Maureen Dowd on the Realists vs. Idealists

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(President George and Laura Bush at casket of President Ronald Reagan) Ms. Dowd has a strong, smart piece on the battle between Bush administration insider realists and idealists and juxtaposes Bush’s inflexibility with Reagan’s dramatic turns. Read the whole thing, but here’s the best: Bush junior cast himself as the Reagan heir.

Roster of New Committee Chairs in US Senate

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Issued today by Senator Harry Reid’s office: AGRICULTURE — Tom Harkin APPROPRIATIONS — Robert Byrd ARMED SERVICES — Carl Levin BANKING — Chris Dodd COMMERCE — Daniel Inouye ENERGY — Jeff Bingaman ENVIRONMENT & PUBLIC WORKS — Barbara Boxer FINANCE — Max Baucus FOREIGN RELATIONS — Joseph Biden HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR & PENSIONS — Edward…

Jim Leach Could be “Confirmed Unanimously” by the Senate

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Here are copies of two letters that Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Jim Walsh (R-NY) have distributed today to Members of Congress calling for the President to nominate Congressman Jim Leach as US Ambassador to the United Nations “in the event that Ambassador Bolton’s term is not extended.” Here is the “Dear Colleague“.

Dennis Hastert Going to Japan

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(House Speaker Dennis Hastert, former Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi, and former US Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker) Sources have confirmed to TWN that outgoing House Speaker Dennis Hastert tops the list of possible alternatives to succeed George Bush’s Texas Rangers baseball buddy Tom Schieffer as US Ambassador to Japan, a role that Hastert…

New Senate Leadership Roster

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Senator Harry Reid’s office just released this roster of the new management team of the Senate: Robert C. Byrd, President Pro Temp Harry Reid, Majority Leader Dick Durbin, Assistant Majority Leader Barbara Boxer, Chief Deputy Whip Thomas R. Carper, Deputy Whip Bill Nelson, Deputy Whip Russell D. Feingold, Deputy Whip Charles E.