Arlen Spector (D-PA)
Arlen Spector, cancer survivor, at the age of 79, is being called a political opportunist. Political Genius and head of Republican National Committee Michael Steele said Spector switched party affiliations to "further his personal political interests". Again, I can't help but point out that the man is a 79 year old cancer survivor. He isn't on the fast track. He'd have a much more comfortable life if he simply retired. Spector is basically a moderate Republican. I have been voting for him ever since I got the right. The problem these days is that there is no such thing as a moderate Republican. I tend to take him at this word that he thinks he has something to offer and if he can't do it as a Republican, then he'll try to do it as a Democrat. To repeat, he has nothing to gain. He's a 79 year old cancer survivor.
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Leave Torture Alone
I'm increasingly bothered by this torture thing. It's not like we didn't know this was going on. We all knew it. The more talk there is about the more I think something should be done. And there is something new every day that makes this entire scenario even more outrageous. Media coverage of this issue is full time (no doubt because the economic issues are too boring even though they are more important). I have no desire to see Bush Administration officials behind bars (okay, maybe Cheney). More importantly, I would like the information to be made public and have all of the relevant players testify under oath. If they are granted immunity, so be it. The only crime they can be tried for would then be if they perjure themselves.
My fear is that if prosecutions are pursued, Obama's economic agenda would stall, putting everything from health care to recovery in jeopardy. People are suggesting that we can't be "moral" only when it's convenient. My take is that what the Bush Administration did was awful, but prosecution isn't commensurate punishment for the crimes, and is likely to be unsuccessful anyway. The result would be that the actions of the Bush Administration would cripple the Obama administration and for no particular good. What does this mean? The Bush Administration would dominate both his own and Obama's presidency. Then Mitt Romney or some other turd will be the president in 2012.
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Kudos To Pittsburgh Conservative
In my efforts to credit conservatives and/or Republicans when they make a good point, I'd like to commend Ruth Ann Dailey's for her editorial Pro-union conservative says: Free What? in the April 20, 2009 edition of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. I rarely agree with her editorials, but I usually read them nonetheless. In this case, she offers a fair critique of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). I'm not sure I agree with all of her conclusions, but she makes a few points with which I agree. I'll have more to say about the EFCA later.
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I Like Meghan McCain
I know I'm not supposed to like her, but I do. I think Meghan McCain is alright. She's only one of two persons in the Republican Party that is making any sense these days. The other one is the governor of California. She's isn't an intellectual heavy weight by any means. But she is smart enough to understand the current state of the Republican Party and speak with clarity about it. It's easier since she isn't a politician. She isn't trying to curry favor with anyone, so she can say what she wants. The goofy thing is that I don't think she's really a Republican. If she has articulated her Republican beliefs, I haven't heard them. I think she's a Republican because her father is a Republican. Being a Republican is a security blanket. I think she'll switch sides someday, but I hope she doesn't. At least someone in that party is willing to criticize the party's prevailing attitudes and beliefs.
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April 2009