No details yet of what was said and discussed at the meeting Thursday night between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It took place at the Washington, D.C., home of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
“They talked for about an hour,” Feinstein said. “Just them. No staff.”
Asked if she heard any shouting, Feinstein said, “No, they got along very well.”
Bad news on the economic front today, as the jobless rate for May was 5.5 percent, up from 5 percent in April. That’s the largest swing in a single month since 1986, the Washington Post reported, as the number of jobs fell by 49,000.
On the stump in McPherson recently, Democratic Senate candidate Jim Slattery described himself as “pro-choice lite.â€
“I do not believe that federal funding should be used for abortions except in the case of rape or incest. Roe v. Wade is the law of the land for the next six years, and nothing Sen. (Pat) Roberts or I do will change that,†he said.
As for whether gays should be allowed to marry, Slattery said: “Kansans have spoken on this subject and I support their choice.â€
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., exerted his influence on the fight over a proposed coal-fired plant expansion near Holcomb, to no avail. But at a recent appearance in Garden City, he signaled a willingness to fight on and defend coal plants generally.
“It’s been a tough, tough fight†and “it’s not over,†he said of Sunflower Electric Power Corp.’s effort to overcome an air-quality permit denial.
Of the energy, economy and environment, Brownback said: “These three have to travel together.â€
On coal’s role in the country’s energy portfolio: “The answer’s not ‘no,’ it’s ‘how?’â€
One month does not a crisis make, but officials certainly should be concerned that state tax collections in May were $51 million less than expected. If the decline in revenue continues, the state may need to revisit and cut its budget, including education spending. State revenue estimators have been somewhat optimistic, projecting that strong markets in aviation, agriculture and oil and gas would insulate the state from much of the national economic downturn. But that may prove to be wishful thinking.
C-SPAN junkies know the joy of watching the weekly prime minister’s questions, when Great Britain’s chief executive counters whatever queries and jeers members of the House of Commons throw at him. It’s delicious to think about the American president being subjected to such rowdy interrogation and direct accountability (though painful to imagine some presidents, chief among them George Bush, trying to do it). John McCain’s recent call to import the tradition to Congress drew an objection from columnist George Will, though: “Prime ministers sit in the House because Britain’s system of government is not based, as ours is, on separation of powers.†Noting that the separation has been blurred, Will added: “McCain’s proposal would further diminish Congress’ dignity by deepening the perception of its subordination.†Still, it would be fun to see every American president try it, at least once.
No details yet of what was said and discussed at the meeting Thursday night between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It took place at the Washington, D.C., home of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
