Kicking one of their own to the proverbial curb

Nothing like paying lip service to a former party leader (and the party's presidential nominee), then insulting him when he leaves the chamber because of fears of the UN's black helicopters. 

WASHINGTON — Former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas sat slightly slumped in his wheelchair on the Senate floor on Tuesday, staring intently as Senator John Kerry gave his most impassioned speech all year, in defense of a United Nations treaty that would ban discrimination against people with disabilities. 

Senators from both parties went to greet Mr. Dole, leaning in to hear his wispy reply, as he sat in support of the treaty, which would require that people with disabilities have the same general rights as those without disabilities. Several members took the unusual step of voting aye while seated at their desks, out of respect for Mr. Dole, 89, a Republican who was the majority leader. 

Then, after Mr. Dole’s wife, Elizabeth, rolled him off the floor, Republicans quietly voted down the treaty that the ailing Mr. Dole, recently released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, so longed to see passed. 

A majority of Republicans who voted against the treaty, which was modeled on the Americans With Disabilities Act, said they feared that it would infringe on American sovereignty. 

 A two-thirds majority was needed to ratify the treaty, which, far from infringing on American soverignty, would have required other countries to provide the same protections to the disabled that the U.S. already provides.  But, no matter.

And what would a post on Republican Senators be without a nod to their sublime hypocrisy.

Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas praised the treaty in a news release with Mr. McCain in May but voted against it. Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi voted yes at the beginning of the roll call vote and then switched his vote to no. Calls to the offices of Mr. Moran and Mr. Cochran were not returned. 

 Worst people in the world.

Expiration date

Daniel Gross details the five things you need to know about the "debate" over the temporary Bush-era tax cuts.

1. They were designed to expire by the same people now wanting to extend them for the wealthiest 2% of Americans;
2. Republicans, when in control of the Exec and Legislative branches did nothing to make them permanent;
3. The same Republicans and some Dems who want to extend the cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans are constantly whining about the deficit*;
4. Raising taxes** on the "investor class" won't kill the economy. In fact, the economy's been zombie-like for the past ten years, since the implementation of the temporary Bush-era tax cuts;
5. Erasing the expiration dates requires legislation; Republicans don't want the Democratically-controlled legislature to legislate; so, the tax cuts for everybody are likely to expire.

* UPDATE 1: The same people who brought you two wars and an unfunded expansion of Medicare, costing, literally, trillions

** UPDATE 2: That would be marginal tax rates, I forgot to mention.