Now comes news that Berkeley law students had a very disappointing 82% bar passage rate last summer. Boalt Hall, the Berkeley law school where John Yoo is a tenured professor, recently addressed student concerns that Boalt grads had a too-low pass rate on the California Bar Exam. http://boaltalk.blogspot.com/...  Apparently, the students feel that a law school of Boalt's standing  http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsa... should have a higher pass rate.

Noticed there are two joyous diaries on the Rec list having to do with Al Gore. One says Paul Krugman wrote an column about how crazy Gore makes the right wing. The other is about Gore's supposed campaign videos at CurrentTV.
Just to remind everyone, the main reason (coughPRETEXTcough) many Kossacks are against HRC is because she is such a lightning rod for the right wing's anger. She's Polarizing!!
So, let me get this straight: HRC's making the right wing mad is a reason not to nominate her, but Al Gore's similar stature just makes us giddy with anticipation.
Just wanted to make sure everyone noticed that before we all get on the bandwagon.

Well, I tried to change my pseudonym, which I picked way back in the 86K's. Why did I first call myself threesmommy?  What was the delightful identity I planned for myself? Ah yes, the wise crone who is also a litigator, and has successfully raised three perfect children. Who wouldn't listen to my erudite thoughts wittily scribbled in comments and diaries?
As I came to find out, most of you are men. Although you all were born of women, you have somehow developed a certain brutishness when in each other's company. Not only that, but occasionally it expresses itself in dismissiveness, or worse, sorry sexism.

While much is being made of Osama Bin Laden's beard coiffure (short and black, not long and gray), I haven't seen anyone focus on CIA Chief Michael Hayden appearing IN UNIFORM before the Council on Foreign Relations to say "Boo!" Saturday's LATimes reports that Hayden spoke before the Council on Foreign Relations to say "It feels like Sept. 10" because of a diminished "willingness of the broader political culture to be comfortable with the things we believe are both lawful and necessary to fight this war [on terror]". Apparently, Americans are becoming uncomfortable with eavesdropping, torture and rendition.
The LATimes quoted Human Rights Watch as noting Hayden "is using the mystique and authority of his position to frighten potential critics into backing off and not limit the extraordinary authorities that this administration has granted to the CIA". The accompanying Emmanuel Dunand Getty Images photo of the spy chief showed him in uniform, plastered with epaulets and 5 rows of military decorations.

NPR is reporting that 11 New Jersey state and local politicians have been arrested by the FBI pursuant to a sting involving bribery and insurance contracts. And, surprise surprise, the culprits are all Democrats!
Early this morning, NPR reported their party affiliation, but by midday, they had dropped the political ID.
Of course, DOJ watchers will be interested to see if these charges, brought by Bush appointee USAtty Chris Christie (sp?) will be challenged as selective prosecution and politically tainted. And, by the way, is it just a coincidence that they are being flashed before the media while so much other bad news for Republicans is airing?

In Wednesday's LATimes, Nick Gillespie writes yet another lament of how the Republican party has lost its way since the halcyon Goldwater days. There are actually a couple Republicans left out there who have NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION.

Gillespie urges the GOP to remember that "government [does] not belong either in your boardroom or your bedroom..., [o]r, as Craig might add, in your bathroom". Precious, but irrelevant. Karl Rove rewrote the playbook a decade ago, and Gillespie is whistling past the graveyard if he thinks otherwise.