Political Insider

Ran into Max Wood and his wife this afternoon – making the rounds at the state Capitol.

Wood is the Republican candidate for attorney general, who until last year was the U.S. attorney down in Macon. He’s facing Sam Olens, the Cobb County commission chairman in the GOP primary.

So far, the GOP side of the race for attorney general shows none of the spark of the Democratic race. No doubt that will change.

Though well known in middle Georgia, Wood is an unfamiliar character in metro Atlanta, despite the fact that he grew up here. (His dad, Jim Wood, ran the Jonesboro newspaper.)

Max Wood said he’ll try to fix his name-recognition problem with an autobiography that will come out late next month, focusing on his experiences in Iraq. Woods served in 2005 and 2006 in Iraq as an attaché (that’s French for lawyer) with the U.S. Department of Justice. He did another 30-days in the country as a colonel in the Air Force Reserve.

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Continue reading Max Wood begins to explain himself »

One temporary casualty of the whiteout in Washington: the nomination of Georgia state Sen. David Adelman of Decatur as U.S. ambassador to Singapore.

Adelman and more than a dozen other State Department officials were to be voted on this afternoon by the Senate Foreign Relations committee chaired by John Kerry of Massachusetts – the final prelude to a floor vote. A spokesman for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just confirmed that the meeting has been canceled.

It’s not clear when the committee vote will be rescheduled.

The nomination process is being watched closely here – Adelman’s formal approval by the U.S. Senate would set off a special election campaign for his Decatur-based seat in the state Senate.

Adelman made a first appearance before a subcommittee last week. See his testimony here.

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Continue reading Washington whiteout postpones Adelman vote »

You know how some people say that Americans deserve the same health care that Congress provides for itself? Maybe we should rethink that.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the following on the death of U.S. Rep. John Murtha:

Mr. Murtha was first hospitalized with gallbladder problems in December. He had surgery Jan. 28 at the National Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md. He went home, but was hospitalized two days later when complications developed.

According to a source close to Mr. Murtha — confirming a report in Politico — doctors inadvertently cut Mr. Murtha’s intestine during the laparoscopic surgery, causing an infection.

On the other hand, neither does it appear to be the proper time to debate limits on malpractice lawsuits.

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Continue reading U.S. Rep. John Murtha died after surgical mistake »

The former wife of Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina acquitted herself well in a one-on-one with Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart last night.

Jenny Sanford declared herself satisfied with the fact that her wandering ex will finish out his term without the bother of impeachment.

“He sinned against me, and against our God,” she said during her book-plugging interview. “But I’m not sure that he sinned against the office that badly. He definitely broke the people’s trust. There’s no question there.”

See it here:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c

Jenny Sanford

www.thedailyshow.com

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Former state GOP chairman Ralph Reed has addressed the phenomenon that is Sarah Palin at The Corner, a National Review blog:

“…Palin is a fusionist who weaves the various strands of conservatism into a coherent whole.

Sarah Palin's notes from Saturday/AP

“This is why Palin can act as a bridge between Tea …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Jenny Sanford vs. Jon Stewart »

Another special election test for the Obama administration looms. This was posted a few minutes ago at Congressional Quarterly:

John Murtha, congressman and Vietnam veteran. AP file.

Rep. John P. Murtha, who just set a record as Pennsylvania’s longest-serving House member, has died, his office announced Monday. He was 77.

A Democrat, he had represented southwestern Pennsylvania in Congress since 1974, and was chairman of the powerful House Appropriations subcommittee that writes the bill that decides how military programs are funded.

Murtha had been moved last week from National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. to Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., because of complications from gall bladder surgery.

On Saturday, Feb. 6, he surpassed his state’s record for length of service in the House –13,150 days.

The Washington Post provided this assessment:

Elected to Congress in 1974 from a southwestern Pennsylvania district that has been economically devastated by the …

Continue reading Pennsylvania’s John Murtha dead at 77 »

In the lead-up to last night’s Super Bowl, the Tim Tebow ad on abortion got most of the ink. But this Audi ad may have had the better take on the current political climate:

Should cap-and-trade ever begin moving again, look for a version of this. Heck, look for it when health care reform begins moving again:

“Sir, very slowly, put that urine sample down!”

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Continue reading ‘Green police’ and the American mood »

The Sandy Springs gathering of the Georgia Christian Alliance on Saturday featured appearances by nearly every Republican candidate of note – and one Democrat in particular.

House Speaker David Ralston of Blue Ridge, whose colorful predecessor was known for crossing certain moral boundaries, issued the mandatory mea culpa for the Legislature:

“I think that it’s time that conservatives act like conservatives in every phase of public office….We’re not going to blow it like the other party has in this state.”

Speaker pro tem Jan Jones dropped some policy hints, ruling out the use the cigarette tax or any another increased levy on sin to close the budget gap. Jones also had some disappointing news about the governor’s transportation plan:

“I think it’s going to be roads more than transit. Transit may be a small part of it. But people still like to get into their cars and go.”

More on that topic later.

It was House Minority Leader DuBose Porter who attracted the most curiosity from …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: DuBose Porter declares it possible to be both a Christian and a Democrat »

In 1984, Gov. Joe Frank Harris asked Georgia voters for a change in state government that had been approved by the best minds in education.

Georgia needed a well-seasoned state school superintendent handpicked by the governor, a blue-ribbon panel had argued, not one elected in an expensive campaign ruled by chance, good hair and a snappy slogan.

The proposed constitutional amendment was the only one of 11 to fail that November. The youngish state senator who helped Harris push the ballot issue through the Legislature was Democrat Roy Barnes of Mableton.

Barnes, out to reclaim his old job as governor, is unlikely to make that mistake again. Nor will many other candidates seeking a place on this November’s ballot, despite Friday’s invitation from Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Our current governor, down to the last 27 days of his final legislative session, has proposed one of the most sweeping changes in state government since Jimmy Carter was turned loose in the Capitol.

Perdue has …

Continue reading Tea party threat likely kills governor’s consolidation effort »

In less than two years, MARTA could move to a system that charges riders according to the distance traveled – or the time of day.

MARTA chief Beverly Scott told state lawmakers this afternoon that the transit agency is considering a shift away from the flat-fare charge system – which allows a rider traveling a train from Dunwoody to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to pay the same as a rider traveling one or two stops.

Scott said a recommendation will be made to the MARTA governing board by the end of April. If approved, the new pricing system could be in place by 2012.

The variable rate system could be applied to both bus and rail systems, or simply the rail system, Scott said. For some short-distance riders, the new system could result in a fare decrease, she told a meeting of House members representing DeKalb and Fulton counties.

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Continue reading MARTA may charge by the mile or time of day »

No doubt you’re scratching your head over the last-session timing of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s decision to pursue a makeover of state government.

So are we.

The governor wants a November statewide referendum on whether to make four constitutional offices – commissioners of agriculture, labor and insurance, plus school superintendent – appointed positions rather than elected ones.

More than one wag has already pointed out that the governor in essence is arguing that we should have had to put up with campaigns by John Oxendine all these years. Oxendine has been the insurance commissioner since 1994, and is now looking to replace Perdue.

Not on the list of positions that Perdue thinks should be wrapped into a cabinet is secretary of state, a position recently held by Karen Handel – another GOP candidate for governor.

The Perdue effort is being worked in the House by Majority Leader Jerry Keen (R-St. Simons) and in the Senate by Bill Heath (R-Bremen). My AJC colleague Aaron Gould …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: ‘The best people aren’t always elected’ »