Haggling over the details

Well, it seems the pirates of Somalia won't get quite the bounty they were hoping for over the vessel they nabbed that came out of Ukraine. MV Faina, was carrying weapons, tanks and artillery shells to Kenya when the vessel and its crew of 21 Ukrainians was seized on Sept. 25 and has been surrounded by U.S. Navy vessels since shortly thereafter. It seems that there has been some fighting amongst the pirates themselves, with three of them shot dead by their own. While their original asking price was $35 million for the vessel's release, it seems they may have to make do with a mere $1.5 million on the deal. Further, they are haggling over the turnover of the ransom. According to a spokesman for the pirates, the release of the vessel "is just a matter of time and a few technicalities." The pirates, it seems, are trying to avoid a repeat of their experiences with the French (yes the FRENCH!) who not only stormed seized yachts but followed the pirates into Somalia. Arrgg! Good luck with that mates.

In the aftermath

Mata Bharat is in a righteously foul mood, and with good reason. Indian Home MInister Shivraj Patil and National Security Advisor MK Narayanan have resigned in the immediate aftermath of last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai that has left 183 people dead and about 300 wounded. It has also wounded the already bad relations between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani government denies involvement and at this early stage in the investigation it is unknown if the Pakistani government either backed or had knowledge of the attacks.

At this point the particulars seem clear, terrorists claiming to be members of a group called the Deccan Mujahideen hijacked a boat, and with a great deal of planning and precision targeted two luxury hotels and a Jewish community center in an area that was known to be frequented by western visitors. Evidence currently points to an origin in Pakistan and that their plan was in fact to create indescriminate murder and carnage.

The current questions are what did Indian authorities know, when did they know it, why didn't they do anything, and what are they going to do to prevent another incident like this in the future? What also seems clear is the inadequacy of India's police and homeland security apparatus which appears to be undertrained, underequipped, and underfunded. Whomever replaces the Home Minister, I'm sure there are plenty of Indians who might prefer it if the next person in the position were the avatar of Maa Durga.

Citigroup, come on down!

The newest winner in the U.S. Government's Bailout Sweepstakes is Citigroup. The bank and federal regulators hammered out a deal that will back loans and securities to the tune of $306 billion and putting another $20 billion directly into the company. Under the deal, the U.S. Government will buy 254 million shares at $10.61 each, which could generate a profit if Citigroup's stocks ever go up again. Now the $64,000 question is why Citigroup and not the Big 3 auto makers? Good question, and some are mulling that one over. Detroit just didn't have a winning entry in this gameshow.

Sirius business

The next time you feel the pain at the pump, The Pirates of East Africa may very well be to blame. This time they've tagged a Saudi-owned Sirius Star, an oil tanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil. A multinational force patrolling the waters failed to prevent the seizure of the vessel and it's on its way to the Somali city and pirates den of Eyl, where a lot of people are going to be getting really excited. The vessel is reputedly three times the size of an aircraft carrier. This marks an expansion in pirate activities, an increased boldness of attacks and adaptation of tactics on a level unseen before now. The next time you get pinched at the pump, it may be Capt. Jack Sparrow instead of NuStar Energy LP that's really to blame.

Iraqi Legal

The Iraqi cabinet finally passed a pact regarding U.S. troops deployed there. The agreement provides a continued legal means for U.S. forces to operate in Iraq after the U.N. resolution expires at the the end of 2008 and includes the following terms:

* calls for troops to be out of all cities and towns by June 30, 2009;

* calls for all troops to be out of the country all together by Dec. 31, 2011;

* U.S. soldiers will be granted continued legal immunity except in cases of serious felonies committed while off duty and off the base; and

* American soldiers will have to get court-issued warrants to make arrests, and they will have to hand over suspects to Iraqi authorities.

The Brits are waiting for the U.S. pact to go through before negotiating their own pact with the Iraqis. But the Iraqi parliament will get the U.S. agreement and will have to pass it before going on their Thanksgiving break. Gee, thanks.

Remembering their sacrifices

The world remembered the war that made Veteran's Day necessary in the first place. A handful of WWI veterans are still around and ceremonies in France marked the occasion. While people were revisiting the ghosts of wars past, some were grappling with the ghosts of wars present. The incoming administration is considering a new approach to the Afghan war that would include a more regional effort and more boots on the ground. That could be dicy as Pakistan's army, in it's efforts to deal with the Taliban, has discovered the tunnels the insurgents have been digging to give them access to and from Afghanistan. But for most, today will be a day of remembering the loss of loved ones and praying that we will not have to one day confront the ghosts of future wars.

A Phoenix sputters out

While many gadgets tend to die after they have outlived their usefulness, some remain useful beyond their expected lifespan. One of those, sadly, has passed away. The Martian lander Phoenix, which set down on in northern Mars may have gone under the weather. The mission lasted five months longer than expected but a dust storm seems to have done it in and it's last message was sent on Nov. 2. Unfortunately, not all of NASA's cool tech toys work out like the Martian probes. The shuttle's rendezvous to the problem-plagued Hubble Space Telescope has been delayed ... again. The testing of a new computer is taking longer than expected. Let's hope it won't be running Windows.

Back to our scheduled program already in progress

Before there was Election 2008 there was the War in Iraq. During the campaign there was the economic meltdown. There were also a number of other international issues bubbling in the crisis cauldron. Non of these ended simply because Americans went to the polls. But reality is beginning to reassert itself.

Iraq is demanding a fixed date of withdrawal of U.S. troops regardless of the situation on the ground and wants a different status of forces agreement. Bad economic news sent the Dow down another 486 points. The market tanked on bad retail, automotive and labor news. The economic landscape looks so bleak in the U.K. that the Bank of England slashed interest rates. And Russia, still miffed over the planned U.S. deployment of antimissile batteries in Poland, is deploying missiles of its own along with signal jammers near the Polish border. Oh, and did we mention that the IMF just approved a bailout for Ukraine even as it is undergoing both a political and economic meltdown? All of that just for starters.

While Capt. Hope pulls his Action Rangers together, it would seem that their World of Tomorrow will come with much assembly required.

When in the course of electoral events ...

A major surprise in the election was the great state of Indiana., a traditional GOP stronghold. The state supported a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1964. Tippecanoe and Monroe counties seemed to agree on one thing: Barack Obama was their man. Obama swept the major college communities and also carried da' Region, all of it, along with Starke county. Capt. Hope also wasted no time pulling his Action Rangers together, naming Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff and John D. Podesta, Valerie Jarrett and Pete Rouse as the co-chairs of his transition team along with Chris Lu. Needless to say, this particular defeat of the GOP by the Democrats will likely result in the eruption of a blamestorm. What will be surprising is if it results in meaningful, fundamental party reform.

Meet the New Boss

It is now officially over. Barack Obama is the new president of the United States. Bush is still president for 2 and a half months. The leader board is 338 Obama to 155 McCain. The Senate lies at Democrats 56 and GOP 40. Indiana remains unprojectable

12:15 Grant Park. The crowd shouted out "Yes we can!" Michelle and his daughter came out with him then departed just before he addressed the crowd.

"Change has come to America."

The Obama crowd was more gracious to McCain than the McCain crowd was to Obama. Jesse Jackson was in the crowd in Grant Park. Apparently the First Daughter will be getting a new puppy when they get to the White House.

I'd like to thank the Academy ...

"I will never forget to whom this campaign truly belongs. To you. ... This is your victory."

"You did it because you understand the enormity of the task ahead."

"The road ahead is long and the climb is steep. ... I promise you we will get there. There will be setbacks and false starts. I will always be honest with you."

"Let us summon a new spirit. We rise or fall as one nation, as one people."

"What progress will we have made. This is our moment. This is our chance."

"Yes we can."

11:18 John McCain has conceded the election. He was gracious and supportive. He also took personal responsiblity for the loss before the crowd: "The failure is mine, not your's. ... Every candidate makes mistakes and I'm sure I've made my share of them."

No parting words from Sarah Palin.

Live blogging election coverage

11 The president of the United States is Barack Obama! We now have a Hawai'ian president.

10:54 Virginia has just gone for Obama! What were the odds of that? Hockey dads are to blame. And so are the plumbers.

10:50 Who's ready for a Cenak Attack!

10:45 Charles Ogletree thinks Michelle Obama will make a great first lady. He apparently has a great jump shot.

10:39 Welcome to the Mouth of Madness, the Escher-like hell that is McCain headquarters thanks to one Samantha Bee.

And Aasif Mandvi from the Pakistani Border. Apparently young terrorists prefer Obama. Go figure.

10:34 The Bradley Effect ... what Bradley Effect?

10:31 "Actually Live!" Colbert is live blogging and twittering and the election. Hmmm ...

10:25 Patronage vs principle is what did the GOP in according to Steve Forbes. One five minute Indecision 2008 interview was more interesting than an equivalent period of panel time on CNN. Why is that, especially when Missers Stewart and Colbert have no Magic Board?

10:23 There seems to be no time delay on the Indecision 2008 program as a "shit" got through. Jon: "The crowd is going for the animal abuse jokes."

Steve Forbes explains why McCain is losing: The credit crisis.

10:15 McCain is 10 percent cork. It's Jason Jones at Obama Headquarters in "Bambi" land. John Oliver is so much more entertaining than David Gergen. There's nothing quite like a turd-pounder with cheese.

10:05 Jon Stewart: "We've lost a lot of candidates in the back of that Olds."

10:04 Cockatoo. Roscow

10 Dick Gephart set on fire and blown up in the intro. Coool!

9:56 Back to the panel. David Gergen has dominated the panel. Now it's a comparison of the two sets of crowds and a discussion of the idea of "the real America." Joe the Plumber is the subject and how he doesn't represent that America.

WARNING! WARNING! VOTER ALERT WILL ROBINSON! Utah and Kansas go to McCain and Iowa to Obama. The leaderboard reads 89 to 206 Obama.

Now to the real coverage on Comedy Central.

9:55 Let go of the "Perfect Storm" metaphor already! It's been done to death. Let it go! This metaphor needs to be outlawed.

9:50 WARNING! WARNING! VOTER ALERT WILL ROBINSON! New Mexico goes to Capt. Hope and Louisiana will go to McCain. The scoreboard reads 199 Obama and 78 McCain. The Popular vote has a 320,000 vote spread.

Looking ahead to 10 p.m. there ought to be another major set of polls closing. John King, apparently only the guys get to touch the Magic Boards, just took 10 minutes of our valuable time to demonstrate how even if McCain succeeds in sweeping middle America, he won't win the left coast state and can't possibly get the 270 electoral votes to win.

If Meghan McCain needs a shoulder to cry on ...

9:37 WARNING! WARNING! VOTER ALERT WILL ROBINSON! Here's that important projection we were promised just before the commercial break: The Wolf is howling that Obama will take O-HI-O. The score is now 194 to 69 with Obama close to finish this game.

Florida, Virginia and North Carolina are really close. Campbell Brown still hasn't gotten to touch the Magic Board.

Back to Grant Park where we can now hear Madam Malveaux on her mic this time. Back to Phoenix where Dana Bash has it much easier since the ambient decible level is decidely lower. She's reported that they've turned the news off at the Biltmore. Figures.

9:24 There is an awful lot of white hair in these panels.U.S. News and World Report's poor Geogia Borger kept trying to jump in but kept being drowned out. Do the panelists get to keep their official CNN laptops?

WARNING! WARNING! VOTER ALERT WILL ROBINSON! West Virginia goes to the Gentleman from Arizona. Might as well, it's dirt poor. Hank Williams is playing "Born to Boogie" at the Biltmore on an acoustic guitar to an unenthusiastic crowd. Sad really.

9:16 So you're working for the GOP and your party is having its ass handed to it and the evening is just starting. What the hell do you do? A category 5 blamestorm is likely just around the corner. John Sununu is being shown the door by the new Democratic Senator from New Hampshire.

WARNING! WARNING! VOTER ALERT WILL ROBINSON! Mitch McConnell in Kentucky is staying in the Senate.

9:12 The Senate is now at 52 percent Democrats vs 33 percent to the GOP. Indiana is still up for grabs! Florida is still in question.

WARNING! WARNING! VOTER ALERT WILL ROBINSON! The Gentleman from Arizona takes Georgia with a massive landslide by 60 percent with 34 percent of the vote counted. God that music is annoying. 52 percent of the vote has now gone for Obama in Florida.

9:03 Back to voter analysis with Solidad O'Brien. The touch screen stopped working, whoops!

It's that obnoxious heavy metal music again. That must mean it's new results. Why heavy on the guitars and drums? Why couldn't we have a classical score?

Bill Bennent: "What Bradley affect. Our country's grown up."

A change in the perception of the nation both at home and abroad if Obama wins.

8:58 The Wolf is calling Alabama for McCain! Oh it was expected. Bummer. UH! Wait we may have something indicative of a trend.

WARNING! WARNING! VOTER ALERT WILL ROBINSON! New Electoral vote numbers. 174 votes for Obama and 49 for McCain. The magic number is 270.

8:55 The analysis of candidate performance by county after its votes have been counted seems fairly pointless. Who cares if McCain underperformed in a county he won?

Anderson Cooper has joined The Wolf and we've returned to the five-headed panel. Oh yah ... And why are there all of these people walking around in the background? Who are those people and why are they there? And here are the other four including the bald James Carvell. Nice shine on the back of the head. Three white men in suits and this poor African American woman sandwiched within.

Nobody thinks McCain has much of a chance at this point.

The Wolf has howled again. Kay Hagen beats Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina! Near the end of this particular Senate race Dole accused Hagen of Godlessness? WTH!

8:45 The Biltmore in Phoenix is dead compared to Grant Park in Chicago. That's got to suck.

8:36 Why doesn't Campbell Brown get to touch the Magic Board?
The Wolf is howling again, must be new numbers. Pennsylvania is projected to go to Obama. The numbers are now 102 electoral votes to Capt. Hope and 34 to the Gentleman from Arizona.

8:30 Post-grads voted for and handed New Hampshire to Obama despite the work that the Gentleman from Arizona put in to keep it in his pocket. That's got to hurt. Campbell and King are giving up some color commentary and playing with the voter board. You'd think this was the Superbowl.

It's coming down to Warner vs Warner in Virgina. I keep waiting for King to accidently hit the "Reset All" field.

8:25 There's a sizable ticker. The Dems have captured 45 Senate seats so far this evening and the GOP have retained 29 seats. 30 percent of the precincts are in and Obama is ahead 53 to 47 percent in Florida. And our next very special guest is David Axlerod!
"What's you're game plan" cries the Wolf. Axelrod: "He's going to speak when we know something."

"This really isn't about luck," said Axelrod.

Following the bit about superstitions comes the bit about the passing of Obama's grandmother. Could we please move on to the next poor sacrifical lamb to be dragged before The Big Bad Wolf. We're bored. Even the cats are bored.

8:15 We're seeing a pattern. Testing a trend. McCain is underperforming King George. The touch screen is really neat. It looks like they've decided to take something from sports reporting. They have tags that allow them to change the data by year for comparison. Indiana is filling in. It's Stupid county's turn on the big board.
Grant park is packed. Susanna Malveaux has a new mic. Yippie! You still can't hear her/

8 p.m. 270 is the magic number. So far it's 8 states 77 electoral votes for Obama and 2 states and 34 votes for McCain. They have a very obnoxious call up for their campaign results. The Wolf is howling out the results while letting the votes come in yet.
"We're going to be conservative and count the votes."

7:55 VOTER ALERT! John McCain is expected to carry South Carolina as expected. Vermont projected to go to Obama. Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania. Who wins there will win the election. Unless they don't.

7:50 The CNN magic board analysis sliced and diced the exit poll data earlier in the evening prior to the availability of real numbers. This included much silliness. In crunching the numbers discovered that 2 out of 3 voters who immigrated from Omicron Persei 8 said they voted for the Gentleman from Arizona based on last minute autodialers that claimed that Joey was Obama's favorite candidate on "Friends."

7:45 Never ask a correspondent to set the scene when you have approximately 1 million Chicagoans standing behind you.

"When will we know?" "What is it that we're looking at?" "What we're looking at is real numbers."

7:33 Silent major vs silent minority? Post-facto exit polls? How many analysts does it take to change a light bulb. New Florida math - Obama is now ahead.

7:30 The magic board with 12 percent of the precincts reporting in Indiana, McCain and Obama are running neck and neck at 52 to 47 percent and Marion, Monroe, Lake, Porter and LaPorte have not yet reported in.

Florida numbers are suspect: Uh huh.

Dooms day

While the rest of America was preparing to decide its doom at the ballot box, Gen. David Petraeus was off visiting Pakistan after being doomed for his efforts in Baghdad by being promoted to CentCom (gee ... thanks?). He was getting an earful over drone attacks inside Pakistani borders. Meanwhile the doom of Osama bin Laden's former press secretary, Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, of Yemen was decided at the end of last week and was announced on Monday. In the newest episode of GITMO Law, a jury of nine U.S. military officers found him guilty of conspiracy, solicitation to commit murder and making of propaganda videos for al-Qaida. Who knew? He apparently mounted no defense and may find himself doomed to a life sentence.