If Iraq really was the reason Democrats won control of Congress last year, voters can’t be happy about what’s happened since. Only 1 of more than 40 votes aimed at limiting President Bush’s policy of the war has passed both chambers, and the singular success fell to a Bush veto. Wednesday night, the House passed a bill requiring Bush to start bringing troops home in coming weeks with a goal of ending combat by December 2008, Associated Press reported. But the measure is unlikely to pass the Senate and, if it did, couldn’t overcome a veto.
Then again, maybe voter opinions about Iraq are changing. Polls indicate Americans have a little less gloomy outlook about Iraq, given the successes of the troop surge. According to the Pew Research Center, 44 percent now think the war is going “very†or “fairly†well, the most in the past year.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
A new study tested the effects of politics on the human brain, the New York Times reported. Among other things, the findings addressed one key factor of this election: gender.
The study noted that when shown photos and video of Hillary Clinton, men were apathetic at first, gradually becoming more interested as they watched. Women had opposite reactions to Clinton with strong initial interest tapering off as the tape rolled. However, women were more likely to build interest toward Rudy Giuliani.
However, emotions toward Clinton were mixed from both genders. Impulses suggested that the brains of fence-sitters seemed torn as to how to respond to her. Those who had indicated a favorable opinion of Clinton responded apathetically to her.
Posted by Kristin Mehler
The latest farm bill faces challenges ranging from partisan politics to feuding commodity groups to President Bush’s veto pen. But the biggest threat to agriculture is anti-immigration sentiment, according to Barry Flinchbaugh, the well-known Kansas State University farm economist. “In the next five years, 53 percent of farm work will be done by illegal immigrants,†he told a Salina crowd Tuesday. “We’ve got people who want to load them up and ship them back.†He added: “Farmers hire them because they work.â€
And when Flinchbaugh asked whether anybody in the audience was a Native American, nobody responded. “Damn, there’s a bunch of immigrants in here. Box ’em up,†he said. “This issue’s loaded with racial prejudice. If we don’t settle this, we won’t be eating fruits and vegetables.â€
Posted by Rhonda Holman
“As a young person, I’m worried about the long-term effects of global warming. How does your plan combat climate change?†19-year-old Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff asked at a recent Hillary Clinton campaign stop.
Clinton’s response was flawless — too flawless. Turns out the question had been given to Gallo-Chasanoff by aides before the speech.
It was an innocuous question, and these are the days of awing your audience with a show. But how far does this go? After endless hours of “American Idol,†we seem to forget that presidential elections select the person who will lead us through the next four years, making decisions on everything from war to our economy to health care.
Don’t we want a legitimate idea of the person we’re getting?
Posted by Kristin Mehler
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer scribe who passed along Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ poor attempt at wine wit followed up with another column reflecting on “how even a joke told in a far-away state can spark controversy.†Joel Connelly suggested people avoid greeting Sebelius with “Salut!†for the near future and that she eat some crow or study up at a Walla Walla wine school. Connelly also recounted a story about Sebelius’ father, former Ohio Gov. John Gilligan: “Gilligan visited the Ohio State Fair and was offered the opportunity to shear sheep. ‘I shear taxpayers, not sheep,’ he quipped. The joke helped make him a one-term governor.†Lucky for Sebelius, she already has a second and final term in the bag.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
A belated bit of Halloween as the presidential primaries draw closer: According to 355 “statistically representative†witches, as polled by the New York Center for the Strange, the Democrats’ 2008 ticket will be Hillary Clinton-Wesley Clark, facing off with Rudy Giuliani-Mike Huckabee for the Republicans. No word on which ticket the witches think will win. (They called George Bush’s narrow victory in 2000.)
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It may not help Joe Biden’s presidential bid, but it speaks to his stature as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Robert Novak reported that before either Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf or opposition leader Benazir Bhutto spoke to President Bush, each phoned Biden to discuss the deepening crisis in their country.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
