Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., has said he won’t read the 7,100-word profile of him, headlined “God’s Senator,” in the current Rolling Stone, which has gotten notice mostly for the author’s questionable contention that he heard Brownback jokingly refer to gay Swedes as “fruits.”
“I generally don’t read hit pieces,” Brownback said.
But Kansans might want to read it, especially those who think they twice elected Brownback to represent them in the U.S. Senate. The article relates how Brownback, in a New York City church, raised a hand to the heavens and declared, “This is about serving one constituent.” How Brownback credits Pat Robertson with getting him elected. And how involved Brownback is in a secretive brotherhood of Christian power brokers called the Fellowship and as leader of the religious right’s influential Values Action Team.
Brownback confirmed last year that he won’t seek another term in the Senate, instead focusing on a possible 2008 presidential bid. But it’s increasingly fair for Kansans, reading such articles, to wonder whether their priorities are Brownback’s priorities.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
As he visited Topeka last weekend to promote unity as keynote speaker at the Kansas Republican Party’s annual Kansas Day banquet, Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman made this thought-provoking point about White House aspirants: “There’s two kinds of people who run for president. There’s people who want to do things as president and people who want to be president.” The nation has had both kinds (maybe it takes both kinds), but surely the wanna-dos are preferable to the wannabes. I’m guessing Mehlman counts Bush among the doers, though how much he can get done this term is in serious doubt.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Internal Federal Emergency Management Agency e-mails given to Senate investigators show that hundreds of available trucks, boats, planes and federal officials went unused for search-and-rescue operations in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina because FEMA didn’t give them missions, the Associated Press reported. E-mails also show that Louisiana’s health emergency preparedness official told the federal Health and Human Services Department two days before the hurricane landed that the state didn’t need help in evacuating hospitals and nursing homes after Katrina hit, AP also reported this week. Unfortunately, the mismanagement continues, as two FEMA employees were arrested last week for accepting bribes from contractors.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
With a nightclub entertainment district, some brawls and rowdiness come with the territory. But the gun battle in Old Town over the weekend resembled the shoot-out at the OK Corral. A man shot four times in the air and then leveled his gun at police officers, who responded by firing 18 shots at him.
No one was hurt, and a suspect was later arrested, but the area’s image as a safe nightspot might have taken a hit.
As police stressed, this incident was an “anomaly,” and Old Town remains a safe place, but it’s important that area merchants and police work together to identify problems and create a safe atmosphere. For visitors, perception is as important as reality.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Cindy Sheehan performed a valuable public service last summer by camping outside President Bush’s Crawford ranch and drawing attention to the ongoing problems in Iraq. But, unfortunately, she has weakened her powerful personal message as she has expanded her protesting.
Sheehan marginalized herself by meeting last weekend with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who put his arm around her and called for help in bringing down “the U.S. empire” (see photo). Another bad move would be if she goes forward with her plan to run against Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Then Tuesday night she was arrested in the House gallery before the start of the State of the Union address.
Sheehan’s vigil struck an emotional chord with millions of Americans — liberals and conservatives — because of its simple message of a grieving mother who lost her son in Iraq and didn’t want other families to needlessly experience similar pain. The more she gets beyond that message, the less effective she becomes.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
