LONDON (AP) -- Hackers rushed to the defense of WikiLeaks on Wednesday, launching attacks on MasterCard, Visa, Swedish prosecutors, a Swiss bank and others who have acted against the site and its jailed founder Julian Assange.

Internet "hacktivists" operating under the label "Operation Payback" claimed responsibility in a Twitter message for causing severe technological problems at the website for MasterCard, which pulled the plug on its relationship with WikiLeaks a day ago.

You know, the one where, once they cut the payroll tax, chances are it will never go back up, and while the current plan will have Social Security made whole out of general revenue, just how long does anyone think that's going to be sustainable without draconian cuts elsewhere.  I mean, look at the resistance to ending the Bush tax rates, look how intransigent these people are about raising taxes by a much smaller percentage - but we're supposed to believe that in 2 years, the 2% - much larger - cut in payroll taxes will be allowed to disappear?

And if it doesn't, what are the chances Social Security itself won't be looked to to manage the drop in revenue that the general fund won't be able to continue to make up for?

And now we have the same Larry Summers, who is allegedly largely responsible for recent economic policy telling us that if we don't pass this tax deal which is estimated to have a minimally stimulative effect, the economy is going to dip into another recession.  Is there some reason we should believe him now when he has little to show for the mad economic skills he applied the last two years?

I don't think so.

I think the whole thing - other than the extension of unemployment - stinks.  Where are the Build America Bonds?  Where is the Making Work Pay credit?  Those actually helped and could help again.  Cutting the payroll tax?  The only thing that's going to do is put us on a fast track to killing Social Security as we know it.

And, since we know that all these tax cuts are going to inspire spending cuts, and we know Republicans love them some cuts to all things progressive, whatever minimal stimulative effect from these measures - assuming they pass - will be more than offset by cuts to spending.

[If you want to broker a deal with the Republicans you should have had the SEIU, Kos, and every single person you had any expectation had any kind of following on your side first. Even if you had to bribe them or flatter them or whatever the f*ck. That's only logical. I'm not saying that because I believe in feelings first, politics second but because Obama needs people on his side. He clearly needs the Senate and the House to support him in this bargain.]

and tell me you don't get the impression that these folks think Kos is a cheap date.  Picture it.....  the war of taxes is heavy, O calls a blogger conference, O has no time to talk as the room is booked for a cleaning, O shakes each hand but zeros in on Kos.... O actually pats Ks shoulder and drags his hand across Ks back.  Kos abandons all belief in a progressive tax structure and begins trumpeting that O needs to go with a flat tax.  Kos changes his site name to the Orange Oligarchy (because of a few seconds of flattery).

the day after tomorrow, SATURDAY DEC 11TH on SPIKE TV on the VGAs (video game awards) that thing that I have been unable to talk about for the last six months involving that famous mexican director who must, today, remain nameless, will be OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED!!

finally!

Here's a teaser:

The first item on this election campaign's Contract with America was that, if elected (as they have been), the House Republicans would require that all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply to Congress.  We'll see if that and the other promised reforms materialize, but it does raise yet another issue in the context of Obamacare.

As my colleague Michael Cannon pointed out to me, the new health care law kicks congressmen out of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.  (The current FEHB is no different from the health coverage provided by any private employer -- federal employees choose from a series of private plan options (none of which is run by the government), and receive a subsidy from the federal government acting in its role as an employer.)

My first reaction to hearing this was:  Good -- if the rest of us lose our health care freedom, so should those who forced this new atrocity on us.  But apparently this result was not intended, so the Obama administration has decided to ignore that part of the law.

WASHINGTON -- As President Obama channels Ronald Reagan he risks turning himself into Jimmy Carter.

By staking his next two years on hundreds of billions of dollars of new or renewed tax cuts -- none of them tied directly to compensating cuts in government spending -- Obama is alienating his own Democratic base in a way that could make him what Carter was: a one-term, ineffective "outsider" president.

Westboro Baptist Church, a group with a history of staging protests at funerals and issuing anti-gay statements, is planning to picket the Saturday funeral of Elizabeth Edwards.

The group said it will picket outside Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh from 12:15 until 1 p.m. when the funeral is scheduled to begin.

House Democrats, after taking an internal vote, decided against bringing up the Obama-brokered tax deal in its current form.

Defying President Obama, House Democrats voted Thursday not to bring up the tax package that he negotiated with Republicans in its current form.

"This message today is very simple: That in the form that it was negotiated, it is not acceptable to the House Democratic caucus. It's as simple as that," said Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen.

"We will continue to try and work with the White House and our Republican colleagues to try and make sure we do something right for the economy and right for jobs, and a balanced package as we go forward," he said.

The Senate planned to take up the bill first anyway, and I assume they'll go forward. But the House won't take up the bill unless the Democratic leadership agrees to it, and according to this they just won't take up the bill.

[snip]

UPDATE: From Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Raul Grijalva:

"The House was not consulted during the negotiations that produced this package, and our support cannot be taken for granted now or in the future," said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "Slashing taxes for the wealthiest two percent during a major recession is simply unreasonable, and the hardworking American people deserve a better deal. I was proud to vote against this hastily produced package, and I believe the House made the right decision today."