First of all Power Line is not part of Pajamas Media as far as I know. (I believe they are part of the Blog News Service of PM) Durbin reacts to Mirengoff's parroting of Karl Rove's talking point.

Download | play -WMP Download | play -QT

Atrios:

DURBIN: I just don’t understand why they can’t make what modifications in the law might be necessary, but instead are claiming powers that go way beyond what the statute allows and way beyond what anyone voted for on September 14, 2001.

Q: But the attorney general says FISA allows intercepts that are otherwise authorized by statue. And he also says that that was authorized in the authorization of force act.

DURBIN: That's his argument. You've just repeated it.

(Isn't it interesting how Power Line usually just repeats the company line ocer issues like these?)

Q: Well, why don't – if you disagree with that argument, why don't you go on the floor and try to get a vote and have the Senate say whether or not the authorization of force - with all force necessary-

DURBIN: No, you've got it wrong. You've got it wrong. I don't know - who do you work for, incidentally?

Q: Powerline and Pajamas Media.

DURBIN: Jamas Media?

Q: Pajamas Media.

DURBIN: Pajama Media?

Q: And Powerline.

DURBIN: Okay, I'm sorry I wasn't familiar with your publication. But I will just tell you this: the argument is the Constitution spells out the powers of the president, as well as the powers of the legislative branch and the judicial branch. And statutes will be followed if, in fact, they put exclusive authority. That's was FISA does. It creates the word "“exclusive means" - exclusive authority. And they are reading more into it now than the statute obviously allows.

Q: But did you hear Gonzales say-

DURBIN: I'll check out Pajamaline, but I'm not familiar with your publication.

Q: Yeah. Dan Rather knows something about it.

Durbin isn't too happy with Chalabi in town either. Arianna has the entire speech.

"I don’t understand this. While the Department of Justice is actively investigating this man for wrongdoing that could have endangered American troops and American lives, the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury are hosting him like some dignitary."

How to talk to a Republican Hack

Gary Hart in his own quiet way gives us all a lesson on how to deal with republican shills like Sean Hannity.

Download | play -WMP Download | play -QT

Sean started off the interview like he usually when he talks to a democrat. He'll recite some phrases that Howard Dean or Dick Durbin might have said and then asks guests if they are embarrassed by them. Hart turned the tables on him when he reminded Hannity that Karl Rove said this: "Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers."

Hannity made believe that he didn't know what Hart was talking about and moved on to the next question. Gary completely stopped him in his tracks. Mr. Hart demonstrated a very simple and effective way to talk to a conservative hack. We all know Sean Hannity knew exactly what Gary Hart was talking about.

via the heretik: JOE McCARTHY . . .
And McCarthy Speaks From Beyond the Grave to Say . . . Mixing up the messenger Durbin with the message FBI reports said about that sewer by the sea is stuff I would try to do, but I can’t because I am dead. . . . . My spirit still beat in the hearts of any who attack the patriotism of any who disagree. . . . . That’s my kind of America, Melanie. I love this video of this commercial.
And I like it that you are not afraid to make the connections, Melanie. This line almost had my blood pulsing again …. a leader for countless crusades that have left lasting changes on the political landscape . . . a leader in the “Support the Troops” effort . . . . Love you, babe.

via Talk left: Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) is being attacked by right-wing talk radio and the White House for making this floor statement on Guantanamo yesterday (pdf). Kudos to Durbin for calling it like it is. What Durbin said they find upsetting:...read on

Atrios has more: Things the Right Wing Believes: That, apparently, is the American ideal they believe in. Glad they're finally being honest about their true intentions for this country.

AmericaBlog says: Right-wing smear and lie campaign in full swing against Sen. Durbin.

C&L says: The truth! You Drudge wingers can't handle the truth.

I didn't have his whole statement, but got some of it.

Video-WMP

Happy birthday to Talk Left for three years in blogoworld and she supplies us with the fact that what Durbin read was from an FBI Agent's report.

via Talk Left: Why is no one calling on Senator Bill Frist to apologize to Senator Dick Durbin? Sen. Frist, repeating a false headline in the Washington Times, accused Sen. Durbin of saying Guantanamo is “a death camp." (Frist's statement, in two parts, is here and here. (pdf)) Read Senator Durbin's remarks (pdf). He never said that. Frist also falsely claimed that Durbin said our service members are “committing genocide and war crimes.” Durbin never said that either. Most outrageously, Frist essentially accused Durbin of encouraging suicide bombers.

The guy can't stop lying. I'm trying to look up his current disorder in the DSM IV . He could be a Borderline personality. We know he definetly has a Narcissistic Personality like disorder for sure.

Tony Perkins uses John Hostettler's insane remarks as a vehicle to jusify attacking Sen. Durbin.

While the Congressman's remarks were strong in painting all Democrats as hostile to religious freedom there is definitely a movement afoot by a number of Democrat-affiliated groups to remove all traces of Christianity from the public square and American heritage. Congressman Hostettler removed his words from the record following the protests of a number of Democrats. Contrast this Democratic outrage to the virtual silence from Democrats after Senator Senator Dick Durbin (R-IL) ...read on

By the way the idiot known as Tony Perkins has Sen. Durbin listed as a Republican. This will be the new screed from the Extreme religious right. Attack Durbin to shift the focus off of Gitmo.

:

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader J.P. Dawson thinks that Mayor Richard Daley deserves credit for pushing Durbin to do the right thing:

Mayor Richard Daley said Tuesday that even though U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is a good friend, the fellow Democrat should apologize for comments comparing the actions of American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis, Soviet gulags and Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot.

"I think it's a disgrace to say that any man or woman in the military act like that,'' Daley said.

Glenn concludes: "Good point."

Obviously, It'll Be His First Time There

Hoffmania

- President Bush, speaking after an historic meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai at the White House today, announced he will visit Vietnam in 2006 on the invitation of the communist leader.

Daley Wankery arch pundit

Nice

On Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley-- a fellow Democrat-- added his voice to the chorus of criticism, saying, "I think it's a disgrace to say that any man or woman in the military would act like that."

Yeah, like it was a disgrace when anyone said that about a certain Police Commander?

Of course, Durbin didn't say it was the fault of the military, he said it was the fault of the administration. Then again, one might see why the Mayor wouldn't like that reasoning either.

Hoffmania:
LINK - President Bush, speaking after an historic meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai at the White House today, announced he will visit Vietnam in 2006 on the invitation of the communist leader.

There's nothing more to add.