Harry Reid News Blog @newzblogz.com

WASHINGTON - A Senate drive to approve homeland security legislation could lead to a clash with the White House over airport screeners and standardized drivers' licenses.

The Senate planned to begin debate on Tuesday. The legislation would improve rail and aviation security, provide funds for state and local emergency communications systems, improve intelligence sharing between federal, state and local officials, and expand a visa waiver benefit for favored countries.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told the Senate on Monday that it is time to implement the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 commission. The panel issued a report card on the status of its recommendations last year, and Reid said any child would be embarrassed to take home those marks.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats' ambitious plans to limit President Bush's war authority and force a change of course in Iraq are faltering amid party divisions over how quickly and aggressively they should act. A group of senior Senate Democrats is pushing to repeal the 2002 measure authorizing the war and write a new resolution restricting the mission and ordering troop withdrawals to begin by this summer. In the House, a respected veteran wants to use Congress' spending power to essentially ...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Gov. Charlie Crist is pushing President Bush and congressional leaders for a national catastrophic reinsurance fund, a proposal viewed by many as the best long-term solution to Florida's problems with hurricanes and property insurance.

During a visit to Washington this weekend, Crist persuaded a group of Southern governors to pass a resolution calling on Congress for action on the issue and expressed a typically hopeful prognosis.

"I'm very optimistic about continuing to build the momentum to get this done," he told a gathering of reporters Monday afternoon.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - A Senate drive to approve homeland security legislation could lead to a clash with the White House over airport screeners and standardized drivers' licenses.

The Senate planned to begin debate on Tuesday. The legislation would improve rail and aviation security, provide funds for state and local emergency communications systems, improve intelligence sharing between federal, state and local officials, and expand a visa waiver benefit for favored countries.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told the Senate on Monday that it is time to implement the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 commission. The panel issued a report card on the status of its recommendations last year, and Reid said any child would be embarrassed to take home those marks.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Democrats' ambitious plans to limit President Bush's war authority and force a change of course in Iraq are faltering amid party divisions over how quickly and aggressively they should act.

A group of senior Senate Democrats is pushing to repeal the 2002 measure authorizing the war and write a new resolution restricting the mission and ordering troop withdrawals to begin by this summer. In the House, a respected veteran wants to use Congress' spending power to essentially force Bush to scale back U.S. involvement in Iraq.

Both plans appear to lack the support they would need to prevail, however, as Democratic leaders struggle to form a party consensus on how to move forward.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Swept into power by voters clamoring for an end to the war in Iraq, Democrats have seen their efforts falter under a reality more complicated than they found on the campaign trail.

While the public is fed up with Iraq, there is little consensus over what to do.

Internal party divisions, Republican opposition and a president who - while weakened - still appears to have the dominant voice on the war have all left Democrats flailing in search of a way to change the war's course.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - A planned expansion of the Blue Water Bridge Plaza that is expected to cost Port Huron millions in lost taxes has revived a five-year-old proposal to open an Indian casino in the city.

Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow and GOP Rep. Candice Miller promise they will renew efforts to secure congressional approval for the deal.

They say a casino would help compensate for any economic losses if the Michigan Department of Transportation goes ahead with a plan to buy 156 homes and businesses to build a larger plaza. The plan will reduce Port Huron's tax base by $32 million, according to city officials.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the Democratic-controlled Congress not to interfere in the conduct of the Iraq war today and suggested President George W. Bush would defy troop withdrawal legislation.

But Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said lawmakers would step up efforts to force Bush to change course. The president needs a check and a balance, said Levin, D-Mich.

Advertisement

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the Democratic-controlled Congress not to interfere in the conduct of the Iraq war and suggested President Bush would defy troop withdrawal legislation.

But Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said lawmakers would step up efforts to force Bush to change course. "The president needs a check and a balance," said Levin, D-Mich.

Rice said proposals being drafted by Senate Democrats to limit the war amounted to "the worst of micromanagement of military affairs." She said military leaders such as Gen. David Petraeus, the new U.S. commander in Iraq, believe the president's plan to send more troops is necessary.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

For all of the dire warnings and pre-election commotion about the impact of a Democratic majority in Congress, the fact is that - now that it is upon us - it can do little or nothing but harass the administration.

There is no real danger of any legislative action emerging from this Congress. Yes, the president has a veto the Democrats cannot override, but nothing will ever make it as far as the desk at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., are just spinning their wheels.

In the Senate, there is no such thing as a majority. Ever since the elder Bush's administration, the filibuster has become routine. No longer reserved for civil-rights issues or for egregious legislation, it now is used to counter even motions for recess and adjournment. Members of the Senate are no longer subjected to the indignity of standing on their feet and reading a telephone book. Rather, the gentlemen's filibuster applies.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Student teams from Collier County high schools competed in Academic World/Quest 2007 sponsored by the Naples Council on World Affairs.

Gulf Coast High School won last weekend with a score of 82 percent on a variety of global geographical, scientific and political questions, sampled below. Other teams were from Community School and Naples, Palmetto Ridge, Barron Collier and Golden Gate high schools. All schools were invited to take part, council official Mimi Gregory said.

The Gulf Coast team and coach Susan Soulard will advance to the national finals in Washington next month along with other Florida teams from West Palm Beach and Jacksonville, Gregory said.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON — When Congress returns to work this week after its holiday recess, Democratic leaders promise to confront President Bush even more forcefully over his Iraq war strategy.

Senate Democrats are moving to modify the 2002 resolution that authorized the war to place new limits on the role of U.S. forces in Iraq.

But it is uncertain whether they will fare any better in this effort than in their last try — an unsuccessful attempt to pass a symbolic resolution opposing the deployment of 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the Democratic-controlled Congress not to interfere in the conduct of the Iraq war and suggested President Bush would defy troop withdrawal legislation.

But Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said lawmakers would step up efforts to force Bush to change course. "The president needs a check and a balance," said Levin, D-Mich.

Rice said proposals being drafted by Senate Democrats to limit the war amounted to "the worst of micromanagement of military affairs." She said military leaders such as Gen. David Petraeus, the new U.S. commander in Iraq, believe the president's plan to send more troops is necessary.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the Democratic-controlled Congress not to interfere in the conduct of the Iraq war and suggested President Bush would defy troop withdrawal legislation.

But Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said lawmakers would step up efforts to force Bush to change course. "The president needs a check and a balance," said Levin, D-Mich.

Rice said proposals being drafted by Senate Democrats to limit the war amounted to "the worst of micromanagement of military affairs." She said military leaders such as Gen. David Petraeus, the new U.S. commander in Iraq, believe the president's plan to send more troops is necessary.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Read is the chairman of Pottstown’s environmental advisory committee.

He told the borough council this week that a change in language by Exelon Nuclear – from calling its project to store spent nuclear fuel in dry casks outside the reactor building in Limerick an “interim solution” to a “temporary solution” – is something to watch.

Had the project been permanent‚ it might have drawn more scrutiny from local officials and residents‚ Read said.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON (AP) - Brushing aside criticism from the White House, Senate Democrats said Friday their next challenge to President Bush's Iraq war policy would require the gradual withdrawal of U.S. combat troops beginning within 120 days.

The draft legislation also declares the war "requires principally a political solution" rather than a military one.

The provisions are included in a measure that would repeal the authority that lawmakers gave Bush in 2002, months before the invasion of Iraq, and replace it with a far more limited mission.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Brushing aside criticism from the White House, Senate Democrats said Friday their next challenge to President Bush's Iraq war policy would require the gradual withdrawal of U.S. combat troops beginning within 120 days.

The draft legislation also declares the war "requires principally a political solution" rather than a military one.

The provisions are included in a measure that would repeal the authority that lawmakers gave Bush in 2002, months before the invasion of Iraq, and replace it with a far more limited mission.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

The White House said Friday it would oppose any attempt by Senate Democrats to revoke the 2002 congressional resolution authorizing the war in Iraq and to restrict U.S. troops to a limited mission as they prepared to withdraw.

The Bush administration argued that changes in the resolution were unnecessary even though it was drafted in the days when Saddam Hussein was in power and there was an assumption later proved false that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. The White House said Democrats were in a state of confusion about Iraq.

"There's a lot of ... shifting sands in the Democrats' position right now," deputy White House press secretary Tony Fratto said. "It's hard to say exactly what their position is."

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON ? Brushing aside criticism from the White House, Senate Democrats said Friday their next challenge to President Bush's Iraq war policy would require the gradual withdrawal of U.S. combat troops beginning within 120 days.

The draft legislation also declares the war "requires principally a political solution" rather than a military one.

The provisions are included in a measure that would repeal the authority that lawmakers gave Bush in 2002, months before the invasion of Iraq, and replace it with a far more limited mission.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 ? Senior Senate Democrats, stepping up their confrontation with President Bush over Iraq policy, are preparing legislation that would limit the role of United States troops there to counterterrorism efforts and prohibit them from interceding in sectarian violence.

Senate officials said Thursday that the proposal now being drafted would be a new turn in their attempts to force the White House to halt its troop buildup in Baghdad. They described it as more substantive than the nonbinding resolution of opposition to the increase that stalled in the Senate last Saturday.

The officials would speak only if not identified because the central proposal was still being drafted and needs to be presented to all Senate Democrats when they return from a weeklong recess next Tuesday.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Capitol Hill -- Officials say Senate Democrats are drafting legislation to limit the mission of U.S. troops in Iraq.

The measure would effectively revoke the broad authority Congress granted in 2002.

The sources say the precise wording of the measure remains unsettled. One draft would restrict U.S. troops in Iraq to combatting al-Qaida, training Iraqi army and police forces, maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and otherwise proceeding with the withdrawal of combat forces.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON – Determined to challenge President Bush, Senate Democrats are drafting legislation to limit the mission of U.S. troops in Iraq, effectively revoking the broad authority Congress granted in 2002, officials said Thursday.

While these officials said the precise wording of the measure remains unsettled, one draft would restrict American troops in Iraq to combating al-Qaeda, training Iraqi army and police forces, maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and otherwise proceeding with the withdrawal of combat forces.

The officials, Democratic aides and others familiar with private discussions, spoke only on condition of anonymity, saying rank-and-file senators had not yet been briefed on the effort. They added, though, the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to present the proposal to fellow Democrats early next week for their consideration.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants Congress to undeclare the war in Iraq.

Other leading Democrats agree, following a lead the Californian took with the introduction of a bill a week ago. But as lawmakers craft their latest Iraq strategy, they could be entering either a constitutional minefield or an exercise in futility.

"I have never, ever heard of a declaration of war being taken away," Ruth Wedgwood, a Johns Hopkins University international law professor, said Friday. "It's certainly constitutionally ambitious, if not outrageous."

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Few phrases in American politics sound so innocuous but sting so much.

Republican backers of the Iraq war have revived a tactic from the Vietnam era, trying to put Democrats on the defensive by accusing critics of President Bush's decision to send thousands more troops to Iraq of failing to "support the troops" that are already there.

This line of attack could explode next week, when Congress returns from a short recess. The Democratic majority will shift tactics from seeking nonbinding anti-war resolutions to trying to limit troop deployments and curb funding for the Iraq war.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WHITE HOUSE (AP) - The White House is taking a wait-and-see approach to word that Senate Democrats want to revoke the authorization for war in Iraq.

A White House spokesman calls it "hypothetical legislation."

Aides say Majority Leader Harry Reid is working on wording with other Democrats, and the result could be presented to lawmakers next week.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Senate democrats are drawing up plans aimed at repealing the 2002 resolution giving authorization for the war in Iraq.Friday, February 23, 2007

Iraq Videos: Radical cleric in Iran | General: Iraq strategy needs time | Iraqi leader wants more troops | More violence to come? | Saddam aides executed | Saddam video investigated | Violence in Iraq following hanging | Saddam prosecutor nearly stopped execution | Sunnis flock to Saddam's grave | Saddam taunts executioners | Saddam's execution | Iraqi TV raw footage | Saddam Hussein profile

United Press International

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON ? Four years ago, Congress passed legislation authorizing President Bush to go to war in Iraq. Now Senate Democrats want to take it back.

Key lawmakers, backed by party leaders, are drafting legislation that would effectively revoke the broad authority granted to the president in the days Saddam Hussein was in power, and leave U.S. troops with a limited mission as they prepare to withdraw.

Officials said Thursday the precise wording of the measure remains unsettled. One version would restrict American troops in Iraq to fighting al-Qaida, training Iraqi army and police forces, maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and otherwise proceeding with the withdrawal of combat forces.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Four years ago, Congress passed legislation authorizing President Bush to go to war in Iraq. Now Senate Democrats want to take it back.

Key lawmakers, backed by party leaders, are drafting legislation that would effectively revoke the broad authority granted to the president in the days Saddam Hussein was in power, and leave U.S. troops with a limited mission as they prepare to withdraw.

Officials said Thursday the precise wording of the measure remains unsettled. One version would restrict American troops in Iraq to fighting al-Qaida, training Iraqi army and police forces, maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and otherwise proceeding with the withdrawal of combat forces.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON -- The White House said Friday it would oppose any attempt by Senate Democrats to revoke the 2002 congressional resolution authorizing the war in Iraq and to restrict U.S. troops to a limited mission as they prepared to withdraw.

The Bush administration argued that changes in the resolution were unnecessary even though it was drafted in the days when Saddam Hussein was in power and there was an assumption - later proved false - that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. The White House said Democrats were in a state of confusion about Iraq.

"There's a lot of ... shifting sands in the Democrats' position right now," deputy press secretary Tony Fratto said. "It's hard to say exactly what their position is."

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Few phrases in American politics sound so innocuous but sting so much.

Republican backers of the Iraq war have revived a tactic from the Vietnam era, trying to put Democrats on the defensive by accusing critics of President Bush's decision to send thousands more troops to Iraq of failing to "support the troops" that are already there.

This line of attack could explode next week, when Congress returns from a short recess. The Democratic majority will shift tactics from seeking nonbinding anti-war resolutions to trying to limit troop deployments and curb funding for the Iraq war.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Determined to challenge President Bush, Senate Democrats are drafting legislation to limit the mission of U.S. troops in Iraq, effectively revoking the broad authority Congress granted in 2002, officials said Thursday.

While these officials said the precise wording of the measure remains unsettled, one draft would restrict American troops in Iraq to combating al Qaeda, training Iraqi army and police forces, maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and otherwise proceeding with the withdrawal of combat forces.

The officials, Democratic aides and others familiar with private discussions, spoke only on condition of anonymity, saying rank-and-file senators had not yet been briefed on the effort. They added, though, the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to present the proposal to fellow Democrats early next week for their consideration.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Four years ago, Congress passed legislation authorizing President Bush to go to war in Iraq. Now Senate Democrats want to take it back.

Key lawmakers, backed by party leaders, are drafting legislation that would effectively revoke the broad authority granted to the president in the days Saddam Hussein was in power, and leave U.S. troops with a limited mission as they prepare to withdraw.

Officials said Thursday the precise wording of the measure remains unsettled. One version would restrict American troops in Iraq to fighting al-Qaida, training Iraqi army and police forces, maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and otherwise proceeding with the withdrawal of combat forces.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

CAPITOL HILL Senate Democrats are preparing legislation that could revoke the authorization for war in Iraq.Officials say Majority Leader Harry Reid could present it to lawmakers next week when they return from break.Officials say the precise wording is still being hammered out.Some Democrats want to totally revoke the 2002 authorization which granted President Bush the power to use the armed forces to defend the nation against what the resolution described as "the continuing threat posed by Ira...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON — When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced plans to hold an unusual Saturday session last week to vote on the House-passed resolution opposing President Bush's plan to send more U.S. troops into Iraq, he disrupted the schedules of at least six of his colleagues who are running for president.

Joe Biden and John McCain were both supposed to spend the day in Iowa; Hillary Clinton, in New Hampshire; Chris Dodd, in South Carolina; Barack Obama, in South Carolina and Virginia; and Sam Brownback, in Florida.

It's only February of 2007, but from the schedules these presidential hopefuls — and their rivals — are keeping, you would think the pri-maries were almost upon us. Plenty of campaign consultants were aggravated that Reid was inconsiderate enough to let a little matter such as the Iraq war intrude on their important work of getting their candidates elected — next year.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Democratic presidential hopefuls launched serial attacks against President Bush's Iraq war policy on Wednesday and generally steered clear of criticizing one another in the first joint appearance of the young 2008 campaign for the White House.

"Time has run out on what President Bush has tried to do in Iraq," said New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who touted her legislation to begin a troop withdrawal within 90 days of her bill becoming law but declined to apologize for her vote to authorize the war in 2002.

Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut brushed aside a suggestion from some administration allies that the withdrawal of troops from Iraq would create chaos. "How much more chaos could there be in Baghdad than exists today?" he asked to applause from the audience at a union-sponsored event near the Nevada state capitol.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON -- Determined to challenge President George W. Bush, Senate Democrats are drafting legislation to limit the mission of U.S. troops in Iraq, effectively revoking the broad authority Congress granted in 2002, officials said Thursday.

While these officials said the precise wording of the measure remains unsettled, one draft would restrict American troops in Iraq to combating al-Qaida, training Iraqi army and police forces, maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity and otherwise proceeding with the withdrawal of combat forces.

The officials, Democratic aides and others familiar with private discussions, spoke only on condition of anonymity, saying rank-and-file senators had not yet been briefed on the effort. They added, though, the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is expected to present the proposal to fellow Democrats early next week for their consideration.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Facing stiff opposition from two Western states, the Pentagon on Thursday scrapped plans for a 700-ton non-nuclear test blast that would have produced the first mushroom cloud of dust over the Nevada desert in decades.

The Defense Department said it would find other ways to test the nation's ability to penetrate underground bunkers that produce and store weapons of mass destruction.

The cloud may have reached an altitude of 10,000 feet over the site about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, an eerie echo of long-ago open-air nuclear testing.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Democrats with political aspirations of becoming president were in Carson City to participate in a pre-caucus forum.Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Experience more news: Video | Photos

United Press International

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Democrats may be in charge of the Senate these days, yet Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is no powerless bystander.

The Kentucky Republican made that clear when, despite grumbling from within his own ranks, he engineered the two-week standoff over Iraq and allowed the House to move first to challenge President Bush's troop buildup.

Then, when a nonbinding resolution opposing the buildup finally came to the Senate, the Democrats couldn't muster the 60 votes needed to push the measure through in a rare Saturday session that delayed senators from leaving for the weeklong President's Day recess.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

SELMA, Ala. -- US Senator Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address next month at the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee, which commemorates the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.

Obama is scheduled to speak at a March Fourth service at Brown Chapel AME Church. That's the site in Selma where marchers gathered in the historic protest that gave blacks across the South greater access to the ballot.

Organizer Sam Walker says several dozen other members of Congress plan to attend, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

IT'S time for the Bush administration and Democratic Congressional leaders to stop talking about talking about entitlement reform - and actually start talking about reform itself.

There's agreement on both sides that beginning soon, the costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits for the baby boom generation will put unsustainable burdens on taxpayers and the economy - and that something must be done about it.

Top administration officials including Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Office of

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats pledged renewed efforts Sunday to curtail the Iraq war, suggesting they will seek to limit a 2002 measure authorizing President Bush's use of force against Saddam Hussein.

The top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the proposal had little chance of succeeding. "I think the president would veto it and the veto would be upheld," said Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana.

A day after Republicans foiled a Democratic bid to repudiate Bush's deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops to Iraq, Senate Democrats declined to embrace measures - being advanced in the House - that would attach conditions to additional funding for troops.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has not endorsed a Democratic presidential candidate, but his son has.

Rory Reid is signing on as Nevada chairman for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid. He will be senior adviser on Western issues including public lands, transportation, resources and conservation, growth and affordable housing, the New York senator's campaign said in a statement Sunday.

Reid, 44, is chairman of the Clark County, Nev., Commission and a former chairman of the Nevada State Democratic Party.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential hopefuls in the Senate cast symbolic votes Saturday against President Bush's effort to boost troop levels in Iraq amid calls by campaign rivals for Congress to embrace far stronger measures to end the war.

Republican senators eyeing the White House split in their support for the president's policy. One, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, skipped the procedural vote to campaign in Iowa.

"Meaningless," McCain grumbled during a question-and-answer session with voters in the state. He derided the Senate vote as a Democratic stunt and said it was insulting to the public and the soldiers.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - The Senate gridlocked on the Iraq war in a sharply worded showdown Saturday as Republicans foiled a Democratic bid to repudiate President Bush's deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops.

The 56-34 vote fell four short of the 60 needed to advance a nonbinding measure identical to one the House passed Friday. Seven GOP senators broke ranks, compared with only two during an earlier test on the issue.

Democrats swiftly claimed victory. "A majority of the United States Senate is against the escalation in Iraq," said Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "As for the Republicans who chose once again to block further debate and protect President Bush, the American people now know they support the escalation" in troops.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

CAPITOL HILL Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Democrats are going to continue to fight to get President Bush to change course in Iraq.But Reid says there are going to be no more non-binding resolutions. He says, now, the Democratic-controlled Congress will turn its attention to measures designed to force a change. His comments came after Senate Republicans yesterday blocked debate on a non-binding resolution opposing Bush's troop buildup.Republicans accuse Democrats of "chicanery" for refu...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

WASHINGTON - Determined to check President Bush, Democratic critics of the Iraq war hope a strong House vote critical of the administration's troop buildup will pay dividends in the Senate. But Republicans are insisting on an alternative that rejects any reduction in troop funding, making it unlikely Democrats will prevail in a test vote Saturday.

"Americans deserve to know whether their senator stands with the president and his plan to deepen our military commitment in Iraq, or with the overwhelming majority of Americans who oppose this escalation," Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday on the eve of the Senate showdown.

The House on Friday passed, 246-182, a measure stating opposition to Bush's decision to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. The nonbinding resolution was a symbolic rebuke of a wartime president who has lost favor with the American public.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

The Senate gridlocked on the Iraq war in a sharply worded showdown on Saturday as Republicans foiled a Democratic attempt to rebuke President George W. Bush over his deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops.

The vote was 56-34. That was four short of the 60 needed to advance the measure, which is identical to a nonbinding resolution that Democrats pushed through the House on Friday.

"The Senate, on behalf of the American people, must make it clear to the commander in chief that he no longer has a rubber stamp in Iraq," said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the final moments before the vote.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

ATLANTA - The television spot shows a 40-year-old woman, in slow motion, as her family and co-workers rush by over the course of a day. It ends with her sitting alone, amid the remnants of a birthday party.

"The worst part isn't even that everyone thinks the problem's in my head," a female voice intones. "The worst part of chronic fatigue syndrome is missing my life."

The spot is the centerpiece of a remarkable $4.5 million public awareness campaign bankrolled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's remarkable, in part, because of the role advocacy and politics played in creating it.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit