WikiLeaks: Former Sen. Martinez worked to squelch Spanish torture investigation

Over the weekend, The Miami Herald used documents unearthed by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks  to publish an interesting account of how the U.S. government worked to convince Spanish officials not to pursue an investigation into accusations of torture made against senior U.S. officials — an effort that included pressure More…

New CNN/Time Poll Gives Meek a Bump

Rep. Kendrick Meek’s (D-Fla.) campaign was relying on a bump in the polls following his victory over Jeff Greene in Florida’s Senate primary, and a new CNN/Time poll indicates that he may have gotten one. He still trails both former House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Gov. Charlie More…

Immigrant Advocates Push DREAM Act, But Congress Remains Wary

On Tuesday, about 300 students — many non-citizens who have been living in the U.S. for years — filed into a church near the Capitol for a mock graduation ceremony. Clad in caps and gowns, they came from as far as California to lobby members of Congress to pass the More…

Politicos of 2009, We Hardly Knew Ye

For many in America, 2009 was a year of beginnings: of the Obama presidency, comprehensive health care reform, movement in the battle against climate change, and the new Republican identity as the opposition party. For these ten politicians, however, it marked the end of a chapter of their political More…

Immigration Advocates Eye New GOP Florida Senator

Immigration advocates are wondering what the newly chosen Florida senator-to-be, George LeMieux (R), is going to mean for their campaign for immigration reform — as well as how the pick could influence how the growing number of Latino voters view the Republican Party.

Harsh questioning by Republicans of More…

What Does LeMieux’s Appointment Mean for Climate Legislation?

Short answer: Hard to say.

Long answer: Retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) has been a moderate voice on environmental policy — he voted for cloture on the Lieberman-Warner cap-and-trade bill last year — and his departure could deprive Democrats of one of their few potential Republican allies on this More…

Rubio Hits Crist for Florida Senate Appointment

Marco Rubio, the conservative underdog in the 2010 GOP primary for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat, tells CNN that Gov. Charlie Crist (R-Fla.) made a “disappointing pick” when he appointed his friend and adviser George LeMieux to the seat.

George LeMieux is a talented political operative and the governor’s

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Crist Expected to Appoint Former Aide to Senate Seat

From the St. Petersburg Times:

Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to turn to his political shadow and former chief of staff, George LeMieux, to stand in as Florida’s U.S. senator until Crist can win the seat himself in the 2010 election.

The governor’s office will announce the

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Obama: Immigration Reform Not Happening Until Next Year

A comprehensive immigration reform bill might be drafted by the end of this year, but President Obama said in Mexico today that he would not expect anything to pass until 2010, according to The Hill.

Immigration reform has never been at the top of the president’s More…

Sen. Mel Martinez Resigns; Did the GOP Base Hound Him Out?

This is the sort of big-headline political news that won’t matter much in the long run.

Though he has persistently denied the “rumor” that he’ll step down, Florida Sen. Mel Martinez might announce as early as Friday that he’ll leave office early, according to a number of sources in

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