The Commentariat -- February 19

Quote of the Day. Opposable thumbs that once symbolized our superior intelligence and separated us from the apes are now used to type gibberish on our mobile devices. -- Gemli from Boston, who is sick of Republicans (Comment #3)

Dems on the Run. Scott Bauer of the AP: "Democrats on the run in Wisconsin avoided state troopers Friday and threatened to stay in hiding for weeks, potentially paralyzing the state government in a standoff with majority Republicans over union rights for public employees." ...

... David Morgan of CBS News: State Senator Jon Erpenbach -- one of the Democratic lawmakers [who fled Wisconsin] -- told 'The Early Show on Saturday Morning' that the Republican governor's proposal 'has torn the state of Wisconsin apart.'" No video, but CBS videos are problematic anyway.

... Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post: Wisconsin Gov. Scott "Walker's proposal lets police and firefighter unions retain their collective bargaining rights and, thereby, their institutional clout, even though their taxpayer-supported pensions are among the most generous in the state. Not coincidentally, a number of police and firefighter unions supported Walker in the last election, and such unions tend to endorse more conservative candidates than, say, teachers' unions. So what Walker is really doing is going after unions that support Democrats." These unions "... also, and always, wage the biggest and most successful get-out-the-vote campaigns in minority communities -- communities that tend to vote heavily Democratic." ...

... Ezra Klein on the specifics of Gov. Walker's union-busting legislation. "... it's telling that he's exempting the unions that supported him and is trying to obscure his plan's specifics behind misleading language about what unions can still bargain for and misleading rhetoric about the state's budget." ...

... John Nichols of the Madison Capital Times on how the protests have grown to include students & people outside the public sector. ...

... Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times: "... the legislative push by Wisconsin’s new governor, Scott Walker, a Republican, to slash the collective bargaining rights of his state’s public employees could prove a watershed for public-sector unions, perhaps signaling the beginning of a decline in their power — both at the bargaining table and in politics." ...

... Michael Cooper & Katharine Seelye of the New York Times: "The unrest in Wisconsin this week over Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to cut the bargaining rights and benefits of public workers is spreading to other states."

He's basically trying to be everything to everybody. Until you look at the policies, and then it's clear he's there for the corporate sector. -- Rose Ann DeMoro, director of National Nurses United, on President Obama ...

... Peter Wallsten of the Washington Post: "Two years into a presidency that carried immense promises for the labor movement..., some unions remain firmly by [President Obama's] side, while others think he has reneged on promises or ... abandoned them altogether.... Officials from ... the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said that tens of thousands of its members have been laid off and that they don't see the White House advocating for them. John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said he 'resented' the president's recent calls to reorganize the government and freeze salaries.... Pointing to Obama's defense this week of Wisconsin public workers, Gage said, 'It's about time.'" ...

... Gail Collins on Big Bird, the Daytona 500 & the Fitzgerald gang of Wisconsin. Okay, she's really written a column about budgets, but as usual, she makes it more entertaining than the numbers.

... Constant Weader: Where the Hell is Hilda Solis?

Gretchen Morgenson of the New York Times has more on the decision of the DOJ to drop the criminal probe of Anthony Mozilo, a story I linked late last night & moved up to today's ledes. Morgenson writes:

The conclusion by prosecutors that Mr. Mozilo, 72, did not engage in criminal conduct while directing Countrywide will likely fuel broad concerns that few high-level executives of financial companies are being held accountable for the actions that led to the financial crisis of 2008. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been lost by investors while millions of borrowers have lost their homes. Few of the people who ran the institutions that contributed to the disaster have been found liable.

Mark Landler: of the New York Times: "... the United States government has overlooked recent complaints about human rights abuses in [Bahrain,] a kingdom that is an economic and military hub in the Persian Gulf. ... The White House [is] once again scrambling to deal with an Arab ally facing a tide of popular discontent. ... In cables made public by WikiLeaks, the Bush and Obama administrations repeatedly characterized Bahrain as more open and reform-minded than its neighbors, and pushed back when human rights groups criticized the government. ...

... Nicholas Kristof: "America finds itself in a tough position, and that probably explains President Obama’s very cautious statement saying that he is 'deeply concerned.' ... We should signal more clearly that we align ourselves with the 21st-century aspirations for freedom of Bahrainis rather than the brutality of their medieval monarch. I’m not just deeply 'concerned' by what I’ve seen here. I’m outraged."

This is horrifying audio of ABC News correspondent Miguel Marquez being beaten in Pearl Square in Manama, Bahrain early yesterday morning.

... See also yesterday's Commentariat for video of New York Times reporter Michael Slackman & videographer Sean Patrick Farrell being shot at from a helicopter. Remember, these shooters & thugs are our "friends."

Richard Fausset of the Los Angeles Times: "In 1961, Montgomery, Ala., went all out for the centennial of the swearing-in of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The 150th anniversary this year is generating far less interest." BUT STILL. "On Saturday, [at] the 150th anniversary event ... hundreds of men are expected to march through the heart of Montgomery. Some will parade in Confederate gray. Some will display the controversial battle flag. On the steps of the white-domed state Capitol, an ersatz Davis will place his hand on a Bible. And a band will play 'Dixie.' But so far, this year's festivities are generating scant buy-in from city and state officials, and relatively little buzz among locals."

News Ledes

New York Times: "As Afghan soldiers and police officers lined up on Saturday to get their monthly salaries at a bank in downtown Jalalabad, they became targets for seven heavily armed attackers in Army uniforms who had joined them, Afghan officials said. In a chaotic scene, the attackers, all wearing explosive vests, started a gun battle, and several rushed into the bank, starting a siege there. The fighting ended three hours later, leaving 18 people dead and about 70 wounded...."

AP: "A prominent opposition leader says the withdrawal of army tanks from Bahrain's capital is not enough to open talks with rulers in the crisis-wracked Gulf nation. Ibrahim Sharif, head of the Waad Society, is demanding guarantees that protesters can stage rallies without fear of being attacked.... The pullback of tanks from the landmark Pearl Square on Saturday comes a day after army units opened fire on marchers streaming toward the site, which had been the symbolic center of their uprising against Bahrain's leaders." ...

     ... New York Times Update: "Thousands of jubilant protesters surged back into the symbolic heart of Bahrain on Saturday after government security forces withdrew and the monarchy called for peace after two days of violent crackdowns." ...

... AP: "Libyans set up neighborhood patrols in the shaken eastern city of Benghazi on Saturday as police disappeared from the streets following an attack by government forces on a two-day-old encampment of protesters demanding an end to Moammar Gadhafi's regime, eyewitnesses said. The situation in the North African nation has become increasingly chaotic, with a human rights group estimating 84 people have died in a harsh crackdown on anti-Gadhafi demonstrations and the U.S.-based Arbor Networks security company saying Internet service was cut off around 2 a.m. Saturday...." ...

     Guardian Update: "Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is confronting the most serious challenge to his 42-year rule as leader of Libya by unleashing his army on unarmed protesters. Unlike the rulers of neighbouring Egypt, Gaddafi has refused to countenance the politics of disobedience, despite growing international condemnation, and the death toll of demonstrators nearing 100."

... Reuters: "Algerian police in riot gear on Saturday surrounded about 500 protesters trying to stage a march through the capital [city of Algiers] inspired by uprisings in other parts of the Arab world in defiance of a ban. A Reuters reporter at the scene said a group chanting 'Algeria -- free and democratic!' tried to reach May 1 Square in the city center to begin the protest march but were driven two blocks away by police using batons."

Reuters: "The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted on Friday to choke off cash to fund President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law, intensifying a fight with Democrats over budget cuts and deficits." ...

... ABC News: "The House of Representatives Friday passed a measure to end federal funding for abortion provider Planned Parenthood....  Friday afternoon, the House passed the amendment by a vote of 240-185. The vote was generally along party lines, with all but seven Republicans voting for the cut, and 10 Democrats voting in favor. One Republican voted present." ...

... New York Times: "Democrats late Friday night proposed a temporary extension of the stopgap measure now financing the government that would maintain expenditures generally at 2010 levels through March 31 and avert a federal shutdown. The current stopgap measure expires on March 4.... The temporary extension was proposed by ... Nancy Pelosi.... Democrats, however, do not have the votes to approve it without Republican support."

New York Times: "The [U.S.] Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Friday against one of the largest money exchange houses in Afghanistan, [the New Ansari Money Exchange",] along with 15 of its executives, on charges that it used billions of dollars transferred in and out of the country to help hide proceeds from illegal drug sales.... With these actions, the United States has seized any assets New Ansari and its managers hold in the United States. American banks and businesses are prohibited from transactions with those named in the order."

New York Times: "The Obama administration on Friday rescinded most of a 2008 rule that granted sweeping protections to health care providers who opposed abortion, sterilization and other medical procedures on religious or moral grounds. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, said the rule, issued in the last days of the Bush administration, could 'negatively impact patient access to contraception and certain other medical services.'”

Surprise! DOJ Lets Another Bankster Off the Hook. New York Times: "Federal prosecutors have ended a criminal investigation of Angelo R. Mozilo, the former chief executive of the mortgage lender Countrywide Financial, without taking any action against him, according to a person with direct knowledge of the investigation who spoke only on the condition of anonymity."