Staying true to form, Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, blamed "liberal Democrats" for his decision to end his re-election bid. He said that rather than focusing on ideas, the Democrats were making the election about his legal problems and scandals. "I refuse to allow liberal Democrats an opportunity to steal this seat with a negative campaign," he said. This from the man who personified divisive, smashmouth politics.
More likely, DeLay realized that even if he won re-election — a big "if" — he would never be majority leader again. Many observers also suspect that DeLay, who was indicted for alleged campaign-finance violations in Texas, feared being indicted in the expanding scandal that has already captured his former deputy chief of staff, Tony Rudy, who pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy and corruption charges.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
"It was all gubernatorial politics" is how Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Jean Schodorf (in photo), R-Wichita, described the Kansas Senate votes last week on education funding, the Associated Press reported. Most Republicans, not including Schodorf, opposed the House funding bill backed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Instead, they backed (and all the Democrats opposed) an alternative proposal offered by GOP gubernatorial hopeful Sen. Jim Barnett, R-Emporia. Schodorf also noted how Barnett turned the floor debate into a campaign event, complete with oversize charts. "The charts and the graphs and the full-fledged campaign speech — that was a surprise," Schodorf said.
Then again, maybe it shouldn’t have been.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
On NBC’s "Meet the Press" Sunday, retired Gen. Anthony Zinni (in photo) had strong words for the Bush administration’s "lack of credible planning" for the Iraq war and failure to develop intelligence about the insurgency. He noted, "We’re not fighting the Waffen SS here. You know, we’re fighting a bunch of ragtag people with AK-47s and IEDs and RPGs. They can be policed up if the people turn against them. We haven’t won the hearts and minds yet."
He continued: "If there’s a viable government, there’s an opportunity for jobs, if there’s a program that shows hope for the future for their children, they’re going to turn against these people. We haven’t given them that in three years."
Still, can’t the Iraqi people see for themselves that supporting the insurgency is contrary to their interests? Or have they just updated their Saddam-era fear to enable these thugs?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The altercation last week between Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., and a U.S. Capitol policeman was bizarre. The policeman said McKinney hit him with her cell phone after he stopped her for trying to bypass the metal detector at a House office building without wearing the proper identification. And Monday, Capital Police sought an arrest warrant for McKinney.
McKinney initially said that she appreciated and supported the Capitol Hill police. But then she claimed during a press conference Friday (see photo) that the policeman inappropriately touched and stopped her, and her attorney said McKinney was a victim of "being in Congress while black."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Wichita City Council member Jim Skelton was right last week to urge that the council consider the deal to pay off some Eaton Place debt not as part of the consent agenda at a workshop but as its own agenda item during a televised meeting, which will happen today. When Skelton balked, council member Sharon Fearey struck a wrong note by declaring, "I thought we had it all worked out from executive session." Some council matters are rightly discussed in closed session, but none should be settled there, informally or otherwise, especially when they concern subjects of as much interest to the public as the Eaton.
That said, the complex deal seems reasonable — to accept $427,000 from a developer to retire more than $1.4 million in government loans used for the $15.3 million public-private project. It means the city will see some money now, rather than risk having to pay an additional $685,000 under the lender support agreement or wait decades for the developer to pay the full loan amount.
For all the tricky decisions going in and difficulty finding retail tenants since, Eaton Place has proved itself. The city spared the historic Eaton Hotel from the wrecking ball and has seen it attract apartment tenants. And brighter days likely are ahead for its 30,000 square feet of commercial space once the downtown arena goes in nearby.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
When a delegate at the recent "War on Christians and Values Voters in 2006" conference raised the question of whether Christians should buy newspapers to further their agenda, conservative activist Paul Weyrich suggested it would be a waste of money, according to The Dallas Morning News: "Newspapers are a dying industry. There won’t be any newspapers 20 years from now. Buy television."
Such doom-and-gloom predictions should be taken with a large grain of salt. (Remember that Newt Gingrich said eight years ago that "I would hope within five years they would have no more textbooks.") Weyrich’s wishful thinking also ignores the fact that newspapers remain very profitable.
My question is this: If newspapers are no more, where will talking heads get the reporting they twist into their talking points?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
