During the 2004 election season, I supported Republican Senator Arlen Specter over Democratic challenger Joe Hoeffel for a number of reasons, the most important of which was the fact that if Specter — who is pro-choice — lost while the GOP maintained its majority, ultra-conservative Senator Jon Kyl would have become chairman of the Judiciary Committee (as I opined in October). Upon winning reelection in November, Specter immediately infuriorated conservatives by imploying that an anti-choice...

CQ Weekly‘s Shawn Zeller has the interesting story. By tradition, elder statesmen are decorous showpieces, trotted out for reunions or legislative anniversaries. But 76-year-old Pete McCloskey, a liberal Republican House member from California from 1967 through 1982, and Lewis H. Butler an assistant secretary of Health, Education and Welfare in the Nixon administration, have little patience for tradition. They are the front men for Revolt of the Elders, which last month announced the creation...

cross-posted from my blog, Basie! Everyone knows that William Rehnquist is Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, making this the “Rehnquist Court” (like the “Warren Court” before it, for instance). But is William Rehnquist the real leader of this iteration of the top court in the nation? The Los Angeles Times David G. Savage explores this question and more. The Rehnquist court did not come to an end last week as predicted, despite the illness of the chief justice. But the conservative...

As gasoline prices near $3 per gallon in parts of the country spurring inflationary concerns, a debate rages amongst informed geologists on whether this is a temporary crisis or an omen of times to come. The AP’s Matt Crenson takes a look at this discussion and emerges with a lot of interesting information. Could the petroleum joyride — cheap, abundant oil that has sent the global economy whizzing along with the pedal to the metal and the AC blasting for decades — be coming to...

cross posted on my blog Basie! It will take government internvention to solve America’s energy problems in earnest, but for now, it seems the market is finally beginning to correct itself. The New York Times‘ Danny Hakim has the story. But gas prices are a more unconquerable force of nature. With higher prices at the pump sinking in as something more than a blip on the radar, and with several new passenger car models winning back customers, America’s love affair with S.U.V.’s...

cross posted on my blog Basie! Extremist conservatives like to make somes issues black and white, no more so than those pertaining to “life.” Stem cell research is a prime example, where further discoveries could lead to therapies and drugs that could save millions of lives, but the right still opposes funding because embryos in petri dishes — that would otherwise be thrown out — might be harmed. The issue clearly is not black and white, however. Likewise, there is not one...

Over at Basie!, I take a look at how the votes are lining up for the so-called “nuclear” option. Despite the fact that Majority Leader Frist appears confident in Mitch McConnell’s whip count, the numbers are much more in the air today than one might expect. Among wavering Republicans are: Open opposition: Sens. John McCain (AZ), Lincoln Chafee (RI) and Olympia Snowe (ME) No public opinion: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Pat Roberts (KS) Still negotiating: Sens. John Warner* (VA),...

On Friday afternoon, I had the great honor of speaking with former Senator Bob Dole (R-KS) for an interview over at my blog, Basie!. Dole and I talked about a number of issues, ranging from his new book to telecommunications reform to Social Security. The former Senate Majority Leader’s thoughts on the lack of bipartisan comity on the hill are particularly interesting. Jonathan Singer: Now with the situation on the hill seeming to be as bad as it’s been in decades — with the ethics...

This morning I had the opportunity to speak with California State Treasurer Phil Angelides for an interview for my blog, Basie!. Angelides happens to be a leading contender to take on Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, and had some choice things to say about the Governator. Jonathan Singer: There’s a cover story in the Washington Monthly by Mark Barabak called “Is Arnold Losing It?� Barabak’s contention is that Arnold Schwarzenegger is a lot less of a Ronald Reagan figure and...

Over the past decade, comity between the two parties has deteriorated rapidly. The specter of the “nuclear” option looms over the United States Senate, and an impending ethics battle threatens to envelop the House. Some have even claimed that bipartisanship in Washington is dead. However, as the AP’s Jim Abrams reports today, Democrats and Republicans have finally found at least one thing they can agree on: pork. In a rare breach with their president, Senate Republicans joined Democrats...