Jon Kyl

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, will not seek reelection to the seat he has held for three terms. Kyl announced his retirement at an Arizona news conference. “There is no other reason than the fact it is time,” Kyl said. “It is time for me to do something else and time to give someone else a chance.” Kyl's retirement is the fifth in the Senate as Republicans and Democrats gear up for 2012, when control of the chamber will be up for grabs.

The judicial confirmation wars are clearly escalating when Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) calls for a halt to the carnage. Coburn, dubbed "Dr. No" for his unyielding opposition to many of his colleagues' ideas, including judicial appointments, proclaimed this month that the confirmation wars must end. He said: "I think the very issue [of judicial selection] is what makes Americans sick of what we're doing. It's a tit for tat. We've got to get beyond that. The problems are too great for our country.

I was pleased to read (Part I, Nov. 9) the article about my representative, David Dreier (R-La Verne), and four other U.S. congressmen--Robert Dornan (R-Garden Grove), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Herbert Bateman (R-Va.) and Jack Buechner (R-Mo.)--marching in Managua, Nicaragua, in an anti-Sandinista demonstration. In the accompanying picture of them I see no policemen present. I think these congressmen, unwittingly, witnessed and enjoyed more democracy in Managua than they could recognize or admit.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will not seek the open U.S. Senate seat in her home state of Arizona, preferring to remain in the Obama Cabinet, a spokesman confirmed Friday. The former Arizona governor informed Democratic leaders of her decision this week, coming to a quick decision following incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Kyl's announcement he would retire when his term expires in 2013. "She cares deeply about Arizona, but the Secretary intends to continue doing the job that the President asked her to do -- protecting the American people from terrorism and other threats to our country," Sean Smith, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement.

A pair of key Senate Republicans urged President Obama on Sunday to pick someone from the judicial mainstream to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, and downplayed -- but did not rule out -- a filibuster to block a nominee they opposed. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said a filibuster would be in the offing only if Obama picked "a nominee that evidences a philosophy of 'judges know best,' that they can amend the Constitution by saying it has evolved . . . then we're going to have a big fight about that because the American people don't want that."

In the Senate, freedom apparently comes with retirement. On Wednesday, three Republicans who are not seeking reelection next year broke with their party and announced they would support Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. The most notable was Christopher S. Bond, the four-term senator from Missouri. Joining him in backing President Obama's first high court pick were Sens. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and Mel Martinez of Florida. The Senate scheduled a vote for 3 p.m. today.

The judicial confirmation wars are clearly escalating when Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) calls for a halt to the carnage. Coburn, dubbed "Dr. No" for his unyielding opposition to many of his colleagues' ideas, including judicial appointments, proclaimed this month that the confirmation wars must end. He said: "I think the very issue [of judicial selection] is what makes Americans sick of what we're doing. It's a tit for tat. We've got to get beyond that. The problems are too great for our country.

The reception for James Cunningham was supposed to be a celebration. Cunningham, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., had been nominated for a high-profile job in Vienna, helping control the spread of weapons of mass destruction. He had been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was waiting for the Senate to sign off, usually a mere formality. But as Cunningham greeted well-wishers at the U.N. farewell party, it was clear that he was not celebrating.

Is this the gaffe that will haunt Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid? The Nevada Democrat -- who over the years has called Alan Greenspan a hack, Washington tourists smelly and President George W. Bush a liar -- was pummeled by Republicans on Sunday for impolitic comments about President Obama's potential for winning the White House. In their new book "Game Change," authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann say that in 2008 Reid described candidate Obama as a " 'light-skinned' African American 'with no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one,' " whom many voters would embrace.

Sen. Jon Kyl, the second-highest ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate, announced Thursday that he will not run for reelection, setting off a scramble for a seat long considered safe for the GOP. Kyl, 68, who was first elected in 1994, said he had no health or other issues leading him to retire, but that it was the right time to step down. "It's time for me to have an opportunity to do something else," the Arizona senator said at a news conference in downtown Phoenix, with his wife, Carol, at his side.

Rep. Jeff Flake made it official this week. Four days after Republican Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona said he would not stand for reelection in 2012, the six-term GOP congressman from suburban Phoenix said he'd launch a bid to replace him. But much of the speculation concerning the seat, such as it can exist 18 months before an election, continues to swirl around Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. A few short weeks ago, it was unimaginable that anyone could tie Giffords' name to a 2012 Senate campaign, but the wounded congresswoman, shot in Tucson on Jan. 8, is reportedly making so much progress that the prospect sounds plausible, if not, as of yet, very realistic.

Sen. Jon Kyl, the second-highest ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate, announced Thursday that he will not run for reelection, setting off a scramble for a seat long considered safe for the GOP. Kyl, 68, who was first elected in 1994, said he had no health or other issues leading him to retire, but that it was the right time to step down. "It's time for me to have an opportunity to do something else," the Arizona senator said at a news conference in downtown Phoenix, with his wife, Carol, at his side.

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, will not seek reelection to the seat he has held for three terms. Kyl announced his retirement at an Arizona news conference. “There is no other reason than the fact it is time,” Kyl said. “It is time for me to do something else and time to give someone else a chance.” Kyl's retirement is the fifth in the Senate as Republicans and Democrats gear up for 2012, when control of the chamber will be up for grabs.

? Nearly a week after the deadly shooting spree that claimed six lives, Tucson on Friday mourned a federal judge, the second funeral of a victim of the attack that has rocked the nation. Federal District Court Judge John M. Roll, a devout Roman Catholic who was killed after attending a morning Mass, was remembered at a service at the same church where a day earlier a funeral was held for the youngest victim, Christina-Taylor Green. Security was especially tight for the judge's service because many of his judicial colleagues and other dignitaries were attending.

The Republican point man on nuclear arms issues said Tuesday that he would not support a quick Senate vote on the New START treaty with Russia, dealing a major blow to the Obama administration's hopes for the weapons agreement and potentially improved relations with Moscow. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said that despite aggressive administration lobbying to win GOP support for a quick vote, there is too little time in the Senate's lame-duck session to weigh the complicated issues covered in the treaty.

A pair of key Senate Republicans urged President Obama on Sunday to pick someone from the judicial mainstream to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, and downplayed -- but did not rule out -- a filibuster to block a nominee they opposed. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said a filibuster would be in the offing only if Obama picked "a nominee that evidences a philosophy of 'judges know best,' that they can amend the Constitution by saying it has evolved . . . then we're going to have a big fight about that because the American people don't want that."

The Republican point man on nuclear arms issues said Tuesday that he would not support a quick Senate vote on the New START treaty with Russia, dealing a major blow to the Obama administration's hopes for the weapons agreement and potentially improved relations with Moscow. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said that despite aggressive administration lobbying to win GOP support for a quick vote, there is too little time in the Senate's lame-duck session to weigh the complicated issues covered in the treaty.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will not seek the open U.S. Senate seat in her home state of Arizona, preferring to remain in the Obama Cabinet, a spokesman confirmed Friday. The former Arizona governor informed Democratic leaders of her decision this week, coming to a quick decision following incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Kyl's announcement he would retire when his term expires in 2013. "She cares deeply about Arizona, but the Secretary intends to continue doing the job that the President asked her to do -- protecting the American people from terrorism and other threats to our country," Sean Smith, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement.

Is this the gaffe that will haunt Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid? The Nevada Democrat -- who over the years has called Alan Greenspan a hack, Washington tourists smelly and President George W. Bush a liar -- was pummeled by Republicans on Sunday for impolitic comments about President Obama's potential for winning the White House. In their new book "Game Change," authors Mark Halperin and John Heilemann say that in 2008 Reid described candidate Obama as a " 'light-skinned' African American 'with no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one,' " whom many voters would embrace.

In the Senate, freedom apparently comes with retirement. On Wednesday, three Republicans who are not seeking reelection next year broke with their party and announced they would support Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. The most notable was Christopher S. Bond, the four-term senator from Missouri. Joining him in backing President Obama's first high court pick were Sens. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and Mel Martinez of Florida. The Senate scheduled a vote for 3 p.m. today.