Van Hollen, Israel and the courage of conviction. baltimoresun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from baltimoresun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Reporters Carl Hulse and Robert Pear teamed up in the New York Times to lament the decline of cooperation in Congress a hypocritical stretch in particular for Hulse, whose reporting invariably has a partisan Democratic tone. The slant was clear in this survey of wisdom from four retiring congressmen, two Democrats and two Republicans. While dubious talk of compromise emanated from the mouths of fiery liberals Rep. Henry Waxman and Sen. Tom Harkin, painting themselves in flattering fashion, the Republicans were quoted as having to fend off extremists on their right flank.
During two decades in Congress, from 1981 to 2001, he built an image as an old-style presence, sporting his trademark bow ties, displaying courtly manners, and seeking ways to work with Democrats.
Mr. Bliley, a former Richmond mayor elected to the US House as a fierce Republican ally of the tobacco industry but who later helped force the release of internal company documents on health risks that led to landmark legal settlements, died Nov. 16 at his home in Henrico Country, Va.