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Posted by Joel Mathis October 31, 2007 at 8:56 a.m.

Brownback says waterboarding concerns shouldn't derail Mukasey for A.G.

Here are today's headlines from the Kansas congressional delegation:Sen. Sam Brownback (R) ![][1][(FoxNews.com) Michael Mukasey Responses to Senate Questions on Waterboarding Don't Satisfy Democrats:][2] Michael Mukasey offered his response Tuesday to a set of 495 questions posed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, but his amended answer on whether waterboarding is torture may not be enough for Senate Democrats looking to sink the attorney general nominee. In the response to the Committee's Oct. 23 letter, Mukasey said Tuesday that waterboarding was "repugnant" to him personally, "but hypotheticals are different from real life, and in any legal opinion the actual facts and circumstances are critical." ... Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, on Tuesday said Mukasey "on the key issues of our day, the security of our country, is one of the best legal experts in a practical sense." He said critics are "being extraordinarily picky. This is an important topic, no question about it, but the core issue here is the security of the country and the intelligence-gathering operation balanced off against civil liberties for the nation. "Here is a guy who is a legal expert on it and handled it in practical cases. This is a man well-qualified and very talented for the era he would be put into office," Brownback said. [(The Hill) Huckabee doubts Rudy will get nod:][3] Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) has joined the growing chorus of conservatives who say they would be surprised and disappointed if Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) were to endorse ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's (R) bid for the White House. During a lunch with reporters on Tuesday in which a confident Huckabee insisted he can win the GOP nomination and general election, the former governor said that he reached out to Brownback the day the senator withdrew from the race and that he wants Brownback's support. "It makes perfect sense. It's a good fit for a lot of Sen. Brownback's supporters," Huckabee said. "I would be shocked if he endorsed Mayor Giuliani."[(UCLA International Institute) 6 Who've Cared About Darfur's Victims:][4]"What can I do? I don't know. A lot more than nothing," says actor Don Cheadle in the new documentary film Darfur Now. Cheadle is one of the film's producers and one of six people whose stories of making a difference in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region are told. ... The film showed that the actions of one person can make a difference in Darfur, and while the six people's motivations differ, their goal-ending the atrocities-is the same. According to the United Nations, violence by government-backed militias has killed an estimated 200,000 people there and displaced 2.2 million. As Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) says to Cheadle in the film, "Once you see [the Darfur crisis], your soul is going to be touched and you're not going to be the same."Sen. Pat Roberts (R)![][5][(Brownfield Network) Harkin says ACR and other changes considered when farm bill hits Senate floor next week:][6] Senate Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin says he's concerned about changes to the Average Crop Revenue program in the farm bill passed out of committee last week. "I was not prepared for Senator Roberts' proposals on that. But I wanted to get the bill moved and I thought, you know, maybe you can live to fight another day and perhaps we can address some of this on the floor." The National Corn Growers Association claims the amendment by Kansas Senator Pat Roberts guts the availability of discounted crop insurance. But Harkin says with state level guarantees, crop insurance will be available at more affordable rates.Rep. Dennis Moore (D) ![][7][(CourierPress.com) C.J.'s act gains support in D.C.:][8] Legislation known as C.J.'s Home Protection Act, which would require manufactured and mobile homes to be equipped with weather radios, passed the U.S. House of Representatives in a voice vote Tuesday. The measure now goes to the Senate. Named for C.J. Martin, a 2-year-old boy who was killed in the Nov. 6, 2005, tornado in Vanderburgh and Warrick counties, the legislation would change federal manufactured home construction and safety standards to require each home delivered for sale to be supplied with a weather radio. "C.J. Martin is the reason we are here," Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., said Tuesday on the House floor. "He is a reminder of the destruction that comes to families and communi-ties when severe weather strikes without warning." Ellsworth sponsored the legislation along with three other House members - Reps. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., Dennis Moore, D-Kan., and Kay Granger, R-Texas.Rep. Jerry Moran (R) ![][9][(Harris News Service) 'No hunger' conferees seek action:][10] First District Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays, co-chairman of the U.S. House Hunger Caucus, earlier told the crowd that ongoing partisanship bickering has deflated Americans' confidence in Congress' ability to address major issues. "I think the latest election told us, 'Why don't you people grow up? I'm not sure we've received that message." Moran, a member of House Agriculture Committee, said the farm bill could provide record aid to food and nutrition programs this year. He supports expansion of food stamps and other support but doesn't want agricultural producer subsidies slashed as a result. "I'm all for additional resources," he said. "But my concern is that you can't take all of that out of programs to protect our farmers." [1]: http://ljworld.com/specials/election04/primary/brownback.jpg [2]: http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4788027&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.11.1 [3]: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/huckabee-doubts-rudy-will-get-nod-2007-10-31.html [4]: http://www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=80798 [5]: http://roberts.senate.gov/Roberts-020405-18060-080-CFFflipped.jpg [6]: http://www.brownfieldnetwork.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=F22F8DD4-B9C2-16B2-1208984B8B6334B2 [7]: http://ljworld.com/specials/election04/primary/moore.jpg [8]: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/oct/31/cjsact-gainssupport-in-dc/ [9]: http://ljworld.com/specials/kudole/bios/art/moran.jpg [10]: http://www.parsonssun.com/news/articles/hunger103007.shtml