Daily Archives: July 30, 2005

Will short memory lead to short appointment?

It seems that John Bolton — President Bush’s nominee for United Nations ambassador, forgot that he was interviewed by the State Department in 2003 as part of an investigation into faulty prewar intelligence.
“It seems unusual that Mr. Bolton would not remember his involvement in such a serious matter,” said Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “In my mind, this raises more questions that need to be answered.”
Americans should be getting answers this weekend, but they may be getting a temporary U.N. appointment instead.
Posted by Melissa Cooley

Two smart health care reforms

The U.S. House of Representatives recently took up several health care bills, a couple of which could help lower costs and expand coverage. H.R. 3204 would extend federal funding for the establishment and operation of state high-risk health insurance policies for people with chronic medical conditions. H.R. 525 would allow small businesses to pool their purchasing power by forming association health plans. Admittedly, these are small, incremental reforms. But they are helpful and smart.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

Luck sure is expensive

The seven astronauts aboard Discovery deserve more than pure luck to keep them alive. But that’s apparently the only reason the shuttle is now cleared for re-entry instead of facing the same problems that led to Columbia’s destruction.
Those astronauts deserve more, and so do the American people, considering that NASA spent more than $1 billion “fixing” the problem.
Posted by Melissa Cooley

So more Americans will know what “Bleeding Kansas” was

OK, so the name couldn’t be any clunkier — the “Bleeding Kansas and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom National Heritage Area.” But the U.S. Senate’s approval of the designation of 26 Kansas counties for their role in that regional struggle leading up to the Civil War brings proponents closer to their worthy goal of preserving and sharing this history through signs, brochures, exhibits, walking trails and the like. This is a story that all Americans need to know and learn from.
Posted by Rhonda Holman