The Democrats seem to have discovered their spine.
What else explains Senate minority leader Harry Reid's taking to the floor Tuesday and demanding answers from Republican lawmakers? By invoking the seldom-used rule 21 of Senate protocol, Reid cleared the public from the Senate chambers along with staffers and other non-elected personnel. Democrats needed closed doors to get Republicans to listen to their demands, and judging by Bill Frist and Trent Lott's indignant responses, it worked.
What angered Reid were Republican's efforts at stonewalling a promised investigation into the executive branch's role in the flawed intelligence that led us into Iraq. Right before the 2004 election, Democrats inexplicably allowed Senate Intelligence Committee chair Pat Roberts to postpone any investigation of the Bush administration's distortion of intelligence. This is the same issue to which the famous "Downing Street" memo from Tony Blair's office alluded to, saying, "intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" by the White House. There are numerous questions that need to be answered.
It's refreshing to see Democrats do their job. The zeal with which Cheney and Bush took us to war, the nuclear "mushroom clouds" invoked by Condoleezza Rice and Rumsfeld's declaration that he knew where the WMD were located need to be fully investigated. They were all wrong and a mistake of this magnitude should never happen again.
If Democrats had held firm and forced an investigation before the election, this wouldn't be an issue. It would have been cleared up then. Suddenly they seem to be up to the challenges an opposition party is supposed to undertake. That's good: our democracy demands no less.
Cloudy words
Simpson's annual address showed problems, obscured solutions
UB President John Simpson's address to voting faculty members Monday outlined his plans for the university's future, and similar to others we have heard from Simpson, this one was long on ideas but short on details.
Simpson's speech focused on the effects globalization is having, and will continue to have, on UB and public education in the United States. Among the many topics discussed were Simpson's plans to boost UB's academic standing by focusing on the strength of the research programs and a better-facilitated law school.
However, there still weren't any specifics offered as to how Simpson plans on getting there. He acknowledges the magnitude of the task and readily admits the challenges ahead. But in an environment that finds morale issues with the faculty because of the uncertain road ahead, Simpson is doing himself no favors.
The UB community is anxiously awaiting the changes Simpson has in store, and many of them are solid ideas. It is in everyone's interests for Simpson to succeed in these endeavors. Having UB ranked in the elite status of U.S. public universities - and as an internationally recognized center for higher education - benefits administrators, faculty, students and graduates alike.
It's not that Simpson needs to clarify his vision. His ideas are bold and show ambition. It's the follow-through that has everyone confused. No one is sure what any of this means in real terms. It's important for him to drop the jargon and put his plans on the table. Let the process begin.
