Monday Newsbreak: 2/2

--Eric Holder, President Obama’s pick to be Attorney General, was confirmed to the post by the Senate. Those who opposed him did so mainly because he had a record of being for gun control as well as having tacitly supported President Clinton’s controversial pardon of Marc Rich and leniency for Puerto Rican declared (by the FBI) terrorists, who were earlier convicted of some bombings. But even very conservative Republican Senators Jeff Sessions and Orrin Hatch voted for Holder, having expressed their respect for him and his qualifications before the confirmation vote. Attorney General Holder promises to restore an atmosphere of professionalism and respect for the Constitution to the Justice Department.

--The more than $800 billion economic stimulus plan proposed by President Obama passed the House without a single Republican supporting vote. The bill now goes to the Senate, where there will be an opportunity for numerous amendments. How the Senate Republicans choose to play this out could seriously backfire on them should they decide to filibuster.

--Tomorrow will mark three months since the November election that supposedly selected a senator from Minnesota. The dispute between declared winner Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman is tied up in the courts. But why can’t the courts recognize the urgency of this contest’s resolution and expedite the matter? Franken (or Coleman, if he were to be the eventual winner) has already missed out on several important votes. And his presence (or absence) could be a crucial factor in ending (or sustaining) Republican filibusters in upcoming crucial legislation.

--Bad winter weather caused widespread and protracted power blackouts, concentrated in Kentucky. That state’s governor has called up its Army National Guard on an historic scale to assist its residents and to try to get power restored. This is the sort of thing that the National Guard is intended for; not patrolling streets in a country torn by civil strife halfway around the world!

--The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a spectacular last-minute win over the underdog Arizona Cardinals in yesterday’s Super Bowl, played in Tampa. Amazingly, the deciding touchdown pass happened with 35 seconds to go in the game, the exact time that last year’s winning touchdown pass occurred in the New York Giants’ Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. It was fun at my house during the game, since I was rooting for the Cardinals and my daughter was rooting for the Steelers. We took turns cheering and booing, depending on the game’s exciting developments, especially in the fourth quarter.