Wednesday Morning Quick Hits

Profiling by any other name... Out in the open they already scan our bags, make us take off our shoes, turn out our pockets, feel us up and remove our body jewelry before they let us board a plane. Now get ready for a drive-by psychological evaluation by a high-school dropout. The TSA's latest brainstorm is to train "behavior detection officers" to ferret out involuntary physical and physiological signs of "stress, fear or deception" among air passengers to help determine who to subject to additional screening at airport security checkpoints. A TSA spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that the pilot program has helped catch drug smugglers and people holding fake passports. "Have we caught actual terrorists? That remains to be seen," she said. Caroline Fredrickson of the ACLU, however, worries of profiling, adding that the program sets "a very dangerous precedent" in trying to train TSA screeners to be "behavioral scientists."


Obama may not be a military guy, but he understands how to attack a base All over the map, in states that in any other year the republican candidate could count on not having to break a sweat to claim, Obama is throwing a spanner in McCain's works. He is buying ad time and opening offices in North Dakota, Colorado and Virginia. For the love of Mike, he is opening 30 offices just in Missouri. He is making McCain spend money and resources and time. That is how a politician successfully attacks an opponents base.



Republican Obstructionism blocks effort to help paralyzed veterans by blocking the Advancing America’s Priorities Act, a "bundle" of uncontroversial bills in an attempt to overcome procedural hurdles that have been thrown up by Tom Coburn (Wingnut, Oklahoma). Republicans laughably attempted to paint it as a distraction to high gas prices. "They're using every trick to get us away from dealing with high gas prices," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).


McCain is cancer-free but the campaign isn't so long as Karl Rove is lurking about.