Dan Hicks And His Hot Licks - How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away?

If it's Sunday, you know that it's time for John McCain to show up on one of the bobblehead shows. According to Benen, McCain amazingly didn't show up on a single Sunday show through the month of March. However, that's not to say he hasn't been highly visible. Since Obama's inauguration, today's Fox News Sunday appearance marks his 21st on the Sunday shows. And how many times have we seen Dennis Kucinich, Russ Feingold, Al Franken, Barbara Boxer or any other congressional Democrat? Yeah, that's what I thought. McCain has been on the Sunday show circuit more than any other public official. The question for the media is WHY???

I do want to share a tête-à-tête I had on Saturday. One of my Twitter/Facebook "friends" is Jake Tapper, interim host of This Week. Yesterday, he was pimping his interview with former president Bill Clinton, saying that Clinton would address the violent and hateful rhetoric from the left. Well, that just wasn't going to fly with me, and I scolded him for falling for the media's false equivalencies once again. He in turn told me that I needed to chill out, watch the interview and to save my outrage. Don't you love the patronizing attitude? When I tried to explain to him that the very framing was objectionable, he repeated that I needed to watch the interview. So, you, my dear C&Lers, please watch Tapper interview Clinton. But pay attention to the framing of the questions--and you tell me, is Tapper setting up another false equivalency? If he is, I'm going to call him on it and invite him to respond here on the blog.

ABC's "This Week" - Former President Bill Clinton.

CBS' "Face the Nation" - Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass.

NBC's "Meet the Press" - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pa.; Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Joe Klein, Kathleen Parker, Norah O'Donnell, John Heilemann. Topics: All The New Rage: How Dangerous Is The Current Anti-Washington Anger? Would the GOP Recapture The House With A Gingrich-LikeContract With America? Meter Questions: Should Republicans Issue A New Contract With America? YES: 11 NO: 1; Will President Obama Win Comprehensive Middle East Peace? YES: 3 No: 9.

CNN's "State of the Union" - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - First, we have an exclusive conversation with the Foreign Minister of Poland, one of the few leaders who was not on that plane -- he'll talk about how Poland goes on after such a staggering tragedy. Plus, we talk to the man who effectively oversees the global financial system and we have a lively debate over what appears to be the Obama administration's bold new approach toward the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

"Fox News Sunday" - Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Gen. Ray Odierno, top American commander in Iraq.

So what's catching your eye this morning?

I apparently missed the largest flash mob in American history today, and it took place just a few blocks from my house. Michelle Malkin and the redstaters have been abuzz about how there were more than two million people marching on Washington today, (that would make it bigger than even the inauguration) but all anyone who wasn't a right-winger saw today was 30,000 to 60,000 right-wingers bused in from around the country.

Here's what the organizers themselves told us to expect. Dick Armey told the right-wing Newsmax that they're generating hundreds of responses in interest to the 9/12 March. The tea party patriots told us that they were expecting as many as one million to turn out and that they had permits for a one million man march on Washington.

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As the mounting weirdness that is emanating from right wingers continues to flow, an increasing amount of death threats follow.

Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service.

Some threats to Mr Obama, whose Secret Service codename is Renegade, have been publicised, including an alleged plot by white supremacists in Tennessee late last year to rob a gun store, shoot 88 black people, decapitate another 14 and then assassinate the first black president in American history.

Most, however, are kept under wraps because the Secret Service fears that revealing details of them would only increase the number of copycat attempts. Although most threats are not credible, each one has to be investigated meticulously.

According to the book, intelligence officials received information that people associated with the Somalia-based Islamist group al-Shabaab might try to disrupt Mr Obama's inauguration in January, when the Secret Service co-ordinated at least 40,000 agents and officers from some 94 police, military and security agencies.

Being black has definitely increased the number of nut jobs on the prowl, but because he's in the Democratic party that number is much higher. And it's only going to get worse from here. The violent rhetoric from talk radio and FOX News continues to throw gasoline on the fire. Remember Dr. Tiller?

Oh boy:

On January 28, Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), founder of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, introduced H. Con. Res. 34, a resolution "Calling upon the Capitol Preservation Commission and the Office of the Architect of the Capitol to place the Lincoln-Obama Bible on permanent display upon the Lincoln table at the Capitol Visitor Center for the benefit of all its visitors to fully understand and appreciate America's history and Godly heritage."

Now, I have no objection whatsoever to this Bible being displayed in the Capitol Visitors Center. It is an historical fact that this was the Bible that Abraham Lincoln used at his second inauguration, and an historical fact that Barack Obama chose to use this same Bible at his inauguration, so displaying it on the table used to hold it at Lincoln's inauguration, which is already in the exhibit, and adding a sign saying that Obama also used it, is absolutely appropriate. I don't think anyone could reasonably disagree that the symbolism of our first black president incorporating in his inauguration this connection to the president who freed the slaves is something that should be seen by future generations visiting the Capitol, and putting the Bible on the table used to hold it at Lincoln's inauguration would add to the accuracy of the exhibit's recreation of that event.

What I do object to in H. Con. Res. 34 are some of the reasons given by Forbes for displaying the Bible, in both the resolution's title and its "Whereas" clauses, the most objectionable of which is:

"Whereas the Holy Bible is God's Word"

This is nothing but a sneaky way of getting the Congress of the United States to declare that the Christian Bible is the word of God, which, of course, for many Americans, it is not. This "Whereas" should be struck from the resolution entirely.

That whole "Separation of Church and State" clause really is soooo hard to grasp, isn't it? Rodda has since introduced HR 397 affirming our "rich spiritual and religious history" and designating the first week of May as "America’s Spiritual Heritage Week". He also issued a challenge to Obama or any takers to debate when we stopped being a Judeo-Christian nation:

"I challenge the president or anyone else -- come up, either debate me on this issue or simply tell me where that single moment in time was when you can say we crossed the threshold -- we ceased being a Judeo-Christian nation -- and you can't do it."

Oh ye of too much faith and too little information. Your challenge has been accepted by Chris Rodda of Talk To Action and she's ready to rumble:

Mr. Forbes, just name the time and place -- your turf, my turf (up here in NJ-6), DC, or anywhere else -- and let's debate your resolution clause by clause and see how well that very impressive looking list of footnotes you keep boasting about stands up to scrutiny.

I'll be sending a registered, return receipt letter to Mr. Forbes's office formally accepting his challenge to make sure he knows that I, as an "anyone else," have stepped up to accept it.

For those who are unfamiliar with Mr. Forbes's "spiritual heritage" resolution, it's a re-introduction of H. Res. 888, the "religious heritage" resolution he introduced in the last congress. In a series of pieces last year, I debunked the dozens of instances of historical fiction in that resolution, and thanks to the efforts of a few organizations and a whole bunch of bloggers who joined in the fight, H. Res. 888 never made it to the floor. But, a few months ago, outraged over President Obama's statement in Turkey that America is not a Christian nation, Mr. Forbes reintroduced the same resolution as H. Res. 397. It currently has 74 co-sponsors.

I recently re-posted my debunking of H. Res. 888, as soon as I saw that Mr. Forbes had re-introduced it as H. Res. 397, so, if anyone wants more details about the resolution, or to see why I'm thrilled that he has issued a challenge for someone to debate him on it, you can find it here.

You can contact Forbes here to encourage him to schedule the debate. Better yet, let's get it up on video and we'll be happy to air it here.

Totally not making this up: A group has formed on the Wall Street Journal Community Page, whose purpose is to complain that there are too many pictures of Barack Obama (The President of the United States, that Barack Obama) on the WSJ website.

John Amato: Thanks, C&Lers, for moving Eric Boehlert's book, The Bloggers on the Bus, from 25K to #734 on Amazon's list. We're looking forward to a lively book discussion here this Thursday at 9 am Pacific Time.

Open Thread below...

This is a wonderful video. Artist Emily Troutman "asked people in DC to pick words to represent how they feel this week, at the dawn of a new beginning for the United States. Participants chose from 26 words:

Alive, Angry, Anxious, Awed, Believe, Curious, Dancer, Excited, Grateful, Happy, Hopeful, Human, Humble, Jealous, Joyful, Love, Obama, Patient, Proud, Ready, Scared, Skeptical, Tired, Together, Wonder, Worried."

While Troutman shows a few people who chose skeptical or worried, she points out that "Children tended to choose the words Love and Obama because they are easy. But happy was a close third. For the other participants, Hopeful and Proud won the day. People with family or friends chose Together to represent the importance of experiencing the inauguration with the ones they love."

h/t The National Gadfly via Twitter

How appropriate for the first true 21st century American President.

NYT:

Millions of cubicle dwellers across the country helped set records for Internet traffic on Tuesday as they watched online video of the inauguration ceremonies — or at least tried to. The overwhelming demand meant that some Web sites and data networks had trouble keeping up, forcing many people to turn to less cutting-edge forms of media.

Internet traffic in the United States hit a record peak at the start of President Obama’s speech as people watched, read about and commented on the inauguration, according to Bill Woodcock, the research director at the Packet Clearing House, a nonprofit organization that analyzes online traffic. The figures surpassed even the high figures on the day President Obama was elected.

“The peak is the highest measured to date, and it appears to be mostly a U.S. phenomenon,” Mr. Woodcock said, adding that it did not appear that global records would be set.

We knew this was coming from the second Chief Justice John Roberts botched the oath of office during President Obama's inauguration. This will, no doubt, be just one of the many right wing talking points for weeks, months, if not years to come. (h/t TPM for the video)

Wallace: ..."I have to say I'm not sure Barack Obama really is the President of the United States because the oath of office is set in the Constitution and I wasn't at all convinced that even after he tried to amend it that John Roberts ever got it out straight and that Barack Obama ever said the prescribed words. I suspect that everybody is going to forgive him and allow him to take over as president, but I'm not sure he actually said what's in the Constitution, there."

Time Magazine Online:

The two elderly Senators [were] removed from the post-inaugural lunch in Statuary Hall in the Capitol.

Observers say Kennedy, who is fighting brain cancer, appeared to experience a seizure.

President Obama: "Our prayers are with his family."

C&L sends both Senators our best wishes.

UPDATE: More from egregious at Firedoglake and Glenn Thrush at Politico.

We were driving to go to our first party in DC last night at The Daily Voice when Beth noticed people throwing shoes at this big blow doll of George Bush. I tried to nab it. Will shoes ever have the same meaning again?

Jane, Marcy, Beth and myself all comment...

Just a little Inauguration fun...

UPDATE: via Wired via Marcy:

Last night, Bush also got a sendoff from activists inspired by Iraqi journalist Muntader al-Zaidi, who was detained last month after flinging his shoes at Bush during a press conference in Baghdad’s Green Zone. On Dupont Circle, a crowd gathered to chuck shoes at an inflatable Bush dummy (pictured here); down on Pennsylvania Avenue, reports Jim Wolf of Reuters, a coalition called ShoeBush.org tossed footwear between Inaugural parade reviewing stands.

[PHOTO: theogeo via flickr]