The crazy talk of ousted Attorney General Phill Kline taking over the job of the man who decisively defeated him, Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison, is looking more possible — though no less crazy — now that Kline has movedhis voter registration to the county. The county’s party faithful will choose a successor Monday to Morrison, who was elected as a Republican. There are several other seemingly more qualified candidates. It would take a lot of nerve for Kline to seek this job, given that he only drew 35 percent of the vote against Morrison last month in Johnson County, worse than the 41 percent he earned statewide. Then again, Kline has plenty of nerve and needs a job — and Johnson County has an abortion clinic, meaning his records fight could go local.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., still hasn’t confirmed that he is leaving the Senate Intelligence Committee, but he came pretty close this week. "I am perfectly willing and consider it a privilege to continue as (top Republican on the panel)," Roberts told the Hill newspaper. "On the other hand, if some other committee spot were to come open that would enable me to (work for Kansas interests)," a change would be foreseeable.
His spokeswoman toldAssociated Press that Roberts "has had discussions with the (GOP) leader and has not been told what his assignment will be." The final decisions on committee assignments are expected next week.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
When Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (in photo), D-Minn., has his ceremonial swearing-in, he wants to use the book that represents his faith, which is Islam’s Quran rather than Christianity’s Bible. Seems like common sense, especially in a country whose founding tenets include religious freedom. Yet Ellison’s election as the first Muslim member of Congress has some Americans out of sorts, a mood worsened by the Quran flap.
“Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don’t serve in Congress,” wrote Dennis Prager, a conservative radio talker whose membership on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum board is now being criticized.
But as columnist Susan Paynter noted: “Never mind that no member is actually sworn in with a hand on the Bible or any other book anyway. Or that, if they want to, the dearly elected can carry anything they want to the ceremony including a vintage copy of Mad Magazine. Or that a senator from Oregon carried the Book of Mormon to his swearing-in. And at least two presidents didn’t swear oaths at all but merely ‘affirmed.’”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
As expected, President Bush is resisting a key recommendation by the Iraq Study Group to engage Iran and Syria. He said Thursday that unless those two countries are committed to supporting an Iraq democracy and stopping their support of terrorists, “then they shouldn’t bother to show up.” He also disagreed with the group’s view that there is little hope for a military victory in Iraq. “I believe we’ll prevail,” Bush said. But how? As the group noted, the situation is Iraq is “grave and deteriorating,” and America doesn’t have the thousands of extra troops that might be needed to secure Iraq.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The following satirical headlines come from borowitzreport.com:
PUTIN DENIES BEING ‘ANYWHERE NEAR’ TACO BELL; Calls Linking Him to E-Coli Outbreak ‘Pure Fantasy’
GORE: HILLARY RUN COULD DESTROY PLANET; Says Clinton Candidacy Would Wreak Havoc with Climate, Penguins
NEW RUMSFELD MEMO URGES FIRING RUMSFELD; Calls Axing Self Key to Iraq Strategy
BUSH: ‘HECKUVA JOB, AL-MALIKI’; President’s Words of Praise May Mean Iraqi Premier is Through
BUSH TWINS INVADE IRAQ; Sunnis, Shiites Unite Against Hard-Partying Duo
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
