The Daily Strike-3/13/09-Lazy Friday

No House session, no Senate session, very little White House activity equals a very short Daily Strike.

ENEMY COMBATANT: Today the Justice Department issued a statement that signifies a major change in U.S. policy in the fight against terrorism. Suspects will no longer be referred to as "enemy combatants." By using that definition, former President Bush could claim that those held captive could be held with no charge solely through the prerogative of the President. Now, suspects must be held under the authority of the Congress and International Law. This important change is another reminder of why elections matter. A major goal of Obama's Presidency, which has been lost during the economic crisis, was to restore the United States' moral standard in the world, and this is an important step.

IDIOCY OF THE DAY: Florida Republican Rep. Bill Posey today introduced a bill requiring all future Presidential candidates to submit a copy of their birth certificates. This was apparently a response to the whacko conspiracy theorists on the right, who despite no evidence, are convinced that President Obama was not born in the United States. Even though Obama posted his birth certificate online, these people still are convinced that the President is hiding something. It's one thing for a bunch of lunatic bloggers to be chattering about this, but it's another when a Congressman decides to turn this crackpot theory into a legislative proposal. Imagine if a Democratic Representative had come up with a bill calling for an investigation as to whether the government orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.

The Congressman claims that he's only introducing this bill to avoid problems down the line with future Presidential candidates, but it's pretty obvious why he's doing this.

That's it for tonight. Read our entry from earlier in the day if you haven't done so already. See you tomorrow!