BIG UNHAPPY FAMILY? Conservative Republicans are concerned about the direction of the GOP's election efforts this year, according to Rep. Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.). "They want a big happy family at the convention this year and for the election campaign," he said. "It's one big unhappy family. There are a lot of people in this party who are very worried and very upset about retaining the congressional majority and the presidency." He said that "moderation" was not going to win votes, especially not the votes of the four million evangelical Christians whom Bush's chief political adviser Karl Rove has identified as Americans who used to vote but now must be lured back into the voting booth. Conservative Republican House members have written a letter to President Bush asking that pro-life stalwart Rep. Henry Hyde (R.-Ill.) be given a prime-time speaking slot to join the social liberals' slate currently scheduled. Tancredo suggested Rep. Jeb Hensarling (Tex.) or Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) as further additional speakers.
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM: On July 22, Rep. Jeff Flake (R.-Ariz.), Rep. Sam Johnson (R.-Tex.), Rep. Pat Toomey (R.-Pa.) and several others introduced a bill similar to the Ryan-Sununu bill (see July 26 Human Events, page 25) to reform Social Security and create personal retirement accounts for younger workers so that they can have some actual Social Security money when they retire. "We are introducing landmark legislation that will guarantee Social Security benefits to those at and near retirement-while allowing younger workers to invest in personal accounts that will provide wealth and security in their golden years," said Toomey. "Our bill will provide every working American with the opportunity to accumulate wealth and pass it along to the next generation, but more importantly it will make sure that future retirement benefits do not rest on a failing system or whims of politicians." Says a summary of the bill: "The Johnson/Toomey/Flake legislation will guarantee Social Security benefits for those at or near retirement. However, workers born after 1950 will be given the option of investing their half of the Social Security payroll tax (6.2%) into personal investment accounts that they would own and control. In addition, the legislation provides a minimum benefit of 120% of the federally defined poverty level, a benefit greater than the current Social Security system provides." Said Flake, "Quite simply, if Social Security isn't significantly reformed soon, it's not going to be around much longer."
IRAN'S NUKES: Israel's chief intelligence officials told the Israeli security cabinet on July 21 that Iran will have nuclear weapons by 2007, Agence France Presse has reported. "The warning came in an annual intelligence report delivered by the heads of the Mossad overseas spy agency, domestic Shin Beth intelligence service and representatives from Army intelligence," reported the news agency. "Israel's military intelligence chief Gen. Aharon Zeevi Farkash said earlier this month he believed Iran could build a nuclear weapon by 2007 but Wednesday's report comes with the seal of approval from all the main intelligence agencies."
MORE DEMOCRATIC OBSTRUCTION: Senate Democrats filibustered three more of President Bush's judicial nominees on July 22, with Republican leaders mustering a maximum of 54 votes to break the filibusters-short of the 60 needed. The three nominees are from Michigan and intended for the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Michigan Court of Appeals judges Henry Saad and Richard Griffin and U.S. District Court Judge David McKeague failed to advance, raising to ten the number of judicial nominees that Democrats have blocked via filibuster. Michigan's two Democratic senators supported the filibusters. "I will continue to work to try to resolve the problems with the Michigan senators, but these people deserve up-or-down votes," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R.-Utah). President Bush has agreed to make no more recess appointments of judges until next year.
TIMES CORRECTION: From a correction run in the New York Times: "The 'Lives' column in the Times Magazine on July 18 gave a first-person account of the experience of Amy Richards, who had been pregnant with triplets and decided to abort two of the fetuses. Ms. Richards, who told her story to a freelance Times Magazine contributor, Amy Barrett, discussed her anxiety about having triplets, the procedure to terminate two of the pregnancies and the healthy baby she eventually delivered. She expressed no regret about her decision. The column identified Ms. Richards as a freelancer at the time of her pregnancy but should have also disclosed that she is an abortion rights advocate who has worked with Planned Parenthood, as well as a co-founder of a feminist organization, the Third Wave Foundation, which has financed abortions."
