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What Richard Blumenthal has been doing through much of his public career is to walk on the backs of those who really did serve in Vietnam – and falsely build affinity with those who serve today. A hero is a person who puts him or herself at risk for the benefit of others. That certainly characterizes anyone who donned a uniform and went to war, voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way in our armed forces and those who serve or served far from home in difficult or dangerous circumstances. That’s an apt description of those with whom I served in...

Senate Republicans have backed away from a plan to offer hundreds of amendments to slow the passage of healthcare reform fixes under budget reconciliation. This means the Senate will finish work on House-demanded changes to healthcare reform law sooner than expected. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) had hoped to finish the process by Friday or Saturday but now Thursday afternoon appears a possible end-point.

WASHINGTON -- While Republican leaders in Washington are urging President Barack Obama to start from scratch on a health care bill, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday dismissed the idea as "bogus talk." It marked the second day in a row that Schwarzenegger strayed from his party's positions. On Sunday, he defended Obama's economic stimulus plan and chided elected officials, most of them Republicans, who oppose the overall stimulus but are quick to trumpet individual projects in their states that are paid for by the stimulus.

Paper grocery bags are bad. Plastic grocery bags are evil. To "save" the planet and not be labeled as a delinquent, you must use reusable canvas or cloth grocery bags. It would appear that soon there will not be a choice of what you use. You will use the reusable grocery bag or not be shopping!

Washington, DC -- The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) may have been a Christian group at one point, but the organization has abandoned that view by supporting abortion. Now, the YWCA is going further and says it would be fine if Barack Obama signed the so-called Freedom of Choice Act. That's the Congressional legislation that would make unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy for any reason the national law. Full story: http://www.LifeNews.com/nat4620.html ACTION: Contact the YWCA with your complaints about its pro-abortion position at YWCA, 1015 18th Street, NW, Suite 1100 - Washington, DC 20036, call 202-467-0801, fax 202-467-0802, or email info@ywca.org

Washington, DC -- Eduardo Verastegui, the Hispanic heartthrob and star of the movie Bella, that resonated with millions of pro-life Americans last year, has endorsed John McCain. Verastegui says McCain is head and shoulders better on abortion issues than Barack Obama. "John McCain is the only candidate for president that shares my values of life," Verastegui said in a statement LifeNews.com received. "He truly recognizes that we are all God's children."

CHICAGO - Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said Thursday he's backing Democrat Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) in his presidential bid, giving his support to a new generation of black politicians. "He has my vote," the Rev. Jackson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Jackson sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, winning 13 primaries and caucuses in 1988. His son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, has already endorsed Obama. Jackson represents a different era of black politician, battle-tested by the civil rights struggles of the 1960s with Martin Luther King Jr. Obama, 45,...

WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - In an abrupt reversal, a U.S. House of Representatives committee narrowly voted on Wednesday to endorse President George W. Bush's plan for tough interrogations and trials of foreign terrorism suspects after Republicans rounded up enough members. About an hour earlier, the House Judiciary Committee rejected Bush's plan, with three Republicans joining committee Democrats. Embarrassed Republicans then summoned absent members, called for another vote, and approved it 20-19. Bush's bill, which critics said would result in inhumane interrogations and unfair trials, has met even stiffer resistance in the Senate, and the White House is trying to...

Israel backs Annan bid to secure freedom for soldiers By Alec Russell in Washington (Filed: 05/09/2006)Kofi Annan said he would appoint a secret negotiator to mediate between Israel and Hizbollah for the release of two Israeli soldiers Kofi Annan announced yesterday that the United Nations would mediate to secure the release of the two Israeli soldiers held by Hizbollah in Lebanon in a fresh attempt to defuse tensions in the area. The abduction of the soldiers by guerrillas in a cross-border raid in July provoked an Israeli offensive and led to 34 days of bloody fighting. Until yesterday's announcement by...

A federal judge has ordered that a top fundraiser for an Islamic charity the government says has ties to terrorism be released from detention, his attorney said Thursday. Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan, who has been held for two years, was ordered released without bond, according to his attorney, Ranjana Natarajan of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. "We're thrilled, we're just thrilled," Natarajan said. The order was entered Thursday by U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter. "It is ordered that judgment be entered granting the Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus filed herein and ordering respondents to release petitioner forthwith on...

WASHINGTON - As the old saying goes, all is fair in love and war. And politics, too. Even though Republican Michael Steele says he probably wouldn't want President Bush campaigning for him in Maryland and that he considers his party affiliation a scarlet letter, the White House said Wednesday that Bush still is backing Steele in his Senate race. "Look," said Bush spokesman Tony Snow, "the president understands what politics are about. And he wants Michael Steele to be elected as senator." Steele spoke critically of his party and the president during an interview with reporters Monday, under the condition...

LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton had a fender-bender accident when her Range Rover backed into a car in a parking garage after a shopping trip, her publicist said Friday. Hilton backed into a parked Honda Civic on Thursday. A videotape on the TMZ.com Web site showed Hilton getting into the car, saying goodbye to someone and backing up. The sound of a crash followed. The video showed scrapes on the bumpers of both vehicles. The Range Rover stopped briefly then continued on toward the exit of the parking structure. TMZ.com indicated Hilton failed to leave contact information for the Honda's...

WASHINGTON - In a break with his counterparts in the House, the Senate's leader said Sunday the FBI was within its right to search the office of a congressman accused of bribery. "No House member, no senator, nobody in government should be above the law of the land, period," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said. Frist, R-Tenn., was responding to the search conducted May 20-21 in the office of Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record), D-La. FBI agents carted away computer and other records in their pursuit of evidence that Jefferson accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange...

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, April 7, 2006 – The defense team in the case of a Canadian teen accused of terrorism backed down today on a motion that caused a near-boycott of proceedings April 5. The defense withdrew its motion to have Omar Khadr, 19, moved from a maximum-security facility back to his usual medium-security facility. Khadr was moved to the maximum-security facility March 30, according to Marine Lt. Col. Colby Vokey, his detailed defense counsel. In a heated commission session April 5, Vokey asserted that the move put strain on the attorney-client relationship and made it difficult for...

Syria backs a nuclear Iran By Patrick Bishop in Damascus (Filed: 20/01/2006) Syria yesterday backed Iran in its nuclear confrontation with the West as their leaders met in Damascus in a defiant show of solidarity. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Bashar al-Assad The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, welcomed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and said the Iranian leader had the right to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. In turn, Mr Ahmadinejad asserted his host's right to freedom from foreign interference. Both men face confontations with the United Nations Security Council. The West is pushing for the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer Teheran to...

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday defended Sen. Hillary Clinton for describing the House of Representatives as a "plantation," saying he felt her choice of words referred to a "consolidation of power" in Washington that squeezes out the voters. The senator told CNN's "American Morning" he believed that Clinton was merely expressing concern that special interests play such a large role in writing legislation that "the ordinary voter and even members of Congress who aren't in the majority party don't have much input." "There's been a consolidation of power by the Republican Congress and this White House in which,...

CARLSBAD – Rep. Darrell Issa said Wednesday morning that he was endorsing former Republican congressman Brian Bilbray and will serve as his campaign chairman in the race to replace disgraced Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham in the 50th District. Pointing out that his district, the 49th, is touched on all sides by the 50th, Issa, R-Vista, said he needs a partner in Washington D.C. who has the experience and integrity to get work done on behalf of the North County. "When you are looking for someone who is trusted and proven and who has been in the arena and has been...

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court reinstated a California man's death sentence, ruling Thursday that jurors did not invalidate their deliberations by considering biblical arguments in favor of vengeance. The Los Angeles jurors in the 1979 case of Stevie Lamar Fields unanimously agreed that death was the appropriate punishment after their foreman circulated biblical and other religious passages - "an eye for an eye," for example - that seemed to require it. Biblical references supporting mercy and forgiveness were not circulated in the jury room, according to a lower court's ruling. A federal trial judge in Los Angeles reversed...

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that states have the power to tax fuel sold on Indian reservations. In a 7-2 vote, the high court said Kansas can tax distributors who sell fuel at an Indian-owned and operated gas station near the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe's casino. Most of the Nation Station's fuel customers are patrons of the casino, which is 15 miles north of Topeka, Kan. Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas said the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was wrong in ruling that the tax violated tribal sovereignty. "Kansas law makes clear that...

Bush backs Putin on nuke fuel supply for Iran By Joseph Curl The Washington Times November 19, 2005 Members and supporters of the Union of Jewish Students in France shout slogans near Iran's embassy in Paris November 2, 2005. About 100 demonstrators gathered to protest against Iran's politics after Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel's destruction. REUTERS/Victor TonelliPUSAN, South Korea -- President Bush told Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday that the United States supports Moscow's proposal to allow Iran to enrich uranium for a nuclear power plant at a facility to be built in Russia. The two leaders have...