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Opinion: Byrd Was Third in Line for the Presidency?
By not in system - AOL News(July 1) -- The death of Sen. Robert Byrd at 92 highlights a strange and unsettling fact about the American political system. At the time of his death, the senator -- who had to be gently removed from his perch as Appropriations Committee chairman in 2008 because of his inability to do that job -- stood third in line for the presidency. A decapitating strike at the nation's government that killed or incapacitated the president, vice president and speaker of the House would have put Byrd in the White House. It is clearly way past time to revisit the line of succession for the nation's ...
Robert Byrd's Klan History, and the 150 Recruits He Brought With Him
By Mary C. Curtis - Politics DailyA Senate historian, a guardian of the Constitution, an early critic of the Iraq War, Sen. Robert Byrd's colleagues, friends and admirers are offering heartfelt accolades. He grew up dirt-poor in West Virginia, worked hard with his hands and his mind, and eventually gave back with federal funds. Byrd died Monday at the age of 92 and it is always tricky to criticize someone who has just left us. Even if the person is not famous, he or she is a beloved parent or spouse. When the individual is well-known, with a long list of accomplishments, why bring up the bad? But a saint is so much less ...
Robert Byrd's Baffling Career: From Segregationist to Senate Sage
By Walter Shapiro - Politics Daily"He's a real reactionary. The Democrats made him their whip and he was in the Ku Klux Klan when he was young." The speaker was Richard Nixon in 1971, according to H.R. Haldeman's White House diary, as he toyed with appointing West Virginia's Robert Byrd to the Supreme Court after Senate liberals had rejected his first two picks. At that point in time (or any point in time), it was a ludicrous notion because the self-made Byrd had attended law school while serving in the Senate and had never practiced. And even a president who had exploited the white backlash against the civil rights movement ...
Opinion: Byrd Evolved, Unlike Many of His Critics
By Alan Colmes - AOL News(June 28) -- West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd wasn't even gone yet when posters on right-wing websites were dancing on his grave. At Andrew Breitbart's site, the nastiness was sickening. Among them (reprinted verbatim): Hasta la vista KKK Birdman. Funny how old D-rats are falling like flies this year. (Yes that WAS an insensitive statement. Deal with it!) oh ya let me say something *nice* about the Kleagle: . ooops - "Grand Kleagel" sorry will the kkk march in his funeral procession? and will they be before or after the naacp representatives? and will his headstone monument be smaller, ...
5 Questions and Answers About Sen. Robert Byrd
By Dana Chivvis - Politics DailySen. Robert Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia, died at 3 a.m. Eastern time today at the age of 92. He had been in the hospital since last week. Below, the Surge Desk answers five important questions about Byrd. 1. Who takes Byrd's seat in Senate? West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin will appoint someone to take Byrd's seat until a special election is held in November. 2. When was Byrd last present in the Senate? Byrd last voted on June 10. 3. How long did Byrd serve in the Senate? For 51 years. 4. Who served longer in the Senate, Byrd or Strom Thurmond? Byrd served in the Senate longer than ...
Robert Byrd: Rising Up Out of a Racist Past
By Paul Wachter - Politics DailyLike another long-serving senator, South Carolina's Strom Thurmond, West Virginia's Robert Byrd was once an unrepentant racist. He was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and, as senator, filibustered the Civil Rights Act for 14 hours and then voted against it. In a 1945 letter, Byrd wrote of his fears that he might "see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels." In 2001, in a nationally televised interview, he used the phrase "white [n-word]." But Byrd worked hard to distance himself from his racist past, and did so (unlike Thurmond, who bolted to the GOP) within the Democrat ...
Nikki Haley in GOP Governor Runoff Today in South Carolina
By Tom Diemer - Politics DailyThe Tea Party, Sarah Palin, an Indian-American woman running for governor, and a black man on the Republican ticket in the Deep South? It's all coming together Tuesday in the state of South Carolina, where runoff primaries will determine Republican candidates for governor and Congress. Nikki Haley, who has endured allegations of extra-marital affairs, questions about her religion and a racial slur, is in a race with Rep. Gresham Barrett to determine who will carry the Republican banner in the fall campaign to succeed GOP Gov. Mark Sanford. The latter's career and marriage crumbled in the ...
Washington in 60 Seconds: 'Shattered Expectations' for Obama Faithful
By Patricia Murphy - Politics DailyGood morning, Capitolists! In honor of Congress' return to a full work schedule and the primary elections happening across the country today, how about a return to Washington in 60 Seconds? Here's what's making news in your nation's capital today. - Ass-Kicker in Chief. After weeks of getting criticized for his flat-line emotional response to the horrendous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, President Obama opened up this morning about the can of whoop-ass he has ready for whoever caused the mess. "I don't sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar," Obama told Matt ...
Strom Thurmond's Son Considering Run for Congress
By Patricia Murphy - Politics DailyPaul Thurmond, the youngest son of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, may follow in his famous father's footsteps and run for Congress in 2010. Thurmond opened the door to a Congressional run this morning in an interview with the Charleston City Paper after U.S. Rep. Harry Brown (R-S.C.) announced that he would not seek a sixth term in Congress representing the South Carolina district where Thurmond lives. Thurmond told the paper, "I am sad to see we are losing the leadership of a dedicated public servant in Henry Brown. That said, I view this as an exciting possibility that warrants serious ...
Reviled, Illegitimate, All-Around-Depressing Roland Burris Isn't Even Good at His Job
By Dylan and Ethan Ris - Politics DailyIt's bad enough that Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) is tied to pending felon Rod Blagojevich, was initially rejected by his colleagues, and now enjoys a 5% approval rating within his own party.Salting the wounds is the fact that Burris apparently has no idea how to be a Senator. Reports Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill...[Various staffers] have noticed the newest Senator sometimes seems a tad confused. At a subcommittee hearing last week on the census, Burris used his opening statement to talk about an unrelated topic - the stimulus package. The incongruity left some in the audience ...
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