I’m kind of surprised we haven’t yet had a nationwide pattern of people spraypainting the word SPY on AT&T-logo’ed vehicles and equipment. Seems a natural.

I am just observing, not advocating.

“Everyone’s in crisis because they’re all picking away at their BlackBerrys and nothing’s happening,” Turner said. “It’s almost like cutting the phone cables or a total collapse in telegraph lines a century ago. It just isolates people in a way that’s quite phenomenal.”

Hmmm.

Charlie Brown meet football . . . . Lucy.

I know. But everytime, he seems so sincere. I know he’ll jerk the ball, but I wanna believe, so I close my eyes and run and…

Surfrider Foundation and a bunch of other Environmental groups managed to convince the California Coastal Commission to reject a new toll road…

Big news up here in L.A. too. Way cool!

Snarlin’ huffs and puffs and then caves. Haven’t seen him do anything other than that.

I don’t believe there will be a conference at all. I’ve expressed that point of view for a couple weeks, and really firmed up my speculation after researching the “form” and historical application of conference committee.

House and Senate differences can be settled by passing amendments back and forth (usually with backchannel communications so the back and forth isn’t done in the dark), but if the House is firm “no immunity,” and the Senate is firm “immunity,” then there is a legislative impasse. A conference doesn’t settle it, unless one body capitulates in conference. Meanwhile, PAA gets extended as necessary.

My magic 8-ball says “Senate passes immunity, House does too” 50-50 odds on the House making enough noise to embarrass Reid on his scheduling prowess and provoke a second 15 day extension. But even if there is another 15 day extension, of more, the ultimate result is immunity roughly as expressed in the Rockefeller bill.

Do you have thoughts on who will be in the conference or the prospects for at least immunity to be stripped in that conference (probably slim and none)?

The cloture vote would happen after the weekly policy luncheon recess. Say starting at 2:30 if no amendment vote is carried over, 20 minutes later for each vote carried over from the morning. Rough time for passing cloture is 3 pm. There are about 6 hours of debate after that, then a vote on final passage.

Point being that the House won’t have the bill in time to do anything with it on Tuesday, and the Senate vote on final passage may be pushed into Wednesday.

Reid’s hangdog look may be simple anticipation of being reamed for failure to get the bill to the House in time to avert another extension.