Final NASA shuttle mission clouded by rancor
The last shuttle, Atlantis, sits on Pad 39A, ready for its valedictory flight.
It is the nature of a shuttle to look kind of lonely out there on the pad, kept at a safe remove from the control room, the hangars, the observation platforms. The pad is not far from the beach, one of the last stretches of Florida coastline unblemished by hotels and condos. Beach houses were torn down years ago when the federal government showed up with rockets. Old-timers talk of 11 graveyards and an old schoolhouse lurking somewhere out there, the remnants of the era before the coming of the spaceport.
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In 2012 GOP race, where are the governors?
Among the many surprises in the Republican presidential race this year has been the virtual silence of the governors. GOP chief executives so far have played no significant role in shaping the nomination campaign, either as candidates or through their powers of endorsement.
There are many reasons for this. Most of the governors are dealing with major budgetary problems, entailing legislative battles and painful cuts in spending. For them, presidential politics can wait. Many have also have been reluctant to get involved at this stage, given the fluidity of the GOP presidential field. They prefer to see which candidates prove their mettle on the campaign trail and in debates before taking a stand.
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U.S. turns to other routes to supply Afghan war as relations with Pakistan fray
The U.S. military is rapidly expanding its aerial and Central Asian supply routes to the war in Afghanistan, fearing that Pakistan could cut off the main means of providing American and NATO forces with fuel, food and equipment.
Although Pakistan has not explicitly threatened to sever the supply lines, Pentagon officials said they are concerned the routes could be endangered by the deterioration of U.S.-Pakistan relations, partly fed by ill will from the cross-border raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
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Liberal worry over Justice Ginsburg’s tenure: Fate could hand high court seat to conservative
WASHINGTON — Democrats and liberals have a nightmare vision of the Supreme Court’s future: President Barack Obama is defeated for re-election next year and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at 78 the oldest justice, soon finds her health will not allow her to continue on the bench.
The new Republican president appoints Ginsburg’s successor, cementing conservative domination of the court, and soon the justices roll back decisions in favor of abortion rights and affirmative action.
But Ginsburg could retire now and allow Obama to name a like-minded successor whose confirmation would be in the hands of a Democratic-controlled Senate. “She has in her power the ability to prevent a real shift in the balance of power on the court,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California at Irvine law school. “On the other hand, there’s the personal. How do you decide to leave the United States Supreme Court?”
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