John Kerry:

Every day Republican leaders are crossing lines that should never be crossed:

• the line that says a leader in the House of Representatives should never carelessly threaten or intimidate federal judges
• the line that says the leader of the Senate should never accuse those who disagree with his political tactics of waging a war against people of faith
• the line that says respect for core constitutional principles should never be undermined by a political party’s quest for power
• and most important of all, the line that says a political party’s leaders should never let their obsession with amassing power, or just with politics, overwhelm the needs and interests of the people who elected them—America’s families.

Yes, the Republican-controlled Congress has been so busy walking America’s highways and byways—grandstanding on Terri Schiavo and baseball players, obstructing ethics investigations, and attacking the independence of the courts—that they’ve forgotten to pay the war bill:

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has sent letters to congressional leaders urging them to pass the final 2005 budget supplemental bill before the Army runs out of operating funds.

The Army has slowed its spending, so it can continue operations in Afghanistan and Iraq through early May when the funds are due to run out, Rumsfeld said.

He sent the letters Wednesday, along with handwritten notes that read, “Our folks out there need these funds.”