Hillary Clinton, fresh off her March 4 wins in Texas and Ohio, suggested that the epic nomination fight might be leading to a shared ticket with Barack Obama. Of course, she said, she would be at the top of the ticket.
Is that still an option — a shared “dream ticket� It seems unlikely. Given the bad feelings between the candidates and Obama’s insurmountable delegate lead, he’s not likely to accept a No. 2 spot. Nor is he likely to want her on the ticket as his No. 2.
Still, if Clinton continues to do well, party leaders might see a shotgun marriage as the only way to repair campaign rifts and unify the party against John McCain.
Winston Brooks’ candidacy for superintendent jobs in Albuquerque, N.M., and Myrtle Beach, S.C., hurts the Wichita school district’s proposed $350 million bond issue — though it need not be fatal, our editorial today argues. After all, the bond issue is about the capital needs of the district and its students, not about the superintendent. Still, if it is going to pass, business, neighborhood and community leaders will have to step up and champion the bond. Small groups of supporters and opponents of the bond issue held organizational meetings this week.
John McCain was the big winner in Tuesday’s primaries. He clinched the GOP nomination, and Mike Huckabee finally conceded. Plus, the Democratic nomination battle continues, which helps McCain by costing his opponents time and money. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton’s big win in Ohio and an apparent split decision in the Texas primary and caucuses gave her campaign a big momentum boost. However, it didn’t change the math. Clinton’s wins did little to close Barack Obama’s delegate lead.
Extreme winter conditions in both hemispheres over the past year — including snow in Baghdad and returning sea ice in the Arctic — have prompted a predictable “told-you-so†response from climate skeptics: “See? The Earth is actually cooling.â€
Not so fast, say many scientists. Climate isn’t short-term weather — it’s the long view. “The current downturn is not very unusual,†said Carl Mears, a climate scientist who tracks satellite temperature data. He points out that, despite similar cold spots in 1988, 1991-92 and 1998, the long-term trend continued to be higher global temperatures.
“Climate skeptics typically take a few small pieces of the puzzle to debunk global warming, and ignore the whole picture that the larger science community sees by looking at all the pieces,†said another climate scientist, Ignatius G. Rigor of the University of Washington.
In short, don’t be misled by the global-cooling hype.
In the battle of the “3 a.m.†commercials between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the winner has to be John McCain. “I’ve been involved in every major national security challenge for the last 20 years that has faced this country,†McCain said Monday. “I look forward to having that debate as to who’s most qualified in the event of a national crisis and the phone ringing at 3 a.m. in the White House.â€
Rather than compete with it, the Democratic nominee will need to find ways around McCain’s formidable experience with national security and foreign policy. To see the ads, click here for Clinton’s and here for Obama’s.
Rep. Dennis Moore (in photo), D-Lenexa, moved past Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, as the most powerful member of the Kansas delegation in the U.S. House, according to power rankings posted Monday on Congress.org — though Tiahrt ranks higher within his own party. The rankings were based on dozens of factors gauging how effective a lawmaker is at advancing an agenda. Moore was 106th most powerful out of the 435 members, while Tiahrt was 182nd. But Tiahrt was the 31st most powerful House Republican, while Moore was the 99th most powerful Democrat. Other House delegation rankings were Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Topeka, 290th; and Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays, 364th. In the Senate, Sam Brownback was 56th out of 100 (the 19th highest Senate Republican), and Pat Roberts was 81st. Kansas’ combined state delegation was ranked as the 40th most powerful — or well below average.
Hillary Clinton, fresh off her March 4 wins in Texas and Ohio, suggested that the epic nomination fight might be leading to a shared ticket with Barack Obama. Of course, she said, she would be at the top of the ticket.
