At the tender age of 30, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., has more standing than anyone else in Congress to this recent claim: “This place is a much more sophisticated junior high school. There are the nice guys that everybody likes, the jocks, the geeks, the bullies — they’re all here.” This line of thought has had bloggers at RedState.org trying to liken lawmakers to their school counterparts (Tom DeLay as bully, Dennis Kucinich as band kid, Nancy Pelosi as hippie, etc.). Not hard to place “Todd the Bod” Tiahrt (actual nickname from his youth) among the jocks, but what of Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
White House staffers could probably use a laugh right now to distract them from all the serious talk of indictments and Harriet Miers. Maybe that’s why some of them are reading The Onion.
But this New York Times article makes me question White House spokesman Trent Duffy’s claim that the staffers “have a sense of humor, believe it or not.”
Apparently the White House took time to write a letter to The Onion, asking that it quit using the presidential seal with its parody of the president’s weekly radio address.
Scott Dikkers, editor in chief of the satirical paper, wrote in response, “I’m surprised the president deems it wise to spend taxpayer money for his lawyer to write letters to The Onion.”
Posted by Melissa Cooley
The four new site maps for the downtown arena give citizens an even better sense of the strengths and weaknesses of each location option. Sedgwick County leaders say there is no clear front-runner yet. So if you have a favorite site, let the county know — either by posting comments on the county’s online forum (www.sedgwickcounty.org) or by attending an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday in the atrium of the Bank of America building, 100 N. Main.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
As a Tuesday meeting of the Fabrique Neighborhood Association indicated, city officials will have to make the case for moving the Patrol East police substation to Central and Greenwich. Residents near the current Edgemoor substation don’t want it to move, and some near the proposed new station don’t want it in their backyard (as if some kind of development isn’t inevitable there). As it is, the Edgemoor location puts officers near some transitional neighborhoods that are coping with renewed gang activity. Can officers still be as effective from several miles away? City Hall needs to ensure the answer is “yes” or risk leaving Patrol East’s current neighbors feeling abandoned.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Everybody wants Japan to hurry up and reopen its markets to U.S. beef, because the mad cow-related lockout is costing the U.S. beef industry $1 billion a year. And the leadership on this issue by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and other Kansans in Congress has been impressive. But are billions of dollars in annual tariffs on Japanese products the means to the desired end? If the tariffs legislation in Congress, authored by Roberts and Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., is mostly meant as a threat to push Japan to act by the end of the year, OK. And if President Bush can get Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to relent during his Nov. 15-16 trip to Japan, great. But tariffs on Japanese goods would end up punishing Americans, too, by driving up prices and hurting economic growth.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Though President Bush is clearly in a hole, rumors of his political demise are exaggerated. After all, two other recent presidents — Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton — faced and overcame major problems and scandals during their second terms, and so could Bush. In fact, Bush advisers are taking clues from the former presidents’ playbooks to help Bush weather this political storm, The Washington Post reported. And Bush even sounded just like Clinton recently when he dismissed the scandal talk as “background noise” and said that “the American people expect me to do my job, and I’m going to.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
I’m sad that we’re at a place in America where torture is considered by some a legitimate tool against “terrorists” or any other of our enemies.
Vice President Dick Cheney reportedly has been pressuring Congress to include language in John McCain’s anti-torture provision that would exempt the CIA “if the president determines that such operations are vital to the protection of the United States or its citizens from terrorist attacks.”
This at the same time that White House press secretary Scott McClellan declared that the president’s position is “very clear: We do not condone torture, nor would he ever authorize the use of torture.” No, but he will wink and look the other way.
McCain, who was a victim of torture as a Vietnam prisoner of war, is rejecting the changes, saying that they would “basically allow the CIA to engage in torture.”
I’m all for aggressive interrogation techniques against our enemies. But my support stops well short of torture and murder (a new report says that 21 detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan have been murdered by their American captors).
Yes, I know — these are bad guys. This is the “real world.” But in the real world, endorsing torture puts our nation on the moral level of third-rate dictators like Saddam Hussein and opens our soldiers to the kind of cruel and degrading abuse that McCain suffered in Vietnam.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
However special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald concludes his CIA leak probe, it will leave somebody grumbling about these probes’ cost and prosecutors’ lack of accountability, etc. But unlike Ken Starr and most of his predecessors, Fitzgerald at least knows how to squeeze the most out of a buck: The first 15 months of his investigation cost $723,000, according to the Government Accountability Office. Compare that with the more than $3 million that independent counsel David M. Barrett spent during the same period. Didn’t know there still was an independent counsel? There is. Barrett has spent 10 years and $21 million probing former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros — never mind that Cisneros pleaded guilty six years ago to lying to the FBI, paid a $10,000 fine and won a pardon from President Clinton. No wonder members of Congress are trying to yank Barrett’s funding.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Longtime Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison has a strong track record and a high profile, having successfully prosecuted such killers as Richard Grissom and John Robinson. On his resume alone, he should be a competitive candidate for Kansas attorney general. But what about that party switch? It’s hard enough for Democrats who transform themselves into Republicans to win in this red state. But a Republican who restyles himself as a Democrat for a statewide run? In any case, Morrison’s Tuesday announcement promises a lively debate on the substance of Attorney General Phill Kline’s controversial first term. This should be interesting.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Speaking of Attorney General Phill Kline: It’s good that he is trying to get to the bottom of how a videotaped interview with Dennis Rader ended up being aired on “Dateline NBC.” Kline alleged Tuesday that Massachusetts psychologists Robert Mendoza and Tali Walter breached their contract with the state by selling the tape.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Rosa Parks, who died Monday, was tired after working all day and didn’t want to have to give up her bus seat to a white man. “I felt that I had the right to be treated as any other passenger,” she explained later. It was the simplicity of her story that ignited the civil rights movement and that still resonates 50 years later.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Seventy-nine percent of Iraqi voters approved the constitution in the nationwide referendum held Oct. 15, according to official results released Tuesday. That’s great news and a historic milestone. It doesn’t mean, of course, that Iraq is safer now — as evidenced by Monday’s attack on a Baghdad hotel. Or that Iraq doesn’t still face a huge challenge holding together a divided country — the Sunni minority overwhelmingly opposed the constitution. But the vote is a powerful statement about the desire of most Iraqis to live in freedom and govern themselves.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
I’ll be surprised if Vice President Dick Cheney gets indicted in the Valerie Plame case. But even if he isn’t, the reports that it was Cheney who told his chief of staff Scooter Libby that Plame worked for the CIA are still damaging to the administration. And what about the White House pledge made on Sept. 29, 2003, that if the probe discovers that someone in the administration did leak, that person "would no longer be in this administration”?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Janet Murguia, a former KU vice chancellor who is now president and chief executive of the National Council of La Raza, laid into the Bush administration in a commentary in Monday’s Washington Post over reports that officials are sweeping hurricane shelters looking to bust and deport illegal immigrants. She writes: "No matter what you believe about the nation’s failed immigration policies and the presence of undocumented immigrants in the United States, you should be alarmed that the federal government is willing to breach the promise of safe harbor offered by its own agencies and those run by private charities. Not only does it offend every basic humanitarian principle to round up those who have sought help out of desperation, but it does grave damage to the larger public health and safety." The tactic also seems at odds with President Bush’s immigration goals.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It took a while, but the knives are finally coming out at The New York Times over its embattled reporter Judith Miller and her editors. Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote: "Sorely in need of a tight editorial leash, she (Miller) was kept on no leash at all, and that has hurt this paper and its trust with readers. She more than earned her sobriquet ‘Miss Run Amok.’ "
And noting Miller’s credibility problems, Dowd argued that Times management "should have nailed her to a chair and extracted the entire story of her escapade" before turning Miller’s case into a First Amendment battle.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Syria’s involvement in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is more damning than disclosed in a United Nations report. That’s because the names of the brother of Bashar al-Assad, president of Syria, and other members of his inner circle were dropped from the report that was sent to the U.N. Security Council, The Times of London reported. How do we know this? It seems U.N. officials screwed up and distributed an electronic version of the report that allowed recipients to track editing changes.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Records recently obtained by a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit show that the FBI has had hundreds of potential violations of surveillance rules, The Washington Post reported. Violations included conducting surveillance on U.S. residents for as long as 18 months without proper paperwork or oversight, obtaining e-mails after a warrant expired, seizing bank records without proper authority, and conducting an improper "unconsented physical search."
FBI officials downplayed the violations as mostly administrative errors. Maybe, but you don’t have to be a card-carrying member of the ACLU to be uneasy when the government keeps saying "trust us."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
When a visionary dies, it instantly puts the realization of the dream at risk. To the credit of the board members, volunteers and film fans involved in the Tallgrass Film Festival, the third annual event showed no sign of faltering over the weekend, attracting a sizable audience as it honored late founder Timothy Gruver with the Ad Astra Award. The next challenge is to keep the festival that Gruver built growing in donations and recognition. The weekend suggested the event’s future looks bright.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
President Bush didn’t look too far for a replacement for Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan, naming White House economic adviser Ben Bernanke to the post Monday, effective early next year. Wall Street’s first impression reaction of the Harvard and MIT grad was reassuring — a rise in stock prices. So was Greenspan’s statement calling Bernanke a "distinguished appointment." Especially given that Greenspan has served 18 years under four presidents, Bush’s judgment in picking the 51-year-old Bernanke likely will matter long after the president is back at the ranch.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said on NBC’s "Meet the Press" Sunday that she hoped if special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald brings indictments in the CIA leak case, it would be for "a crime and not some perjury technicality where they couldn’t indict on the crime and so they go to something just to show that their two years of investigation was not a waste of time and taxpayer dollars." Funny, that’s not what she and other Republicans said during the Ken Starr investigation of President Clinton. Perjury is a serious crime, regardless of whether it’s committed by Republicans or Democrats.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Congratulations to Eleanor Kennedy who won this week’s cartoon caption contest. Ms. Kennedy’s entry, "Are you going to tell the kids, or am I?" was sent in by, well, her kid. Kathleen Kennedy emailed the entry to us, letting us know that she was submitting it on behalf of her 82-year-old mom, Eleanor. Among the best of the also-rans, in a contest with heavier-than-normal turnout, were these: From Mike Pizzuto of Wichita, came "It says ‘This page intentionally left blank.’ " Carolyn Schmidt sent "Maybe a million monkeys ona million typewriters should be given a shot at this…" Grant Vance from Wichita submitted "Sorry, guys, but we’ll have to find another state to hold our family reunion in!" From Jay York of Wichita came "Calm down, Grandpa; it’s just a theory." Kathy Deane’s caption was "Well, fellas, according to this, it’s unclear where you came from, but I think you’ll still be able to run for office!"
Wichitan Michael Cate sent "Is it Intelligent Design’ or just more monkey business?" Retired biology teacher from Medicine Lodge, Karry England, had this to say: "I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore, Bozo!" From Wichita, Shane Rasco sent "Thank God you guys haven’t evolved enough to comprehend the unintelligent design of Kansas law." John Pilla’s caption was "The flatter-than-a-pancake standard has replaced you guys." Gerard Rodriguez said "I don’t care how impeccable your credentials are, Corkins has the job!" From Karen Wallace of Wichita: "Ah, my paid consultants have arrived."
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald obviously runs a tight, disciplined ship, because the leaks coming out of his investigation of the Valerie Plame affair are next to zero. With the investigation over, the national media don’t really have a clue whether he’s going to simply close up shop and go home or actually hand down indictments. Lots of speculation.
Maybe it’s not true that secrets can’t be kept in Washington, D.C.
The media have been reduced to speculating wildly about outward signs, such as Fitzgerald saying he will hold a press conference to announce findings in Washington, not Chicago (hmm — indictments?), to the fact that his team set up a Web page on the Justice Department site (aha — that could only mean indictments!).
Whatever the outcome, it should be coming this week. Shouldn’t it? Stay tuned. . . .
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature recently went to Harold Pinter, the British playwright who in recent years has been best known as a vocal critic of the Bush administration and the Iraq war.
Pinter might be deserving (although critics generally agree that in recent decades his work has been mediocre at best), but once again, the choice and timing support those who say the Swedish Academy picks are predictably political and left-leaning.
That argument aside, the Nobel Prize for literature has always seemed overhyped and suspect to me. The Nobel committee often fails to recognize true giants. Surely you can’t argue that Pinter and Pearl S. Buck (another winner) are greater writers than, say, Borges or Nabokov (neither of whom won).
Posted by Randy Scholfield
National test data released last week could add weight to Kansas State Board of Education chairman Steve Abrams’ argument for Kansas to pull out of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Math scores were up slightly among fourth- and eighth-graders. But reading scores didn’t improve for fourth-graders and went down for eighth-graders.
It appears that maybe no child is getting ahead.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
It’s too early to know whether Florida’s plan to limit Medicaid spending and benefits — approved last week by the Bush administration — will be successful, and what all the societal cost might be. Under the plan, Florida will pay monthly premiums on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries to private insurers, and it will set a ceiling on spending. But states must find ways to curb Medicaid costs, as a Kansas legislative committee has been working to do this fall. Medicaid is the biggest budget challenge facing states, and its growth rate is unsustainable.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
