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Keith talks to Rep. Jerrold Nadler about Rove's claims of executive privilege and what the process will be if he again refuses to appear before Congress, this time with a new Attorney General's office to enforce contempt charges.

h/t Ted

From NOVAonline:

In The Spy Factory, an eye-opening documentary on the National Security Agency (NSA) by best-selling author James Bamford and Emmy Award-winning producer Scott Willis, NOVA exposes the ultra-secret intelligence agency's role in the failure to stop the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent eavesdropping program that listens in without warrant on millions of American citizens. The Spy Factory premieres Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at 8 pm ET/PT on PBS (check local listings).

Please check us out online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/spyfactory/

Rachel Maddow reports on our country's crumbling infrastructure. She talks to Congressman Pete DeFazio about the compromises that were given in the bill which ended up getting zero support by Republicans anyway and the need for more infrastructure spending in that bill.

Barney Frank and Marsha Blackburn square off on Larry King Live over the stimulus bill. A few things that struck me about this interview. One, look at the body language with these two...lol. They both look like they don't want to even be on the same planet with each other, much less forced to sit next to each other at the same desk. Given how obvious that makes it that both of them really can't stand each other it's amazing they managed to keep it this civil.

But that leads into my next point. After watching, unfortunately, Marsha Blackburn in action way too often to be good for my blood pressure, she looked a bit reserved and actually a bit timid about showing her normal, acrid personality with Frank sitting right next to her. I can only imagine what this interview would have looked like had it been someone else on the set with her.

And last, John King did his best to shut Barney Frank up when he made a great point about how the Republican Congress actually behaved in contrast to Marsha Blackburn's fantasy about how they would have liked to have behaved and pretending there was someone there who cared about stopping George Bush when they were instead rubber-stamping Bush and his agenda and allowing him to move it along unchecked. Kudos to Frank for not allowing it. Every Democrat who makes an appearance on any of these talking head shows could learn a lesson from Barney Frank on how to not allow a pundit to steamroll you and let a GOP talking point go unanswered.

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Russ Feingold talks to Rachel about the need for Congressional oversight and holding the Bush administration accountable for what they've done regardless of what the Attorney General's office does. Although having an AG's office that will actually prosecute contempt charges definitely would be refreshing to say the least.

Feingold doesn't give much creedance to the statements made by Kit Bond that he got assurances from Eric Holder on torture prosecutions (or the lack thereof). And he discusses his proposal to amend the Constitution to require special elections when there are Senate vacancies. After our recent fiascos I agree with him. If had to name one Senator that I truly had any respect for, Feingold would be the first and one of the few to come to mind and he's earned it, as much as the Bush administration has earned my disrespect.

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Following Dick Armey living up to his first name on Hardball with his sexist remarks to Joan Walsh, Bob Herbert says he owes Joan Walsh and the viewers of Hardball an apology. I agree and if you do as well you can contact the show at hardball@msnbc.com.

January 27, 2009 News Corp

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Mike Pence worshiping at the alter of Rush Limbaugh. Wow. Who's next Mike....Sean Hannity?

O’DONNELL: On another matter I do want to ask you about Rush Limbaugh because he said “I hope he fails,” talking about President Obama. Rush Limbaugh also said this. He said, “We are being told that we have to hope Obama succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles, bend over forward, backward, whichever, because his father was black because this was the first black President.” Do you agree with Rush Limbaugh?

PENCE: Well let me speak specifically to what Rush Limbaugh said about America. I actually heard a little bit of him this afternoon. We all hope America succeeds and in that vein, we hope our President succeeds and I think Rush Limbaugh who I admire, and like millions of Americans, I cherish his voice in the public debate...I think that’s what he was saying.

But, what he was also saying was where Barack Obama is going to, to pursue the implementation of campaign promises, where he’s going to grow government, grow spending, depart from traditional values, or take positions with regard to our national defense that are antithetical to conservative values...

O'DONNELL: No doubt...

Pence:...we certainly hope there will be strong opposition from voices like Rush Limbaugh and from leaders here on Capitol Hill, so we appreciate (crosstalk) I understand what he was saying Norah and we all hope our President succeeds, we all hope America succeeds. But that doesn’t mean we’re always going to agree with what the best solutions are for the country.

O’DONNELL: No doubt you can agree with Rush Limbaugh about that he’s calling this stimulus essentially a sham going on and too full of wasteful spending. On that specific thing, that we have to bend over because this is the first black President, why don’t you feel that you could denounce something like that? Are you so beholden to someone like Rush Limbaugh that you can’t say...

PENCE: Oh gosh, Norah...

O’DONNELL: ...that’s not the type of rhetoric when America is trying to come together and do something for the unemployment rate, in your state of Indiana now 8.2 percent? Is that the type of rhetoric we need?

PENCE: Well look Nora I don’t believe Rush Limbaugh's got a racist bone in his body and if you’re suggesting that his statement had a racist element in it, I would commend you to, you know a greater understanding of the positions he’s taken. He’s a man about opportunity of all Americans, regardless of race, creed, or color and I think that’s why he’s so admired and appreciated all across America.

But look, you know on this stimulus bill I appreciate Rush's voice out there. Nancy Pelosi just said on the House floor, and I respect her greatly, she said after defending all the different spending programs in this bill, a hundred and thirty six billion dollars in program spending she said "We are taking America in a new direction". Well Nora I thought we were trying to pass a stimulus bill that in the short term was temporary and fast acting and would create jobs in America and that's what the Republican's alternative is going to do. Rush is out there championing the kind of stimulus bill that will put Americans back to work. We're grateful for that. We're going to continue to keep fighting for it right here.

January 27, 2009 CNN