the Clinton machine. John McCain can't figure out how to run against Obama. 

I'm just hoping that for once in my lifetime, we could have a smart and wise president. 

Obama With Fox's Chris Wallace

it was the first time i've ever watched fox news sunday -- obama was on with chris wallace -- and i thought wallace asked the questions intelligently and respectfully, even the ugly questions, rev. wright, the weatherman... apparently, fox had been waiting two years to get obama on.

obama did a good job answering his questions. whether or not that will turn any fox viewers is another matter.
for now, chris wallace talks about the show:

here's a link to the whole show.