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A post by Peter Slutsky

In Memoriam

Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, a supporter of the President or a foe, please take a minute to remember the sadness taking place in Iraq. Much of the Iraq news is being pushed to the back burner because of the war in Lebanon, but the human toll continues to climb and things are getting much worse. Now, even members of Congress are suffering the consequences of this intractable war.

Max Baucus’ nephew killed in Iraq
By the Helena Independent Record

Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus, 28, of Wolf Creek, was killed Saturday during combat operations in Iraq.

He was the son of John and Nina Baucus and the nephew of Montana Sen. Max Baucus.

While a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marine Corps declined to provide details of the circumstances surrounding Baucus’ death, Cpl. Heidi Loredo did say he was killed in Al Anbar province while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Read the rest of this story.

A post by Matthew Slutsky

A LOTT of Chatter

As Senate Majority Leader Frist prepares to run for the Presidency, chatter has increased on Capitol Hill surrounding who will replace him if the Republicans manage to hold the majority in the Senate in 2006.

Former leader Trent Lott from Mississippi is looking like he could make a comeback to get his old job back. This, my friends, would not be good for America.

From The Hill:

The prospect of former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) returning to leadership next year is creating more and more buzz on and off Capitol Hill, Republican insiders say.

The higher volume of talk has been fueled partly by his former aides who hold influential lobbying positions downtown, but prominent GOP insiders with no special allegiance to Lott say it extends well beyond his inner circle.

Perhaps by coincidence, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has recently sought a more public leadership role, appearing more often before television cameras set up outside the GOP conference’s Tuesday luncheons, and has otherwise made himself more available to the press.

If Lott were to return he would have to challenge one of several colleagues for a leadership post. At the end of last year, he said he could challenge McConnell’s bid to become majority leader, but he has since backed away from that threat.

Lott resigned his post in 2002 after some pretty inappropriate comments at Strom Thurmond’s 145th birthday party.

“I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over all these years, either,” Lott said at last week’s party.”