I saw the same article that Jonathan Adler saw in the Washington Post this morning about the stalled federal highway bill. Here’s something else in it that conservatives (and others) can dislike: The Bush administration’s version repeats the same contracting preferences based on race, ethnicity, and sex that have been in previous incarnations of this legislation. Those statutes, indeed, have been to the Supreme Court no less than three times, and the Court has made quite clear its skepticism about the preferences. Nonetheless, they remain – or will unless some Senators and Representatives step up to the plate and strip them out. Last time around (in 1998) Senator Mitch McConnell led the charge, and his amendment garnered significant support in both houses. Here’s hoping for success this time.