http://http://www.kentucky.com/676/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2009 Kentucky.com Politics -Wire 60 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:30:08 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench interactive-ops@herald-leader.com http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030410.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030410.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:24 EST
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the majority whip, says if debate goes into next year, passage of the health care bill becomes more complex.

The Senate agreed on Saturday to begin debate after the Thanksgiving break. A key complication is opposition from moderates who say they will vote against the final bill if it includes a provision for a government insurance option.

On the Republican side, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas calls the Senate measure "a disaster" for the nation.

The senators spoke Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030411.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030411.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:29 EST
Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan says health care cost reductions for employers will save 3.5 million jobs.

Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania says the health care measure would save the country $800 billion over the coming 20 years.

Republican senators aren't buying those arguments.

Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee predicts the measure will collapse under its own weight during debate. And Republican Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri calls the Democratic-sponsored measure a "scam."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030407.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030407.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:58 EST
Schumer says he is assuring his more conservative Democratic colleagues that the public option included in the Senate bill is "modest" and not the first step in a government takeover of the insurance industry.

Schumer is also reminding fellow Democratic senators that the bill would allow states to opt out of the public option. He asks that they not prevent his constituents in New York from getting the public option they desire.

Schumer predicts that at the end of the debate, the party will come together to support that version of a public option.

Schumer appeared Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030395.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030395.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:31 EST
Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska says he has serious problems with the bill. He says he wants tougher restrictions on what services taxpayers pay for.

The Nebraska Democrat says he wants an overhaul of the nation's health care system but still needs to be convinced that the Senate bill is the right path to that goal.

On Saturday night, Democrats mustered the minimum 60 votes needed to advance the Senate bill to debate after the Thanksgiving break. After that debate, the bill faces another vote that requires 60 senators in support.

Nelson appeared Sunday on ABC's "This Week."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030388.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030388.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:16 EST
That view, by Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, suggests the difficulty facing Democratic leaders in coming weeks as they try to rally support for legislation that would extend health care coverage to roughly 31 million people who lack it.

The Senate agreed on Saturday to begin debate. Three moderate Democrats and Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman have threatened to vote against the final bill and leave Democrats shy of the 60 votes needed to break a Republican filibuster.

Brown appeared Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030381.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030381.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:01 EST
The lawmaker, Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, says fears that mammograms wouldn't be covered are misplaced and that Republicans "have a different interpretation" of what the proposed law actually prescribes.

An independent task force recommended last week that women start mammograms at 50 rather than 40.

Republicans claim the health care overhaul proposed by Democrats amounts to government-rationed health care because a Washington-funded plan would adhere to those recommendations on mammograms.

Wasserman Schultz appeared Sunday on ABC's "This Week."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030353.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030353.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:12 EST
What he got, however, was just more complaints.

Indeed, the Missouri Democrat was on the receiving end last week of an angry torrent of ill will from conservative Web sites about him and about Congress.

It was a reminder - as if anyone needed it - that in the era of 24/7 smack-down politics, nothing is out of bounds.

"We're such a polarized nation and we look for things to argue over," Cleaver said. "But to argue over complaining?"]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030322.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030322.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:29 EST
There's talk the Kennedy political bloodlines are running thin. Some say the younger brood lacks the grit and zest for political combat that drove the liberal Democrat to become one of the leading politicians of the last 40 years.

Yet it's probably too early to write off one of America's most powerful and popular families. A new generation of Kennedys, many of whom are active in humanitarian and political causes, could emerge to extend the dynasty.

Stephen Hess, author of "America's Political Dynasties," said such dynasties often ebb and flow. And while no obvious family successors to the late senator are apparent, there is a pool of about two dozen Kennedy cousins. Some of them could go on to make their mark in national politics.

"To be a dynasty, one of the things that is very helpful, almost necessary, is a lot of children," said Hess, who has been a consultant, adviser and speechwriter to presidents dating back to Dwight D. Eisenhower. "That name, or that legacy, is going to inspire some of them to go into elective politics, particularly since it obviously gives them an advantage."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030273.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1030273.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:11 EST
Critics say he's playing defense when he should be playing offense.

"There is no trade policy," said Fred Bergsten, a former senior Treasury Department official and the director of the Peterson Institute of International Economics, a Washington research group.

Before Obama's weeklong trip to Asia, which ended Thursday, the president rarely mentioned international trade. To be fair, his tumultuous first year in office has presented numerous weighty challenges, including setting a new course for two unpopular wars, overhauling health insurance and rewriting regulations for the financial world.

Still, until the Asia trip, Obama only made trade headlines when he imposed penalties on Chinese tire imports and blocked Mexican truckers from crossing the U.S. border, a restriction that Mexico says violates the 1993 North American Free Trade agreement.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029835.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029835.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:01 EST
A "yes" vote is a vote to allow the legislation to advance for a full debate. A 60-vote majority was required for approval.

Voting yes were 58 Democrats, 2 independents.

Voting no were 0 Democrats and 39 Republicans.

ALABAMA]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029813.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029813.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:41 EST
Saturday's test vote was about whether to cut off a Republican-led filibuster and begin formal debate on the Senate Democrats' proposed $848 billion, 2,074-page health care plan.

Democrats control 60 of the Senate's 100 seats, and all 60 voted to proceed with the bill, while 39 of the 40 Republicans voted no. Ohio Republican George Voinovich didn't vote, while the last Democratic holdouts, Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, agreed Saturday afternoon to vote with their party.

Like other Democratic centrists who voted yes on the procedural test, however, Lincoln and Landrieu offered lukewarm assessments of the bill, reminders that eventual passage of President Barack Obama's top domestic priority is far from assured.

"Let me be perfectly clear," Lincoln said in a Senate floor speech. "I am opposed to a new government-administered health care plan as part of comprehensive health insurance reform."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029741.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029741.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:16 EST
The president golfed for more than four hours Saturday on the course at Andrews Air Force Base, then took first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha to dinner at the Georgetown home of Valerie Jarrett.

The president's golfing buddies during the day trip to Andrews were presidential aide Eugene Kang, photographer David Katz and Marvin Nicholson, White House trip director.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029696.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029696.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:56 EST
Federal investigators say they intercepted the messages between the suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, and Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American-born cleric. They were passed along to two Joint Terrorism Task Force cells led by the FBI, but a senior defense official said no one at the Defense Department knew about the messages until after the shootings. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence procedures.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said Friday after a briefing from Pentagon and Army officials that his committee will investigate how those and other e-mails involving Hasan were handled and why the U.S. military was not made aware of them before the Nov. 5 shooting.

Levin said his committee is focused on determining whether the Defense Department's representative on the terrorism task force acted appropriately and effectively.

Levin also said he considers Hasan's shooting spree, which killed 13 and wounded more than 30, an act of terrorism.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029686.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029686.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:56 EST
WASHINGTON - Democrats Saturday appeared likely to get the 60 votes they need to keep their health-care legislation moving forward - but reluctant party moderates sent strong signals that the bill still has an uncertain future.

Saturday's test vote was about whether to cut off a Republican-led filibuster and begin formal debate on the Senate Democrats' proposed $848 billion health-care overhaul.

Democrats control 60 of the Senate's 100 seats, and Saturday afternoon, Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., agreed to vote with the party, making it likely that the Senate will continue to consider the 2,074-page bill.

Like other Democratic centrists who've agreed to vote yes on the procedural test, however, Lincoln and Landrieu made lukewarm assessments of the bill itself, reminders that eventual passage of President Barack Obama's top domestic priority is far from assured.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029654.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029654.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:29 EST
The bill would extend coverage to roughly 31 million who lack it, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.

In the final minutes of a daylong session, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of trying to stifle a historic debate the nation needed.

The Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said the vote was anything but procedural - casting it as a referendum on the bill itself, which he said would raise taxes, cut Medicare and create a "massive and unsustainable debt."

Two final Democratic holdouts, Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, announced they would join in clearing the way for a full debate.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1028758.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1028758.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:36 EST
Two final holdouts, Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, announced in speeches a few hours apart on the Senate floor they would vote to clear the way for what is expected to be a bruising, full-scale health care debate after Thanksgiving.

At a 10-year cost approaching $1 trillion, the measure is designed to extend coverage to roughly 31 million who lack it, crack down on insurance company practices that deny benefits, and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.

"It is clear to me that doing nothing is not an option," said Landrieu, who noted the legislation includes $100 million to help her state pay the costs of health care for the poor.

Lincoln, who faces a tough re-election next year, said the evening vote will "mark the beginning of consideration of this bill by the U.S. Senate, not the end."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029357.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029357.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:16 EST
The fuzzy line drawn by the administration has made it easier for critics on both the left and right to assert that no firm legal principle is guiding the choices.

The administration has said similarly situated suspects can be tried in either system, while others may still be held without trial because there is insufficient evidence for either proceeding, but they are considered too dangerous to release.

"I think the Obama administration is trying to straddle this debate between whether we should approach al-Qaida as a problem of massive-scale criminality or as a problem of war," said Matthew Waxman, a former Bush administration State Department and Pentagon official now at Columbia University law school.

Indeed, on Capitol Hill last Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder testified, "The 9/11 attacks were both an act of war and a violation of our federal criminal law, and they could have been prosecuted in either federal courts or military commissions."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029290.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1029290.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:21 EST
Citing progress on a trip that took him from Tokyo to Seoul, Obama noted that "Asia is a region where we now buy more goods and do more trade with than any other place in the world - commerce that supports millions of jobs back home."

"I spoke with leaders in every nation I visited about what we can do to sustain this economic recovery and bring back jobs and prosperity for our people - a task I will continue to focus on relentlessly in the weeks and months ahead," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address taped while he was in Seoul, the South Korean capital, and released Saturday.

The president pitched his trip as a way to reintroduce the U.S. to those trading partners, including China.

The Chinese government is the United States' biggest foreign creditor with $800 billion of federal U.S. debt, which gives it extraordinary power in the relationship. And Beijing feels the global recession, sparked by U.S. financial industry excesses, vindicates its authoritarian leadership.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1028887.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1028887.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:46 EST
The announcement follows Attorney General Eric Holder's decision a week ago to place Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi of Yemeni descent, among 10 high-profile detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who will face justice in the United States.

Five are headed to civilian court in New York, five others, including al-Nashiri, will go before military commissions.

The prosecutors said they are reviewing the other four cases identified by the attorney general as appropriate for trial before a military commission.

Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed aboard the USS Cole on Oct. 12, 2000, when two al-Qaida terrorists set off explosives as they pulled their fishing boat up to the destroyer.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1028837.html http://www.kentucky.com/676/story/1028837.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:41 EST
Walter Kendall Myers, 72 - known to his Cuban handlers as "Agent 202" - agreed to a life sentence without parole and to cooperate with the federal government. His wife, Gwendolyn Steingraber Myers, 71 - known as "Agent 123" and "Agent E-634" - agreed to a sentence of between six years and 71/2 years in prison, and also will continue to cooperate with the government.

Prosecutors said the tough sentences - which will be imposed in April after the couple brief government investigators - should send a warning to others looking to divulge state secrets.

"Today's guilty plea and impending sentence close the book on this couple's contemptuous betrayal of our nation," said Acting U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips. "Thanks to a well-planned and executed counterintelligence investigation that included unprecedented cooperation among multiple U.S. agencies, the Myerses' serious transgressions of compromising our nation's classified secrets will now be appropriately addressed with significant prison sentences."

The pair also agreed to pay the government $1.7 million - the salary Walter Kendall Myers made while working at the State Department. They'll forfeit their Washington apartment, a 37-foot sailboat and various bank and investment accounts.]]>