The Midday Quickie.

Senate Vote Saves Immigration Bill Chances; they rejected Sen. Diane Feinstein's proposal the would allow illegal immigrants to remain, work, and eventually become Americans. Apparently, in the latest version of the immigration reform bill, two-thirds of immigrants would be allowed to stay, but the other one-third would have to leave. How do they decide who stays and who goes?

Sen. Lloyd Bentsen is dead at 85; widely known for his famous remark to Dan Quayle in
1988, telling "Mr. Potatoe" that he was "no Jack Kennedy".

U.S. Encourages Olmert to Talk to Abbas.

New Orleans plans first criminal trials since Katrina; people have been jailed for months without trials...ouch. Talk about a fine example of "due process".

House Leaders Question FBI Search; Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said his department has "an obligation to the American people to pursue wrongdoing where it exists." Wow, why don't you start with the White House then?

FCC says they cannot investigate NSA data mining; here is a PDF of the letter that the FCC sent Rep. Ed Markey, and here is Markey's response to the FCC.

Breaking news from Raw Story: Lieberman withdraws from MoveOn.org 'primary'; I'm sure it's somewhat linked withthis from over the weekend. How long before Connecticut Dems realize that Lieberman isn't really a Democrat? Because bloggers are already aware.

Some in the GOP are still distancing themselves from Bush, just take a look at Curt Weldon's case

Hailing Gore a 'committed visionary,' Clinton unveils plan to reduce oil imports by 50%; "Clinton called for the creation of a Strategic Energy Fund, which would place a two year fee on major oil company profits that exceed a 2000-2004 profit baseline."

Tags: [Senate Vote Saves Immigration Bill Chances], [Sen. Dianne Feinstein], [Sen. Arlen Specter], [two-thirds of illegal immigrants stay but making the other third leave], [Sen. Lloyd Bentsen Dies], [told rival Dan Quayle he was no Jack Kennedy], [U.S. Encourages Olmert to Talk to Abbas], [Palestinian Authority], [Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas], [Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert], [President Bush], [West Bank], [Fatah], [World Economic Forum], [Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni], [Gaza], [New Orleans plans first criminal trials since Katrina], [first step in solving a judicial crisis in which thousands of suspects have been jailed for months without trials], [Criminal District Court Chief Judge Calvin Johnson], [House Leaders Question FBI Search], [Justice Department], [Rep. William Jefferson], [House Majority Leader John Boehner], [House Speaker Dennis Hastert], [Attorney General Alberto Gonzales], [FCC says they cannot investigate NSA data mining], [Federal Communications Commission], [National Security Agency], [], [FCC Chairman Kevin Martin], [Lieberman withdraws from MoveOn.org 'primary'], [MoveOn.org Political Action], [Ned Lamont], [Backing Away From Bush], [Rep. Curt Weldon], [Hailing Gore a 'committed visionary,' Clinton unveils plan to reduce oil imports by 50%], [Strategic Energy Fund]