December 18, 2006
This Week's Tank Talk: Musical Chairs
Worried you missed a few Washington whispers? Fear not. Scholars can play pundits, too. Here's the weekly roundup from DC's top five think tanks!
FOR THE 110TH TIME...
If you could offer a few words of advice to incoming-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, what would they be? In his article, Goodbye, 109th (And Good Riddance)", AEI's Norm Ornstein suggests a few appointments Pelosi might consider to keep her allies -- left and right. Among them -- a "council of elders" led by one GOPer in particular (hint: he's from CO) and a special group of 10 or so House GOPers...
MUSICAL CHAIRS
AEI's John Fortier wonders how strong Dems will become on homeland security in the 110th Congress. Is it enough, he asks, that Pelosi's friend Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) will chair the defense appropriations subcommittee? Or, should Dems instead focus on gaining power in other cmtes where pols, such as Pelosi, may lack friends? Dems, he suggests, have a few promises to keep.
HOW THE GRINCH STOLE LOBBYISTS
If Congress is the Grinch, suggests Heritage's Ronald Ult and Brian Riedl, then what will happen to K Street? Although pols like Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Rep. David Obey (D-WI) might have a few ideas, unless they are implemented, Riedl and Ult ask what would happen in the case of an emergency?
TOO TERRORIFIED TO RUN?
Have some politicians become too focused on nat'l security? Has the fear of threats shifted the political landscape to an unhealthy degree? At CATO, Woody Hayes Nat'l Security chair John Mueller sat down with ex-VA Gov. James S. Gilmore to examine a few theories.
*Talk at the Center For American Progress and the Brookings Institution was all about policy... politics makes a comeback on Monday.
[SARAH LOVENHEIM]
Have an idea for next week's Tank Talk?
Send your suggestions to Sarah, at slovenheim@nationaljournal.com.
Posted at 08:50 AM
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