Gary Coleman Dead, 42

Gary Coleman has died at the age of 42. Coleman's death comes as a tragic end to a tragic life.

Coleman is best known for his role as the lovable Arnold in the 1970s-80s television show Diff'rent Strokes. He made the show a huge hit.

Coleman starred in other television shows and in movies while on Diff'rent Strokes, but he could not sustain that success. After the show ended, his career effectively ended as well. Unfortunately, Coleman's parents stole most of the millions of dollars he earned as a child star, which left him broke during much of his adult life.

Coleman had several problems with criminality, and his life seems to have imploded. Nonetheless, millions of people will remember him for the laughter he brought into our homes. RIP.

LAT: BP Has Oil Leak Under Control

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that BP has the oil leak under control. Cement to follow. . . .

See details here.

Rightwing in Gay Panic Mode Over Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Social conservatives are in gay panic mode over the prospect that Congress will eventually repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The National Research Council released a bogus report warning that "gay rape" will surge in the military if Congress repeals the policy. I guess NRC is only worried about "gay" as opposed to "heterosexual" rape. Besides, rape is really about violence and domination, not sexual identity.

In addition, Think Progress reports that the socially conservative group America's Survival has produced a video proclaiming its opposition to allowing the threat of "disease-tainted gay blood" in the military. The group believes that gays will spread HIV in the military, even though the virus has no sexual boundaries. Furthermore, the military already conducts HIV screenings and excludes HIV-positive individuals from service.

In an effort to attract social conservatives, Senator John McCain is having a nervous breakdown over the prospect that Congress will lift the ban. As someone who was captured and tortured during war, McCain should realize that gayness is not the enemy of the nation's troops. Instead, he is shamelessly seeking votes by any means necessary.

Of course, the Democrats are making themselves vulnerable to some Republican criticism, including from McCain. Because Obama has moved painfully slow on this issue, he has faced condemnation from his liberal base. Representative Patrick Murphy and Senator Joe Lieberman tried to speed up the process by proposing legislation repealing the ban. Obama, however, announced a year-long study of the policy and asked Murphy and Lieberman to alter the bill to delay any repeal until the review is complete and the military has decided that the repeal should actually occur. Now, the legislation is in tension with itself. Still, the rightwing deceit and homophobia are reprehensible.

Despite Vietnam Flap, Blumenthal Still Has Wide Lead in Senate Race

Despite misstating his military service, Richard Blumenthal has a 25-point lead among Connecticut voters in the upcoming Senate race, according to a Quinnipiac poll. Recently, the New York Times reported that Blumenthal falsely stated that he had served in Vietnam. Following this report, other news sources uncovered other moments when Blumenthal misrepresented his military service. On several other occasions, however, Blumenthal accurately stated that he did not serve in Vietnam. Sometimes, he even gave conflicting accounts during the same speech.

Despite the controversy, Connecticut voters still support Blumenthal. In addition to showing a huge lead for Blumenthal, the poll also reveals that 57% of voters describe the Vietnam story as "not too important" or "not important at all." I predicted this outcome when the New York Times story first broke. My experience with Connecticut voters leads me to conclude that they are generally unmoved by gotcha politics.

Elena Kagan Gets a Boost from Justice Scalia

To the extent that Elena Kagan was vulnerable to conservative arguments that she lacks judicial experience, the Supreme Court nominee recently received a big boost from Justice Antonin Scalia -- one of the Court's most conservative members. During a speech at Catholic University Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC, Scalia praised Kagan's lack of judicial experience. Jake Tapper has the details. Here is a snip:

“When I first came to the Supreme Court, three of my colleagues had never been a federal judge,” said Scalia who joined the Court in 1986 after being nominated by President Reagan. “William Rehnquist came to the Bench from the Office of Legal Counsel. Byron White was Deputy Attorney General. And Lewis Powell who was a private lawyer in Richmond and had been president of the American Bar
Association.”

“Currently, there is nobody on the Court who has not served as a judge --indeed, as a federal judge -- all nine of us,” he continued. “. . . I am happy to see that this latest nominee is not a federal judge – and not a judge at all.”

President Obama Seeks New Line-Item Veto Power

According to the Washington Post, President Obama wants Congress to pass a new line-item veto statute. Although the article provides only a few details about the proposal, it seems that the president's plan would not really have much force. It is only a line-item veto symbolically.

Under the plan, the president would have 45 days to send a list of rescissions to Congress expressing disagreement with items in budget legislation. Congress would then have 25 day to accept or reject the rescissions.

In 1998, the Supreme Court invalidated a line-item veto statute enacted during the Clinton administration. That law allowed the president to strike spending or tax benefit provisions from duly enacted legislation. According to the Court, the law impermissably allowed the president to repeal legislation -- which violates the separation of powers doctrine. Obama's proposal, however, would not allow the president to strike any part of existing legislation, which should immunize it from judicial invalidation. But this fact also makes Obama's proposal fairly weak.

Who Benefits from Deal on Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

Several media outlets are reporting that a "deal" has been reached on legislative efforts to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. According to the New York Times, the deal would allow legislation proposed in the House by Representative Patrick Murphy and in the Senate by Joe Lieberman to proceed.

Nonetheless, the legislation would not take effect until after the Department of Defense completes its study on the effects of lifting the antigay ban. Also, the White House would have to confirm that repealing DADT would not harm military effectiveness.

Definitely a Compromise
So - a deal has been reached to repeal DADT after Obama determines whether the ban should in fact be lifted. This is indeed a compromise. It accomplishes several things. Democrats in Congress can claim that they ended DADT, which could score them points in midterm elections (for those who represent liberal states). Nothing tangible, however, will happen to DADT until after the midterm elections, which should protect moderates, including Obama. President Obama's one-year study of the matter will proceed uninterrupted, but he can say (again) that he is on-board with lifting the ban and that he accepts the legislation. Mainstream gay rights groups can claim victory and celebrate their access to the White House, which could lead to new donations. And all can live happily ever after. . . .

Update: I have also blogged on this issue for Concurring Opinions.