The Seventeenth Summary 01-29-2011 PM

Freshmen set to mix up Senate Energy debate
Politico
Both Mike Lee (left) and Rand Paul joined the Senate Energy Committee ...

New Senate Veterans Affairs chairman promises to monitor GOP spending for vets ...
Los Angeles Times
His newly appointed counterpart in the Senate, Sen. Patty Murray, said she will be watching Republicans "like a hawk" to ensure veterans get their financial ...

Former Freddie Mac Lobbyist to Get Top Senate Banking Committee Job
Wall Street Journal (blog)
Tim Johnson (D., SD) has officially been named chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, he is expected to name Dwight Fettig as his committee staff ...

Conrad joins Senate Intelligence Committee
Grand Forks Herald
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., has agreed to serve on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, he announced Friday. ...

Graham lands seat on powerful Senate Appropriations Committee
MiamiHerald.com
Lindsey Graham on Thursday nabbed a prized seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, a post that will make him the South Carolina congressional ...

Senate Tea Party Caucus Meets - Washington Post Mocks | RedState
By Brian Darling
The first ever meeting of the Senate Tea Party Caucus was convened yesterday on Capitol Hill and it was a great success. The left wing media is doing.

Tea party-backed senator favors cutting foreign aid, including money for Israel
Los Angeles Times
A new Republican senator is calling for deep cuts in foreign aid, including eliminating US money for Israel, a proposal that has ...

Egypt needs 'free, democratic' 2011 vote: US senator (Kerry ...
US Senator John Kerry on Friday urged President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt to quiet violent unrest there by promising that September elections will reflect "a free and open democratic process." "In the final analysis, ...

Comment: Mini-president Kerry perpetuating US imperialism…

Fix the Senate? Not Yet
Huffington Post (blog)
Senate reformers, led by Tom Harkin, Tom Udall, and Jeff Merkley, fought an indecisive first round on fixing the Senate rules this week. ...

Comment: Senate reformers…what a joke; Harkin and Udall are two of the central oligarchs in the US Senate. Does anyone in their right mind think the oligarchs are going to do anything remotely close to a reform? Only the repeal of the 17th Amendment will reform the US Senate.

Charlie Cook: GOP Could Regain Senate in 2012
NewsMax.com
With 23 seats to defend next year versus 10 for the opposition, Democrats will not find it easy to preserve their shrinking Senate ...

Sen. Rob Portman named to Senate energy committee
Chillicothe Gazette
Senate committee assignments were handed out Thursday, and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, got the main one he was seeking: the Budget Committee. ...

Manchin, Rockefeller help change Senate rules
Parkersburg News
Senate Resolution 28, which passed the Senate 92-4, would require senators to publicly disclose if they placed a hold on legislation. ...

Sen. Ron Johnson declines Tea Party Caucus
Green Bay Press Gazette
When members of the Senate's newly formed Tea Party Caucus met for the first time this week, Sen. Ron Johnson was not among them. ...