A Democrat disgraceObama's congressmen will sabotage the health bill to keep their seats. It is stomach-churning Michael Tomasky guardian.co.uk, Thursday 11 March 2010 21.00 GMT Article historyIn our House of Representatives – "the people's body" – the Democrats at this moment enjoy a gaudy 75-seat majority. Wait. Did I just put "Democrats" and "enjoy" in the same sentence? Scratch that. The Democrats suffer the affliction of a 75-seat majority. That's a joke, except not really. What is going on right now in the lower house vis a vis healthcare reform is a stomach-turning sight to behold – a saga of preening, duplicity, pomposity, self-interest and, most of all, cowardice that is worthy of Holinshed. The players in this drama are participating in the destruction of their own party. They know this. And they persist.What's happening right now, of course, is that Nancy Pelosi, the house speaker, and President Barack Obama, are trying to round up the votes in the house to pass the Senate's health bill. Exactly 216 are needed. Right now they have 194. Or 202. Or 210. Or something. But not 216.So Pelosi is on the prowl for yes votes. The house passed its version of the bill last November by five votes, 220-215. At the time, 39 Democrats voted against it. This probably sounds strange to British readers, but it's how the Democratic party does things. Lots of Democrats – 49 of them, in fact – represent districts where John McCain defeated Obama. They live in fear of being tarred by a future Republican opponent of having abetted the march of socialism. So they voted no on the most important piece of social legislation that body has had before it in probably 40 years.Now, under our somewhat arcane rules of legislation, the…

 Rush Limbaugh, Costa Rica bound?In praise of Costa Rica's healthcare system – although Rush Limbaugh appears to be unaware of its existenceA rainbow over San Jose, Costa Rica Photograph: Juan Carlos Ulate/ReutersMy colleagues at Cif America have an entertaining poll running at the moment on Rush Limbaugh's vow to move to Costa Rica if healthcare reform gets passed by Congress. So far more than 2,000 voters are hoping that Rush will up and leave – although of course that number may include opponents of healthcare reform who side with Rush.What has Costa Rica done to deserve this? It's the second most beautiful country on earth, after all. More importantly, zwabber, a commenter on the Cif America poll thread points out:This does not make sense at all: Costa Rica has the best socialized medical safety net of all central American countries, if not Latin American countries. Infinitely much better then the US system. In addition there is the government run "extra" medical insurance for people who want to be treated faster in private hospitals and clinics.Is Rush totally ignorant? ... or does he want the best of all combinations: a peaceful country, no army, great health care, great affordable education. The major bad thing: lousy drivers who are intend to kill each other by the most stupid of actions. Maybe Rush would like to join the kamikaze motorcycle drivers of this country.Limbaugh should also be aware that the country's newly-elected president is a woman, Laura Chinchilla, who aims to make Costa Rica the first carbon-neutral nation in the world.    

  Finance Bill to Be Offered Without G.O.P.By SEWELL CHAN Senator Bob Corker, above, a Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, called Senator Christopher J. Dodd’s announcement on Thursday “very disappointing.” Read Article    

  When Mr. McCain Came to Washington An excerpt from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's memoir goes inside the White House meeting where Obama called McCain's bluff: "I could see Obama chuckling." Read Article 

 Penn turns on writers over Chávez 'Jail journalists who call him a dictator' Actor accuses US media of smearing Venezuelan president  Read Article  

  Why Obama Is No LBJ Critics who want Obama to be like Lyndon Johnson misunderstand the political skills that produced LBJ. "The notion of doing anything this big without some opposition support is simply outside the Senate's nature and experience, and would have been alien to LBJ's understanding of how politics works"Read Article

 Can Nancy Pelosi Get the Votes? The Senate bill's abortion language is not the House Speaker's only problem.Read Article   

 Barack Obama has made me want to boycott America By Alex Singleton Politics Last updated: March 11th, 2010Obama has refused to support British sovereignty in the Falklands (Photo: Reuters)The special relationship is over. We gave America years of unwavering support after September 11. And now we see how Barack Obama’s administration repays us.First, Obama declared that America was “neutral” over the sovereignty of the Falklands, ignoring the clear wishes of the islands’ population. And, second, his Assistant Secretary of State, Philip Crowley, snubbed Britain by failing to use their proper name and instead calling them the “Malvinas”.I don’t know where Obama learned about diplomacy, but his stinks. I’m normally pro-American, but Mr Obama’s seeming support for Argentinian aggressors, who have no legitimate claim over the Falklands, is gratuitously offensive. So from today, I’m boycotting America as a tourist destination. This summer, I’ll be going to France, not California.Let me be clear: I’m not normally in favour of boycotts, and I love the American people.  I holiday in their country regularly, and hate the tedious snobby sneers against the United States. But the American people chose to elect an idiot who seems hell bent on insulting their allies, and something must be done to stop Obama’s reckless foreign policy, before he does the dirty on his allies on every issue.If our American friends want to stop Obama shredding the respect the rest of the planet has towards America, they need to stop Obama’s destructive policies – and fast.    And how is that to be done????   

 The seduction of British intelligenceThe torture scandal shows how easily our intelligence services were led astray by US promises of an influence 'upgrade' Crispin Black guardian.co.uk, Thursday 11 March 2010 13.01 GMT Article historyIn a lecture this week, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller criticised George Bush and his administration for torture of terror suspects. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Getty ImagesVikram Dodd's elegant destruction of Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller's evasions over the torture by US intelligence of terrorist suspects should be the last word on whether our spooks knew about it or not. But there is another nagging question that is more difficult to answer and in a way more disturbing. Why did our senior intelligence officials not take a firmer stand? Could they not anticipate the damage it would do to the reputation of the intelligence services, particularly among our large Muslim minority? Keeping their loyalty, I would assume, is the key aim of our counter-terror strategy.It is especially odd given that the formative years of just about every top official at Albert Embankment were spent pursuing the IRA – within the law and under a strict set of political riding instructions. It was a cardinal principle of both intelligence and military operations that the key to neutering the IRA was to undermine support for its message and methods among potential future sympathisers. That is part of the reason why IRA suspects were treated just like any other suspected criminals and subject only to routine police questioning. Most remained silent. However, in the long term our subtle approach worked enhancing the flow of actionable intelligence.Ironically, the intelligence relationship with the Americans…

 Roberts calls scene at State of the Union 'very troubling'In remarks during a question-and-answer session with law students at the University of Alabama, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. protested the timing of President Obama's State of the Union disapproval of the court's decision in a major campaign finance case.LAUNCH VIDEO PLAYER