<-- Not feeling so good about the two newwest justices.
-->There is evidence piling as to JR's choice in partner.






<--In his first day on the bench, Alito laughed obligingly at Justice Antonin Scalia's joke about river discharge. He stroked his chin thoughtfully and rocked in his chair, just as the more senior justices do. The eight questions he asked -- on the finer points of the Clean Water Act and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission -- put him on course to surpass within days the total number of questions Justice Clarence Thomas has asked in 15 years."
"The new student had some awkward moments as he adjusted to his surroundings. He tried to talk at the same time as 85-year-old Justice John Paul Stevens, then quickly backed down. He continued the questioning of a government lawyer after the time for the argument had expired. And, in his haste to depart the chamber, he forgot the rules of seniority and stepped in front of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; the 72-year-old Clinton appointee was uninjured even though her robe weighs more than she does."

House District 31 special election

Mask, reported raising more than $51,000 in cash and spending more than $58,000. Payne, raised nearly $75,000 in cash and has spent more than $85,000. much of it from the state party.
The special election is Tuesday and both parties predict the outcome of this election will be a predictor of how the Fall 2006 election will turn out. Will the Republicans suceed in taking over the house?

Most of Payne's expenses were advertising-related. The largest share of that, more than $82,000, went to Matrix, a Montgomery-based consulting business that has worked in the past for Democratic candidates.

More Ask a Hill Staffer from Wonkette.-Favorite TV shows +How to score with staff and interns.

From Wonkette: Ask a Hill Staffer; Bars, Chicks, Recess, and Shooting Somebody in the Face.
What’s your favorite Hill bar?
That’s a tough one, because even though I’ve been to a lot of them, I don’t really remember them all that well. However, I have stolen a pint glass from Hawk and Dove, so I’m pretty sure it’s a good place. I think you can group them into three categories: Tortilla Coast and Bullfeathers, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Mass Avenue. TC and BF’s have the worst food in Washington. Pennave has the most hot House staffers. Massave just sucks. Except for La Loma, which has the best sangria in Washington. And there’s nothing like a cold glass of Sangria on a hot summer Wednesday morning in Washington!
Which offices have the hottest chicks?
Let me begin by saying I don’t appreciate you objectifying our federally elected officials like that. They are the guardians of our sacred Constitution. But since you ask, the answer is Trent Lott. Walking into his office is like walking into an Ole Miss Sorority house. I remember as an intern I used to walk by several times a day to catch a glimpse, because that was the closest my ass was ever going to get to them. Need a signature? I’ll get it! Senator needs lunch? Right here buddy! They thought I was a real go-getter, but I was really just checking out those southern belles. But I work on the other side of the Hill now so I rarely get to see them. Dammit! House chicks suck! The Senate just has better looking girls, flat out. The House is kind of like the NHL after expansion…the talent pool has really been diluted. Also, Republican chicks are way better looking than Democratic chicks in general. Keep that in mind the next time you vote.

How do you feel about Dick Cheney shooting somebody in the face?
How many times have I said that I've wanted to “shoot that guy in the face”? Well, he actually got to do it. Good for you, Dick Cheney. Because of him, you too will soon be able to shoot people in the face. Nobody will be pissing each other off anymore because of the threat of being shot in the face. Watch out! Maybe people will finally start walking left, standing right on the Metro. The new voice of the Metro should record something like “on the escalators, please walk left, stand right, or risk being SHOT in the FACE.” I’m going to Virginia to buy a gun right now!

What do you do during recess in Congress?
All the Congressmen and Senators go out and play on the monkey bars. Halfway through recess though, the Senators start throwing rocks at the Congressmen, who whine like little bitches to the President. Then the Senators have to go in early and start passing laws, while the Congressmen get to stay outside and enjoy the tube-slide and steering wheel thing at the top of the slide. That thing was so fun! It was like you were driving all your friends around in a giant retarded looking car! And this is why Congress never accomplishes anything, because they are a bunch of children who are out at recess for like half the year.

Jeff Sessions hires new staff in effort to end global hunger and wish for world peace. Now comes word that Scarlotte Deupree, Miss Alabama 2002 and the first runner-up for Miss America 2003, has taken a job in the Senate Periodical Press Gallery.It’s not Deupree’s first stint on the Hill. During the winter of 2000, she served as an intern to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) — alongside another Miss Alabama contestant named Scarlet, no less.And when she came oh-so-close to the Miss America crown for 2003, Sessions even paid tribute to her on the Senate floor for her “numerous and exceptional” accomplishments and her work on behalf of adult literacy awareness. He said that while said she toiled in his office she “produced excellent work, received high marks from my staff and contributed greatly.”

Worst Company in America: Monsanto or Halliburton??. The makers of Agent Orange vs. greedy corporation that overcharges US while simultaneously winning numerous no-bid contracts.

White House memos reveal prior knowledge of Cheney threat.
"Cheney deteremined to shoot an old man in the face."

Bush, Rove say Hillary will easily win Dem. primary, lose general election.Rove says that she is “philosophically very liberal,” despite recent efforts to appear moderate and
there is a “brittleness about her” that could prove a weakness. via Drudge.

6th circuit opinion;ED of TN=Pg.16; fn1.the concurrence cites an exchange between Dr. Evil and Scott Evil from Austin Powers International Man of Mystery.

Conservatives are happier than liberals.
A survey by the Pew Research Center shows that conservatives are happier than liberals -- in all income groups. While 34 percent of all Americans call themselves ``very happy,'' only 28 percent of liberal Democrats (and 31 percent of moderate or conservative Democrats) do, compared to 47 percent of conservative Republicans. This finding is niftily self-reinforcing: It depresses liberals.
This isn't a new phenomenon; Republicanshave been happier than Democrats since 1972. The study also found that religious, married, and Southern peoples are generally happier than their single, hethern,Yankee brethren. I have a few theories why this is:warm weather & Southern women appropriatly dressed for said warm weather. Down here you can't spit w/out hitting a religious establishment of some kind. But I think we are giving sunshine too much credit here, unless sunshine makes you conservative which is a topic for another day.

New Hampshire Senate Passes School Choice Bill
Senate Bill 131 creates a new type of school choice program, which is a hybrid between traditional state-funded school vouchers and scholarship tax credits. The state will set up a non-profit called the 21st Century Scholars Fund, a public-private venture that will be dedicated to providing scholarships to students to attend a school of their choice. The legislature will then appropriate $2 million in direct aid, while also making $500,000 in tax credits available to individual or corporate tax payers who make donations to the fund.

Gov. Rendell vows to veto voter ID bill. From our friends at Sweetness & Light.
Under the bill that cleared the Legislature last week, each voter would have to show election workers a form of identification such as a driver’s license; U.S. passport; student, employee or government ID; county voter registration card; firearm permit; current utility bill; or current bank statement, pay check or government check. Rendell's opponen, Lynn Swann :"The idea that presenting a form of identification would somehow disenfranchise people is as ridiculous as it is untrue," the statement said.
Democrats generally opposed the change, claiming it would lead to countless voter challenges and create long lines that would discourage voting; Republicans argued it would fight voter fraud by ensuring a person could cast only one ballot in an election. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, about half the states require some sort of identification at the polls. Georgia last month became one of six to request photo ID, and Missouri lawmakers are discussing similar rules.

Van Der Sloot and papa served with process in NY on Friday. Here is a copy of the complaint. I think I am the only one who finds it fascinating that Beth Twitty was able to serve them both in New York.I guess it is up to the court of NY to decide whether to hear the case.Any lawyers wanna help? Do minimum contacts exist?
when a defendant is served with a summons for a lawsuit in New York state, but neither party lives in the county where the summons is served, then the plaintiff gets to decide the county in which the lawsuit is filed. Manhattan is New York County.

Swann receives PA GOP endorsement for governor.

VP Cheney's hunting partner suffers mild heart attack. Apparently people get "pepperred" on a regular basis while bird hunting. I know I willl think twice before choosing my hunting partnersw.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education(FIRE) has named Jacksonville State's speech code its Speech Code of the Month.
The first paragraph is below (bold and italics are mine).

Now FIRE has learned that Jacksonville State University (JSU) in Jacksonville,
Alabama, maintains one of the most illegally overbroad—not to
mention simply inane—speech codes that we have ever seen. The student
code of conduct at JSU provides that “No student shall threaten, offend, or
degrade anyone on University owned or operated property.” Got that? No student
shall offend anyone on University property. The only way for students to ensure
they are in compliance with this policy is to remain in complete silence.
Otherwise, how could a student possibly know whether an opinion she wants to
express might offend one of the 9,000 other students
at JSU, each of whom has his or her own particular sensitivities?

How does your school rank?

Daniel Henninger's WSJ column today on ideology hits the nail square on the head.
I don't think the Dems can become a mainstream party again unless they propose mainstream ideas. The United States is a center-right country which is not going to be won over by Howard Dean, Daily Kos, or interest groups protecting a woman's right to kill her unborn baby. Dick Morris's Triangulation worked for Clinton(twice). In a two party system, elections are won in the middle. IF the GOP would just slide a little bit???

The most significant moment in Tuesday evening's State of the Union speech
did not occur while President Bush was speaking. It was just before the speech,
when TV cameras caught the two new Supreme Court justices, John Roberts and
Samuel Alito. They are conservatives. They are what the Republican voting base
wanted on the court and what George Bush promised he would nominate if
elected.

And so today. I don't know if I would call the people running Democratic Web sites such as MoveOn.org or the Daily Kos "young intellectuals," but what they're hungering for can only be called ideology. One might prefer a less fanatic, less foul-mouthed faction than this, and their Democratic principles may seem a tad antique, but the unmistakable fact is that the Web Democrats are ideologues--proudly and defiantly so.
They're insisting that the party nominate a candidate who'll run unashamedly on "progressive ideas." They believe Clintonian triangulation is a sellout. And they matter more than similar ideologues going back to the Trotskyite cells on the Lower East Side because they've proven they can use the Web to raise millions to support or punish Democratic politicians. Even ideologues on the left need capital.

Keg Ban likely tapped out in House.
Rep. Randy Hinshaw, D-Meridianville, and head of the subcommittee considering the keg ban says, "That thing will not see the light of day again this session." "I will kill it myself."
Another bill being considered would set up a statewide keg registration system to determine who sold the keg and who bought it.

SOTU comments
The SOTU was a pretty vanilla,not in the Ray Nagin way, I just meant it was straightforward with no big surprises. High points included;

"American is addicted to oil." -I couldn't agree more. For all those people who condemn Exxon for their record-breaking profits just take a second to ask what allows them to stay in business, our consumption. I personally will never own a car that gets less than 20mpg. That will really cut down on their profits, take that Chevron.

National Security- No movement on NSA program; threw support behind the Iranian people but Bush could have been stronger on the threat of Iranian nukes. Bush will continue to do all he can to protect against another terrorist attack. Call for renewal of the Patriot Act went unreceived on the Dems side. NSA wiretapping is nothing new=The Echelon Project

Cindy Sheehan- Was arrested last night for wearing a shirt with the number of servicemen killed on it. Better question is, "WHo gave her a ticket to the SOTU? Lynne Woosley, Dem of California. Every time I hear "Dem of Ca", I break out the popcorn bc I know its going to be good entertainment. Yes, it is illegal to protest inside the house.

Social Security- no renewal of this crucial entitlement. The Dems stood up and cheered when Bush discussed the failure of Congress to give him a SS bill. I look forward to the day when I turn 65, walk out to the mailbox to grab my SS check and there's barely enough in it to pay for a postage stamp (Question- When was the last time the Post Office lowered postage rates?)

"Machine "doc to be shown on UA campus tonight.
Capstone PAC, a student political action committee, will show "One and All," a documentary about the Machine and UA campus politics, as part of its. effort to educate voters.

Smith chooses UA.
Andre Smith. 6-4, 315 of Huffman High School made his decision known today by sporting a houndstooth hat this morning. Smith is the 2nd ranked player in the country.

GOP holds fundraising edge over Dems in close 2006 Senate races.
The polls show the following Senators vulnerable to defeat next fall.

Pennsylvania:
Santorum (R) 4Q Fundraising: $2.6 millionCasey (D) 4Q Fundraising: $1.7 million [updated]
Santorum (R) Cash-on-Hand: $7.8 millionCasey (D) Cash-on-Hand: $3.4 million [updated]
Montana:
Burns (R) 4Q Fundraising: $814KTester (D) 4Q Fundraising: $89K (Ouch, that needs to turn around)Morrison (D) 4Q Fundraising: $407K
Burns (R) Cash-on-Hand: $3.4MTester (D) Cash-on-Hand: $167KMorrison (D) Cash-on-Hand: $753K
Ohio:
DeWine (R) 4Q Fundraising: $979KBrown (D) 4Q Fundraising: $497KHackett (D) 4Q Fundraising: $466K
DeWine (R) Cash-on-Hand: $4.3 millionBrown (D) Cash-on-Hand: $2.37 millionHackett (D) Cash-on-Hand: $230K
Missouri:
Talent (R) 4Q Fundraising: $1 millionMcCaskill (D) 4Q Fundraising: $915K
Talent (R) Cash-on-Hand: $4.7 millionMcCaskill (D) Cash-on-Hand: $1.26 million
Rhode Island:
Chafee (R) 4Q Fundraising: $485K (including $330K loan)Laffey (R) 4Q Fundraising: $310KBrown (D) 4Q Fundraising: ???Whitehouse (D) 4Q Fundraising: $415K
Chafee (R) Cash-on-Hand: $1.7 millionLaffey (R) Cash-on-Hand: $830KBrown (D) Cash-on-Hand: ???Whitehouse (D) Cash-on-Hand: $1.55 million