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November 12, 2006 [LINK / comment]
Another good Republican loses
As a matter of principle, Iowa Rep. Jim Leach refused to accept negative TV advertisements sponsored by the National Republican Congressional Committee and disavowed mailings from the state Republican Party that attacked his opponent David Loebsack. He stated, "Negative campaigning is a cancer on the body politic. We are all obligated to do better by being better." jimleach.com. He paid very dearly for this noble stand, however, losing his bid for reelection by a narrow 51%-49% margin. In politics, as in life, "no good deed goes unpunished." In Saturday's Washington Post (no permalink), Mark Shields paid tribute to Leach as a "class act caught in the landslide." As with the case of (defeated) Rep. Ann Northup in Kentucky, most voters paid more attention to the Iraq war and the questionable conduct of certain Republicans in Washington than to their own representatives. Unlike some other independent-minded Republicans (or former Republicans) such as Lincoln Chafee or Jim Jeffords, Leach was never a publicity hound. He simply spoke his mind and obeyed his conscience. It is an enormous pity that the Congress has lost a voice of moderation who resisted the forces of polarization.
Pelosi backs Murtha
This isn't very encouraging: Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi has written a letter in support of Rep. John Murtha for the position of Majority Leader in the 110th Congress. Steny Hoyer has been considered the favorite, closer to the mainstream, and the choice of outspoken war critic Murtha may suggest that Pelosi may be disregarding advice to hew toward the center as she takes the helm. Or it may be nothing more than a matter of personal friendships, since she did not explicitly urge her colleagues to vote for Murtha. See washingtonpost.com
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 12 Nov 2006, 10: 10 PM
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This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 7, 2006 ~ DeLay gives up majority leader post
January 12, 2006 ~ Alito withstands Dems' "torture"
January 16, 2006 ~ Michelle Bachelet wins in Chile
January 19, 2006 ~ Views on Iran's nuclear ambitions
January 24, 2006 ~ Fallout from Canada's election
January 31, 2006 ~ Second (& third) thoughts on Iran
February 1, 2006 ~ The State of the Union, 2006
February 8, 2006 ~ D.C. Council votes "yes," but...
February 18, 2006 ~ Checks and balances in wartime
February 22, 2006 ~
Neocons & Neolibs: chastened alike
February 28, 2006 ~
The Dubai Ports World uproar
March 14, 2006 ~ New D.C. baseball stadium unveiled
March 24, 2006 ~ In the footsteps of France?
April 7, 2006 ~ Immigration compromise fails
May 16, 2006 ~ Bush militarizes Mexican border
June 6, 2006 ~ Alan Garcia triumphs, once again
June 9, 2006 ~
Zarqawi: The death of a terrorist
July 3, 2006 ~
Election in Mexico: too close to call
July 5, 2006 ~ North Korea goes ballistic
July 28, 2006 ~ Garcia prepares to lead Peru, again
August 4, 2006 ~ Israel invades Hezbolland
September 6, 2006 ~ "Crunchy conservatives": for real?
September 25, 2006 ~ Nationalists thwart conservation
October 3, 2006 ~ Nationals: Year in review
October 29, 2006 ~ Virginia's marriage amendment
November 7, 2006 ~ The people render their verdict
November 8, 2006 ~ Republicans lose big time
November 9, 2006 ~ Allen concedes / Election post-mortem
November 13, 2006 ~ Toward consensus on Iraq?
December 1, 2006 ~ Realism and our goals in Iraq
December 6, 2006 ~ Latin America & U.S. trade policy
December 8, 2006 ~ Iraq Study Group reports
December 22, 2006 ~ Yuletide political roundup
Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
Explanation
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