Taking Rupert's Cash

I like that part. Apparently you can punch up just the responses of Hillary and Obama and spare yourself Mike Gravel on the theory that life is too short.

Gee, I wonder why the Republicans aren't jumping at an event staged by two liberal sites with no conservative counterbalance.

Speaking of cyber-power, the big Daily Kos convention is under way, and National Review's Byron York casts a jaundiced eye in that direction:

"The turnout in Chicago shows that the Kossacks and colleagues from other activist websites have taken their place as the newest wing of the establishment in Democratic-party politics. They're not exactly the new bosses; it's not as if the unions and interest groups have disappeared, but it is true that the netroots now rank alongside them. A candidate who wants to win can no longer ignore the netroots, even if he or she would like to. Politicians like Reid and Pelosi, who not too long ago paid little attention to blogs and new activist groups, now cultivate the netroots at every opportunity . . .

"The whole point of building the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy was to create a structure that would be in place to exploit the errors of the other side when they occurred. And Republicans have supplied the errors: Does anyone think that the Kossacks would have anywhere near the influence they wield today if the war in Iraq had gone well? With the war in its fifth year and Republicans uncertain of what their party stands for, the foundation-building that Moulitsas and his colleagues have done in the last several years is paying off. And that is why Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and all their colleagues are heading to Chicago."

By my count, it took less than 24 hours after that Minneapolis bridge collapsed into the river for this to become a partisan Beltway issue:

"Reid and other Democratic leaders went a step further, bashing Republicans for failing to pass a water resources and development act, known as WRDA on Capitol Hill, for seven years, saying that the bill was essential to investing in American infrastructure," Politico reports.

"Later, a White House spokesman rebuked Senate Democrats, saying the nation should focus on the victims and the recovery in Minneapolis. 'It's unfortunate and unconscionable that Democratic leaders in Congress are trying to use this horrific event as an opportunity to launch attacks,' said spokesman Scott Stanzel, pointing out that Bush's veto threat of the transportation appropriations bill is not related to highway funding."

Couldn't we wait until they recover all the bodies?

Newspapers have belatedly gotten interested in the unsexy topic of infrastructure:

Miami Herald: "At least 24 South Florida bridges are deficient . . . "

Boston Globe: "588 Mass. bridges 'deficient' . . . "