Mike Huckabee’s statement that he wants to amend the U.S. Constitution to bring it in line with “God’s standards†might play well with some religious conservatives but likely will scare the heck out of many Americans (click here to see video).
Referring to abortion and gay marriage, Huckabee said this week, “I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that’s what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than try to change God’s standards. . . .â€
Not only does that go against long-held GOP principles of states’ rights, it sounds like what you expect to hear in an Islamic country. And how exactly are we changing the standards of an unchangeable God?
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is no rip-roaring orator, so it’s a bit of a surprise that national Democratic Party officials would invite her to deliver the party’s response to President Bush’s State of the Union address on Jan. 28. But it makes sense, given Congress’ poor approval ratings, to find someone beyond the Beltway to speak for Democrats. In a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised Sebelius as a “forward-thinking, solutions-oriented Democratic leader.†And whether or not Kansas Republicans will admit it, Sebelius is a rising national figure whose status as a popular two-term Democratic governor of a heavily Republican state uniquely qualifies her for the prominent job.
Who do you think won last night’s Democratic debate in Nevada? Hillary Clinton spoke forcefully and seemed most in charge of her message and policy points. Like Bill, she really has an impressive mastery of policy details.
No one did poorly, but she stood out, as usual.
Barack Obama scored for honesty in answering the question about a weakness — he actually admitted to being somewhat disorganized with paperwork.
Clinton and John Edwards both gave calculating, guarded answers that turned a weakness into a strength.
Edwards: “I sometimes have a very powerful emotional response to pain that I see around me.â€
Clinton: “I get impatient. I get, you know, really frustrated when people don’t seem to understand that we can do so much more to help each other.â€
She just wants change too much.
Please.
Every legislative session brings a new crop of pointless bills, each more unnecessary and unbelievable than the last. The first such measure of 2008 made state news even before the session started Monday — a proposed resolution condemning gangsta rap, which state Rep. Peggy Mast, R-Emporia, plans to introduce at the urging of Topeka activist Sonny Scroggins. Much of gangsta rap is indefensible, of course, full of profanity and misogyny. But there is a market for it, in Kansas and far beyond. And anything the Kansas Legislature has to say about such “music†is beyond meaningless. Meanwhile, lawmakers have real work to do. Or, as a letter writer suggests in today’s Eagle, once the Legislature finishes with “Big Rap,†perhaps it can take on Britney Spears’ mothering skills and the infield fly rule.
Barack Obama’s campaign in Kansas got a boost last week when prominent Wichita Democrat Jill Docking announced her support. Docking told The Eagle editorial board that it was a “very difficult choice†between Obama and Hillary Clinton — both of them talented, historic candidates for change.
A turning point for her, though, came in a personal meeting she had with Obama last fall in Kansas City. She said Obama was “the most thoughtful politician I’ve ever met with.â€
He didn’t try a hard sell, she said. “He spent a lot of time listening.†And he asked a lot of questions.
Clinton is also extremely talented, Docking said, but “she’s very polarizing,†too. Docking said she believes Obama is “capable of uniting people†in a way the country needs right now.
Docking said her decision has angered some of her feminist friends, who asked, “How can you not vote for the first woman president?†She understands their feelings. But Docking said she went with the candidate she thought would be best for the country.
President Bush has received his lowest start-of-the-new-year approval rating – 32 percent. That’s a point lower than last January. He started his presidency with a 55 percent rating, then climbed to 83 percent in January 2002, then dropped below 50 percent starting in January 2006. Now, the Americans who strongly disapprove of Bush’s job performance outnumber those who strongly approve of it by a 3-1 majority.
The Food and Drug Administration has declared meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring to be “as safe as food we eat every day,†in the words of Stephen Sundloff, FDA’s food safety chief. The FDA believes that more study and mandatory labeling are unnecessary, even though Congress has been working on legislation to keep clones out of the food chain. So whenever the voluntary sales moratorium ends, will consumers have to just trust the FDA and industry that the cloned food they won’t realize their eating is safe? One problem is the context: The phrase “FDA-approved†seems more like a warning than an assurance these days.
Mike Huckabee’s statement that he wants to amend the U.S. Constitution to bring it in line with “God’s standards†might play well with some religious conservatives but likely will scare the heck out of many Americans (click here to see video).
