Zell Miller, Georgia's maverick Democratic senator, says the nation ought to return to having senators appointed by legislatures rather than elected by voters.

Miller, who is retiring in January, was first appointed to his post in 2000 after the death of Paul Coverdell. He said Wednesday that rescinding the 17th Amendment, which declared that senators should be elected, would increase the power of state governments and reduce the influence of Washington special interests.

That would make things interesting, although special interest groups would never let things go back to the way they were. :roll:

Miller has ruffled the feathers of Democratic colleagues before. Though elected as a Democrat, he has endorsed President Bush for re-election, sided with Republicans on virtually every key issue and written a best-selling book in which he accuses his party of being out of touch with Southern voters.

They are out of touch with Southern voters, and the reason their feathers are ruffled is because THEY know it.

If I hadn't already added Jim McDermott to my moron list, I would sure add him today.

Rep. Jim McDermott, Washington Democrat, yesterday did not say the words "under God" as he led the House in its daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Rep. Pete Sessions, Texas Republican, accused Mr. McDermott of "embarrassing the House" and proving that "he and those like him stand more for the liberal left than they do for our friends and neighbors."

"The liberal wing of the Democrat Party launched yet another salvo today in its ongoing battle to drive a wedge between Americans and the values and ideals we hold dear," Mr. Sessions said in a statement last night.

…

"Congressman McDermott already knew that he had a problem with the words 'under God,' based on two votes he cast. The question is why he put himself in the position of embarrassing the House in this way," Mr. Sessions said.

When asked about yesterday's Pledge incident, Mr. McDermott's spokesman, Mike DeCesare, said his boss "hesitated, unsure of what he should do because the words 'under God' are under court review." Mr. DeCesare confirmed that his boss did omit the words.

What would possess a man to act like this in the House Of Representatives?

The House has been reciting the Pledge every morning since 1988, alternating between members of both parties to lead it, according to a C-SPAN Web site discussion on the topic. Recitation of the Pledge is listed in the official House rules as the third action in the daily order of business.

Recitation of the Pledge is listed in the official House rules as the third action in the daily order of business… The Pledge still contains the words "under God", and will even after the Supreme Court makes their decision. Rep. McDermott should consider the ramifications of taking matters into his own hands, and should be ashamed of himself.

With the air gushing out of John Kerry's balloon, it may be only a matter of time until political insiders in Washington face the dread reality that the junior senator from Massachusetts doesn't have what it takes to win and has got to go. As arrogant and out of it as the Democratic political establishment is, even these pols know the party's got to have someone to run against George Bush. They can't exactly expect the president to self-destruct into thin air.

Do you really think they would do something like this?

I can't stand John "waffles" Kerry, but who else would they get to run that has even more popularity than him? Hillary?

While I agree that the results from last week's show seemed very biased (and not based on actual talent shown), I do not think the show is "incredibly racist"… yet…

British Rock star Elton John, a guest judge this month on the U.S. talent hunt TV series "American Idol," said on Tuesday that he found the voting by the national viewing audience "incredibly racist."

I do think that Elton John should have checked his facts a tad better as well, since Fantasia had never been in the bottom three before, and Latoya was only there once (I think).

"They have great voices. The fact that they're constantly in the bottom three — and I don't want to set myself up here — but I find it incredibly racist," John said at a news conference promoting his Radio City Music Hall concert backed by an orchestra of students from London's Royal Academy of Music and The Juilliard School of New York.

Let's hope the teeny boppers out there stop voting for "popularity" and start voting for talent…

By the way, didn't Diana DeGarmo do a GREAT job last night?

The Washington Post has put together a nice page that lets you see and read about each soldier who has died in Iraq.

Take a moment to read about the honorable men and women who are faithfully serving our country and fighting for freedom in the world.