The Wrap-up

Campaigns

With 22 million in her campaign coffers, Hillary is well-positioned for her upcoming senatorial—and presidential—campaigns.

The Washington Post documents eight issues sure to play a key role in the 2006 midterms.

Spending

Senator Joe Lieberman unabashedly defends his myriad pork projects and earmarks.

Heritage provides a model for preventing arbitrary government spending in four easy steps.

Barns, banks and billions: American tax dollars are funding farms unaffected by drought or disease and giving more than a full harvest to undeserving farmers.

Club for Growth and the Council for Citizens against Government Waste post their 2005 congressional scorecards.

E.J. Dionne outlines the uphill battle conservatives face in trying to rein-in spending largess as many Republicans facing reelection now tout the pork they are bringing home to their constituents.

The probability of passage of the legislative line item veto act is decreasing.

Terrorism

Charles Krauthammer proposes a plan to end the senseless violence and rampant fighting initiated and perpetuated by Hezbollah terrorists.

Iran’s new nuclear program leaves the U.S. teetering on a precipice of indecision.

Daniel Pipes opines that Israel needs to shake-off its war weariness and defeat Hezbollah and its other terrorist enemies.

Senator Rick Santorum details the significant threat that the U.S. faces in the global war against Islamist fascists.

Courts

Progress on the judicial nominee front: last week, the Senate confirmed two federal appeals court judges and two district court judges: Neil Gorsuch to the 10th Circuit, Bobby Shepherd to 8th Circuit, Daniel Jordan to the Southern District of Mississippi, and Gustavo Gelpi to the District of Puerto Rico.

A federal judge has ruled against Maryland’s misguided heath coverage law targeting Wal-Mart.

Interested in a wide-ranging discussion on the U.S. judicial system? Check out the Committee for Justice blog.

Clever name changes do little to hide the frivolous litigation that taints the image of the Association of American Trial Lawyers.

Miscellaneous

Apathetic House democrats fail to show up to caucus meetings, prompting threats by Nancy Pelosi to punish future truancy.

According to John Kerry, “If I was president this [war between Hezbollah and Israel] wouldn’t have happened.”

Bob Barr has filed a lawsuit against NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, arguing that the mayor’s crackdown on illegal gun dealers was “careless, willful and clearly illegal.”

To the cheers and applause of children, Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams says she’d “love to kill George Bush.”

Turnout at Elizabeth Dole’s latest fundraiser was lackluster, raising questions about the viability of her continued leadership at the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

How did your representatives vote on three recent bills to bankroll the DC metro, protect the flag and destroy embryos?

Keep abreast of the latest information on missile defense technology and updates on tenuous international relations here.

Senator Voinovich recants his initial opposition to the nomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the U.N., while National Review recaps the ambassador’s progress in said post during the past year. (ACU urges the Senate foreign relations committee to give Bolton a speedy confirmation.)

Claudia Rosett reports on the egregious misuse of funds in the U.N. Oil-for-Food program, and highlights the first-ever victory in the prosecution of such misdeeds.

Human Events demands that President Bush fulfill his oath of office and veto any bill that contains unconstitutional provisions, rather than issuing his now-infamous “signing statements.”

Although the preponderance of UN member nations seeks to impose broad restrictions on the ownership of guns, the Bush administration has been steadfast in its efforts to impede the passage of any such resolution.