Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Since you’re probably curious, polls close in Vermont at 7 p.m. ET, Ohio at 7:30 p.m. ET (though some parts of the state were experiencing flooding, and may get some extra time), Rhode Island at 9 p.m. ET, and Texas at 9 p.m. ET (though the far-western tip of Texas is in the Mountain time zone, and will close an hour later). Of course, in Texas, the caucuses begin after the primary ends.
* This could get ugly in a hurry: “Hundreds of Venezuelan troops moved Tuesday toward the border with Colombia, where trade was slowing amid heightening tension over Colombia’s cross-border strike on a rebel base in Ecuador. The Organization of American States scheduled an emergency afternoon meeting in Washington to try to calm one of the region’s worst political showdowns in years, pitting U.S.-backed Colombia against Venezuela’s leftist President Hugo Chavez and his allies. Colombian and Ecuadorean officials, meanwhile, traded accusations in the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.”
* I sure hope this investigation happens: “A Federal Communications Commission official has asked for an agency inquiry into the blackout of CBS News’s ’60 Minutes’ by an Alabama television station. FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps said he had asked Chairman Kevin J. Martin to open an inquiry into the Feb. 24 incident at WHNT, a CBS affiliate in Huntsville, Ala. Martin said he would look into the matter but has not indicated yet whether he would issue a letter of inquiry to the station, a source close to the commission said.”
* Something to look forward to: “As expected, Attorney General Michael Mukasey gave the House the legal finger on Friday in response to a criminal referral for White House aides’ contempt of Congress. Think of that what you will, the House has been forced on to Plan B, a civil suit against the White House. Roll Call reports it should be coming soon: ‘House Democrats said a civil lawsuit could be filed as early as this month that challenges the Bush administration’s claims of executive privilege in curtailing aides from testifying on Capitol Hill.'”
* Disappointing, but not surprising: “In the six and a half years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, federal law-enforcement agencies have secretly established profiling techniques to screen immigrants based on their nationalities, protocols that critics charge encourage the unjustified targeting of Muslims.”
* Rush Limbaugh rationalizes on-air racism by saying he’s never heard of “Curious George.” Riiiiight.
* There such a thing as bad publicity: “Barack Obama received more campaign coverage than any other candidate during the past week, with 69% of campaign stories focusing on him, according to a survey by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, which noted that to be the highest percentage for any candidate this year. But does that mean that Hillary Clinton’s charge that he is the media darling is correct?” No, most of the Obama coverage was negative.
* On a related note, Obama chatted with reporters in Texas today, “chiding them for buying Clinton claims that the media has been soft on him.” Obama said, “I am a little surprised that all the complaining about the refs has actually worked as well as it has for them This whole spin that the press is being so tough of them and not tough on us. I just didn’t expect you guys would bite on that.”
* Republicans are voting in Texas’ Dem primary: “Thanks in part to the lack of a competitive GOP contest, a lot of Republican voters are crossing over to vote in the Democratic primary — so much so that Democratic ballot requests are out-numbering the Republicans in even a lot of GOP strongholds. Just who is benefitting, though, it not yet clear. In the heavily-GOP Cleveland suburb of Chagrin Falls, an estimated 70% of today’s ballots are being cast in the Dem race. And judging by the folks who talked to the Plain Dealer and indicated who they’d voted for, they were breaking mostly for Hillary Clinton. We’ll find out tonight just how widespread that pattern was.”
* Jonathan Turley on Michael Mukasey: “In his twisting of legal principles, the attorney general has succeeded in creating a perfect paradox. Under Mukasey’s Paradox, lawyers cannot commit crimes when they act under the orders of a president — and a president cannot commit a crime when he acts under advice of lawyers.”
* The Republicans’ culture of corruption in Alaska is truly unique.
* Has the Bush gang successfully politicized the CDC, too? Apparently so.
* It’s hard to overstate how encouraging it is to see Melanie Morgan lose her radio show. She is a uniquely hateful person.
* And finally, a classic Bushism: “I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who were trying to defeat us in Iraq.”– George W. Bush to Lt. General Ray Odierno in the White House yesterday.
Anything to add? Consider this a temporary open thread. I’ll be back later with some Election Night coverage.