News Highlights

70 miles of track in 7 years will go forward  as Salt Lake County local government leaders vote again to build new TRAX and FrontRunner  lines (Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret Morning News).

Gov. Huntsman returns from Thanksgiving trip to Iraq, says security situation has improved in Baghdad (Tribune and Morning News).

Quote of the Day

“For more than 30 years, Ed Mayne was a voice for working families. What some considered idealism, he called common sense. … He believed that the American Dream is not just for the lucky among us but should be available to all of us. An honest man who led with his heart, Ed Mayne always put people front and center in his work and in his personal life.”

-- Utah State Democratic Party tribute to Sen. Ed Mayne

Mayne’s Life Celebrated

Services for Utah State Sen. Ed Mayne, who passed away on Sunday, have been scheduled. Visitations will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 6- 8 p.m., Union Labor Center, 2261 S. Redwood Road; and on Thursday, Nov. 29, 6-8 p.m., State Capitol, State Capitol Complex. The funeral is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 30, Utah Cultural Celebration Center, 11 a.m., 1355 W. 3100 South, West Valley. For tributes to Mayne, see Blog Watch, below, and Tribune and Morning News editorials.

Washington Watch

Cannon: Fire Assistance Grants

Rep. Chris Cannon has announced FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants totaling over $100,000 to local fire departments and emergency medical services in Utah. (See press release)

Gerald R. Ford and the Mormons

Ford had numerous LDS friends, including his skiing partner.  His son attended Utah State University.  He once said to Utah Senator Jake Garn, “Some say you’re not even Christians, but I know that your real name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. How can a group with a name like that not be Christian?” (From Mike Winder’s Presidents and Prophets: The Story of America’s Presidents and the LDS Church)

Today in Political History

November 27, 1973:  Pres. Gerald R. Ford succeeds Spiro T Agnew as vice president on a Senate vote of 92-3. (Source:  NBC5) 

November 27, 2003: Pres. George Bush makes a surprise visit to US troops in Baghdad to serve them a Thanksgiving Day dinner. (Source: perspicuity) 

Wise Words

“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.”

-- President Gerald R. Ford (Source:  Brainy Quote) 

National Politics

Best Stories From . . .

-- Newsweek: Columnist Charles Peters: "I have been troubled by the reluctance of my fellow liberals to acknowledge the progress made in Iraq in the last six months, a reluctance I am embarrassed to admit that I have shared. ... Why do liberals not want to face this fact, let alone ponder its implications? The problem is one that I have seen cripple our political life again and again and that seems to grow steadily worse. Liberals and conservatives are equally guilty. Neither side wants to face facts that don't fit its case."

-- Wall Street Journal: Columnist Shelby Steele says of Barack Obama's assertion that America should talk to its enemies: "Mr. Obama's idea clearly makes no sense in a context of national survival. It would have been absurd for President Roosevelt to fly to Berlin and talk to Hitler. But Mr. Obama's idea does make sense in the buildup to wars where survival is not at risk -- wars that are more a matter of urgent choice than of absolute necessity."

-- National Review Online: Columnist Byron York: "Until recently, the Republican campaign for president was conducted on a remarkably high level, focusing almost entirely on issues like taxes, immigration, social questions, and war. But Iowans are set to hold their caucuses in less than six weeks, and the campaign has entered a new phase. The big issues will still dominate, but the last weeks of the campaign will bring us steadily escalating oppo wars -- battles in which candidates attack their opponents' character as well as positions."

Blog Watch

-- Paul Mayne, Jana Mayne, Sen. John Valentine, Sen. Mike Dmitrich, Rep. Steve Urquhart, and JM Bell pay tribute to Sen. Ed Mayne, who passed away on Sunday after a battle with cancer.

-- At Out of Context, Matthew D. LaPlante reports: "Among the places Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. visited in Iraq with John McCain was a detention facility where, Huntsman said, McCain wanted to make sure 'there was not torture taking place.' President Bush, of course, says the United States doesn't torture. So does McCain know something we don't? Under questioning, Huntsman backed away from his earlier comment, saying that McCain -- a former prisoner of war and harsh critic of the administration's rather wishy-washy stand on interrogation techniques of dubious legality -- really just wanted to make sure interrogators 'were abiding by the military handbook.'"

-- At Salt Blog, Eric Peterson confesses to being a former push-poller for Western Wats.

Lighter Side

“I could almost go sit in the audience and have a hotdog by the time they get to me.”

-- Sen. Chris Dodd, a second-tier Democratic presidential candidate, on being in the presidential debates (Campaign & Elections magazine)  

Elected Officials Birthday List

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Romney Watch

Slate: Columnist Christopher Hitchens says of Romney's Mormonism: "Until 1978, no black American was permitted to hold even the lowly position of deacon in the Mormon Church, and nor were any ... admitted to the sacred rites of the temple. The Mormon elders then had a 'revelation' and changed the rules, thus more or less belatedly coming into compliance with the dominant civil rights statutes. The timing ... permits one to be cynical about its sincerity. However that may be, it certainly makes nonsense of Romney's moaning about any criticism or questioning being 'un-American.' The Mormons have already had to choose -- twice -- between their beliefs and American values." (For more on the Romney/Mormon issue, see Errol Louis column.)

Local Headlines

Deseret Morning News

- Funeral service for Sen. Mayne Friday in West Valley City

- 2nd Salt Lake County vote backs transit funding

- Mountain View Corridor proposals draw lots of opinions

- Governor says Iraq 'less bad'

- Eagle Mountain official starts legal process

- Plans for Aspen are still under way

- U.'s Capecchi, other Nobelists will soon head to Stockholm

- Utah voter turnout about 36% in 2007

- West Valley City upgrades Web site to add more services

- Editorial: Avoid harmful tax fixes

- Editorial: Sen. Mayne a true statesman

Standard-Examiner

- Ogden council unveils water study

- New Mexico tourist campaign tests West

- Editorial: Cross ruling correct

St. George Spectrum

- Op-ed: Must vote contemplatively

KCPW

- State Democratic Chair Remembers Senator Ed Mayne

- Senator, Labor Champion Loses Battle With Cancer

KSL Editorial Board

- Welcome! Simply, welcome!

Salt Lake Tribune

- 'Wolf' sighting triggers probe

- Mayne's widow is probable successor

- U.'s Capecchi honored at White House

- Rail plans remain on track

- Proposal aims to boost judges' independence

- Tight race settled, but sign tension persists

- Bus rapid transit a few years off

- Capitol reopening needs volunteers

- Canvassers put voucher vote to bed

- Huntsman: Iraq 'needs to get its act together'

- A new direction for northern Murray location

- Walsh: Utah loses a politician, genuine guy

- Hearing is set for accused councilwoman

- Utah BLM boss aims to keep plans on fast pace

- New boss to follow Mayne's lead

- Editorial: True statesman: Utah needs more like Ed Mayne

Please submit calendar items to Daily@UtahPolicy.com

- Nov 27: Administrative Rules Review Committee, 9 a.m., room W135.

- Nov 27: Governor Huntsman to tour the Columbus Community Center, 9:30 a.m., Columbus Community Center, 3495 South West Temple, SLC.
- Nov 27: Midday Metro at 10 a.m. on NPR Utah, KCPW 88.3 FM, features Philip Gordon, senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Brookings Institution on winning the “right” war in Iraq. Plus U law professor Amos Guiora on today’s Middle East peace summit in Maryland.
- Nov 27: Governor Huntsman to attend the Utah Substance Abuse and Anti-Violence Coordinating Council Award Presentations, Law and Justice Center, 11 a.m., 645 South 200 East, SLC.
- Nov 27: RadioWest on KUER FM 90: "How to Make a Conservative," 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Mitt Romney was the Republican governor of the most liberal state in the Union, and now he's being repackaged by an army of consultants in an effort to galvanize his presidential campaign. Doug talks to the journalist Ken Silverstein about Mitt Romney and the making of a conservative.
- Nov 27: Native American Legislative Liaison Committee meeting, 2 p.m., room W025.
- Nov 27: Lt. Governor Herbert to speak at the Bear River AOG, 12:30 p.m., Brigham City.
- Nov 28: Governor Huntsman to give welcoming remarks at the Sexual Violence Council, 9 a.m., Governor’s Board Room.
- Nov 28: Hinckley Forum: "Radical Islam in Europe," 11:50 a.m., Hinckley Caucus Room, Orson Spencer Hall Room 255, University of Utah. Leslie Lebl, non-resident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council of the United States and Principal of Lebl Associates; writer, lecturer and consultant on political, security and military matters.
- Nov 28: Utah Transit Authority Board Meeting, 2:30 p.m., Board Room, Administration Building, Meadowbrook Facility, 3600 South 700 West, Salt Lake City.
- Nov 28: Lt. Governor Herbert to give welcoming remarks at the 2008 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championship, 5 p.m., Salt Lake City Sports Complex.
- Nov 29: Downtown Alliance 13th Annual Achievement Awards and Annual Meeting, 7:30 a.m. registration, 7:45 to 9 a.m. breakfast program, Downtown Marriott, 75 South West Temple, Salt Lake City. The Downtown Achievement Awards honor individuals and organizations for extraordinary contributions to Downtown Salt Lake City. Tickets are $25 per person or a table for ten for $250. Contact Carla Wiese at 801-328-5043, or email carla@downtownslc.org.
- Nov 29: Governor Huntsman to give welcoming remarks at the Utah Drug Court Conference, 8:30 a.m., Radisson Hotel, Downtown Salt Lake.
- Nov 29: Congressman Cannon’s Education Advisory Committee to present its findings on necessary changes to the No Child Left Behind language prior to its reauthorization, 10 a.m., Monroe Elementary School, 4450 West 3100 South, West Valley City.
- Nov 30: Governor Huntsman and Lt. Governor Herbert to attend the Utah Technology Council Hall of Fame, 5:30 p.m., Grand America, SLC.
- Nov 30: KCPW, Sam Wellers and the Deseret Morning News event featuring Jenna Bush, author of Ana's Story, 7 p.m., Main Salt Lake City Library Auditorium. $35 ticket includes copy of book. Tickets available at Sam Wellers, 254 S Main Street, Salt Lake City.
- Dec 3: Lt. Governor Herbert to give remarks to the Risk Management Association, 12 p.m., Provo.
- Dec 3: Lt. Governor Gary Herbert to speak to the Center for the Advancement of Leadership students, 4 p.m., Utah Valley State College, Student Sorenson Center room 206 A.
- Dec 3: Desert Greens Green Party of Utah Salt Lake County Local Meeting, 7 p.m., The Coffee Club, 4879 S Redwood Rd, Murray. Meetings are the first Monday of each month. For more info click here.

- See the entire calendar