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Daily Archives: May 24, 2006
Times sees a bright side to Gonzales’ threat
May 24, 200612:48 p.m.
It’s not every day that a U.S. attorney general threatens to prosecute a newspaper over a story, thank goodness. But Alberto Gonzales rattled that saber Sunday at The New York Times, over the newspaper’s revelation of the Bush administration’s domestic spying. An editorial in today’s Times notes that Gonzales’ "claim that a century-old espionage law could be used to muzzle the press" signals "the administration cares about enforcing laws the way Congress intended." If so, the editorial drily concludes, Gonzales "could suggest that the administration follow Congress’ clear and specific intent for the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: outlawing wiretaps of Americans without warrants." Sounds like a plan.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Ryun is our most powerful congressman?
May 24, 200612:09 a.m.
Rankings often are subjective and, as a result, may not have much value. Nonetheless, it was interesting to see how Kansas’ congressional delegation stacked up in a new ranking of the most powerful lawmakers. As Alan Bjerga, The Eagle’s Washington, D.C., reporter, noted Sunday, lawmakers were evaluated based on 15 characteristics of power, such as position, influence and activity. Kansas came in 16th among all states in delegation power. Surprisingly — and this undermines the rankings’ credibility — Rep. Jim Ryun was Kansas’ highest-ranked House member compared with his peers. Ryun was 48th, or in the top 11 percent. Rep. Todd Tiahrt was close behind at No. 50. Rep. Jerry Moran was No. 172, and our state’s lone Democrat, Dennis Moore, was a distant No. 354. In the Senate, Pat Roberts ranked in the top quarter of senators at No. 24, and presidential hopeful Sam Brownback came in at No. 37.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
If she chooses, Sebelius could make history
May 24, 200612:07 a.m.
As Gov. Kathleen Sebelius weighs her choices of a second-term running mate, she might be eyeing history, too. If she chooses a woman for the lieutenant governor spot and they win in November, “it would appear to be the first time in American history that an all-female ticket has won election at a state level,” Bob Beatty, Washburn University political science professor, told The Hutchinson News. The female name most mentioned since Lt. Gov. John Moore announced his retirement last week? Jill Docking (in photo), a Wichita Democrat who ran for the U.S. Senate in 1996.
Joe Aistrup, who chairs Kansas State University’s political science department, told the News the question is whether “Kansas is prepared to have two women on the top of the ticket. I don’t see why not.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Something fishy in the gas prices?
May 24, 200612:03 a.m.
Now that gas prices have eased off a bit, maybe Americans are supposed to be cooling off, too. But some senators were still worked up enough Tuesday to give Deborah Platt Majoras, chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, and other witnesses a hard time. An FTC report released Monday attributed the sharp increase in fuel costs to market forces, not price gouging. But Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said that “there’s something really fishy” about using the supply-and-demand theory “as a cover to defend bad conduct.” And this from Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.: “What other industry behaves like the oil industry (where) when the cost of the raw material increases, their profits multiply?”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
So sometimes only unfair and unbalanced will do?
May 24, 200612:01 a.m.
Now that the White House has a former Fox News anchor as its spokesman, its official message apparently is that it watches CNN, too. In the wake of a photographer having been told that Air Force One’s TV could not be changed from Fox to CNN and the leak of a hotel checklist for Vice President Dick Cheney mandating his TV be tuned to Fox News, Snow told the press corps last week that staffers had been watching the hearing for CIA director nominee Michael Hayden on CNN. “There is no official channel at the White House,” Snow told The New York Times.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
