Michigan has joined Florida in the DNC penalty box for scheduling an early primary. No delegates from Michigan, and the candidates are pulling out to avoid problems with the party rules.

This whole thing is bollixed up – they voted for the current rules, and then try to change them when they get back to their home states.

Personally I’d prefer no primaries until the Spring to shorten the entire process. It would certainly make the convention more meaningful, because lately everything is decided before the convention starts making the cost of putting it on a real waste of money.

Steve at No More Mister Nice Blog, among many others, has made the issue the way the legacy media™ treats Democrats in general and Mrs. Clinton in particular, as opposed to the way GOP candidates are treated. Well, yes, that is nothing new or unusual, the media has been suffering from CDS [Clinton Derangement Syndrome] for an extended period, and the symptoms have only gotten worse with media concentration.

But the issue, the real issue, is not being addressed.

The CNN version covers the real issue: Clinton engages in heated exchange over Iran

…Clinton began by telling Rolph “the premise of the question is wrong,” and argued the measure calls for the terrorist label so sanctions can be imposed. The sanctions, she also said, will “send a clear message to the leadership” and lead to stronger diplomatic efforts.

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CBS reports that the same people who destroyed our ability to monitor Iran’s nuclear program by outing Valerie Plame have destroyed another program by leaking: Report: White House Ruins Terrorist Intel

(CBS) A small, privately run intelligence analysis company says that a Bush administration leak has ruined years of clandestine work to find and exploit al Qaeda secrets on the Internet, the Washington Post reports.

SITE Institute, one of many private companies that troll extremist Web content and use secret methods to find unreleased material and release it early, against the wishes of the militants creating it, was the first to obtain an Osama bin Laden video last month.

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McClatchy reports that the Osprey finally arrives in a combat zone, after more repairs. Actually, the story indicates that 9 out of 10 arrived, with number 10 still in Jordan for repairs.

It turns out that this is above average for Ospreys, as normally only 8 would have made it and only 6 would be fully operational. For this level of performance the taxpayers shell out about $110 million a copy.

The Blackhawk UH-60 only carries half as many people, but then, it only costs $6.5 million. It doesn’t have the speed, range, or fuel economy of the Osprey, but are those features worth the extra money?