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1. Eric Cantor Pulls Out. So does Jon Kyl. It Distracts From the Big Story.
2. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania: In Defense of the Ryan Budget
3. Hillary Clinton Questions Congress’s Patriotism Over Libya
4. The U.S. Senate flails about in an effort to save face as the coalition in charge of bombing Libya begins to crack
1. Eric Cantor Pulls Out. So does Jon Kyl. It Distracts From the Big Story.
Eric Cantor (R-VA) decided to pull out of talks with Joe Biden on what to do about the debt. He placed the problem in President Obama’s and Speaker’s Boehner’s laps saying there were issues relating to taxes that only they could resolve.Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), a man well known on Capitol Hill to negotiate defeat from the jaws of victory, decided he would pull out as well.Getting Kyl out of these talks is actually a good thing because Kyl’s negotiating skills leave much to be desired.In any event, the media is breathlessly reporting this and making a big to do about taxes and tax increases being the big sticking point.Maybe it’s just me, but it seems to me that the big news should be that Democrats and Republicans think $2 trillion in cuts over the next ten years is a serious deal. Meanwhile the debt will keep going up.This is the same problem we see with the Gang of 5 or 6 in the Senate. Recently, Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) proudly proclaimed they were on the cusp of a deal that would raise tax revenue by $1.00 for every $3.00 in spending cuts. But the nugget everyone seems to ignore is this one. . . .Please click here for the rest of the post.
2. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania: In Defense of the Ryan Budget
More of this please.Please click here for the rest of the post.
3. Hillary Clinton Questions Congress’s Patriotism Over Libya
As the two houses of Congress debate resolutions that run the gamut from authorizing and limiting President Obama’s Libya action to defunding the Libya war altogether, and as the NATO begins to complement its ineffectiveness with internal discord, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is questioning her former legislative colleagues’ patriotism.“Who’s side are you on?” she demanded today, lashing out at Congress while on an official visit to Jamaica. According to the AP report, “Clinton says Congress is free to raise objections but questions the priorities of the critics. She says the Obama administration and its partners are rightly siding with the Libyan people.”Please click here for the rest of the post.
4. The U.S. Senate flails about in an effort to save face as the coalition in charge of bombing Libya begins to crack
In an apparent effort to save face via the provision of ex post facto permission, the U.S. Senate is considering a bipartisan resolution that would authorize Obama to continue prosecuting his war in Libya for up to a year, albeit with a specific prohibition against the employment of ground troops. The sponsors of this resolution are, as may be expected, John McCain (R-AZ) and John Kerry (D-MA). Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said the bill likely has enough votes to succeed in the Senate.If passed, this milquetoast authorization would be yet another example of a governing body trying to have it both ways. First, the attempt by the Senate to “reassert its authority” over the president’s engagement in hostilities amounts in essence to giving the horse permission to go for a stroll weeks after the barn door has been left open; and second, the authorization of continued air operations while specifically prohibiting the use of ground troops all but ensures the continuation what has already been a lackluster, impotent military effort which unduly endangers civilians, doesn’t have a clear goal, and seems as far as Qaddafi is concerned to be accomplishing little other than giving this tinpot dictator increasing confidence that the coalition is unwilling or incapable of unseating or killing him.Please click here for the rest of the post.
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