AFHGAN AUTHORITIES SAY TWO GUARDS AND AT LEAST FIVE ATTACKERS WERE KILLED AFTER A TALIBAN SUICIDE BOMBER AND FIVE GUNMEN ATTACKED A GUEST HOUSE OF AN INTL AID GROUP IN CAPITAL KABUL *

ATTACKS SET OFF A SHOOTOUT THAT LASTED FOR HOURS *

THE TALIBAN QUICKLY CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY *

IT WAS THE SECOND MAJOR STRIKE IN KABUL IN JUST MORE THAN A WK *

INTL MONETARY FUND CHIEF CHRISTINE LAGARDE NAMED AS A KEY WITNESS IN AN INVESTIGATION INTO A CONTROVERSIAL PAYOFF TO A FRENCH BUSINESSMAN *

THE PAYOFF ALLEGEDLY HAPPENED WHILE SHE WAS FRANCE'S FINANCE MIN *

LAGARDE SAYS THE PARIS COURT HANDED HER THE STATUS OF "ASSISTING WITNESS" IN ITS PROBE OF A $520 MIL PAYOFF TO BUSINESS TYCOON BERNARD TAPIE *

LAGARDE COULD LATER BE CHARGED IN THE CASE *

PRES OBAMA WARNS NAVAL ACADEMY GRADUATES OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE ARMED FORCES *

IN A COMMENCEMENT SPEECH FRI IN ANNAPOLIS, MD, MR OBAMA SAID SEXUAL ASSAULT IS A CRIME THAT HAS "NO PLACE IN THE GREATEST MILITARY ON EARTH" *

SPEECH COMES IN THE MIDST OF WIDESPREAD REPORTS OF SUCH MISCONDUCT THROUGHOUT THE MILITARY *

A RECENT PENTAGON REPORT ESTIMATES UP TO 26,000 MILITARY MEMBERS MAY HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED LAST YR AND THAT THOUSANDS MORE ARE UNWILLING TO COME FORWARD *

JURY FOREMAN IN JODI ARIAS' TRIAL SAYS THE PANEL COULDN'T DECIDE WHETHER ARIAS KILLING HER EX-BOYFRIEND WARRANTED A DEATH SENTENCE *

WILLIAM ZERVAKOS SAID THE JURORS THOUGHT IT WAS UNFAIR FOR 12 AVERAGE AMERICANS TO DECIDE ARIAS' FATE *

THE SAME JURY CONVICTED ARIAS OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER ON MAY 8, IN THE 2008 KILLING OF HER EX-BOYFRIEND TRAVIS ALEXANDER *

THE JUDGE DECLARED A MISTRIAL THURSDAY AFTER THE JURY DEADLOCKED *

A NEW JURY WILL BE CHOSEN FOR A NEW PENALTY PHASE SET FOR JULY *

FED JUDGE RULES OFFICE OF SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO IN MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ, ENGAGES IN RACIAL PROFILING *

U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE MURRAY SNOW ALSO RULED FRI THAT PEOPLE STOPPED BY ARPAIO'S DEPUTIES ARE DETAINED FOR UNREASONABLY LONG PERIODS *

RULING BACKS UP ALLEGATIONS BY CRITICS SUCH AS THE ACLU THAT ARPAIO RELIES ON RACE IN ENFORCING IMMIGRATION *

ARPAIO HAS DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS *

WA GOV JAY INSLEE (D) SAYS FED OFFICIALS ARE SEARCHING FOR A TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT FOR THE I-5 BRIDGE THAT COLLAPSED INTO THE SKAGIT RIVER THURS NIGHT *

INSLEE SAYS REBUILDING THE 160-FOOT SECTION COULD TAKE MONTHS IF A REPLACEMENT CAN'T BE FOUND *

STATE OFFICIALS SAY AN OVERSIZED TRUCK CAUSED THE COLLAPSE AFTER HITTING AN OVERHEAD SPAN *

TWO VEHICLES PLUMMETED INTO THE WATER LEAVING THREE PEOPLE INJURED *

FDA RECEIVES REPORTS OF SEVEN CASES INVOLVING POTENTIALLY CONTAMINATED STEROID MEDICATIONS MADE BY A PHARMACY IN NEWBERN, TN *

INJECTIONS CONTAIN THE SAME DRUG AT THE CENTER OF LAST YR'S DEADLY FUNGAL MENINGITIS OUTBREAK THAT KILLED MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE *

THE PHARMACY HAS RECALLED THE PRODUCTS PENDING AN INVESTIGATION *

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THE SENATE NEEDS A FACILITATOR so they at least speak to each other (and I have an idea who!)

Try this one …this is really thinking ‘out of the box’ – –

The US Senate is an absolute mess – it is at a complete stalemate.  Nothing, absolutely nothing is getting done.  Business people can’t make business decisions about the future (hire? don’t hire? buy more equipment? etc.) since they don’t know what the tax situation will be come Jan. 1.  They need prediction to make good business decisions but they can’t until the Senate decides the tax bill.  Prediction is more important that what is actually decided.

The Democrats have the majority and they decide if something gets debated or not.  They decide if and when the tax bill gets debated and voted on.  Right now the two parties in the Senate won’t talk to each other and nothing  - absolutely nothing – is  getting done.

Senator Harry Reid is not performing as a leader of the Senate but an advocate for his party and has blocked important issues from being debated and voted on – most notably a budget for the country.   The American people are suffering because Senator Reid is choosing advocacy over leadership.

Solutions and plans will only come if and when the two parties in the Senate  begin to talk to each other.   So…how can they get their talks jump started?  They should do what we we do in the judicial system to jump start discussion.   They need to get a facilitator / mediator just to come in and get the two sides to begin to talk.  This is not to convince either party of any particular position or convince them to vote any particular way but merely to get them to talk to each other about the important issues.  Perhaps, with good discussion, a solution (or compromise of some sort) will follow since that is what happens in the court system.   You get the two sides in the room and work them over.

So who would be the perfect facilitator?  Who could get the two parties to speak to each other?  Obviously it has to be someone with stature and since the Democrats have the majority and start the process, it makes sense to get a Democrat who can convince his party to begin to talk.

So who would be good for the job? I think the Republicans should suggest former President Bill Clinton.  The Democrats could not complain (they would look bad if they did) and I bet President Clinton would love the challenge.  The Republicans would have to love this idea since it puts the pressure on the Democrats to come to the table if it is President Clinton telling them to do so.

What do you think?

PS – in stead of taking a recess the ENTIRE month of August, the entire Senate should stay in Washington, and talk to each other and maybe even resolve the issues they have ignored.  We can’t  wait.  It is abusive for the Senate to fail to try.









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