With the end of the nomination process finally in sight, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza finally ranks the vice presidential possibilities. The Democrat most likely to join Barack Obama? Cillizza said it’s Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, “because of her ability to further bolster Obama’s strengths while not exacerbating his weaknesses. Picking Sebelius would affirm Obama’s core message of change and would give Obama’s run even more historic weight,†he wrote. “Sebelius’ electoral success in ruby red Kansas would also echo Obama’s pledge to broaden the playing field in the fall and ensure that the party is competitive in every state. The one knock on Sebelius is the dearth of foreign policy credentials on her resume. But she has six years of strong executive experience and could be the kind of political partner Obama needs in the fall.†The rest of the Democratic top five: Ted Strickland, Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine and Sam Nunn.
In the top five spots to be John McCain’s running mate, Cillizza sees Tim Pawlenty, John Thune, Rob Portman, Charlie Crist and Mitt Romney.
The Washington Post described how Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, came to lead what appeared to be a House GOP effort to “reconsider†a resolution “celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother’s Day.â€
After the resolution passed 412-0 Wednesday, Tiahrt rose and said: “Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote.†In a vote on whether to table Tiahrt’s motion to reconsider, Tiahrt was among 178 Republicans to vote “no†— appearing to some to be opposing the motherhood resolution. According to Sam Sackett, Tiahrt’s communications director, the procedural move was part of House Republicans’ efforts to draw attention to Democratic House leaders’ refusal to handle a massive supplemental military funding bill via the committee process. “Mr. Tiahrt is not against mothers, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, and the official vote shows that he supported the resolution,†Sackett told The Eagle editorial board.
But the way the gambit looked, the Post noted, “Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against it.â€
Though this legislative session was mostly squandered on the coal-plant issue, the Wichita-area delegation deserves praise for its success on local priorities. Despite a tight budget year, the delegation helped secure up to $33 million in bond funding for Cessna Aircraft’s new assembly plant, $5 million for the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University, $5 million for the new aviation training center, $1 million for the Equus Beds Aquifer recharge project, and $2.5 million for the Wichita Center for Graduate Medical Education. In addition, Sedgwick County District Court will get two new judges, and the School of Pharmacy at the University of Kansas received bond funding to help expand, including in Wichita. The keys to all this success were the efforts of Visioneering Wichita to develop a unified agenda and the willingness of area lawmakers to, in the words of state Sen. Phil Journey, R-Haysville, set their “personal issues aside to work for the betterment of the region.†Well done.
After months of sometimes bitter debate, Wichita quietly took the first official step Tuesday toward an indoor smoking ban in all businesses open to people under age 18, on a 4-3 Wichita City Council vote to be finalized next month. A Tuesday SurveyUSA poll of Wichita, sponsored by KWCH, Channel 12, seemed to confirm that the community is ready: 69 percent said smoking should not be allowed in public places with customers under age 18, more than two-thirds predicted that businesses would either gain customers (29 percent) or see no impact (38 percent) because of the ordinance, and only 19 percent said they’d be less likely to go out in Wichita because of the ordinance.
With the end of the nomination process finally in sight, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza finally ranks the vice presidential possibilities. The Democrat most likely to join Barack Obama? Cillizza said it’s Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, “because of her ability to further bolster Obama’s strengths while not exacerbating his weaknesses. Picking Sebelius would affirm Obama’s core message of change and would give Obama’s run even more historic weight,†he wrote. “Sebelius’ electoral success in ruby red Kansas would also echo Obama’s pledge to broaden the playing field in the fall and ensure that the party is competitive in every state. The one knock on Sebelius is the dearth of foreign policy credentials on her resume. But she has six years of strong executive experience and could be the kind of political partner Obama needs in the fall.†The rest of the Democratic top five: Ted Strickland, Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine and Sam Nunn.
