The Senate just voted 63-33 to break the filibuster on the DADT repeal bill.

Late Update: Just so we’re clear. This is not the passage of the actual DADT repeal bill. This is the vote that allows a straight majority vote, which will likely come tomorrow. And since there are many more than 51 votes for repeal, that means that the actual bill will pass tomorrow and likely be signed by the president early next week. This vote means that DADT is history.

The DREAM Act — which would provide legal status for illegal immigrants who serve in the military or earn college degrees — just failed to overcome Republican obstruction in the Senate. The vote was 55-41.

Nothing is ever assured in the Senate. But today seems to be the day for DADT repeal. And all signs suggest it’s going to happen. Here’s our preview.

Worth noting of course that today is the cloture vote — the vote to break the filibuster. But if that happens, it’s back to old style majority rule, i.e., 51 votes, a vote that is likely to come tomorrow night. But there have long been more than enough votes to pass that margin.

The Golden Dukes have a special luster this year. Here’s why.

The inspiration for the award, former Rep. Randall “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA), has been wiling away the last few years in the federal pen, paying his debt to society for one of the most brazen bribery schemes in congressional history. Gone and on the road to being forgotten — save for this eponymous award — Cunningham reversed course this year and started proclaiming his innocence of the charges he originally pleaded guilty to.

The Duke of old was back! Read More

Your average Fox News viewer is more misinformed about the reality-based world than your average consumer of news who doesn’t watch Fox — and the more they watch Fox the more misinformed they become, a new study finds.

Brian Beutler has the backstory on how Republican senators became so afraid of their own shadows that they bailed last night on the spending bill a year in the making. Along the way, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was feeding their fears and offering them a way out in order to deny Democrats the votes.

The clock is ticking on submitting nominations for the 4th Annual Golden Duke award extravaganza!

You know you don’t want to see your favorite scoundrel denied the ridicule and mockery he or she so richly deserves. It’s up to you!

We must receive your nomination today! Details here.

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) looks like a “no” vote on DADT repeal.

Nigeria has dropped criminal bribery charges against oilfield giant Halliburton and some of its current and former executives, including Dick Cheney, after the company agreed to pay fines of $250 million, according to the Nigerian government.

Remember back during the height of the BP oil spill, Gov. Jindal (R) made a big racket about how a bunch of fuddy-duddy Washington bureaucrats and the Obama administration wouldn’t approve his building sand barriers to save the Louisiana coastline from all the BP oil. The government scientists didn’t think it would work and could well damage the environment. Well, turns out they were right. Jindal got BP to pay some $200 million to build the things but they’ve captured hardly any oil at all. Jindal calls the government report “partisan revisionist history at taxpayer expense.”

To be clear, the desire to try virtually anything at the height of the crisis is entirely understandable. But it’s important to take note of the fact that he seems to have got it wrong.