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MOST REPUBLICANS PREFER CREATION MYTH TO EVOLUTION
POLITICAL WIRE - A new Gallup survey finds that 41% of Americans believe
that creationism -- "the idea that God created human beings pretty much
in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years" -- is
true while 28% believe evolution -- "the idea that human beings
developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life" -- is
true. Meanwhile, another 24% believe the answer lies somewhere in the
middle of the two theories.
Among Democrats, 57% believe in evolution, while 40% do not.
Among Republicans, 30% believe in evolution, while 68% do not.
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2007/06/11/most_republicans_
doubt_theory_of_evolution.html
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OBAMA: BRANDING TIMIDITY AS A VIRTUE
CHICAGO TRIBUNE - One evening in February 2005, in a four-hour meeting
stoked by pepperoni pizza and grand ambition, Sen. Barack Obama and his
senior advisers crafted a strategy to fit the Obama "brand.". . . Some
called it the "2010-2012-2016" plan: a potential bid for governor or
re-election to the Senate in 2010, followed by a bid for the White House
as soon as 2012 or, if not, 2016. The way to get there, they decided,
was by carefully building a record that matched the brand identity:
Obama as unifier and consensus-builder, an almost post-political leader.
The staffers in that after-hours session, convened by Obama's Senate
staff and including Chicago political adviser David Axelrod, planned a
low-profile strategy that would emphasize workhorse results over
headlines. Obama would invest in his long-term profile by not seeming
too eager for the bright lights. . .
Throughout his time in the Senate, Obama has followed a cautious path,
avoiding any severe political bruises. Even before the national mood was
turning on Iraq, Obama was a critic of the war, but for most of his time
in the Senate he was not a strong voice in opposition. Similarly, the
former civil rights attorney and University of Chicago law lecturer did
not take to the bully pulpit to speak out publicly on judicial
appointments. His strategy called for him to turn away from the cameras
when he might otherwise have been a resonant voice. . .
The plan they hatched focused on concrete, achievable goals that
included delivering for Illinois, fitting in at the Senate and
developing cross-party alliances while avoiding the limelight. . .
To some liberals, the proposal was a no-brainer: a ceiling of 30 percent
on interest rates for credit cards and other consumer debt. And as he
left his office to vote on it, Obama planned to support the measure,
which was being considered as an amendment to a major overhaul of the
nation's bankruptcy laws.
But when the amendment came up for a vote, Obama was standing next to
Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), the senior Democrat on the banking committee
and the leader of those opposing the landmark bill, which would make it
harder for Americans to get rid of debt.
"You know, this is probably not a smart amendment for us to vote for,"
Obama recalled Sarbanes telling him. "Thirty percent is sort of a random
number."
Obama joined Sarbanes in voting against the amendment, but they lost the
larger battle when the new bankruptcy law passed by a lopsided 74-25.
There remains no federal ceiling on credit card interest rates.
Obama's deferral to Sarbanes was just one example of the freshman
senator learning to navigate a chamber famous for its egos. . .
Obama the candidate for U.S. Senate spoke out forcefully against the
Iraq war. For most of his tenure in Washington, though, Obama the U.S.
senator has not been a moving force on Iraq.
He left it to others to lead public opinion. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.)
and Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) emerged as the strongest voices against the
war. Those critics all spoke out before Obama gave his first major
policy speech on the war -- 11 months after he took office.
Several advisers said that during that time Obama wrestled with how to
proceed, concerned about the worsening news from Iraq and convinced the
public's mood was turning against the war more rapidly than most members
of Congress appreciated. . .
Ultimately Obama delivered a more modest speech in November 2005, five
days after Murtha's call for a troop withdrawal. In that address, he
called for reductions in U.S. troop strength but not a timetable for
withdrawal.
In a Senate debate the following June, Obama voted against an amendment
proposed by Feingold and former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry
(D-Mass.) to set such a timetable.
Only after Obama announced his presidential exploratory committee did he
introduce legislation this January that sets a date for withdrawal of
U.S. combat troops. By then the high-profile, bipartisan Iraq Study
Group also had endorsed a deadline for troops to leave.
In May he voted against continued funding of the war, after Bush vetoed
a funding package that included a timetable for withdrawal by March 31,
2008. . .
Obama has pushed for parochial energy interests even when it has raised
environmental concerns.
Reflecting the interests of southern Illinois coal producers, he
sponsored legislation to provide tax breaks and other incentives for
refineries that turn coal into liquid fuel, generating criticism from
environmental groups that say the coal-based technology would contribute
to global warming. Some of those home-state industries also have been
big campaign contributors. . .
A broader examination of Obama's voting reveals a decidedly liberal
record.He voted to increase the minimum wage, to permit federal funding
of stem cell research and against banning desecration of the flag, votes
that could become fodder for GOP critics.
In a few significant instances, though, he broke with the ranks of
liberals, voting, for example, to confirm Condoleezza Rice as secretary
of state. He voted against both of Bush's choices for the Supreme Court
but sided with conservatives three times on other controversial Bush
judicial nominees.
Perhaps one of the most surprising breaks with liberal interest groups
came early in his term, when Obama voted for a class-action reform bill
that would give federal courts jurisdiction in more such cases. Trial
lawyers were stunned.
"How could someone, who would otherwise be a voice for consumers, vote
for this?" said Todd A. Smith, a Chicago attorney who at the time was
president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Obama said he was concerned about the problem of plaintiffs' lawyers
shopping around for friendly judges and juries.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-obama_senate_
recordjun12,1,2941624,print.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=2&cset=true
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GOTTI'S WIDOW: REAL MOB IS IN WASHINGTON
NY DAILY NEWS - Mob widow Victoria Gotti yesterday used the fifth
anniversary of her infamous husband's death to make an impassioned plea
for peace - in Iraq. "It's disgusting that people are still obsessed
with Gotti and the mob," she said outside the Queens mausoleum where
one-time Gambino crime boss John Gotti is entombed. "They should be
obsessed with that mob in Washington," she continued. "They have 3,000
deaths on their hands. Worry about that mob in Washington."
John Gotti died of cancer in federal prison five years ago yesterday,
after the FBI finally brought him down. His widow wore a black dress,
black sunglasses and a dark scowl - but instead of ripping into federal
prosecutors, as she has in the past, she attacked the men at the top.
"People should ask Bush and Cheney if they have any of their relatives
on the front lines," Gotti said. "That's what I want to know. Every time
I watch the news and I hear of another death, it sickens me. It's
disgusting."
She said she wants U.S. troops out of Iraq "yesterday" - but fears Bush
is getting the country into more trouble.
"There isn't a country this man hasn't started with," she said. "Now
he's going to start with Russia? Fugheddaboudit!"
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/06/11/2007-06-11_the_real_mobs_in_dc-2.html
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MOST REPUBLICANS PREFER CREATION MYTH TO EVOLUTION
POLITICAL WIRE - A new Gallup survey finds that 41% of Americans believe
that creationism -- "the idea that God created human beings pretty much
in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years" -- is
true while 28% believe evolution -- "the idea that human beings
developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life" -- is
true. Meanwhile, another 24% believe the answer lies somewhere in the
middle of the two theories.
Among Democrats, 57% believe in evolution, while 40% do not.
Among Republicans, 30% believe in evolution, while 68% do not.
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2007/06/11/most_republicans_
doubt_theory_of_evolution.html
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
OBAMA: BRANDING TIMIDITY AS A VIRTUE
CHICAGO TRIBUNE - One evening in February 2005, in a four-hour meeting
stoked by pepperoni pizza and grand ambition, Sen. Barack Obama and his
senior advisers crafted a strategy to fit the Obama "brand.". . . Some
called it the "2010-2012-2016" plan: a potential bid for governor or
re-election to the Senate in 2010, followed by a bid for the White House
as soon as 2012 or, if not, 2016. The way to get there, they decided,
was by carefully building a record that matched the brand identity:
Obama as unifier and consensus-builder, an almost post-political leader.
The staffers in that after-hours session, convened by Obama's Senate
staff and including Chicago political adviser David Axelrod, planned a
low-profile strategy that would emphasize workhorse results over
headlines. Obama would invest in his long-term profile by not seeming
too eager for the bright lights. . .
Throughout his time in the Senate, Obama has followed a cautious path,
avoiding any severe political bruises. Even before the national mood was
turning on Iraq, Obama was a critic of the war, but for most of his time
in the Senate he was not a strong voice in opposition. Similarly, the
former civil rights attorney and University of Chicago law lecturer did
not take to the bully pulpit to speak out publicly on judicial
appointments. His strategy called for him to turn away from the cameras
when he might otherwise have been a resonant voice. . .
The plan they hatched focused on concrete, achievable goals that
included delivering for Illinois, fitting in at the Senate and
developing cross-party alliances while avoiding the limelight. . .
To some liberals, the proposal was a no-brainer: a ceiling of 30 percent
on interest rates for credit cards and other consumer debt. And as he
left his office to vote on it, Obama planned to support the measure,
which was being considered as an amendment to a major overhaul of the
nation's bankruptcy laws.
But when the amendment came up for a vote, Obama was standing next to
Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), the senior Democrat on the banking committee
and the leader of those opposing the landmark bill, which would make it
harder for Americans to get rid of debt.
"You know, this is probably not a smart amendment for us to vote for,"
Obama recalled Sarbanes telling him. "Thirty percent is sort of a random
number."
Obama joined Sarbanes in voting against the amendment, but they lost the
larger battle when the new bankruptcy law passed by a lopsided 74-25.
There remains no federal ceiling on credit card interest rates.
Obama's deferral to Sarbanes was just one example of the freshman
senator learning to navigate a chamber famous for its egos. . .
Obama the candidate for U.S. Senate spoke out forcefully against the
Iraq war. For most of his tenure in Washington, though, Obama the U.S.
senator has not been a moving force on Iraq.
He left it to others to lead public opinion. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.)
and Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) emerged as the strongest voices against the
war. Those critics all spoke out before Obama gave his first major
policy speech on the war -- 11 months after he took office.
Several advisers said that during that time Obama wrestled with how to
proceed, concerned about the worsening news from Iraq and convinced the
public's mood was turning against the war more rapidly than most members
of Congress appreciated. . .
Ultimately Obama delivered a more modest speech in November 2005, five
days after Murtha's call for a troop withdrawal. In that address, he
called for reductions in U.S. troop strength but not a timetable for
withdrawal.
In a Senate debate the following June, Obama voted against an amendment
proposed by Feingold and former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry
(D-Mass.) to set such a timetable.
Only after Obama announced his presidential exploratory committee did he
introduce legislation this January that sets a date for withdrawal of
U.S. combat troops. By then the high-profile, bipartisan Iraq Study
Group also had endorsed a deadline for troops to leave.
In May he voted against continued funding of the war, after Bush vetoed
a funding package that included a timetable for withdrawal by March 31,
2008. . .
Obama has pushed for parochial energy interests even when it has raised
environmental concerns.
Reflecting the interests of southern Illinois coal producers, he
sponsored legislation to provide tax breaks and other incentives for
refineries that turn coal into liquid fuel, generating criticism from
environmental groups that say the coal-based technology would contribute
to global warming. Some of those home-state industries also have been
big campaign contributors. . .
A broader examination of Obama's voting reveals a decidedly liberal
record.He voted to increase the minimum wage, to permit federal funding
of stem cell research and against banning desecration of the flag, votes
that could become fodder for GOP critics.
In a few significant instances, though, he broke with the ranks of
liberals, voting, for example, to confirm Condoleezza Rice as secretary
of state. He voted against both of Bush's choices for the Supreme Court
but sided with conservatives three times on other controversial Bush
judicial nominees.
Perhaps one of the most surprising breaks with liberal interest groups
came early in his term, when Obama voted for a class-action reform bill
that would give federal courts jurisdiction in more such cases. Trial
lawyers were stunned.
"How could someone, who would otherwise be a voice for consumers, vote
for this?" said Todd A. Smith, a Chicago attorney who at the time was
president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Obama said he was concerned about the problem of plaintiffs' lawyers
shopping around for friendly judges and juries.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-obama_senate_
recordjun12,1,2941624,print.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=2&cset=true
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GOTTI'S WIDOW: REAL MOB IS IN WASHINGTON
NY DAILY NEWS - Mob widow Victoria Gotti yesterday used the fifth
anniversary of her infamous husband's death to make an impassioned plea
for peace - in Iraq. "It's disgusting that people are still obsessed
with Gotti and the mob," she said outside the Queens mausoleum where
one-time Gambino crime boss John Gotti is entombed. "They should be
obsessed with that mob in Washington," she continued. "They have 3,000
deaths on their hands. Worry about that mob in Washington."
John Gotti died of cancer in federal prison five years ago yesterday,
after the FBI finally brought him down. His widow wore a black dress,
black sunglasses and a dark scowl - but instead of ripping into federal
prosecutors, as she has in the past, she attacked the men at the top.
"People should ask Bush and Cheney if they have any of their relatives
on the front lines," Gotti said. "That's what I want to know. Every time
I watch the news and I hear of another death, it sickens me. It's
disgusting."
She said she wants U.S. troops out of Iraq "yesterday" - but fears Bush
is getting the country into more trouble.
"There isn't a country this man hasn't started with," she said. "Now
he's going to start with Russia? Fugheddaboudit!"
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/06/11/2007-06-11_the_real_mobs_in_dc-2.html
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