Below the Fold for February 24

Time for some stories we found this week Below the Fold.

Playing Politics

Although leaders of both political parties claim to support the president's war on terror, a few politicians are begging to differ.

At a rally last Sunday, Ohio Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich claimed the Bush administration was stomping on the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth amendments. He then decried the, "patriot games, the lying games, the war games of an un-elected president…"

Second Thoughts

Representative Maxine Waters of California then blasted her own vote in favor of military action in Afghanistan. Said she, "Some of us, maybe foolishly, gave this president the authority to go after the terrorists. We didn't know that he too was gonna go crazy with it."

Reporters as Americans

Meanwhile, an insurrection of sorts in Tallahassee, where reporters at the Florida Statehouse are refusing to stand and recite the pledge of allegiance, with which the legislature begins each workday.

Nancy Cooke Lauer of the Tallahassee Democrat explains, "we as reporters must remain apart from not a part of the group or meeting we're covering." She did not make it clear whether she thought reporters were "not part of" the group covered by the pledge which is, of course, the American nation.

We Report, You Decide

Just in time for Black History Month, Gary Condit has equated his abandonment by all former political pals with Muhammad Ali's imprisonment for refusing to register for the Vietnam-era draft.

Condit also has come up with a new reason to vote for him: He says that if elected, he'll work to solve the Chandra Levy case. We are not making this up.