NOT RAMBA: The Washington Post, perhaps eager to promote the notion of women in combat, had claimed that former POW Pfc. Jessica Lynch had been "fighting to the death," killing several attackers, and was shot and stabbed before being captured by Iraqis after her maintenance unit took a wrong turn. Now, the paper says it was completely wrong. "Lynch tried to fire her weapon, but it jammed, according to military officials familiar with the Army investigation. She did not kill any Iraqis. She was neither shot nor stabbed, they said," the Post reported June 17. Moreover, the paper said, "Lynch was riding in a Humvee when it plowed into a jackknifed U.S. truck. She suffered major injuries, including multiple fractures and compression to her spine, that knocked her unconscious, military sources said. The collision killed or gravely injured the Humvee’s four other passengers. Two U.S. officials with knowledge of the Army investigation said Lynch was mistreated by her captors. They would not elaborate." The unfortunate Lynch is undergoing rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
LIEBERMAN’S MODERATION: On June 11, "moderate" Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D.-Conn.) responded to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s (R.-Tex.) decision to try to make the newly increased child care tax credit permanent. Lieberman favors giving the higher credit to families who don’t pay income taxes but not dealing with its expiration date. "After the Republicans pushed through the last tax cut, it was revealed that 6.5 million of the neediest families would not receive the increased child care credit," said Lieberman. "On the Senate side, a bipartisan coalition came together quickly to repair this injustice. It was the right thing to do-morally and economically. But in the U.S. House of Representatives, Tom DeLay is now threatening to block a bipartisan effort to right this wrong-unless he gets more money for those who need it least and adds another $80 billion in debt." Since President Bush supports the credit extension, said Lieberman, "he needs to make [it] clear to Tom DeLay that he does not want a return to Gingrich-era politics and demand a stand-alone vote on this issue."
ROGAN’S DEFENSE: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D.-N.Y.) criticizes the House impeachment managers who prosecuted the case against her husband in her new book, Living History, and alleges that they chose not to have witnesses testify in the Senate trial. Former Rep. and now Undersecretary of Commerce James Rogan (R.-Calif.) replied June 10, "If the impeachment procedure bore little resemblance to a real trial, it was not the fault of the House managers. Over our objections, the Senate jettisoned over 200 years of their impeachment trial precedents and kept us from calling any live witnesses. . . . We were further hamstrung by ever-changing Senate rules that kept us from presenting our case under established procedures. If Sen. Clinton is suggesting that the abrogation of those precedents was a disservice to the truth-seeking function of the impeachment trial, this aligns her with how the House managers felt. . . . Any President who commits felony perjury and obstruction of justice forfeits his right to hold office. I felt that way then; I feel that way now."
GUN VICTORY: Alaska has become the second state in the union to allow its residents to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. Alaska, one of the most conservative states, joins Vermont, one of the most liberal, in more closely adhering to the 2nd Amendment’s protection of Americans’ right to bear firearms. This also means Alaskans will not be required to take a gun safety course before being allowed to carry a concealed weapon. Bill sponsor and State Rep. Eric Croft (D.-Anchorage) said, "I object to the government putting a precondition on that constitutional right. I’m presumed to be a responsible citizen until proven otherwise." Alaska will keep its concealed handgun permit program so that its residents who choose to use it can carry concealed weapons in other states.
NOT MUCH: Slate magazine cobbled together a short profile on presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D.-Ohio), who it said has been a politician since he was 21. In his 35-year political career, Slate found Kucinich’s "asserted achievements" to be "refused to sell off Cleveland’s city-run power plant while mayor; co-chair of Congressional Progressive Caucus; saved a provision of Clean Air Act."
