Congress has agreed on a surveillance bill that would shield from lawsuits the telecommunications companies that helped the government wiretap phone and computer lines, Associated Press reported. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the bill “balances the needs of our intelligence community with Americans’ civil liberties and provides critical new oversight and accountability requirements.” But a New York Times editorial today said that the bill doesn’t appear to be balanced or a compromise. “President Bush and his allies are once again trying to scare Congress into expanding the president’s powers to spy on Americans without a court order,” the editorial argued.
If you want to take a break from politics and you have seven minutes to spare, you might watch the new YouTube video sensation, “An Engineer’s Guide to Cats.” It was done by Wichita aerospace engineer Paul Klusman and pokes fun at engineers and cats. So far, it’s had 2.26 million views. As an Eagle article today reports, Klusman has received proposals from filmmakers and from cat-loving ladies worldwide.
Democrats are trying hard to paint John McCain as a continuation of President Bush, or “McBush.†How fair is that? Here is an excerpt of a New York Times article on how McCain and Bush compare:
“A look at Mr. McCain’s 25-year record in the House and Senate, his 2008 campaign positions and his major speeches over the last three months indicates that on big-ticket issues — the economy, support for continuing the Iraq war, health care — his stances are indeed similar to Mr. Bush’s brand of conservatism. Mr. McCain’s positions are nearly identical to the president’s on abortion and the types of judges he says he would appoint to the courts.
“On the environment, American diplomacy and nuclear proliferation, Mr. McCain has strikingly different views from Mr. Bush, and while he shares the president’s goals in Iraq, he was at times an outspoken critic of the way the war was managed.
“. . . While it would be hard to categorize him as a doctrinaire Republican or conservative, Mr. McCain appears to have ceded some of his carefully cultivated reputation as a maverick.
“In a CBS News poll two weeks ago, 43 percent of registered voters said they believed he would continue Mr. Bush’s policies, and 21 percent said he would be more conservative in his policies than Mr. Bush. Twenty-eight percent said he would be less conservative than Mr. Bush.â€
Barack Obama needs to make sure his staffers and volunteers understand that his “Yes, We Can†campaign should not be telling Muslim women wearing head scarves that they can’t sit within camera shot of the candidate. That’s what happened to two Muslim women Monday at Obama’s rally at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. One wants a personal apology from Obama (not just the one she got from a staffer) and prime seats at another rally. Campaign spokesman Bill Burton said: “It is offensive and counter to Obama’s commitment to bring Americans together and simply not the kind of campaign we run. We sincerely apologize for the behavior of these volunteers.â€
The following satirical headlines come from borowitzreport.com:
McCAIN VOWS TO CAMPAIGN IN ALL 13 COLONIES; Kicks Off Contest in Dominion of Virginia
STRAIGHT MAN ACCIDENTALLY SEES ‘SEX AND THE CITY’; ‘Terrifying’ Experience, Says Home Depot Clerk
McCAIN: SUNNIS, SHIITES ‘TRYING TO CONFUSE ME’; Will Stay in Iraq Until He Can Tell Them Apart, Mac Says
Congress has agreed on a surveillance bill that would shield from lawsuits the telecommunications companies that helped the government wiretap phone and computer lines, Associated Press reported. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the bill “balances the needs of our intelligence community with Americans’ civil liberties and provides critical new oversight and accountability requirements.” But a New York Times editorial today said that the bill doesn’t appear to be balanced or a compromise. “President Bush and his allies are once again trying to scare Congress into expanding the president’s powers to spy on Americans without a court order,” the editorial argued.
