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 pence Abraham, the
secretary of energy, is recommending that nuclear waste be stored
at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The state's pols — including a
Republican governor and a Republican senator — are pretty miffed.
Here's what Kenny Guinn, the governor, says he said when Abraham
called him about his decision: "I told him that I am damn disappointed
in this decision and to expect my veto. I explained to him we will
fight it in the Congress, in the Oval Office, in every regulatory
body we can. . . . I also told him that on behalf of all Nevadans,
I am outraged that he is allowing politics to override sound science.
At the conclusion of the call I told the secretary that I think
this decision stinks, the whole process stinks, and we'll see him
in court." As I said, miffed.
There is, however,
a solution that should make both the Nevadans and Abraham happy:
Send the nuclear waste to a mountain in Vermont. This wouldn't be
payback to Jim Jeffords for giving the Senate to the Democrats.
That would be petty. It would be payback to Jeffords and to Pat
Leahy. Heck, the president could even make a deal with the latter:
Confirm Miguel Estrada. Or glow in the dark.
Riordan
Roundup
Richard
Riordan, the former mayor of Los Angeles now running for governor
of California, is regarded in some quarters-the White House, for
example-as the potential savior of the state's hapless Republican
party. Sure, some of his views are liberal, runs the argument. But
it's a liberal state, and you do what you have to.
But some things
you don't have to do. Last week, Riordan went to a dinner held by
the Greenlining Institute, a lefty outfit that wants new taxes on
the "super-rich," on cars, and on Internet sales, with
the proceeds going to social programs. At the dinner, Congresswoman
Barbara Lee got a "Profile in Courage" award for having
cast the only vote against military action after the September 11
attacks. When another speaker talked about protecting the poor from
budget cuts, the Los Angeles Times reports, Riordan "put
down his silverware and applauded."
At the same
event, Riordan was asked about his commitment to appointing people
of southeast Asian descent to his administration. He responded by
talking about his "diverse" appointments as mayor, citing
Chinese-American aides. Informed that China isn't southeast Asia,
he replied, "I don't know who southeast Asians are. . . . I'll
need to be educated on that."
Riordan also
said that he was open to taxes on Internet sales.
The headline
on the Times story was "Riordan's Campaign Atypical
for Republican." Actually, Riordan's campaign is probably going
to be typical of California Republican campaigns in the most important
respect: He'll lose.
Microsoft:
Your Chance to Weigh In
The Justice Department is soliciting comments on the settlement
with Microsoft. Anyone who has one can send it to microsoft.atr@usdoj.gov.
Put "Microsoft Settlement" in the subject line.
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