Dozens of Republicans turn against 'No Child Left Behind'

I like the smell of GOP rebellion in the morning.

More than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate -- including the House's second-ranking Republican -- will introduce legislation today that could severely undercut President Bush's signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left Behind Act, by allowing states to opt out of its testing mandates.

For a White House fighting off attacks on its war policy and dealing with a burgeoning scandal at the Justice Department, the GOP dissidents' move is a fresh blow on a new front. Among the co-sponsors of the legislation are House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a key supporter of the measure in 2001, and John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Bush's most reliable defender in the Senate. Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.), the House GOP's chief deputy whip and a supporter in 2001, has also signed on.

Burson Snyder, a spokesman for Blunt, said that after several meetings with school administrators and teachers in southwest Missouri, the House Republican leader turned against the measure he helped pass. Blunt was convinced that the burdens and red tape of the No Child Left Behind Act are unacceptably onerous, Snyder said.

Some Republicans said yesterday that a backlash against the law was inevitable. Many voters in affluent suburban and exurban districts -- GOP strongholds -- think their schools have been adversely affected by the law. Once-innovative public schools have increasingly become captive to federal testing mandates, jettisoning education programs not covered by those tests, siphoning funds from programs for the talented and gifted, and discouraging creativity, critics say.

NCAA first round picks

I dare you to beat these picks!! Italics denote wins by the lower-ranked team.

MIDWEST Florida Purdue Old Dominion Maryland Winthrop Oregon Georgia Tech Wisconsin WEST Kansas Villanova VA Tech SIU Duke Pitt Gonzaga UCLA

EAST UNC MSU Arkansas Texas Vanderbilt WSU Texas Tech Georgetown SOUTH OSU Xavier Tennessee Virginia Stanford Texas A&M Creighton Memphis

FUN FACT #1: A #12 seed has beaten a #5 in each of the last six tournaments. I pick both Arkansas and Old Dominion to keep that streak alive.

FUN FACT #2: I did not pick one single #7 or #8 seed team to win. My prediction is that they will all lose to #10's and #9's, respectively.

For those who could use some good news

First of all: My brother is doing much better after his accident a couple weeks ago. He tells me he is still in some pain, but he didn't break anything.

More on that if anything develops.

Meanwhile, if you've been lamenting Comerica's recent decision to move its headquarters, this may cheer you up:

Fifth Third Bank says it will invest $100 million in southeast Michigan over three years, open up to 40 banking centers and create up to 350 jobs.

Monday's announcement follows Comerica Inc.'s recent announcement that it will move its corporate headquarters from Detroit to Dallas.

"Southeast Michigan is a growth market for Fifth Third Bank," Greg Kosch, president of Fifth Third (Eastern Michigan), said in a statement. "We will build out our banking center distribution network, increase wealth-management capabilities and reinforce the commercial bank portfolio over the next few years."

Two new centers will open in Detroit in March and April, the Detroit Free Press reported. Branches also could open in Fenton, Ann Arbor, Berkley and Riverview.

Some humor to start the week

Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and George W. Bush went to a fitness spa for some fun. After a stimulating, healthy lunch, all three decided to visit the men's room and they found a strange- looking gent sitting at the entrance.

He said, "Welcome to the gentlemen's room. Be sure to check out our newest feature, a mirror that, if you look into it and say something truthful, will reward you with your wish. But, be warned: if you say something FALSE, you will be sucked into the
mirror to live in a void of nothingness for all eternity!"

The three men quickly entered and upon finding the mirror, Bill Clinton stepped up and said, "I think I'm the most intelligent of us three," and he suddenly found the keys to a brand new Bentley in his hands.

Al Gore stepped up and said, "I think I'm the most aware of the
environmental problems of us three," and in an instant, he was surrounded by a pile of money to fund his next Presidential Campaign.

Excited over the possibility of finally having a wish come true, George W. Bush looked into the mirror and said, "I think...," and was promptly sucked into the mirror.

A priest lay dying in a hospital.

For years he had faithfully served the people of the nation's capital. He motioned for his nurse to come near.

"Yes, Father?" said the nurse.

"I would really like to see President Bush and Vice President Cheney before I die," said the priest. "I'll see what I can do, Father" replied the nurse.

The nurse sent the request to the White House and waited for a response. Soon the word arrived. Bush and Cheney would be delighted to visit the Priest.

When they arrived at the priest's room, the priest took Bush's hand in his right hand and Cheney's hand in his left. There was silence and a Look of serenity on the old priest's face.

Finally President Bush spoke. "Father, of all the people you could have chosen, why did you choose us to be with you as you near the end?"

The old priest slowly replied "I have always tried to pattern my life after our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

The old priest continued... "He died between two lying thieves. I would like to do the same."

And finally...

They call him 'W' so he can spell it.

Ex-Senator Fred Thompson considering 2008 run

Well, this all but dashes Duncan Hunter’s hopes for the White House.

Fred Thompson thinks there isn't enough "star" power in the GOP presidential field, so the professional actor and former Tennessee senator is considering getting into the 2008 race.

Thompson, who plays district attorney Arthur Branch on NBC's drama "Law & Order," said Sunday that he's going to "leave the door open" and make a decision in the coming months.

"I'm going to wait and see what happens," Thompson said. "I want to see my colleagues on the campaign trial, what they say, what they emphasize, whether they can carry the ball next November."

"I think people are somewhat disillusioned. A lot of people are cynical out there. They're looking for something different," he said.

Thompson, 64, said he was pondering a run after former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker and other Tennessee Republicans began drumming up support for his possible GOP candidacy, citing his conservative credentials.

Conservative credentials? What could those include?

On the issues, Thompson said he:

-Is "pro-life," and believes federal judges should overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision as "bad law and bad medical science."

-Opposes gay marriage, but would let states decide whether to allow civil unions. "Marriage is between a man and a woman, and judges shouldn't be allowed to change that."

-Opposes gun control, and praised last week's 2-1 federal appeals decision overturning a long-standing handgun ban. "The court basically said the Constitution means what it says."

-Supports President Bush's decision to increase troops in Iraq. "Wars are full of mistakes. You rectify them. I think we are doing that now," he said. "We've got to give it a chance to work."

-Would pardon former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice now, rather than waiting until all his appeals are exhausted.

Yep... he'd pardon a traitor. Sounds to me like the perfect GOP candidate.

Non-presidential Bits of Tid: March 9, 2007

Could Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell be vulnerable to defeat in 2008? It’s possible. Sure would be nice to retaliate for Daschle’s defeat in 2004.

Senate Democrats mean business when it comes to going forward in Iraq.

Carl Levin is working to protect our Great Lakes.

The DNC is doing something for Women’s History Month.

Guess which story the media cares about more – Anna Nicole Smith’s death or Walter Reed? Hell, don’t guess… See for yourself.

LOL - Here's what Mayans think of Bush.

Our governor is off to Germany and Austria. BTW: Here's blogger wizardkitten's take on the guv's recent town hall on WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids.

Here are the resolutions we passed at the Michigan Democratic Party Convention a couple weeks ago.

Now this is what I call GOP infighting.

Presidential Bits of Tid: March 9, 2007

Sorry it's been a few days.

• Newt Gingrich admits he had an affair while he was pushing the impeachment of Bill Clinton.
  
• New York’s firefighters union stings “9/11 candidate” Rudy Giuliani.
  
• It’s early, but here are some poll numbers from the American Research Group. Both nationally and in Michigan, Hillary has a slight lead over Obama, with Edwards in third. Giuliani leads McCain among Republicans by a small margin, with Romney taking just 7% nationally and, perhaps more telling, only 10% in his father’s home state.
  
• All eyes will be on Chuck Hagel Monday. Prediction: He won’t run for president, but is instead going to announce his retirement from the Senate. His term ends in 2008.

Bits of Tid: February 28, 2007

It's the end of February. I've found it odd that Black History Month happens to be the shortest month. But tomorrow commences both Women's History Month and (not quite as important) Spring Break.

• Again, so much for that 'single-state recession,' huh? At least according to the stock market and the GDP.
• Something's wrong with this picture. And this one too.
• A jury is deliberating former Cheney aide 'Scooter' Libby's fate in the CIA leak investigation.
• Ted Haggard has company.
• You cen help pass the Employee Free Choice Act. Over the weekend the Michigan Democratic Party passed a resolution at its state convention decllaring its support for the EFCA.
• Looks like I'm gonna miss out on some fun just after the semester ends.

See you next month! ;-)

You absolutely MUST see this video (Olbermann SLAMS Rice)

McCain challenges Romney for flip-flop supremacy

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney - son of former Michigan Governor George Romney and brother of MSU Trustee Scott Romney - is trying to brand himself as the right choice for conservative Republicans. Which is surprising, given his many flip-flops on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and taxes.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer slammed Romney in a press release as Romney prepared to declare his candidacy in Michigan:

"Today, the prodigal son returns. Throughout his entire career Mitt Romney has done nothing for Michigan, a state he abandoned decades ago. Romney is only announcing in Michigan because he is so unpopular in Massachusetts. Just like his flip-flops on abortion and gay rights, he is only coming back to Michigan because of a calculated political decision,” Brewer said. “Michigan’s voters are too smart for his cynical politics. They do not want a Bush clone on the escalation of Iraq. Michigan voters do not want a person who will support the same failed Bush policies of outsourcing and unfair trade that have severely hurt Michigan’s manufacturing jobs.”

Which isn't to say Romney isn't a genuine conservative; as Brewer said, he does support President Bush's plan to escalate the war by sending more troops to Iraq, as does John McCain.

McCain, however, appears to want to challenge Romney' flip-flop superiority:

McCain, until recently, was pushing for a reform law that would require conservative groups to reveal their financial donors. But, after fielding protests from evangelical Christians and antiabortion activists, McCain decided last month to strip out the provision.

McCain in 2000 assailed Bush's proposed tax cuts as a sop to the rich, and a year later, with Bush in office, he voted against those cuts, declaring that "the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans." But a year ago, he switched sides and voted to extend tax cuts for the wealthy.

McCain in 1999 said that, "even in the long term," he would not support the repeal of Roe v. Wade because "thousands of young American women would be performing illegal and dangerous operations." But last November he said that he now favored repeal because "I don't believe the Supreme Court should be legislating in the way that they did on Roe v. Wade."

...

McCain in 2006 suggested that creationism was not a fit topic for the schoolroom: "I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not." But he suggested the opposite in 2005 ("all points of view should be presented"), and next Friday he is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a confab sponsored by the Discovery Institute, a prominent creationism advocacy group.

For all the GOP's talk in 2004 about the need for "unwavering leadership," Mitt Romney and John McCain sure like to waver.