As Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords continues to undergo rehabilitation in Houston and to improve every day, the assumptions, rumors and predictions about her political future continue to swirl. Such speculation includes “Democrats in Arizona and Washington [are] looking to her as a potential candidate to replace retiring GOP Sen. Jon Kyl.“ According to Politico, Arizona and Washington strategists...

“In recent weeks,” writes a culinary columnist, “we’ve seen a big, powerful government agency, a big, powerful person and a big, powerful corporation telling us what to eat.” He is critiquing the efforts of the USDA, Oprah and Wal-Mart (partnering with Michelle Obama) to persuade Americans to “Eat Real Food”–more fruit and vegetables, less processed gunk. A noble goal,...

When it comes to our troops and veterans, I am an equal opportunity zealot. I railed against the Bush administration when the shameful facts of the “Walter Reed scandal” unfolded. Today, under a new administration, we read about another scandal in the making—one that is affecting thousands of our troops at our Warrior Transition units. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports on a nine-month investigation...

WASHINGTON — In light of the history-shaking events on the streets of Cairo, it’s not surprising that a truly remarkable development slipped through the news cycle with barely a nod. On a unanimous voice vote last Thursday, the Senate passed a resolution co-sponsored by John Kerry and John McCain urging Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to hand power over to a caretaker government as part of...

Evan McMorris-Santoro has a write-up on congressional Republicans’ latest attempt to place the lives of fetuses above the lives of women (emphasis is mine):

As I mentioned yesterday in the thread dedicated to the recovery of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Astronaut Mark Kelly has decided to command the shuttle Endeavour flight set to launch April 19. I also mentioned that the astronaut believes that his wife is making extraordinary progress and that support from family and friends “were keys to his decision to command the upcoming flight of the space shuttle Endeavour.” “She...

UPDATE: According to Daily Kos, now that the Veterans of Foreign Wars are fighting back, Bachmann is backing down on her $4.5 billion “suggested” cuts in veterans benefits: “One point on my discussion list was a $4.5 billion proposal that would affect payments made to our veterans,” Bachmann said in a statement. “That has received a lot of attention and I have decided that it should be...

Two narratives dominate the news–the revolt in Egypt and the future of American health care. How bad can a Pyrrhic victory get and how long can it last? As the Senate votes down health care repeal, Congress has wasted a full month on partisan posturing, leaving what was a national mess to the courts and states to scramble it into 50 forms of incoherence. Just as the House and Senate split on undoing the...

The Senate has just defeated a Republican-led effort to repeal the entire national health-care overhaul, with lawmakers voting strictly along party lines. “The decision underscores the hurdle that the GOP faces in that Democratic-majority chamber as it tries to overturn the law.” All 50 Senate Democrats present and one independent voted against the repeal, while all 47 Republicans voted in favor....

Florida District Court Judge Roger Vinson has just handed down his decision on whether the health care reform law is constitutional. Many Conservatives had hoped or predicted that the judge would rule against President Obama’s health care reform law. Judge Vinson did not disappoint them. Vinson ruled that the legislation is unconstitutional. In the decision, Vinson writes: … I must reluctantly conclude...

If House Republicans have their way, rape will only be rape if it involves physical force. Why are they trying to do this? One word: Abortion.

A letter to the editor in my hometown newspaper yesterday morning caught my attention. The letter: Time for updating In 1870, Otto Von Bismarck, chancellor of Germany, in a shrewd political move, decried that every German citizen age 65 or older would receive a lifelong pension. Longevity then was about age 55. Thus we have the origins of our eligibility for Social Security, Medicare, etc. Seems we need some...

I can describe President Obama’s State of the Union speech in three words. Just do it. I can describe Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan’s rebuttal in one word. Huh? And, Mr. President, what’s this 1960′s Sputnik moment? Nice try for the metaphoric oratory to goose our nation’s return to excellence. To my ears, the Soviet space shuttle orbit played second fiddle to Obama’s...

Arizona State Senator Linda Gray opined on a local radio show that the Roe v. Wade decision has created a culture of “disrespect for human life” that might have influenced Jared Loughner’s shooting spree.

Some sad news for baby boomers who have seen one face as a constant since they were kids, to fitness buffs who owe some of what they do today to him, to fitness center store owners whose businesses are descended from him, from those who were entranced by his infomercials on juicing — and for me personally after an incident a few years ago; fitness guru Jack LaLanne has died at 96: American fitness guru...

I collect photographs of moments that I think ought never perish from memory… for the sake of Peace, and for the sake of remembering to think ten times before running the young to war… again… from any side. When I first saw this photo, traced the hands of the wounded Marine trailing in the water, touched the bodies of the other Marines, wounded and dying on the barge pulled by brothers waist...

The First Lady has been accused of many things, but this one deserves a “Memmy.” According to Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors’ Highway Safety Administration, Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign could be one of the factors to blame for the increase in pedestrian deaths during the first six months of 2010. According to the GHSA, 1,891 pedestrians were killed in the first six...

And Rep. Steve King (R-IA) opts for ‘much easier‘:

The newly installed Republican-majority House of Representatives has passed its largely symbolic repeal of President Barack Obama’s signature health care reform — symbolic since it’ll be dead in its tracks in the Senate or if by some miracle the Senate voted to agree it would be dead in its tracks with Obama’s veto pen. But be sure to stay tuned: health care reform opponents can still...

Here’s a riddle for you: How can the Medicare “doc fix” payments be considered part of the spending that Republicans say will be saved by repealing the Affordable Care Act if those payments would remain even after repeal?

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s call for “a more civil and honest public discourse” will get its first test much sooner than we expected. Having properly postponed all legislative action last week out of respect for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of the Tucson shootings, the House Republican leadership decided it could abide no further delay in a vote on its “Repealing...

Come on, Repubs, give Bill Kristol something to work with, won’t you? I mean, don’t leave him flapping on the line like a fish gasping for life, guys! That’s not nice!

Milt Priggee, www.miltpriggee.com This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved.

Yes, it’s true, it’s really really true, and it’s not all that difficult to understand. Really.

People’s Parties