Posted by AzBlueMeanie: It's not about the budget numbers any longer. It's about a series of attached policy riders that Tea-Publicans are trying to extort from Democrats in order to pass a budget. Advertisement Specifically, the Christian Taliban culture warriors want to defund Planned Parenthood in their blind pursuit to outlaw abortions worldwide, and thus deny hundreds … Read more

by David Safier Attorney General Tom Horne has been asked to recuse himself from the Fiesta Bowl scandal investigation because of conflicts of interest, like his close, partisan connections to people who are being investigated. Horne called the request "idiotic." "I am going to enforce the laws fully, fairly and impartially," Horne said Wednesday, adding … Read more

by David Safier If only I could be there. From the NY Times. Donald Trump is investing more in the conspiracy theories about President Obama’s birth certificate as he explores his own bid for the presidency. In his latest embrace of the birther strategy, Mr. Trump has invited Tea Party leaders and a legislator from … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The House Republican 2012 budget resolution was reported out of the Budget Committee on Wednesday night after only a day-long markup. It now heads to the House floor for a vote set for next week. Ryan budget advances to House floor: As expected, the budget was approved along party lines, with 22 … Read more

by David Safier This from  Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), talking about the possible government shutdown: "Speaker Boehner is not in control," Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said on a conference call with reporters when asked about the prospects of a shutdown by TPM [Talking Points Memo]. "The tea party caucus has their hands on … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Jon Perr at perrspectives.com has an informative post on the Party of Lincoln Wages War for Government Shutdown (excerpts): As the nation prepares to mark next week's 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, the Party of Lincoln stands on the brink of shutting down the federal government. But whether it comes … Read more

by David Safier NOTE: I just read further on BfA (haven't had time to see what others posted today) and found AzBlueMeanie wrote about the same headline. My bad. But what the hell. It deserves another airing. Meanie, you can rap me across the nose with a bag of pixels if you want. [See story … Read more