Jonathan Chait of The New Republic notes that Sen. John McCain's promise to disrupt any kind of work in the Senate is an odd threat:

A couple points. First of all, the baseline of cooperation is already zero. McCain is presumably upset that Democrats are using budget reconciliation to amend some of the tax-and-budget features of the health care bill that's already passed the Senate. But of course, total GOP opposition on health care is the reason Democrats are using reconciliation in the first place. Indeed, their leader has already boasted about his strategy of grinding legislation t a halt and opposing nearly everything.

Second, if we believe McCain and Graham, they're saying that there are areas in public policy where Republicans would help make legislative changes that they believe would make the country a better place, but they are refusing to do so out of pique that Democrats employed a commonly-used legislative procedure. In other words, their own claim is that they are deliberately choosing to create suffering — not merely preventing legislation the Democrats want, but preventing legislation they agree would help people and would otherwise support — in order to punish the Democrats. This sounds like something the Democrats would accuse them of doing, not something they'd boast about.

Now, as it happens, I don't actually believe that the Republicans are doing this. But it's strange that the culture of "bipartisanship" is such that this is the kind of behavior elected officials would want people to think they're engaging in.

Republican Jonathan Paton, one of four GOP candidates vying to defeat Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Congressional District 8, releases this statement on the health-care vote:

It's unfortunate that Gabrielle Giffords has decided to put loyalty to Nancy Pelosi before loyalty to her constituents with her scheduled vote today for the costly health care bill. I guess now we know why she's received all those earmarks.

This bill is a disaster for America, and the congresswoman's continued claims of fiscal conservatism have lost complete credibility with today's vote. Almost as alarming as her support for this legislation is the fact that the congresswoman waited until hours before the scheduled vote to come clean about her stance. She provided no interviews and didn't engage with the public in any meetings or town halls prior to this latest decision.

Gabrielle Giffords is already making false claims in

While Republicans are attacking her for voting in favor of the health-care reform legislation yesterday, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is going on the offensive against GOP lawmakers and Gov. Jan Brewer, who enacted deep cuts to health-care programs earlier this month, including stripping health-care coverage from an estimated 310,000 adults on AHCCCS and eliminating the KidsCare program. (Learn more about some of those cuts in last week's feature story, which you can find here.)

The statement from Giffords' office:

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is asking the Department of Health and Human Services for guidance about potentially devastating cuts to Medicaid as a result of the state budget approved by the Arizona Legislature and Governor.

Immediately after the U.S House of Representatives passed landmark health insurance reform legislation, Giffords asked HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to clarify whether Arizona could lose nearly $7 billion in federal funding as a result of the sweeping cuts that were signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer on March 18.

The cuts eliminate KidsCare, making Arizona the first state in the nation to cancel its State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Elimination of the program means an estimated 50,000 Arizona children will go without healthcare.

The cuts also make changes to the Arizona

Echoing Sen. John McCain, Republican Jesse Kelly, who is one of four Republicans seeking to knock out Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona's Eighth Congressional District, vowed to fight to repeal the health-care legislation approved by Congress yesterday.

Kelly's statement:

“I am deeply disappointed that Representative Giffords has so blatantly voted against the majority of voters in her district. Her vote for a large, new federal health care entitlement will both increase deficit spending and restrict free market health care options available to residents of District 8. When I am in Congress, I will do everything in my power to reverse Obamacare and enact real free market solutions that truly increase competition and lower costs.”

Jesse supports market-based solutions to increase

U.S. Sen. John McCain says that Republicans will work to reverse yesterday's health-care vote.

Thanks, Captain Al "Chop-o-Matic" Melvin. In a recent interview in The Explorer, the senator continues to push for nuclear power to pay for education, but also offers up what will soon by our biggest resource in the Grand Canyon state: prisoners:

"We would have to convince the citizens of Arizona that it's as safe a process as I know it is. It's a safe process. The key is if we have the political will, and step up to the plate and be THE state that will do this.

OK, I get it now. It's so much easier to muster up the political will for more nuclear facilities and private prisons than the political will to pay for schools and education.

So what if it's been described as an "exceptionally dirty-mouthed after-school special?"

I miss those after-school specials. Much more interesting than a story about a bad-girl-turned chainsaw carver, the other Cherie Currie story.

World-class throat singers Chirgilchin, from the Russian province of Tuva, return to the Old Pueblo! Check out their 2008 performance above, and click here for event details.

• NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

This week's batch of HiRISE images includes this salty spot that might one day be make for a home for a future Mars mission. HiRISE honcho Alfred McEwen tells us:

There is an intriguing surface unit in parts of the ancient Martian highlands that may consist of chloride salts (like NaCl—table salt) which precipitated out of shallow lakes as in desert regions of Earth.

It has unusual thermal properties and distinctive morphologies, but lacks spectral absorption bands. All of these characteristics and the geologic settings are consistent with salt deposits. These deposits are often associated with clay minerals that do have distinctive absorption bands.

This particular location has been selected as a candidate landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory or another future rover. Hopefully the HiRISE images won't reveal too many boulders or steep slopes that would be hazardous. A stereo anaglyph is also available.

Oro Valley resident Marvin Von Holten has written an inspirational poetry book:
Choices, Tate Publishing and Enterprises, 88 pages, $9.99

Summary:

Can one wrong choice drastically change a life? People in every walk of life question their choices, and some have even devoted their lives to searching for redemption from wrong choices they’ve made.

Arizona author Marvin Von Holten invites readers to envelop themselves in the deep, enriching poetry found in his new book, Choices, which leads readers into the depths of their soul. It is there the author believes they will find the encouragement they need to search for a path of escape from sins' inner torture.