IT WAS A GOOD WEEK FOR …
SENS. MARK PRYOR and BLANCHE LINCOLN. They opposed the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. A filibuster would have been better. He will move the court to the reactionary right, a Federalist Society dream come true.
GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE. He got a glowing writeup from a liberal New York Times columnist for his health ideas. Plus, the Bush administration helped him build foreign policy cred for 2008 by taking him along on an Iraq-Pakistan-Afghanistan-Belgium junket. The Huckster repaid the favor. He said the Bush plan is going great, just great over there, a few thousand dead and spending of a quarter-trillion dollars so far notwithstanding.
SMOKERS. Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey continues to insist on North Little Rock cooperation for a workplace smoking ban. North Little Rock officials don’t seem inclined to go along. Look out for sidestream, non-smokers.
TERRORISTIC THREATENING. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter delivered a lecture at Philander Smith College and got national headlines for saying that somebody ought to poison Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. It was just a joke, see. Hah hah. Say the same about Bush and see how fast the FBI come calling.
HOUSTON NUTT. He turned a mediocre recruiting season around for the UA football team by hiring a high school football coach from Springdale. The new coach brought four players from his state championship team with him.
IT WAS A BAD WEEK FOR …
BASKETBALL. The Hogs blew a big lead at Kentucky and hardly anybody had anything good to say about the hoop Hogs, from Wally on down to the lowliest radio talk jock. Got your traveling music ready, Stan?
ARKANSAS WATERWAYS. The state Pollution Permission Commission got a do-over and did it to the environment again. It duly affirmed an earlier illegal vote for a rule change that will speed the process by which protection can be stripped from extraordinary streams.