Throughout last night’s New Year’s eve broadcast, Fox News Channel allowed viewers to send in New Year’s greetings and wishes via text message. The messages were then scrolled across the bottom of the screen, replacing Fox’s normal crawling news headlines. While most messages were cordial, Fox allowed at least one racist message directed toward President-elect Obama to be broadcast. The message referenced Rush Limbaugh’s “Barack the Magic Negro” song:
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND LET’S HOPE THE MAGIC NEGRO DOES A GOOD JOB. LOVE JEN AND JOHN C.
After five days of almost constant aerial attacks and the deaths of nearly 400 Palestinians, the Israeli government has refused a 48-hour cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, arguing that it needs to “keep up the pressure on Hamas”—a startling euphemism for its lethal assaults—as the Israeli military ramps up for a likely ground invasion.
The New York Times:
After five straight days of punishing air attacks, Israel rejected a proposal for a 48-hour cease-fire in its military onslaught in Gaza on Wednesday, saying it would maintain pressure on Hamas. But it did not rule out future diplomacy and was open to ways of increasing humanitarian aid.
The decision was announced after a security cabinet meeting here.
The Israeli air strikes on Gaza continued on Wednesday, and at least 20 more rockets were fired by Hamas militants in reprisal into southern Israel, including three that landed in the city of Beersheba. Mark Regev, the spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said earlier that the country[base ']Äôs leaders [base ']Äúview it as important to keep up the pressure on Hamas.[base ']Äù
[base ']ÄúWe cannot give them a respite to rearm and regroup,[base ']Äù he said. [base ']ÄúWe need a real, sustainable solution, not a Band-Aid.[base ']Äù But he added that Israel would still explore ways to expedite humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza and would also explore a broader diplomatic effort to achieve a lasting cease-fire.
President Bush issued a statement yesterday in which he heralded New Year’s day as “an opportunity to remember the events of the past and look forward with hope to the year ahead.” But as Bush looks forward to leaving office, the nation is stuck with the results of many of the Bush administration’s failed policies.
To mark the passing of Bush’s last full year in office, ThinkProgress rounded up statistics on some of the most significant effects of Bush rule in 2008:
– Number Of U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq:322.
– Number Of U.S. Troops Killed in Afghanistan:151.
– Number Of Jobs Lost:1.9 million.
– Number Of Banks Federal Government Now Owns Stock In:206.
– Number Of Uninsured Americans:47.5 million.
Paul Krugman noted recently that the Bush administration’s failings have often been obscured in the short-run because the White House was particularly effective at inventing an alternate reality that it then “impressed on the public.” In 2008, however, despite its repeated attempts to wish it away, the reality of its domestic policy failures caught up with Bush administration and the nation.
On Fast Track for Clemency, via the Oval Office. People have always tried to go around the normal process to win clemency, and at least four prisoners gained special access to President Bush this year.
In Dense Gaza, Civilians Suffer. Despite the precision of the strikes, Israel’s missiles have splintered families and shattered homes in one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.
Israel Pursues Diplomacy but Presses Attacks. Israel stepped up its diplomatic activity while continuing its airstrikes against Hamas for a sixth day, killing a senior Hamas leader and two of his wives and four children.
Rod Blagojevich, the most recent Illinois governor to be mired in scandal, is finding himself at odds with his own party after Democratic leaders announced Tuesday that Blagojevich’s attempt to fill Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat will be blocked, much to the disappointment of Blagojevich and his appointee, Roland Burris.
Blagojevich, released on bail after being arrested, is accused of trying to sell to the highest bidder the Senate seat left by Obama’s job promotion.
The New York Times:
Within an hour of learning on Tuesday that Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois was about to name a Senate successor to President-elect Barack Obama, the Senate Democratic leadership drew a clear line in the sand: Anyone appointed by Mr. Blagojevich, the embattled Illinois chief executive, would not be accorded Senate membership.
But that declaration has touched off questions of whether Democrats have the power to keep out Mr. Blagojevich[base ']Äôs pick, Roland Burris, a former state attorney general. It is likely that the issue will end up in court.
Democrats said they were confident of their standing under Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution, which says [base ']Äúeach House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own members.[base ']Äù On rare occasion, the Senate has denied seats to candidates whose election outcome was in doubt or who were caught up in corruption.
President Bush issued a statement yesterday in which he heralded New Year’s day as “an opportunity to 
