Posted by Joel Mathis May 2, 2005 at 7:01 a.m.

Brownback for president?

Pat Roberts links [(Topeka Capital-Journal) Roberts: Forbes is most vulnerable:][1] Kansas' senior congressman believes three of the state's four military installations will escape the BRAC knife this year, and he remains "cautiously optimistic" about the fourth -- Forbes Field in Topeka. "In terms of Forbes, I am perhaps more optimistic than some," said Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from Dodge City. "I still think -- we will build a very viable case for Forbes."[(AP) Senator Chambliss Hosts TV Show:][2] (U.S. Sen. Saxy) Chambliss taped the second installment of "The Capitol Report" last week, featuring as a guest his longtime friend and colleague, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas. While the cameras rolled, the two senators discussed weighty issues such as the threats of terrorism, the future of the tax code and farm subsidies. When they were off, Roberts loosened up the new host by mocking the introduction written for Chambliss, throwing a book from the set at an aide (it was hollow), and ribbing his colleague about supporting a Central America free trade bill (which Chambliss strongly opposes).[(Knight-Ridder) Meeting to address food supply threats:][3] America's food supply is vulnerable to attacks that might not be as dramatic as a bomb but could have explosive consequences, scientists and law enforcement officials agree. Many of them will convene this week in Kansas City, Mo., for the first international symposium on agroterrorism. ... "While an attack of this nature may not be probable, I can tell you that it is part of the risk assessments I receive as chairman of the Intelligence Committee," Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., told county Farm Bureau presidents meeting in Washington in MarchSam Brownback links [(Topeka Capital-Journal commentary) Brownback could be presidential contender:][4] A committed social conservative, Brownback has also been a committed movement conservative and a loyal Republican. Historically, running from the Senate has been a difficult proposition. Only John Kennedy and Warren Harding were senators when they won the presidency. But Brownback's grassroots support may take him farther than any previous social conservative -- perhaps all the way to that big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue.[(LA Times) Robertson Says Giuliani Would Be 'Good President':][5] Televangelist and one-time presidential candidate Pat Robertson praised former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani on Sunday, saying that despite disagreements on social issues, Giuliani would make "a good president." ... But he praised two other senators as possible GOP presidential contenders: Sam Brownback of Kansas and George Allen of Virginia, both of whom are well liked by the Christian right.[(Washington Post) Bill would make it harder for foreigners to get U.S. asylum:][6] Under the proposed Real ID Act, which is being negotiated by a House-Senate conference committee, asylum-seekers would have an even-more-difficult time proving their cases, and the number of immigrants seeking asylum would likely continue to plummet, the advocates say. ... Four Senate Republicans - John McCain (Ariz.), Sam Brownback (Kan.), John E. Sununu (N.H.), and Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) - successfully fought other conservatives who attempted to attach the Real ID bill to a measure to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and provide tsunami relief in Asia. [(Wichita Eagle) Some judges' rulings create active opposition:][7] Brownback, a new member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been even more emphatic. Along with the April activism hearing, in March he co-sponsored for the second straight year the Constitution Restoration Act, which would prevent courts from ruling on any cases involving the public acknowledgment of God. ... "What you're seeing here is a confluence of things," Brownback said. "When the left couldn't get its goals achieved through the legislative process, they started going through the judiciary. So now you have a country that's frustrated over changes being made to them that they didn't approve through the legislative process."[(USA Today) The Changing Politics of Abortion:][8] In recent weeks, one of the Senate's most conservative Republicans, Sam Brownback of Kansas, teamed up with one of its most liberal Democrats, Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, to co-sponsor a bill that would provide information and referrals to support groups for those weighing whether to terminate a pregnancy when they learn the fetus has Down syndrome or other prenatal conditions.Jerry Moran links [(AP) Moran reportedly won't be running for governor:][9] Republican Rep. Jerry Moran won't run for governor next year, a knowledgeable GOP source told The Associated Press on Friday, amid talk from prominent party members that Moran had chosen not to enter the race.Todd Tiahrt links [(AP) Tiahrt Says Vote Based on Principle:][10] Congressman Todd Tiahrt says his vote against a change in House ethics rules was based on principle. The Kansas Republican was on the losing side of Wednesday's 406-to-20 vote. The rest of the Kansas delegation, Republicans Jim Ryun and Jerry Moran and Democrat Dennis Moore, all voted with the majority. ... A spokesman for Tiahrt says the Kansas congressman understood his party's position, but still believes the new rules provided more fairness to members under investigation.How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation [here.][11] [1]: http://www.cjonline.com/stories/050205/kan_bracstory.shtml [2]: http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=62488 [3]: http://www.freep.com/news/nw/terror2e_20050502.htm [4]: http://www.cjonline.com/stories/050205/opi_brownbackcol.shtml [5]: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-robertson2may02,1,7606032.story?coll=la-headlines-nation [6]: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002259794_asylum02.html [7]: http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/local/11541730.htm [8]: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-05-01-politics-abortion-cover_x.htm [9]: http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/203390 [10]: http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/1524322.html [11]: http://ljworld.com/extra/where_to_write.html#fed