The Alliance Defense Fund, a group founded by James Dobson, is asking Iowa's county recorders who refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, free legal defense help against prosecution.

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a legal advocacy group founded in 1994 by Focus on the Family’s James Dobson and the late Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, sent an e-mail to each of Iowa’s county recorders asking them to tell their staff that they “shall not be required to issue or process a marriage license, or to perform, assist or participate in such procedures, against that individual’s religious beliefs or moral convictions.”

The e-mail, which was sent out in conjunction with the Iowa Family Policy Center, says Iowa law protects citizens from being forced to “violate his or her conscience.”

The ADF then offers to “provide free legal review and defense” for any county recorder that adopts a “conscious clause” and is challenged “on the basis of its content.”

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Attorney General Tom Miller has repeatedly warned county recorders that they do not have the authority to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, and “recorders do not have discretion or power to ignore the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling,” Miller said.

The court’s ruling goes into effect Monday.

Iowa law says that an elected official can be removed from office for refusal to perform duties of the office or for willful or habitual neglect.

They lost in Iowa and now these religious extremists are asking the workers to participate in illegal behavior. Will they guarantee to help them keep their jobs after they are fired? How Christian is it to ask people to break the law?

The Iowa Supreme court did its job.

A unanimous Iowa Supreme Court today upheld a lower court ruling that denying marriage to same-sex couples violates the equal protection clause of the state's constitution. People For the American Way Foundation, which was amicus in the case, welcomed the decision as a victory for core constitutional and American values.

"The Iowa Supreme Court’s decision is a historic affirmation of equality," said People For the American Way Foundation Interim President Michael B. Keegan. "It’s a joyous day for the Iowa families involved in the case, and for equality advocates in Iowa and across the nation. Congratulations to the courageous couples who challenged unfair and unconstitutional discrimination, and to One Iowa, Lambda Legal, and all their allies. We were glad to support their work in this case."

Keegan urged Americans not to be confused by expected distortions of today’s ruling from opponents of marriage equality.

"Americans rely on independent courts to uphold constitutional principles, and that’s what the Iowa Supreme Court did today," said Keegan. "The Court did its job. This ruling protects Iowa families. And it reaffirms the state’s tradition as a leader in ending historic forms of discrimination."

You can expect one of those constitutional amendments being funded by the religious right coming up next.

Polk County Attorney John Sarcone told the Associated Press that his office won't ask for a rehearing, meaning the court's decision should take effect after that three-week period.

"Our Supreme Court has decided it, and they make the decision as to what the law is and we follow Supreme Court decisions," Sarcone said. "This is not a personal thing, we have an obligation to the law to defend the recorder, and that's what we do."

Advocates against same-sex marriage have said they would likely not appeal a ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. They plan to ask lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment and put the issue to voters.

Scott McClellan's new book called "What's Happening," is making heads of former and current BushCo. loyalists explode. I always enjoy that. Fran Townsend was on CNN this morning killing Scotty. Dan Bartlett joined Wolfie. Karl Rove was on H&C and says he's irresponsible in his behavior and compliments Scotty by saying he sounds like a left wing blogger. Thanks Karl, that's quite a compliment. You see, truth and honesty are now associated to left wing blogs and lying, distorting and Stepford like behavior is now what Conservative Republicans represent. He certainly is touchy about the Valerie Plame affair. He clams up about it because there's a civil lawsuit. OK, then why are you on our airwaves? He denies leaking the name of Valerie Plame too...

Download | play Download | play (h/t Heather) At the end of the clip he says this...

Hannity: Why didn't he leave earlier?

Rove: Two things. First of all this doesn't sound like Scott, it really doesn't, not the Scott McClellan I known for a long time. Second of all, it sounds like somebody else, it sounds like a left wing blogger.

Karl Rove denies every charge leveled by Scott, including the famous photo of Bush looking at NOLA from his plane.

The administration is coming out full force on Scotty. On the Situation Room, Bartlett said this via CNN:

BLITZER: He writes this in the book about the president: "He and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war." Now he doesn't flatly say the president was lying to the American people, but that is the upshot.

BARTLETT: Well, I think this is the part that gives me the biggest concern about this book, because to give credibility to such an outrageous accusation that mostly was coming from the left wing of the Democratic Party is really disappointing.

And Billw wonders if Bush still stands by his man:

BUSH: It's going to be hard to replace Scott. But nevertheless, he's made the decision, and I accept it.

One of these days, he and I are going to be rocking in chairs in Texas talking about the good old days of his time as the press secretary. And I can assure you, I will feel the same way then that I feel now, that I can say to Scott, "Job well done."

MCCLELLAN: Thank you, sir.

BUSH: You bet. Appreciate you.

The Liberal Media Myth....Hahaha...

I'm amazed no one has thought of this before. Micah Fitch has created Helen Thomas Deserves Some Flowers to thank the only White House Press Corps member not afraid to ask the tough questions and confront the White House about torture.

In fact, along with all the plaudits that she deserves, I think that she also deserves a "Letter to the Editor" from all of us to our local papers asking WHY is she the ONLY journalist asking the question.  Please consider it, for there is no better way to show your support. 

Download | play Download | play (h/t Silent Patriot)

God bless Helen Thomas, the best thing about the White House Press Corps. More than a week after the revelation that President Bush knew and endorsed the Principals' specific plans of torturing detainees, the media has been largely silent over it other than cursory mentions at best. But Helen Thomas isn't about to go silently into that good night and becomes the first White House reporter to ask White House spokesliar Dana Perino about how the president could have lied multiple times that we do not torture only to turn around and admit that not only do we, but he approved of it.

Unfortunately, the designation of "spokesliar" fits Perino very well, as she denies and lies again that the U.S. does not torture.  Who you gonna believe, Perino or your lying eyes?

Think Progress:

During this afternoon’s White House press briefing, reporter Helen Thomas noted that Bush “has admitted that he did sign off on torture” saying it damages “the credibility of this country.” But press secretary Dana Perino denied that the United States has ever tortured detainees and referred to testimony from CIA Director Michael Hayden as evidence. [..]

In fact, during a February 5 Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Hayden said outright that “waterboarding has been used” on three detainees in U.S. custody. But Hayden has refused to label waterboarding “torture,” calling it a “legal term” which seems to fit nicely with the Bush administration’s self-serving narrowed legal definition.

But waterboarding is torture and illegal under both U.S. and international law – with experts, government officials and those who have been subject to the harsh treatment all agreeing.

Seeming to acknowledge her colleagues’ absence on this story, an exasperated Thomas said out loud after her exchange with Perino: “Where is everybody? For God’s sakes.”

That's the $64,000 question, Helen. Where is everybody?

Kossack Elisinora finds that no one in the Principals group really wants to be confronted with the reality of their decisions. (h/t Heather)

Full Transcript below the fold:

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Friday's White House Press Briefing included two economic advisers to discuss the volatile economic situation here in the US, though they were careful to not paint to dire a picture. Obviously, with crude oil trading at record levels and OPEC releasing a statement blaming the price on the weakness of the American dollar, the media might be expected to ask a question or two. However, White House Spokesperson Dana Perino was not having any of it.

Q I'd like to follow up on their refusal to talk about the dollar, if I could. I mean, we're in a kind of a bad situation here, when OPEC says the reason for $105 or $106 a barrel of oil is the falling value of the dollar -- and you won't address that issue. Where do we go to find out who is right?

MS. PERINO: Well, as he just said, the Treasury Secretary is where you go to talk about the dollar. It's a longstanding policy that predates this administration, and I'm not going to change it today. But Treasury can talk about it.

Q I don't expect you to change it, but I do expect you to be able to say whether OPEC is completely wrong about this, or whether there is at least something to their claim that the dollar is responsible for the high price of oil right now.

MS. PERINO: Wendell, I'm under strict instructions, and have been from the beginning, to not talk about the dollar, and I'm not going to get fired to satisfy your question.

Monday night on his show, Billo called White House correspondent Helen Thomas a "pinhead" for saying something she didn't.

Download | play Download | play

This was a complete fabrication, aided in no small part by White House spokesperson Dana Perino's twisting of Helen's words at the podium. Notice how O'Reilly purposefully began his clip not with Helen's question, but with Perino's response to it:

O'Reilly: On the pinhead front far left Washington corespondent Helen Thomas put forth that the American military is targeting civilians in Iraq, and got scolded for it.

[video clip] Dana Perino: Helen, I find it really unfortunate that you use your front row position bestowed upon you by your colleagues to make such statements. This is. It is an honor and a privilege to be in the briefing room, and to suggest that we, at the United States, are killing innocent people is just absurd and very offensive. ...

Now check out C&L's complete video w/ transcript of the exchange (yet another reason why C&L is so much better than any Faux News channel) to see where both Billo and Perino had to put words into Helen Thomas' mouth in order to criticize her for saying something she did not. Helen never said nor implied that the military was "targeting civilians" nor "killing innocent people." What she asked was: "You mean how many more people we kill?" in response to Dana's implying that the "situation is moving" in Iraq. See for yourself.

Bill O'Reilly resorted to defaming an 87 yr old woman who was 10 times the journalist he has ever pretended to be 64 yrs ago when she started in the trade, all just so he could call her a "pinhead" in the name calling segment of his show. Even by Fox News standards this was low. At the very least Bill O'Reilly owes Helen Thomas an apology and an on air retraction to his viewers. You can email your complaints [be nice] to O'Reilly's so-called ombudman, Laurie Dhue, at DhuePoint@FOXNews.com .

Leave it to the right-wing National Review Online to completely flub the title. I guess you have to be a 31 percenter to see this exchange their way.

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If anybody in the White House press room these days deserves a raise it's Helen Thomas, who continues to be the only journalist in the room to consistently uphold the duties of the Fourth Estate. Thank you Helen for keeping it real ever since landing a job at UPI all the way back in 1943.

Transcript and commentary after the jump.

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Flashback from C&L's archives: Scotty not answering any questions about Rove's involvement in PlameGate.

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Gregory: Do you stand by your statements from the Fall of 2003, when you were asked specifically about Karl and Elliot Abrams and Scooter Libby and you've said I've gone to each of those gentleman and they've told me---they are not involved in this, do you stand by that statement?

McClellan: And if you will recall, I said as that part of helping the investigators to move forward on the investigation, we're not going to get into commenting on it. That was something I stated back near that time as well.

Gregory: I mean this is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to stand before us after having commented with that level of detail and tell people that are watching this that somehow you decided not to talk. You've got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from that podium or not?

McClellan: David, I'm well aware of, like you of what was previously said and I will be glad to talk about it at the appropriate time...

I guess he's finally ready to discuss the investigation.

The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true.

I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself.

It sucks to be him....