That the United States has had 43 presidents and only, as of Thursday, 17 chief justices underscores how judiciously the latter job must be filled. Newly confirmed Chief Justice John Roberts could preside over the Supreme Court for decades. May he do so in accordance with his stated respect for precedent (showing up the 22 Senate Democrats who voted against him presumably because they assumed he was lying). And may the predictions of a fierce partisan battle over the next opening prove wrong.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Kansas Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence, is putting his young family ahead of higher office in opting not to challenge Gov. Kathleen Sebelius next year. Good for him. But Schmidt is one to watch for the future — which should be long, given that he’s 37. One of the sharper minds at the Statehouse, the attorney understands its political process and seems undaunted by the Kansas GOP’s infamous split.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Cindy Sheehan is entitled to her grief and her chosen expressions of it, including a 26-day vigil near President Bush’s ranch last month and the civil disobedience that got her arrested in front of the White House Monday. And there was something reassuring about seeing 100,000 citizens of our complacent nation care enough to gather Saturday in the nation’s capital to protest the war. But to their shouts of “Stop the war now!” I wanted to say: You’re kidding, right? None of the good arguments to be made that we shouldn’t have invaded Iraq matter a whit now that we’re there. Protesters or not, we have a job to finish.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
After years of downplaying conservation as part of a comprehensive energy policy, President Bush’s wishy-washy statement urging Americans to conserve gas could not have been more hypocritical or ineffectual.
“I mean, people just need to recognize that the storms have caused disruption and that if they’re able to maybe not drive . . . on a trip that’s not essential, that would be helpful,” he said.
Um, is there any real policy behind this? Such as increased fuel efficiency standards for autos, which the administration has long resisted? This from a president who believes you can have it all — wars, disasters, deficits — and never have to really sacrifice anything.
More faith-based policy from the Bush team.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
No, the USD 259 substitute teacher didn’t follow procedures and probably used poor judgment in forcing some students to clean up a small pile that may or may not have been human doo-doo that one of them may or may not have produced.
In truth, this story doesn’t seem to be that big.
More revealing were Wichitans’ reactions to the incident: Some seem eager to believe the worst urban myths about horrific conditions in the schools. Others expressed a frustration that teachers don’t have the authority to discipline kids without being second-guessed and undercut by parents and administrators.
The fuzzy facts so far don’t seem to lend themselves clearly to either camp.
What are readers’ takes on the incident?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
“I can tell you there are no plans, there are no studies, there is no intent to try to sell what we have here.”
— Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, speaking to The Eagle editorial board Wednesday about the future of the Boeing IDS plant in Wichita. However, he added a caveat that the Wichita plant has to continue to be competitive and return value to shareholders.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
After his nauseating Bennifer romance, it’s been hard to take Ben Affleck seriously as a human being, let alone an actor. But some Virginia Democrats want him to make the leap from moviemaking to lawmaking. His name is supposedly being tossed around as a possible Democratic challenger to Sen. George Allen, The Washington Post reported.
Star power can be overpowering at the polls. Just look at Arnold Schwarzenegger. But is it enough to make voters forget — or at least forgive — “Gigli”?
Posted by Melissa Cooley
