President Bush has predicted Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic nominee for president, saying she has the "national presence" and fundraising network to win.
That’s not a bad bet, since Clinton is clearly the front-runner for the Dem nomination, but is it also wishful thinking? Some have suggested that the GOP is pitching a Clinton nomination as the best way to re-energize the Republican base.
Moreover, Karl Rove and others believe the GOP can ultimately defeat Clinton because of her high negatives. Republicans have a familiar playbook on running against the Clinton era.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Iraqis are facing a surge of internal migration and homelessness that is reshaping the country, with thousands of families uprooted in recent months, living in shantytowns and makeshift shelters, according to data compiled by the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization.
"In Baghdad alone there are now nearly 170,000 families, accounting for almost a million people, that have fled their homes in search of security, shelter, water, electricity, functioning schools or jobs to support their families," the New York Times reported.
Red Crescent officials say they have a "mammoth task" in trying to aid the burgeoning population of refugees — estimated at 2 million inside Iraq; another 2.2 million have fled to neighboring Syria and Jordan.
Meanwhile, Iraq Ambassador Ryan Crocker recently expressed frustration with the slow pace of efforts to resettle 10,000 Iraqis in the United States, complaining of "major bottlenecks" and insufficient staffing that mean it could take up to two years to complete interviews with the applicants.
The Bush administration has repeatedly raised the specter of a humanitarian crisis in Iraq if U.S. forces pull out, but it seems unwilling or unable to deal effectively with the refugee crisis that exists right now.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
“All summer, many congressional Republicans and Democrats promised that come September, the president would have no choice but to bring substantial numbers of troops home and, for those who remained, to change the mission away from combat,” the Washington Post reported. But that’s probably not going to happen. Why haven’t Republican and Democratic moderates been able to forge a deal to change course in Iraq and bring more troops home? “Pride of authorship, Balkanization and indecision have thwarted their attempts to find a common legislative vehicle,” the Post reported. Or as Sen. Olympia Snowe (in photo), R-Maine, said: “It’s political dysfunction.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Sunflower Electric Power Corp. officials can kill some of the time waiting for the state’s decision on an air-quality permit for a new coal-fired plant by kicking themselves: The company had such a permit in 2002 and let it lapse, thinking it would be a snap to get another, reported the Topeka Capital-Journal. Now, if the latest permit comes from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, it will be over the objections of hundreds of Kansans and of attorneys general from eight other states. At the Garden City hearing that preceded the 2002 green light, “I don’t think there was a soul from the public,” said Steve Miller, a Sunflower executive. “Timing is everything.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It was a hopeful sign that nearly 200 people attended a town hall meeting Sunday on homelessness. They discussed the problems identified by the Task Force to End Chronic Homelessness, such as a lack of emergency shelter beds and affordable housing units. They identified other problems, including the key one: lack of funding. Maybe enough people do care about the homeless to compel city and county governments to take action.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
It’s good to see building maintenance and infrastructure work beginning at the state universities, thanks to a five-year funding plan approved by the Legislature last session. Wichita State University is initially receiving $4.25 million in state funding for 13 projects it has slated for this year. Those projects include replacing or upgrading heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems in eight buildings along with other unsexy but important work.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
