Cheney Chasers
Congressman Raúl Grijalva became the 23rd Democrat to sign on to U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich's resolution calling for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney for high crimes and misdemeanors related to cooking up intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war and subverting national interests.Kucinich, who is campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, used a parliamentary maneuver last month to breathe life into his resolution, which was shuttled off to the House Judiciary Committee. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said impeachment proceedings are "off the table."
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has not supported the impeachment legislation.
In related news, the Kucinich campaign has yet to agree to participate in the Tucson Weekly's Project White House. (For more exciting details on PWH, see this week's Skinny.)
McCain Captures Joementum!
U.S. Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign picked up the endorsement of Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a former Democrat who became an independent after losing a 2006 Democratic primary."When it comes to keeping America safe in this time of war, John has proven that he has the experience, the strength and the character to be our commander in chief from day one," said Lieberman during a New Hampshire campaign appearance. "I have traveled the world with John, so I can tell you how much he is liked and admired by leaders across the globe. He will be a president our friends will respect and our enemies will fear, and a president who will lead our nation on the world stage with purpose and principle."
McCain's national numbers have recently ranged between 8 and 13 percent in Rasmussen's daily tracking polls as fellow Republican Mike Huckabee has enjoyed a surge of support.
McCain also announced during a South Carolina campaign stop that he wanted accelerated-language programs in Arabic, Farsi and Chinese so that military interrogators would not need to torture captured militants. McCain said that the recent revelation that the CIA destroyed videotaped interrogations "contributes enormously to the cynicism, the skepticism, and also is further damaging to the image of the United States of America in the world," according to an Associated Press report.
The McCain campaign has yet to agree to participate in the Tucson Weekly's Project White House.
Adding Up
The Arizona Board of Education increased math and science requirements for high school students. Graduating seniors from the class of 2013 will need to have completed four years of math and three years of science in order to earn a diploma.
Federal Case
The United States Senate approved a new U.S. attorney for Arizona, Diane J. Humetewa. The first Native American to hold the post, Humetewa is taking the post formerly held by Paul Charlton, one of the U.S. attorneys ousted under the reign of former U.S. attorney Alberto Gonzales.Humetewa has extensive experience within the federal prosecutor's office and worked briefly for Sen. John McCain as a counsel for the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
'Roid Rage
The UA basketball team scored an easy win at home against the Fresno State bulldogs, 69-50, for a fourth consecutive victory.Later in the week, UA Athletic Director Jim Livengood announced that Kevin O'Neill, who has been interim coach of the Wildcats while Lute Olson took a leave of absence this season to sort out issues in his personal life, would coach the Wildcats if Olson does not return next year.
"Kevin is our coach for now, and will be our coach in the future when Lute decides to retire," Livengood said. "It goes without saying, but let me say it again: The UA's appreciation for what Lute Olson has meant to our program is boundless."
In other sports news: Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell delivered a report confirming suspicions that Major League Baseball superstars were juiced up.
"For more than a decade there has been widespread use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances by players in Major League Baseball, in violation of federal law and baseball policy," Mitchell wrote in his report. "Club officials have routinely discussed the possibility of such substance use when evaluating players. Those who have illegally used these substances range from players whose major league careers were brief to potential members of the Baseball Hall of Fame."
