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The Ledes

Thursday, February 23, 2012.

Washington Post: "A bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland was approved by the state Senate, which advanced a measure that narrowly cleared the House of Delegates last week. The final vote by the state Senate ended a yearlong drama in Annapolis over the legislation.... With the vote, the measure moves to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who has said he will sign it."

Washington Post: "In a highly unusual move, the full Virginia Senate killed the so-called ‘personhood’ bill for the year just hours after it seemed likely to survive. The Senate voted 24-14 to send the bill back to Senate Education and Health Committee, with two anti-abortion Democrats abstaining."

New York Times: "A United Nations panel concluded on Thursday that 'gross human rights violations' had been ordered by the Syrian authorities as state policy at 'the highest levels of the armed forces and the government,' amounting to crimes against humanity. The panel of three investigators, led by Paulo Pinheiro of Brazil, did not release the names of the officials it had identified as bearing responsibility. Instead, the panel delivered the names in a sealed envelope to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva."

ABC News: "Army Pfc. Bradley Manning ... deferred entering a plea at his arraignment today."

ABC News: "The judge presiding over the so-called honeymoon killer trial dismissed murder charges against Gabe Watson after the prosecution completed its case today. The charges were dismissed before the defense presented a single witness."

President Obama will speak at the University of Miami at 2:30 pm ET, where he will defend his energy policy. Here's a related Washington Post story. ...

... New York Times Update: "President Obama, confronted by the political perils of surging gas prices in an election year, defended his efforts to wean the United States off imported oil on Thursday, even as he conceded there was little he could do to immediately ease the pain at the pump." See video in Friday's Commentariat.

Washington Post: "The Obama administration on Thursday plans to announce voluntary guidelines for Web companies to protect consumers’ privacy online, a win for Google, Facebook and other Internet giants that have fought against heavier federal mandates. The White House did not include a much-debated 'do not track' rule that would have forced companies to offer users the choice of stopping advertisers from tracking their activities across the Web."

New York Times: "Afghans demonstrated for the third straight day on Thursday against the burning of Korans at the largest American base in their country, and public anger was reported to be spreading after furious crowds armed with rocks, bricks, pistols and wooden sticks took to the streets in a half-dozen provinces in protests Wednesday that left at least seven dead and many injured." ...

... Washington Post Update: "Two American soldiers were killed on Thursday by an attacker wearing an Afghan army uniform, as protests over Koran-burning at a NATO base continued, and the Taliban called on Afghans to target foreign troops as reprisal.... President Obama apologized for the incident in a letter sent to Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday."

AP: "A U.S nuclear envoy said Thursday he held substantive talks with North Korea on dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear programs in return for aid and would continue the negotiations into second day."

AP: "Officials say attacks across Baghdad and several Iraqi provinces have killed 48 people and wounded more than 200 in an unrelenting wave of violence that mostly appeared to target security forces."

ABC News: "A jury recommended that a judge sentence George Huguely V to 26 years in prison after he was convicted of second-degree murder in the beating death of his ex-girlfriend, Yeardley Love, at the University of Virginia." See also yesterday's Ledes.

The Ledes

Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

CNN will host another GOP presidential debate tonight at 8:00 pm ET. If you're not near a TV, you can watch it here (I surmise). Update: The New York Times is liveblogging the debate. You can request a fact-check at the link (right column). The Washington Post has live updates here. ...

... Update: the New York Times reports on the debate. Here's the Washington Post report. CW: I listened to the crowd reactions. They pretty much applauded everything stupid & booed any sensible measures the candidates had accidentally supported in the past. Yep, the GOP needs a new electorate.

Washington Post: "A jury [in Charlottesville, Virginia] on Wednesday evening convicted George Huguely V of second-degree murder in the 2010 death of his onetime girlfriend Yeardley Love after about nine hours of deliberations. Huguely faces up to 40 years in prison on the murder charge."

New York Times: "A federal advisory panel on Wednesday overwhelmingly recommended approval of what could become the first new prescription drug to treat obesity in 13 years."

Washington Post: "A former Baltimore-area resident held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has reached a plea agreement with military prosecutors that calls for him to testify at the trials of other detainees in exchange for a much-reduced sentence and eventual freedom, according to officials familiar with the case. The plea agreement with Majid Khan, 31, is the first with a high-value detainee who was previously held by the CIA at a secret prison overseas. Khan was charged this month with war crimes, including murder, attempted murder, spying and providing material support for terrorism, and faced up to life in prison."

New York Times: "New York State's courts, frustrated by delays in thousands of foreclosure cases, are planning to speed them along in a new program that would give judges added control and require banks to send officials who have the power to alter loans to keep people in their homes."

New York Times: "Two Western journalists, one American and one French, were killed early Wednesday in Syria as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad pursued a deadly bombardment of the central city of Homs, according to activists and officials. Valérie Pécresse, the French government spokeswoman, identified the dead as Marie Colvin, an American reporter working for The Sunday Times of London, and Rémi Ochlik, a French photographer."

Washington Post: "President Obama on Wednesday plans to propose a major overhaul of the nation’s corporate tax code, an election-year gambit that is likely to draw a contrast over a key policy issue with the Republicans vying to replace him. Obama will propose lowering the nation’s corporate tax rate to 28 percent. At the same time, however, he will seek to increase the amount of revenues raised overall through corporate taxation by eliminating numerous deductions and loopholes that save companies tens of billions of dollars a year on their tax bills, according to a senior administration official."

Washington Post: "Gov. Robert F. McDonnell is backing off his unconditional support for a bill requiring women to have an ultrasound before an abortion.... Until this weekend, McDonnell (R) and his aides had said the governor would sign the measure if it made it to his desk. McDonnell, who strongly opposes abortion, will no longer make that commitment. But delegates and governor’s staff were scheduled to meet Tuesday night to strike a compromise after learning that some ultrasounds could be more invasive than first thought...." ...

... Update: "The Virginia House of Delegates voted Wednesday afternoon to amend a proposed bill on ultrasounds before abortions to say that no woman will have to undergo an internal ultrasound involuntarily. The revised bill says that only an external ultrasound will be required to satisfy the requirements to determine gestational age. And Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R), the bill’s sponsor in the Senate, said she will ask that the bill to be striken. The action came the same day that Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) reversed course and said he was asking the General Assembly to amend the proposed bill."

New York Times: "Protests against the burning by NATO personnel of an undisclosed number of Korans spilled into a second day on Wednesday and seemed poised to widen as the American Embassy here suspended all travel by its staff, and NATO soldiers in the capital appeared to be restricting their movements, keeping military vehicles off the streets."

AP: "Fitch ratings agency says it has downgraded Greece further into junk status, from 'CCC' to 'C' following the announcement of the details of the country's debt swap deal with private creditors. The agency said Wednesday the downgrade indicated 'that default is highly likely in the near term.'"

New York Times: "Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia resigned on Wednesday amid growing speculation that he and his backers in Parliament were seeking to topple Prime Minister Julia Gillard and regain for him the country’s leadership role."

Reuters: "Salvage workers have found four more bodies in the submerged Costa Concordia cruise liner, bringing the confirmed number of dead to 21 on the ship that ran aground and capsized off the Italian coast last month, authorities said on Wednesday."

PSA. New York Times: "A new study provides what independent researchers call the best evidence yet that colonoscopy — perhaps the most unloved cancer screening test — prevents deaths. Although many people have assumed that colonoscopy must save lives because it is so often recommended, strong evidence has been lacking until now."

PSA. Molly McHugh of Digital Trends suggests some ways you can "depersonalize your Google experience."

Update: A reader sends this opt-out info. from a reliable source

Once again Google is back in the news for privacy issues.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/250213/googles_safari_tracking_debacle_reality_check.html

There are a few things you can do to minimize this impact. One product I particularly despise is Google Analytics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Analytics

It is fairly reliable to opt-out of Google Analytics tracking by simply installing the opt-out add-on (which is available for IE, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, & Opera browsers:

http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

If you use IE and aren't dependent upon applications that require an older version of the browser, the latest, IE9, has the option to enable tracking protection.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/ie9-and-tracking-protection-microsoft-disrupts-the-online-ad-business/3004

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/products/ie-9/features/tracking-protection

The New York Times has published a short excerpt from Anthony Shadid's upcoming memoir House of Stone. Shadid, a Times reporter, died in Syria last week.

Maureen Dowd writes about Sister Dolores, formerly known as actor Dolores Hart, who quit the movie business to become a Benedictine nun. A documentary of her life, titled "God Is Bigger than Elvis," has been nominated for an Academy Award. Sister Delores will attend the ceremony. CW: I guess many people will find Sister Dolores's story uplifting; I find it dolorous. There's no trailer for the film available online. The documentary will air on HBO in April.

Politico has the Sunday talkshow lineup. ...

Update: here's Politico's liveblog of the Sunday shows.

Glenn Greenwald: CNN's Erin Burnett is a warmonger's warmonger, the "worst of the worst," whose actual remarks outstrip any possible parody of warmongers. So, yay! Let's nuke Iran!

Blacklisters Victorious! AP: "MSNBC dropped conservative commentator Pat Buchanan on Thursday, four months after suspending him following the publication of his latest book. The book 'Suicide of a Superpower' contained chapters titled 'The End of White America' and 'The Death of Christian America.' Critics called the book racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic, charges Buchanan denied. MSNBC President Phil Griffin said last month that he didn't think Buchanan's book 'should be part of the national dialogue, much less part of the dialogue on MSNBC.' ... Buchanan, in a column posted on Thursday, called the decision 'an undeniable victory for the blacklisters.'"

Frances Martel of Mediate: the Stephen Colbert show has been cancelled for two nights, Wednesday and Thursday, February 15 & 16, "due to unforseen circumstances," & the suspension of production could run longer. The cancellation came at the last minute, & the show's producers have not explained the reason for the cancellation. ...

... Wall Street Journal Update: "Stephen Colbert has suspended production of his satirical comedy show temporarily because of an emergency in Mr. Colbert's family, according to people familiar with the show. 'The Colbert Report' is expected to resume production soon, perhaps as early as next week, the people added."

The Los Angeles Times coverage of the Grammy Awards is here.

MIDASSTOUCH. Here's a post by Eric Konigsberg of the New Yorker for you New York Times crossword aficonados. BTW, the Times Cookie Monster columnist mentioned in the article is Charles Blow.

For the New York Times, Janet Maslin reviews Mimi Alford's book about her affair with President Kennedy, essentially writing that Alford was full of shit, though you have to understand the utility of Brussels sprouts to get that (she writing in the Times, after all, where discretion is the better part of publication). Amy Davidson of the New Yorker says Maslin is mean.

For you kids interested in a career in writing, or, specifically, writing popular opinion columns, Driftglass shares David Brooks' secret to success: "Once again giving writing by rote a bad name, Our Mr. Brooks pens a quick primer on one method of making a living by writing badly."

Politico has the Sunday talkshow lineup. ...

... New York Times Update: "The new White House chief of staff, Jacob J. Lew, made the rounds of the Sunday talk shows to discuss the budget that President Obama is to release on Monday, but instead he was forced repeatedly to defend the administration’s effort to guarantee that insurers cover birth control for women in the face of criticism from religious groups."

Carly Carioli of the Boston Phoenix: Despite Bill Keller's writing "two smug columns about copyright" in the New York Times, Times columnist Joe Nocera was not above poaching -- or "pirating," in Keller's parlance -- an article from a defunct paper the Phoenix now owns. Instead of linking to the Phoenix page, Nocera uploaded a Times PDF, which of course does not link back to the original article. And this isn't the first time Nocera has done that. So then, "Joe Nocera called me to read me the riot act. He’s pissed that my post caused the Times took down the Clark Booth articleper's article from our company’s archives."

... Click through for more. ...

... The Reliable Source at the Washington Post: "A new book shares explicit details about a 50-year-old presidential sex scandal between JFK and a White House intern." Historian Robert Dallek who "wrote the book on" Kennedy, says former intern & author Mimi Beardsley Alford is "entirely credible." The New Jersey Star-Ledger has a story here. Reliable Source story updated here, with more sordid details. ...

... Update: Matthew DeLuca of the Daily Beast recounts some of the details of Alford's book.

Paper Trail

R.I.P.

Page Links

Delaware

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NBC News projects Democrat Chris Coons will win the Senate seat in Delaware. 8:08 pm ET.

AP: "Former lieutenant governor John Carney has claimed Delaware's lone U.S. House seat for the Democrat." The seat is currently held by Republican Mike Castle who lost his primary bid to Christine O'Donnell, the loser in tonight's Delaware Senate race.

So Not Ready for Primetime. Chris Carl of WDEL Radio, Delaware: "The Christine O'Donnell campaign is apologizing to WDEL after it demanded that video of an O'Donnell appearance on "The Rick Jensen Show" be destroyed and threatened a lawsuit if it wasn't.... O'Donnell also told show host Rick Jensen that she would sue the radio station if the video was released.... O'Donnell's campaign manager, Matt Moran, called WDEL and demanded that the video be immediately turned over to the campaign and destroyed. Moran threatened to 'crush WDEL' with a lawsuit if the station didn't comply." Here's the AP story.

I don't watch the news. -- Christine O'Donnell

God is the reason I am running. -- Christine O'Donnell

David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network interviews Delaware's Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell. The transcript is here. Here's a nauseating clip:

Chris Coons finally runs a negative ad. But he ends on a positive note:

Jonathan Carl of ABC News interviews Christine O'Donnell:

Christine O'Donnell claims to be an expert on the Constitution:

Reuters: "... while her grassroots fund-raising has been more than respectable, [Christine] O'Donnell's tense relations with mainstream Republicans and her floundering campaign have led bigtime donors to shun her, albeit quietly."

Geez, another debate, another gaffe. O'Donnell can't name a single Democratic Senator with whom she would work. When O'Donnell was asked a similar question last month, she named Hillary Clinton, who hasn't been a senator for 20 months, so it's not as if she hasn't had time to research an answer & memorize the name of a Democratic senator or two:

Psst! Christine, dear, Joe Lieberman hasn't been a Democrat for two years.

You're telling me that's in the First Amendment? -- Christine O'Donnell, responding to opponent Chris Coons, who said in a debate yesterday that the First Amendment bars Congress from making laws respecting the establishment of religion ...

... CW: I urge you to listen to this brief video. O'Donnell repeatedly calls Coons on his "error." There hasn't been a gaffe like this since President Jerry Ford insisted in a debate with Jimmy Carter that the Eastern European countries of 1976 was not under Soviet domination:

Meghan McCain: Christine O'Donnell is a "nut job":

Chad Levingood of the Delaware News Journal (October 15) reports on Chris Coons' & Christine O'Donnell's second debate. ...

I've got Sean Hannity in my back pocket, and I can go on his show and raise money by attacking you guys. -- Christine O'Donnell, to GOP insiders who aren't helping her campaign

... "People thought of her as an ignorant, deadbeat witch." Keith Olbermann & Howard Fineman discuss Christine O'Donnell's candidacy:

Palinized. Like her mentor Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell could not name a single recent Supreme Court decision with which she disagreed:

... CW: nevertheless, O'Donnell recovered in a stressful debate with more finesse than Palin did in a sit-down interview. ...

... PLUS. Andy Barr of Politico: O'Donnell is "baffled" as to why the Republican money machine isn't helping her. Nothing to be baffled about: it's SOP to direct resources toward candidates who have a chance of winning; O'Donnell is down by as much as 19 points against her Democratic opponent Chris Coons.

C-SPAN is carrying the debate between Delaware Senate candidates Chris Coons & Christine O'Donnell this evening. Update: and so they debated. New York Times story here. You can watch the debate here.

I have 11-year-old twin boys, and this campaign has allowed us to accelerate awkward conversations. -- Delaware Democratic Senate nominee Chris Coons, when asked about his opponent's denunciation of masturbation

Frank Bruni of the New York Times profiles Chris Coons, Delaware's Democratic nominee for Senate. CW: finally, someone in the MSM decides to mention the candidate who is actually qualified to serve.

Ben Evans of the AP on Christine O'Donnell: "She hasn't provided such basic information as how she makes a living and pays her rent.... On issues, O'Donnell's views are often just as murky, with little more than one-liners on her website."

CNN: "Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell is asking voters to give her a second look. At a candidate forum sponsored by a group of local Republicans, O'Donnell blamed her campaign's recent troubles on unfair coverage in the 'liberal media.'" She also mentions being subjected to "character assassination" in her recorded remarks.

Billboard by Stinque.com.Second-String Bozo. Mark Leibovich of the New York Times: after writing in a profile of the candidate that Christine O'Donnell's father Daniel played Bozo the Clown on the teevee, a reader questioned Leibovich's assertion & the quality of his research. Stinque.com writes, “Anybody who would lie about a cherished childhood icon is unqualified to serve in the United States Senate. Really. It’s in the Constitution. Look it up.” In a conversation with Daniel O'Donnell, Leibovich learns that he sometimes filled in for the "real" Philadelphia Bozo on out-of-town gigs.

AP, October 4: "Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell of Delaware said in a 2006 debate that China was plotting to take over America and claimed to have classified information about the country that she couldn't divulge." CW: later O'Donnell revealed that the CIA sends her classified information via coded radio transmissions which her teeth pick up. (Perhaps I made that last bit up.) ...

... the ever-so-level-headed Jim Fallows of The Atlantic: "... the 'privy to classified information' riff ..., to anyone who knows anything about the world of politics, instantly signals, 'I am completely insane.'" ...

... Steve Benen: "even for a Senate candidate who's lied repeatedly about her educational background, is suspected of campaign embezzlement, is suspected of tax fraud, rejects modern science, hates gays, has crusaded against masturbation, has talked about stopping Americans from having sex, and embraces a hysterically extreme political worldview, this is pretty extraordinary." ...

... Update. Greg Sargent of the Washington Post has transcripts & links to the audio of O'Donnell's audacious assertion that she had obtained classified info. about a Chinese takeover of the U.S.

... Update 2. Jim Fallows has more on "the Chinese peril." O'Donnell's opponent in the 2006 race was a Chinese-American professor named Jan C. Ting. CW: so this was, besides being bizarre, a little race-baiting ploy.

New York Times: O'Donnell cuts her first ad:

... Update. Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post comments, "While the ad will get oodles of media attention, it's important to remember that polling shows Democrat Chris Coons with a comfortable lead and national Republicans have given no indication that they plan to spend money on ads in the Delaware Senate race."

Meatballs Matter. Bill Maher's "Christine O'Donnell Clip of the Week." Here O'Donnell speaks of her "faith journey":

Daughter of Bozo. Mark Leibovich of the New York Times profiles Christine O'Donnell.

... Lying about the Lies. Keith Olbermann & David Corn discuss Christine O'Donnell's fantasy

Washington Post, September 29: "Delaware Republican Rep. Mike Castle has opted against against running as a write-in candidate for Senate, a decision that strengthens Democrats' chances of holding the seat on Nov. 2. Castle, notably, did not endorse Christine O'Donnell, the tea party favorite who ousted him in the GOP primary earlier this year...."

Talking Points Memo: "Claremont Graduate University tells TPM that Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell did not attend the Southern California school despite listing it under education on her LinkedIn profile."

Greg Sargent: Christine O'Donnell claims she attended Oxford University. She didn't.

Rebecca Mead of The New Yorker on the "bewitched" Christine O'Donnell. O'Donnell isn't very good at running her own life, but she's happy to tell you how to run yours.

In 2003, Christine O'Donnell vowed to "stop the whole country from having sex. Yeah, yeah.... Kids are not dogs in heat":

"Evolution Is a Myth." As promised, Bill Mahar has more. From his ABC show "Politically Incorrect":

Could Christine O'Donnell be stupider?

Washington Post: Christine O'Donnell says she won't appear on any more national news shows but is sticking to local media because that's the way to win votes.

Christine O'Donnell is clearly a criminal, and like any crook she should be prosecuted. Ms. O'Donnell has spent years embezzling money from her campaign to cover her personal expenses.... Thieves belong in jail not the United States Senate. -- Melanie Sloan, CREW director

Politico: "The campaign watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a pair of complaints with the Federal Election Commission Monday accusing [Christine] O'Donnell of using more than $20,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses."

Ben Crair of the Daily Beast: "Picnics on top of altars? Wiccans say they don't have them -- and they don't like O'Donnell spreading bunk.... The comments ... may cost her the pagan vote."

CLICK ON THE CARTOON TO SEE ANN TELNAES' ANIMATED RESPONSE TO CHRISTINE O'DONNELL'S TALKSHOW BAIL.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wants you to get to know Christine O'Donnell:

Jill Lawrence of Politics Daily on some of Christine O'Donnell's political positions. BTW, her Website has vanished, so her wildest ideas will probably be "modified."

AP: "Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell is making light of comments she made more than a decade ago when she was in high school about having dabbled in witchcraft." CW: does this make sense? O'Donnell is 41 years old. This would have made her about 30 years of age in 1999 when the show reported aired. Why was she still in high school? Here's the video:

"Dabbling into Witchcraft" Is Not an Excuse to Bail on the Washington Elite:

... Dave Weigel of Slate isn't buying O'Donnell's "I had to go on a picnic" excuse. He says O'Donnell had plenty of time to get to the picnic after taping the shows in Washington. Weigel wonders why the networks didn't allow O'Donnell's Democratic rival Chris Coons to replace her on the shows "because, you know, he's winning the election so far." Via Amanda Terkel of the HuffPost.

Who Do that Voodoo like You Do? Christine O'Donnell cancels her Sunday talkshow appearances -- even the one on Fox! -- after Bill Maher airs this:

(Delaware) New Journal, September 18: Vice President Joe Biden was in Delaware Friday to stump for Democratic Senatorial nominee Chris Coons.

Christine O'Donnell speaks to Values Voters:

... Sam Stein story here.

Random Reflections from the Mouse Brain of O'Donnell:

American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains. So they're already into this experiment.
-- Christine O'Donnell, 2007

People are created in God’s image. Homosexuality is an identity adopted through societal factors. It’s an identity disorder.
-- Christine O'Donnell, 2006

And then there's also the issue of murder with Vincent Foster. That's a much more serious charge than failing to seek legal advice, and yet we're all just blowing that off, and everybody's trying to focus on Newt Gingrich like a witch hunt, to bring him to the stake and burn him, because they don't like the policy that he's behind.
-- Christine O'Donnell, 1996

For more of O'Donnell's random thoughts, see this excellent Think Progress roundup.

The Hill: "Just two days after her upset of Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) in the state's Republican Senate primary, Tea Party-backed Christine O'Donnell shared a stage with New Castle County Executive Chris Coons (D) in their first meeting of the general election contest.... The result was a standing-room-only crowd in a packed auditorium."

Dissing O'Donnell. Politico: "The tea party giant-killer who knocked off Rep. Mike Castle Tuesday is barely recognizable to them. They remember a candidate who was less interested in conservative causes than scoring a television deal, one who suggested dodging campaign vendors, believed she could give the keynote speech at the Republican National Convention and fixated on a harebrained idea to distribute tens of thousands of two-ounce suntan lotion packets to voters."

Washington Post: "Still grappling with his shocking primary defeat, Rep. Michael N. Castle of Delaware said Thursday that he will not endorse Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell because he could not tolerate some of the 'personal smears' he faced during the campaign."

New York Times: "After two days of staying mum, the state Republican Party chairman in Delaware said Thursday afternoon that the state party apparatus would work for the election in November of the party’s candidates — including, apparently, Christine O’Donnell, the party’s nominee for the Senate seat formerly held by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr."

David Corn in Mother Jones: "A beneficiary of both tea party anger and religious right fervor, [Christine] O'Donnell represents the potential overlap between Christian conservatives and anti-government activists."

Christine O'Donnell is a sideshow freak.... O'Donnell is a creature of an age in which politics have no meaning beyond performance art.... Her résumé is so thin as to be opaque, and a lot of it seems to be a lie. She seems to be something of a deadbeat, and 'U.S. Senator' seems to be her idea of an entry-level position. This morning, she stands one step away from the job. She is what politics produces when you divorce politics from government.... She is what politics produces when you turn it into a game show and the coverage of it over to a generation of high-technology racetrack touts. -- Charles Pierce, Esquire

Rachel Maddow talks to Joe Biden about the candidates for his Senatorial seat:

The New York Times profiles Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell.

CNN: "Jim DeMint's political operation is firing back at anonymous Senate Republican aides who criticized the conservative South Carolina Senator on Tuesday night for helping Christine O'Donnell capture the GOP Senate nomination in Delaware, possibly jeopardizing the party's chances of winning the seat in November."

Well, bless his heart. You know, we love our friends there in the machine, the expert politicos, but my message to those who say that the GOP nominee is not electable ... or that they’re not even going to try, I say buck up. buck up.... We need to go forth and conquer for the American people. -- Sarah Palin, on Karl Rove's comment that Christine O'Donnell is not electable because she's too nutty & her past too checkered

What we're seeing in the Republican Party is that they invited the Tea Party in and it's turning into the Donner Party, in some instances, because they're turning the energy and the ferocity against each other. -- Tim Kaine, DNC Chair, via Amanda Terkel at HuffPost

... Oh, look, Even Christine O'Donnell agrees with Kaine:

Mike Allen of Politico: "Christine O’Donnell, the tea-party backed GOP nominee for Joe Biden’s Senate seat, on Wednesday morning attacked 'Republican cannibalism' and said she doesn’t need the GOP establishment to win her Delaware race in November."

After she won the primary, that paragon on honor & fair play Karl Rove whacks O'Donnell for "a lot of nutty things she's been saying." "Republican cannabalism"? Oh, yes:

Wall Street Journal: "The National Republican Senatorial Committee does not plan to spend money on its Delaware Senate nominee, Christine O’Donnell, an NRSC official said tonight." ...

... Update: What a Difference a Day Makes. Ben Smith of Politico: NRSC reverses itself, sends O'Donnell at $42K check.

Gene Robinson: "Christine O’Donnell’s victory over Rep. Mike Castle in the Senate primary ... comes pretty close to wiping out the possibility of the Republicans taking control of the Senate in November." ...

Republican party leaders agree with Robinson:

Aargh! New York Times: "Christine O’Donnell has defeated veteran Representative Michael N. Castle in Delaware, wresting the G.O.P. Senate nomination away from the pick of the Republican establishment with the help of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express." Update: here's the Times' front-page story. ...

Politico: "Christine O'Donnell's former campaign manager [Kristin Murray] has recorded an Election Day robocall for the Delaware Republican Party meant to shred the tea-party-backed candidate's conservative credentials as voters head to the polls":

I got into politics because I believe in conservative values and wanted to make a difference. But I was shocked to learn that O’Donnell is no conservative. This is her third Senate race in five years. As O’Donnell’s manager, I found out she was living on campaign donations — using them for rent and personal expenses, while leaving her workers unpaid and piling up thousands in debt. She wasn't concerned about conservative causes. O’Donnell just wanted to make a buck. -- Kristin Murray

Public Policy Polling: "It looks like there’s a real possibility of a major upset in the Delaware Senate primary on Tuesday night, with insurgent conservative Christine O’Donnell leading longtime Congressman and Governor Mike Castle 47-44.That 3 point lead is well within the poll’s margin of error."

CW: I never thought I'd be linking to John McCormack of the Weekly Standard, BUT he does take on Christine O'Donnell.

Washington Post: "... Christine O'Donnell's battle with Rep. Mike Castle perhaps embodies the [tea party] movement's greatest test, because unlike in other races in which the GOP has offered the tea party an awkward embrace, the Republican Party is fighting back. The reason, state GOP officials argue, is that O'Donnell is simply unqualified to hold office."

On the Delaware Republican Senate primary, see also my blogpost titled "Man Pants!."

Eric Kleefeld of Talking Points Memo: Christine O'Donnell continues to question the "manhood" of her Senate Republican primary opponent Mike Castle. Some of O'Donnell's backers have suggested Castle is gay. CW: maybe O'Donnell learned her sleazy tactics from Sarah Palin, who endorsed O'Donnell recently.

Matt Lewis of Politics Daily won't come right out & say it, but Delaware Tea party favorite Christine O'Donnell plagiarized a Sharron Angle video ad in "creating" her own made-for-TV ad. CW: if you want to know how good a candidate O'Donnell is, bear in mind that she's not even Angle; she's an imitation of Angle! Lewis' column includes both video ads.

O'Donnell Earns Two Degrees: One from Farleigh-Dickinson, One from the School of Hard Knocks. David Catanese of Politico: "Seventeen years after she attended the school and two weeks before her Republican primary against Rep. Mike Castle, Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell officially earned her college degree, according to an official from Fairleigh Dickinson University." The recent award of her degree conflicts with many previous statements & campaign assertions that she was previously graduated from Farleigh-Dickinson. One of the apparent hang-ups: she hadn't paid her school debts.

CNN: "... the Tea Party movement is setting its sights on Delaware.... It's a race that pits conservative Tea Party favorite Christine O'Donnell against moderate Rep. Mike Castle, Delaware's former two-term governor and lone Congressman since 1993.... The Delaware Republican Party is taking heed – and taking on – the Tea Party-backed candidate in the state's Republican Senate primary."

Since the Delaware Republican party has taken down its attacks on O'Donnell, here's an ABC News summary of some of O'Donnell's financial troubles & her stories "explaining" them.

Here's a sample of the Delaware Republican party's attack on O'Donnell:

As the facts continue to emerge regarding perennial candidate Christine O’Donnell’s reckless and hypocritical behavior, I wanted to highlight some of the key media coverage her dishonest campaign has received over the last 24 hours.

.... CW: when you read the Republican party's rundown of the O'Donnell coverage, you'll realize the Repubs are right. ...

... Ha ha ha! Update, September 18: The Delaware Republic party has taken down its attack on O'Donnell page.

... AND Delaware Republican chairman Tom Ross issued a statement saying,

While it is disappointing that the Tea Party Express has not done any due diligence on troubled perennial candidate Christine O’Donnell, it is our hope that they will investigate her half-truths and outright lies before squandering tens of thousands of dollars on a candidate who is not electable in Delaware or anywhere else for that matter.

... Aw, Shucks Update, September 18: This page miraculously disappeared, too.