Busy, Busy Thursday

Well, tomorrow's gonna be a big day. Alberto "I Torture" Gonzales will be rubber stamped in the morning, then as prescribed by law, Congress will meet in a joint session to count electoral votes and officially certify Gee Dumbass as winner of the 2004 Presidential election.

Cue the tumbrels.

For anyone who may have spent the last couple months in a cave, there's still quite a bit of controversy over whether Ohio's electoral votes are legitimate. And apparently, it isn't just Democratic partisans who are concerned about possible illegalities committed by and on behalf of Blackwell- did you know that electors from California, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Vermont called for Congressional investigations into Ohio? In fact, just as in 2000, several House members plan to object. However, unlike 2000, there's talk that a Senator might actually step up, as well. Cable news and the web are buzzing with speculation that Barbara Boxer (D-CA) plans to join Representative John Conyers and company in a joint objection. Her DC office is neither confirming nor denying the rumors, telling some callers that they're still taking feedback and registering opinions, and that no decision has been made. Boxer is among the ballsiest of the Senate Dems so I guess it's possible, but basic math suggests that her objection wouldn't accomplish much. Essentially, an objection would call for the House and Senate to return to their respective chambers and hash it out (read: R's steamroll over D's as usual), then return to finish the vote count.

So, tomorrow may be interesting but, barring last-minute indictments, the result is a foregone conclusion.

Speaking of indictments, The Blue Lemur has posted a copy of a fundraising letter from Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth J. Blackwell, Rightwing scumbag extraordinaire, in which he boasts of helping to "deliver Ohio" for Bush. (you may remember that Diebold CEO Wally O'Dell had also promised to "deliver Ohio"). The letter, which is also available at the House Judiciary Committee Dems website goes on to state that the election of Senator Kerry would have been "a disaster", a "horrible outcome" and "terrible result...." I'm looking forward to digging into the Conyers report- hot off the presses- officially titled Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong In Ohio (Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff).

Should be an interesting read.