Just Another Blog: Nuclear Strategy

Just Another Blog: Nuclear Strategy: "Straight off the AP Wire, Jesse Holland writes of the Seven Republican senators that will determine the outcome of the showdown on the filibuster.

The seven GOP senators that have not committed publicly to supporting either Senate leader are:
Susan Collins of Maine, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, John Warner of Virginia, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John Sununu of New Hampshire."

Boxer's hold another hitch in Bolton vote / Senator seeks access to papers, calls White House uncooperative

Boxer's hold another hitch in Bolton vote / Senator seeks access to papers, calls White House uncooperative: "Sen. Barbara Boxer of California has erected a roadblock against John Bolton, President Bush's embattled nominee for U.N. ambassador, in a fight with the administration over access to"

Emanuel: 'Name not important'

Emanuel: 'Name not important': "Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) has offered to remove his name from a lobbying reform bill if Republican leadership agrees to give the bill a vote on the House floor.

The move follows warnings by House Republican leaders that the legislation would face strong opposition if Emanuel remained a co-author. It also comes as Democrats and Republicans are jockeying for higher ethical ground amid a heightened focus in Washington on lobbying practices."

Report could hurt Bolton

Report could hurt Bolton: "State Department officials have shared with Senate Democrats the findings of a sensitive State Department inspector general’s report that could further undermine the nomination of John Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
"

Two Out of Three Oppose GOP 'Nuclear Option' in New Poll

The Emerging Democratic Majority WebLog - DonkeyRising: "A recently-released Washington Post/ABC News Poll reveals overwhelming public opposition to the GOP 'Nuclear Option' for confirming federal judicial nominees. The Poll, conducted on 4/24, indicated that 66 percent of respondents oppose 'changing senate rules to make it easier' for Republicans to confirm Bush's judicial nominees, while only 26 percent said they supported the proposal."

Small Elementary Class Size Boosts High School Grad Rates - Yahoo! News

Small Elementary Class Size Boosts High School Grad Rates - Yahoo! News: "Small class size in elementary school raises the likelihood that children will graduate from high school, a new study finds. The researchers say this is especially true for students from low-income homes."

Small Elementary Class Size Boosts High School Grad Rates - Yahoo! News

Small Elementary Class Size Boosts High School Grad Rates - Yahoo! News: "Small class size in elementary school raises the likelihood that children will graduate from high school, a new study finds. The researchers say this is especially true for students from low-income homes."

Does the Real ID act contain a Constitution-busting Trojan horse?

Does the Real ID act contain a Constitution-busting Trojan horse?

States May Disobey Driver's License Rules

States May Disobey Driver's License Rules - Yahoo! News: "States are threatening to challenge in court and even disobey new orders from Congress to start issuing more uniform driver's licenses and verify the citizenship or legal status of people getting them.
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There is concern among some states that they'll get stuck with a large tab to pay for implementing the new rules and that getting a driver's license will become a bigger headache for law-abiding residents."

Tax-swap bills aid state's wealthiest

DallasNews.com | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News: Only top 10% get relief in Senate plan, legislative analysts say.
"The Senate's version of a huge tax-swap bill would protect the poorest Texans more than the House's, but it would still raise the tax burden on all but the wealthiest households, according to a nonpartisan legislative analysis.

Only the richest 840,000 households – those with annual incomes of more than $140,000 – would receive a net tax cut under the Senate plan, which the full chamber is expected to debate today.

According to the Legislative Budget Board, an agency that helps lawmakers track the budget, the state's other 7.5 million households – 90 percent – would see their tax burden rise. Increased sales taxes, higher prices and lower wages and profits from a broadened business tax would exceed what most save in property tax cuts."

Let's call this what it is--a huge GOP tax increase.

Frist plans to use 'option' on nomination of Owen

Frist plans to use 'option' on nomination of Owen - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - May 10, 2005: "Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist plans for Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to be the judicial nomination on which he uses the 'nuclear option' against Democratic filibusters later this month, according to Republicans familiar with his plans. "

Political Wire: Dean Urges "High Road" for Massachusetts Democrats

Political Wire: Dean Urges "High Road" for Massachusetts Democrats: "Said Dean: 'I don't like to lecture states, but if you run a scorched earth campaign, the nomination won't be worth anything.'"

Political Wire: Women Returning to Democratic Party

Political Wire: Women Returning to Democratic Party

Wired News: No Real Debate for Real ID

Wired News: No Real Debate for Real ID: "Hundreds of civil liberties groups, immigrant support groups and government associations oppose the Real ID Act, a piece of legislation that critics say would produce a de facto national ID card, cost states millions of dollars and punish undocumented immigrants.

Yet despite widespread opposition to the bill, it passed through the House last week and is expected to easily pass through the Senate on Tuesday."

Wash. Mayor Denies Molesting Boys in '70s - Yahoo! News

Wash. Mayor Denies Molesting Boys in '70s - Yahoo! News: "Mayor James E. West, a Republican foe of gay rights, was accused in a newspaper story Thursday of molesting two boys decades ago and was caught by the paper using the trappings of his office to try to court a young man on a gay online chat room.
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West on Thursday denied the molestation allegations, but acknowledged he 'had relations with adult men.'

He admitted offering autographed sports memorabilia and a possible City Hall internship to what he thought was an 18-year-old man on the Web site Gay.com. The man was actually a private computer expert hired by The Spokesman-Review as part of a journalism sting operation."

Public Favors Keeping Filibuster Rule in U.S. Senate

Public Favors Keeping Filibuster Rule in U.S. Senate: "A review of recent public opinion data on this issue suggests four conclusions:

1. The filibuster debate per se has not attracted the attention of the majority of the American public. It is not a high-salience issue to rank-and-file Americans.
2. When the filibuster situation is explained to Americans, the majority appear to favor keeping the rule in place. A plurality also favors the Democratic approach over the Republican approach to the issue.
3. Americans following the filibuster situation closely are more likely to favor keeping it in place than are those who are not following it as closely. Republicans and those who attend church most frequently are more likely to oppose the filibuster rule than are independents, Democrats, and those who do not attend church as frequently.
4. One unanticipated consequence of the rancorous debate appears to be a general diminution of Congress' status, as well as that of both parties in Congress, in the eyes of the American public."

Salon.com Politics

Salon.com Politics: "Bill Frist may or may not pull the trigger on the nuclear option this week, but this much seems clear: The math for the majority leader is a little tighter than he'd like, and not just when it comes to public opinion."

Requires a day pass unless you are a subscriber, but worth it.

Increasingly Embattled, DeLay Scales Back Usual Power Plays

Increasingly Embattled, DeLay Scales Back Usual Power Plays: "DeLay's prowess in fundraising, for instance, was always a pillar of his power in the House. Lining up a corporate aircraft to ferry him to an event was usually arranged with a single phone call. These days, Republican officials report that they are having trouble finding available aircraft -- as businesses fret that DeLay may be radioactive."

Increasingly Embattled, DeLay Scales Back Usual Power Plays

Increasingly Embattled, DeLay Scales Back Usual Power Plays: "DeLay's prowess in fundraising, for instance, was always a pillar of his power in the House. Lining up a corporate aircraft to ferry him to an event was usually arranged with a single phone call. These days, Republican officials report that they are having trouble finding available aircraft -- as businesses fret that DeLay may be radioactive."

Daily Kos :: Filibuster Poll: Dems on right side of issue

Daily Kos :: Filibuster Poll: Dems on right side of issue: "Gallup then surveys the wording and results of several polls on the filibuster issue, then determines:
Although the wording (and time frame) differs across these various surveys' measures of the filibuster situation, the results are similar: Americans oppose changing the rules to get rid of filibusters, no matter how the question is put to them. It also appears that Americans are somewhat more opposed to changing the rules when questions emphasize the specifics of the current situation involving Bush's judicial appointments than when the questions are phrased to focus more broadly on the filibuster rule per se."

Political Wire: Nibbled to Death By Blogs

Political Wire: Nibbled to Death By Blogs: "These days, Mickey Kaus notes 'it's hard for politicians to wait out bad publicity' because blogs 'are there to make sure the bad publicity doesn't go away.' "

Senate GOP Hopes Deal Will End Filibusters

Senate GOP Hopes Deal Will End Filibusters: "'The United States Senate is a minority rights institution unique in the world,' Hagel said. 'And I don't think either side wants to give that up. Now, the other part of this, which I also believe strongly, is that presidents deserve votes on their nominees.'

Yet he noted that Republicans prevented votes on many of President Clinton's choices for the federal bench.

'The Republicans' hands aren't clean on this either. What we did with Bill Clinton's nominees _ about 62 of them _ we just didn't give them votes in committee or we didn't bring them up,' Hagel said."

My gosh. Hagel tells the truth. Will they drum him out of the GOP.

Church members' ouster sparks uproar

Charlotte Observer | 05/08/2005 | Church members' ouster sparks uproar: "A small mountain church is causing a great big ruckus.

Ousted members of East Waynesville Baptist Church claim that pastor Chan Chandler led an effort to boot them from the church because they don't support President Bush. Nine members were voted out during a church meeting last week.

'He's the kind of pastor who says do it my way or get out,' said Selma Morris, the former church treasurer."

Ending the Senate Impasse

Ending the Senate Impasse: "WE BELIEVE THAT presidents are generally entitled to deference in judicial nominations and that their nominees are generally entitled to up-or-down votes. So we ought to support the Republicans' detonation of the 'nuclear option' when the Senate returns from recess this week, right? Well, not exactly.

The 'nuclear option' involves a procedural trick by which the Senate, which normally changes its rules only when 67 or more senators agree, would rewrite a rule by majority vote. Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) would use this procedure to change the rules to prevent filibusters on judicial nominations. We oppose this in part because it presupposes that history began in 2001 -- that judicial nominations are a fraught subject only because Democrats have been blocking President Bush's appointments."

Third of 5th-graders fail harder-to-pass math test

About.com: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3152871

House, Senate negotiators finalize immigration measure

Abilene Reporter News: Political: "Certain immigration barriers will rise under legislation set for final House approval Thursday.

But with last-minute tinkering, congressional negotiators also softened some of the strongest provisions. The result, called the REAL ID bill, is now on the fast track to the White House.

In broad terms, the bill will establish first-ever national standards deterring illegal immigrants from obtaining drivers licenses. It will make it harder for asylum seekers to win admission to the United States and ease construction of a 3.5-mile fence separating San Diego and Mexico."

USNews.com: The fallout could be devastating if Republicans prevent Democrats from filibustering Bush's judicial nominees (5/16/05)

USNews.com: The fallout could be devastating if Republicans prevent Democrats from filibustering Bush's judicial nominees (5/16/05): "It's hardly a secret that partisan rancor and acrimony have become a fact of life in Washington in recent years, but now the city's political class is bracing for something worse: all-out war. Sometime soon, this week or next, the Republican leadership in the Senate is expected to execute a series of parliamentary maneuvers intended to strip Democrats of their ability to block President Bush's nominees to the federal bench. The likely result: a further ratcheting up of hostilities and a near-complete collapse of any meaningful bipartisan cooperation on Capitol Hill."

Salon.com Politics

Salon.com Politics: "GOP congressman: It's about the oil

From the 'Tell Us Again Why We're Fighting in Iraq' Department, here's Republican Rep. Dan Lungren, in a letter he sent to hundreds of people who wrote to complain about his support for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: 'I feel quite strongly that as long as we have our military in the Middle East fighting so that we can continue to purchase oil from that region, we have an obligation to find alternatives to foreign oil. It is difficult to justify the death of even one soldier when we are not doing everything in our power to explore options for oil within our country.'

A spokeswoman for Lungren, a former attorney general from California who sits on the House Committee on Homeland Security, told the Sacramento News & Review that the congressman read and approved the letter before it went out. She said that Lungren doesn't believe that George W. Bush sent troops to Iraq to secure oil for the United States in the first place, but that that's what U.S. forces are doing now as they battle insurgents trying to 'manipulate the oil.'"

U.S. photos may show Korea nuke test - Yahoo! News

U.S. photos may show Korea nuke test - Yahoo! News: "U.S. government officials are monitoring recent satellite photographs of
North Korea that appear to show extensive preparations for a nuclear weapons test, according to a report in the New York Times, citing officials who have been briefed on the matter."

It Begins: Dems "Excommunicated" From Church? [updated w/ VIDEO]

Daily Kos :: It Begins: Dems "Excommunicated" From Church? [updated w/ VIDEO]: "For those that thought that there has not been a full scale war lanched against liberals; for those who didn't take the radical right's promise to 'eradicate liberals' seriously, I present to you, Exhibit A: East Waynesville Baptist Church has just kicked out all its Democratic members.

Yes. You read that right. If you didn't vote for Bush, you had to 'repent your sin'. And finally, they figured why deal with the liberal sinners at all.."

Boone Pickens Warns of Petroleum Production Peak

EV World: The World of Electric, Plug-in Hybrid, Fuel Cell and Alternative Fuel Vehicles: "Legendary oil magnate calls it as he sees it: peak oil is here.
"

Slashdot | Google Web Accelerator

Slashdot | Google Web Accelerator: "'Google has released a free web accelerator product for both Firefox and Internet Explorer. According to their information page the software uses Google servers as a proxy for web content, delivering the pages to your system more rapidly and compressing them beforehand.'

"

Is CAFTA Going to be Bush's Next Big Failure?

Daily Kos :: Is CAFTA Going to be Bush's Next Big Failure?: "The Bush Administration is about to go on a big push in support of CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement. For once, vaunted Republican unity is frayed. When a bill granting the president so-called 'fast-track' trade authority was put to a vote in 2001, it passed by only a single vote, with over two dozen GOP defections. Everyone seems to be expecting a similar if not larger rate of defection for CAFTA."

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: May 01, 2005 - May 07, 2005 Archives

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: May 01, 2005 - May 07, 2005 Archives: "Chuck Todd, the man behind Hotline, has an excellent column today on the National Journal website (subscription only) about the big issue looming on the radar screen for 2008: immigration. He writes:

There's a disconnect between the politically correct legislators and media in Washington and the general public on the issue. Call it xenophobia if you want, but these [anti-immigration] initiatives are popular with the public, particularly as the economy stagnates and some lower-income workers are looking for someone to blame."

Election 2004 Questions

Brad DeLong's Website: Election 2004 Questions: "Was the election of 2004 stolen? Thus is the question framed by those who don't want to know the answer. Anyone who says yes is immediately a conspiracy nut.... So let's not ask that question."

2 on ethics panel to bow out of any DeLay probe - Politics - MSNBC.com

2 on ethics panel to bow out of any DeLay probe - Politics - MSNBC.com: "Republicans backtracked in an ethics controversy Wednesday for the second time in two weeks, deciding that two GOP members of the ethics committee should withdraw from any investigation of Tom DeLay because they contributed to the majority leader’s legal defense funds."

The Oil Drum: Seriously, maybe they do need the energy

The Oil Drum: Seriously, maybe they do need the energy: "Much has been written in recent days about the Iranian nuclear program. There have been a lot of questions as to whether this is a subterfuge to cover the development of nuclear weapons. The jury on that may not even have been called yet, but perhaps the Iranian Government are not being totally deceptive, and do need the potential energy."

Dean Diversifies DNC

Daily Kos :: Dean Diversifies DNC: "DNC Chair Howard Dean's efforts to diversify at the DNC:

Question: What do Branch Rickey, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Howard Dean have in common?"

Political Wire: Kerry's Edge

Political Wire: Kerry's Edge: "'Democratic insiders' say that Sen. John Kerry’s (D-MA) 'unprecedented direct access to so many current and onetime supporters' -- through a database of 3 million voters he compiled during last year's presidential campaign -- 'is a huge advantage heading into the next Democratic presidential primary,' The Hill reports."

Bush Approval Falls 5 Points in 2 Days

Basie!: Bush Approval Falls 5 Points in 2 Days: "Rasmussen Reports, the only outfit to maintain a daily tracking poll of the President these days (to my knowledge), has seen a rapid abandonment from the President in the past two days to the tune of five points. They write,"

GOP has votes for 'nuclear option,' McConnell says

GOP has votes for 'nuclear option,' McConnell says - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - April 25, 2005: "Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell said yesterday that Republicans have enough votes to invoke the 'nuclear option' to limit Democrats' ability to stall by filibuster consideration of President Bush's nominees for federal appeals courts.
'I never announce my whip count. But I'm telling you, there's no doubt in my mind -- and I'm a pretty good counter of votes -- that we have the votes we need,' the Kentucky Republican said. 'And that step will be taken sometime in the near future at the determination of the majority leader.' "

New York Daily News - World & National Report - Robertson: Judges worse than Al Qaeda

New York Daily News - World & National Report - Robertson: Judges worse than Al Qaeda: "Federal judges are a more serious threat to America than Al Qaeda and the Sept. 11 terrorists, the Rev. Pat Robertson claimed yesterday.

'Over 100 years, I think the gradual erosion of the consensus that's held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings,' Robertson said on ABC's 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos.'"

Screwing the Very People Who Gave Him the "Mandate"

The Decembrist: Screwing the Very People Who Gave Him the "Mandate": "I noticed something interesting things in the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' analysis of what seems to be the newest iteration of the Bush Social Security plan, one that combines private accounts with 'progressive price indexing,' presumably modeled on the Pozen plan. This plan is not a significant redistribution from the well-off to the poor, rather it's a big hit on people at about the $60,000 earnings level, or the equivalent in the future."

Bush Working to Avoid Setback Over Bolton

Bush Working to Avoid Setback Over Bolton - Yahoo! News: "President Bush, stunned when John R. Bolton's nomination for
United Nations ambassador hit a Republican road bump, is working hard to avoid a political setback at the outset of his second term when senators hold a showdown vote next week."

Political Wire: Bill Would Add House Seats

Political Wire: Bill Would Add House Seats: "House Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) will reintroduce a bill today that would give the District of Columbia a full-fledged seat in the House of Representatives, Roll Call reports. Davis' legislation 'would temporarily expand the chamber to 437 seats, providing the District with full-fledged House representation while also adding a fourth district in Utah, which fell short of receiving a new seat after the 2000 reapportionment.'"

DeLay investigation triggering 'ethics war'

DeLay investigation triggering 'ethics war' | csmonitor.com: "A timely photo op with President Bush and a tribute at the Capitol Hilton next week signal how seriously official Washington is taking the next round of ethics investigations around embattled House leader Tom DeLay.

It's an investigation that the House majority leader says he welcomes, to clear his name. But it's also threatening to engulf other members of Congress, as opposition researchers for both parties plunge into member disclosure forms in search of lapses. The looming ethics war could write a new chapter in an long-running story of money, power, and boundary lines in Washington."

"Fixing" SS: Repeal Bush's Giveaway To The Rich

Daily Kos :: Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.

The [Social Security] game is also fixed because the president has narrowed the range of Social Security options to protect his most questionable policy choices.

Ruling Keeps GOP Challenge Alive

Political Wire: Ruling Keeps GOP Challenge Alive: "Ruling Keeps GOP Challenge Alive
Republicans 'dodged a major threat to their legal challenge' of Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire's (D) election, 'with the judge in the case saying he'll listen to their core argument for divvying up illegal votes based on statistical patterns,' the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

But the Seattle Times notes Democrats had significant victories in the ruling as well."

Out to shock the world over Saudi reserves

Out to shock the world over Saudi reserves - [Sunday Herald]: "George Bush’s energy adviser Matt Simmons claims the global economy has misjudged oil supply"

The Quagmire President

The Emerging Democratic Majority WebLog - DonkeyRising: "The 100-day assessments of President Bush’s 2nd term are now appearing in newspapers near you, and it’s not a pretty picture. In fact, if his current streak continues, Bush may soon be dubbed “The Quagmire President,” as a result of the failure of his Iraq and Social Security initiatives and his plummeting numbers in recent opinion polls on both topics. As John F. Harris and Jim Vandehei put it in their Washington Post article, “Doubts About Mandate for Bush, GOP,”"

2 Texas senators are caught between two giants of the airline industry

DallasNews.com | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News: "Texas Republican Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn find themselves in the middle of a brawl they did not start.

They would have been happy continuing to honor a 25-year truce, with Southwest Airlines operating at Dallas Love Field and American Airlines doing its thing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.


Instead, the two senators are caught between two giants of the airline industry, both headquartered on their home turf, together employing 35,000 workers in the"

The Democrats are Actually the Majority

Political Wire: Quote of the Day: "'The minority Democrats in the Senate actually represent more Americans than the majority Republicans do.' "

What Mandate?

Political Wire: What Mandate?

Democrats Claim GOP Skipped 432 Illegal Voters

Political Wire: Democrats Claim GOP Skipped 432 Illegal Voters

Battling On Benefits

TIME.com: Battling On Benefits -- May. 09, 2005

Blog for America

Blog for America

Rice Ducks Venezuela Spat After Attacks Backfire

Rice Ducks Venezuela Spat After Attacks Backfire - Yahoo! News

Bush takes on still more political risk | csmonitor.com

Bush takes on still more political risk | csmonitor.com

Newsday.com: On Social Security, Bush distorts

Newsday.com: On Social Security, Bush distorts

Stay-At-Home Moms Deserve High Pay, Analysis Shows - Yahoo! News

Stay-At-Home Moms Deserve High Pay, Analysis Shows - Yahoo! News