...FIRE! (Looks like Dick left a pair of his pants at the office.)

A fire erupted this morning in the vicinity of Vice President Dick Cheney's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House. The vice president was not in the office at the time, a White House spokesman said.

Or maybe he just had some CIA tapes that needed "taken care of."

As if our "homegrown" Senators weren't culpable enough in the torturing of detainees, now we have to deal with Senator Kit Bond, our neighbor to the East as well.

"What the CIA is doing is not torture. It conforms to the Detainee Treatment Act, the Geneva Convention, the Convention against Torture. None of these things that are being used, by any stretch of the imagination, could be described as torture,"

Just a little simulated drowning...nothing that might cause severe mental pain. It's kind of relaxing really. It's all in how you do it.

"There are different ways of doing it. It's like swimming, freestyle, backstroke. The waterboarding could be used almost to define some of the techniques that our trainees are put through, but that's beside the point. It's not being used," Bond said. However, he went on to say that he "certainly would not favor it in any circumstance."

We're going to tell ourselves that the Senator from Missouri just means there are many types of waterboarding, just as there are many different forms of swimming, and not that waterboarding is akin to a nice leisurely swim in your neighborhood pool. Either way, these statements are cause for alarm.

There is a reason the 3rd District of Kansas keeps sending Dennis Moore back to Washington...

Every few weeks, usually after the last vote is cast on a Monday night, members of the Center Aisle Caucus head to Hunan Dynasty — “one of the few things people can agree on in Washington is Chinese food,” says the group’s founder — to practice their radically civil ways.

There, they ponder and debate the big issues of the day, including war and peace, far from the cameras that prompt so much division two blocks away on the House floor..

The Center Aisle Caucus has equal membership from each party and four co-chairs - one of whom is our very own Democratic Rep. Dennis Moore of Kansas.

The caucus got a kick start in suburban Kansas City in the summer of 2005, when Israel joined Emerson and Moore for an event on congressional civility at Johnson County Community College. When hundreds turned out, organizers knew they had struck a chord.

"I think people in this country are just really fed up with all the partisanship they see on television and they read about in the papers," Moore said.

The good times were rolling at this year's Demofest! Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a success!

In honor of 30 straight years hosting a booth at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, the Kansas Democratic Party was awarded the Longevity Award, accepted by long-time Party activist and First District Chair, Vic Moser!

We were back again this year, spreading the Democratic message with the help of several groups and volunteers. A special thanks goes to this year's organizations who helped staff the booth:

State Fair volunteer groups

KansasDemocratic LegislatorsMcPherson County DemocratsKansas Federation of Democratic Womens CaucusSedgwick County DemocratsKansas Democratic Veteran's AssociationHarvey County DemocratsRice County DemocratsKansas Democratic Hispanic CaucusKansas Young DemocratsReno County DemocratsStudents of Hutchinson High School

Special Thank you to:

Rep. Jan PaulsGary Hughes

Join Democrats across the state this July 28th, as we further our Democratic principles, not just at the ballot box but in our actions. In towns and cities across the country, Democrats will be meeting to promote energy independence and expand on the great leadership that members of the Democratic Party have shown on this important issue:

• Lt. Governor Mark Parkinson, co-chair of the Kansas Energy Council, is working to increase the use of renewable energy in our state. Already, Westar Energy has announced plans to acquire up to 500 megawatts of renewable wind energy by 2010. Doubling the state's wind energy production.
• Congressman Dennis Moore and Congresswoman Nancy Boyda helped pass the Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007.
• A report by the Joint Economic Committee shows that the Democratic energy plan could save Kansas' working families $1,600 each year.

Find and attend a Democratic Reunion event near you.

For the first time in a generation, Kansas Democrats will have the opportunity to help decide who will receive the 2008 Presidential nomination for the Democratic Party.

The Kansas Democratic Party Delegate Selection Plan includes a February 5th date for the state's Democratic caucus - the earliest possible date based on DNC stipulations. In the past, caucuses have been held on dates later in the summer, after the nominee was already secured.

The Kansas legislature again decided not to hold a state primary, but the Kansas Democratic Party wants to give voters the best opportunity to be involved in the nomination process. Over twenty other states will be holding caucuses and primaries on the 5th, including Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas.

The Delegate Selection Plan is available for review and public comment until June 27th, at which point it will be up for approval by the Democratic Party Executive Committee.

President Bush is heading to Wichita next week. He plans to attend a fundraiser for Pat Roberts, who continues to show his loyalty to the Bush White House despite plummeting approval ratings:

And the political climate shows little sign of improving. Bush's approval rating is in the 30s. Most Americans oppose the war in Iraq and more members of his own party are expressing doubts. The president also continues to be dogged by the scandal surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales over the selection of U.S. attorneys.

Jennifer Duffy, a Senate analyst for the nonpartisan "Cook Political Report," said Roberts appears to be one of the few incumbents so far who've agreed to have Bush campaign for them.

Roberts has suddenly been spotted all over the state, launching an early campaign effort to hold onto his seat. It's great to see him actually visiting the state which he supposedly represents in Congress. We wish he would have done it more often in the last ten years he's been in office...

"We don't intend to let that (seat) go unchallenged," Gates said. "The guy hasn't lived in Kansas for 50 years. I think it's starting to show."

Long-time Democratic activist and president of the Kansas Federation of Women's Democratic Clubs, Fran Lee, was awarded the National Humanitarian Award during the National Federation of Democratic Women's national convention last week.

"I'm extremely humbled by it," Fran told the Wichita Eagle. "I feel like everyone who does volunteer work whether at church or through politics is an outstanding humanitarian."

"'Miss Fran' to receive national award for community, politics" Wichita Eagle, 06/02/07

Long-time Democratic activist and president of the Kansas Federation of Women's Democratic Clubs, Fran Lee, was awarded the National Humanitarian Award during the National Federation of Democratic Women's national convention last week.

"I'm extremely humbled by it," Fran told the Wichita Eagle. "I feel like everyone who does volunteer work whether at church or through politics is an outstanding humanitarian."

"'Miss Fran' to receive national award for community, politics" Wichita Eagle, 06/02/07"TU Alumna receives humanitarian award" Tulsa World, 06/06/07