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Washington Watch
Hatch: Gonzales Resolution Sends Wrong Message
In op-ed, Sen. Orrin Hatch says: "There is much to criticize about how some U.S. attorneys were removed last year. But the Senate's no-confidence resolution is the wrong way to send the wrong message about the attorney general's service. Months of hearings and investigations have yielded no real evidence that U.S. attorneys were removed for truly improper reasons. The nation's business waits while this fishing expedition continues. ... Inappropriate resolutions that send misleading messages will not solve the nation's real pressing problems. We should move on" (USA Today) (see also related Hatch press release and Washington Post story); Hatch introduces legislation that would reduce gasoline prices by increasing the capacity of American oil refineries (press release).
Matheson: Growing Passport Problem
Rep. Jim Matheson sends a letter to the Secretary of State asking what specific actions are being planned to address the problem of backlogged passport applications. Says Matheson: "The Department has issued several statements indicating that it has regained control of the situation, but the growing numbers of phone calls and complaints from our constituents indicates otherwise. During the two weeks before and after Memorial Day, my office fielded over seventy requests for assistance with passports" (see press release).
Today in Political History
June 13, 1966: The Supreme Court issues its landmark 'Miranda versus Arizona' decision, ruling that criminal suspects must be informed of their constitutional rights prior to questioning by police. (Source: New York Times)
June 13, 1971: The “Pentagon Papers” are excerpted in the New York Times, giving details of U.S. involvement in Vietnam from the end of World War II to 1968. After the third installment, the Nixon Administration won a restraining order from a judge, the first prior restraint against newspaper publication ever granted to the federal government. (Source: perspicuity)
Wise Words
“Religion is essentially the art and the theory of the remaking of man. Man is not a finished creation.”
-- Edmund Burke (Source: Brainy Quote)
Campaign Tips
Interview Techniques
Don't be afraid to reframe questions. Almost any question, whether from a reporter or an audience member, can be reframed to make a point you want to make or to reduce the impact of a hard-hitting inquiry. But reframing must be done skillfully so you don’t appear to be avoiding the question. This is especially true during public debates. Good reframing will clarify the question, perhaps in a way more favorable to your position, but will not leave the candidate looking evasive or deceptive.
National Politics
Best Stories From …
-- Washington Post: "For the first time in five years, President Bush [was set to] attend the Senate Republicans' weekly policy lunch [Tuesday] as he pushes to revive his moribund overhaul of the nation's immigration laws. But even before he set foot in the Capitol, several Republican senators issued a terse warning [Monday]: Don't expect much. In the days after the broad compromise on immigration collapsed on Thursday, opposition, if anything, appears to have hardened among some senators who had once been willing to consider the deal. The bill's vociferous critics have also had a long weekend to throw dirt on its grave."
-- Los Angeles Times: Columnist Jonah Goldberg: "Here's a good question for you: Why have public schools at all? OK, cue the marching music. We need public schools because blah blah blah and yada yada yada. We could say blah is common culture and yada is the government's interest in promoting the general welfare. Or that children are the future. And a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Because we can't leave any child behind. The problem with all these bromides is that they leave out the simple fact that one of the surest ways to leave a kid 'behind' is to hand him over to the government. Americans want universal education, just as they want universally safe food. But nobody believes that the government should run 90% of the restaurants, farms and supermarkets. Why should it run 90% of the schools -- particularly when it gets terrible results?"
-- The Politico: Columnist Frank J. Donatelli: "It is the worst of times for Republicans. President George W. Bush's approval ratings barely top 30 percent. Democrats have opened up as much as a 15-point lead in party identification ... Key issues such as immigration and Iraq are causing major fissures in the Republican coalition. ... History also tells us that 2008 should be a Democratic year. Third terms for the in-party in power are notoriously difficult to win. ... And yet, there are signs of hope in the gloom enveloping Republicans. There are several ways that the GOP might still mount a comeback and win the White House in 2008" (see also related Peter Beinart column).
-- The Economist: Editorial: "Roughly half a year after the Democrats seized Congress, nobody could deny that politics has grown more interesting. Judging from the newspapers today it is Capitol Hill, not the White House, where the action is in Washington, DC. ... And yet the past six months has also shown how painfully blocked-up America's checks-and-balances system can be. For all of the attention-grabbing activity, nothing concrete has yet been achieved."
Lighter Side
“The only thing which saves us from bureaucracy is its inefficiency.”
-- Eugene McCarthy
“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.”
-- Edward Abbey
“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.”
-- Aesop (Source: Humorous T-Shirts) |
