Why is it so imperative we get a President different that the current one?
In one day, the Supreme Court whacked campaign finance reform, limited free speech and gave our tax money to religion.
All decision were 5 to 4, and were decided essentially by Bush appointees Roberts and Alito.
Any more of these guys on the bench and we'll become the Christian Republic of America so fast you'll fall down dizzy.
Elizabeth Edwards did what no other Democratic or Republican presidential candidate or spouse of him, including her own husband, still hasn't. She has publically endorsed the idea of gay marriage.
“I don’t know why someone else’s marriage has anything to do with me, I’m completely comfortable with gay marriage.”
In a stunning slap in the face of American Foriegn Policy, the House of Representatives voted to give no financial aid to Saudi Arabia..not that the oil rich nation needs it.
The House vote closes a loophole that has allowed the Bush Administration to send $2.5 million dollars to the kingdom, home to 19 of the 9/11 hijackers and the only country in the world to conduct public beheadings.
The Bush administration opposed the bill claiming Saudi Arabia needs the money because it is an ally in the war on terror.
The amendement was championed by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-New York), who is also my congressman.
Washington, D.C. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel issued the following statement regarding his amendment to cut funding for the Office of the Vice President from the bill that funds the executive branch. The legislation --the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill -- will be considered on the floor of the House of Representatives next week.
"The Vice President has a choice to make. If he believes his legal case, his office has no business being funded as part of the executive branch. However, if he demands executive branch funding he cannot ignore executive branch rules. At the very least, the Vice President should be consistent. This amendment will ensure that the Vice President's funding is consistent with his legal arguments. I have worked closely with my colleagues on this amendment and will continue to pursue this measure in the coming days."
Newsweek at him at 26%
ARG has him at 27%.
Pretty much confirms, he's below 30%... a threshold I never even thought he'd make.
The decider is deciding again;
"This is a little bit of a nonissue," [White House spokeswoman Dana] Perino said at a briefing dominated by the issue. Cheney is not subject to the executive order, she said, "because the president gets to decide whether or not he should be treated separately, and he's decided that he should."
Harvey Weinstein needs to shut up.
Just because Hillary Clinton is a liberal Democrat does not mean we overlook the fact she received campaign donations from an industry.
It's up to her to prove she's not being bought.
Oh, and for those of you who think Michael Moore only makes Republicans look bad...think again.
If Mike Bloomberg runs for President, it would only be to destroy Rudy Giuliani's chances. How can Rudy run on his record as mayor if Bloomberg did everything he did, but better?
So Rudy is defending himself, trying to paint Bloomberg as a copycat and himself as the original;
"I think I started that. I think I created that revolution, and I think Mayor Bloomberg has continued it, and I admire him very much for doing that. I will always admire him, whether he becomes a Democrat, an independent or whether he becomes a Republican again."
Republican State Senator John Barrasso will serve the remainder of the unexpired term of the late Craig Thomas in the US Senate.
Barrasso, a conservative Republican, was appointed by Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal. He was one of three names submitted to the governor by the Wyoming Republican Party.
Barrasso will have to run in a special election next November to serve out the remainder of Thomas' term, which ends in 2013.
Earlier this week, in the wake of the fire tragedy in South Carolina, I spoke about how New Yorkers have grown unfortunately accustomed to mourning their bravest.
Last night, Firefighter Daniel Pujdak died while battling a fire in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He was 23 years old. New Yorkers mourn his loss and pay their respects to their fallen hero.
For me, the loss is even the more tragic. Danny and I went to high school together. We were in the same homeroom for four years. Our lockers were right next to each other. We sat in the same row at graduation. We weren't the closest of friends, but we were certainly high school acquaintances; sharing a laugh about how ridiculous a teacher's test was, or about how "hot" a certain freshman girl was, or about how disgusting the food was in the cafeteria that day. I remember putting a picture of my then-girlfriend and myself in my locker, to which he asked "Is that your girlfriend, she's hot." and I proudly acknowledged our relationship. Everyone loved Danny's smile. Another close friend of mine in high school, a female, used to try to make him laugh every time she saw him, just because "his smile makes my day better."
I haven't seen him in over five years. I had always wondered if he had realized his dream of becoming a firefighter. I remember he would always mention that firefighting is what he wanted to do. I remember girls in homeroom pleading with him not to because of the danger.
"It's dangerous, I don't want you to get hurt." I remember one girl, a close friend of his, saying.
His father is a teacher at my high school. He taught me in my junior year. I remember he asked me to do a report on the movie "The Razor's Edge," and we had a joking argument over which version was better, the original with Tyrone Power, or the remake with Bill Murray. His little brother also went to my high school, and hung around by my locker often in his freshman year, always close to his older brother.
My condolences, like the rest of my high school community and the rest of New York City as well, go out to his family, his father, mother, and brothers. We can take some comfort in knowing that "the quiet kid with the nice smile in Cor 414" died a hero to an entire city.
Former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen has previously stated she would not seek the Democratic nomination for US Senate against Republican incumbent John Sununu, who narrowly defeated her in 2002...has she gone back on her word?
Word is she's set to decide in September on whether or not she'll join the race. Recent polls show her with a comfortable lead over Sununu in a general election.
Currently, Mayor Steve Marchand of Portsmouth, and Katrina Swett, wife of former New Hampshire Congressman Dick Swett and daughter of California Congressman Tom Lantos are in the race for the Democratic nod. Marchand stated he would drop out in favor of Shaheen should she run.
If Shaheen does run, New Hampshire jumps to the top of the pickup list. Sununu will become the Santorum of 2008.
New Hampshire, along with Colorado's open seat, Maine, Minnesota and possibly Oregon, Nebraska (former Senator Bob Kerrey may run for the seat should Hagel decide not to run again), and Virginia (What if John Warner retires?) may make it nearly impossible for Republicans to win back the Senate majority they so narrowly lost last year.
The administration is about ready to give in a close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
I just hope when all these guys face trial, they're all guilty, because if one innocent man was forced to spend years of their lives here, then this country will be left with a big black eye.
His Royal Majesty Lord Dick Cheney won't listen to Congress or the people, and he won't even listen to the President either.
After throwing executive privlidge in the face of Congress, the Vice President decided that when the head of the executive branch makes the rules, he no longer has executive privlidge, he has Cheney privlidge.
Apparently our government now has four branches; Executive, Legislative, Judicial and Dick Cheney.
Only Nixon was more unpopular...and he had to resign in disgrace.
He only gets the approval of 23% of Independents and 6% of Democrats
More importantly, only 60% of Republicans approve of President Bush.
By a vote of 81-65, the New York State Assembly became the third state legislative body in the US to vote to legalize same sex marriage. Last year, both houses of the California legislature endorsed same-sex marriage, but the bill was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The bill got some bipartisan support. Four Republicans, two men from the Hudson Valley and two women from the Adirondacks, voted for the bill;
Mike Spano (R-Yonkers), Joel Miller (R-Poughkeepsie), Teresa Sayward (R-Essex County) and Dede Scozzafava (R-Gouveneur) all voted aye.
21 Democrats and 1 Independent voted nay, breaking with party line; Peter Abbate (D-Brooklyn), Daniel Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent), Joan Christensen (D-Syracuse), Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village), Bill Colton (D-Brooklyn), Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn), Francine DelMonte (D-Niagara Falls), Ruben Diaz Jr. (D-Bronx), Dennis Gabryszak (D-Cheektowaga), Sandra Galef (D-Peekskill), David Gantt (D-Rochester), Diane Gordon (D-Brooklyn), Timothy Gordon (I-Delmar), Auriela Greene (D-Bronx), Carl Heastie (D-Bronx), Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), William Magee (D-Nelson), Margaret Markey (D-Maspeth), N. Nick Perry (D-Brooklyn), Annette Robinson (D-Brooklyn), Robin Schimminger (D-Kenmore), Anthony Seminerio (D-Richmond Hill).
State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Rensselear) has already said the bill will be dead on arrival to the Senate, so it'll almost certainly will not reach Governor Spitzer's desk this session.
Spitzer would sign it if it did. It would make New York the second state to legalize gay marriage after Massachusetts and the first to do it legislatively.
How can Iraq be "peaceful" when we have things like this happening in the United States.
If this occured in Baquba, we'd be calling them savages, barbaric Arab Muslim crazies.
What do we call them when it happens in Texas?
was agreeing to join the group in the first place and then not officially quitting until he was forced to.
To Rudy Giuliani, money and loyalty to the neoconservative wing of the Republican Party was more important.
Yep, this is EXACTLY who we need in the White House. (sarcasm)
Earlier, I listen the members of Congress who made public their earmark requests from CNN.
Add another name to the list;
Rep. Roscoe Bartlet (R-Maryland)
Keep the pressure on.
The Wyoming Republican Party has narrowed the list down to three
and one of the following three people will be appointed by Governor Dave Freudenthal to serve the remainder of the late Sen. Craig Thomas' term;
Tom Sansonetti:
-Former legislative director and chief of staff to the late senator.
-currently a lawyer in Cheyenne
-Never held elected office
John Barrasso
-A State Senator from Casper
-Ran in 1996 for the open Senate seat of Alan Simpson, but lost in the primary
-Socially very conservative
Cynthia Lummis
-Former State Treasurer of Wyoming 1999-2007
-Served in both houses of the state legislature form 1979-1994
-Outside of politics, she's also a rancer from Cheyenne.
Thomas died earlier this month of cancer. Governor Freudenthal will make the final selection by the end of the week. The new Senator will have to run to serve the remainder of Thomas' term, until 2013, next November.
My mayor just abandonded the Republican Party.
Does it mean he'll run for President? Maybe, I don't care. The point is, my mayor just left the Republican Party.
Take that Rudy Giuliani.
The common consensus seems to point to a Clinton vs. Giuliani race as they are the frontrunners, right?
wrong?
When you look at the race state by state...It's all over the map...literally.
On the Democratic side, John Edwards has consistently held a small lead in the first caucus state of Iowa, Hillary Clinton is comfortably ahead in New Hampshire, Barack Obama has opened out in front in South Carolina and Bill Richardson is looking to pull off an upset in Nevada.
On the GOP side, John McCain appears to be doing well in Iowa...and only Iowa, Mitt Romney has staged a surge in New Hampshire, Fred Thompson, assuming he's running, is out in front in South Carolina, while Giuliani still holds a lead in Florida.
Although Iowa, New Hampshire, and the rest are early, they don't mean everything in this race. In 1992, Tom Harkin won Iowa and Paul Tsongas won New Hampshire and Bill Clinton ended up winning. Steve Forbes came in second in Iowa in the GOP race in 2000.
However, with the primary season altered completely this year, there is little chance for a candidate blown away in the early states to resurge as a certain former Arkansas Governor did in 1992.
Still, it's far from a certain Hillary vs. Rudy race.
Photo: Alice Keeney/AP
One of the things that I HAVE to criticize the Democratic majority on is their contiuation of the GOP's policy of secret earmarks.
It's our money, we have a right to know and what you are doing is no better than what the crooks you defeated did last year.
CNN called every Congressman's office looking for their list of earmarks. Most did not return their calls, but 31 members of Congress did provide the information to CNN. The list runs the gambit of both conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. Here's the list of our true heroes;
Robert Andrews (D-New Jersey)
Nancy Boyda (D-Kansas)
Kevin Brady (R-Texas)
John Campbell (R-California)
Kathy Castor (D-Florida)
Jim Cooper (D-Tennessee)
John Culberson (R-Texas)
Susan Davis (D-California)
Charlie Dent (R-Pennsylvania)
Rahm Emaneul (D-Illinois)
Tom Feeney (R-Florida)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York)
Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)
Gene Green (D-Texas)
Alcee Hastings (D-Florida)
Wally Herger (R-California)
Bob Inglis (R-South Carolina)
Kevin McCarthy (R-California)
Michael McCaul (R-Texas)
Thaddeus McCotter (R-Michigan)
Dennis Moore (D-Kansas)
Ron Paul (R-Texas)
Ted Poe (R-Texas)
Mike Pence (R-Indiana)
Tom Price (R-Georgia)
Adam Putnam (R-Florida)
Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin)
Christopher Shays (R-Connecticut)
Mark Sounder (R-Indiana)
Mac Thornberry (R-Texas)
Minority Leader Boehner, Melissa Bean (D-Illinois), Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), Nathan Deal (R-Georgia), John Shadegg (R-Arizona), Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), and Lee Terry (R-Nebraska) all have no requested earmarks.
It is a shame that the Democrats refuse to take a proactive leadership role on this issue. If they wish to keep their majority, they need to stop acting like the minority did when they were the majority.
From Afghanistan to the US, Canada, Britain and Germany.
Yeah, they may have come regardless of what we did after 9/11, but I can tell you this;
A.) Many of those recruited would not have been if not for the blunders post 9/11
B.) They should never have been able to "graduate" from a terror training camp more than half a decade after we invaded that country
We took the eye of the ball and now we may pay. THAT's Bush's failure.
By the way, in case you've forgotten, here's what started the mess and it's quietly coming to an end, under the radar so no one will notice.
Under a bright blue sky, on a warm early summer day, the naval destroyer USS The Sullivans sat at the place where she was commissioned a decade earlier, the pier that bears the ship's name in the Stapleton section of Staten Island, New York.Treated to a full lunch on Friday, June 16th, which included typical New York Deli food; potato salad, cole slaw, heroes, our heroes filed into the crew mess in the center of the ship, socialized with each other and watched movies on the two televisions that garnish either side of the mess. Other crew members spend their day on liberty; taking in the sights of New York while still others gave tours of the ship they are proud of serve on.
The lunch was sponsored by the New York Metro chapter of the Navy League, who not only brought the food on board the destroyer, but prepared a buffet and cleaned up after lunch was over, giving the men and women of the destroyer's crew a much deserved break from cleaning.
"We do all the work, the cooking, the preparing, the serving, and the cleaning." Said Frank Graham, organizer of the event and a member of Tin Can Sailors, a group of naval destroyer veterans.
The Navy League, founded by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, is a civilian-run organization that educates civilians and elected officials on the needs and condition of the maritime forces as well as provides support for the men and women of the United States Navy. The New York area chapter of the Naval League has been involved in Fleet Week, during which they provided meals for two other naval ships; The USS Winston S. Churchill and the USS Hue City. They also planned 135 events for members of the navy in town during Fleet Week. Ralph W. Slane, Vice President of the Navy League said they hoped to increase the number of ships and crew members who will get meals next year.
"We hope to sponsor at least three ships next year during Fleet Week." Said Slane.
The USS The Sullivan, an Arleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyer based out of Mayport, Florida, arrived in Staten Island on Thursday the 15th and will remain there until Sunday the 17th, docked across the pier from the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the floating museum that is currently in the middle of a massive rehabilitation and is expected to return to its dock in Manhattan next September. Standing on the deck of the ship, one can look north to see the skyline of Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and the site where the World Trade Center stood before September 11, 2001. The destroyer is also in town to celebrate the retirement of its first captain, Cpt. Ron Carlito who took command of The Sullivans ten years ago.
The USS The Sullivans is the second ship commissioned by the United States Navy to bear the names of the Sullivan Brothers; George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert, who all died aboard the USS Juneau when it was sunk by the Japanese during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific in November, 1942.
Something tells me that if George W. Bush had listen 2017 as the probable date the war in Iraq would end from the very beginning, we would've never invaded that country.
If you're looking for a reason why the war is unpopular and the President's approval rating is at 29%...there ya go.
14 years is not a cakewalk, it's from birth to freshman year of high school...think about it.
Suddenly when you're faced with the realization of a Hamas dictatorship in the land bordering Israel, the guy who took over for Arafat doesn't seem so bad anymore, does he?
Oh, and it's good to know that cutting off that aid to the Palestinian Government worked so well, I mean look how democracy flourished, electing terrorists who then go and stage a coup....fabulous.
Three snaps to the George W. Bush State Department
He's upset over a Homeland Security budget that went $2.1 billion over what he wanted to $37 billion and that to him is runaway spending?
But that $923 million embassy in a country everyone wants us out of, that's not runaway spending, and neither is the billions we pissed away in that country.
Nope, $2.1 billion extra dollars in Homeland Security. THAT is runaway spending.
I know how to control spending...STOP FUNDING THE WAR!
Ok, somebody has to go to sit this crazy loon down and tell him straight;
She's the Secretary of State. She's the one who gives the president advice on how to solve problems with other countries so we don't end up sending thousands of Americans to die over something that could've been solved by something simple.
You...are the guy who breaks ties in the Senate.
They'll let crazies in, but not the gays.
Shows you how screwy the leadership of the Pentagon is. They're willing to put billion dollar weapons that can kill hundreds in the hands of someone who may snap at any moment, but not in the hands of a man who enjoys the company of other men.
"This is just one of several items under review by the Department of Defense and the services in an effort to remove the stigma associated with mental health issues,"
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry clinches the Democratic nomination to screw up his chances to defeat President George W. Bush.
The 40th President of the United States, Ronald Wilson Reagan is laid to rest at his library in Simi Valley, California after a state funeral in Washington D.C.
The Detroit Pistons upset the Los Angeles Lakes to win the NBA finals four games to one.
Shortly after turning 21, a Hofstra student, halfway through his college career sees his life go from rockbottom to top of the world overnight and takes solace in the words of Linkin Park.
It still took another 2 1/2 years to "break the habit"
The Massachusetts State Legislature put a stop to a proposed referendum for a amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage.
By a 151-45 vote, the two houses of the state legislature, together for a constitutional convention, defeated a proposed amendment that needed 50 votes to pass. The amendment had previously gotten 60 votes in the last session. The representatives who changed their votes include 2 State Senators, both Democrats, and seven state Representatives; five Democrats and two Republicans.
A yea vote wouldn't have made any difference, the amendment would've failed anyway if put before the people. Three and a half years into legalized gay marriage in Massachusetts, there's enough support statewide to keep it legal in a referendum, granted it wouldn't be that large of a victory and it would help the Republican candidate for President next year should it be on the ballot.
Among those running for the GOP nomination for President...former Governor Mitt Romney, who came up with the idea of this constitutional amendment.
Coincidence? Decide for yourself.
They've got Gaza.
The "war on terror" isn't going our way right now.
We'll win, but not the way we've been prosecuting this "war." We must admit we're loosing, so that we can go forward and win.
Immigration is back and the right is NOT happy
Conservative blogs are doing what no one ever thought they'd do, they attacked the President harshly;
says Erick Erickson of Redstate.com;
"Of all the issues the president has picked to make his hill to die on, he has picked the one that has divided his base, I am shocked by the anger and outrage out there ... You've got war against the president within the Republican party."
God, am I thankful Wyoming has a Democratic governor.
Ok, I know what you're going to say, you're going to bring up Hillary Clinton. Yes, but she was a Senator for only 18 days while her husband was President. With Dick Cheney teetering on the verge of Congressional investigation, having his wife in the US Senate is just plain nepotism. If she wants to run in 2008, then that's fine and perhaps the the Wyoming GOP should have Governor Freudenthal appoint someone who won't run in 2008 so she can, but right now, it's a conflict of interest if you ask me.
Oh, and by the way, at least Hillary RAN in an election and didn't try to get appointed after the previous guy died. Is Lynne afraid of running and loosing? She shouldn't be, this is the state that reelection crazy Barbara Cubin after she threaten to slap a disabled guy.
Anyway, the other, more LIKELY candidates for Craig Thomas' seat include former Wyoming House Speaker Randall Luthi , former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis, lawyer Tom Sansonetti, Wyoming US Attorney Matt Meade (who just quit btw,) State Senator John Barrasso (R-Casper), and State Rep. Colin Simpson (R-Cody) who is the son of former Wyoming Republican Senator Alan Simpson.
Both the President and Congress are unpopular...very.
Congress' unpopularity doesn't surprise me. Democratic-controlled, they're not going to win GOP support, and capitulating to the President didn't help their liberal base and they've still to do much of anything, loosing them the Independents.
Bush's 29% approval rating doesn't shock me either. Democrats have completely abandonded him, as have a super majority of Indpendents, but Republican support kept him around 1/3...until now.
Only 62% of Republicans approve of the President. 32% of his own party disapprove of him. If Iraq bloodied him in his own party, immigration is burying him.
Congress is being beaten down due to Iraq, which will change providing they take on the President come fall.
The NRA and the Democrats agreed on something, and Hell didn't freeze over.
The House passed a bill that would strengthen the background checks done before a gun purchase to prevent someone like the Virginia Tech shooter from obtaining a firearm by adding those who are "mentally defective" to the list of people who will be red flagged during a background check.
The House passed the bill by voice vote and only one member had some opposition to it. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), Congressman No himself
The bill is expected to pass the Senate and be signed by the President.
Thinking about it though, I'm not too sure how I feel about the term "mentally defective." It sounds like we're talking about a household appliance instead of a human being. It kinda bothers me actually.
Despite hinting at endorsing Barack Obama.
says the big shot movie director;
"I've taken the time to familiarize myself with the impressive field of Democratic candidates and am convinced that Hillary Clinton is the most qualified candidate to lead us from her first day in the White House,"
The last Conservative Republican to represent New York in the US Senate has made a surprise endorsement for President.
Former Senator Alfonse D'Amato (R-New York) is NOT endorsing Rudy Giuliani, but rather former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson. In a statement, D'Amato says;
"Voters are tired of the rhetoric and are thirsting for leadership, Fred Thompson is the kind of candidate our party can unify behind and support wholeheartedly."
Just how much influence does the President have?
Depends on the issue.
I find it funny that the GOP in Congress is willing to follow him blindly on every issue except immigration.
Hmm, wonder why that is?
MSNBC and Newsweek put together this nifty illegal immigration map to show what states are most affected by illegal immigration and how the Senators representing those states voted last week.
As expected, the four largest states, California, Texas, New York and Florida bear the brunt of the illegal immigrations. However, when adjusted to population, California is the hardest hit with 9% of it's population being illegal immigrants, for Texas, the number is about 8%, for New York, 3% and Florida, about 5%.
The Southwest States, like Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado and the fast growing southern states of North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee are also largely affected, as is the Pacific Northwest.
Not affected? the Northern Great Plains and Northern Rocky Mountains, Appalachia, Northern New England, Alaska and Hawaii.
Alabama Agricultural Commissioner Ron Sparks, a Democrat, has decided not to challenge inclumbent Republican Senator Jeff Sessions next year.
Sparks instead endorsed the only other Democrat in the race, State Senator Vivian Davis Figures of Mobile.
She is a black, female, liberal Democrat and this is Alabama, so...yeah
Joe Lieberman needs to be told to shut up.
"I think we've got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq, And to me, that would include a strike over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people coming back into Iraq to kill our soldiers."
Bringing everyone back to my theory that Mitt Romney will be the GOP standard bearer next year, I give you the latest post-debate CNN poll.
The poll has Romney at 29%, nine points ahead of Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, who are tied at 20%. Fred Thompson comes in next at 11%, while Newt Gingrich comes in a 4%, Ron Paul at 3%, Mike Huckabee and Sam Browback both at 2% and Tom Tancredo at 1%.
Romney is complementing his surge with a major Ad push according to the New York Times.
"He increased his advertising in a huge way last month, spending more than $2
million, much of it on national cable advertisements. This month, he added a run
of television commercials in South Carolina, another early primary. His
aggressiveness this early over the airwaves stands in contrast to his Republican
competitors, who have yet to broadcast any television spots."
Cloture fell short, as expected
the vote was 53-38-1 with 7 not voting;
Seven Republicans joined 46 Democrats to vote for cloture;
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska)
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Oregon)
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania)
Sen. John Sununu (R-New Hampshire)
Yes, five of the seven are vulnerable incumbents up for reelection next year.
One "Democrat" voting against cloture; Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut)
Presidential candidates Joe Biden (D-Delaware), Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut), John McCain (R-Arizona), Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), and Barack Obama (D-Illinois) were not present to vote, as were Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) and of course Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota)
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) voted Present.
Paris Hilton is back in jail
Genarlow Wilson is free.
The Wilson case is a major black eye for our laws in this country. It's just, as teenagers would say, plain retarded.
Here, we have a man who may have done something stupid in getting head from a 15 year old girl, but 10 years in prison for it? And he has to be labeled a sexual deviant for the rest of his life? C'mon, but that same token, half the men in this country would be labeled a sexual deviant.
What's even more appalling is that Wilson would've received a lesser sentence if he actually HAD intercourse with the girl.
This is absolutely stupid, idiotic and lame. He needs to be set free, he has served his time and received more than enough of a punishment
UPDATE: Georgia's Attorney General Thurbert Baker, an African-American Democrat btw, will appeal the case keeping Wilson in jail for a bit longer.
Shameful.
I have always been on the fence when it came to the death penalty. I was never 100% comfortable with the idea of ending someone's life, no matter how wretched it was. Still, I have never been put in a situation where a loved one was murdered, so I have no idea how I would feel about whether or not the killer should be executed unless I've been there, which God-willing I'll never have to be.
My feeling on the death penalty has always been that I'd remain quiet about it until I see proof that it actually deters crime, which is the central argument to keeping it legal. If it does cause people to rethink committing violent crimes, then it's worth having on the books, even if it's rarely used.
This may very well be the proof I've been looking for.
So much for the growing strength of the anti-capital punishment group.
When the former Secretary of State blasts the administration he himself served in, it's a big deal.
Colin Powell may have lost much of his influence for his involvement in the run up and execution of the Iraq war, but still, when he says the Guantanamo Bay prison should be closed, you know Gitmo's days are numbered.
It never ceases to astonish you, how intrigued you are when the top story on the 11:00 news occurs right in your neighborhood.
This is the supermarket I go to like every day.
Where am i going to get my Prosciutto now?
I can't begin to describe the irony of being a political guy at the Belmont Stakes today.
The jokes went around the trailers where I worked all day. A female horse trying to beat six males. Gee, sounds like Hillary, doesn't it?
I fell into the trap. I placed a bet on her because I thought "If the filly wins Belmont, maybe it means Hillary could win the Presidency."
Watching the race from my sweet spot atop the third floor of the Belmont grandstand, politics didn't come into my mind, but in hindsight, I suppose we all saw Curlin as the Rudy in this race.
I won about $25 on Rags to Riches' shocking win. I knew she had a chance, but counted her out among the more powerful colts, who have had an unbreakable century-long tradition of winning Belmont. A filly could never hold up to a colt, more or less six, in this race.
The moment when the results of the race became official, and the grandstand at Belmont erupted in a euphoria only matched in my experience by Game 4 of the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals, the first thought that ran through my mind was this;
An omen? If a filly can win Belmont, can a Hillary win America?
Newt Gingrich is blue on GOP chances in 2008.
I'm noticing many of the old school Republicans are very angry with the new school GOP. There may be something more too this. Perhaps we should explore further in a future time.
Senator Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota), who nearly died of a brain hemorrhage in December may return to the Senate floor in September, if not earlier, maybe as early as next month.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) says Johnson has recovered 90% of his speech and has been in therapy five days a week.
Upon returning to the Senate, Johnson will make his final decision on whether or not he will run for reelection next year. Originally considered a top GOP target, Johnson's illness has kept the race off the map. Potential opponents, such as Governor Mike Rounds and Lt. Governor Dennis Daugaard are keeping quiet about the possibility of running against Johnson.
Johnson won reelection by an extremely narrow margin of 524 votes in 2002 against John Thune, who later beat Tom Daschle in 2004. If Johnson does not run, the likely Democratic candidate would be the state's lone member of the House of Representatives, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.
Still, Tom Daschle believes Johnson will run again...and win.
According to al-Sadr;
"We are now facing a brutal Western assault against Islam,"
The one thing the Democratic majority and the President has agreed on is dead...killed a slow and agonizing death in the US Senate by the far left and the far right.
To the left, I say, illegal immigrants are here illegally and are lucky to get what they are getting.
To the right, if you can figure out a way to deport 12 million people without sending this nation into chaos, I'd like to hear it.
Paris Hilton is out of jail, because she is suffering from "medical conditions." She'll serve out her prison term under house arrest, in her California mansion.
How can we allow such crap in our country? How can we just complain and move on? She should be in prison and should remain there, end of story.
And then you wonder why people accepted Communism?
It's one thing to have your opinion, it's another to accept it as fact.
Especially when your asking to be the nation's top doctor
Nope, not at all.
An escalation like this is dangerous.
Funny, I thought it was going to be when we pull out that the escalation with other countries would happen, not when we put more troops in.
Freshman Congressman Steve Kagen (D-Wisconsin) has called for William Jefferson (D-Louisiana) to resign from Congress amid his indictment on corruption charges;
Kagen, part of a Democratic freshman class that ran on pledges of creating a more ethical Congress, said Rep. William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, is entitled to a presumption of innocence. However, Kagen, D-Appleton, said "all members of Congress must be held to a higher standard. Congressman Jefferson should consider resigning for the good of the Congress and for the good of the nation."
Not that it's news.
Democrat Micah Kellner defeated Republican Gregory Camp in a special election to replace Assemblyman Alexander Pete Grannis in the 65th Assembly District which includes the Upper East Side of Manhattan east of 3 Avenue between 60th and 90th Streets, and Roosevelt Island.
The big news in the race was The New York Times endorsement of the Republican candidate, which shocked many.
Still, the staunchly Democratic district send a Democrat to the Assembly 64%-36%. Now, for the first time since January, the entire Assembly is filled without any vacanies and Democrats hold a 108-42 majority.
John McCain blew everyone else out of the water. I disagree with him on most of what he says, I won't vote for him, but he stood his ground when attacked and kept to his positions, even if it (and it will) costs him the Presidency.
McCain's one laughable moment was on Don't Ask, Don't Tell . He said the policy was working, but obviously it's not. We are short on linguists and it is mostly because of the policy. That's the reason it even came up. McCain has an issue; he thinks policies are working when clearly they are not. This is why I wouldn't vote for him.
I want to quote Rudy Giuliani for a moment, because I thought what he said here was fantastically idiotic;
The problem with this immigration plan is it has no real unifying purpose. It's a
typical Washington mess. It's everybody compromises -- four or five compromises.
If you watch Fox News, you suddenly get the impression that the Caribbean countries of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are some sort of Saudi Arabia-like Muslim terrorist states close to home, almost like a modern-day Cuba during the Cold War.
Here are some facts about the two countries who have the unfortunate notoriety of being the homes of the guys who thought they could set JFK Airport aflame;
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO;
Trinidad and Tobago is a liberal democracy with a two-party system and a bicameral parliamentary system based on the Westminster System. The Head of State of Trinidad and Tobago is the President, currently Professor Emeritus George Maxwell Richards. The Head of Government is the Prime Minister. The President is elected by an Electoral College consisting of the full membership of both houses of Parliament. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. The President is required to appoint the leader of the party who in his opinion has the most support of the members of the House of Representatives to this post; this has generally been the leader of the party which won the most seats in the previous election
-Sounds to me like the illegitimate love child of the US and the UK.
Trinidad's population is only 6% Muslim. The majority of it's population is Christian with one and four being Hindu.
GUYANA-
Only about 10% of the population of Guyana practices Islam, or about 76,000 people. Most of the rest of the population is either Christian or Hindu (especially the dominant Indo-Guyanese community.)
Guyana is a democracy, with an elected national assembly and an indirectly elected president.
Both countries have freedoms of speech, press, religion and assembly. They are as western as any other country in this hemisphere.
Both countries are poorer than the United States, with Trinidad and Tobago having roughly the same GDP per capita as Saudi Arabia and Guyana much lower.
Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago may have a problem with a few of it's Muslim population (as does countries like the UK, India, Russia and France,) but they are hardly "hotbeds of Islamic terror."
Scooter Libby, the former cheif of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, convincted in March of two counts of perjury, one count of obstructing justice in a grand jury investigation, and one of the two counts of making false statements to federal investigators, will spent the next 30 months in jail.
I still think he's the fall guy and now he will be in the jail for as long as the people he fell for are in power.
Pathetic.
And they should be calling for his head
Democrats can do nothing better than joining the Republican in doing what the GOP never did with DeLay, Ney, or Cunningham; expelling this clown from Congress. He doesn't deserve to be a cashier at the cafeteria in the Rayburn House Office Building, much less a Congressman.
New Orleans needs new representation.
Senator Craig Thomas (R-Wyoming) has died of leukemia after battling the disease since right after his reelection last November.
Thomas is third member of Congress to die of cancer this year, after Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Georgia) and Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-California).
A Wyoming native, Thomas served in the Wyoming Legislature before being elected to the US Senate in 1994 and widely reelected in 2000 and 2006.
Thomas' replacement will be chosen by Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal from a list of three Republican candidates picked by the State GOP within five days of receiving the names. Whoever is chosen will have to run in a special election next November to serve out the remainder of Thomas' term. Wyoming's other Senator, Mike Enzi, is also up next year meaning both Wyoming Senators will have to battle reelection.
Very unpopular;
Almost six in 10 Americans said they do not think the additional troops sent to Iraq since the beginning of the year will help restore civil order there, and 53 percent -- a new high in Post-ABC News polls -- said they do not believe that the war has contributed to the long-term security of the United States.
On 16 counts.
I despise this guy. The people of New Orleans made a mistake sending this guy back to Congress, but it's their mistake. He should, and may have to, resign.
We cannot have these types of people in Congress, Republican or Democrat
The Second Democratic Debate on CNN in New Hampshire didn't surprise me at all. Nevertheless, here are my thoughts on what I saw;
-Hillary Clinton drives me crazy. I'm scared of her blowing the election for the Democrats. I think she's too polarizing to be the Democratic standard bearer. Yet, everytime she gets up there, she sounds so presidential. She doesn't hurt herself at all. Occasionally, she even helps. She makes me think; "You know, if you weren't Hillary Clinton, you'd be running away with this."
Still, there is something that tickles me wrong about her, but I like her more as a candidate than I did when she announced.
-Obama did well tonight. Again, if he was the second term Governor of Illinois, he'd be running away with this, no matter what his race.
-Edward's Iraq rant annoyed me a bit. He voted aye on the war resolution and did not read the report, yeld scolded Clinton for doing the same thing and not apologzing. I'm glad he apologized, but it doesn't make it ok to scold those who didn't.
-Biden showed his expertise, especially on foreign policy. To be honest, I think he'd make a good VP now
-Richardson got off to a slow start and never recovered. I don't think he hurt himself, but he sure didn't help. I love Bill, but I'm tired of hearing "As Governor of New Mexico..." We know you're Governor of New Mexico, thanks.
I'll be spending this week working for ABC at Belmont Racetrack in preparation for the stakes, so blogging may be noticeably limited.
I'll try to keep up to date as best as I can.
Every day, I blog from my office in my house, less than three miles from John F. Kennedy International Airport, which made this story even more important to me.
Scarier still, the gas tanks that were the initial targets sit on the western end of the airport, the closest part to where I live, and the underground 40-mile pipeline runs below the neighboring neighborhood.
If you really want to feel like terrorists are targeting you, try living here, at this moment, when you're reading about this.
I'll be spendng the night relaxing at my friend's house in Southampton on the other end of Long Island until tomorrow night.
Busy week ahead too, there'll be some blogging on the CNN Democratic Debate tomorrow night and whatever comes up.
Washington D.C. police search far and wide for missing intern Chandra Levy in a bizarre murder case than brings down a California congressman
The crown prince of Nepal slaughters his entire family in a shocking massacre that ends the life of the king, queen, and all of their children.
Tony Blair leads the Labour party to a successful reelection in the first general elections since their 1997 landslide.
An 18 year old newly legal boy rides around Long Island with his girlfriend trying to figure out who sings that damn song WLIR keeps playing.
It was Delerium featuring Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None The Richer.) The song is called "Innocente (Falling In Love)"
Democrats are going into the 2008 Presidential primaries with an advantage they haven't had in contemporary American political history;
A leg up in the first primary state of New Hampshire.
The Granite State has historically been a GOP stronghold, and even until recently, a "pink" state, but since 2004, the New Hampshire GOP has been in complete disarray thanks to the ideological divide between New Hampshire voters and the GOP nationwide.
In 2004, John Kerry carried New Hampshire with 50.2%, making him one of only three Democrats to win a majority statewide in the last 100 years. (The other two being Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and FDR in 1940 and 1944, all three won landslides nationwide.) Kerry was also the first Democrat to win New Hampshire, but lose the election in post Civil-War American history. That same year Democrat John Lynch defeated one-term GOP incumbent Craig Benson 51%-49%, the first time a Democrat defeated a one term incumbent since 1924. New Hampshire voted for George W. Bush in 2000, after going to Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 with a plurality. Before that, Republicans won the state from 1948-1988 with the exception of Lyndon Johnson's landslide win in 1964.
Two years later, John Lynch led the Democratic Party to a statewide landslide of monumental proportions, winning nearly three out of four New Hampshire votes. Both GOP Representatives in the House of Representatives, both moderates, were defeated by staunchly anti-war Democrats Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter. The latter's victory came totally unexpected. The 110th Congress marked the first time since 1914 that New Hampshire was represented in the House of Representatives by two Democrats. The New Hampshire General Court, which had been in GOP control for over a century, flipped to the Democrats.
The muscle Democrats seem to be showing in the approaching election doesn't bode well for the state's junior Senator; John Sununu. Sununu narrowly defeated then-Governor Jeanne Shaheen in a controversial election in 2002, a Republican year. Next year, he may face Shaheen again, and if not, Democrats seem ready to throw their support behind Portsmouth mayor Steve Marchand. Either way, Sununu is a top target of Democrats, and a depressed New Hampshire GOP does not help their chances of keeping the seat and flipping the narrow control of the US Senate.
With 2008 approaching, Democratic Presidential candidates are drawing bigger crowds, more donors and more enthusiasm than the GOP hopefuls.
According to the Boston Globe on May 31st, Democratic candidates have averaged $22,224 from 193 donors, while the Republican candidates averaged $20.028 from 144 donors, more than half of that being from Mitt Romney, the former Governor of neighboring Massachusetts. A recent poll showed 47% of Democrats extremely interested in the upcoming primaries, while only 25% of Republicans are very interested. CNN reported on June 1, 2007 that 2/3 of New Hampshire Independents, who make up a plurality of registered voters, plan to vote in the Democratic primary.
What's destroying the GOP in New Hampshire? Well, the war is obviously unpopular nationwide, especially in New Hampshire, but it is New Hampshire's political history of being the "Live Free or Die" state that has hurt the GOP. For years, the GOP has been able to win over New Hampshire by opposing issues associated with the Democratic Party; the welfare state, big government, taxes, spending, gun control, etc. Now, the Republican Party is supporting issues New Hampshire Libertarians oppose; parts of the PATRIOT Act, Warantless wiretapping, the religious right. Government intrusion on people's lives is not a popular thing in New Hampshire, never was. Remember, this is the state that vehemently opposes mandatory seat belt laws. Previous to this administration, it had been the Democrats who had been branded as the party who intruded into privacy, but today, the Republicans appear to be that party and it has hurt them in the land of Live Free or Die.
New Hampshire and the first caucus state of Iowa are key swing states in the general election. Democratic strength in the New Hampshire primary gives a good indication as to who would be the favorite in the general. Democratic strength indicates the possibility that Democrats will again win New Hampshire in the general and steal all of New England again. As if it wasn't bad enough the Republicans have pretty much lost the rest of New England, losing New Hampshire would essentially turn the Northeast US into a region that will balance out the Republican south...assuming the south stays Republican.
Ok, so this guy made a really stupid decision to travel to Europe even though he was sick, but really, it doesn't look like anyone got hurt and it doesn't look like there will be an outbreak of deady TB, so let's not lynch the guy.
Sure, there should be punishment, but threatening him or wishing for his death is a little over the line.
Especially if you're the Minority Leader of the Connecticut Senate.
I didn't even know there was such a crime as Second degree conspiracy to commit threatening. What exactly does that mean?
When did this happen?
Well, Florida needs rain anyway.
Oh, btw, hurricane season starts TODAY, and we're on letter B
Bush advisor Dan Bartlett, who has stood at the President's side since his election as Governor of Texas in 1994, is leaving the White House to get a job in the private sector.
White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten says he hopes to fill Barlett's position with someone else, but that person would not have an identical role.
After all, Bartlett's replacement would only be there for 598 days.
ah, 598 days left of this madness
