Quickies

• The Republican-controlled House passed the latest NDAA with yet another round of indefinite detention.  If you're like me, you're more worried about the "forever war" clause contained in the NDAA than about indefinite detention.  Notwithstanding, it's worth pointing out the Small Government Conservatives not only, once more, passed indefinite detention they killed off an amendment that would have blocked the detention of U.S. citizens.  

• Probably the best part about the indefinite detention saga is how 2012 is the new 2004.  In arguing against the amendment that would have blocked citizens from being held without charges, Republicans used their familiar 2004 tough guy talk accusing anyone who didn't support their policy as being terrorist sympathizers. Yep, it's all about who has the bigger penis.  Writes Adam Serwer: "Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) accused the lawmakers of wanting to "coddle terrorists," while Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) warned that under an amendment they'd introduced, "as soon as a member of Al Qaeda sets foot on US soil, they hear you have the right to remain silent." National Review's Andrew C. McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor who has never heard of a same-sex marriage supporting, pro-financial regulation liberal who wasn't secretly a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, wrote that their proposal was the result of "libertarian extremists" teaming up with liberals with an "obsession" with giving "more rights" to "mass murderers."

• A top Republican says if you try to prevent billionaires from moving their money to foreign accounts in order to avoid American taxes you're a Nazi.  In other words, you're an enemy of the state.  No better than the terrorists.

• What do you call a budget that adds $10 trillion of new debt in ten years?  If you're Republican, you claim it's a budget that prevents a debt crisis.  

• The brilliant Sarah Palin does a robocall in Kansas to support a tea bagger running in Texas.  Brilliant!  They really do think she's smart though.