Former CIA director calls homegrown terror threat 'a witch's brew'
"It's much more difficult for us to defend against those kinds of attacks," former CIA Director Michael Hayden said.
Jarrett: Obama to spend more time outside of Washington in 2011
One year before Obama faces reelection, he is expected to make a greater effort to connect with potential voters.
Obama condemns terror attack outside Pakistan aid center
President Obama condemned a Christmas Day suicide bombing outside a food center in Pakistan that killed at least 45 people.
Mobile devices to be allowed on House floor next year
Use of the devices was previously banned on the House floor, but incoming Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) wants to ease restictions.
Brennan calls Yemeni president, asks for action against al-Qaeda
Brennan said this week that intelligence agencies are "on the job" to head off terror attacks over the holidays.
Treasury defends 10,000 exceptions to Iran, other sanctions
Waivers were granted for companies ranging from Kraft to Pepsi, mostly under a law exempting agricultural and medical humanitarian aid.
Reid cites Gagaâs âmeat dress,â Lindsay Lohanâs rehab in START treaty push
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is pulling out the pop culture references as he tries to push ratification.
Levin pie-chucker charged
An anti-war demonstrator who hurled a pie at the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in August was charged Thursday in the attack.
Graham: Tea Party faces test now to be problem-solvers
Graham said that big government is on the "run and retreat," but that the coming months will test the movement.
Graham: DREAM Act push damaged wider immigration reform effort
“It was an exercise to try and taint Republicans with Hispanic voters," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Saturday.
Senate to vote on 'Don't ask, don't tell' repeal this weekend
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday evening called for the end of debate on a standalone bill.
Kansas lawmaker more inspired than ever to do away with lame duck
Calling Jan. 5 "a new day in the House," Rep. Jenkins predicted a "more thoughtful" environment to consider her bill.
Rep. Mack: Washington should go further than pulling Venezuela visas
The incoming chairman of the Western Hemisphere subcomittee said sanctions and designation as a state sponsor of terrorism were needed.
Rep. Mack: Washington should do more than pull Venezuela visas
The incoming chairman of the Western Hemisphere subcomittee said sanctions and designation as a state sponsor of terrorism were needed.
Gov. Richardson passes on Billy the Kid pardon on his last day
The New Mexico Democrat has decided not to pardon iconic Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid for killing a county sheriff.
Senate buildings put on alert as police arrest 'threatening' man
The man allegedly began to make physically threatening gestures toward an officer, which prompted the officer to draw his gun.
Sen. DeMint: 'We're trying to run out the clock' on omnibus
Sen. Jim DeMint said Wednesday night that he still plans to force a floor reading of the 1,900-page omnibus spending bill.Â
White House keeps focus on tax cuts this week but Afghanistan review looms
The president made calls to lawmakers over the weekend, and he will continue to lobby individual members this week.
Boehner: Cost-cutting measure per week coming next Congress
Boehner said he's going to cut his and all other House leadership budgets, resulting in savings up to $30 million.
Nadler: Obama gave in to 'a bunch of gangsters' in tax deal with GOP
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Republicans blackmailed Democrats to ensure that the nation's wealthiest retain their tax cuts.
Obama praying for Holbrooke
"Secretary Clinton, Admiral Mullen, Tom Donilon and other members of our team have been with him," the president said.
Bennett: GOP might pass own version of DREAM Act next year
Outgoing Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) said Friday he's privately discussed the prospect that Republicans would pursue their own version.
Sudan Caucus members ask Obama to send Clinton, Powell to help keep peace
A month ahead of a heated referendum, lawmakers are urging Obama to take steps to guard against mass killings.
Kyl: 'Recipe' for tax deal likely to include unemployment benefits
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday that without the benefits, tax-cut extensions would be a "non-starter."
Cole appointment wrong choice for Deputy Attorney General (Rep. Peter King)
I strongly oppose the recess appointment of James Cole to lead the national security team at the Department of Justice. The appointment indicates that the Obama Administration continues to try to implement its dangerous policies of treating Islamic terrorism as a criminal matter.
Cole appointment wrong choice for Deputy Attorney General
I strongly oppose the recess appointment of James Cole to lead the national security team at the Department of Justice. The appointment indicates that the Obama Administration continues to try to implement its dangerous policies of treating Islamic terrorism as a criminal matter.
Obamaâs war on energy
Rising gas prices are the elephant in the room that no one is talking about. With 87 octane gasoline now around $3 a gallon throughout the country, we can expect to start seeing increased prices for the delivery of goods and services, as UPS, FedEx, railroads and even airplanes feel the fuel cost pinch.
Unfortunately these skyrocketing prices are only the tip of the iceberg as Obama engages in an unprecedented war on American-produced energy.
Ringing in a new year of gender-free politics
If 2010 was the “Year of the Republican Woman,†2011 will be the “Year of Gender-Free Politics.â€
In 2010, 128 GOP women ran for seats in the House (twice the number as the 2008 cycle) and 17 for the Senate. Nine new Republican women won in the House, and Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) won in the Senate. Every incumbent Republican woman won reelection. Three new Republican women were elected governor, and more than a dozen GOP women won statewide offices. Among these victories was the first Hispanic female governor and the first Indian-American governor.
Obama's Cuba problem
As 2010 rapidly closes, I can’t help but notice how the Obama administration tried to quietly slip past the media and the general public a recent declassified report on the current status of detainees formerly held at Guantanamo Bay.
You’ll recall then-candidate Obama made it a top priority of his campaign that he would seek to close Gitmo. Then, once assuming the office of commander in chief, someone in the White House had the boneheaded idea that maybe we should charter a plane for these terrorists and try them in a domestic court.
A New Year's resolution for Congress: work together to create jobs (Rep. Carolyn Maloney)
As we head into the next year and the 112th Congress, understanding the data behind our economic recovery will be crucial if the economy is to grow and strengthen. A closer look at how states fared in 2010 as well as how they fared during the last four recessions can be a useful guide to both Republicans and Democrats who are serious about shaping strong, smart, and strategic job-creation policies in 2011.
Simply put, the Great Recession of 2007-09 was the worst post-World War II recession, and this fact is substantiated in a recent report by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee.
Chris Christie, Mike Bloomberg, Haley Barbour have a very bad December
It has been a tough December for media darlings in American politics. Let’s give three examples:
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) faces a barrage of criticism from New Jersey voters for choosing to continue vacationing in sunny Florida while voters were deluged with snow, ice and blizzard. His Republican lieutenant governor was in Mexico during the blizzard, visiting an ill relative. No fault in that, but the governor should have been at his desk dealing with the blizzard and not engaging in leisure, entertainment, sporting and bathing pursuits while New Jersey voters were suffering the snow.
Social Security is not "Insurance" (Rep. Ron Paul)
Perhaps the biggest media story of 2010 was the influence of Tea Party voters on the congressional landscape. The new congress comes to Capitol Hill with a mandate to end profligate spending and restore fiscal sanity, we are told. But when the House and Senate convene in January, the newly elected members will face tremendous pressure to maintain spending levels for entitlement programs. Even the most modest proposals to trim Social Security or Medicare spending will be met with howls of indignation and threats of voter revolt. Legislators who propose any kind of means testing or increased retirement ages can expect angry visits from senior citizen lobbyists ready to fund a candidate back home who supports the status quo.
Outgoing Dem rails against redistricting
The redistricting process is killing the democratic process in Congress, an outgoing Democratic lawmaker said this week.
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.), a co-chairwoman of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition, said that redrawing of congressional districts over the years has hurt centrists in both political parties.
"I think, when I look at the moderate Republicans who lost their elections in 2006 and 2008, it's in part because they were holding the seats that we could win. Everyone else was in a safe seat," she said during an interview on PBS. "And when you look at the Democratic side, that's the same thing. I think redistricting is one of the significant threats to the House of Representatives and to that as our democratic institution and representative democracy."
The four-term lawmaker's complaints come as 12 House seats are poised to be reallocated after Census figures showed states in the South and West growing faster than st! ates in the North, East and Midwest.
Herseth Sandlin lost to Republican Kristi Noem in November, when the GOP picked up more than 60 seats and took control of the House of Representatives. South Dakota has only one at-large congressional district, meaning that the redistricting cannot apply to her state.
Reform advocates have long railed against the redistricting process, which is controlled by state legislatures in many states. They argue that partisan political bodies create non-competitive districts that can be easily held by partisan Democrats or Republicans.
With the GOP gaining control of more state legislatures and population shifting to more red-leaning states, many expect Republicans to solidify their hold on Congress when new lines are drawn.
"I have seen what's happened to colleagues on both sides of the aisle over time," she! said. "And I think they need to at some point really join forces, because, right now, the far right and the far left and some of the special interest groups aligned with those interests really take it to centrists."
Saving the Senate from itself (Rep. Jim McDermott)
This month's tax deal starkly illustrates the enormous power wielded by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. In fact, his role confirms our government is not operating as a democracy ruled by the will of the majority, but as a strangled entity tightly in the grasp of the Senate Republican minority and its take-no-prisoners minority leader.
For the last 23 months, this country has been stymied by Senator McConnell and his cohorts through their abuse of the filibuster in the United States Senate. The most recent tax bill enactment and the failure of the Omnibus appropriations act (which finances the costs of running the government) are just hints of what we can expect in the next two years if the rules of governing do not change.
Rumsfeld jokes: Cory Booker will shovel my snow
Bush Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld knows a way to get the snow cleared from his New Mexico farm: get Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker to do it.
Rumsfeld tweeted from his Taos, N.M., farm Thursday:Â
Snow is coming down hard in New Mexico. Joyce says I have to shovel. Told her that Mayor @CoryBooker should be here any minute.
Booker (D) has been all over Twitter sin! ce a blizzard pounded the Northeast with snow earlier this week, identifying uncleared streets and even digging out some vehicles himself.
Enter the rabbit
As I look into my crystal ball for 2011, I wish I could say that I see a tall, dark, handsome stranger. In fact, I can safely predict that there will not be another war. How do I know? Because according to the Chinese zodiac, 2011 is the year of the rabbit. So all quiet on the Eastern front after the turbulent year of the tiger.
At least I hope so. For me, 2011 should be the year when the American people wake up to the fact that their fate and that of China are intimately linked. It remains to be seen, though, whether it will be a partnership â€" as appeared to be the hope at the outset of the Obama administration â€" or rivalry. In Congress there are already those such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) who are predicting that armed conflict between the U.S. and China will be inevitable. But not this year, if you believe the Chinese zodiac.
Liberal group targets N.J. Gov. Christie over snow vacation
A liberal group is going after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) for vacationing in Disney World during a blizzard that paralyzed his state with snow.Â
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) e-mailed its 19,000 New Jersey members Thursday urging them to start a viral Internet campaign against the nationally popular GOP governor.
"Partying with Mickey Mouse while serious incidents are happening back home isn't leadership. This is just the latest time that Christie has left the state at a critical moment â€" putting his own interests above New Jersey's," the PCCC co-founder Adam Green wrote.Â
Christie's opponents are looking to keep the heat up on him even after his office pushed back against criticism over the timing of his family vacation.
Spokesman Michael Drewniak issued a lengthy response Tuesday, saying that the Christie is coordinating with the state's acting governor to assure emergency services are running smoothly, and called the controversy "overblown."
"Yes, this was a big snow, but we are a northeastern state, and we get plenty of snow, including heavy hits like this," he wrote in an e-mail to The Hill. "But the sky really is not falling, and we'll get through this just as we always hav! e, notwithstanding complaints from opportunistic partisans like [state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D), who also ripped Christie]."
The PCCC asked supporters who use Twitter to post a message on their account that reads "Where in the world is @GovChristie? Anywhere but in NJ solving problems: bit.ly/i1XQyy He's no @CoryBooker! RT!"
Booker, the Democratic mayor of Newark, N.J., has earned praise for his snow removal efforts, which have included using Twitter to find unplowed roads and digging some vehicles out of the snow himself.
The PCCC also created a website titled "Where's Christie" and asked members to share the link on Facebook. Green has tied Christie's absence to other issues that ! have dogged the new GOP governor.
"Together, we'l! l show t hat when New Jersey was losing billions in federal education funding and suffering a massive transportation shut-down, Christie was hopping around the country campaigning for Republican candidates instead of putting his state first," Green said.
Resolved: Celebrity lobbyists will be more like Baldwin
Smoking, drinking, weight loss â€" many Americans are now desperately trying to identify ways to resolve to kick bad habits to the curb on January 1st. One group left untouched from this consideration are celebrity advocates â€" who could resolve to be a little more like one of their peers and it would change their whole year: Alec Baldwin. Yes. Baldwin.  Love or hate his politics, one can’t help but be impressed by his lobbying success.
Most celebrity advocates are a lost bunch. Artists who revel in having their work celebrated wish for similar success in the public policy issues which they care about. In the last year celebrities advocated on dozens of issues including don’t ask don’t tell, environmentalism, human rights, and migrant workers. It’s not unique to hear that a celebrity cares about a public policy issue or that they are attempting to use their stardom to affect debate. What is unique is to hear about a celebrity who actually advoc! ates worth a damn. 
 
Most celebrities - - never get to first base when it comes to lobbying. Actor Mark Ruffalo has been a public supporter for an anti-natural gas drilling bill called the Fracking Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act. This bill’s support is entirely Democratic and despite his public gestures of support and even recording a campaign ad on the issue, the bill has died in committee â€" without ever receiving any serious congressional consideration. And that was in a congress controlled by Democrats. Sadly, that’s the story for most celebrity advocacy. They attach themselves to legislation with little chance of passing and thus water down their impact as serious lobbyists.
Out with the old, in with the new in the Senate as Congress set to reconvene
In a Congress dominated by complicated bills and wonky policy fights, perhaps the biggest challenge for members of the Senate was simply keeping straight the names of all their colleagues.Â
The 111th Congress will go down as one of the most chaotic in Senate history because of the constant turnover in personnel.

That influx of fresh faces means the 112th Congress will begin with a notably inexperienced group of senators.
More than one-fifth of the upper chamber’s 100 seats changed hands over the last two years. Three states â€" Delaware, Illinois and West Virginia â€" saw their seats turn over twice. Only about a dozen seats had changed hands in each of the previous two Senates.
Obama approval rating steady at 47 percent
Forty-seven percent of the public approve of President Obama's job performance in a new Gallup poll, a figure that has remained relatively consistent since the November midterm elections.
Obama saw his approval dip by a statistically insignificant two percentage points from its high of 49 percent last week in Gallup's daily, but the president has not suffered a steep decline in approval like other presidents have following losses in the midterm elections.Â
{mosads}Though Gallup noted the poll could be "characterized as positive for Obama," the president also did not see a spike in approval after Democrats passed a string of priority legislation during the lame-duck Congress.
The Gallup survey is the second this week that showed good n! ews for the president, who admitted his party took a "shellacking" in the midterms.
A CNN/Opinion Research poll released Tuesday showed Democratic support growing for Obama's renomination after rumors swirled he could face a primary challenge in 2012.Â
But it's not clear whether or not the president's approval will remain the same next year, when Republicans take control of the House and gear up for the 2012 presidential race.
Obama last week touted the ! passage of his tax-cut deal, a repeal of the military's "Don't! ask, do n't tell" policy, a 9/11 first responders healthcare bill, food safety legislation and the ratification of the New START Treaty, as a model for bipartisan cooperation next year. But some believe compromise could be harder to achieve with Republicans in greater numbers.
Menendez: Dealing with GOP like negotiating with 'terrorists'
Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez on Friday compared talks with the GOP on extending tax cuts to negotiating with terrorists.
White House: Reports of tax cut deal 'inaccurate and premature'
Press secretary Robert Gibbs said the talks are "ongoing and productive" but insists a compromise has not been reached.
Ethics committee releases hundreds of pages of documents from Rangel case
The papers include an official report on the trial, the censure resolution and many letters between Rangel, his attorneys and the committee.
McCaskill: How I'm not like Obama
Facing a tough re-election campaign in 2012, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) tried to set herself apart from President Obama Sunday.
Obama needs dozen stitches in lip after basketball game
Rey Decerega, director of programs for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, accidentally elbowed the president while taking a shot.
Rove: Palin tour in Iowa 'smart,' but she has to reach outside GOP ranks
GOP strategist Karl Rove said the former Alaska governor has "got a problem with independents and a problem with Democrats."
Administration braces for big WikiLeaks dump that includes damaging cables
The classified diplomatic cables that may wound foreign relations could be released as early as Friday, lawmakers are warned.
New GOP rep hails 'extraordinary' incoming class in Republican address
"It's a new breed of leaders for a new majority and a new Congress," Rep.-elect Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said.
DeLay convicted on money laundering and conspiracy charges
The former majority leader, who once blasted the indictments as "political retribution," now faces up to life in prison.
Obama touts auto bailout results in pitch to Midwestern voters
Speech signals the president is betting on an economic turnaround to help him win states such as Indiana in 2012.
Hoyer 'would have been elected leader'
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he likely would have the top spot next Congress if Nancy Pelosi had not run.
Incoming House Transportation chief against âOpt-Outâ Day in TSA protest
Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) urged airline passengers Sunday to not purposefully slow down airport security lines by refusing body scanning.
Clinton: No pat-down if I can help it
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton heartily acknowledged that she wouldn't want to go through the TSA screening herself.
Obama extends Hawaii vacation by one day
President Obama is extending his Hawaii vacation by one day.
The president will leave Honolulu on the evening of Jan. 3rd and arrive in Washington on the afternoon of the 4th, according to a White House pool report.
Obama had planned to be in Hawaii through Sunday, Jan. 2nd, according to the original White House schedule.
White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton told the press pool Wednesday that "after the extended lame duck and five-day delay of his trip here, he's just trying to squeeze in more time with his family before returning to Washington."
Obama left for Hawaii on Dec. 22nd â€" five days after he was scheduled to depart â€" because Congress was finishing several high-profile pieces of legislation in the lame-duck session. His family preceded him to Honolulu.
Rep. Kucinich rallies supporters on potential redistricting
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D) is shoring up his political support amid scuttlebutt that his district could be eliminated due to the results of the 2010 Census.
The liberal congressman and former presidential candidate wrote an e-mail to supporters urging them to provide input on his political future.
"In light of the strong chance that my district may be eliminated, my continued presence in Congress, to work for everything we care about, will obviously call for a much different strategy," he wrote. "I will not wait until a new Ohio map is produced to begin this crucial discussion of the consequences of congressional redistricting.
"We are going to have to prepare for a different kind of election, possibly in a different place because my distr! ict may be eliminated," he added. "We are going to have to organize in a different way, now. The question will remain: Where?"
Kucinich has made rounds in the media this week, suggesting he would fight to remain in Congress if his 10th congressional district is axed.Â
The congressman's move allows him to collect information from supporters to use for another potential run.
Ohio stands to lose two of its 18 congressional districts based on Census numbers, which show states in the South and West growing faster than states in the North and East.
The Buckeye State's GOP-controlled state government will redraw the district lines next year, meaning that blue districts lik! e Kucinich's could be eliminated.
Moseley Braun running against Emanuel for Chicago mayor
Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.) formally joined the Chicago mayor’s election race Saturday.
Ethanol tax credit levels the playing field
Amidst the recent debate over the ethanol tax credit, the broader vision of our country’s energy future seems to have been forgotten by many.


But the ethanol industry and America’s farmers have not forgotten that vision.


We remain focused on a future where every driver in America can pull up to a fuel station and choose for themselves how much or how little ethanol they would like to use.


We are focused on a future where the oil industry no longer has a choke-hold on the entire fuel distribution web that blankets the nation.


We are focused on freedom.

So how does the ethanol industry reconcile the concept of “freedom†with that of “tax credit?â€Â It is a fair question.


The tax credit was deemed necessary in the first place to offset some of the advantages enjoyed by an unchallenged oil industry. Priorities other than cost - such as jobs, economic development, national security and the environment! - were deemed important enough to support developing a robust renewable fuel industry.


The oil industry has been entrenched as the dominant transportation fuel for almost a century. It receives subsidies and tax breaks like no one else, subsidies and breaks that are written into the tax code with no sunset, whereas the renewable fuel industry has to come back and ask for extensions, reigniting the debate every couple of years.


Time to let Homeland panel run DHS
Incoming House Republican Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) has been blazing a path for reform, particularly at the committee level, denying some who felt it was their “turn†to chair a panel when clearly they were the wrong choice for the post, then structuring them with an eye toward true bipartisan input.
Â
Yet there is one committee that continues to be hamstrung by jurisdictional politics and old habits that die hard. I’m referring to the Homeland Security Committee and the simple fact that it must share jurisdictional control over the department.
N.Y. Rep. King pressing for answers on post-blizzard flight delays
New York Rep. Pete King is questioning authorities to find out the cause of massive delays at New York's Kennedy airport that led to one international flight sitting on a tarmac for nearly 12 hours.Â
King (R), the incoming chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said Wednesday that he contacted Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and customs officials about the delays and received assurances that customs workers were prepared to process the stranded passengers.Â
{mosads}The congressman said he was told that New York's Port Authority and the airlines could be to blame for six international flights being stuck on the tarmac since no gates were available to disembark.
King said during an interview on New York City's WCBS Radio that agencies and airlines were "not clued into each other."
"This has to be resolved," he said.
Air traffic in the Northeast has been clogged ever since the region was blanketed with a! round two feet of snow earlier this week.
One Cathay Pacific flight was delayed at Kennedy for almost 12 hours, Bloomberg reported, and four other Cathay-operated flights were stuck for nearly four hours. One British Airlines flight was on the tarmac for almost eight hours.Â
The U.S. Department of Transportation is also investigating the delays, according to Bloomberg. New federal regulations allow domestic carriers to be fined for being held on the tarmac for more than three hours, but the rule does not apply to international carriers.
King said that delays like this could have national security implications in the future.
"If there was a terrorist plot, w! e cannot have this lack of coordination," he said.
The year ahead: Woodstock on welfare; the end of globalism
Woodstock on welfare: The year ahead will be distinguished by a singular feature, reported by The Associated Press: On Jan. 1, more than 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65, a pattern that will continue for the next 19 years. This is a problem for which there is no central planning solution. As Texas Rep. Ron Paul (R) has said, this could bring a “Soviet-style collapse.â€
The system falls to its natural frailties. Since the early 1800s ,when de Tocqueville wrote about America and Russia, we have been in a competition that might be called Marx vs. Keynes; megastate vs. megastate. But since World War II the Western states have filled in. The internal regions have developed as “natural states.†The competition today changes from Marx v. Keynes to Keynes vs. Hayek: From global megastate vs. global megastate to internal competition within and between the American regions. In my opinion, America has reached its beginning.
Scott Brown to start book tour in February
Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R) will kick off a book tour over February's President's Day recess in anticipation of a tough reelection campaign in 2012.Â
Brown is set to criss-cross Massachusetts between Feb. 21-25, the Washington Post reported Wednesday, to promote his memoir titled "Against All Odds."
The former state senator shocked the political world in January when he won a special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D), a liberal icon.Â
Democrats in dark blue Massachusetts have made Brown target number one but Brown is preparing well in advance for a tough race.Â
Brown could also face a primary challenge from the right: he voted with Democrats on unemployment insurance, a long-stalled nuclear arms treaty with Russia and a repeal of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" law in the past year.
Brown advisers told The Hill earlier this month that the book will reveal more about the freshman senator's tough upbringing and cement his image a! s a genuine representative for Massachusetts.
Crist sees spike in approval as he leaves office
Outgoing Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) will enjoy his highest approval rating of the year just as he leaves office.Â
Fifty percent of Florida voters approve of the former Republican Senate candidate's job performance, according to Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP), opposed to 39 percent who disapprove.Â
The results suggest that Crist has enough support to launch another political campaign in the future after being swept away by now-Sen.-elect Marco Rubio (R) in the state's closely watched GOP Senate primary.Â
Crist has high approval numbers among independents, 70 percent, after he left the GOP and ran as the third candidate in the general election.Â
Sixty-two percent of Democrats say they would either consider voting for Crist in the future (36 percent! ) or definitely do so (26 percent). But 50 percent of Republicans say they would never vote for him again, making it highly unlikely he could make a future comeback in the GOP.
White House press secretary: Get to the Lego exhibit
White House press secretary uses Twitter to plug Lego exhibit at the National Building Museum.
With a little more time on his hands since President Obama is on vacation, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Wednesday told his Twitter followers to check out the newest museum exhibit in Washington, D.C.
Gibbs touted the National Building Museum's "LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition," which features toy brick replicas of some of the world's most famous buildings, including the Empire State Building and the St. Louis Gateway Arch:
If you have a kid who is crazy about Lego and are in the Washington area anytime over the next 8 months, visit this http! ://is.gd/jHGtv
The exhibit doesn't open until July 3, 2011, but it will remain there until Sept. 5 of next year.
The tweet could be good for the museum. Gibbs has 128,594 followers.Â
Rangel: Lame-duck saved Obama from primary challenge
"I think he has rehabilitated," the veteran Democrat said of Obama. "He is much stronger than we thought he was."
Rep. Rangel creates legal defense fund
The fund is soliciting donations of up to $5,000 to help the veteran Democrat pay a mountain of attorneys' fees.
Responsible reporting
There's a possible expectation of "accountability journalism" that includes fact-checking of interviewees and realtime challenge of misstatements. That also includes coverage of important but buried stories, wherein mainstream media is called to task for lack of coverage, etc.
The best recent example of this was the last episode of "The Daily Show," where accountability journalism was executed brilliantly. This could have a dramatic effect on American politics, and out here, we feel we sure need it.
Sen. George LeMieux's Farewell Address
Sen. LeMieux delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 7.
Madam President, I rise to pay tribute to the body with which I have had the privilege of serving for the past 15 months. Being a U.S. Senator, representing 18 1/2 million Floridians, has been the privilege of my lifetime, and now that privilege is coming to an end. As I stand on the floor of the Senate to address my colleagues this one last time, I am both humbled and grateful, humbled by this tremendous institution, by its work, and by the statesmen I have had the opportunity to serve with, who I knew only from afar but now am grateful that I can call those same men and women my colleagues.
  No endeavor worth doing is done alone. And my time here is no exception. In the past 16 months, I have asked the folks who worked with me to try to get 6 years of service out of that time, and they have worked tirelessly to achieve that goal.
Sen. Jim Bunning's Farewell Address
Sen. Bunning delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 9.
Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to thank all of my colleagues and other individuals who have come to the Chamber to hear me bid farewell.
I have had the great fortune of having three wonderful careers during my life:Â one as a husband, a father of nine children, and a grandfather of 40, one in Major League Baseball for twenty-seven years and one in public service for thirty years.Â
Many people often talk about how different my baseball and public service careers are, but they really are not so different.
I have been booed by 60,000 fans at Yankee Stadium standing alone at the pitcher’s mound, so I have never really cared if I stood alone here in Congress as long as I stood by my beliefs and my values. I have also thought that being able to throw a curve ball never was a bad skill for a politician to have.
Sen. Arlen Specter's Farewell Address
Sen. Specter delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 21.
“This is not a farewell address, but rather a closing argument to a jury of my colleagues and the American people outlining my views on how the Senate â€" and with it, the Federal Government -- arrived at its current condition of partisan gridlock, and my suggestions of where we go from here on that pressing problem and key issues of national and international importance.
To make a final floor statement is a challenge. The Washington Post noted the poor attendance at my colleagues’ farewell speeches earlier this month. That is really not surprising since there is hardly anyone ever on the Senate floor. The days of lively debate with many members on the floor are long gone. Abuse of Senate rules has pretty much stripped senators of the right to offer amendments. The modern filibuster requires only a threat and no talking. So the Senate’s dominant activity for ! more than a decade has been the virtually continuous drone of the quorum call.
Wiki, IV
Whatever else he has accomplished, Julian Assange through WikiLeaks has opened for examination important questions about the new journalism and the appropriate use of the Internet. Is Wiki a publisher? Is it practicing journalism? Does it create more problems of invasion of privacy than transform an overly secret society to one more open and thus more democratic?
"WikiLeaks changes everything,†Christian Caryl wrote recently in The New York Review of Books. The sheer volume of its uncurated disclosures of secret information of government and business is unprecedented. Caryl concluded that he didn’t “see coherently articulated morality, or immorality, at work here at all; what I see is an amoral, technocratic void.†One’s view of WikiLeaks may vary among generations for that very reason â€" the younger being more sympathetic to Assange’s views. My older generation sees the younger’s downloading music and movies as stealing from the Internet, and many also see Wiki's disclosures as theft â€" dangerous theft at that, as it might unnecessarily hurt people through its indiscriminate use.
Sen. Robert Bennett's Farewell Address
Sen. Bennett delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 9.
Madam President, there used to be a very strong tradition in the Senate that every new Senator gave a maiden speech, and in that tradition some Senators waited as long as a year before they gave the speech. Then, when the time came, the more senior Senators would gather and take notes and then critique the newcomer on how well he did.
  Life has changed a good deal. I never gave a maiden speech. I plunged right into the debate when I got here. Now the tradition seems to be to give a farewell speech. So I am grateful to my colleagues who will gather for this occasion as I contemplate saying farewell to the Senate. But I will warn them, this is probably not my last speech. I intend to be heavily involved in the debate over whether we pass a continuing resolution or an omnibus bill.
  I have a history with the Senate, and it began when I was a teenager as a ! summer intern. I remember sitting in the gallery and watching Bob Taft prowl across the back of the Senate, watching to make sure things were going according to his desire.
Sen. Kit Bond's Farewell Address
Sen. Bond delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 14.
Thank you, Leader McConnell, for your kind words.
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Since I announced I would not seek re-election, I have been overwhelmed by the nice things folks are saying about me.
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There is nothing like being eulogized while still breathing.
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A few words to Leader McConnell: It has been a good many years since you and I sat in the back of the chamber in what you dubbed as the “Not Quite Ready for Prime Time†Club.
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While I never made it to Prime Time â€" except of course my appearance one night on Jon Stewart as a less-than-best-selling author â€" you certainly have arrived!
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You have led us through many difficult and protracted debates. Through it all you have been an agile, disciplined negotiator with a good sense of humor, and you kept us together on many tough votes. At least, as much as it is possible to keep forty-someth! ing independent minds together. Or, as I like to say, 40 frogs in a wheelbarrow.
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So, thank you, Mitch. While I might have occasionally caused you heartburn, I have always appreciated your intelligence, leadership and friendship.
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You and Elaine are good friends of Linda’s and mine. We extend you every and all good wishes for your future.
McCaskill to cheer on Mizzou at bowl game
Sen. Claire McCaskill is in Arizona to cheer on her alma mater University of Missouri Tigers as they face off against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes in the Insight Bowl.
McCaskill tweeted that she was on hand with the governor to watch the game, in which the 14th-ranked Tigers are favored to win:
Lucky to be in AZ today w/ Gov and many Tiger fans for the Mizzou victory tonight against Iowa.
But the Democrat had to clarify that she was with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D), not Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R):Â
Whoa....! in AZ with MO Gov Nixon, who is also big Mizzou fan. Not AZ Governor....
McCaskill said that the last time she was at a Tigers game in Arizona was as a student 38 years ago:Â
Wish our stay was longer than 24 hours,weather is perfect.Last time I was in AZ to watch Mizzou play I was a MU student, Fiesta Bowl '72..
Sen. George Voinovich's Farewell Address
Sen. Voinovich delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 15.
Mr. President, I rise today to say farewell to the Senate after 12 years. I would like to take time to convey my heartfelt thanks to all of those who have helped me during my time in the Senate and to reflect briefly on the work we were able to get done, work that I think made a difference for the people of my State and our Nation.
  I also will share a few observations with my colleagues, both those who are staying as the 112th, as well as Senators yet to come. At this stage in my life, I look back on my 44 years in public service and I cannot help but thank God for the immeasurable blessings he has bestowed upon me. Each time I walk the steps of the Senate , I look up at the Statue of Freedom on the top of our Capitol dome, and I think of my grandparents who came to America with nothing but the clothes on their back. They could not read or write and spoke only a few wor! ds of English.
  I have to pinch myself as a reminder that this has not been just a wonderful dream. The grandson of Serbian and Slovenian immigrants who grew up on the east side of Cleveland is a U.S. Senator. Only in America.
Sen. Evan Bayh's Farewell Address
Sen. Bayh delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 15.
Mr. President, if I may be permitted a few points of personal privilege before my formal remarks.
First, to my wife Susan to whom I am grateful for 25 years of marriage. I wouldn't have been elected dogcatcher without Susan's love and support. I often remember the story during my first campaign of meeting an elderly women who held my hand, looked up into my eyes and said, "young man I'm going to vote for you." When I asked her why she said, "because I met your wife. You did just fine with the most important decision you will ever make, I will trust you with the other ones too!" Darling, I can never thank you enough. She was a wonderful first lady, is a phenomenal mother, and is my partner for life.
Next, I would like to express my gratitude to my parents. Even though they were very busy, I never doubted that I was the most important thing in their life. ! There is no question that my devotion to public service stems from their commitment. I have always admired my father's selfless commitment to helping our state and nation. I am proud to follow in his footsteps in the Senate and to share his name. My mother taught me even from the depths of adversity can come hope. I miss her but suspect she is watching from on high today.
Sen. Byron Dorgan's Farewell Address
Sen. Dorgan delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 16.
Mr. President, those of us who are leaving the Congress at the end of this year are given the opportunity to make a farewell speech. But more, it is an opportunity to say thank you to a lot of people to whom we owe a thank-you, and to colleagues, to family, to the staff here in the Senate and our state staff, and the people of North Dakota, in this case, who gave me the opportunity to serve. It is the opportunity for me to say thank you.
  One of my colleagues the other day talked about the number of people who have served in the Senate. Since the beginning of our country, there have been 1,918 people who have served in the Senate. When I signed in, I signed on the line, and I was No. 1,802. There have been 212 Senators with whom I have served in the years I have been in the Senate. It is hard to get here and it is also hard to leave. But all of us do leave, and the Senate a! lways continues. When finally you do leave, you understand this is the most unique legislative body in the world.
  I arrived 30 years ago in Congress, and when we all show up the first day, we feel so very important and we believe the weight of the world rests on our shoulders. Then we begin getting mail from home.
Sen. Sam Brownback's Farewell Address
Sen. Brownback delivered these remarks on the senate floor on November 18, 2010
Mr. President, I thank the majority leader for setting up this period of time. This will be my last speech, probably, to the body. It is a speech I wish to give in talking about leaving the Senate of the United States.
  I was just elected to be Governor of Kansas, and I am very excited about that post. I have served here a period of 14 years, which has been a wonderful chance to be able to serve the people of Kansas--the people of the United States. I love this body and I love this country.
  A lot of folks, when they leave, talk about partisanship and the bickering. I like to think about the beauty of the country and the ability to come together because it does happen. The predecessor of the person sitting in the Presiding Officer's seat and I worked on one of the flagship pieces of legislation on human rights protection. It was on human traffick! ing, the initial bill. That was with Senator Paul Wellstone, who was from Minnesota. He was a delightful individual. It was a great chance for us to work together on something, and we couldn't have been further apart. I think he was ranked the second most liberal Member of the Senate . He aspired to be No. 1, but he was second. But he was a delightful man and he dealt from the heart and we got things done.
Biden rallies supporters with 'thank you card' before GOP takes House
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is urging its supporters to register to receive a "thank you card" from President Obama following the lame-duck session he hailed as the most productive in decades.
"We had a dedicated group of lawmakers â€" no doubt â€" but they were supported every step of the way by folks from all across this country who were ready for change. People like you," reads an e-mail circulated by the DNC and signed by Vice President Joe Biden.
{mosads}Democrats are looking to capitalize politically on the lame-duck session, which capped two years of Democratic control of government.
But Republicans dealt historic defeats to Democrats in the November midterm elections and they will return to Washington next month with a 49-seat House majority and a more robust minority in the Senate.
Signing up for the card allows the DNC to collect the names, phone numbers and e-mails of potential supporters as the party loo! ks ahead to 2012, when Obama is up for reelection.
As for the next two years, the president recently acknowledged his party would have to find common ground with Republicans to pass legislation, but he vowed to press Congress to pass his priorities, such as comprehensive immigration reform.
"One thing I hope people have seen in this lame-duck: I am persistent," he said at a press conference last week. "I am persistent. If I think something's important, I stay on it."
Rep. Davis 'disturbed' by Clinton appearance for Rahm in mayor's race
Rep. Danny Davis, a candidate for mayor of Chicago, issued a strongly worded statement Tuesday against former President Bill Clinton's planned appearance on behalf of Rahm Emanuel, the front-runner in the race.
Davis (D-Ill.) said that Clinton's endorsement of Emanuel, President Obama's former chief of staff, could permanently damage Clinton's standing in the black community.
{mosads}The congressman said that Clinton has the "right" to appear but that he is "seriously concerned and disturbed" by reports that the 42nd president will campaign for Emanuel in the Windy City in January.
"The African-American community has enjoyed a long and fruitful relation! ship with the Clintons; however, it appears as though some of that relationship may be fractured and perhaps even broken should former President Clinton come to town and participate overtly in efforts to thwart the legitimate political aspirations of Chicago’s black community," he said.
The Chicago congressman has lobbed several salvos at Emanuel, who served as deputy chief of staff to Clinton, since entering the race.
Davis contended that Emanuel did not qualify for the ballot due to residency requirements. But Emanuel's eligibility was upheld last week by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.Â
Davis was endorsed by a group of influential black leaders before! announcing his candidacy last month.
Several polls have shown Emanuel holding wide leads over Davis and other candidates, including former Chicago Public Schools chief Gery Chico, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.) and Miguel de Valle.Â
The primary is set to be held on Feb. 22, 2011, and a runoff election could be held if one candidate does not receive 50 percent of the vote.
Sen. Judd Gregg's Farewell Address
Sen. Gregg delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 14.
Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of myself and my wife Kathy to thank the people of New Hampshire for giving us the great honor and privilege to represent them.
This is an extraordinary body, the Senate. It's filled with wonderful people. I look around this room, and I see a lot of friends, people that I have had the chance to do work with and that I admire immensely. I thank them for their friendship.
And when people ask me about leaving the Senate, “What's the thing I am going to miss the most?â€Â I always say it's the people in the Senate, because they're special; dedicated to making this country a better place; dedicated to doing their jobs well; dedicated to serving America.
And so I thank you for the great honor and privilege that you have given Kathy and I to allow us to serve and participate in this body with yourselves and your spouses. ! I want to thank everybody else who's been so helpful throughout our career, the folks here at the dais, the staff, and the cloakroom. Throughout this building, there are so many people that make the Senate work, people working in the furniture room and people working in the hallways, and our staffs, obviously. This is a special place filled with people who are committed to making the Senate work well. I thank them for allowing Kathy and me to be part of that.
Newark mayor tweets snow removal efforts
Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J., has been atwitter about his city's efforts to clear away hefty amounts of snow from the city's streets.
Booker (D) has filed dozens of reports on his million-plus-follower Twitter feed about recovery efforts, including his own, even responding to individuals who have not had their streets plowed.Â
Here are some of his tweets:Â
I just doug out ur car. All the best RT @MsXmasBaby: Is there NE city volunteers 2 dig some1 out? I'm going 2 have medical procedure done
Will take some time but we'll b there RT @michaelsantos: Abington Ave near N 11th & N 10th needs 2 be plowed. Cars are stuck left and right.
Just freed a m! ed transport van here at Cottage Place in Central Ward. Private contractor needs 2 be arrested 4 leaving these folks stranded
Down in the state capitol of Trenton, Gov. Chris Christie (R) has taken criticism for being on vacation during the storm. But his office has pushed back, saying the governor is coordinating relief efforts with the acting governor, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D).Â
"All emergency services of the state are functioning as expected under the circumstances and as they normally would," Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said.
Sen. Christopher Dodd's Farewell Address
Sen. Dodd delivered these remarks on the senate floor on November 30.
For more than 200 years, a uniquely American story has unfolded here in the chamber of the United States Senate â€" a fascinating, inspiring, and often tumultuous tale of conflict and compromise, reflecting the awesome potential of our still young democracyâ€"and its occasional moments of agonizing frustration.
For much of my life, this story has intersected with my own in ways that have been both thrilling and humbling.
As a 14-year-old boy, I sat in the family gallery of this chamber, watching as my father took the oath of office as a new Senator.
A few years later, in 1962, I sat where these young men and women sit today, serving as a Senate page. John F. Kennedy was our president and Lyndon Johnson presided over this body.
Eighteen years later, in the autumn of 1980, the people of Connecticut gave me the honor of a lifetime when they asked me t! o give voice to their views, electing me to serve as their United States Senator.
For the past thirty years I have worked hard to sustain their trust. I am proud of the work I have done, but it is time for my story and that of this institution, which I cherish so much, to diverge.
Thus, Mr. President, I rise to give some valedictory remarks as my service as a United States Senator from Connecticut comes to a close.
Now, it is common for retiring Senators to say the following; ―I’ll miss the people â€" but not the work.
Mr. President, you won’t hear that from me. Most assuredly, I will miss the people of the Senate. But I will miss the work, as well.
Rangel creates legal defense fund
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) has created a legal defense fund to help pay attorneys' fees following a lengthy ethics investigation that led to his censure on the House floor.Â
The 20-term lawmaker has been given permission by the House ethics committee to create the Charles B. Rangel Legal Defense Trust, which is soliciting donations up to $5,000. Rangel press secretary Hannah Kim confirmed the creation of the fund, which was first reported by Politics Daily.
{mosads}In a statement, Rangel said that the fund will help him "retain counsel for on-going activities related to the recently-concluded ethics investigations and other on-going matters" and to combat new charges brought before the Federal Election Comm! ission (FEC) by a conservative non-profit group.
The FEC earlier this month opened a probe into allegations by the National Legal and Policy Center that the former Ways and Means Committee chairman improperly used funds from his National Leadership PAC to pay for his legal counsel in his ethics case.
"The repeated filings of allegations, no matter how unsubstantiated, by the National Legal Policy Committee, a politically-motivated right wing group dedicated to eviscerating civil rights and labor union protections, have led me to this action," Rangel said in the statement.
The fund is permitted to accept corporate donations, but is not allowed to take money from federally registered lobbyists, Politics Daily reported.
"All contributions to the trust will be reported as required on a quarterly basis with the committee as well as the Legislative Resource Center for public disclosure," Rangel said.
Rangel's legal ! expenses were at the center of his complaints over the House e! thics co mmittee's handling of his investigation.
His attorneys at the firm Zuckerman Spaeder dropped him as a client in October, and he later told the ethics committee he could no longer afford their services after sinking $2 million into his defense.
Rangel said that the committee did not give him an ample chance to find new legal representation, but documents released by the ethics committee showed that it advised him he could establish a legal defense fund to pay his lawyers.
The House on Dec. 2 voted 333-79 to censure Rangel for violating 11 counts of House ethics rules. The punishment was the steepest the House could hand down short of expulsion.
"I am confident any continuing or subsequent investigations will find a similar lack of any intent to violate any rules or any actions designed in any way to personally benefit me or my family," Rangel said.
-- This story was updated at 2:08 p.m.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln's Farewell Address
Sen. Lincoln delivered these remarks on the senate floor on December 15.
Mr. President, I am glad to be here with my colleagues to express my gratitude for the incredible, blessed life's journey I have experienced thus far and the wonderful contributions this place has made to that. I have been enormously blessed by the people of Arkansas to have represented them in the U.S. Congress, first as a Member of the House of Representatives and finally now as a U.S. Senator.
  Today, I rise as the daughter of two amazing parents, Martha and the late Jordan Lambert, the proud daughter of a seventh-generation Arkansas family, dirt farmers--not to be confused, we didn't farm dirt, but we were hardworking farmers who were not afraid to get dirty, to get our hands into the Earth and to do what it was we have done for generations in Arkansas. I am also the proud wife of Dr. Steve Lincoln and the very proud mother of two incredible young men, Reece and ! Bennett--great boys. You all have watched them grow up. It is the many unique life experiences each of us brings to this place and to this job that really and truly contribute to the mark we leave on this institution.
  When I came to the Senate , my boys were 2 and we were about to celebrate their third birthday. We didn't have any friends up here, so I looked around the Senate to see who had children, who could bring their kids to our birthday party, and there were a few. We kind of had to rent out some kids to come to the Moonbounce to have a great party and it was fun. I realized how important that experience was for me to bring to this body, to share with people. PATTY MURRAY knows--she has been there--MARY LANDRIEU, AMY KLOBUCHAR, and so many others who have had their children here in the Senate . What a difference that makes in your perspective on what you are doing here. It makes a big difference.
Office of N.J. Gov. Christie, vacationing during snowstorm, pushes back on criticism
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's office is pushing back against complaints that both he and the lieutenant governor were vacationing during a blizzard that blanketed the state with snow.
The snowstorm paralyzed much of the Northeast on a busy holiday travel weekend but Christie (R), a darling of national Republicans, and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno were traveling in Florida's Disney World and Mexico, respectively. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D) has been serving as acting governor in their absence and coordinated response efforts.
{mosads}But that move earned the scorn of state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D), who on Monday questioned "the purpose of the office" of lieutenant governor, which was created in 2005, saying it amounted to "wasted money" if b! oth officials vacationed at the same time.
In a lengthy response Tuesday, Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said the criticism of the new governor was "overblown."
"Yes, this was a big snow, but we are a northeastern state, and we get plenty of snow, including heavy hits like this," he wrote in an e-mail to The Hill. "But the sky really is not falling, and we'll get through this just as we always have, notwithstanding complaints from opportunistic partisans like Lesniak."
Even though New Jersey's snow is a home-state concern, national observers have eyed the criticism of Christie given his high national political profile.
Drewniak, who noted that Lesniak is "hurling his criticism from his vacation in Florida," pushed back against questions about Christie's management of the state. He stressed that Sweeney has been in close contact with senior administration officials, key agencies and Christie himself since the snow hit.
"All emergency services of the state are functioning as expected under the circumstances and as they normally would," he wrote.
He also poked holes in Lesniak's contention that the lieutenant governor's salary is a waste of money, pointing out that Guadagno is paid for her position as secretary of state.
The law requires that the lieutenant governor also hold another state role. Even though a constitutional amendment created the job of lieutenant governor in 2005, Guadagno is the first person to fill the role.
Drewniak also explained the lieutenant governor's job was "designed to prevent having a long-term, unelected interim governor while waiting for the next election," such as the scenario after Gov. Jim McGreevey (D) resigned after a sex scandal in 2004.
He noted that Democratic co-sponsors of the law have recently made that argument and that Sweeney has declined to criticize Christie's absence.
Elected in 2009 on a reform agenda, Christie vaulted into national political stardom in part through blunt, off-the-cuff speeches that have become online hits. His efforts to help raise funds for Republicans around the country in 2010 prompted speculation he could run for president, an office he says he is not interested in seeking in 2012.Â
Christie's popularity in New Jersey slipped five points in a Quinnipiac poll released this month, after a spat over nominating Supreme Court judges and his decision to cancel a long-planned rail tunnel, prompting concerns about his handling of state business and his immediate political future.
Christie also received heat after his state lost out on $400 million in federal "Race to! the Top" education funding due to a clerical error. The incident led Christie to fire his education commissioner.
Economic forecast â 2011 the Year of the U.S.
Jim O’Neill is a smart fella. The head of Goldman Sachs’s Asset Management division has made the company and investors hundreds of millions through his savvy predictions of market movement through the years. Now his colleagues are hoping O’Neill can do what no politician or Fed chairman has been able to in recent months â€" successfully call the end of this numbing recession.
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That’s a tall order, especially given what’s been tried in recent months. The stimulus all but failed us, and piled on further debt. Bank bailouts only seemed to help the banks â€" as the financial institutions are hoarding their cash in hopes of brighter outlooks. It seems there is plenty of pent-up horsepower ready to unleash on this economy, but no one entity seems willing to take the first step.
Sen. Sherrod Brown: Obama must stand up to GOP on extension of tax cuts
Brown said GOP leaders have shown they have no interest in anything but the failure of the Obama administration.
FEC dismisses complaint against Ensign over payments to former mistress
The Nevada lawmaker was accused by an ethics group of improperly paying a former mistress nearly $100,000 in hush money.
Key Republican: No permanent tax cut extension to come during lame-duck
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said that some sort of compromise is in order, such as a temporary extension.
Black caucus not ready to endorse Pelosi deal
The Congressional Black Caucus wants more details about the proposal to create a leadership position for Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.).
Black caucus not ready to endorse Pelosi's deal
The Congressional Black Caucus wants more details about the proposal to create a leadership position for Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.).
No promises from Axelrod on Obama vetoing earmark-laden legislation
Axelrod suggested it may be too late in the year for the president to not sign bills with pork.
Conrad: Obama leaving South Korea without trade deal was 'show of strength'
The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee also reminded European critics "we have saved their bacon over and over."
Clyburn urges colleagues to back Pelosi's plan to create his No. 3 spot
Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said the proposal "honors the diversity and fosters the unity of our Caucus."
Hillary Clinton bests Palin for 2010's most admired woman
The secretary of state won the title for the ninth straight year; President Obama was chosen as "most admired man."
Armenian community is still waiting to hear from Congress
The “lame-ducking†Congress did not vote on H-Res 252 recognizing the period of systematic massacres of the Armenian people during the WW1 as genocide. On March 4th, it passed House Foreign Affairs Committee with 23 to 22 votes but speaker Nancy Pelosi did not bring the Armenian Genocide Resolution to the floor agenda, despite her initial pledge. There was a certain pressure from State Department as well as from the Turkish lobby in order to prevent it from happening.
Jesus would be a liberal, right?
On Thursday night I appeared on “The Ed Schultz Show†on MSNBC, answering Newt Gingrich's latest attack on the jobless by suggesting Newt watch “It's a Wonderful Lifeâ€Â and reread the teachings of Jesus, which I offered to send him as my Christmas present.
President Obama is a man of quiet but deep Christian faith. Isn't it odd that every time the president quotes Scripture, he is met by angry rightists who seem to hate (hate is not too strong a word for some of them) that the president quotes the Sermon on the Mount and other teachings of Jesus?
So let me put this question before the house today: Would Jesus be liberal today?
Congress wants to hear from Gen. Petraeus
Rep Honda, Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus's Afghanistan Taskforce, and 30 other members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama last week asking that General David Petraeus be made available to testify before the House of Representatives early in the 112th Congress on the status of conditions on the ground in  Afghanistan. The full text of the letter follows.
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama: We write today to respectfully request that General David Petraeus be made available to testify before the Members of the House of Representatives on your administration’s December Strategy Review and the status of conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.
Congress wants to hear from Gen. Patraeus
Rep Honda, Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus's Afghanistan Taskforce, and 30 other Members of Congress, sent a letter to President Obama last week asking that General David Petraeus be made available to testify before the House of Representatives early in the 112th Congress on the status of conditions on the ground in  Afghanistan. The full text of the letter follows.
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama: We write today to respectfully request that General David Petraeus be made available to testify before the Members of the House of Representatives on your administration’s December Strategy Review and the status of conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.
Lisa Murkowski: Alaska without labels and without the wild
All that hurtful talk about “Republicrats†scorning them as squishy-brained and sheeplike, a Congress of Easter Peeps despised by up to 89 percent of the country; the middle age, the mid’lin, the mediocre and mauve â€" what novelist Curtis White called (scornfully) the “middle mind.†Now they who seek to be neither masters nor men have a name: “No Labels.†And it even claims its own generation, a conspicuously multicultural chorus that sits passively in the pew and looks selected by elder churchmen.
But the young’uns don’t seem to be jumping in. Gawker calls it “the most boring political movement of all time.†Maybe they try passing out cookies at the airport. Or how about the phrase, “Have you heard the good news?â€
Rep. Steve King: 'Just a test'
Rep. Steve King appears to be having some issues with his Twitter account â€" he tweeted test messages twice in a nearly 20-minute span on Monday.
The Iowa Republican tweeted two single-word messages that read "test."
The Twitter Room hopes that King's account gets back to normal, but in the meantime, we enjoyed this Beastie Boys classic:
'Just a test'
Rep. Steve King appears to be having some issues with his Twitter account â€" he tweeted test messages twice in a nearly 20-minute span on Monday.
The Iowa Republican tweeted two single-word messages that read "test."
The Twitter Room hopes that King's account gets back to normal, but in the meantime, we enjoyed this Beastie Boys classic:
DeMint challenger Alvin Greene to run for S.C. state house
Alvin Greene, the unemployed military veteran who won the Democratic nomination to face Sen. Jim DeMint (R) this fall, has filed to run for South Carolina's state house.Â
Greene, who lost to Demint by over 30 percentage points, paid the $165 entry fee five minutes after the filing period opened on Christmas Eve to run in a special election to replace the late state Rep. Cathy Harvin (D), according to the Associated Press.Â
His surprise primary victory over presumptive nominee Vic Rawls prompted calls from Democrats to investigate the election results, but he remained on the ticket through the general election.
During the midst of the campaign in August, Greene was indicted by a South Carolina jury for allegedly showing pornography to a college student. He declined to drop out of the race and one of his first campaign speeches lasted a mere 23 seconds.Â
Greene got into trouble again when a companion of his got into a restaurant altercation with officials from a local Democrati! c group, resulting in the ejection of Greene and his associates.Â
The candidate was also known for more lighthearted moments, such as his suggestion that manufacturing action figures of himself could create jobs.Â
A primary for the state House race will be held Feb. 15 and the special election will take place on Apr. 5.
Obama and Israel: The pessimistic perspective
The American-Israeli special relationship is a classic example of the tail that wags the dog. As a result of its palpable partiality towards Israel, America has lost all credibility in the eyes not only of the Palestinians but of the wider Arab and Muslim worlds. The so-called peace process has been all process and no peace. It is worse than a sham. Peace talks that go nowhere slowly provide Israel with just the cover it needs to pursue its relentlessly expansionist agenda on the West Bank.
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The asymmetry of power between Israel and the Palestinians militates against a just settlement of the conflict. A just settlement means a two-state solution, the emergence of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with a capital city in East Jerusalem. Only America can push Israel into such a settlement. It has the leverage but it has not exercised it. America gives Israel money, arms, and advice. Israel takes the money, takes the arms, and ig! nores the advice.
Outgoing Dem implies Chinese aided defeat
Defeated Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (N.H.) suggested in a recent interview that Chinese interests contributed to her loss in the November midterm elections.
Shea-Porter, who first won her seat in the Democratic sweep of 2006, said that special interest money has damaged the integrity of Congress.
{mosads}"I think it's strangling us," she told ABC News in a recent interview. "They're in the halls of Congress everywhere, and it means, for example, that you sit on a committee and you say something about concern about Chinese influence or something, you don't even know if in the next election, somehow or another, they manage to send some money to s! ome group that now doesn't even have to say where they got it."
Shea-Porter was defeated by Republican Frank Guinta 54-43 percent on Nov. 2. Her district had previously been represented by Republican Rep. Jeb Bradley.
During the midterm campaign, Democrats railed against Republicans for blocking a campaign finance law that would have counteracted the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling that lifted many restrictions on corporate and union political spending.
Democrats accused outside groups with anonymous donors may have funneled foreign money and influence into the elections.
U.S. political campaigns are barred from accepting donations from foreign entities. No evidence has been presented that Guinta accepted foreign donations.
Shea-Porter raised eyebrows in January when she said it would have been easier for Congress to pass the healt! hcare reform overhaul if "We sent the men home."
Clinton: Russian oil magnate's second conviction raises 'serious questions'
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that the conviction in Russia of one-time oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky in his second trial raised “serious questions†about the rule of law in that country.
The judge's conviction of Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man and a potential political threat to the Kremlin, on embezzlement and money laundering charges was widely expected. And it prompted immediate criticism from some human rights groups and the U.S., which suggested the trial was politically motivated.
“Today's conviction in the second trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and [former business associate] Platon Lebedev on charges of embezzlement and money laundering raises serious questions about selective prosecution â€" and about the rule of law being overshadowed by political considerations,†Clinton said in a statement. “This and similar cases have a negative impact on Russia’s reputation for fulfilling its international human ! rights obligations and improving its investment climate.
“We welcome President [Dmitry] Medvedev’s modernization plans, but their fulfillment requires the development of a climate where due process and judicial independence are respected,†she added. “We will monitor the appeals process.â€
Thune to visit Pawlenty's Minnesota next year
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a potential 2012 presidential candidate, is scheduled to visit the home state of one of his potential rivals early next year.
Thune will headline the Minnesota GOP's Lincoln-Reagan dinner on Feb. 25, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Minnesota is the home of Tim Pawlenty (R), the state's outgoing governor and a potential presidential candidate.
The South Dakota senator, who became famous for unseating former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) in 2004, said in September that he will decide whether or not to run for president "early next year."
Pawlenty recently expressed regret for not seeking a third term as governor, considering the GOP picked up the majority in the state's legislature. Democrat Mark Dayton defeated Republican Tom Emmer for governor in November.
But he is still planning to go ahead with his national exposure campaign, and is preparing to
h/t TPMDC
Clinton: Oil magnate's second conviction in Russia raises 'serious questions'
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that the conviction in Russia of one-time oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky in his second trial raised “serious questions†about the rule of law in that country.
The judge's conviction of Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man and a potential political threat to the Kremlin, on embezzlement and money laundering charges was widely expected. And it prompted immediate criticism from some human rights groups and the U.S., which suggested the trial was politically motivated.
“Today's conviction in the second trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and [former business associate] Platon Lebedev on charges of embezzlement and money laundering raises serious questions about selective prosecution â€" and about the rule of law being overshadowed by political considerations,†Clinton said in a statement. “This and similar cases have a negative impact on Russia’s reputation for fulfilling its international human ! rights obligations and improving its investment climate.
“We welcome President Medvedev’s modernization plans, but their fulfillment requires the development of a climate where due process and judicial independence are respected,†she added. “We will monitor the appeals process.â€
Sanders on running against Obama: 'Ain't gonna do it'
One of the Senate's liberal leaders said that, despite receiving pleas to challenge President Obama in 2012, he is not taking the bait.Â
When asked about launching a potential primary challenge of the president, self-described democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he "ain't gonna do it."
{mosads}"You will be the first to know, ain't gonna do it," he said during an interview on Vermont's WCAX-TV last week.
Speculation mounted that Sanders could run against Obama after he spent over eight hours this month railing against the president's tax-cut deal on the Senate floor in a speech that came to be known as the "filibernie."Â
A website even sprouted up by the name of bernieforpresident.com that bills itself as "An independent and Quixotic plea for sanity."
"Let’s face it, this will never happen," the site reads. "But hey, why not at least put it out there."
Sanders says he is "Very proud to be Vermont's senator."
"I am very content to be where I am, but I am flattered by that kind of response," he said.
If Sanders had decided to challenge Obama, he would have faced a steep uphill climb. A recent Magellan Strategies poll found Obama with a 71-point lead over Sanders among registered voters in New Hampshire, a key early primary state.