September 2, 2006 – Capitol Hill Blue

Where’s the courage?

September 2, 2006

By STAR PARKER

Los Angeles Mayor Antonia Villaraigosa soon will exercise more control over Los Angeles’ deeply troubled school system as result of legislation that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign.

Similar initiatives in Boston, Chicago and New York City have resulted in some improvement in their school systems. But the real question on the table is why — given that the future of children is at stake, and hence the future of our country — do we settle for tepid reform when we need bold and innovative change to make a difference?

Bush’s continuing contempt for the Constitution

September 2, 2006

The often illegal and un-Constitutional administration of President George W. Bush is not giving up on its program to use the National Security Agency to spy on Americans. The administration Friday asked a federal judge to delay enforcing her order for a halt to the NSA’s warrantless communications surveillance program.

The Justice Department argued that ending the intelligence-gathering program threatens “the gravest of harms to the government and to the American public” and leaves the country “more vulnerable to terrorist attack.”

Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley of George Washington University says the government’s argument is a crock and says the court’s decision, if upheld on appeal, could provide grounds for impeachment of the President.

“This ruling is a bad situation that just got worse for the White House,” says Turley. “These crimes could constitute impeachable offenses.”

Turley says the ruling has “serious implications” for Bush and that the President has violated federal law at least 30 times.

Beleagured Rumsfeld tries to save face with Dems

September 2, 2006

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld reached out to Democrats late Friday, opening up the door for them to retract their stinging indictment of him as Pentagon chief.

Desperate acts by a failed President

September 2, 2006

As the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks nears, President Bush is finding it increasingly hard to make good on foreign-policy promises or threats. The biggest source of his frustration is the “axis of evil” — Iran, North Korea and Iraq — that he warned four years ago imperiled world peace.

Bush turns to new gimmick to try and well terror war

September 2, 2006

Proving he will try any gimmick to sell his failed “war on terror,” President George W. Bush is bringing representatives from countries that have suffered terrorist attacks to populate the audience at his next speech — and effort, the White House says, to emphasize the global nature of the enemy.

Bush faces trouble on trade

September 2, 2006

The Bush administration’s winning streak in getting Congress to go along with trade agreements may be in trouble, particularly if Democrats make the gains predicted for them in November’s election.

Five make the ballot for DeLay’s seat

September 2, 2006

Five people will run in the special election to temporarily fill the seat vacated by former House Majority leader Tom DeLay, the secretary of state’s office said Friday.