Majority Report Radio

Today's show is, well, clean:

- 9:20: Atrios of the blog Eschaton on Joe Biden

- 11:45: Eric Alterman of The Nation and the blog Altercation. He's got two great pieces on Bush's executive order on political appointees and on Bill Kristol

Must Reads:

"Not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy the president, uh, wait, let's cross that out, that we asked to stick his neck in the meat grinder..."

Here's are the "funny" quotes from Matthew Felling on Air America.

Manipulating the Strategic Oil Reserve? [SF Gate]

We'll miss you, Molly Ivins.

This marketing plan seems to have worked.

Welcome to yet another edition of Casual Friday! In a show of unity, the Sam Seder Juggernaut will do the show in jean cut-offs and our favorite well-worn Guns 'n' Roses 1989 Tour t-shirts. However, we'll express our individuality in footwear: Sam (flip flops), Justin (vintage red/black Air Jordan hi-tops), Joel (velcro sneaks), Lauren (those brightly colored, rubbery clog things).

On today's show:

THE SAMMY CAM IS IN FULL EFFECT

- 9:15: Marcy Wheeler , the fleet-fingered reporter who is live-blogging the Scooter Libby trial. She blogs under the name "emptywheel" at the political blog The Next Hurrah and is liveblogging the Libby trial for FiredogLake.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, please stop calling our program. We won't put you on the air.

Things to do when the boss isn't looking:

Preview the Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change's forthcoming report here.

The Juggernaut can't stop talking about Cheney's handwritten "meat grinder" note.

Democrats in Congress, listen up. Check out Josh Ritter's excellent Nation article, Stop the Iran War Before It Starts.

The conflict in Iraq, although ongoing, is a product of the Republican-controlled past. The looming conflict with Iran, however, will be assessed as a product of a Democrat-controlled present and future. If Iraq destroyed the Republican Party, Iran will destroy the Democrats.

Did someone say Iran? Craig Unger in Vanity Fair:

What's less understood is that the same tactics have been in play with Iran. Once again, neocon ideologues have been flogging questionable intelligence about W.M.D. Once again, dubious Middle East exile groups are making the rounds in Washington—this time urging regime change in Syria and Iran. Once again, heroic new exile leaders are promising freedom.

Meanwhile, a series of recent moves by the military have lent credence to widespread reports that the U.S. is secretly preparing for a massive air attack against Iran. (No one is suggesting a ground invasion.) First came the deployment order of U.S. Navy ships to the Persian Gulf. Then came high-level personnel shifts signaling a new focus on naval and air operations rather than the ground combat that predominates in Iraq. In his January 10 speech, Bush announced that he was sending Patriot missiles to the Middle East to defend U.S. allies—presumably from Iran. And he pointedly asserted that Iran was "providing material support for attacks on American troops," a charge that could easily evolve into a casus belli.

A catalogue of football metaphors used on the show today (in honor of the Super Bowl):

Joel, 9:06 ET: "Let's take this show into the end zone."

Joel, 9:34 ET: An upcoming confrontational segment will be like a "scrimmage."

Joel, 10:23 ET: My call for help on sports metaphors on the blog was "an end run."

Joel, 10:23 ET: "I'm not going to sit on the sidelines."

Everybody's working for the weekend. Also, everybody's going off the deep end.

Have a party.

we are occupying Iraq because?

Today on the show:

- 9:20: Bill Scher of Liberal Oasis

- 10:30: Bestselling author Walter Mosley on the latest in his "Cultural Famine" essays published in The Nation. (link, sub req'd)

- 11:30: Spencer Ackerman of The American Prospect on the latest from the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings on Iraq

Must reads:

James Fallows on Iran: "Where Congress Can Draw the Line"

So the administration doesn't have the goods on Iran after all...

Even Texas Gov. Rick Perry thinks girls should get vaccinated against the STD that causes cervical cancer.

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley says the Bush administration won't use the term "civil war" to describe the situation Iraq. If it's not a civil war (which it is, plus so much more), what should we call it? Give us a call at 1-866-303-2270, email samsedershow - at - gmail dot com, or leave a comment below.

Yes, today we aired another edition of "Enemy of the State of the Week of the Month of the Year of the Universe." On the list: No. 1, Osama bin Laden; No. 2, Sean Hannity and the cold weather (tie); and No. 3 Diego Leon Montoya Sanchez of the Columbian North Valley Drug Cartel (please contact the FBI if you see No. 3 -- bear in mind, he's armed and dangerous)

ThinkProgress has a sneak preview of Fox News' new show, Red Eye.

Since Bill O'Reilly is losing his fastball, Fox News has a young kid waiting in the bullpen: Red Eye. Too bad its fastball is no better.

Republicans block Senate debate on Iraq </>

[9:28] We're not even half an hour into today's show and we already have the Quote of the Show: "Take THAT you liberal smokers!" -- Joe from Brooklyn.

On today's show (all times eastern):

- 10:45: The Brennan Center's Jonathan Hafetz, an attorney who represents Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri. Al-Marri is a 41-year old student who has been detained in the United States since December 2001.

-11:30: Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos

Must reads for today:

- "Red Eye," Fox News' take on Comedy Central's "Tough Crowd," debuted at 2:30 this morning. TVnewser stayed up to watch it. Here's a sample of some of the brilliant one-liners:

Greg Gutfeld: "It's kind of like Larry King, but without the dead guy."

Bill Schulz: "I logged onto DoggyStyle.com thinking it was fashion for pets, and I was horrified at what I saw."

Bill Schulz: "I think Brian Williams is much more a threat to our nation's youth than Ron Jeremy. There's just horrible things in the news every day."

Andrew Levy: "My porn name, by the way, is Tucker Carlson. Weird."

Rachel Marsden: "Can he say cume on TV?"

ThinkProgress debunks The Washington Times' story “Speaker Pursues Military Flights"

Markos is ready two watch Republicans squirm in 2008. Here's a list of who to watch.

Lie-berman Goes Behind Enemy Lines

Joe Lieberman went bananas at a screening of the 2001 movie "Behind Enemy Lines," according to Jeffrey Goldberg's article in this week's New Yorker.

Lieberman likes expressions of American power. A few years ago, I was in a movie theatre in Washington when I noticed Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, a few seats down. The film was “Behind Enemy Lines,” in which Owen Wilson plays a U.S. pilot shot down in Bosnia. Whenever the American military scored an onscreen hit, Lieberman pumped his fist and said, “Yeah!” and “All right!”

Will somebody please define the phrase "completely heterosexual?"

The Sam Seder Juggernaut is seeking a photoshopped picture of Rudy Giuliani, as Marilyn Monroe, singing "Happy Birthday" to Sean Hannity, as President John F. Kennedy. No time to explain why we need this. We just do.

Email your submission to samsedershow-at-gmail-dot-com

a listener sends an email:

The Santa Fe Air America Affiliate has asked listeners to vote on upcoming program changes.

As of 1 JAN07 THE SAM SEDER SHOW was replaced with The Stephanie Miller
Show, the radio equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.

So, if any listeners would like to help Sam's radio career, contact 1260
AM KTRC at talk1260@gmail.com and vote to bring back the Sam Seder Show between 0700 and 1000.

J.L.
Santa Fe NM

UPDATE The comment regarding Stephanie Miller is/was not mine- it was from a listeners email. We are competitors, and believe me, Jones Radio has been aggressively targeting our affiliates. Nevertheless, I don't endorse the notion that she has a screechy voice or that her show is no good or whatever. In all honesty, I've never heard it. I know people who like her show and people who don't -- I've read the same about my show. I am sure she doesn't say ahhh or ummm as much as I do.

THE SAM CAM IS ON!

Here's the Washington Post story about Jim O'Beirne's hiring practices in Iraq's Coalitional Provisional Authority. It's an excerpt from Ravij Chandrasekaran's great book, Imperial Life in the Emerald City.

On the show today (all times eastern):

- 10:30: Ronit Ridberg , producer of the documentary Big Bucks, Big Pharma: Marketing Disease & Pushing Drugs

- 11:00: Another visit from Sam Seder show regular, "Senator" Katherine Harris. And yes, she was named "Citizen of the Year" by her local Kiwanis Club.

- 11:30: Craig Unger, author of House of Bush, House of Saud. He joins us to talk about his latest piece in Vanity Fair, “From the Wonderful Folks Who Brought You Iraq”

Below are some of the best contributions to our Rudy-as-Marilyn Photoshop contest:

Please indicate your gold, silver and bronze medal choices in the comment section below.

From listener Brian, "Giu-lingerie"

and from listener Jessie, "Some Like It Hannity" (click for full effect)

and this one from Mark Howard @ News Corpse, "Split Screen, Sean Dreams"

Dear Jonah Goldberg,

Two years have passed since you to tried bet Juan Cole that Iraq wouldn't spiral into civil war, that it would have a viable constitution, and that Americans would think the war was worth it. Juan Cole wouldn't bet you, Jonah. Regardless, two years have passed -- and you've lost so much more than just a bet.

Here's a recap: On February 5, 2005, Jonah Goldberg offered Juan Cole a $1,000 bet through his column on the National Review Online:

Anyway, I do think my judgment is superior to his when it comes to the big picture. So, I have an idea: Since he doesn't want to debate anything except his own brilliance, let's make a bet. I predict that Iraq won't have a civil war, that it will have a viable constitution, and that a majority of Iraqis and Americans will, in two years time, agree that the war was worth it. I'll bet $1,000 (which I can hardly spare right now). This way neither of us can hide behind clever word play or CV reading. If there's another reasonable wager Cole wants to offer which would measure our judgment, I'm all ears. Money where your mouth is, doc. One caveat: Because I don't think it's right to bet on such serious matters for personal gain, if I win, I'll donate the money to the USO. He can give it to the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade or whatever his favorite charity is.

Juan Cole deferred to good taste and didn't take the bet

This entire paragraph is an excellent symbol for the entire project of the neo-imperial American Right. They are making their own fortunes with a wager on the fates of others, whom they are treating like ants. Get in their way and they stomp on you. Make an anthill the wrong place and they blow it up.

KPTK, the AAR affiliate in Seattle wants to hear from you. We're not carried on KPTK- you want to hear us on your radio there? They want to hear it from you.

Who would you like to hear in Al's time slot? What would your ideal line-up be? Email your suggestions to lineup@am1090seattle.com. Your opinion counts at Seattle's Progressive Talk, AM-1090.

This is your captain speaking: "On the show today (all times eastern)..:

- 10:05: Atrios of the blog Eschaton on the controversy over John Edwards’ bloggers

- 10:30: Joseph Romm, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and proprietor of ClimateProgress.org on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. He's the author of Hell and High Water: Global Warming--the Solution and the Politics--and What We Should Do

- 11:35: A Sam Seder Show Exclusive! Pastor Dr. Brock Hardwell, "the straightmaker," one of the professionals who helped Ted Haggard go "completely heterosexual" in JUST THREE WEEKS. Note: The Sam Seder Show could not verify the web site "straightmaker-dot-com"

Must Reads:

An Iraqi health minister has been arrested for ties to Moqtada al-Sadr's militia.

He is accused of ferrying guns in government ambulances and using ambulances to evacuate militants when American troops have raided Sadr City, the Baghdad stronghold of the Mahdi Army, a militia loyal to Mr. Sadr. The health ministry is controlled by the political wing of the Sadr organization.

Is this man your Oregon state climatologist? ExxonMobil sure wishes he was. It helps fund the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change, where Taylor is an advisor. He's also a featured author on the Web site Tech Central Station, funded by Exxon and other corporations and described as the place where "free markets meet technology."

From the Seattle Times, Oct. 21, 2005:

Oregon State Climatologist George Taylor is a featured author on the Web site Tech Central Station, funded by Exxon and other corporations and described as the place where "free markets meet technology."

He has a master's degree in meteorology and runs a state office based at Oregon State University that compiles weather data and supplies it to policy- makers, farmers and other customers.

Taylor is not a member of OSU's academic faculty and has no published research on Arctic climate, but Sen. Inhofe cited Taylor's claim that Arctic temperatures were much warmer in the 1930s as proof global warming is bogus.

[...]

Taylor said in an e-mail that Tech Central Station paid him $500 for global-warming articles. United for Jobs, an industry coalition that opposes higher fuel-efficiency standards and greenhouse-gas limits, also paid Taylor and a co-author $4,000 for an article published on Tech Central Station.

Be careful: Plastic surgery gives you "Oriental eyes," says Pat Robertson.

As most of you know Al Franken is leaving AAR for other pursuits.

I'll miss Al and think there'd be no AAR without him, but I am psyched to have Thom Hartmann in the AAR lineup. Many of you know I am a big fan of his.

However, there's a rumor going around that Thom won't be carried by XM on the AAR channel. Instead they'll carry Ed Schultz. If I listened to AAR through XM- I'd be pissed.... let them know how you feel.

THE SAMMY CAM IS ALIVE!

The Sam Seder Juggernaut will neither confirm nor deny that we are wearing Zubaz during today's show. We will, however, assert that this is the stupidest story this week:

Seriously. It's even worse than the astronaut-in-diapers story.

On the show today:

- 9:20: Christy Hardin Smith, a former attorney and regular blogger at Firedoglake, gives us a Libby trial update

- 11:05: Mike Papantonio on that awful, awful man: Glenn Beck (Bone up un Beck at Media Matters)

- 11:20: Friday regular Marc Maron

The following must-read links have nothing to do with either Anna Nicole Smith or Nancy Pelosi's air travel needs:

Unclaimed Territory's Glenn Greenwald on the elements that are shaping our political landscape:

For the last 15 years or so -- since the early years of the Clinton administration -- our public political discourse has been centrally driven by an ever-growing network of scandal-mongers and filth-peddling purveyors of baseless, petty innuendo churned out by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, various right-wing operatives and, more recently, the right-wing press led by Fox News. Every issue of significance is either shaped and wildly distorted by that process, or the public is distracted from important issues by contrived and unbelievably vapid, petty scandals. Our political discourse has long been infected by this potent toxin, one which has grown in strength and degraded most of our political and media institutions.

Whatever you do: do not mention you-know-who to Sam.

Here's a great article on Sen. Mitch McConnell and earmarks -- pay attention to the list of fat cash giveaways near the bottom.

More cool points for Al Gore? Is the man behind "An Inconvenient Truth" planning a benefit concert "larger than Live Aid?" More important: Will Gore headline the show and insist he sing lead vocals for Maroon 5?

Here's the border patrol story we've been talking about on the Sammy Cam during commercial breaks. Here's what the loonies have to say about it. [Thanks to "Nobody" for the links.]

News Corp., Fox News, and Roger Ailes are set to launch a "business-friendly" business channel in the fourth quarter of this year. (Is CNBC hostile to business? Is that why a TV channel for finance folks is so successful? Because haters are tuning in?) Here's a laffer:

Asked whether that meant that Fox would go easy on its reporting of the type of corporate scandals like Enron and WorldCom that cost individual investors millions of dollars when those companies collapsed, Mr. Ailes replied: “We will be as ruthless in our coverage of business scandals as we have always been.”

Here's Classified Circles, the web site mentioned by a listener near the end of the 10 o'clock hour. It's a place where you can sell stuff and donate a portion of the proceeds to envrionmentally friendly causes. Read more in The Phoenix.

This man wants you to remain silent. Disappoint him: Take a moment today to tell ABC how you feel about their latest hatemonger, Glenn Beck. Call 212-456-7777.

Then, share your feelings with Time Warner, owner of CNN Headline News' "Glenn Beck" show. Sign a petition and tell your friends.

Who's Glenn Beck? Find out here. Read Ring of Fire host Mike Papantonio's "Pap Attack" on Beck. And hey, FireGlennBeck.com, get it in gear!.

Who would you like to hear following Sam on XM Satellite Radio? Thom Hartmann or Ed Schultz? Let XM know!

Susie Bright is taking bets on when Ted Haggard will fall off the hetero wagon. The rules? Pick a date in the next year and slap down a five spot. (Hey, that's cheaper than Mike Jones!) A portion of the pool goes to a good cause.

Last night, Sean Hannity aired another installment of "Enemy of the Week," the artist formerly known as "Enemy of the State." Who will Sam Seder's "Enemy of the State of the Week of the Year of the Universe" be? Tune in to find out!

Also, happy 198th birthday, Charles Darwin! If you were fit to survive, Chuck, you'd still be here. (Read this great post on DailyKos about Chaz.

On today's show (all times Eastern):

- 9:15 a.m. Bill Scher, proprietor of the political blog Liberal Oasis and author of Wait! Don't Move To Canada!: A Stay-and-Fight Strategy to Win Back America.

- 10:30 a.m. Manning Marable, professor of political science and history at Columbia University and founding director of the university’s Institute for Research in African-American Studies. His latest book is Living Black History: How Reimagining the African-American Past Can Remake America's Racial Future

11:30 a.m. Air America Radio’s own Al Franken. His last show airs this Wednesday from 12-3 p.m. ET.

Must reads:

Newsweek: "America's Hidden War With Iran" by Michael Hirsh and Maziar Bahari

LA Times: "Iran Reformists Want U.S. To Tone It Down," by Kim Murphy

Tehran insists that U.S. policy is aimed at toppling the regime and subjugating Iran. The White House charges that Iran is violently sabotaging U.S. efforts to stabilize the Middle East while not so secretly developing nuclear weapons. As the raids and skirmishes in Iraq underscore, a hidden war is already unfolding. Yet a NEWSWEEK investigation has also found periods of marked cooperation and even tentative steps toward possible reconciliation in recent years—far more than is commonly realized. After September 11 in particular, relations grew warmer than at any time since the fall of the shah. America wanted Iran's help in Afghanistan, and Iran gave it, partly out of fear of an angry superpower and partly in order to be rid of its troublesome Taliban neighbors. In time, hard-liners on both sides were able to undo the efforts of diplomats to build on that foundation. The damage only worsened as those hawks became intoxicated with their own success. The secret history of the Bush administration's dealings with Iran is one of arrogance, mistrust and failure. But it is also a history that offers some hope.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. William Odom on the "four myths of Iraq." Odom is willing to say the things that few politicians are brave enough to say, like "victory is not an option." [WaPo]

If Bush truly wanted to rescue something of his historical legacy, he would seize the initiative to implement this kind of strategy. He would eventually be held up as a leader capable of reversing direction by turning an imminent, tragic defeat into strategic recovery.

If he stays on his present course, he will leave Congress the opportunity to earn the credit for such a turnaround. It is already too late to wait for some presidential candidate for 2008 to retrieve the situation. If Congress cannot act, it, too, will live in infamy.

Sam just unveiled this week's Enemy of the State of the Week of the Month of the Year:

#1 Osama bin Laden

#2 Sean Hannity (barely edged out a tie with The Police's upcoming summer reunion tour)

#3 The Orient and its relentless campaign to turn Americans oriental through the horrors of plastic surgery.

Yes, #3 sounds a little crazy. But here's what Pat Robertson had to say about plastic surgery:

The "year of Iran?"

Now, FBI ... if you can't keep track of your laptops and guns, maybe you're not responsible enough to have laptops and guns.

Today on the show:

- 10:30 a.m. Spencer Ackerman on Iran. Ackerman writes for The American Prospect magazine and blogs at Too Hot for TNR

Puzzler of the Day: Glenn Beck Says Obama is "colorless." Check out the Media Matters clip below. Huh? Methinks Glenn didn't think this one through before going on the air.

Must reads:

Iran's arming Iraqi fighters? No so, says Gen. Peter Pace.

Now this is the Rudy Giuliani I know.

Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan desperately need "Frag Kit 5"

Our former troops back home desperately need someone to stand up to the Bush administration's VA funding cuts.

Listener Email

Kent writes:

On today's show you asked what came after tertiary. It is quarternary. Primary, secondary, teriary, quartenary and quinary.

Sorry, I have way too much time on my hands.

You can email the show at samsedershow at gmail dot com.

Spencer Ackerman of The American Prospect is coming up at 10:30! Check out his blog, Too Hot for TNR

Whew! You folks have a lot to say about Glenn Beck and his remark about Barack Obama being "colorless."

From Bill:

Glen Beck has cleverly uncovered another piece of the Democratic conspiracy. Not only was Obama programmed in Medrasas to destroy America, but he's developed the superhuman ability to be transparent and unseen. Sadly, he has chosen to use that ability not for goodness, but rather for e-vee-el! Obama is . . . "The Man-Clear-ian Candidate!" God, or the deity of your choice, help us all.

From Clay:

The funny thing is... Beck and the rest of the puppet heads would complain if Obama was "too black." Or whatever that means.

Likewise, for this group, if a woman does something that fit within their narrow scope of what a woman should and shouldn't do, she's labeled as being less than a woman or a "feminazi".

From Beth:

I thought i heard you say a few months ago that you didnt' like Obama? Didnt he vote for the medicare D bullshit? and he considers Lieberman a mentor. I heard one fellow on c-span from Illinois complain about Obama being very bought out, a corporate dem when he appears extremely progressive. Obama aint perfect is what it looks like. why would he vote for that new medicare/prescription mess? Why are you for him now when a few months ago you were more like ehh obama i dont know about him... what changed?

From Nora (on Obama's announcement over the weekend):

A small group of us arrived in downtown Springfield at 4:45 a.m. on Sat., Feb 10, 2007 for Obama's announcement. The group built to 17,000 as the morning progressed. The energy and enthusiasm was awesome!!!! It was especially heartening to see the diversity, in age, in race, and in political identity!

For those who dismiss this candidate, be aware: this is a ground swell buidling by the day.

OBAMA 08!!!!

From Stephen:

re the "black enough" riff from today and Giuliani - the thing to ask about Rudy is he Italian Catholic enough. His views on abortion are more heretical to his base than anything on Obama's side.

Dianne from Fairfax, Va.:

I think applying the term "transparent" to Obama can be turned around to mean "without a hidden agenda." Haven't we all had enough of not seeing the man behind the curtain until the election is over? Let's USE this stuff!

Bid on the opportunity to do a one-minute rant on The Sam Seder Show! Proceeds benefit YearlyKos!

The phone lines are open: 1-866-303-2270.

Here's the clip of Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) that we just played. Share it with your friends and ask them, "Is debating the security arrangements for the Speaker the best the Republicans can offer? Is this really the best they can do?"

Tune in tomorrow for a conversation with former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter. He's the author of a must-read article on TheNation.com: "Stop the War in Iran Before It Starts." He's also the author of Target Iran: The Truth About the White House's Plans for Regime Change (Amazon link)

I don't make a habit of publicly attacking other liberal talk show hosts- in fact i never do it (maybe i said some sarcastic things about colmes a couple of times).

Apparently, Ed Schultz, a liberal ? progressive talker on the Jones Syndicator roster is supposedly angry at me for asking you guys to support Thom Hartmann. It was nothing against Ed- I just am a fan of Thom's and it is called AIR AMERICA XM 167 and Thom is an AAR host, Ed (and based on his rant today feels strongly about it) is not.

Well, I had heard this was brewing but didn't believe it was possible, but Ed exploded in rage today, lashing out at me, Al, Randi, AAR, Malloy, his callers and even his show handlers.

Personally, I don't think this is about me or my supporting Thom, but more on that later. For now, this is how people are reacting.

On the show today (all times Eastern):

10:15 a.m. Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, author of Target Iran: The Truth About the White House's Plans for Regime Change. We'll talk about his latest article for TheNation.com "Stop the Iran War Before It Starts"

The Sam Cam is rocking the joint. (New and improved link)

Author, bogger, journalist, and all-around political utility player David Sirota. He is a senior editor of In These Times magazine. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and The Colbert Report. Check him out at DavidSirota.com

Atrios from the blog Eschaton

Author Chalmers Johnson on his new book, Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic

Someone sent me a link to your extended on air comments regarding Air America Radio today and the possibility occurred to me that perhaps your remarks were ultimately not about my asking for listener support for Thom Hartmann on AARXM 167. I’m concerned I have become a surrogate for some previously unexpressed ill will and general disagreement you've been harboring against Al, Randi, Mike Malloy, the very idea of Air America Radio, and some other segments of the progressive movement and media.

It has been suggested to me that it is not a coincidence that your comments yesterday come shortly after your move to 12-3 pm est and the day before Al leaves radio where he has been doing his show in that time slot for nearly three years. This explanation is a bit cynical for me, though I must admit I am at a bit of a loss as to your reaction yesterday.

I never imagined that advocating that Air America affiliates, including AARXM, carry Air America programming would hurt your feelings, nor was it my intention to offend you. I have always felt competition between Jones Media progressive programming and AAR was healthy and would promote more and more progressive talk. Surely, any plans that XM may or may not have to carry you on the AARXM channel did not come about without lobbying by your representatives. I do not fault you, your Executive Producers or Jones for this, of course, it is the nature of our business or any business. I am confident, that if you truly feel uncomfortable associating your brand and name with Air America Radio on XM your representatives could request that you not be carried on the AARXM channel.

While I know that we have some disagreements politically, (your intense support of pro escalation Joe Lieberman, my intense support of the netroots, etc.) ultimately, we share a lot more political values, not to mention a love of fly fishing and beer, than not. It pains me to see you do this disservice to yourself and progressive media in general.

I will continue to support my friend and co-worker Thom Hartmann, not because anyone has paid me to or even asked me to, but because it goes to the heart of who I am. But please know, I hope this is not taken as an offense by you. I continue to believe and hope you will have more success in the future,

all the best

Sam Seder  ♫♪♪♫♫

UPDATE This site has been slammed with huge traffic today- and we have been inoperable most of the day. As you can see, comments have yet to be restored and we have lost the section to the right. We are working on it.

Second Update I've been asked to highlight a link in the above post. This one. It is a post by ex-cia agent, Larry Johnson of No Quarter. In it he retells how he became persona non grata at the Ed Schultz Show because Ed resented Larry's praise of Keith Olbermann.

UPDATEWe got comments! For now.

President Bush talked about the war in Afghanistan yesterday. As long as we're reflecting on Afghanistan, let's look back even further -- at a clip from a White House press briefing on Feb. 27, 2001:

[Clip from Sept. 26, 2006, edition of Countdown With Keith Olbermann]

While we iron out some issues with this site, leave your comments at The Sam Seder Show's backup blog at Blogspot.

I guess we'll see.

Folks, there's gotta be a little rain before the sun comes out!

***THE SAM CAM IS ON***

It's hump day! Our comment function is is still down, so visit our "shadow blog" here.

If you live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, don't miss Revolucion: Five Visions at the Michigan Theater.

Read first-person accounts from Iraqi journalists working in McClatchy's Baghdad bureau on the Inside Iraq blog.

We haven't talked much about Tim Hardaway's homophobic comments on the show, but I think our response would be much like George Takei, featured here in this PSA on the Jimmy Kimmel show.

10:09 - School's in! Show regular Jack Hitt is rebutting the claims of our conservative callers on "enemy combatants" and habeas corpus. You can listen (after our show!) to his segment on "This American Life" about habeas. (Got to "thislife.org" and search for "habeas schmabeas."

And hey ... try posting a comment. We *think* we've got this fixed...

UPDATE: Okay, okay. It's not fixed. Keep grilling Sam's web producer here.

Sam's rant about Maureen Dowd on the Sam Cam sure stirred up a hornets' nest. Here's a sample from Pam in northern Virginia:

FYI, I am in *total* agreement with you re M.D. Ever since her comments about Gore's clothing I have despised her. I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about how much I hold her in contempt. What a loathsome tool.

Whew! Well, Pam must have read today's Dowd column, "Obama's Big Screen Test." Oh, man. So clever. It includes a wealth of Access Hollwood-worthy reporting. Here's the tease for the column:

Who can pay attention to the Oscar battle between “The Queen” and “Dreamgirls” when you’ve got a political battle between a Queen and a Dreamboy?

(Clutching belly) Dreamboy! And how about this:

''Hillary is livid that Obama's getting the first big fund-raiser here,'' one friend of hers said.

Ooooh! "Friend" sourcing! (Next column: "Brad and Jennifer ... again?") Speaking of Brad ...

The babble here is not about ''Babel''; it's about the battle of the billionaires.

Er...I'll do you one better: Bullshit! Check out MyDD's take on this column.

We'll kick off the show today with Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin. We'll ask him about his Iraq Redeployment Act of 2007.

- Tell Nevada Democrats drop Fox News as a partner for its planned Democratic presidential candidate debate in August

- A new study published in Mother Jones states that the war in Iraq has increased terrorism around the world.

Our study shows that the Iraq War has generated a stunning sevenfold increase in the yearly rate of fatal jihadist attacks, amounting to literally hundreds of additional terrorist attacks and thousands of civilian lives lost; even when terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan is excluded, fatal attacks in the rest of the world have increased by more than one-third.

We are not making the argument that without the Iraq War, jihadist terrorism would not exist, but our study shows that the Iraq conflict has greatly increased the spread of the Al Qaeda ideological virus, as shown by a rising number of terrorist attacks in the past three years from London to Kabul, and from Madrid to the Red Sea.

Comin' up: Atrios from Eschaton

Must read B.S.: Conservative idiot Michael Medved's "Where Tim Hardaway Was Right"

Making gay males unwelcome in the intimate circumstances of an NBA team makes just as much sense as making straight males unwelcome in the showers for a women’s team at the WNBA. Most female athletes would prefer not to shower together with men not because they hate males (though some of them no doubt do), but because they hope to avoid the tension, distraction and complication that prove inevitable when issues of sexual attraction (and even arousal) intrude into the arena of competitive sports.

In case you've been under a rock for the past week, here's Tim Hardaway's original statement:

The prodigal, er, father returns! Former Air America host and U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken will join us at 11:30 ET!

Here's a chance to catch The War Tapes, a great documentary shot by three National Guardsmen serving in Iraq. Democracy for America and TrueMajority Action are organizing meet-ups around the country. Go here to find the screening nearest you.

Here's the trailer:

**WATCH THE SAMMY CAM**

At 9:20, we'll welcome Joe Conason of The New York Observer and Salon.com. Joe's new book is It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush.

The phones lit up yesterday when we talked about Michael Medved's column on Tim Hardaway's anti-gay remarks on a Miami radio show. Now, read Tim Hardaway's mea culpa to ESPN's Scoop Jackson. What do you think? Shoot us an email -- samsedershow at gee mail dot com.

Just how casual is The Sam Seder Juggernaut today? Find out on THE SAMMY CAM !

We're taking your questions -- find out how you can contact sam by watching the web cam!

Here's the Politico post about Joe Lieberman's flirtatious remarks about the Republican Party

**THE SAM CAM IS ON**

Did Marc Maron bring his new winter boots to Texas? We'll find out this hour. Plus, you can catch Mark at Cap City Comedy Club in Austin, TX TONIGHT.

Tom Vilsack is expected to drop his 2008 presidential bid today.

Here's more about the gay, meat-eating cat "study" mentioned by Cosmo in New Jersey

Callers are talking today about Rory Kennedy's documentary Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, which premeired this week on HBO. (We talked to her on Tuesday's show.) Here's when and where to see it next.

Here's a Nov. 25, 2002, interview with then-State Sen. Barack Obama

**We've made it easier to leave comments on the Seder Show "shadow" blog at Blogger**

So much to talk about today. Stay tuned all morning, m'kay?

First, what can we say about Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann? Here's what she told a reporter from the St. Cloud (Minnesota) Times newspaper:

Iran is the trouble maker, trying to tip over apple carts all over Baghdad right now because they want America to pull out. And do you know why? It’s because they’ve already decided that they’re going to partition Iraq.

And half of Iraq, the western, northern portion of Iraq, is going to be called…. the Iraq State of Islam, something like that. And I’m sorry, I don’t have the official name, but it’s meant to be the training ground for the terrorists. There’s already an agreement made.

They are going to get half of Iraq and that is going to be a terrorist safe haven zone where they can go ahead and bring about more terrorist attacks in the Middle East region and then to come against the United States because we are their avowed enemy.

Of course, she later backed off this crazy-ass statement. Perhaps because the "western, northern" part of Iraq is al-Anbar province, where Al Qaeda in Iraq dominates. This overwhelmingly Sunni area is the least likely place for Iran's Shite government to create their "terrorist state."

OK. With that out of the way, here's some stuff to read this morning:

- Here's the Sy Hersh article in the New Yorker. Don't read alone. Too scary.

**YOU ASKED FOR IT: EASIER COMMENT SECTION**
It's now easier to leave comments at the Seder Show "shadow" blog at Blogger**

Keep your eyes on FireDogLake.com -- they're live-blogging the juror leak situation in the Libby trial.

Once again, you gotta read this: Sy Hersh in the New Yorker

Uh-oh. Juror in the Libby trial saw something bad.

At 10:30, we'll talk to Matt Taibbi about his great RollingStone.com article, Maybe We Deserve to Be Ripped Off By Bush's Billionaires.

On the same day that Britney was shaving her head, a guy I know who works in the office of Senator Bernie Sanders sent me an email. He was trying very hard to get news organizations interested in some research his office had done about George Bush's proposed 2008 budget, which was unveiled two weeks ago and received relatively little press, mainly because of the controversy over the Iraq war resolution. All the same, the Bush budget is an amazing document. It would be hard to imagine a document that more clearly articulates the priorities of our current political elite.

One juror gone in Libby trial. Read FireDogLake.com

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS AT THE SAM SEDER SHOW'S "SHADOW BLOG"

Here's the Blogger comment thread for Monday afternoon.

By the way, does Fox News commentator and former CIA operative Mike Baker look like a character from '24' or what?

***Today's discussion thread***

The Brits hired psychics to find Osama bin Laden. Um. It didn't work.

After Gore wins his Oscar, the player-haters are out in full force.

**COMMENTS***

Bernie Sanders comin up at 10:45 ...

Dewey's on the phone...he's going to talk about this.

Justin emails to say: "Fact: Al Gore has a zero carbon footprint. This is a fact no matter what his electric bill is, no matter that he drives a cadillac." He adds, "Suck it, cons."

Stick around for Markos! Comin' up at 11:30.

Lance Compa will be on the show tomorrow. Check out his Washington post op-ed on corporate bullying and unions.

Yes, this was a topic of conversation in the third hour of the show today.

Joe Conason is signing copies of his new book, It Can Happen Here, at Barnes & Noble in Chelsea at 7 p.m.

Barnes & Noble - Chelsea
675 Sixth Avenue, New York City

Find out if Joe -- like Grand Funk Railroad once said -- is coming to your town (and going to party it down).

It's hump day ... get over it!

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COMMENT THREAD

We've got Christy Harvey of the Center for American Progress and Mic Check Radio coming up at 9:20.

Bone up on the Employee Free Choice Act. We'll be talking about it with Lance Compa of Cornell University in the 10 o'clock hour.

Here's the listener email that Sam's talking about this morning:

Hi Sam,

1. I've warned you about the Bombastic style. I guess you're stuck with it. Anyhow it probably works on some people. I think it makes you sound like an idiot. (in fact it kinda makes you sound like Rush Limbaugh, and some 20 million people listen to him)

2. Also get a clue. Neither the Conservatives nor the Right Wing Wackos give a damm if Al Gore wins an Oscar or not. What planet do you live on?

3. That brings me to an important point. ALWAYS make a distinction between Conservatives and Right Wing Wackos. Conservatives are intelligent people who have a lot to contribute to political debate in this country. For example: Goldwater, Buckley, George Will, Senator Warner, and the list goes on. My college Economics professor was a great conservative. He also believed in the negative income tax, an idea from Milton Friedman I think. An idea which came to life in the Earned Income Tax Credit, which really does a lot to help America’s working poor. Those are conservatives with good conservative ideas. Conservatives believe in NOT spending money you don’t have. Right Wing Wackos on the other hand believe in borrowing trillions of dollars and spending it on useless crap like bridges to nowhere, a 6 billion dollar subsidy for ExxonMobil last year, and civil wars in very volatile regions.

If you actually look at Congress a small percentage of Democratic Congressmen are conservative. About 25% of Republican Congressmen are also conservative… The rest are really Right Wing Wackos.

Cutting taxes in a time of war is a radical reckless thing to do. That is not conservative. Therefore any congressman who voted to continue the Bush Tax cuts is a Right Wing Wacko, and not a conservative. Tell the American people that.

My dictionary says that Conservative means tending to oppose change. G.W.Bush wants to change everything: social security, habeus corpus, all arab governments, the entire U.S. military, the Paris Hilton (inheritance) tax,….and on and on….

Dornan is a Right Wing Wacko. That is clear. Rush Limbaugh is a Right Wing Wacko. Why not play a few of his quotes??? (instead of the phoney crap that the right wing really cares about Al Gore’s Oscar) Why not play the one where Rush says “…I’m sick of this crap… just nuke the whole goddam place!!!!” (the debate about Irak was I guess a little too long for him. He got bored and frustrated and so decided to advocate the genocide of the Iraqi people by atomic weapon. Is that conservative???? This man has no right to use the conservative label. By letting Americans think that he is ‘conservative’ you allow him to stay in a group of otherwise respectable people like George Will, Senator Warner, and my economics professor, giving him far more respectability than he deserves)

Call him out!!! Call the others out to! Draw a thick line between the Conservatives and the Right Wing Wackos. It will really help America.

Your Friend,

Brian

Comin' up at 11:45: Lance Compa on his Washington Post op-ed on the Employee Free Choice Act

Are you watching the Sam Cam?

Comment thread.

Here's the link to Sen. Lindsey Graham begging Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell to say the "right" things.

This hour, political ninja and author David Sirota is in the hizz-owse! OK. He's not really in the house. If he was, you'd see him on the Sammy Cam.

A big shout out to KTRC Santa Fe 1260 AM! We're glad to have you back!

Contact Congress (or use this info) about the Employee Free Choice Act (HR 800): 1-866-220-0044

Check out the AFL-CIO's site out for a full version of the act or a summary. ThinkProgress reports today on a business-sponsored, radio campaign against the legislation.

Joe Lieberman. Puh-lease. Come off it, OK?

New thread. Comments here.