All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy marks the end – nearly – of a generation in America's best known dynasty. But the dynasty of political, social, and public service leaders continues.

Kennedy had eight brothers and sisters. Best known, of course, were his brothers Robert F. and John F. Kennedy, but the siblings also included Joseph P. Kennedy, known for his service and death in World War II, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics, who died Aug. 11.

Only one of those nine siblings survives – Jean Kennedy Smith, who served as ambassador to Ireland under President Bill Clinton and who, like Shriver, has worked on behalf of people with developmental disabilities.

Left: Caroline Kennedy at the 2008 Democratic National Convention

But the next generation of Kennedys is flourishing. Among its 23 living members are President John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline Kennedy, a friend and supporter of President Obama who considered a run for Senate in New York this year; Maria Shriver, the former television journalist and first lady of California; and the late Sen. Kennedy's son Patrick J. Kennedy, a Democratic congressman from Rhode Island.

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CBS News' Katie Couric used part of her exclusive interview with President Barack Obama today to ask him about a David Brooks column in today's New York Times. Brooks argues that the president has over-interpreted his mandate and is letting Nancy Pelosi lead the Democrats on a "suicide march."

Mr. Obama's response – besides a bit of a ribbing of Couric for excerpting so much of the Brooks column in her question – was that he's not too worried about what Brooks thinks.

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One of the stranger aspects of Sarah Palin's announcement Friday that she will resign as governor of Alaska was the notion that it followed naturally from her decision not to seek reelection next year.

The argument goes that executives who can't – or in Palin's case simply choose not to – seek reelection are no longer accountable to their constituents. Their legislative counterparts no longer have to worry about continuing to work with them. So they just amble on, enjoying the fancy dinners and chartered jets that come with their positions, accomplishing little in their waning days in office.

Palin put it this way in her resignation speech:

And so as I thought about this announcement that I wouldn't run for re-election and what it means for Alaska, I thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks... travel around the state, to the Lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade - as so many politicians do. And then I thought - that's what's wrong - many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and "milk it". I'm not putting Alaska through that - I promised efficiencies and effectiveness!

She made the same argument in a July 4th Facebook post, saying, "Once I decided not to run for re-election, my decision was that much easier - I've never been one to waste time or resources."

It’s a tough justification to swallow. Are we really to believe that serving out her term would be an automatic waste of time and resources? For one thing, its logical endpoint would be that all presidents should resign as soon as they're elected to a second term, lest they waste America's time with four years of unaccountable lame duck status. Senators and congressmen should resign too as soon as they see retirement or a losing electoral fight on the horizon.

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South Carolina's top Republicans voted overwhelmingly to censure Gov. Mark Sanford – who admitted to a lengthy affair with an Argentine woman – but fell well short of calling for his resignation.

The state's GOP executive committee met for about three hours Monday. Twenty-two members supported the censure. Ten voted to call for his resignation and nine others voted against any reprimand.

In a statement, Sanford says he appreciates the party's position and will continue to work to earn back its trust, the Associated Press reported.

The governor has said repeatedly that he will serve his remaining 18 months in office.

Some members of the state's Republican party reportedly do not want Sanford to resign because they wish to compete for the governor's mansion in 2011 and the state's current lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer, might have an advantage in running for reelection as the incumbent governor.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has been unusually candid about his affair with a 41-year-old former reporter in Argentina.

In stark contrast to the taciturn Eliot Spitzer – who made no mention at all of his escapades as "Client 9" except opening his resignation speech with a reference to his "private failings" – Sanford held forth at length with reporters last week, describing how the affair came about and at one point prefacing an answer with, "To give you way more detail than you'll ever want…"

Then there were the e-mails. Perhaps Sanford shouldn't be judged on those, given that they were private communications. Serious questions remain about how South Carolina's State newspaper came to posses and publish them.

But never fear. The (new) Love Gov was back at it today, telling an Associated Press reporter that “This was a whole lot more than a simple affair. That it's a love story – a forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day.”

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President Obama said today that the U.S. does not need to compromise its strong support for Israel in efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.

The president talked with NPR News hosts Michele Norris and Steve Inskeep at the White House. The interview, which focused on American credibility in the Muslim world, comes less than a week before the president is slated to give a speech in Cairo.

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Click here to read NPR's coverage of the interview and to access complete audio.

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Norris challenged the president about the perception that the U.S. has "blindly supported Israel."

"Obviously we’re deeply sympathetic to Israel," Mr. Obama said, citing the country's "vibrant democracy" and historical ties to the U.S. But, he said, "Part of being a good friend is being honest. And I think there have been times where we are not as honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory in the region, is profoundly negative – not only for Israeli interests but also U.S. interests."

The president reiterated his call for an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, long a divisive issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and called for a two-state solution.

Both those positions, of course, have long been mainstays of U.S. Mideast policy (as Inskeep pointed out with regard to settlements) and the hosts seemed to challenge Mr. Obama to name ways that he would move beyond rhetorical support for peace and improve U.S. standing in the region.

Mr. Obama stressed that "it's still early in the process" and "if this was easy, it would’ve already been done."

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Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been out of the spotlight, earning up to $150,000 for speaking engagements and lunching with celebrities like American Idol judge Randy Jackson. But the political spotlight is turning toward her again, and it could be a little harsh.

A 232-page report released this week by the Senate Armed Services Committee states that Rice, as well as several other Bush administration officials, reviewed and subsequently approved the use of waterboarding and other interrogation techniques.

CBS News's David Martin reported that, while serving as Bush's National Security Advisor, Rice gave verbal approval to CIA Director George Tenet to continue using harsh interrogation methods, including waterboarding and stress positions, on detainees.

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The Chicago area has a new Congressman. Democrat Mike Quigley easily defeated two other candidates in the race to replace Rahm Emanuel, who left his seat to become President Barack Obama's chief of staff.

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This can't happen often.

The candidates in New York's 20th House district special election – vying to replace Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand – are tied.

Not too-close-to-call or virtually even, but tied down to the vote. Each of the candidates has received 77,225 votes, according to the New York State Board of Elections.

The tie is considered an "unofficial result" and the election will likely be decided by absentee ballots. Nearly 6,000 absentee votes have yet to be counted and the Board of Election will continue to accept absentee ballots until April 7 from within the United States and until April 13 from military personnel and those living overseas.

For now, the next congressman representing upstate New York is Jott Tedurphy (or Scim Muisco, of you prefer).

According to the latest tally from the Associated Press, 65 votes separate the candidates (Democrat Scott Murphy, left, and Republican Jim Tedisco) vying for the House seat vacated by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in New York, with more than 150,000 votes counted.

Following a contentious campaign, it appears that absentee ballots will resolve the race. Of course, those absentee ballots could be as closely split as the ones cast in person, meaning we may all get the chance to buckle in for another recount followed by mutual accusations of electoral shenanigans and a possible court battle.

Not saying it's a sure thing, but it's happened before.