I appreciate Deirdre Fulton's nuanced reflection on moderates Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins (see "We Told You So," September 18) except that she fails to note the elephant in the picture: both vote 100 percent for the military-industrial complex, imperialism, war, and repression of Palestinians (Collins 150 percent on the last), which evil overwhelms whatever redeeming votes they have cast ? and denies funds for health care, education, pollution reduction, etc. They may be as consistent supporters of HMO greed at the expense of life for tens of thousands and health for millions annually who are denied care. Progressives cannot live with this!
William H. Slavick
Portland
Related:
Female Trouble, Hey, hey, we're the Monkees, Supreme court, More 
- Female Trouble
Conventional political wisdom says that for a party to oppose a woman — or a women's issue — it's best to send out a female spokesperson.
- Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
The law of averages says if you put 100 monkeys in a room with 100 computers, they'll eventually write a workable national health-care bill. Apparently, that rule doesn't apply to 100 US senators.
- Supreme court
Next month, Congress will begin confirmation hearings to decide the fate of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, the 55-year-old Bronx native whom President Barack Obama nominated last month to fill retiring Justice David Souter's spot on the nine-member bench.
- Ditched
Olympia Snowe would protect me, I thought. I continued to believe that right up until January 31, when she voted to support George W. Bush’s Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
- The waiting game
We know, we know: Last week, Olympia Snowe made history by being the only Republican in 2009 to vote for any sort of healthcare reform, even in committee-level draft language far from its final form.
- Stuck in the middle with you
On the surface, moderation appears to be a simple concept. Avoid extremes. Seek compromise. ... It's sort of like being a hypocrite, except without most of the fun parts.
- Snowe: A party of one
US Senator Olympia Snowe has maneuvered herself into a position where she is the only hope Democrats have of getting a "bipartisan" agreement on healthcare reform.
- Endorsements, or lack thereof
The Phoenix makes no endorsement for the United States Senate. Neither Republican Susan Collins, the incumbent, nor Democratic challenger Tom Allen would agree to talk with this paper.
- All the ugly people
Why did Maine voters give overwhelming approval to a tax-repeal referendum on Nov. 4, while simultaneously returning to office even more of the Democratic legislators who passed the unpopular tax in the first place?
- Senators fight snooping
President Bush authorized spying on US citizens without bothering to seek the approval of a federal court. A Maine senator is leading the charge to find out why.
- Avoiding the problem
Over the course of Olympia Snowe's career in the US Senate, companies and workers in the healthcare and insurance industries have been her top donors (except for retirees and retiree political-action committees, which are obviously also concerned with healthcare issues).
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