“The Village Independent Democrats is proud to endorse Jonathan Tasini as a candidate for the senate. Progressives will not be taken for granted” - William Strickland, President, Village Independent Democrats

"I am proud to be a member of a political club that is progressive, intelligent and has the courage to support a candidate who is against the war in Iraq. The VID is located in the area most affected by 9/11. Jonathan Tasini understands the effect this war has had on NY state, the loss of lives, the lack of funding to our schools, under-funding of health care, lost jobs to outsourcing, etc. Jonathan Tasini has all the qualities of a winner, he supports labor, women’s rights and health care for all. I encourage New Yorkers to support Jonathan Tasini." - Yayoi Tsuchitani,

Last night the Village Independent Democrats voted overwhelmingly to endorse Jonathan Tasini for U.S. Senate. The endorsement of this important club gives a huge boost to the Tasini campaign and reflects the opinion of a majority of New Yorkers who want a Senator in Washington who represents them.

On Tuesday the 11th CD chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America endorsed Tasini for Senate as well. Of the four PDA chapters that have voted to date, every one has chosen to endorse Tasini over the incumbent.

And to make it a the trifecta, the Brooklyn Democrats for Change endorsed Tasini this week as well. The name of their club is apt - it is time for a change, and people all over New YOrk are saying so, loud and clear.

An impressive new group has formed to back Jonathan's Senate bid: Women for Tasini. Check it out.

There's a new phrase going around the blogosphere to describe what veteran CIA analyst Ray McGovern did to Donald Rumsfeld at a public forum yesterday. He "Colberted" him. McGovern stood up during a Q&A; session after Rumsfeld's speech and asked him why he had claimed to know the location of WMD in Iraq prior to the war.

"You said you knew where they were," McGovern said.

McGovern then read from statements the Defense secretary had made that weapons were located near Tikrit, Iraq, and Baghdad, which led Rumsfeld to briefly stammer. - link

Oh yeah, he Colberted him! He Colberted him good.

So where is your Senator? While most Congressional Democrats are calling for Rumsfeld's resignation, Senator Clinton will not. According to The Hill, Clinton and Tom Vilsack "stand out among the bevy of 2008 Democratic hopefuls for refraining from calling for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation in recent weeks."

Speaking truth to power takes courage. It also takes grace and eloquence and wit. Stephen Colbert showed he possesses all three when he slammed Bush to his face at the White House Correspondents Dinner this week. Using his slyly satirical right wing pundit persona, he called Bush out on the war, the lying, the spying and his dive in the polls. Bush, seated on the dais next to the podium, looked game then uncomfortable then glum. It's not often he emerges from his bubble to hear opinions other than his own, and he was not amused.

Speaking in character, as a Bill O'Reilly type Bush sycophant, Colbert denounced the regime. As described in Salon:

Then he turned to the president of the United States, who sat tight-lipped just a few feet away. "I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound -- with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world."

He also roasted the press, informing them that their job was to "type," and that when they were finished they could go home and write their novels about the brave journalist who takes on a corrupt administration. "You know, fiction."