(Nationa Journal) National Journal conducts Q&A with Brownback: Q: Looking back, is there anything you wish you’d done differently? Sam Brownback: Been funnier — would have been helpful. They’re mostly minor issues. I wish we hadn’t had the immigration debate during most of my candidacy. Immigration was the lead issue on the floor three separate times while we were running late last year, middle-late last year, when things were really getting kind of geared up. And then it was brought up twice this year on the Senate floor. And it just was a difficult issue for me. You look back on some of the debates and I wish I’d been playing more on offense instead of defense, but I don’t think it was a deal breaker.(AP) Power returns slowly to rural areas after winter blast: Sen. Sam Brownback toured areas hit by the storm, including Topeka and Holton. The Kansas Republican also was briefed by Federal Emergency Management Agency staff about efforts to assist residents. “I am impressed by the efficient work of the local municipalities and utilities for their ability to so quickly begin recovery efforts,” Brownback said. “However, many Kansas communities need much more help to rebuild the infrastructure that was devastated during the ice storm.” President Bush has declared the state a disaster area, freeing federal resources for recovery from the storm.(Roll Call’s Heard on the Hill via The Huffington Post) Brownback praises Craig’s efforts on limiting eminent domain: Last week, Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies before being forced to step down this fall after his sex scandal, assumed a higher profile than he has since his scandal broke, taking to the floor in favor of an amendment limiting eminent domain. Although the amendment failed, the floor debate gave Craig a rare opportunity to win praise from his GOP colleagues, including Sens. Wayne Allard (Colo.) and Sam Brownback (Kan.), who haven’t always been so supportive of their scandal-plagued colleague. Brownback went so far as to liken Craig’s efforts to the founding fathers, invoking the words of Thomas Jefferson.