WASHINGTON, June 26 (UPI) -- Capital Comment -- Daily news notes, political rumors, and important events that shape politics and public policy in Washington and the world from United Press International.
The fireworks came early this year -- Ann Coulter, who penned the runaway best seller "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" kicked off the promotional tour for her new book, "Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right" with an appearance on NBC's Today Show, co-anchored by Katie Couric and Matt Lauer. Coulter's new book is an analysis of the anti-Republican, anti-conservative sentiments evident in the media. As Couric and Lauer are cited at least 15 times by Coulter for having made outrageous anti-GOP comments on the air, the interview was predictably testy.
Zimbabwe voice -- Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, is singing the praises of Tony Reeler, a Zimbabwean who received the Eclipse Award from the Center for Victims of Torture on Tuesday. "Mr. Reeler has done the people of Zimbabwe a great service by exposing the evil gripping Zimbabwe," Royce said, lauding Reeler's work in exposing "in considerable detail the government headed by Robert Mugabe for ongoing gross violations of human rights, electoral fraud, and attacks on press freedom and the rule of law."
"Many brave Zimbabweans have raised their voices to protest the brutal attack on democracy in their country that once enjoyed an independent judiciary and press. We must echo their words, amplifying their peaceful protest. ... I'm waiting for African leaders to embrace" Reeler's report, Royce said.
The prescription for a political headache -- House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., used a pharmacy as a backdrop Tuesday to argue for his party's plan to create a Medicare prescription drug benefit. "This issue touches everybody's life. It affects my mother. It affects these members. It affects customers here and across America who pick up prescription medicines at their local pharmacies every day," Gephardt said. Promising to enact strong legislation on the issue, Gephardt said his party's plan "is available to all -- it includes a guaranteed affordable premium -- it provides continuous coverage to Medicare beneficiaries -- it makes Medicare stronger in the 21st century -- it is supported by a large majority of senior organizations and consumer groups." Gephardt also attacked the GOP for its ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss -- California GOP gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon has announced the appointment of three well-known Republican campaign veterans to his staff. Joining the campaign are Ed Rollins, who managed Ronald Reagan's 49-state landslide re-election campaign in 1984; Lyn Nofziger, who was with Reagan at the beginning of his political career in 1996; and John Peschong, former executive director of the state GOP and a former Republican National Committee regional political director. Peschong will oversee the day-to-day operations of the campaign while Rollins and Nofziger will provide strategic and communications advice to Simon in his underdog bid to oust Democrat Gov. Gray Davis.
We're all in this together -- On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate defeated, on a 50-49 vote, an amendment offered by Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., to the Defense Authorization Act that required federal government employees to compete with the private sector. The Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, led by Sen. George Allen, R-Va., had asked their colleagues to oppose the amendment.
"Experts believe the Kennedy amendment will complicate the procurement process and cost taxpayers more money," Allen said. "While certain functions of government should inherently be performed by federal workers, the Kennedy amendment would seriously harm the government's ability to quickly and efficiently tap the ingenuity and resources of the private sector." According to the task force, more than 90 percent of all information technology contract actions of the federal government were subject to competition in 2000. HTTF members said the Kennedy amendment would undermine that competition.
Thou shall not post, or shall thou? -- On Friday, Chief Judge Robert Echols ordered the Ten Commandments be removed from a display of historical documents in the Rutherford County, (Tenn.) courthouse, potentially rebuking the local elected officials who had acted to place them there.
On April 11, 2002, the Rutherford County Commission, by a vote of 16-5, authorized the placement of historical documents -- including the Ten Commandments -- on display in the courthouse alongside the preamble to the Tennessee Constitution, the text of the national anthem, the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta, the Constitution, and the Mayflower Compact. The judge ordered that the Ten Commandments be removed while the American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit challenging the inclusion to the Ten Commandments is pending. Judge Echols' order is a preliminary injunction and it notes that the county may still prevail at trial on the ultimate issue of the constitutionality of the display.
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