From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...

Rick Warren: We must love gays. But only the sick ones.

Obama spokeswoman Linda Douglass defends Warren thus and so:

"Warren has been a passionate advocate on behalf of the poor and has really led evangelicals to champion the interest [sic] who suffer from HIV and AIDS..."

Interesting coincidence. Last week a local pastor here in Maine, Neil Farrar, wrote an op-ed against gay civil rights in which he echoed the same thing to distract from the fact that his main arguments are crap:

My own father, as a singles pastor in a megachurch in Texas during the '80s, told me of the countless times that he would go to the hospital and visit young men in AIDS wards who were dying; he told me how he would hold these men in his arms as they gasped in terror for their last breath.  Fear did not take my father there, but rather love.

Here's my question: why is love and compassion so freely offered by conservative Christians when a gay person is dying, but so stingily withheld when a gay person is healthy and headlong in the pursuit of happiness? Why are we only worth a damn to them when we're gasping in terror for our last breath? What kind of mind makes such a distinction?  Healthy one minute: "Damn you."  Sick the next: "We love you."  Talk about passive-aggressive.

Homosexuality is equivilent to incest and pedophilia in Rick Warren's mind. The countless gay couples legally married in California and Massachusetts are non-existent to him. That marriage in America is, ultimately, a civil institution, not a religious one, is immaterial to him. That marriage has been redefined constantly over the centuries matters not a whit to him. That reparative therapy is a disaster because homosexuality is an immutable characteristic falls on deaf ears. That many gays and lesbians are faithful Christians who love and contribute to their churches is lost on him.

Gay people do absolutely everything our country asks of them. From paying their taxes to donating their time and money to their communities; from raising happy, well-adjusted kids to covertly (for now) serving in uniform and putting their lives on the line in defense of Rick Warren and his followers. And yet the only way to get these conservative Biblical cherry-pickers to pat us on the head is when we're down for the count.

What cowardice.

Don’t get me wrong. Anyone who offers aid and comfort to people with HIV/AIDS---indeed, any affliction---deserves praise and thanks for doing that. No question about it. But why must gay people have to become profoundly weakened before the Rick Warrens and Neil Farrars of the world extend a hand and finally treat us as brothers and sisters? Why can't they embrace us---and our partners and families---right now, and acknowledge our ongoing and significant contribution to the American story? Why are they so damned afraid of us when we're thriving?

In conclusion: no rum balls for them. Not today.

Your west coast-friendly edition of Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

Coming up on Sunday Kos ....

• DevilsTower will look at the WPA and good infrastructure investments vs. bad.
• Plutonium Page will discuss missile defense scaremongering from the right.
• LithiumCola will look at unstated but not accidental policy effects of our past, present and future military engagement in Afghanistan, in "The Uses of Afghanistan."
• In light of a recent report from Rep. Henry Waxman, BarbinMD will revisit George Bush's infamous "16 words" and the ensuing attempts to explain them away.
• Scout Finch examines the recent changes to the FAA and discusses the nomination of Roy LaHood as Transportation Secretary.  Patrick Forrey, President of the Air Traffic Controllers Association will be taking live questions from Kossacks at 11am EST. If you liked what the Bush administration did to FEMA, you are going to love what they've done to the FAA.

Ben Smith at Politico appropriately calls Rod Blagojevich's statement today "I am not a crook." A few excerpts:

I'm here to tell you right off the bat that I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing, that I intend to stay on the job, and I will fight this thing every step of the way.

I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath.

I have done nothing wrong, and I'm not going to quit a job the people hired me to do because of false accusations and a political lynch mob.  [...]

Now, I'm dying to answer these charges. I am dying to show you how innocent I am. And I want to assure everyone who's here, and everyone who's listening, that I intend to answer every allegation that comes my way.  [...]

Now, I know there are some powerful forces arrayed against me. It's kind of lonely right now. But I have on my side the most powerful ally there is, and it's the truth.  [...]

Merry Christmas. Happy holidays.

What's there to say about this? Blagojevich is finished in politics but won't admit it. Based on recent comments from his lawyer, it sounds like Blagojevich is hanging his hat on having the wiretaps declared to have been illegally obtained, and while that may help to keep him out of prison, it doesn't change the fact that his political career is already dead. Unfortunately, Blagojevich is stuck in stage two of the grieving process.

Crap, did I really jump back into polling Alaska? Crazy, since everyone was wrong about the 2008 results. People said they wouldn't vote for the two crooks -- Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young -- and then they did! It was a bizarre "Wilder effect" at play. But Alaska is far too entertaining politically to swear off, so we jumped right back in.

Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 12/15-17. Likely voters. MoE 4% (MoE 5% for Republican over-sample) (No trend lines).

Young and Parnell faced off this year, and Young narrowly pulled it off. Harris is the Speaker of the Alaska House. Harris has indicated he's running, while Parnell is likely to reprise his challenge from this year. He came just inches short.

Palin would crush Daddy's Little Girl in a primary. Remember, Lisa Murkowski was appointed to the seat by her father when he was elected to his ill-fated term as governor. Palin's successful primary challenge to father Murkowski was aided in great part by the backlash to that nepotism. The voters passed a ballot initiative stripping the governor of the power to make such appointments in the future. So given a credible Republican challenger, Murkowski melts.

Since Palin vanquished Murkowski's father, there would be some poetry to also taking out his daughter, but I suspect Murkowski would be vulnerable to other top Republicans. I'd guess at this point that even if Palin passes on the Senate, Murkowski will have to fight for her party's nomination.

As for general election matchups:

There's no indication that Knowles will run again, but as a stand-in for "strong Democrat", he still fares poorly against Palin. Alaska still sees starbursts. Indeed, while her approval rating is off its highs, it's still pretty darn strong at 60-38. Last time we polled the state, October 28-30, she was at 65-35. So it's down eight points, but she has a long way to fall before she'd be considered in trouble.

Incidentally, Knowles approvals clocks in at 52-37, which isn't too shabby. But given a choice between the two, it's currently not much of a contest.

Murkowsi's approval ratings are at 51-43, which is middling. Knowles, which again is a stand-in for "strong Democrat", keeps her under 50 percent, but the far likelier candidate -- Alaska Sen. Hollis French -- has a long way to go. Given his name ID is about zero, this poll tells us that the Democratic floor in Alaska is 27 percent.

Note that Knowles does slightly better against Palin in a Senate matchup than in the governor matchup. Not a significant difference, but there's a tiny contingent of respondents who prefer her in the governor's mansion than in DC.

Young's approval ratings are at 44-54, Berkowitz clocked in at a much better 51-43, which means people don't like their crooked incumbent, but they'll still vote for the sunofabitch. Don't ask me to explain it. Apparently, as distasteful as the crook is, voting for the Democrat is even more distasteful. At least this poll is showing Young in the lead. In the lead-up to this past election, Berkowitz consistently clocked in big leads over Young. It appears some poll respondents are being more honest in their responses this time around. (Young beat Berkowitz 50-45.)

Bonus finding: Mark Begich's approval favorability numbers are 54-38, so he heads off to DC well liked.

Tons of crosstabs below the fold.

Not so hot...

Caroline Kennedy, who wants to fill Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's seat, has not voted in a number of elections, including the 2005 mayoral primary and at least one race for the very job she is seeking.

The Democrat registered at her current address on Manhattan's Upper East Side in 1988. According to city Board of Elections records, she missed several Democratic mayoral primaries — which are typically important contests in left-leaning New York City — in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2005. Republicans went on to win three out of four of those races in the general election.

She also skipped the 1994 general election, when Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was running for re-election. It is the same seat she hopes to take over if Clinton is confirmed as Secretary of State in the new administration.

Kagro X analyzes what Rahm Emanuel's hope to return to the House -- via a seat held for him by a placeholder successor -- says about the new chief of staff's attitude about Congress as an institution and about his own character.

• Mark Felt, also known as "Deep Throat" and the man who helped bring down the Nixon administration, has passed away at the age of 95 in Santa Rosa, CA. -Plutonium Page
• Late this morning, a federal jury convicted David Safavian of lying to investigators about his relationship with lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

  It was the second time David Safavian had been convicted by a jury in the Abramoff lobbying scandal. Safavian's first conviction was overturned on appeal.
  Safavian was found guilty of obstruction and making false statements to investigators. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
  He was convicted of trying to hide his relationship with Abramoff and his participation in Abramoff's now-famous golf junket to Scotland with members of Congress.
  The former chief of staff for the General Services Administration is the only person in the scandal to take his case to trial.

• Haliburton and Blackwater aren't the only ones guilty of fleecing U.S. taxpayers in Iraq....turns out the FBI has been dipping into the well.

  FBI agents on temporary assignment in Iraq billed an average of $45,000 in overtime and extra pay for eating, watching movies and going to cocktail parties in some cases, the Justice Department reported Thursday.

  The audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine concluded the FBI improperly used overtime and other premium pay allowances for employees sent to war zones.

  Between 2003 and 2007, the FBI spent $63 million in overtime and extra pay for employees in Iraq, the report found. Of that, $7.8 million was improperly billed.

  The audit notes not only were high level FBI managers aware of the bilking practices, they regularly encouraged it.

• You don't need a license and you don't have to pass a special test to become a parent, but this couple will make you wish it were so.
• Chuck Todd didn't get the Meet the Press slot, but he has been promoted to Chief White House Correspondent for NBC News. He'll also keep his duties as Political Director for NBC News.
• The Netroots Nation Inauguration Party has revised party hours to better accommodate crowds and the Metro's operating hours.

The drama continues:

The intense scrutiny of "voter intent" resumed this morning by the five-member board charged with directing Minnesota's recount in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic rival Al Franken, and the first 90 minutes of ballot rulings turned the challenger's slight deficit into a growing triple-digit lead.

There are some ongoing Coleman objections and maneuverings about matching duplicate ballots before counting them:

Also this morning, the State Canvassing Board sidestepped the Coleman team's proposal to prevent as many as 150 ballots from being counted twice. Talking about instances when a ballot couldn't be run through a voting machine, requiring a duplicate to be made, the Coleman camp said that such ballots should be counted only if an original could be matched with its copy.

WineRev's diary is brimming with updates, links, discussion and analysis.

Update: Sorry about that. In the first part of the first blockquote, I accidentally grabbed part of a comment at the Star-Tribune site. Fixed now. Susan.

Update by kos: Ha ha. Coleman's camp got cute and decided to challenge a second set of ballots. Franken's campaign responded in kind. Results? Coleman gained a vote, and Franken gained four. So their little gamble cost them three votes in the tally. And given how tight this thing is, that's not insignificant.

Bristol Palin's future mother-in-law was arrested on drug charges Thursday:

Levi Johnston's mother hit with drug charges

WASILLA -- A 42-year-old Wasilla woman was arrested Thursday at her home by Alaska State Troopers with a search warrant in an undercover drug investigation. Sherry L. Johnston was charged with six felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance.

Johnston is the mother of Levi Johnston, the Wasilla 18-year-old who received international attention in September when Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, announced their teenage daughter was pregnant and he was the father. Bristol Palin, 18, is due on Saturday, according to a recent interview with the governor's father, Chuck Heath.

Troopers served the warrant at Johnston's home at the "conclusion of an undercover narcotics investigation," said a statement issued Thursday by the troopers as part of the normal daily summary of activity around the state.

Troopers charged Johnston with second-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance -- generally manufacturing or delivering drugs -- as well as fourth-degree misconduct involving controlled substances, or possession.

Maybe one day the GOP will realize that neither the drug war nor their 'moral values' are actually getting them what they want.

Unless what they want is sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll -- Wasilla-style.

We can look forward to hearing more about the next generation of space thrusters over the next few years, starting this weekend on a promising looking new science show called Brink. This weekend's episode sounds like it will include an introduction to a revolutionary new propulsion system once found only in the pages of a science fiction novels. The plasma drive.

Existing space probes are violently blasted away and then essentially fall, like hapless cannon balls, making tiny course changes, taking advantage of clever gravity assists along the way, to ensure they land at a precise spot at an exact time the end of their usually epic trajectory. But change is in the air, or rather in the vacuum of deep space.

Unlike chemical rockets which oxidize highly flammable substances like kerosene or hydrogen, the ion engine is an electric rocket. Atoms are ionized, given an electric charge, and then accelerated by a powerful magnetic field out the rear of the rocket producing thrust.

The first operational ion powered mission was Deep Space 1. Another craft, NASA Dawn, is even now under ion power on the way to the asteroids Vesta and Ceres. Both these probes used the NSTAR ion motor. NSTAR produces a modest thrust, less than a pound. But the bang for the buck is worth it; it can burn for months on end. NSTAR turns a free falling cannon ball into the first full blown spaceship.

But the star of the future is the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket. VASIMR uses the ion thruster equivalent of an afterburner. This more sophisticated approach can produce a variable thrust ranging between a whopping 30 to 300 k/s exhaust velocity using radio wave to excite the fuel. The same intense radio wave field used to whip the ionized gas into a blazing quantum soup offers a freebie of sorts: an electromagnetic shield, protecting delicate payload in the event of a deadly solar flare.

A future portfolio of relatively low cost, standardized probes built by international coalition, launched by Atlas or Ariane booster and inserted into strategic points in deep space by ion drive is a realistic, achievable goal over the next ten to fifteen years. It's part of a comprehensive exploration methodology that offers standalone and cumulative benefits; we glean the data returned from the probes themselves, and they can serve as the first elements in a growing interplanetary navigational and tracking network infrastructure.

But one key component crucial to ion power in need of further development is the power source. Somewhere between the asteroid belt and the planet Jupiter is what NASA calls the edge of sunlight.' It's the point where the sun's power is so diluted by distance that existing solar panels either become enormous or they become unusable. For our next batch of ion powered probes, we'll have to push the envelope on solar power. To one day realize the dreamier velocities down the road, large spaceships able to accelerate to tens of kilometers per second in a matter of weeks, we'll need even more efficient, lightweight, and sturdy solar panels.

Which brings us oddly enough right back down to earth: If ever there was a golden opportunity for a new President interested in practical alternative energy, moved by sheer scientific discovery, and under the gun to create revolutionary new industries, research and development of economical solar cell technology is one hell of a candidate. Imagine the applications, buying solar cells by the square meter for the price of plywood. Dirt cheap, mass produced solar cells built into your home's shingles and siding. Your car or home's surface finished with photovoltaic 'paint' that self assembles into nanosolar cells in your choice of stylish color. Imagine the obscene wealth and gobs of jobs that kind of mass product line would create for CEOs and entry level employee respectively. Considering the quality of the research expertise on hand, and the convergence of interest in cutting edge solar power systems, NASA would be a good place to start the ball rolling.

President-elect Obama has issued a statement on this morning's announcement of the $13.4 billion loan to the beleaguered auto industry:

Today's actions are a necessary step to help avoid a collapse in our auto industry that would have devastating consequences for our economy and our workers.  With the short-term assistance provided by this package, the auto companies must bring all their stakeholders together -- including labor, dealers, creditors and suppliers -- to make the hard choices necessary to achieve long-term viability.  The auto companies must not squander this chance to reform bad management practices and begin the long-term restructuring that is absolutely required to save this critical industry and the millions of American jobs that depend on it.

This morning's announcement by George Bush, coming a week after he warned Congress that he would not let the auto industry collapse, is still light on details, but we do know  the following:

Amount: Auto manufacturers will be provided with $13.4 B in short-term financing from the TARP, with an additional $4 B available in February, contingent upon drawing down the second tranche of TARP funds.

Viability Requirement: The firms must use these funds to become financially viable. Taxpayers will not be asked to provide financing for firms that do not become viable. If the firms have not attained viability by March 31, 2009, the loan will be called and all funds returned to the Treasury.

Definition of Viability: A firm will only be deemed viable if it has a positive net present value, taking into account all current and future costs, and can fully repay the government loan.

Binding Terms and Conditions: The binding terms and conditions established by the Treasury will mirror those that were voted favorably by a majority of both Houses of Congress, including:

• Firms must provide warrants for non-voting stock.
• Firms must accept limits on executive compensation and eliminate perks such as corporate jets.
• Debt owed to the government would be senior to other debts, to the extent permitted by law.
• Firms must allow the government to examine their books and records.
• Firms must report and the government has the power to block any large transactions (> $100 M).
• Firms must comply with applicable Federal fuel efficiency and emissions requirements.
• Firms must not issue new dividends while they owe government debt.

What does this mean for the UAW? That it's time to negotiate:

The debt reduction and the cuts in wages were central components of proposal by Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, who had proposed bailout legislation. Those talks had deadlocked on a demand by Republicans that the wage cuts take effect by a set date in 2009, while the union had pressed for a deadline in 2011.

The plan announced on Friday offered a compromise between the positions, by making the requirements non-binding and allowing the automakers to reach different arrangements with the union, provided that they explain how those alternative plans will keep them on a path toward financial viability.

And while we'll have to wait and see what the long term results are, in the hours since the announcement, Wall Street is seeing a bounce.

For more discussion, see TomP's diary

Helene Cooper of The New York Times worries that by talking directly to the American public, President-elect Obama is bypassing the media.

WASHINGTON--President-elect Barack Obama says that he wants to make his administration more responsive to the American people. To that end, his aides are introducing a host of YouTube and other efforts aimed at bypassing the media and communicating directly with voters.

It remains to be seen whether this effort will yield satisfaction on either end of the spectrum--John Q. Public may have as difficult a time getting answers out of government officials as representatives of the mainstream media do. But to get a glimpse of how bypass-the-press might work, look no further than the Bush administration.

Fair enough. Let's take a look.

George W. Bush held 9 news conferences during his transition.

As of Thursday, President-elect Obama has held 12 -- more than any other incoming president ever.

It's true that Bush had an abbreviated transition schedule due to the Florida recount.

On the other hand, we're still more than a month away from the inauguration.

A report issued by NASA this week concludes the rate of ice loss in the cryosphere is continuing to accelerate:

Between 1.5 trillion and 2 trillion tons of ice in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska have melted at an accelerating rate since 2003, according to NASA scientists, in the latest signs of what they say is global warming. ... NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE, mission uses two orbiting satellites to measure the "mass balance" of a glacier, or the net annual difference between ice accumulation and ice loss.

When ice melts, the surrounding air or water cools down, basic thermodynamics. It would be ironic if that cooler air and water from excess northern melt were to work their way south a little farther and a little earlier in the season than they otherwise would have, and maybe even help fuel an occasional localized snow or ice storm, which right-wing climate change skeptics, especially those bearing a borderline pathological obsession with Al Gore, would then seize on as evidence that global warming is ... well not sure exactly. Somewhere vaguely between massive inexcusable scientific error and fraud, to an infinitely scalable global conspiracy between a tightly woven cabal of nations who can't agree on something as scientifically basic as what units of measurement to use for a common lug nut. And the wingers will do it, apparently, without a care or thought in the world of the difference between the NASA GISS 125 year global average temperature trend and related volumes of empirical data Vs. cherry picking poor comparisons or the sprinkling of snow they had on their drive way last Tuesday morning.

Friday, and not a moment too soon! Today we look at the transition, and fill the power vacuum we'll have for another month with speculation.

Paul Krugman: Bernie Madoff is no more a gonif than the other shysters on the Street.

Let’s start with those paychecks. Last year, the average salary of employees in "securities, commodity contracts, and investments" was more than four times the average salary in the rest of the economy.

Insert your own UAW comparison here.

Peggy Noonan: it's the age of the empy suit. Who is in authority? Who is in charge? As a Republican used to calling the President "Daddy", this is most unsettling.

Judith Warner: Caroline's great. Let her prove it at the ballot box.

Kathleen Parker: More Caroline v Sarah. Whereas they are both flawed, with thin resumes, I can see why Caroline gets treated more seriously, even though she hasn't earned the slot. And while I'm at at it, me remind you what's wrong with Sarah: incurious, divisive and not clearly competent. But the biggest difference is the job they are/were seeking. Sarah's job requires a higher standard. Caroline merely has to hold her own intellectually with the likes of Inhofe and Kyl.

Joe Solmonese: Rick Warren? Big mistake.

Dick Meyer:

As audacious as Blagojevich's political gluttony is, it is easy to find far worse political corruption, much of it perfectly legal: Distorting intelligence to invade Iraq, torturing prisoners, failure to regulate Wall Street, and systematic pork-barrel boondoggling come quickly to mind.

The Arena:

Should the DOJ consider prosecuting Bush administration officials for detainee abuse as the NYT and others have urged?

Oooh, oooh. I'll take that one.

Seriously, this earlier post by Kagro encapsulates every frustration I've felt over the last eight years.

1. Republicans ask for the absurd, threaten nuclear/economic armageddon if there's no action.

2. Democrats cower in fear.

3. We try to talk some sense into them.

4. We get scolded for being unserious, and wanting the terrorists to win/people to lose their jobs.

5. Democrats promise oversight!

6. We roll our eyes.

7. Democrats cave on every single point, but pretend to win anyway.

8. We wonder what we ever did to deserve this sorry bunch of representatives.

9. Republicans do whatever the hell they want.

10. Democrats pretend that no one could've ever predicted Republican outrages and express "outrage". Sometimes, they even write a sternly worded letter!

11. We make "no one could have foreseen" jokes and wonder what we ever did to deserve this sorry bunch of representatives.

12. Rinse, lather, repeat.

So you either tear your hair out and go mad at the rank idiocy of it all, or you laugh. And let me tell you, the number of times we've gone through this crap makes laughing about it increasingly difficult.

Tonight's Rescue Rangers are Louisiana 1976, taylormattd, ItsJessMe, grog, and srkp23 with vcmvo2 editing.

~ The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything ~ Theodore Roosevelt ~

The diaries up for rescue tonight are:

• Deep Harm brings us an important interview of the person who exposed the Bush administration's illegal wiretapping: Rachel Maddow interviews NSA eavesdropping whistleblower Thomas Tamm. (taylormattd)
• As the recession ripples though our economy, EthanPeretz asks us to give something back to our communities in Is Warren More Important than Hunger in Our Cities? (grog)
• The Red Pen provides the evidence, and an affirmative answer: Was my Church Vandalized for Being Supportive of Gays and Women? (ItsJessMe)
• Frank Schnittger takes a look at the history and impact of Europe's currency in Happy Birthday Dear Euro. (srkp23)
• hornet007 muses on the implications should all newspapers stop home delivery in Detroit Free Press and Detroit News Cut Delivery; Deathmarch of Printed Newspapers Accelerates. (grog)
• jimstaro passionately explains why "Support the Troops and the Veterans" must be more than just a slogan, in Veterans Disability Lawsuit Tossed, Again. (ItsJessMe)
• gmoke describes an interesting process for testing the energy efficiency of a home in Weatherization Barnraising Results. (taylormattd)
• ProgressiveSouth reports that Advocates for Southern voting rights among Madoff victims. (srkp23)
• Nuisance Industry gives us the latest installment in Blagogate in Feds will freeze Blagojevich campaign funds. (Louisiana 1976)
• Fortschreitend reports on a local government's solution to a shortage of road salt in How to Fight Slippery Roads and Vampires. (vcmvo2)
• soysauce gives a first-hand account contrasting the reception former President Carter received in Beirut and the one President Bush received in Iraq on the same day, in Jimmy Carter in Beirut: No shoes flying here. (ItsJessMe)
• modemocrat introduces us to one of Obama's cabinet picks in Putting Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood(R-Ill.)in context. (Louisiana 1976)
• mspicata reports the history behind presidential cabinets in The Roosevelt Cabinet, 1933. (vcmvo2)

jotter has High Impact Diaries - December 17, 2008.

sardonyx has Top Comments: Look It Up Edition.

Enjoy and please promote your own favorite diaries in this Open Thread.

As part of the agreement for Hillary Clinton to be nominated for Secretary of State, Bill Clinton has at-long-last released 2,922 pages of donor information on more than 205,000 donors.

As suspected, many foreign governments donated to both the Clinton Library and Clinton Global Initiative Foundation. Some of those contributors include the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, business leaders from India, and the Blackwater Training Center. Yes, that Blackwater.

Chuck Todd pointed out on MSNBC, there might be some grumbling about the donors themselves, but there isn't expected to be a large uproar because these contributions largely went to charitable causes around the world.

Representatives of the foundation, including CEO Bruce Lindsay and attorney Cheryl Mills, and aides to Hillary Clinton met privately Wednesday with staff of incoming Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry of Massachusetts and ranking Republican Dick Lugar of Indiana to discuss the foundation's activities and review a memorandum of understanding drawn up by the Clinton and Obama teams.

While there may be a few unsavory donors on the list, ultimately, the path seems clear for Hillary Clinton to be confirmed next month.

A complete list of contributors can be found here.