I just want to take a few moments to review the top headlines and comment on where we are tonight.
1. The 'massive' oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
After several failed attempts to stem the flow of oil from the broken pipeline it appears that at least partial success might be forthcoming. BP has twice attempted to cap the leak with a dome, but both attempts ended in failure. Today they lowered a pipeline and pushed it into the leaking pipe at the bottom of the gulf. We will have to wait and see just how much of the gushing oil they can divert to the tanker waiting on the surface.
But no review of this story would be complete without talking about the politicial side of the issue. Oil company executives, who were summoned to testify before congress, professed innocence and pointed the finger of blame at each other.
Obviously this irritated Barack Obama. On Friday, Obama, in an angry speech deplored the finger-pointing. Then in what this humble writer can only call hubris, Obama pointed HIS finger of blame directly at the George W Bush administration.
2. The Arizona Illegal Immigrant Law.
This week U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was questioned on Capitol Hill about Arizona's new law. What was striking was that since the law was passed he has made the rounds on TV news shows making negative references to the potential results of the law.
His remarks have generally concerned the constitutionality of the law and the possiblity of 'racial profiling.' When asked if he had read the law, he said, "NO" That answer says volumes. His response was widely broadcast over the internet and on Fox News, with various commentators expressing disbelief. We should also note that there was almost NO coverage by the 'mainstream Obama' media outlets.
Oddly enough, with all of the treats of lawsuits from the ACLU, Holder's office and Moveon.org, we have not seen any lawsuits filed. This makes me wonder if they really have any basis for a lawsuit or if they are just blowing smoke and venting their anger. We will see.
3. The upcoming state primary elections.
There are several interesting primary elections this next week. Primary elections held over the past two weeks were surprising. Two veteran lawmakers were summarily thrown out in favor of newcomers. One was Senator Robert Bennett of Utah. He did not survive the party caucus vote. Another was Rep. Alan Mollohan of West Virginia. The 14-term congressman was thrown overboard for another rookie politician.
On Tuesday we have three races to watch and they will tell a lot about voter sentiment. The past upsets have been generally characterized by career pundits as freak occurances. But I don't believe that is the case. I think we are seeing a trend, but again Tuesdays primaries will say a lot. The election races to watch are:
1. Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas,
2. Rand Paul's entry into the Kentucky race as a newcomer,
3. Senator Arlen Spector of PA who is fending off a challenger from the Democratic party. Spector, you will remember changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic last year.
To say the least, 2010 will be exciting to watch from a political perspective. We may also be witnessing a rebirth of American public's desire to rest control of their government from the hands of the established elite. I can hardly wait.