A potential GOP candidate getting flak from Fox News’ conservative anchors for criticizing President Obama? That was the case for Tim Pawlenty on Wednesday when the Fox and Friends new macho image isn’t sitting well with some of Fox News’ conservative anchors who called Pawlenty’s recent comments about President Obama, “inappropriate,” “out of hand” and possibly “bad for the country.” The Fox and Friends crew took Pawlenty to task on Wednesday after Pawlenty made a comment on Tuesday that Obama gets so scared by intelligence briefings that he soils himself.

Pawlenty told radio host Dennis Miller, “The intelligence people come in and brief him in the morning, he’s probably looking for a pair of Depends, and so I think he’s in over his head on a lot of levels and a lot of ways, and that’s reflective of how he thrashes about and in some ways almost reacts incoherently to these security situations.”

Brian Kilmeade said he thought it was “bad for the country.”

Gretchen Carlson saw it as Pawlenty trying to rebrand his “Minnesota nice” image. “You can see there is a strategy in play of Tim Pawlenty trying to get a little more tough tough now the question is is that acceptable in getting tough.”

Four bills have been introduced in the Minnesota Legislature to ban a substance known as 2C-E, a “designer drug” that is being blamed for the death of a Blaine teen and the hospitalization of 10 more. Republicans in the House and Senate introduced a bill on Monday that would make possession and sales of the drug a crime. The move follows a similar pair of DFL bills introduced two weeks ago.

2C-E is a synthetic drug in the phenethylamine family, a group of psychedelic substances developed in the 1970s. It’s often sold under the name Europa and is legal to purchase in the United States.

A teen brought the drug to a party last month; ten teens who ingested it became ill and one died. Law enforcement charged the teen who brought the drug to the party with third-degree murder. The law under which he would be prosecuted is complicated.

2C-E is potentially legal, but a substance that is close in chemical structure, 2C-B, is illegal. Drugs with a “substantially similar” chemical structure and similar effects are called analogs, and under the Federal Analog Act, those analogs are illegal. Whether 2C-E is substantially similar hasn’t yet been determined in court as no prosecutions have yet been successfully initiated.

The Analog Act has been declared unconstitutional in some jurisdictions and constitutional in others, making the law controversial because the law is vague in what is deemed substantially similar.

The bills put forward by the Minnesota Legislature would make 2C-E and its analogs illegal. Specifically, the bill bans 2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylphenethylamine, also known as 2C-E, and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenethylamine, also known as 2C-I.

SF1092 was introduced on Monday by Republican Sens. Dan Hall of Burnsville, Warren Limmer of Maple Grove and Carla Nelson of Rochester.

HF1359 was introduced by Republican Reps. Bob Barrett of Shafer, Glenn Gruenhagen of Glencoe, Diane Anderson of Eagan, Roger Crawford of Mora, Kelby Woodard of Belle Plaine, Steve Gottwalt of St. Cloud, Kathy Lohmer of Lake Elmo, John Kriesel of Cottage Grove, Tim Sanders of Blaine and Tim Kelly of Red Wing.

The lone DFLer on the House bill is Jeff Hayden of Minneapolis.

Several members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation were quick to respond to President Obama’s Monday night speech on military action in Libya. Rep. John Kline called for more clarity while Rep. Betty McCollum said the Libyan people must remove Qaddafi. Rep. Michele Bachmann, always prepared to throw verbal bombs at the president, said that “President Obama is taking sides with Palestine over Israel” by supporting NATO action in Libya.

“This is a radical departure from United States foreign policy and the president did it unilaterally without consultation with Congress,” Bachmann said in a post-speech interview with Fox News. “President Obama is taking sides with Palestine over Israel.”

Rep. Betty McCollum released this statement following Obama’s speech:

“I support America’s limited role in the international effort to protect Libyan civilians from being massacred by the tyrant Qaddafi. I agree with President Obama that standing idly by while Qaddafi made good on his edict to slaughter 700,000 Libyans in Benghazi – including women, children, and the elderly – would be an unacceptable blow to America’s values and the security of the region. However, the success of the rebels’ military campaign to remove Qaddafi from power is in the hands of the Libyan people, not the United States.”

Rep. John Kline sent this statement before Obama’s speech (his office hasn’t released a followup reaction):

“I remain deeply concerned that the President committed valuable U.S. military resources to war without conveying to the American people – including our troops – our stated objective in Libya. Tonight, the President must clearly define that mission in no uncertain terms. As a 25-year veteran of the Marine Corps, I respect the Commander in Chief and support our troops in their efforts, but the President must speak with greater precision and clarity about his vision for protecting Libya’s civilians from the fury of a terrorist dictator and whether that includes removing Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi from power.”

Rep. Betty McCollum and Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar have given measured support for the United States’ military operations in Libya as a part of an international coalition of force in the region. McCollum wants congressional oversight before more operations commence while Franken is concerned about the costs. The rest of the delegation, some of whom were critical of perceived inaction by President Obama, have largely remained silent on Libya.

“The brave men and women of America’s armed forces are fulfilling critical missions around the world. Now, they are participating in a broad international coalition to protect the Libyan people from a murderous tyrant,” McCollum said in a statement on Tuesday. “While I support the current, limited U.S. mission in Libya, I have serious concerns about deepening U.S. military involvement. President Obama must consult with Congress before further expanding America’s commitment in Libya.”

Franken said that the Muammar Qaddafi’s actions against his own people warranted action. “The Libyan government’s violence against its own people is completely unacceptable,” Franken said in a statement on Tuesday. “Innocent civilians in Libya must be protected from massacre by Qaddafi and that is why I support the action the president has taken so far.”

But he added, “While I personally believe that Qaddafi should go, people need to understand that the purpose of the force we’re using is specifically to protect civilians, not to coerce a regime change. The president also needs to clarify how much this operation is going to cost American taxpayers, and how it’s going to be paid for.”

Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has been critical of President Obama prior to the start of military operations in Libya, hasn’t said much since.

“There’s no question that [Qaddafi] is not a great guy, that the people of Libya would be better off without him,” she told Fox Business Network last Thursday.

“However, on that score I’m reluctant to go in, and I’ll tell you why: We don’t know who the opposition is. We have no idea, and no intelligence community will tell you that we know who the opposition is,” she said. “For us to go in with American soldiers on the ground, right now, would be a mistake. We should not go that route. The same with arming — I think that would be a mistake right now.”

Rep. Keith Ellison has been urging aid for protesters in Libya for weeks on his Twitter feed. Three days before operations began in Libya, he tweeted, “Time to act is now! Libyans dying, being killed, Qadaffi is consolidating & moving forward. World can’t allow another Rwanda, Srebrenica”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar told WCCO on Sunday that she supports military action in Libya.

“Well, you have here a madman who’s basically been starving his country and bombing his own people,” she said. “And so that is why we stood with the rest of the world,” she said stressing the need for an international coalition. “This time we just simply, one, can’t afford it; two, need to work with the rest of the world so that they are participating,”

Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar pushed for a repeal of the military’s ban on openly serving gays and lesbians on Thursday and urged the U.S. Senate to pass a defense authorization bill that contains a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. At the same time, former congressional candidate and military veteran Ashwin Madia is using his new position as head of VoteVets to get a ban passed during the lame duck session.

Madia ran for Congress in 2008 in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. “I’ve seen — first-hand — how keeping this policy in place hurts the military,” Madia said in an email to supporters.

Madia, who made repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell an issue in his 2008 campaign against Rep. Erik Paulsen, has brought the issue to the forefront in his new role as interim chairman of VoteVets. The previous chair, Jon Soltz, is taking a leave to deploy to Iraq, as part of Operation New Dawn.

Franken and Klobuchar held a press conference with 9 of their Democratic Senate colleagues and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman urging the rest to pass a repeal.

“I urge all of my colleagues to stand for equality and common sense, and to stand up for our troops,” said Franken. “The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy has been too costly for too many people. Repealing the provision is simply the right thing to do and it’s a change the country is ready for.”

Klobuchar called for Senators to have the courage to pass a repeal, according to MinnPost:

Klobuchar said President Obama and top military brass like Mullen have shown courage in calling for repeal, and that the troops on the ground showed courage in widely backing repeal as well. Now, she said, it just remains to be seen “whether the people in the U.S. Senate will have the same courage.”

Speaking at a conservative symposium on Iran at the National Press Club Wednesday, Rep. Michele Bachmann called Iran “a danger to every nation in the world” and said “we know that they [Iran] already have a nuclear capability.” She said Iran has “crossed the line” and that the United States “needs to do more than the simple engagement strategy of talking.” She did not elaborate on what that new strategy might entail.

The symposium was hosted by Freedom Watch, a lobbying group that supported George W. Bush’s War on Terror and the Iraq War. The group drew criticism for ads that linked the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center to Iraq instead of Al Qaeda.

The event’s purpose was to “help convince the new Congress, with the House of Representatives now in Republican hands, independent Democrats, and other entities, to push harder for U.S. and western intervention to remove this dangerous radical Islamic regime before it is too late.”

Bachmann said, “Their dictator, Mr. Ahmadinejad, has announced to the world their intention to bomb Israel. He directs his insulting comments to the cameras right here to our American media, right here on American soil. How long will our current administration ignore the in-our-face preview of what is to come?”

A reporter questioned Bachmann on what she sees as the differences between the current administration’s and Bush’s on Iran policy.

“The opportunity we have today, in 2010, is to extend our hand to the dissidents in Iran to show a strong U.S. presence,” she said. “What we have seen from the administration on the issue of engaging with Iran and from previous administrations that have engaged with Iran and we haven’t seen productivity in those engagements.”

She continued, “Now we know that Iran appears to have crossed the line and with that crossing of the line, it’s imperative that the U.S. makes it’s opinion known to the world. When there were dissents in Iran, at a very crucial time who could have used our help particularly in the elections, we were absent from that opportunity and I think any opportunity we have going forward we need to do more than the simple engagement strategy of talking because what we have seen are nothing but insults coming out of the regime.”

Finally, she said, “They are thumbing their nose at the United States right now and insulting us in every possible way that they can. So, I think it’s imperative that we appreciate the risks that not only the United States is looking at but the destabilizing effect on the world.”

Other speakers at the event included “former CIA Director James Woolsey, former CIA double ‘agent’ Reza Kahlili, whose recent book, “A Time to Betray” details his time as an American spy inside the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, former U.N. Ambassador Alan Keyes, former Reagan administration national security advisor, Frank Gaffney, investigative journalist and Iran specialist Ken Timmerman, human rights activist and former Miss Canada Miss World runner-up, Nazanin Afshin-Jam, founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, Larry Klayman and U.S. Senators and Congressmen.”

TPM caught part of the conference on video:

Acknowledging the role of Christ in his own faith life and in Islam, Ellison told the biblical story of Jesus’ miracle of the loaves and fish — how a small amount of food somehow managed to feed an enormous crowd. “As the scripture goes, there was enough… I wasn’t there, I don’t know what happened… Maybe the disciples’ perception of scarcity was misinformed, and actually there was more than they understood there to be. Maybe there was radical abundance, though they saw scarcity.”

Then he drew a parallel with today: “There’s enough for the straight and the gay. There’s enough for the people who were born in America and the new immigrants. There’s enough for the blacks, there’s enough for the whites, there’s enough for the Latinos, there’s enough for the Asians, there’s enough for the Muslims, the Christians, the Jews, the Buddhists, the Hindus! There’s enough, everybody! …We don’t have to throw anybody under the bus. We don’t have to chase anybody out the door!”

But there’s a big “if.”

There may not be enough, he said, if we continue our rate of military spending or if we horde our wealth or “take the bountiful oceans… and pollute them with fossil fuels that spill into our oceans.”

Concluding the welcome, he offered a subtle critique of the president, by suggesting that he’s struggling — but falling short — in doing the “right thing.”

“Of course President Obama hasn’t brought forth heaven on earth,” he said. “Did you think that he was going to? He needs a strong movement based on the movement of love to propel him forward to do the right thing. I think he wants to do the right thing, but when he’s got the war-mongers pulling on him, it’s not easy to do the right thing.”

Photo: mccollum.house.gov

Reps. Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison offered sharp criticism of Israel’s response to a flotilla sent to bring supplies to the Gaza Strip on Monday. The flotilla was detained and 10 activists on board were killed by Israeli troops. McCollum called the incident “preventable,” and Ellison said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the bloodshed.

The following is McCollum’s statement issued on Tuesday evening:

“While the U.S. supports Israel’s security, it is impossible to comprehend or make excuses for Israel’s decision to confront and kill civilian activists. This unnecessary and preventable incident demands a comprehensive investigation by the international community fully supported by the United States.”

Ellison released this statement on Tuesday:

I am deeply shocked and saddened by reports that at least 10 civilians have been killed, with dozens more injured, in a raid as Israeli armed forces intercepted a convoy carrying humanitarian supplies and construction materials to the people of Gaza.

I extend my condolences to the families of those killed and I wish a full and rapid recovery to all injured parties, including both participants on the flotilla and Israeli soldiers.

Israel should grant the detained and injured individuals immediate access to their families and to legal counsel. Israeli authorities should also disclose where the injured have been hospitalized.

Leaders on all sides should take immediate steps to ensure that this incident does not escalate into a broader round of violence in the region.

This tragedy did not need to happen. This event is the result of the ongoing, counterproductive blockade on Gaza. The blockade punishes ordinary citizens, and strengthens Hamas’ control over commerce. I am concerned for Israel’s security and an undernourished and unemployed Gazan population does not promote this goal.

There should be a full investigation by responsible parties regarding how this incident occurred.

As President Obama stated last year in his speech in Cairo:

‘Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society…the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel’s security.’

I urge President Obama and other international leaders to take this tragedy as a catalyst to end the blockade on Gaza. All parties must come together to move toward a durable peace in the region.

“While the world decries the actions of Israel, I think it’s imperative that the United States stand strong with their ally,” Bachmann wrote in the Hill. “I support Israel’s position to stop and inspect peace missions headed to Gaza for national security purposes and the U.S. should reiterate our support for Israel and stand by them throughout the peace process in the Middle East.”

Meanwhile, a coalition of peace and pro-Palestine groups are planning a protest on Tuesday evening at Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office to urge the United States to stop sending military aid to Israel.

The Coalition for Palestinian Rights (CPR), Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), AntiWar Committee (AWC), International Jewish anti-Zionist Network – TC (IJAN-TC), MN Break the Bonds (MN BBC), Teachers Against Occupation (TAO) released a statement that read in part:

Israel’s criminal actions cannot be permitted to continue. The United States directly supports Israeli atrocities with billions of dollars of military and economic aid every year. All of our Senators and Congressional representatives have supported this aid. This must stop. We call for an immediate end to U.S. ties to Israel. Specifically as people in Minnesota, we call for an end to Minnesota economic ties and financial support of Israel’s atrocities.

Marx is traveling, so couldn’t explain the project in detail, but he did offer this description via email:

The images of the faces are scraped from the Washington Posts “Faces of the Fallen” and processed for long distance projection. The faces are paired with animations from a 3d model of the earth where the birth place and death place was mapped and connected with an arc that corresponds to the age of the soldier at death. Yes, I have names, ages, dates of birth, dates of death, location of birth (or hometown), and nature of death for most of the 5,400+ soldiers.

Marx says he was unable to map all the data during his three-week MAW residency for this iteration of the project, but he’s continuing that process. View more images from his “Mass Information and the Temporal Graffiti of War” series:

Marx's project in downtown Minneapolis

The Basilica of St. Mary as backdrop for Marx's project