Discover GOP Opprobrium

[teapeebubbles]

Today's edition of quick hits:

* More details emerge in the Fort Hood massacre.

* Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who took down Nidal Malik Hasan, is being hailed as a hero.

* The gunman in Orlando was apprehended this afternoon.

* Afghanistan: "More than 25 international and Afghan troops were wounded Friday in western Afghanistan -- possibly by friendly fire -- during a search operation for two U.S. Army paratroopers who had gone missing, according to the military."

* The White House issued an SAP (statement of administration policy) in support of the House health care reform bill.

* Despite earlier assurances, the House will not vote on a single-payer amendment as part of the health care reform debate. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who championed the measure, said today, "I didn't want the legacy of single-payer to be that it jeopardized passage of healthcare reform this year."

* To help make passage more likely this year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said today that senators should expect to work Saturdays in December.

* Several House Republicans blew off important votes on national security policy to tell some right-wing activists yesterday how much they hate health care reform. Priorities, people.

* On a related note, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) had so much fun yesterday, he wants another right-wing rally in opposition to health care reform tomorrow.

* You may not be aware of this, but 4 gajillion people attended the right-wing rally yesterday. The media wants you to think it was only 3 gajillion, but that's not true at all.

* Media Matters has a good-but-scary video with some of the highlights from yesterday. It makes one thing perfectly clear: a lot of those folks are stark raving mad.

* Interesting fight at UC Berkeley over subsidizing of college sports.

* Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) refuses to let the Senate vote on a major veterans' benefits bill. So much for supporting the troops.

* Speaking of Republican obstructionism, the White House made some concessions and convinced Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) to let the Senate vote on a pair of key State Department nominees.

* Also, Coburn's effort to remove political science funding from the National Science Foundation's budget failed. Good.

* House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) mildly criticized Rush Limbaugh's Nazi rhetoric today. Start the countdown for the apology.

* And if you saw President Obama talk about the tragedy at Fort Wood yesterday, and it made you long for George W. Bush's presidency, there's something horribly wrong.