Several African-American House members are starting to worry about potential primary opponents backed by Senate President Emil Jones and Governor Rod Blagojevich, but it's unclear right now how many will get opponents and how involved the two leaders will be. Jones and Blagojevich have engaged in open political warfare with House Speaker Michael Madigan pretty much all year, and it looks like they may be taking another big step by attempting to take out some of Madigan's people.

A state Senator from Bettendorf, Linda Miller, asks why we do not have a vote on banning gay marriage in Iowa. We do not need a "Defense of Marriage" act. Marriage does not need to be defended from all the wonderful, caring, loving gay and lesbian adults I know in the eastern Iowa who are in long-term relationships, many of them raising children, and simply living their lives as are heterosexuals.

More committed to protecting his political friends than upholding the rule of law, Alberto Gonzales' tenure as U.S. attorney general has been characterized by his tendency to be a political "yes man" and a manipulator of the law.

It's getting harder and harder to stomach the barrage of misinformation masquerading as journalism in the Quad Cities' mainstream media. Most especially egregious is the constant sin of omission that defines most stories and editorials.