Day: April 8, 2009

Mike Quigley, a Democrat and reform-minded Cook County commissioner, won the Congressional seat that Rahm Emanuel gave up to be President Obama’s chief of staff.

Al Franken’s lead grew after some absentee ballots were counted in court, but some issues remain to be decided in the case, and the Republican incumbent, Norm Coleman, plans to appeal.

Military analysts said the biggest lobbying campaigns would be focused on proposed cutbacks in the F-22, as well as trimming of the Army’s $160 billion modernization project.

At President Obama’s request, Congress has significantly raised federal financing for preschool education.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama pushed Iraq’s feuding factions to compromise on Tuesday, sounding a note of impatience as he said Iraqis should take responsibility for their country so U.S. troops could leave.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama ended his trip to Muslim Turkey on Tuesday by calling for peace and dialogue with Islam and the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.

Recently I’ve noticed quite a few columns, blogs and comments concerning the failed “war on drugs” and the idea of decriminalizing at least some currently illegal drugs.

To me, the general consensus seems to be that at the very least, hemp and marijuana should be decriminalized, if not outright legalized. At least among those that bothered to comment on it.

I won’t get into the marijuana issue in this blog, but I would welcome the discussion. I want to talk about hemp.

A federal judge focused scrutiny yesterday on a small Justice Department unit assigned to root out corruption when he dismissed the conviction of former senator Ted Stevens and appointed an outside lawyer to investigate allegations of misconduct by prosecutors.

BAGHDAD, April 7 — President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis “must take responsibility for their country” and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems.

Democrat Al Franken yesterday increased his small lead over Republican Norm Coleman in the protracted dispute over the race for a U.S. Senate seat representing Minnesota, but it remains unclear when the five-month legal battle will end.