It's very odd being an American abroad these days. Moving from South Florida to Central England has opened my eyes, though, not to the fact that Americans are hated abroad, -- here in Nottingham, at least, they're not (London is a different story) -- but that much of the world does not know of the sea change that has taken place since the early months of 2005, when President Bush was decapitated by the Terri Schiavo case and his endless amount of argument fully-transparent nonsense regarding Social Security privatization.
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State Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, has clawed his way to the top of the Republican Party hierarchy in the Florida Senate. If reelected Nov. 7, he stands to be the first Senate president from Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast since Harry Johnston in 1986. His opponent, retired airline pilot Stan Smilan, is running to raise awareness about nuclear plant safety and little else. Without a credible opponent, Sen. Pruitt deserves to be reelected in Senate District 28.
No one gets to be Senate president without cutting some deals, but Sen. Pruitt's rise to power has been marked by questionable ethical and financial dealings. Still unanswered are questions about his involvement in uncapped campaign committees that raised millions from special interests. He also accepted ill-defined real-estate consulting jobs from cronies who benefit from his actions.
Sen. Pruitt's efforts to advance Sen. Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, as his successor as Senate president, while a potential boon for Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, have splintered the Republican Party. His ability to negotiate peace with Sen. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami, who won a bruising primary battle despite top party support for his opponent, will be crucial to his presidency.
Not surprisingly, Sen. Pruitt often takes socially conservative positions - he voted to keep Terri Schiavo alive despite court orders to remove the comatose woman's feeding tube. But he also pledges support for stem-cell research.
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