Senate Stories

U.S. Senator Bob Graham, Democrat of Florida, attempted to seek the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination by thinking that gentlemanly criticism of Bush's foreign policy and his centrist background would win. He claimed to represent the "electable wing" of the Democratic Party and borrowed actor Mike Farrell's sobriquet for Osama bin Laden, "Osama bin Forgotten," to drive the point home that Bush cast bin Laden aside to go after Saddam Hussein and start a war with Iraq.

Last night, Graham appeared on Larry King's CNN program to announce his withdrawal from the "race" (Democracy - it's not a contest!) due to lack of funds and low poll numbers. So much for electability. And if that's not ironic enough, consider this. Unlike bin Laden, Graham himself was never really forgotten. Few people even knew about him from the beginning anyway.

There are two other stories in today's news about the Senate, one good, one bad. The good news is that Oklahoma Republican Don Nickles, the Senate's resident blow-dried goober and the meanest man from the Sooner State whose name isn't James Inhofe, announced that he would not run for a fifth term next year. The bad news is that the wife of New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg was abducted from her suburban Washington home by robbers. She was taken to a bank, where the men received some money from a teller. Mrs. Gregg was unharmed and let go, but this incident proves that crimes like this can happen to anyone - even a U.S. Senator's wife. :-(