MSNBC pundit Tim Russert put it plainly last night: “We now know who the Democratic nominee is going to be.” ABC’s George Stephanopoulos said today on “Good Morning America”: “This nomination fight is over.” There’s no way Hillary Clinton can now win the nomination following any kind of traditional path. Clinton waged a tough, relentless campaign, but Barack Obama’s firewall – North Carolina – held firm, and he came close to winning in Indiana.
Another bad sign: Clinton loaned her campaign $6.4 million in the past month. She’s running on fumes.
Clinton herself said she needed a “game changer” in North Carolina and Indiana. She didn’t get it. The race might go on for a few weeks, but it’s clearer than ever that it’s over. It will be Obama vs. John McCain in the fall.
The Kansas Supreme Court made a balanced ruling Tuesday that a Wichita grand jury investigation of abortion doctor George Tiller is constitutional but that it needs oversight by a local judge. The court said that while the grand jury can issue subpoenas seeking abortion records, Judge Paul Buchanan needs to make sure that those subpoenas meet relevance thresholds, don’t create an undue burden and aren’t issued out of malice with an intent to harass. Buchanan also needs to make sure the privacy of the patients is protected.
Kansas is one of only six states that allow citizen-petitioned, taxpayer-financed grand juries. The previously little-used process has been a favorite of late by anti-abortion activists. A Johnson County grand jury, upset about wasting three months on an anti-abortion crusade, recommended in March that the state increase the standards for impaneling grand juries. But until that happens, local judges need to make sure this process isn’t abused.
Credit four members of the Wichita City Council with acting on the only logical conclusion to be drawn from the 2006 U.S. surgeon general’s report on secondhand smoke — that public health demands a ban on public smoking. The ordinance’s exceptions for bars and some pending “tweaks†fueled confusion and eroded support; enforcement remains a question. But it took courage to pass even the compromise, tirelessly crafted by council members Jeff Longwell and Lavonta Williams, in the face of those who declared any limit a violation of property rights. “We have to start someplace,†Mayor Carl Brewer said. This ordinance is a reasonable and welcome place to start.
One of the most surprising things about the $8.5 million gift to Wichita State University announced this week — the second-largest ever — is who gave it: Paul and Evelyn Cassat, an unassuming couple who never made more than $6 an hour in their lives.
But they were thrifty and believed in savings and smart investments — and over the years, it added up. And then some.
The Cassats were the fabled “millionaires next door†— solid, hardworking, traditional values people who quietly amassed a fortune and then gave back most of it, seeking to leave the world a little better place than they found it. Because of their integrity and selflessness, several WSU health clinics and programs will be better equipped to change lives.
Many Americans these days want to get rich quick — and spend it just as fast. But the Cassats showed the power of steady savings over time. Even better, they used their fortune to help others.
Here are the top 10 “reasons Hillary Clinton loves America,†as delivered by the Democratic candidate Monday on CBS’ “Late Show With David Lettermanâ€:
10. “We have more Dakotas than every other country combined.â€
9. “Canadian bacon: soggy and chewy; American bacon: crisp and delicious!â€
8. “Thanks to the Internet, I can order new pantsuits 24/7 — there’s your pantsuit joke, Dave. Are you happy?â€
7. “Two hundred thirty-two years, and not one cookie shortage.â€
6. “TiVo.
5. “Did I mention the soup? MMM, soup.â€
4. “Did you know former President Teddy Roosevelt was an American?â€
3. Where else can you get a car painted for $29.95?â€
2. “Is this the part where I say, ‘Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night Live!’?â€
1. “Apparently anyone can get a talk show.â€
http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/index/php/20080505.phtml
MSNBC pundit Tim Russert put it plainly last night: “We now know who the Democratic nominee is going to be.” ABC’s George Stephanopoulos said today on “Good Morning America”: “This nomination fight is over.” There’s no way Hillary Clinton can now win the nomination following any kind of traditional path. Clinton waged a tough, relentless campaign, but Barack Obama’s firewall – North Carolina – held firm, and he came close to winning in Indiana.
