“The formation of a unity government in Iraq is a new day for the millions of Iraqis who want to live in peace,” President Bush said Sunday, marking the formation of a new Iraqi government over the weekend.
The announcement was indeed another “milestone,” in that Sunnis agreed to join the unity government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. But it was notable and discouraging that the three key cabinet posts for gaining control of warring militias and restoring peace — the ministries of interior, defense and national security — remained empty because Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions couldn’t agree on acceptable candidates.
And outside the Green Zone, Sunday, the “new day,” looked a lot like yet another bloody day of bombings and discovered bodies.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The FBI appears to have caught Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., cold. Court papers released Sunday accuse Jefferson of accepting bribes from iGate Inc., a Kentucky high-tech company. Investigators videotaped a meeting last July in which Jefferson allegedly received a briefcase containing $100,000 in $100 bills, The New York Times reported. The FBI reportedly then found $90,000 of that money in the freezer of Jefferson’s Washington, D.C., home in “various frozen food containers and wrapped in aluminum foil.”
This bribery charge has been expected for months. What I’m still waiting for are some indictments related to Jack Abramoff and his associates, who reportedly were singing to authorities about their contacts with other members of Congress.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Here’s columnist Michael Kinsley’s take on why John McCain has been able to win over so many to the left of him politically:
“All successful politicians must have at least some talent for telling lies about what’s in their hearts and convincing people that it is the truth. But Sen. John McCain has a unique genius for telling the truth from his heart and making people believe that he is lying. And these people are his supporters! They admire him as a straight-talking truth-teller, and they forgive him for taking positions on big issues that they find repellent, on the grounds that he doesn’t really mean what he says. . . .
“He says plainly that he is for the war, or against abortion choice, and people hear the opposite. It’s a gift, I guess.”
Meanwhile, students and faculty at the New School commencement this past weekend in New York City had no problem taking McCain at his word — and disagreeing with it. McCain was heckled throughout his address, and student commencement speakers took McCain to task from the podium. Said one of them: "The senator does not reflect the ideals upon which this university was founded."
Posted by Melissa Cooley
It’s a little ironic that, in the midst of our national immigration debate, the Wichita school district recently hired 32 Filipino teachers to fill local vacancies in math and science. School officials say they couldn’t find qualified American candidates. If so, that’s sad — and should be a wake-up call for a country struggling to maintain its leadership in engineering and technology.
A large part of the problem is failure to attract and retain teachers — as many as 50 percent of new hires in urban districts quit after the first year. That’s unacceptable, considering the training invested in them and the critical need.
The district’s use of foreign teachers, while resourceful, is at best a short-term, stopgap solution. What are local school and civic leaders doing to address this glaring problem?
It’s time to upgrade pay for math and science teachers to reflect their worth in the market, and to treat all teachers with more respect.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
It is in the state’s financial interest for children from troubled families to live with their grandparents rather than be in foster care. And it’s usually better for the child, too. So it was smart for the 2006 Legislature to approve a program that helps low-income grandparents with some of the costs of raising their grandchildren. Under the program, which Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is expected to sign, grandparents with a household income of 130 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify to receive $200 a month per grandchild, with a $600 limit. In comparison, the state spends about $600 a month per child for foster care.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
For a decidedly revisionist version of Bill Warren’s disastrous 2003 mayoral campaign, in which the movie theater mogul self-destructed over various loose-cannon comments, check out the fawning profile in this month’s local shopper mag Splurge! The article about “Citizen Bill” waxes conspiratorial about the “slimy politics” that supposedly brought down a “naive” Warren: “Unfortunately, some politicians and a less-than-impartial media outlet believed Warren’s promised reform of city hall would threaten their private interests. So a smear campaign was launched and an unsuspecting public fell for it hook, line and sinker. Almost before it had begun, Warren’s race for office was over.”
Wow — this story line has Hollywood potential. Move over, “Da Vinci Code”!
Posted by Randy Scholfield
An Opinion Line comment in today’s Eagle has this to say about R.D. Liebst’s letter to the editor about the WE Blog meet-up:
“I am a regular blogger on the WE Blog site, and I still have time to be a fan of ‘American Idol.’ There is room in my life for both. Don’t be so judgmental. Not everyone who likes to watch ‘American Idol’ is an imbecile.”
Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post made a similar argument in his column:
“Please hold the high dudgeon about how a cheesy television show isn’t sufficiently grim for op-ed pontification. An astounding 41 million viewers watched the last hour of Wednesday night’s over-the-top finale.”
I don’t happen to watch “American Idol,” but I admit to watching a couple of equally mindless reality television shows. I agree with Robinson that Americans should be able to enjoy some “good, cheesy fun” every week without being judged for it. But I also think that if Americans care more about “American Idol” than the real issues facing this country, we have a serious problem.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
