An alternative government....

Being a little bit snide, Viagra is for Republicans, Levitra is for Democrats and Cealis is for Libertarians. And since Ann Coulter thinks women should be armed but should not be allowed to vote, we can solve all of our national problems through four still awake senior citizens and disband Congress - especially since the Presidency was disbanded six years ago.

At least it shows that Howard Baker is not dismayed that the last commission he was in was totally ignored by his friend, Bush. I guess when you spend a career in politics you get used to bumping your head against stone walls to the point that it hurts when you stop.

BTW, since Cheney has pflebitis or.... whatever, perhaps they should send him to Walter Reed even though he doesn't qualify for such great treatment!

Ex-Senate leaders join bipartisan effort
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Four former Senate majority leaders are heading a new group aimed at putting aside partisan politics and offering solutions to the nation's biggest issues.

The Bipartisan Policy Center, to be announced at a news conference Tuesday, will be directed by former Sens. Howard Baker, R-Tenn.; George Mitchell, D-Maine; Bob Dole, R-Kan.; and Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

"We've all been leaders and you know how difficult it is," said Dole, who served as both majority and minority leader between 1985 and 1996. "We're all partisan in a way," Dole said in an interview Monday, adding they also hope to show that "compromise is not a bad word."

Mitchell, who led the Senate from 1989 to 1995, added, "If the four of us can reach consensus in some areas it might have a beneficial effect."

Congress, evenly divided and sharply partisan, in recent years has turned to outside commissions for advice on politically sensitive topics. Two of those nonpartisan groups, the Sept. 11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group, have had considerable influence on policy.

The former senators believe the new group "can help create common sense solutions to key national challenges and can help foster a return to more civil political debate," Baker, the Senate leader from 1981 to 1985, said in a statement.

The center has a staff of 20 and a budget of $7 million for 2007, funded by several philanthropic groups. At first, it plans to concentrate on projects dealing with agriculture, energy and national security policy.

Daschle and Dole currently head a study into 21st century agriculture and the opportunities for farmers in energy production, conservation and greenhouse gas mitigation. Dole said he hoped to have that report finished in the next 30 days.

The former senators also will advise a commission on energy policy and a national security initiative led by NATO's former supreme allied commander, retired Gen. James L. Jones.

Mitchell said he was interested in health care issues and hoped to contribute to the debate over port security. Dole said he would like to work on penal system reform and disability issues involving veterans.

On the Net: Bipartisan Policy Center: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/