by Mosheh Oinounou

Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge just released a statement saying he will not join the Keystone State U.S. Senate race.

Recent polling showed the moderate, pro-choice GOPer would be extremely competitive in a race against the state's newest Democratic Senator, Arlen Specter, compared with conservative Pat Toomey, who could have a difficult time winning the general election in the blue state.

Ridge, who most recently served as the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, acknowledged that the 2010 race has "significant implications" for the GOP but still decided against running for the seat.

"My belief is that those in my home state can best be served by the principles of limited government, less taxes, competent governance and shared responsibility," he said but note that there is no endorsement for Toomey.

Ridge written statement:

"After careful consideration and many conversations with friends and family and the leadership of my party, I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination for Senate.

"I am enormously grateful for the confidence my party expressed in me, the encouragement and kindness of my fellow citizens in Pennsylvania and the valuable counsel I received from so many of my party colleagues. The 2010 race has significant implications for my party, and that required thoughtful reflection. All of the above made my decision a difficult and deeply personal conclusion to reach. However, this process also impressed upon me how fortunate I am to have so many friends who volunteered to support my journey if I chose to take it and continue to offer their support after I conveyed to them this morning how I believe I can best serve my commonwealth, my party and my country.

"Public service has long played a significant role in my life. That service does not end here. There are causes to which I remain intensely committed, including my work on behalf of the disability community, our nation's veterans, our national security and the GOP - the party I enthusiastically joined more than four decades ago.

"To those who believe that the Republican Party is facing challenges; they are right. To those who believe the Democratic Party is without its own difficulties, they are wrong. No one party has a monopoly on all of the answers. The more important view, in my mind, is that we remember, whether Republican or Democrat, we are foremost Americans. And as Americans, we have always overcome challenges when we put partisanship aside and solutions first.

"And so my desire and intention is to help my party craft solutions that both sides of the aisle can embrace. My hope is to raise the level of civility in public debate and raise the bar on outcomes that serve our citizens fully, fairly and equally. My belief is that those in my home state can best be served by the principles of limited government, less taxes, competent governance and shared responsibility. So I stand ready and excited to help my party and my country prevail as we continue to work to preserve and protect our strong, storied and much beloved nation."

by Mosheh Oinounou

Cuban pro-democacy advocates went up to Capitol Hill Wednesday to call on legislators who recently met with former Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro to address human rights concerns on the island.

Activist Berta Antunez visited the offices of Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Bobby Rush (D-IL) and Laura Richardson (D-CA) where she delivered a letter written by her brother, a longtime civil rights advocate still in Cuba, accusing the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members of being "insensitive" to their cause during a trip to Cuba last month.

Antunez, who was joined by fellow activist Anolan Ponce today, is the sister of famed Cuba civil rights advocate Jorge Luis Garcia Perez Antunez who served 18 years in prison for protesting the regime.

Lee, Richardson, and Rush were part of a six-member delegation that traveled to Cuba in April where they called for the opening of US-Cuban ties and met with both Fidel and Raul Castro.

The activists accuse the delegation of refusing to meet with civil rights advocates during their trip.

"It is ironic that individuals such as yourselves, who have been elected to your positions through a democratic system, and who enjoy all human rights, do not wish the same for the Cuban people. It is undignified to use prerogatives that for us are inaccessible, such as to traveling to and from one's homeland, having an opinion without fear of persecution, or associating with others who share similar interests, and then to ignore the victims of oppression in Cuba," the letter reads.

"When we recall the fight and integrity of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, without whom you would still be giving up your seat on the bus and would not have the right to vote, we ask ourselves if the legacy of those who conquered the space of opportunity that you enjoy today, has been reserved only for political speeches and has ceased to be a commitment of your generation to justice and truth," they continued.

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by Mosheh Oinounou

Justice David Souter delivered a sentimental farewell address today in Philadelphia to a group of Third Circuit Court judges. Besides joking that he didn't "leak" news of his retirement to the press last week, the justice did not address his pending retirement or possible replacements. Instead, he took the long view of his tenure and focused his short remarks on the role of judges on the court.

In his first public speech since announcing his retirement from the Supreme Court, Justice David Souter argued Tuesday that while most justices and cases are quickly forgotten, they play an "imperative" role in maintaining a safe, stable democracy.

"For most of us, the very best work that we do sinks into the stream pretty quickly," Souter told more than 300 judges at the annual Third Circuit Judicial Conference in Philadelphia.

"And if we have got to look for a satisfaction that is more than momentary, God knows if we are gonna look for one that endures for a career or a lifetime, we have got to find that satisfaction not in the great moments but in being part of the great stream," he said.

......

"Our value does not come from the moment we all aspire to have---the moment of the error-free trial, of the perfect decision and opinion...(we) thought should get into the case books by next year," Souter said, noting that there are only a handful of famous decisions remembered beyond 20 years like Marbury v. Madison (1803). "If we are a lucky we all have a few of those (decisions) in our careers. But if we are honest we have to realize our significance, even if we are lucky, is very slight," he said.

Here is my full writeup...

by Mosheh Oinounou

ARLINGTON, VA -- Looking to chart a course out of troubled political waters, three Republican leaders stumped at a Virginia pizza joint Saturday to launch a national listening tour intended to reach out to voters.

Dubbed the National Council for a New America, House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), former FL Governor Jeb Bush and 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney co-hosted the inaugural event for an effort they say will help the party communicate with average Americans and develop new policy solutions for the nation's challenges.

"Certainly our party has taken its licks over the last couple cycles. No one is under any illusion about that. But that is why we are here, that is why we started the National Council for a New America because it is important for us to reengage, to partner with the people of this country...to make sure that what happens in Washington is relevant to the challenges they face each and every day," Cantor told about 50 attendees at the Pie-Tanza restaurant, the first of what is set to be a series of forums across the country.

The GOP losses in the last three cycles have been devastating. Starting in 2004, Republicans lost control of the White House, the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives as well as six gubernatorial seats. The latest strike came this week, when longtime Pennsylvania Republican Senator Arlen Specter crossed the aisle giving Democrats a virtual filibuster-proof 60-seat majority--pending the resolution of the Minnesota Senate legal fight.

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Former VP Al Gore compared scientists who question global warming with indicted stock swindler Bernie Madoff Friday, arguing that they are all guilty of perpetuating a fraud.

During testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the VP turned environmental advocate got into a brief verbal tussle with global warming skeptic Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) who questioned Gore's statistics about carbon emissions.

"It is important to look at sources of science you rely on," Gore told Barton. "With all due respect, I believe you have relied on people you have trusted who have given you bad information. I don't blame the investors who trusted Bernie Madoff but he gave them bad information."

Gore also took aim Global Climate Coalition, which represents the oil and coal industry, calling the group the "Bernie Madoff's of global warming."

The NY Times reports today that the group ignored it's own scientific advice in trying to keep alive doubts about the science behind climate change.

"They have committed a fraud larger than Madoff's fraud....they lied to people who trusted them in order to make money," Gore said.

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They haven't agreed on much of late but it appears that Democratic and Republican House leaders are united in skepticism about the latest White House plan for increased authority to seize financial institutions.

"This is an unprecedented grab of power and before that occurs, there ought to be a real debate about whether we should give that authority to the Treasury Secretary," Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) told reporters Tuesday morning.

About an hour later, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) also expressed wariness about another expansion in treasury authority.

"We are talking about huge sums of money, huge consequences for one individual...at this point in time I want to look it more carefully," Hoyer said.  "Obviously one of the issues that Congress is concerned about is the delegation of authority."

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner asked Congress Tuesday to give the White House unprecedented powers to seize large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, leaping beyond its present authority to seize only banks.

Hoyer added that he plans to speak to Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and other committee heads about whether the initial proposal requires greater congressional oversight.