OVERHEARD
In Des Moines Iowa, former President Bill Clinton said he is backing his wife because she is the most qualified and not be cause of any spousal obligation. And believe me, if there’s one guy who’s not swayed by spousal obligation, it’s Bill Clinton.
– Jay Leno, “The Tonight Show”
The president’s approval rating just keeps getting lower and lower. Right now President Bush is ranked somewhere between former President Richard Nixon and the hunter who shot Bambi.
– Jimmy Kimmel, “Jimmy Kimmel Live”
One could look at marital vows and civic vows as closely related cousins. In both cases, I wind up being responsible for the trash.
– Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, in his inaugural address Monday
BY THE NUMBERS
22
Number of state capitols in the United States with metal detectors.
2
Number of state capitols that use them only occasionally.
4
Number of times metal detectors have gone up at the Colorado Capitol since Sept. 11, 2001.
Source: The Denver Post, National Council of State Legislatures
COMING UP
TUESDAY: University of Colorado’s Board of Regents will decide, finally, whether to fire controversial prof Ward Churchill. The public portion of the meeting, at Boulder’s University Memorial Center, will be streamed on the school’s website, www.colorado.edu.
TUESDAY: The Bell Policy Center and Colorado Media Matters will host a discussion about online media’s impact on politics and public policy at noon, Denver Press Club, 1330 Glenarm. Panelists include Bobby Clark, ProgressNow Action; Dan Haley, The Post’s editorial page editor; and Wendy Norris, Colorado Confidential. RSVP to 303-815-7690.
SECOND OPINION
From the Seattle Times:
There is no good time to walk away from a war that has spurred hideous violence and bloodshed in a country the United States is supposedly helping. There is no good time.
President Bush is trying to plug the political dikes on his Iraq policy, urging Republicans especially to wait a little longer before approving a timetable for bringing troops home. The president is fired up, telling Congress it has no business dictating war policy. He seems to think saying it firmly will persuade Republicans on the fence to hold on until September, when Army Gen. David Petraeus is expected to issue a fuller assessment of the progress – or lack thereof – of the U.S. troop surge.
The magic of September for making the difficult decision becomes less compelling every day.
Republican senators changing their minds on the war know exactly the date on the calendar. They want to stop pretending that if we wait just a little longer, the ill-fated war policy might work.
There is no good time to get out of Iraq, but once we know we must leave, there is no excuse to put off the decision. Delay is also a decision, the wrong one with enormous costs in human life.
