Category: Fall 2004 Newswire
Dodd Denies Involvement With Abramoff, Scanlon
WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2004-Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) denied Wednesday any political involvement with Jack Abramoff or Michael Scanlon, Republican lobbyists under congressional investigation for allegedly swindling six Indian tribes out of $66 million in lobbying fees in 2002.
“I don’t know Jack Abramoff or Mike Scanlon,” Dodd said in a written statement read before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “So any representations they might have made without my knowledge regarding me . are categorically wrong and false.”
An e-mail message in July of 2002 from Abramoff to Scanlon, obtained by The Day, appears to support Dodd. In that e-mail, Abramoff said he had just been told that Dodd was not supporting their lobbying effort.
In what the committee chairman, retiring Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo), referred to as a “classic shakedown operation,” Scanlon and Abramoff are accused of masterminding a multi-million-dollar scheme against the Tigua Indian tribe that began with their involvement in the closing of the tribe’s Speaking Rock casino near El Paso, Texas.
The casino opened its doors in 1993. Six years later, it was pulling in an estimated $60 million in annual gross revenue. In 1999, Texas Attorney General John Cornyn – now the state’s junior senator -concluded that gambling was illegal under state law. He sued the tribe.
On Sept. 27, 2001, a U.S. District Court judge sided with Cornyn, and the Tiguas shut down Speaking Rock by the end of that year.
The following February, the tribe’s public relations and government affairs representative, Marc Schwartz, had a conversation with Abramoff about the possibility of the Republican lobbyist representing the Tiguas on Capitol Hill in their bid to get their casino reopened, according to Schwartz’s testimony Wednesday. Abramoff offered the services of his law firm, Greenberg Traurig LLP.
On Feb 18, Schwartz offered Abramoff and Scanlon’s public relations firm, Scanlon/Gold, $4.2 million to lobby Congress to regain the Tigua Tribe’s main source of revenue.
What Schwartz didn’t know at the time was that Abramoff and Scanlon had allegedly been involved in helping to shut down the casino in the first place.
As revealed in a September 2004 investigation by The Washington Post, dozens of e-mail messages allegedly exposed Scanlon’s and Abramoff’s efforts to rally Cornyn’s office against the casino by hiring a conservative religious – and anti-gambling – activist, Ralph Reed.
Abramoff and Scanlon had strong political ties to leaders on Capitol Hill. Abramoff, who rounded up more than $100,000 in contributions for President Bush during his reelection bid, had been recommended to the tribe as a close contact of House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas). Scanlon formerly served as DeLay’s spokesman.
Using the attraction of their connections, the men allegedly proposed to the tribe that they could get language inserted into federal legislation that would allow the Tiguas to reopen Speaking Rock Casino, according to hearing testimony. In the early summer of 2002, Abramoff and Scanlon told Schwartz, through mail and phone calls that they had found just the right legislative vehicle: the election reform bill.
Over the next few months, according to his testimony, Schwartz received various updates from Abramoff and Scanlon about the legislation. They told him, “The progress of the bill was a little slower than had been anticipated but was moving forward and was expected to fall into place in late summer.”
That legislation would eventually become law in October 2002, but without the language restoring the Tiguas’ gaming business.
To keep the tribe satisfied, Schwartz testified Wednesday, the lobbyists listed the names of lawmakers who would be responsive to keeping the tribe’s language in the bill. In e-mail messages, Abramoff referred to multiple conversations with Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), the chief House sponsor of the election reform bill. Dodd, a sponsor of the Senate version, was also mentioned.
“For the rest of the months leading up to October of 2002, both Abramoff and Scanlon continued to report that the Senate side would not be a problem since Sen. Dodd had agreed to include the solution through his side,” Schwartz said in his testimony. “It wasn’t until the announcement of the final passage of the election reform measure that Abramoff phoned to say.that Sen. Dodd had gone back on his word and stripped the measure from the committee report.”
In his e-mail to Scanlon on July 25, 2002, Abramoff appeared to be taken by surprise by Dodd’s status.
“I just spoke with Ney, who met today with Dodd on the bill and raised our provision,” Abramoff wrote. “Dodd looked at him like a ‘deer in headlights’ and said he has never made such a commitment and that with the problems of new casinos in Connecticut, it is a problem.”
On behalf of the Indian Affairs Committee, Campbell (R-Colo.) offered support for Dodd.
“Mr. Abramoff and Mr. Scanlon contended that Mr. Dodd and Congressman Ney were enlisted to spearhead efforts in Congress to provide a legislative fix to the Tiguas problem,” he said. “But we know that was not the case.”
Bass Requests Hearings for Gift Card Legislation
WASHINGTON 11/18/04-Rep. Charles Bass, R-N.H., requested a hearing Wednesday to work on federal legislation that would ban fees and expiration dates on bank-affiliated gift cards.
Although state law is used to regulate store-specific gift certificates, Bass said he believes there is a need for the federal government to address the issues presented by bank-affiliated gift cards, such as the Simon Visa Gift Card. " Our role is to ensure that companies are unable to sidestep laws enacted by states such as New Hampshire," Bass said in a press release. "This conflict between state and federal law illustrates a need for the federal government to address the consumer's rights when purchasing gift cards affiliated with national banks." Bass requested the hearing by the Energy and Commerce Committee of which he is a member.
If legislation is introduced and passed, it would nullify Simon Property Group's claim that its cards are regulated under federal law and not subject to state law. New Hampshire's law prohibits expiration dates on store-specific gift certificates as well as service charges and administrative charges that reduce the value of the certificate. The state has brought a suit against Simon Property Group Inc, charging that its card policies violate state law.
Shelia Atkins of the Better Business Bureau said she could not comment on whether federal legislation regarding gift cards is needed, but said consumers need to be do research on bank-issued cards.
"It's in the consumer's best interest to inquire about these gift cards. Consumers need to know if there's an expiration date. I think up until a year ago, consumers didn't know that gift cards expired," Atkins said.
According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, the average consumer will spend 11.5 percent of his holiday budget on gift cards and 74.3 percent of consumers will purchase a gift card during the holidays.
Bristol Community College Professor Wins Big Award in D.C.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 18-Bristol Community College professor Howard Tinberg believes he has only taught when he sees that his students have actually listened and learned.
And his drive to constantly engage the classroom is, in part, what prompted the award he received on Thursday, said John Lippincott, president of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Tinberg was chosen as the 2004 Outstanding Community College Professor of the Year by the council and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, out of a pool of almost 300 nominees.
"Howard Tinberg has been successful as a teacher and role model because of his enthusiasm for his subject--English--and his dedication to community colleges and to community college students," Lippincott said in a press release. "Dr. Tinberg's classes are places of humor and compassion.. He brings to the educational process a zest for learning--both his own learning and that of his students."
Award recipients were chosen through a selection process in which two panels of judges-comprised of educators, deans, and government, foundation and agency representatives-evaluated nominees based on letters of support from students and colleagues, submissions of the teacher's course curricula, class descriptions, and a personal statement. The Carnegie Foundation chose the final recipients, to which a $5,000 prize was awarded.
Tinberg, an English professor at Bristol, was one of four professors to receive an award. He was joined by another Massachusetts professor, Robert Bell of Williams College, who was chosen as winner in the Outstanding Baccalaureate Professor category.
Speaking at the ceremony, Tinberg said the value of a good teacher should never be underestimated. He urged others to improve their educational practices by challenging themselves, and their teaching methods, daily.
"Learning depends to some degree, on review, reflection and revision.. Good things can happen to us as classroom instructors, when we ask and answer questions such as: What happened in my classroom today? What did I expect to happen? What can I learn?" he said. "Effective teaching depends upon our ability and desire to adapt."
These methods will yield successful students in any college, whether a two-year, or a four-year university, Tinberg said. He added that there should be no difference between the types of institutions when it comes to effective teaching.
"I call upon colleagues of four-year institutions to meet us two-year college faculty half way," he said. "Let's read each other's work and let's recognize, on both sides, the quality of that work. Let's acknowledge in our mutual way, through citation and records, the scholarship and research done on either side of the two-year, four-year divide. We and our students ought to expect no less."
As editor of the journal Teaching English in the Two-Year College and a member of the National Council of Teachers of English, Tinberg said he has learned the value of this, because it has helped him bring new ideas to his classroom, and broadened his perspective.
Tinberg, who has been an English teacher at Bristol College since 1987, teaches courses in composition, literature, and literature and history. In all of his classes, Tinberg places a heavy emphasis on ethnographic research, urging students to discover the way language is bred, and manifested, in their own communities.
"I encouraged students to become observer/participants, and thereby record the use of literacy in their homes and communities," he wrote in his personal statement to the council.
Tinberg is also director of the college's writing lab, which employs the help of professors from various disciplines, along with peer tutors, to provide one-on-one guidance to students.
It is where Wellesley College senior Lin Morley Gautie first met Tinberg. She was on her way to becoming an accountant, when his instruction and encouragement propelled her to follow a career in English and teaching.
As she introduced Tinberg at the ceremony in Washington, Gautie reflected on how he has continued to provide counsel to her, even after she graduated and embarked on her own career in education.
"As I learned through Dr. Tinberg's model, the educational process does not stop at the classroom door," she said. "He is the very epitome of a teacher, always creating and re-creating a decent and effective environment in which to learn. And he perpetually cares, not only for his students, but also for mankind at large."
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Smithsonian Gets Seinfeld’s “Puffy Shirt”
By Ken St. Onge
WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 - Starting next week, the "puffy shirt" worn by comedian Jerry Seinfeld on his hit show will hang alongside Kermit the Frog and Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz at The Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
"Of all the forms of theater we have in America, what we seem to remember most is situation comedy," said cultural historian Dwight Bowers addressing an after-hours gathering Thursday to welcome the new donation. "It reminds us of ourselves. of a world that is sometimes more surreal than real."
Museum director Brent Glass said the piece complemented the museum's collection because "we tell the story of America here."
Along with the shirt, which will hang in the museum's "Icons of Popular Culture" display, the Smithsonian also received an original script of the episode. In it, Seinfeld's character, after being asked by the "low-talker" girlfriend of his neighbor, Kramer, unwittingly agrees to wear the pirate-like shirt for an appearance on the Today Show.
Seinfeld, on hand to celebrate the donation, reminisced about spending time at the museum before he began acting. He said he drew comedic inspiration from a toothbrush that was "on-loan" from the collection of astronaut Neil Armstrong. "I remember thinking: 'Come on Neil, Give 'em the toothbrush,'" he said.
"The Smithsonian philosophy is the opposite of mine, which is to throw everything out," Seinfeld said. "You see, I believe the world is divided into garbage and pre-garbage. Thank you for including me in the world's greatest collection of pre-garbage."
Connecticut Ranked as One of the Best States for Women
By Huijuan Jia
WASHINGTON, Nov.17, 2004-Connecticut is ranked as one of the best states in the country for women in terms of economic, social and health status and political participation, according to a study released Tuesday.
The report by the Institute for Women's Policy Research rates Vermont, Connecticut, Minnesota and Washington as the four states best for women. The worst states are Mississippi, South Carolina and Kentucky.
Connecticut has been ranked among the best states for women four times in a row since 1998 by the non-profit research organization's biennial study, " The Status of Women in the States ."
"The report tells us that we have come a long way-some of us more than others," Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-3rd) said Tuesday in a news conference releasing the report. "I'm particularly proud to come from a state that gets high marks in the report and has been consistently getting high marks."
In the category of women's political participation and representation, Connecticut ranked high, with its governor and two of its five House members being women.
Connecticut also has three other women in elected state offices, including one African-American, state treasurer Denise Nappier. Only five statewide elected executive offices in the country are held by women of color. In state legislatures, Connecticut has 55 women, including four African-Americans and three Hispanic women, which makes the state third in the country in terms of women's political participation.
According to the report, women hold less than 15 percent of the seats in Congress. The number of women of color in Congress decreased from a high of 21 in 2002 to 19 after the recent election. There are seven Hispanic women and 12 African American women in the next House. No women of color currently serve in the Senate. There is no Asian American woman or Native American woman in Congress, and no woman of color has ever served as governor of any state.
"At this rate, it will be nearly a century before women take an equal share of the seats in Congress," said Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research.
But Rep. DeLauro said this is not about numbers, but about "agenda." She said women's under-representation in Congress has "stymied and stifled" issues that are in the best interests of women. She said a bill on equal pay for women she introduced in three consecutive Congresses couldn't even get a hearing.
"I will guarantee you that if we could get a hearing and get it out of the committee process to the floor of the House, I dare anyone to vote against pay equity for women in this nation," DeLauro said.
She called for more women being elected to Congress so that issues important to women would "get approached, get fixed, get dealt with and get action on."
"An agenda for women is based on principle and goes to the heart of what women believe-that government must play a role in making opportunity real," DeLauro said. "As we look toward the upcoming Congress, this report provides an opportunity to open a dialogue that might impact public policy for women in the coming months."
Among its findings, the report also concluded that after decades of progress, women are still decades away from achieving full economic equality with men. American women are paid 76 cents for every dollar men earn, the report said. The wage gap is even wider for African-American, Hispanic and Asian women.
"Things are better in some places and worse in others, but wherever you go in America, women are short-changed, starting with their paychecks," Hartmann said.
The report calculated that if the rate of change remains the same as it has been since 1989 it would take 50 years before women's paychecks to equal men's and it would take African-American women 75 years and Asian-American women 135 years.
The report found that one out of every eight American women lives in poverty. Nearly one out of four African-American women lives in poverty and one-fourth of all Native American women live in poverty.
"Life is getting worse, not better, for women near the bottom of the American economy," Hartmann said.
There are signs of improvement, however. For example, the number of women governors jumped from one to nine from 1996 to 2004. The wage gap between women and men narrowed in every state. However, the progress in uneven, which is reflected in that the list of the best and the worst states for women hasn't changed much.
Mississippi has been the worst state since 1998 and each of the other worst states this year has been there at least once before. "This lack of status change is very frustrating," said Amy Caiazza, study director at the organization and one of the report's editors. "Overall our report shows some progress, but we are very disappointed that more hasn't happened."
Caiazza called for better enforcement of equal opportunity and affirmative-action laws, the election of more women to public office and an increase in the federal minimum wage.
She blamed the slow improvement of women's status partly on policymakers' failure to give priority to women's issues. She called for candidates and policymakers to recognize the issues and take actions to quicken improvement in women's status.
"This will benefit not only women, their families, but communities, the states and the nation as a whole," Caiazza said.
Artifacts of War Evoke Memories From Museum Visitors
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16-There are the wool bunting fragments cut from the flag of Francis Scott Key's Star Spangled Banner. And there are the steel girders painstakingly extracted from the wreckage of the crumbled twin towers.
These relics of America's past evoke memory, and mourning, from American History Museum visitors who pass through a new exhibition, "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War."
But smaller, subtler tokens of war have meaning for those visitors who themselves fought or served. There are Army song sheets and melt-proof Hershey's bars that were passed around among the troops of World War II. There also are packs of Truong S'on cigarettes and the tin cups given to the prisoners of war in North Vietnam.
Artifacts, aged combat gear, mementos and undying photographs, all grace the winding halls of the exhibit that opened last Thursday in the Smithsonian Institution's recently remodeled American History Museum.
With its début timed for Veteran's Day, the exhibition traverses the history of America's conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to the current war in Iraq, with more than 850 items and graphics. It provides what museum director Brent Glass said is a "sweeping and memorable overview" of American military history.
"What is most significant about this exhibition is its comprehensive nature," he said. "I think that one of the lasting impressions that visitors will come away with upon visiting this exhibition, is an appreciation for the people through history who have served the country, both on the battlefield and on the home front."
And indeed, this 18,000-square-foot exhibition provides a multi-faceted window into the world of battle, both at home and abroad.
The displays of earlier wars are filled with relics that might have been plucked straight from a high school history textbook: the buckskin coat worn by Gen. George Armstrong Custer and pieces from the battleship USS Maine.
But as visitors meander through the wings of the museum, and through history, they encounter displays filled with what Glass said are "stories and collections.of a more personal nature."
Not only are there battlefield artifacts, but also pieces of American military actions as viewed through the eyes of those who remained at home. It provides a glimpse of history that Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge said is unique to this country.
"Many of us know, the best footpath beyond war is not to dwell on our experiences, but to draw from them," Ridge, a Vietnam veteran, said Thursday at the opening of the exhibition. "And that is the gift of this exhibition-for it tells a story that is uniquely American-and that will embolden and enlighten, as only the American experience can."
There is the cast metal Pearl Harbor lapel pin, a pierced oval with "remember" in red, and "harbor" in blue, hugging a single center pearl. Thousands of these and similar lapel pins were distributed across the country, to solidify war efforts and remind Americans of the tragic bombing of the military base in December 1941.
Joining it nearby is a tarnished air raid helmet, once worn by a factory worker turned air raid warden, when the threat of nuclear war was uncertain; and a cookbook from the World War II era that offered women ways to stretch the value of their food ration coupons, reading, "It may not be convenient, But we don't admit defeat, For in spite of War and Rationing, America must eat."
Some critics have argued that the museum is overly inclusive, and that displays of the Sept. 11 attacks and Iraq war are inappropriate, because they blur the line between history and current events, and in the latter case, make a political statement about a controversial conflict.
But Glass said the move was spurred by the overwhelming agreement of historians commissioned during the planning process, and also at the request of teachers who had sent in requests for the inclusion of current events. He added that the museum will continue to try and incorporate ongoing history, as events unfold.
"Unfortunately, war is part of human history and is part of human condition," he said. "We would imagine that there would be wars in the future.and it would be important to include them."
Glass said it would be a shame to focus on that aspect, and ignore the magnificence of an exhibition that is rich, not only in content, but also in display.
The halls of the museum take on a multi-dimensional approach, due to the work of Boston-based design team, Christopher Chadbourne & Associates, and a Virginia company that assisted with the installation process. The process was also given a boost from a $16 million gift from California real estate mogul and philanthropist Kenneth E. Behring, who has donated a total of $100 million to the museum over the past ten years.
There are objects small and large; from the pile of gold flakes that lured settlers to California after Mexico ceded the land in the war from 1846 until 1848, to the restored UH-1H Huey Helicopter that was manufactured by Bell Helicopter in 1965 and formed a lasting image of the Vietnam conflict in many individuals' minds.
"It was in a way, the center of the conflict," Glass said. "Now it is the center of our museum."
And there are interactive displays, like the touch-screen computers that provide first-person narratives from men and women who experienced each conflict, and the 40 panels spread throughout the museum that provide points-of-view of U.S. military involvement. There are also nine videos donated by the History Channel, including the film "Fighting for America" which visitors can view upon leaving the exhibition.
"The people whose stories are told in this exhibit, and the countless American graves around the world, serve as reminders of the willingness to bear this burden of defending liberty," Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday.
Also in the exhibition are activities for children. The "Give Me Liberty" puppet play explores Colonial resentment to tea sanctions, and the "Hay Foot, Straw Foot" exhibit allows visitors to learn musket drills and field maneuvers.
It is a panoply of visuals and text that provides a slideshow of history that is open to interpretation. But Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence M. Small said there is one idea all should agree on:
"Though nations declare wars, individuals fight them, sacrifice and suffer in them," he wrote in the museum's magazine. "In the end, the price of freedom may be incalculable, because its true costs lie buried so deep within individuals, where no one can fully take their measure."
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Congress Extends Its Year
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15- Before the 109th Congress arrives in January, the current group of lawmakers will meet to deal with unfinished business in a lame-duck session that begins tomorrow and will likely end Friday.
Budgetary issues and intelligence reform are the most pressing concerns lawmakers face, but it is unclear how the House and Senate will move to act on issues they failed to resolve over the past two years.
The lame-duck session also will provide a glimpse into party strategies before the new Congress convenes in January with strengthened Republican majorities in both the House and Senate and under the direction of Republican President George Bush, who has pledged to accomplish more bipartisan work during his second term.
Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and the 108th Congress passed only four of 13 appropriations bills during the last session, leaving it unknown how much funding will go toward areas like energy, agriculture and education.
Three of the four bills that did pass before the election involved military spending: the defense bill, the Homeland Security bill and the military construction bill.
Republican leadership will also likely push to increase the current $7.4 trillion federal debt ceiling by roughly $650 million to accommodate government spending, a move Democrats will point to as an example of Republican fiscal irresponsibility.
"It's slam-dunk evidence of the dysfunctional Republican Congress that they have to call a special session to extend the nation's borrowing limit in the face of bloated deficits and debt spiraling out of control," said former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Steve Schwadron, spokesman for Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., added that Republicans have failed to level with the American public about their massive spending habits.
"This leadership insisted on tax cuts, insisted on this bogus prescription drug plan and the war is very costly," said Schwadron. "If you're going to do all this, let's stop pretending. We've hit the legal limit for the public debt. If they don't want to raise it, then we shouldn't be spending at this pace."
"Omnibus" bill may be next
Republicans may avoid a direct vote on the debt ceiling by rolling the increase into an "omnibus" spending bill for legislators to vote on. The umbrella package could encompass multiple appropriations and provide a quick fix to avoid wrangling over separate, detailed appropriations bills.
Congress also could pass a continuing resolution, which would allow spending to continue at its current level until a designated January date when the new members would be forced to address appropriations bills. The current continuing resolution ends Saturday.
According to Vanderbilt University political science professor Bruce Oppenheimer, author of several books about Congress, omnibus spending bills often result in a mixed bag - and frequently, lawmakers don't even know what they're voting for.
"The fine print gets lost," Oppenheimer said. "There will be stuff slipped in and slipped out at the end. I usually think of it as a 'Clint Eastwood bill.' You get the good, the bad, and the ugly."
Regarding intelligence reform, the House and Senate have sparred over specific terms that would address recommendations from the Sept. 11 commission.
Intelligence budget secret
Last Monday, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, author of the Senate bill, announced an important concession to House Republicans by agreeing to keep the size of the nation's overall intelligence budget secret. Formerly, the Senate version of the bill followed commission recommendations to publicly disclose the figure.
Both the House and Senate already have responded to one of the commission's primary recommendations by passing bills to create a national intelligence director post that would improve coordination between the CIA and FBI. Differences in the extent of that authority, however, continue to hamstring progress.
While his office remains hopeful that intelligence reform will be accomplished, Schwadron said "an intra-Republican meltdown" may prevent the bill's passage before the lame-duck session ends, as Republicans in the House and Senate cannot agree on certain terms of their respective bills.
Kerry, who claimed that Republican leaders are "preparing to set aside intelligence reform," said that the majority party has failed to execute two central aspects of its platform.
"Can they even claim with a straight face to be fiscal conservatives or security hawks?" Kerry asked. "We need to offer strong reforms for our security and a blueprint for restoring fiscal responsibility."
Four lame-ducks in a row
Despite an amendment to the Constitution in 1933 that shifted congressional and presidential calendars to minimize the frequency of these sessions, this is the fourth consecutive lame-duck session.
While unfinished appropriations work is the most frequent cause of the extended sessions, associate Senate historian Donald Ritchie said there have been noteworthy lame-duck moments.
In 2002, legislation for the creation of the department of Homeland Security and the Sept. 11 commission was passed. Bill Clinton was impeached by the House in a 1998 lame-duck session, only to be acquitted later by the Senate. And former Sen. Joseph McCarthy was censured by the Senate in a December lame-duck session in 1954.
According to Ritchie, there are many reasons Congress may not finish its business before elections, from disagreements between the House and Senate to making sure the president's agenda is taken care of by his congressional leaders.
"The congressional schedule has always worked a little like an accordion," Ritchie said. "There are times when it spreads out and not a lot gets done, and there are times when it's packed in and very intense."
It also helps that the pre-election pressure is gone.
"They have certain work to get done," Ritchie said. "And they can operate with more speed and efficiency when they're not looking over their shoulder."
Maine Delegation Returns for Lame Duck
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2004 - Come January, all eyes will fall to the newly elected Congress, in which Republicans will have more muscle in both the House and the Senate, and where the much-lauded sentiments of bipartisanship will be put to the test.
But before that happens, the current Congress will return once more to take care of unfinished business - from keeping the government funded to revamping the nation's intelligence community.
Among the few items that Congress will have to take up is a measure extending the federal debt limit by about $690 billion dollars, an issue that Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, said he and fellow Democrats would emphasize as an example of how President Bush has handled the economy.
Speaking about the fact that Bush began his term with a budget surplus, Allen said, "They chose to squander that opportunity with two huge tax cuts."
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who expressed disappointment in having to return to Washington for a lame-duck session, said that both Congress and the President must do a better job of taking care of the government's bottom line.
"In January, the Congress working in concert with the Administration must actively engage in determining ways to reduce our budget deficits and debt by examining our spending and revenue priorities," she said. "Fiscal responsibility is something we all must live by - not just individuals, but our government as well."
The nine of the remaining 13 spending bills that will keep the government running after Nov. 20 - only bills relating to the military and homeland security have passed - will likely be rolled into one giant "omnibus" spending bill, or a few smaller comprehensive bills.
On the Senate side, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Snowe are pushing for several projects that would affect the Bangor area.
They include $2 million dollars for a Penobscot River salmon restoration project and $1 million for the University of Maine to study climate change, according to Collins' staff. Also proposed is a $250,000 allotment to buy land for a waterfront development project in Brewer.
Allen expressed frustration that the Republicans, who control the House, likely wouldn't let Democrats know what's in the final appropriations bill until the day before it's voted on.
It's a political reality that most people don't understand, he suggested. "That's not the process you read about in college," he said.
Congress also will likely be taking up the intelligence reform legislation, if House and Senate negotiators can reach a compromise.
Though Collins' version passed the Senate last month by a near unanimous vote, some House negotiators have been unwilling to back off their version, despite recent concessions from the Senate side.
Collins said on Tuesday that she had just found out that Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, had nixed the Senate's latest proposal.
"That's very disappointing," said Collins, who added that she had been in touch with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice who said the White House wanted a compromise, and had proposed new language in the hopes of finding compromise between the two bodies.
Other items remain undone - such as the President's energy bill and an overhaul of the nation's laws regarding class action lawsuits - and could be re-introduced in the next Congress.
Though lame-duck sessions deal with fairly routine leftover issues such as appropriations, treaties and other administrative tasks, Senate historian Donald Ritchie said that some of the more colorful examples of political theater have taken place in lame-duck sessions - like Bill Clinton's impeachment in 1998 .
The Department of Homeland Security was created during the last-lame duck session in 2002. Anti-communist zealot Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin was reprimanded by Congress in a December 1954 session.
Ritchie also said that lame-duck sessions can be used to one party's benefit - or not - depending on how advantageous it may be to wait until the new Congress arrives.
"People look over their shoulders," he said, and make plans "to cooperate or obstruct under the circumstances."
Maine Delegation Anticipates First Debate
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2004 -While thousands across Maine will turn on their televisions to watch the first presidential debate Thursday night, members of Maine's congressional delegation also will be camped out in front of warm TVs in the nation's capital.
Months of negative ads and accusations will come to a head in Coral Gables, Fla., when President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry take the stage. "They'll both be pretty aggressive," said Democratic Rep. Thomas H. Allen. "I expect a frank debate."
The debate, which will take place at the University of Miami at 9 p.m.., will focus on foreign policy.
Allen said that this is Kerry's opportunity to contrast what Bush has said about the "war on terror" with what Allen called a much different reality. "They really took their eye off the Al Qaeda ball," he said. His advice for Bush: "Get real" and don't sugarcoat things.
Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins said that regardless of what happens, it will be a good opportunity for a spirited debate. But her money was on Bush.
"In the past, I've thought that George Bush came out the better in these debates," she said. "He surprised a lot of people four years ago when he bested Al Gore."
Despite the fact that both candidates are fighting over what appears to be a relatively small number of undecided voters, Republican Sen. Olympia J. Snowe said the debate still has great potential to change people's minds.
"Both candidates are going to be very conscious of the potential for being able to influence large segments of the voters," she said. "I think that something could easily change based on a comment, or an approach, or an attitude or demeanor - whatever might strike people."
Democratic Rep. Michael H. Michaud said that one criticism people have had of John Kerry is that he hasn't been forceful enough in responding to his critics. The first debate, he said, is his chance.
He should "be honest and upfront with the American people" and not be afraid to be aggressive about telling people where he's coming from, Michaud said.
Michael Barone, a political commentator for Fox news, said in an interview with the Bangor Daily News that the debate presents challenges for both candidates.
"You've got to sound human, not arrogant," he said. "You've got to attack, but you've got to be likeable. I think it's a tough requirement."
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Women Veterans Honored in Nation’s Capital
By Erik Milster
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12- More than 300 persons - members of the military, family and friends - gathered at the Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery Thursday for the annual Veterans Day ceremony.
Now in its seventh year, the ceremony was one of three major Veterans Day observances in the nation's capital and the only one to honor women exclusively.
Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Wilma L. Vaught began the ceremony with a humorous yet respectful welcome. Vaught, who is the Women's Memorial Foundation president, said, "This is the best event in the nation's capital because it has the most number of speakers, and more over they are all women."
The Memorial site is a 4.2-acre Ceremonial Entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. A 30-foot high curved neoclassical retaining wall stands at the entrance , honoring the more than 2 million women who have served or are serving in or with the United States Armed Forces starting with the American Revolution.
After the National Anthem and invocation, Navy Lt. Paula Godes delivered the keynote address. She explained the creation of a quilt made aboard the USNS Comfort during her 2003 deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was Godes who after months of seeing fellow members caring for injured military as well as Iraqi civilians decided to begin the quilt. "Every member of the Comfort served proud, but none of them would call themselves heroes," said Godes.
The Comfort quilt, which is part of a new exhibit in the memorial's education center, measures 11 feet by 12 feet and was completed after 2,000 hours of work. Unable to remain emotionless, Godes acknowledged how the quilt symbolizes the warmth and comfort that were abundantly present onboard the ship.
Each member of the crew was invited to create a small square of fabric that would become part of the quilt, Godes said. Some members did not know how to sew, but enjoyed the chance to learn. When word of the quilt traveled home, more than 30 women from around the nation sent fabric to the Comfort .
Towards the end of her speech Godes reflected on the vital roles women have played throughout the military both in wartime and in peacetime. "Every veteran deserves our thanks." she said.
After Godes speech, members of the various United States armed services were invited to participate in the ceremonial wreath laying.
In Massachusetts there are more than 28,000 women veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and 6,000 of them have registered with the Women's Memorial. Massachusetts ranks third among all states in the percentage of women veterans who have registered with the Women's Memorial.
One former Bay State resident was on hand to watch the ceremony. Betty Splaine, 79, is retired from the United States Coast Guard and a great friend of the Women's Memorial. Originally from Revere and Somerville, Splain now lives in Washington and is a member of the memorial's board of directors.
Splaine joined the Coast Guard at 18 and went on to become the first woman warrant officer in the Coast Guard.
"I loved being in the Guard, and every time I come to the Memorial I am filled with pride and honor," Splaine said. "This ceremony is wonderful. Every woman veteran, no matter where you are from, should try and come to the memorial."
The Women's Memorial is the only major national memorial honoring women veterans, including active duty, Reserve, Guard and U.S. Public Health Service uniformed women and women in the Coast Guard auxiliary and Civil Air Patrol. The memorial also honors women who served overseas during conflicts in direct support of the armed forces, in organizations such as the Red Cross, USO and Special Services, and members of the U.S. Public Health Service Cadet Nurse Corps.
The Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation, Inc., the non-profit organization established to build the Memorial, continues to raise funds needed to operate and maintain the Memorial Education Center. Ground was broken June 22, 1995, for the memorial and it officially opened to the public Oct. 20, 1997. The memorial includes the Hall of Honor, with exhibits and artifacts of women's military service, a 196-seat theater, a gift shop and the computerized Register.
The ceremony ended with Army Master Sgt. Tammy Leverone playing "Taps" at sundown while standing on the terrace atop the Memorial.
