The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
By Kerry Picket — Published December 17, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Nelson says his vote is not for sale, don’t believe the hype about the plug-in car, and Schumer "regrets" his slur of a flight attendant. CBS 3: Nelson Says Vote Not For Sale Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson, the key Democrat hold-out in pushing health care reform forward in Washington, adamantly says his vote is not for sale at any price. Minyanville: Don’t Believe the Hype About the Plug-In Car Hybrid gasoline-electric and all-electric cars will continue to cost more than vehicles with a conventional internal combustion engine for the foreseeable future, putting the new technology beyond the reach of many car buyers. CBS: Schumer "Regrets" Slur of Flight Attendant New York Senator Chuck Schumer was reportedly waiting to take off on a flight from D.C. to New York Sunday when a flight attendant told him to turn his phone off.
by Kerry Picket — Published December 16, 2009 Comments
*updated 12/17/09 Senator Jim DeMint (R - S.C.) had no regrets with the GOP's strategy today, when Senator Tom Coburn (R - OK) asked for Senator Bernie Sanders (I - VT) seven hundred and sixty-seven page single payer health care amendment be read by the clerk. The reading of the amendment could have lasted until Saturday, but Senator Sanders put a stop to the reading of his massive amendment at almost three 'o clock this afternoon, but it seems as if a parliamentary procedure may have been broken in the process. When Mr. Sanders called to withdraw his amendment during the clerk's reading, Mr. Coburn objected, but the parliamentarian recognized Mr. Sanders nonetheless and ignored Mr. Coburn. According to Senate procedures, "Under Rule 15, paragraph 1, and Senate precedents, an amendment shall be read by the clerk before it is up for consideration or before the same shall be debated ...
by Anath Hartmann — Published December 16, 2009 Comments
The political blogosphere has been buzzing since the announcement Tuesday that the Obama administration plans to buy the Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill., to house about 100 Guantanamo detainees. Numerous bloggers are raising the obvious question of how, just days after the passage of the bill that approved a $3.6 trillion budget for fiscal year 2010, the White House will pay for the new facility and all the incidentals that will accompany it. Though the administration has so far remained mum on the projected cost of the acquisition and its expected source of funding, the Get d'Clu blog says the facility itself would cost about $120 million up-front and would require at least $65 million annually in operational fees. The state-of-the-art detention facility at Guantanamo Bay was built at a cost of over $50 million for the explicit purpose of keeping terrorists away from U.S. Soil,” says Get d'Clu. “Scrapping ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 16, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Schumer tangles with a flight attendant, Iran ups the nuclear ante, and is the White House using base-closure process to extort Nelson’s vote on ObamaCare? Politico: Schumer tangles with flight attendant According to a House Republican aide who happened to be seated nearby, the notoriously chatty New York Democrat referred to a flight attendant as a “bitch” after she ordered him to turn off his phone before takeoff. Yid with Lid: Iran ups the nuclear ante: fires sophisticated missile Twice In the past four days Iran has thumbed its nose to President Obama and the international community's effort to prevent the terrorist regime from developing nuclear weapons. Hot Air: White House using base-closure process to extort Nelson’s vote on ObamaCare? The White House has threatened Ben Nelson (D-NE) with the closure of Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska if he opposes ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 15, 2009 Comments
Former Democratic leader Howard Dean dealt a blow to Senate Democrats today, when Greg Sargent at The Plum Line reported that Mr. Dean called for the Senate health care bill to be killed. The interview was conducted on Vermont Public Radio with host Bob Kinzel.:(bolding is mine) (Dean) "This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. And, honestly, the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill and go back to the House and start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill." (Kinzel) Dean defended using this alternative budget approach for a policy bill. He argues it's been used more than 20 times by recent presidents. (Dean) "The American people don't care how we get this, as long as we get a decent process. The Republicans in the Senate will moan and groan, but ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 15, 2009 Comments
By Anath Hartmann Now in its second week, the Copenhagen climate conference has drawn dozens of NGOs whose staffers are doing up-to-the-minute, on-the-ground blogging and reporting. There's ample reading, on the heels of the "Climategate" scandal. to be had from both sides of the global-warming opinion spectrum. Here are a few sites to follow.: The Los Angeles-based Reason Foundation, which promotes “free minds and free markets,” has its science correspondent, Ron Bailey, in Copenhagen for the conference's second week. A highlight from his first dispatch, on Monday: "[M]any … developing nations are pushing to have the limit 350 ppm carbon dioxide included as an official goal for an eventual legally binding global treaty. There is one particularly interesting wrinkle in this goal: It aims to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide to levels below what is already in the atmosphere.” Greenpeace is posting staffer-shot videos to YouTube. On Monday its Web site ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 15, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Congress Approves Funding for D.C. Abortions, Overseas Providers, Prez's lovefest with Wall St. 'fat cats', Olbermann’s Conniption: 'There is No Liberal Media'. Life Site News: Congress Approves Funding for D.C. Abortions, Overseas Providers The US Senate has voted to approve a must-pass spending bill that lifts the ban on the District of Columbia using its budget to subsidize abortions. The bill also funnels hundreds of millions of dollars to abortion-advocacy groups overseas, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). NY Post: Prez's lovefest with Wall St. 'fat cats' Said another senior exec with knowledge of the meeting: "The whole thing was so telegraphed that not much was accomplished, other than giving Obama a PR stunt . . . He might have sounded mean on '60 Minutes,' but during the meeting he was a hell of a lot nicer." NewsBusters: Olbermann’s ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 14, 2009 Comments
Senate Democrats caucused this evening and discussed the details of the health care bill still sitting in the Senate. The Democrats are waiting for the Congressional Budget Office to score the bill, so most Senators in the Democratic caucus remain silent until the CBO gives some answers. Senator Arlen Specter(D-PA), a newcomer to the Democratic caucus, was said to have been given a round of applause when he said, according to a Democratic aide, "Don’t let these obstructionists win. I came to this caucus to be your 60th vote." Senator Lieberman (I-CT), a critic of the health care bill's public option has been in the spotlight for threatening not to vote for the bill. Liberal bloggers like Jane Hamsher of Fire Dog Lake, incensed that the Connecticut Senator is thought to be holding up health care legislation, called on the Susan G. Komen foundation, an organization that raises money to ...
by Anthony Bowe — Published December 14, 2009 Comments
A civil complaint against members of New Black Panther Party accused of intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place in November 2008 was dismissed by the Justice Department in a cloud of controversy. Career Justice lawyers were prepared to file sanctions against the men and the court had already entered a default judgement against them. However, the lawyers were overruled by superiors and the case was dropped for two of the three men. The third was penalized with an order to not display a “weapon within 100 feet of any open polling location on any election day in the city of Philadelphia” until Nov. 15, 2012. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has subpoenaed the Justice department demanding records showing how the case was handled. The initial incident was partially caught on video with a camera phone. Washington Times Editorials A Black Panther sings – Dec. 11 “The last thing ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 14, 2009 Comments
After Senator Al Franken (D-MN) became official among his ninety-nine other colleagues, political observers and fans alike are still waiting for the former Saturday Night Live comedian to be the outrageous guy he was known for prior to coming to Washington. Strangely enough, Congressman Alan Grayson (D –FL) is saying everything people would expect Mr. Franken would have blurted out by now. Mr. Franken has offered up bills, amendments, and chaired Senate floor debates without any wild fanfare. So what’s up? Recently, while covering the ongoing health care debate in the Senate, I caught up with Mr. Franken and asked him about his opinion on Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) amendment, which would enroll the President, members of Congress, their political advisors, and staff in the public option. I had previously asked Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) the same question minutes before, to which the northeastern Senator said that he had not ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 14, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Dems cancel their Copenhagen trip, Harry Reid and slavery, and why "Merry Christmas" matters to America. National Review: Dems Cancel Copenhagen Trip Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, told colleagues on Saturday that Democrats could not send a delegation to the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen. Town Hall: Harry Reid and Slavery Reid is obviously confused. Republicans have no power to block passage of the senate healthcare reform bill. Town Hall: Why "Merry Christmas" Matters to America The New York Times recently revealed that, before abandoning the idea, Barack and Michelle Obama had considered eliminating The White House’s traditional nativity scene as part of an effort to celebrate a “non-religious” Christmas.
by Kerry Picket — Published December 13, 2009 Comments
Back in November, I discovered a 2001 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing transcript where Senator Chuck Schumer (D - NY) said it would be "ludicrous" to try Osama bin Laden in New York City's downtown federal court. However, today, Mr. Schumer is welcoming the trial of professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in New York's southern district within downtown Manhattan. TRANSCRIPT of 2001 segment: SENATOR SCHUMER: There are also those prisoners of war who we have captured and will capture in Afghanistan and other countries who will receive a trial of some sort. It is clear we need to try those suspects in a forum that achieves two primary goals—two goals, I might add, that may not conflict. First, the Government must have the power to use even the most sensitive classified evidence against these suspects without compromising national security in any way, shape, or form. In addition, those who commit acts of war against the United States, particularly ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 12, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Journalist bullied by UN cops for asking climategate question at Copenhagen press conference, a Rasmussen poll says 49% of Nevadans have a very unfavorable view of Harry Reid, and special Democratic voting counties would get protected Medicare benefits Yid With Lid: Journalist bullied by UN cops for asking climategate question at Copenhagen press conference Phelim McAleer is an investigative journalist who spends much of his time debunking the Global Warming hoax. Hot Air Pundit: Rasmussen: 49% of Nevadans have very unfavorable view of Harry Reid Harry Reid's falling numbers in the State of Nevada, he is one Senator who deserves every bit of it... Breitbart.TV: Special Democratic Voting Counties Would Get Protected Medicare Benefits "If they reduced or change the benefits...these three counties in Florida were going to be exempt."
by Anthony Bowe — Published December 11, 2009 Comments
The transformation is complete in Boulder, Colo. The University of Colorado has turned its entire student body into zombies. And not the fun kind that the game Humans vs. Zombies employs.Last week university officials enforced a policy banning plastic, multi-colored Nerf guns on campus after a game of Humans vs. Zombies erupted Dec. 1. The game is a glorified version of Nerf tag that can last for days.Let me make this clear, the zombies in this game don't actually try to bite people and most definitely have never been known to eat brains since the games inception in 2005 at Goucher College in Towson, Md. In fact, popular zombie lore has little to do with this game. Human tags zombie with a Nerf ball to stun it useless for 15 minutes. Zombie shoots human to transform it into a zombie teammate. Zombies that don't shoot a human within 48 hours, ...
by Anthony Bowe — Published December 11, 2009 Comments
Satirical sports blogging site, eTrueSports.com, posted this about Tiger Woods Thursday: "In possibly the best news that the beleaguered Tiger Woods has had in days, Irma Brominski, an accountant from Toledo, Ohio, has told eTrueSports that she has never slept with the world's greatest golfer."'I think by now a lot of people believe that he has bedded every woman in America who is not his wife, but that's not true,' Irma says. "'In fact, I don't think he's slept with anybody on my whole block.'"
