Daily Archives: May 13, 2009

Attorneys tortured the law

May 13, 200912:59 p.m.

yoo1“I believe it’s impossible that lawyers of such great talent and intelligence could have written these memos in the good faith belief that they accurately state the law,” David Luban, a law professor at Georgetown University, testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today on torture. He said Justice Department attorneys — such as John Yoo (in photo) — have a special responsibility not to “rubber stamp administration policies” or “provide cover for illegal actions.”

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under President Bush, Terrorism | Comments (49)

Is the GOP now Romney’s party?

May 13, 20096:03 a.m.

ronmneydetroitCalling former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the “single most influential person” within the GOP at the moment, because “he is still the Republican that is the closest the party has to the complete package,” Washington Post blogger Chris Cillizza filled out the party’s top 10 this way: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under U.S. politics | Comments (55)

Open thread 5/13

May 13, 20096:02 a.m.

thread397

By The Editors | Filed under Open thread | Comments (275)

Waiting for next lieutenant governor

May 13, 20096:01 a.m.

parkinsonmark9Now that Gov. Mark Parkinson has helped put the 2009 legislative session out of its misery, he plans to name a new lieutenant governor soon. Names put forward by Topeka Capital-Journal columnist Ric Anderson are former Gov. John Carlin, Transportation Secretary Deb Miller, state Sens. Laura Kelly of Topeka and Chris Steineger of Kansas City, and Reps. Raj Goyle of Wichita and Josh Svaty of Ellsworth. Then again, as Anderson noted, “lieutenant governor isn’t much of a springboard to bigger and better political things” — except in the case of Parkinson. On the Capital-Journal’s Web site, one reader nominated George Tiller.

By Rhonda Holman | Filed under Kansas government | Comments (9)

Community banks proud to be boring

May 13, 20096:00 a.m.

Community banks are tired of being tarred by the risky lending of some megabanks. “I was on vacation in California and this guy I had just met said, ‘So, traveling on that bailout money, huh?’ I didn’t find that very amusing,” Blake Heid of First Option Bank in Paola (which didn’t take any bailout money) told the New York Times. Other bankers note how their careful, “boring” approach to lending has been vindicated. “Banking should not be exciting,” a bank president in Jasper, Ind., told the Times. “If banking gets exciting, there is something wrong with it.”

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Business | Comments (7)