Drudge Retort

Hockstader: Why McDonnell Won

rcade — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:50:15 -0500

Lee Hockstader: Bob McDonnell's lopsided win in Virginia's gubernatorial election was the victory of an agile, disciplined, focused and attractive Republican against an unpolished Democrat who ran a lackluster campaign. It also rewarded a shrewd judgment by McDonnell, who drew the right conclusion from the Republican defeat in the 2005 race for governor, and from a string of other GOP failures in the state -- even as party leaders drew the exact opposite lesson.

Cleland: The Forever War of the Mind

rcade — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:08:35 -0500

Max Cleland: Wars are not over when the shooting stops. They live on in the lives of those who fight them, and those veterans need our help.

Robinson: Attack of the Palinites

reinheitsgebot — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:32:13 -0500

Eugene Robinson: Democrats have some thinking to do after Tuesday's elections, but Republicans don't have time to think. They're too busy trying to survive the party's internal purge and avoid being shipped off to political Siberia. Will loyal members inform on others for harboring suspiciously moderate views? Will anyone judged guilty have to wear a sign saying "Republican In Name Only" as penance? Will there be re-education camps? Will deviationists face the Enhanced Interrogation Technique of being forced to listen to the wit and wisdom of Glenn Beck, at ear-splitting volume, for days on end? Or worse: When Sarah Palin's memoir, "Going Rogue," hits bookstores later this month, will the ideologically impure be required to read -- and commit to memory -- every golden word?

Frank Present During Roommate's Pot Bust

boojiboy — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:31:22 -0500

Rep. Barney Frank (D.-Mass.) was present while his roommate was busted in 2007 for possession and cultivation, a Boston TV station reported. "I didn't see it, the police didn't charge me with seeing it," he said. "It was out of sight of where I was; it was around the other side of the house."

West African Giraffes Defy Extinction

rcade — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:23:10 -0500

By 1996, West Africa's last giraffes had dwindled in the country of Niger from thousands to only 50 animals. Today, there are 200, a boom that experts credit to concerned conservationists, a government keen for revenue and a rare harmony with villagers who have accepted their presence.

Anti-Abortion Amendment Helped Bill's Passage

rcade — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:09:18 -0500

The House of Representatives voted on Saturday to tighten a ban against using federal funds to finance abortions under the proposed Democratic healthcare reform legislation. The anti-abortion amendment angered liberal Democrats who support abortion rights, but its passage helped win backing for the legislation.

Key Provisions of Health Reform Bill

rcade — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:05:39 -0500

CBS News offers a list of what's in the health care bill passed in the House Saturday night, which includes a a public health insurance option, a a national exchange for the uninsured and small businesses and a mandates for individuals and businesses to purchase insurance.

Obama: Senate Will Pass Health Bill

rcade — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:05:28 -0500

"Tonight, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable healthcare for the American people. The United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will." -- President Obama

House Passes Historic Health Bill

rcade — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:26:11 -0500

The House of Representatives passed legislation for the first time Saturday night that would provide health coverage to almost every American after nearly a century of false starts and un-kept campaign promises. The final vote was 220-215. In all, 219 Democrats voted to approve the measure in a largely party-line vote, with 39 Democrats voting no. One Republican supported the bill, Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.).

County Libertarians Led by Sex Offender

rcade — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:58:02 -0500

The San Bernardino County Libertarian Party elected registered sex offender Matthew Barnes as the group's vice chairman for 2010. "They voted for him knowing he had completed his time and his punishment and didn't want to hold that against him," said Paul Darr, the county party chairman. "He completed his punishment by the state and has been reformed."

9/11 Memorial Stalled by Muslim Mention

rcade — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:16:40 -0500

Town officials in Kent, Connecticut are balking at the wording of a proposed memorial to a local victim of the 9/11 attacks. Because the victim's father insists that the memorial call the attackers as "Muslim terrorists," officials have said that it's inappropriate to single out a religion in a tax-funded project. "We're a very welcoming, caring community," said First Selectwoman Ruth Epstein. "To disparage a particular religious group would not be appropriate.

Sox Fan Votes Against Yankees Resolution

oohrah — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:33:28 -0500

Rep. William Delahunt (D.-Mass.), a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, voted against a House resolution yesterday congratulating the New York Yankees on their World Series victory. "He couldn't bring himself to vote for it," said his spokesman Mark Forest.

Supremes Consider Life-Long Imprisonment of Minors

rcade — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:11:11 -0500

On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear a case to decide whether the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishment" precludes life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders who have not committed capital crimes.

Doctors Sold Newborns After Saying They Died

reinheitsgebot — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:15:45 -0500

Three doctors and a nurse have been arrested for allegedly selling newborns after telling their mothers they had died. Police uncovered the scheme after one of the women learnt her baby was alive and had been sold to a woman for 15,000 pesos ($1240), said Mexico City's deputy attorney general, Luis Genaro. The woman gave birth to a girl through caesarean section at the private Central West Hospital in a working-class district in October 2008, Mr Genaro said.