Republicans And Democrats

Maryland, we have ourselves a race. In a district that covers some of the most conservative terrain in the state, Republican Andy Harris is fighting off surging Democrat Frank Kratovil in a race shaped by aggressive advertising, a steep drop in fortunes for Harris' party nationwide and lots of outside money. The Eastern Shore-based district, which sent Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest to Washington nine times, was considered safe for the Republicans as recently as February. But Democrats now see a shot at picking up their seventh of Maryland's eight House seats.

Maryland, we have ourselves a race. In a district that covers some of the most conservative terrain in the state, Republican Andy Harris is fighting off surging Democrat Frank Kratovil in a race shaped by aggressive advertising, a steep drop in fortunes for Harris' party nationwide and lots of outside money. The Eastern Shore-based district, which sent Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest to Washington nine times, was considered safe for the Republicans as recently as February. But Democrats now see a shot at picking up their seventh of Maryland's eight House seats.

Samuel A. Culotta, a Baltimore lawyer and perennial Republican mayoral candidate, said he's supporting Sen. John McCain. "I love Rudy, but I'm for McCain. He's a leader and has the background, knowledge, experience and courage to be president," Culotta, 83, said in an interview. Culotta, a Northeast Baltimore resident who has practiced law since 1951, served in the administrations of Theodore Roosevelt McKeldin when he was mayor and governor, and was a state delegate from 1954 to 1959.

PHILADELPHIA -- OK, so now the Democrats have made their point by passing an Iraq spending bill that calls for troop withdrawals as early as July. And now the president will veto it. After all this bipartisan posturing, can we finally have a serious debate about Iraq? Now is the moment when Republicans and Democrats must focus on what must be done to prevent an even greater Iraq disaster. There will be no time for Plan B if the current White House Plan A fails. But Plan A - as currently directed by the White House - simply cannot work.

Gonzales faced a relentlessly hostile grilling from Senate Republicans and Democrats Thursday as he attempted to explain inconsistencies in his previous statements about the firing of eight federal prosecutors. ?Why is your story changing?? Sen. Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa ?At the end of the day I know I did not do anything improper.? Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Despite a broken right leg, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger kicked off his second term yesterday promising "post-partisanship" leadership in which Democrats and Republicans don't simply compromise but forge new ideas together. In an inaugural speech in which he compared California's cultural diversity and "harmony" with genocide in Darfur and "bloodshed and hate" in the Middle East, the Republican governor portrayed California as a utopian "nation-state" that should serve as a model for the rest of the world because of its apparent peace and prosperity.

WASHINGTON -- The members of the 110th Congress won't be sworn in until today, but the new era of bipartisanship pledged by Republicans and Democrats in recent weeks is grinding to a close. House Republicans are protesting what they say are plans by the new Democratic majority to shut them out of the legislative process as they pass their "First 100 Hours" package - a violation, they say, of the Democrats' campaign pledge to restore cooperation and civility to Washington. "We are disappointed that at this point in the game, half of the Congress has been cut out of the process," said Rep. Adam H. Putnam of Florida, chairman of the House Republican Caucus.

WASHINGTON -- In the cacophony of competing plans about how to deal with Iraq, one reality appears to be clear: Despite the Democrats' victory last month in an election viewed as a referendum on the war, the idea of a rapid U.S. troop withdrawal is fast receding as a viable option. The Joint Chiefs of Staff are signaling that too rapid a U.S. pullout would open the way to all-out civil war, and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group has shied away from recommending explicit timelines in favor of a vaguely timed pullback.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The French journalist and novelist Alphonse Karr is credited with saying, "The more things change, the more they remain the same." Though Karr lived in the 19th century, his insight could well apply to the United States Congress in the 20th and 21st centuries, especially when it comes to spending, the last truly bipartisan and unchanging indulgence of both parties. Following the election that will put them in the majority come January, Democratic leaders announced that they had taken the pledge.

Democrats have long had a grip on state Senate seats in Anne Arundel County, but Republicans are mounting their most aggressive effort yet to pick up a majority of the county's five Senate seats this fall. Republican leaders believe that changing demographics, along with quality candidates and a little luck, have put the GOP in position to wrest control of at least three of the county's five Senate seats and help kill the Democrats' super-majorities in the General Assembly. Democrats control four of the five Senate seats in the county -districts 21, 30, 31 and 32. The county has one Republican state senator, Janet Greenip in District 33. Republicans point to voting trends that show the GOP gaining strength in the county, making the argument that Anne Arundel voters do not agree with many of the decisions made by the General Assembly and want a change in leadership that better reflects their views.