Some thought Gov. Kathleen Sebelius sounded like Barack Obama in last night’s Democratic response to President Bush’s final State of the Union address. Today she is removing all doubt about where she stands in the party primary race by endorsing Obama at his campaign appearance in El Dorado, his maternal grandfather’s hometown. “I think he brings the hope and optimism that we really need to restore our place in the world, as well as to bring this country together and really tackle the challenges that we have,†Sebelius said via Associated Press, in a line that could have fit nicely into last night’s speech.
There is some question about whether Sebelius’ endorsement means much, even to Kansans, but it’s great to see our neglected state playing a role in this exciting campaign season.
Congratulations to the Wichita school board for its historic unanimous decision Monday night to end busing for desegregation in the district by the next school year. Such forced busing was the rule for nearly four decades, during which some African-American children were bused across town for all 13 years of their schooling. But it has long struck many in the community, white and black, as unfair and unnecessary. The logistics of placing the 2,000 affected students in neighborhood and magnet schools won’t be easy, but “I believe in my heart we will make sure all of our kids will get an equitable education,†said board member Kevass Harding. That’s a promise the district now must do everything it can to keep.
Rush Limbaugh contends that if John McCain wins the GOP presidential nomination, it will destroy the Republican Party. But leading national polls indicate that McCain is the only GOP candidate who can defeat Democratic front-runners Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head match. The other top GOP candidates would lose handily to Clinton and by double digits to Obama, according to the polls.
Meanwhile, McCain appears to be in a tight battle with Mitt Romney for today’s Florida primary, though the endorsement of McCain by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (in photo) should give McCain a boost.
Many a Kansas schoolchild knows that today is Kansas Day, the 147th anniversary of the Kansas’ entrance into the Union as a free state. The older folks among us tend to think of it as an excuse for Kansas Republicans to party (which they did over the weekend in Topeka). But Kansans of all ages could be better acquainted with their fascinating state, which is more than the sum of its “bleeding,†cattle-herding, wheat-growing, planemaking and ball-playing parts.
We’ll get a good gauge of what Kansans value most about the Sunflower State today, when Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and the Kansas Sampler Foundation announce the Eight Wonders of Kansas, as chosen by more than 24,000 people online.
The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto offers a “bye-ku†to each departing presidential candidate. Last week’s were for Dennis Kucinich and Fred Thompson, respectively:
Surely he is an
Unidentified object
But he does not fly
They called him “tortoiseâ€
But now the man with no hair
Has got out of ours
But Taranto has covered the entire campaign cycle so far.
For Duncan Hunter:
It seems we won’t see
A Hunter-Thompson ticket
Bedtime for Gonzo
For Bill Richardson:
What we need is change
I guess experience is
Kind of a leper
For Joe Biden and Chris Dodd:
Yes, they’ve really spent
68 years in Congress
It just seems longer
For Tom Tancredo:
Is it really true
The nativists are restless?
Not enough to vote
For Sam Brownback:
When he gave a speech
Attendees numbered less than
This line’s syllables
For Tommy Thompson:
“I’m too sexy for
This poll,†said Tommy? Oh, right
Said Fred, not Tommy
For Jim Gilmore:
Is he still alive?
We thought he was killed by a
Utah firing squad
The floor is open for WE Bloggers’ bye-kus.
Some thought Gov. Kathleen Sebelius sounded like Barack Obama in last night’s Democratic response to President Bush’s final State of the Union address. Today she is removing all doubt about where she stands in the party primary race by endorsing Obama at his campaign appearance in El Dorado, his maternal grandfather’s hometown. “I think he brings the hope and optimism that we really need to restore our place in the world, as well as to bring this country together and really tackle the challenges that we have,†Sebelius said via Associated Press, in a line that could have fit nicely into last night’s speech.
