11/19/08-TWD's Agenda For The Day: Palin Chances At A Senate Seat Vanish With Begich Win Over Disgraced Stevens In Alaska; Plus More

Photo from adn.com

Well, Sarah Palin's possible hopes at a Senate seat in 2010 ended last night, as Anchorage mayor Mark Begich defeated convicted felon Ted Stevens in their endless election battle.

Begich, the Democratic mayor of Anchorage, widened his lead to 3,724 votes in Tuesday's count of absentee and questioned ballots. The lead is insurmountable, as the only votes left to count are approximately 2,500 ballots from overseas.

The Senator-elect comments after hearing the official news of victory:

Begich claimed victory, saying, "I am humbled and honored to serve Alaska in the U.S. Senate."

Talk about an ironic, peculiar birthday present for the 85 year old curmudgeon Stevens. He was saved the embarrassment of getting rejected by his Republican colleagues and thrown out for good thanks to Begich's victory. So him losing the debate wasn't the worst loss he could have suffered. Then again, to many people's eyes, he is already a loser.

With Begich's victory, for those far removed from politics after November 4th, it ups the Democrats number in the Senate to 58, two shy of a filibuster proof Senate (which only means something if all members of the party vote the same on almost every bill, and that is certainly never the case).

(Note: The following paragraph is not intended for my liberal online network viewers from the Daily Kos or TPM, because you already know the following information devoutly.)

Getting to 59 Democratic Senators is very possible in the Minnesota recount battle between SOP incumbent Norm Coleman and challenger Al Franken, but 60 will be an uphill battle with Georgia recount. Despite getting help from Bill Clinton, Jim Martin is the clear underdog against the smear disgraceful merchant that is Saxxy Chambliss and his politics of division and hate in their December 2nd re-do election (with no third party candidates playing spolier).

Luckily, ads like this coming up from Martin and his side could lead him to possibly upset the "Do anything to win no matter how low you go" incumbent.


In other agenda news today, no more speculation regarding Attorney General in the new Administration. In a story that broke yesterday. Eric Holder is going to be Obama's AG. Glen Greenwald, one of the biggest legal minds around not only on the Liberal Online Network but in general, showed approval in this decision:

The bulk of what I've read about and from Holder suggests, with a couple of ultimately marginal exceptions, that this appointment would be a very positive step. Digby yesterday quoted at length from an impassioned speech Holder gave in June of this year in which he condemned Guantanamo as an "international embarrassment"; charged that "for the last 6 years the position of leader of the Free World has been largely vacant"; complained that "we authorized torture and we let fear take precedence over the rule of law"; and called for an absolute end both to rendition and warrantless eavesdropping. He proclaimed that "the next president must move immediately to reclaim America's standing in the world as a nation that cherishes and protects individual freedom and basic human rights."

What's notable about this speech, in my view, is that the points he's making go well beyond standard Democratic Party boilerplate on these issues. More revealingly, the rhetoric he used is rather unconstrained for Washington, suggestive of actual passion and conviction on these matters. As Hilzoy put it, the speech is notable "not just for the position he takes, but for his forthrightness and lack of equivocation."

Holder is poised to make history equal to his future boss by becoming the first African-American to hold that position.

And finally for the agenda today, if you are going to the inauguration, expect to not have any space on January 21st. Not only that, but for those living outside of D.C. (and that even goes for those in the suburbs), it would be best to somehow make sure you have your hotel rooms booked like, right now.

That's unless, of course, you have family stationed in our nation's capital.

The Agenda's P.S. is in the comments section. Have a good day.