Tuesday Briefs

Maine: Back on January 8, David Offer, the former executive editor of the Kennebec Journal, put out an op-ed highlighting his discontent with waste and mismanagement in Iraq. However, he did not seem to place any of the blame for the waste and mismanagement at the feet of Susan Collins, who served as Chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs during the middle years of this decade and was in a position to investigate and hold oversight hearings on such waste and mismanagement. So the Guru suggested that Offer should place some of the blame with Collins.

This morning, Offer put out a follow-up op-ed piece, where he does thoughtfully consider that maybe Collins did have a role to play (and he quotes the Guru). Unfortunately, he does, in part, chalk up the debate to one's "political leanings." Regardless of one's political leanings, it doesn't change the facts that Senators repeatedly pled with Collins to be far more aggressive in her oversight duties as Committee Chair and that Collins balked. If Collins was more aggressive, then this particular criticism of her record would not exist. In today's op-ed Offer says, "I'll leave it to others to decide if she could or should have done more or done it earlier." Well, let me decide, then. Yes, she should have done much more and she should have done it much earlier. If Collins had, there would likely be far less waste and mismanagement in Iraq.

Kentucky: A two-fer from BlueGrassRoots: Bob Novak highlights Mitch McConnell's support for pork-filled earmarks; and WaPo highlights McConnell's hypocrisy on up-or-down votes for presidential appointments. Meanwhile, the Lexington Herald-Leader reminds us that the filing deadline for Kentucky is 4pm today. Come on, Larry Forgy!

Mississippi: Republican Thad Cochran doesn't want anybody laying a finger on his precious, precious earmarks.

Alaska: Republican Ted Stevens also doesn't want anybody laying a finger on his precious, precious earmarks.

Nebraska: It looks like Republican-turned-Democratic businessman Tony Raimondo is on the brink of a 2008 Senate bid. We're also still waiting for word from Scott Kleeb, whose answer should come by the first week of February.

North Carolina: From the "Huh?" file: Elizabeth Dole's latest fundraising gimmick is sending her previous donors a $1 bill and asking them to send it back with a check for more. By sending people cash, regardless of the amount, ostensibly in exchange for campaign contributions, is she breaking any campaign finance laws? Hmmmm...

New Hampshire: John Sununu and the Guru agree on one thing: John Sununu is no expert.

Minnesota: Join the DSCC's Norm Coleman Caption Contest! (Smilin' Norm dressed identically to George W. Bush at the State of the Union and seems thrilled to be George W's wingman.)