KC Buzz Blog

Skelton slaps NY Times

   Congressman Ike Skelton was the only Democrat from Missouri or Kansas to bop The New York Times on the nose for publishing information about an anti-terrorism program.

   Skelton of Lexington backed the non-binding measure that condemned news organizations for writing about a program that tracks global banking transactions. President Bush has declared his distaste for The Times' coverage as well.

   The measure passed 227-183.

   Said Skelton, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, "Knowing what I do about national security and the need to protect classified information, I am very sensitive about leaks."

Posted by Steve Kraske  

This weekend in The Star's Ed pages

Editorials

• Saturday-Sunday: A two-part series: The state of Kansas loses more college-educated young adults than it gains. What can be done to stop the brain drain?
• Sunday: Readers have plenty of ideas on how to build a better KC image. A look at some of their suggestions and an invitation for readers to offer their own ideas.

Local columnists:

• Saturday: Midwest Voices columnist Debra Singer-Hanson offers peace as an action plan.
• Sunday: Rhonda Chriss Lokeman argues that it's time to stop the Bush administration's assault on the Constitution.

Shoot the messenger

    Rep. Todd Tiahrt joined the media firing squad Thursday, attacking it for printing details about the White House program to secretly monitor banking records to look for terrorists connections.

    But the Wichita Republican wasn't out for as much blood as some of his colleagues. Some have called the media traitors.

    "As much as I deplore the media printing illegally released government information, I believe we should offer them immunity from any kind of prosecution if the media will divulge the source of this information," Tiahrt said.

    That's not likely to happen. But it's worth noting that even as many Republicans are spitting mad over the revelations, MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" the other night noted that President Bush has several times referred to efforts to track terrorists by following their money.

     Like this on Dec. 20, 2001: "We're running down money trails, the assets of more than 150 known terrorists, their organizations, and their bankers have been frozen by the United States."

    Or this on April 19, 2004: "See, part of the way to make sure that we catch terrorists is, we chase money trails."

Posted by David Goldstein   

Friday's open thread

   If you want, get it off your chest.

Did Wheeler cut a deal?

   Mike Sanders insists he refused to cut an endorsement deal with Freedom Inc. And that's why, he says, he didn't win Freedom's endorsement for Jackson County executive Thursday night.

    So did his Democratic rival, Charlie Wheeler, cut one?

    "No," said Freedom leader Fuzzy Thompson.

   The question also was put to Wheeler, who grabbed the Freedom nod.

   "I think it's fair to say I've worked well with Freedom over 40 years, and I enjoy working with them."

   Not exactly answering the question.

Posted by Steve Kraske   

Your morning buzz

• Here's a good Washington Post analysis of the Supreme Court's Gitmo decision: "For five years, President Bush waged war as he saw fit. If intelligence officers needed to eavesdrop on overseas telephone calls without warrants, he authorized it. If the military wanted to hold terrorism suspects without trial, he let it. Now the Supreme Court has struck at the core of his presidency and dismissed the notion that the president alone can determine how to defend the country."
• The House of Representatives on Thursday condemned the recent disclosure of a classified program to track financial transactions and called on the media to cooperate in keeping such efforts secret. Lawmakers expressed their sentiment through a resolution that was approved on a largely party-line 227-to-183 vote after days of harsh criticism by the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans aimed at The New York Times and other newspapers for publishing details of the program, which the government said was limited to following possible terrorist financial trails. The Times' story. The resolution.
• "Is there anything to be gained by making a nasty moment in White House-media relations even nastier?"  William Powers asks in the National Journal. "There may be. Watching the story play out, I've found myself hoping that reasonable heads don't prevail on this one, that the conflict will get hotter and uglier and eventually wind up in court, a la Plame only more dramatic. Why? Because this country needs to have a great, big, loud, come-to-Jesus argument about the role of the press in a time of war, terror, and secrecy."
• Ex-AL Gov. Don Siegelman (D), who plans to appeal: "If I'm really guilty of this, then every other person in public office better look out" A Montgomery Advertiser story.

Posted by Keith Chrostowski

Wheeler's steal

 

  Mike Sanders and Charlie Wheeler meet Thursday outside of Freedom, Inc. headquarters.

 

      Charlie Wheeler took the Freedom, Inc., endorsement tonight.

   The Rev. Nelson "Fuzzy" Thompson -- who chaired the meeting -- confirmed the vote about 7 p.m.

   Wheeler left before the vote announcement, as did Katheryn Shields, who was there with him.  But he knew when he left he'd won the nod.

   Mike Sanders was also there -- outside, then inside, then outside again -- and he's not happy.

   He says Freedom offered to trade the endorsement for the promise of a "role" in picking the next prosecutor. 

   Thompson says no deals were made or offered.

   Wheeler says he's happy with the endorsement.

   Video later at kansascity.com.

Posted by Dave Helling

More Gitmo reaction

   "If the president had come to Congress with a reasonable proposal, I think he would have found that Congress was willing to work with him to craft a statute that would allow detainees to be tried in accordance with the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions. I hope he will do that now." - Democratic Rep. Dennis Moore of Kansas

  "I am surprised and disappointed by the court's decision...In times of war - such as today - the Constitution grants significant authority to the commander-in-chief. Our Founding Fathers envisioned that judges would give the commander-in-chief's wartime decisions great deference." -  Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas

Posted by David Goldstein

The K: Half empty or half full?

   Discussion about how many free tickets the Kansas City Royals should give out in exchange for getting state tax credits turned philosophical Thursday.

   At a meeting in Jefferson City, the Missouri Development Finance Board agreed to give the Chiefs and Royals $50 million in state tax credits over four years to help fund renovations to Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums. What members of the board and the Royals couldn't agree on, though, was how many free tickets the baseball team ought to give out each year.

   Board member Larry Neff of Neosho said that, as a way to show appreciation for taxpayers, the Royals should distribute more than the 3,500 tickets they were proposing. The Royals at one point in the meeting said they would increase the number to 5,000.

   Board member John Starr of Kansas City said he didn't understand all the fuss over giving out free tickets.

   "It seems like every time I go to the stadium, it's about half empty," Starr said.

   That prompted one member of the audience, composed of officials from Jackson County and the two teams, to murmur, "Half full."

Posted by Tim Hoover

Sebelius and the death penalty

    Sure, Attorney General Phill Kline gets a boost from Monday's U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Kansas death penalty.

   You know who else came out ahead?

    Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Now, the issue's off the table for the election and she won't have to answer questions about her stance on capital punishment.

Posted by David Klepper