GOP Vixen

A new low for Barbara Boxer

This from The Politico:

"While Pope Benedict XVI's historic visit to Washington received wall to wall coverage, Sen. Barbara Boxer briefly held up a Senate resolution welcoming the pontiff because she objected to language about how the pope values 'each and every human life.'

The measure later cleared the Senate Thursday afternoon after the sponsor of the resolution, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), dropped the reference to 'human life' because some Democrats saw it as a reference to abortion. According to Republican aides, Brownback, a devout Catholic, did not want a high profile fight over the resolution, which was adopted on a voice vote. In fact, Brownback blackberried his staff from the Pope's mass at Nationals Park to direct them to drop the references to human life.

...'There was some politics involved here, and the objectionable language has been withdrawn,' a senior Democratic Senate aide said.

Three Senate Republican aides involved in the issue say that Boxer objected to the 'life' language, which Democrats see as an implicit reference to the Catholic church's opposition to abortion."

This was the part of the original resolution they raised a fuss over:

"Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has spoken out for the weak and vulnerable, witnessing to the value of each and every human life;"

Wow. WOW. Unfreakin' believable. How completely cold-blooded has American politics gotten when lawmakers object to giving value to human life? "Objectionable language"??? Particularly in praising the good deeds of the pope?

In the pic, btw, Benedict is celebrating life -- his 81st birthday, to be exact. Surely that shameless celebration of human life will earn him a censure from the Boxer wing at this rate.

Khalilzad leaving as U.N. ambassador

Well, eventually, according to the Afghan-born Zalmay Khalilzad, who claims that he has no interest in running for the presidency of Afghanistan but instead wants to go to into the private sector (how about a judge on the next season of "Afghan Star"?):

"'My decision is that I will resign from my official work in the next few months and start a private business,' Khalilzad told Afghanistan's Ariana Television Network in Dari, one the country's main languages. His comments were translated by The Associated Press.

Richard Grenell, Khalilzad's spokesman at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, said Khalilzad 'has no immediate plans to resign.'"

I'll always remember chatting with Khalilzad as he downed a chicken sandwich with gusto after landing in L.A. days after I had my wisdom teeth yanked, but I also know that the challenges faced at the U.N. may require someone with a little more, er, Bolton. Khalilzad danced around some questions and went light-n-easy on pretty straightforward topics, such as Syria's involvement in the assassination of Rafik Hariri. Honestly, I think he'd be a much better Afghan president than U.N. ambassador.

I'm just saying...

Top search terms the past few days as indicated by my blog stats program:

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The Reuters headline is "Carter, defying Israel, meets Hamas ex-minister." How about "Carter, defying all human decency, hugs and kisses official of the terrorist group Hamas"?