MOMocratsâ„¢

They're not all moms and most of them are not bloggers, but there are a bunch of incredible women who are leading in the emerging field intersecting technology and government via politics and policy, nonprofits and advocacy. They have founded organizations, written about digital democracy, or developed tools to implement it.

To highlight the fact that the root of Netroots isn't all men, I put as many of these women as I could find into one list at - where else? The Political Voices of Women. Here's the list. Check it twice. Remember the names, because you'll be seeing them again.

Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota.), Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), Ken Salazar (D-Colorado), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut) introduced the Open Fuel Standard Act (PDF) yesterday.

The Act would require 50% of all new vehicles sold in the United States to have a flexible fuel system by 2012, and 80% of all new vehicles to have the system by 2015.

Flexible fuel vehicles are able to switch among a variety of fuels, primarily gasoline and ethanol. Hwever, the bill encourages and covers all types of potential alternative fuels, such as biodiesel, switchgrass and other energy crops, coal, agricultural bi-products, corn, soybeans, natural gas and other materials

The goal of this bill is to break the OPEC "stranglehold" on available fuel and fuel pricing.

"In Kansas, and across the nation, people are concerned about the rising price of gasoline," said Brownback. "Today, I was pleased to join a tri-partisan group of senators to introduce the Open Fuel Standard Act. This legislation will reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and will increase consumers' options when it comes to fuel."

It's also intended to provide American consumers with greater fuel choices and flexibility to purchase the best priced fuel.

"This legislation gives Americans a choice at the pump by making fuel flexibility a standard feature of the majority of cars and trucks produced in the United States," said Senator Salazar. "In doing so, we will protect consumers from soaring gas prices, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and spur the further development of renewable fuel technologies that are central to our energy future. As our presence here today demonstrates, setting America on a path of energy independence is an effort that transcends party lines. We must all work together to make this vision of energy independence a reality."

According to Waste News, Thune said that recently, Congress has enacted several policies that have expanded the production of renewable fuel. By 2022, renewable fuel will constitute approximately one-fourth of America´s fuel supply. However, without more flex fuel vehicles, E-85 pumps, and ethanol-dedicated pipelines, the full potential of renewable fuel is greatly limited, Thune said.

Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Isuzu, Mazda, Mercedes, Mercury, and Nissan all currently offer flexible fuel and E85 compatible vehicles. For more information or to see if your car is E85 compatible, click here.

Julie Pippert, of Using My Words and Moms Speak Up, is saddened to not see her beloved Forester on the list of E85 compatible vehicles.

I have difficulty deciding if Senator McCain is simply out to lunch much of the time (dithery) or if the "Slightly Fuzzy Gramps McCain" persona is part of a super-subtle Jedi mind-trick designed to get your defenses down so you believe he's really a space-case BUT he's instead crazy like a fox (slithery).

Evidence for dithery:

Hmmm. Can't keep Sunni and Shia straight. A wee tiny bit confustabulated, Senator McCain? Straight-to-Hell Talk Express went off the rails?

It's one thing for the American people to be confused. Another for the people who are supposed to be paying attention and deciding policy to be confused. I think I've had enough of the current commander-in-chief's inattention to detail and denial, how about you?

Evidence for slithery:

In this case, McCain's deception about the timeline (the "Anbar Awakening" came before Bush's so-called "surge") of events in Iraq was aided and abetted by shady editing at CBS.

I'd call this covering up of McCain's flat-out wrongness Man-Crushing on McCain, but what's Katie Couric's excuse? She's a woman--so hardly man-crushing on McCain-- and managing editor of the CBS Evening News, the report that disseminated McCain's falsehoods. WTF? Since when does a major mainstream media news organization OPENLY cover for a candidate's errors? (CouricandCo@cbs.com) At least Keith Olbermann's paying attention and taking names.

Most people don't care or don't know what distinguishes Sunni from Shia or what the "Anbar Awakening" is or when it happened--September 2006, according to President Bush himself. But can we afford that indifference when it matters every bit to the Americans serving overseas?

H/T to RogerEaton's DailyKos diary.

Cynematic blogs at P i l l o w b o o k.

Elizabeth talks about healthcare and the free market system, poverty and that jet ski that hasn't arrived yet!

-Christine Modern English

I know 75% of you are now asking, "Who the hell is Thelma drake?"  She's Virginia's representative in the House of Representative for the 2nd District, a Republican, and a slavish admirer of GWB.  I've mentioned her before, in my post about her challenger, Democrat Glenn Nye.

Clearly I'm not a huge Thelma Drake fan.  If she'd ocassionally have a thought of her own that didn't seem to be copied from the GWB Bubble Book, I'd respect her more because she does fight for her constituents.  But... Drake has outdone herself this time.

Tomorrow, Drake is hosting a lunch in Virginia Beach for....wait for it....

Karl Rove.

Yep, the same Karl Rove who's been so responsible for bringing political campaigning to a new low (South Carolina push poll, anyone?), thumbed his nose at Congress by failing to appear in response to a Congressional subpoena last week, and

Not only is she hosting this Karl Rove lunch, she's pretty proud of it.  In fact, it appears that Karl Rove is fundraising for Thelma Drake.  For only $2300 you can participate in a round table discussion with Rove and enjoy preferred seating at lunch.  Or if you're a bit skint, you can just attend the lunch for $100.

I'd love the chance to ask Rove some questions, but there's no way in hell I'm going to give a Republican money to do it.  I'm also a bit confused at using Rove as a fundraiser.  Before he resigned last year, I'm pretty sure his approval ratings were hovering somewhere around the legal driving age - for a learner's permit.  But I hear her challenger, the dashing Glenn Nye, is beating her at the money game.  She must be getting desperate, but Karl Rove?

Thelma, WTF were you thinking????

Just one more reason to support Glenn Nye for Congress!

Thanks to the Virginia Democratic Party for tipping me off to this!

According to TPM Muckraker's Kate Klonick, President Bush is claiming executive privilege in not releasing FBI documents relating to Valerie Plame's outing as a covert spy.

In other words, he's using his executive privilege to HIDE.  After using the same privileges to OUT A SPY, a spy who was working to provide our intelligence community with information regarding terrorists.  The variety our president was warned about prior to the September 11th attack.

And subsequently ignored.

Yay!  Record oil prices!  Yay!  Endless, pointless war!  Yay!  Mission Accomplished!  Yay!  Commander Codpiece!

Yay!  Republicans!

yay.

Jane from Above Average Jane had the chance to hear Janet Napolitano, Kathleen Sebelius, and Jennifer Granholm, three of the nation's women governors in a round-table discussion in Pennsylvania this past weekend.  Go read what these powerhouse Democrats had to say here.

It should not be a surprise to anyone that the always eloquent Elizabeth Edwards has a wonderful commentary on the passing of Tony Snow.

It's online at Newsweek, called Finding Common Cause,  and worth a read just to give us a reminder about what's really important, even in this heated political season.