Staff Writer Jackie Kucinich analyzes the unexpected announcement by Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), the Senate’s minority whip, that he will retire from the Senate by the end of 2007.

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) says the only way to ensure that our children continue to prosper is if we “take on this corrupt system” in Washington. The alternative, he says, is to “look them in the eye” and admit failure.

Trent Lott has been a great Senator. He has been a distinguished leader not only for our state but also for the nation.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says he loves America enough to anger defense contractors, interest groups, lobbyist, the Pentagon, lawmakers who spend federal money on earmarks, and the media.

In a TV ad released Monday to air in New Hampshire, McCain lists the groups he’s angered by stopping a corrupt tanker deal at the Pentagon, reforming campaign finance, criticizing Rumsfeld’s Iraq strategy, supporting President Bush’s “surge,” and calling for earmark reform.

“I may not like the business-as-usual crowd in Washington, but I love America,” McCain says.

So far this year, the House and Senate have done a good job complying with their Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) budget rules, offsetting the cost of legislative priorities ranging from an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to increases in Pell Grants to funding for renewable energy to implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations.

What would it mean if, after offsetting the cost of these other high-priority policies, Congress were now to waive PAYGO for the AMT patch?  It would send the message that Congress applies fiscal discipline to policies that help low and moderate-income families, but not to policies that benefit upper, middle, and high-income households.

While the AMT patch is often described as a “middle-classâ€? tax cut, its effects contrast sharply with those of the SCHIP bill, the Pell Grant expansion for low-income students, or the reductions in interest rates for subsidized student loans.  More than four-fifths of the benefits of the AMT patch go to households with incomes above $100,000, a group that makes up the top 15% of all households.  More than a third of the benefits go to households with incomes above $200,000. Read the rest of this entry »

The Iranian regime’s continued refusal to implement the U.N. Security Council requirement that it suspend uranium enrichment, and abide by its international nonproliferation obligations, clearly shows Iran’s intentions with respect to its nuclear program are not peaceful.

We cannot allow this state sponsor of terrorism to continue to manipulate the international community and buy time to attain the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Read the rest of this entry »

Andrew Roth, director of government affairs at The Club for Growth, tells The Hill that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is the John Edwards of the GOP.

Roth responds to Huckabee, who referred to The Club for Growth as “The Club for Greed” on Fox News Sunday Nov. 18.

“I love to call them ‘The Club for Greed,’ because they won’t tell you who gave their money. They just like to take money from anonymous donors, fire shots at folks without any accountability,” Huckabee said.

This recent announcement gives me hope that the scientific community can advance medical research without the political and ethical roadblocks. Scientists are right to alert us that while these medical treatments are not immediately available, the potential to transform adult cells into embryo-like ones is real, and progress is moving steadily in this area.  While the ultimate potential remains unclear, I strongly support the development of all ethical forms of medical research to help scientists understand and treat diseases.

Access to federal funding can enable American scientists to lead the world in medical breakthroughs in this area, as we do in so many other fields of research.  My passion for advancing and expanding the federal support for research on stem cells comes from years of meeting with those who suffer from diseases, such as diabetes and Alzheimers, and the family and friends who care about them.

My judgment is that embryonic stem cell research will move forward with a new president, but if this new potential can trigger increased federal support, then this is great news.  This announcement is a very significant step and one that I hope can overcome the ethical debate over the development and use of embryonic stem cells, while advancing medical research for millions of people who suffer.

Senior Staff Writer Jonathan E. Kaplan analyzes the legacy of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).

This past March, a gun law enacted by the people of the District of the Columbia over thirty years ago was struck down by two judges who held that the law was prohibited by the Second Amendment. The 2-1 panel decision in D.C. v. Heller was the first – and only – time a federal appeals court had ever struck down a gun law as violating the Second Amendment since its adoption over 200 years ago. That decision was judicial activism at its worst and was wrong.

The Supreme Court has now decided to review that erroneous decision. In deciding to consider a Second Amendment case for the first time in almost seventy years, the Court has the opportunity to reassert the Amendment’s settled meaning, and reverse an incorrect lower court decision that deprived the citizens of the District of the Columbia of the power to enact the public safety laws they choose to protect themselves from the scourge of gun violence.

Since its enactment in 1791 courts have been virtually unanimous in their view that the Second Amendment poses no impediment to strong gun laws. As its text suggests, and as a unanimous Supreme Court held in United States v. Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939), the “declaration and guarantee” of the Second Amendment “must be interpreted and applied” in accord with its “obvious purpose” – “to assure the continuation and render possible the effectiveness” of a “well regulated Militia.” Read the rest of this entry »