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these recess appointments, Republicans are having the Senate gavel in gavel out
every few days, meaning they are not officially adjourning for the year.If
this prevents the Senate from taking a recess, lawmakers believe Obama will
be stopped from making any recess appointments.However, this may all depend on
how one defines a recess.Obama could argue that two or three days
can be defined as a recess, although recent history dictates that is
not the case.Political expert Stephen Hess of Brookings says the president would
have to stretch to justify qualifying two or three days as a
recess."He's got the option," Hess said, "but he's got to go back
a long way in history to find an example that's going to
suit his convenience if he wants to go ahead with a recess
appointment."Democratic strategist Doug Schoen believes an effort by the president to challenge
the recess would be too risky.I think he's going to try to
do what he can to avoid controversy and not try to
or all, not privileges for the few. And, its about protecting the
rights of individuals, even if it angers the majority. I hope and
believe I have fulfilled these principles to the best of my ability,"
he wrote.Even being at odds with Democrats, the two-term senator, 70, was
still a desirable body within the caucus, particularly as Democrats face a
serious challenge to their majority in November.Democrats have to hold on to
23 seats this cycle while Republicans defend 10. Republicans only need four
seats to take the majority, and Nebraska's seat now could be a
pick-up for the GOP.Among some of the names offered up on the
Republican side for the seat are state Attorney General Jon Bruning, state
Sen. Deb Fischer and state Treasurer Don Stenberg. Members of the state's
congressional delegation, Reps. Lee Terry and Jeff Fortenberry, could also be tapped
to run.Repeatedly named as a potential challenger to keep the seat for
Democrats is former Sen. Bob Kerrey, who
r potential embarrassment for Gingrich, who is leading Romney in most national
polls for the GOP nomination.But with a week to go before the
first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, Gingrich has slipped to third place in that state
behind Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Romney. On other issues including climate
change and mortgage giant Freddie Mac, Gingrich has struggled to reconcile his
stance as a conservative with his long history of policy positions that
sometimes run counter to that.Gingrich's rise to the top of the field
has come in part from his bashing Romney for engineering a state
health care expansion that became a model for President Barack Obama's 2010
health law. "Your plan essentially is one more big-government, bureaucratic, high-cost system,"
Gingrich told Romney during an October debate in Las Vegas. He said
Romney was trying to solve Massachusetts' health care problems "from the top
down."R.C. Hammond, a spokesman for Gingrich, said the April 2006 essay sh
sive primary in the state, which will provide an opportunity for Democrats
to remain competitive."A two-term governor before winning a Senate seat, Nelson has
recently expressed dismay about a divided Congress' inability to pass meaningful legislation,
frustration that echoed in his statement Tuesday."I encourage those who will follow
in my footsteps to look for common ground and to work together
in bipartisan ways to do what's best for the country, not just
one political party," he said.Even as Nelson wavered about a re-election bid,
he piled up campaign cash, hired a campaign manager and watched his
party spend more than $1 million on ads supporting him. The preparation
left him with more than $3 million in campaign cash on hand
last month, about twice his nearest competitor.Nelson first was elected to the
Senate in 2000, defeating Republican contender Stenberg to replace the retired Kerrey,
and positioned himself as a centrist supporting both Democratic and R
keptical about the handling of the accident and the investigation.The Cabinet statement
cited "serious design flaws and major safety risks" and what it said
were a string of errors in equipment procurement and management. It also
criticized the Railways Ministry's rescue efforts.The report affirmed earlier government statements that
a lightning strike caused one bullet train to stall and then a
sensor failure and missteps by train controllers allowed a second train to
keep moving on the same track and slam into it.Those singled out
for blame included former Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun, a bullet train
booster who was detained in February amid a graft investigation. Also criticized
was the general manager of the company that manufactured the signal, who
died of a heart attack while talking to investigators in August.The decision
to assign blame to one figure who already has been jailed and
another who is dead, along with mid-level managers who have been fired,
since April.The trial started in August, with many in the country
riveted by the sight of their ailing former ruler of nearly 30
years lying in a hospital bed inside the courtroom's cage, where defendants
traditionally sit during trials in Egypt.During early sessions, the trial was bogged
down by frequent commotion and arguments in the courtroom between the defense
and the lawyers representing the protesters. It also became harder for media
to cover the proceeding after the judge imposed a ban with high
ranking Egyptian officials summoned to testify.In the last hearing in September, Field
Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who heads Egypt's ruling military council that took power
after Mubarak's fall, gave his testimony under a total media blackout.Journalists were
barred from the court and forbidden to report any leaked details of
Tantawi's testimony. Many believe Tantawi -- who was Mubarak's defense minister for
two decades -- can address key question of whether Mubara