The Examiner: Election Tracker

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Now 'None of the Above' is leading by a 75–25% margin.

Curiously, should no one eligible for the new run-off file, it appears that Governor Jesus is allowed to just plain appoint someone to the post.

[Jake]

Moron? Me? It's not like you're at the top of the totem pole. Hey, I found one thing we have in common. Jake hates us both.

Wrong. I'm down with bgwah.

[Хahar 🤔]

Moron? Me? It's not like you're at the top of the totem pole. Hey, I found one thing we have in common. Jake hates us both.

Wrong. I'm down with bgwah.

Are you? Wasn't it this morning that you were complaining?

[Jake]

About what?

[Хahar 🤔]

About what?

Racial slurs? Whoa.
About his seemingly paying Dave not to be banned.

[Jake]

That much is obvious.

[Хahar 🤔]

That much is obvious.

What is? That you're calling me racial slurs that don't even apply to my race? Or that you're pissed off at Jesus?

[MasterJedi]

Ok people, let's not have ourselves the racial slurs here, ok.

[CultureKing]

Ok people, let's not have ourselves the racial slurs here, ok.

Agreed, calming down would be a good idea.

[Јas]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

He said I was NOT a "egregiously bad governor."

Apologies. The line has now been removed.

[Јas]

I always would've supported him had he been a member of my party.

I'm not sure I would say I ran out of options, either, as the JCP could have appointed someone from any state. If the choice had been limited to D5 then maybe you would be correct.

By my reckoning, your only real option would've been BRTD (I don't see the post tempting opebo to leave the court) - and I'm not sure BRTD would've been all that interested. It would have been very interesting to see what what have happened had CultureKing not went running.

So are you saying that the better option would be to not switch parties and instead let District 5 be represented by either a very inactive member or someone who is not even from the district?

No, I'm not saying that at all.

I feel that my decision enabled the voters of District 5 a chance to have a representative that would be active as well as one who would represent their ideas and stances well in the senate.

On this I must disagree. The people of District 5 voted for someone with absolutely no policies and almost precisely no activity over you just the other week. While you can claim to do your best to represent them (and I'm sure you will), given the above, I don't see how you can claim to be representative of D5 citizens' "ideas and stances".

[Јas]

The Examiner

23 March 2008

VP concerns ignored by SoEA
Vice President Ebowed has voiced his disagreement with the recently announced Foreign policy Review with regard to the administrations position on Cuba. The Vice President said that applying full restrictions would “contribute to a massive decrease in the quality of life of Cubans for no good reason”.

SoEA Masterjedi has so far decided to disregard the VP’s comments - having offered no public retort; nor having changed the policy as originally stated. Mastrejedi has instead decided to merely continue with his review.

Masterjedi has indeed not responded to any of the series of points raised by a variety of citizens so far. Was this the sort of openness to the public’s ideas and the promotion of a unity agenda that the President promised?

----

President: MAS offers “a fresh philosophy”
As the MAS nomination continues to crawl towards resolution (though what the resolution will be remains to be decided), President Keystone Phil has entered the fray.  The President described MAS as “extremely qualified”, with “great experience within our government” and “a fresh philosophy on how things must be run in the Attorney General’s office”. As of yet, neither the President nor his nominee have offered any clue as to what this “fresh philosophy” would entail.

The President concluded his remarks by saying, “We cannot afford to keep this office vacant”, though didn’t offer any particular reason as why the vacancy - which has so far lasted 23 days – needs to be filled immediately.

Sen. Jake (i-D4), the leading Senatorial opponent of the nomination, has called on the President to withdraw the nomination. The issue of Jake’s opposition to the MAS nomination was discussed in an Examiner Interview, which shall be published later today.

With the abstention of CultureKing (JCP-D5), a majority of Senators have now voted on the nomination. 4 Senators remain to offer their votes, 3 members of the NLC: afleitch (D3); Bacon King (D1); and hughento (MW) and the incoming Senator meekermariner (PLP-ME).

Tally on MAS nomination for AG (as of going to press):
Aye: 1 (Sam Spade)
Nay: 2 (Jake; friz)
Abstain: 3 (Verily; Hashemite; CultureKing)
Yet to Vote: 4 (afleitch; Bacon King; hughento; meekermariner)

----

NOTA set to win Pacific Lt. Governor Election

With voting drawing to a close in the Pacific, NOTA is set to win the Lt. Gubernatorial election, caused by the resignation of Everett. PLP Vice-Chair Xahar had sought the position, but it seems the JCP are uncomfortable with his candidacy. Aftre 2 days of polling and with no evident JCP challenger emerging, three leading JCP figures (Sen. Frizz; VP Ebowed; and Gov. bgwah) all cast ballots within 21 minutes of each other for None of the Above, destroying Xahar’s chances at taking the office.

Xahar initially indicated his hope to contest the seat again but having been informed by Gov. bgwah that this won’t be possible, has instead announced his hope to have a  “surrogate” run in his stead. No clues have emerged as yet as to who the possible surrogate may be.

----

Election Deadlines Announced
SoFA Moderate has announced the various election deadlines.

Citizens wishing to register to vote should do so by 8 April. Announcements of candidacies should be submitted by 11 April. The mid-terms themselves shall be held over the weekend of 18-20 April.

----

CultureKing to run in mid-terms
In an interview with The Atlasian Watchguard, Sen. CultureKing (JCP-D5) announced his intention to seek “re-election (sic)” to the Atlasian Senate in the upcoming mid-terms.
 
When asked about his leaving of the PLP, he said that he felt the PLP and JCP have “very similar ideologies” and are “partners in a march towards a progressive Atlasia”.

The Senator also has introduced the Death with Dignity Act onto the Senate agenda which seeks to legalise physician assisted suicide.

[Јas]

The Examiner Interview

23 March 2008

For today's Examiner Interview, I spoke with Senator Jake (i-D4)...

The MAS Nomination

You've taken the lead in opposition to the nomination of MAS as Attorney General and faced spirited rebuttal arguemtns by the nominee and some of his supporters. Why are you so committed to opposing this nomination?

Jake: Simply put, I've seen MAS from the fall of 2004 jump from position to position in Atlasia, and fail to distinguish himself in any single one of them. A short look as his Wiki profile will show the cabinet offices and regional offices he held with little accomplished. I feel that AG is a position that's long been ignored in the country and I think we deserve someone who has shown themselves able to accomplish something.


It seems clear that many Senators have been deliberately holding off voting on the MAS nomination - what's your read on this?

Jake: I think they first, didn't hear anything during the confirmation hearings that would lead them to vote in favor or against and second, I think a few of them are holding out to see which way the wind blows to determine how they vote.


The President

Despite your support for President Phil in the election and in the recent approval poll, you've now cast ballots against two of his three cabinet nominations - these being the only real actions the President has taken since taking office. How do you square this apparant divergence and what are your hopes for the Phil administration?

Jake: Phil simply nominated two people I disagree strongly with to positions where they didn't belong. I trust that he'll make better decisions in the future; if not, he's not going to be in office in July. I hope he'll keep the position of President as active as it was under Colin. I hope he'll begin delivering on his reform and "good ole days" agenda. And I hope when MAS's nomination is defeated he'll look elsewhere and choose a better nominee for us to confirm.


The Senate

We've already seen a number of candidacy declarations for the upcoming Senate elections. Have you come to a decision on whether or not to seek re-election?

Jake: I haven't yet. It's obvious it's going to be a massive dog fight for the five seat and I'm not high on my chances for re-election in such an atmosphere, unless I'm the only candidate of the right running. I suppose I'll make my mind up within the next week or so. I don't plan to run for a seat that I believe impossible to win because the campaign required will be unusually time consuming.


You've been very active in the Senate debate on the School Standards Reform Bill - particularly on the issue of the mandatary languages. Can you elaborate on the reasons for your trenchant position and do you believe that some form of compromise will be achievable?

Jake: I first oppose federal standards on an issue that's so nuanced as education. Discussion of the bill has already brought up discrepencies where the author wrote the bill with one experience in their local school, where I've had a completely different experience with my local school. I've long held that the government should simply raise tax dollars and grant it to states to fund education how they see fit, ideally then the states would grant broad power to local boards.

My main opposition to the bill as written is that it seeks to enshrine the idea that the best education for every student is a college prep curriculum. I strongly oppose such an idea and see no reason why a kid who wants to be an auto mechanic or a hair dresser should be forced to learn a foreign language. I'm not willing to compromise on either belief.


The Atlasian Right

Despite victory in the Presidential election, the Atlasian political right - of which you would often be characterised - appears unusually disjointed, unfocussed and distinctly lacking in leadership. Where has it gone wrong and how can the situation be reversed?

Jake: I don't think it's particularly gone wrong, I think it's doomed to be a minor movement in Atlasia simply because of the ideologic views of our population. The Atlas Forum is populated largely by leftists and libertarians of various shades with few true rightists. And I don't believe the situation can be reversed absent an influx of conservative members.


Regional Politics

You recently recognised the efforts of TCash for stepping in to take up the Southeastern Governorship when an aparent dearth of genuine candidates existed. Regional decline has been a much pointed to ailment of Atlasia for some time; in the Southeast as much as anywhere else. What do you feel needs to be done to turn the corner or are the regions simply doomed to fail?

Jake: We simply need more people participating in Atlasia. Regions ran beautifully in 2004/2005 and there was lively debate on the issues. I also think the Southeast in particular has just run out of things to debate. We voted on something like 150 initiatives in the late 2004 to early 2006 period; that's an incredible amount of activity and debate was centered on meaningful issues and the legislation was well written. Regions also suffer from being viewed as a sideshow to the Senate and Presidency. Few Governors have been successful in motivating their region to take center stage - Ernest was one. But nowadays, it's all about moving up to federal office and doing something that really "matters". That can't be changed outside regions becoming relevant again.

----

Thanks to Sen. Jake for the interview.

Any persons interested in being the subject of a future Examiner Interview should contact the editor directly by PM.

[MasterJedi]

Might I strongly suggest talking to the people they are writing about before slandering them without knowing anything? I have every intention of replying to questions (which I just finished doing), I just had no intention of doing it late last night or really early this morning when they were posed and I was on.

The only reason I posted the second part of the Foreign Policy Review at that time because it had been finished at a previous time and had recieved the OK from Phil to release it. All I had to do was copy and paste, not write out any responses.

The absolute anti-Phil administration bias of this paper and the mistakes that need to be corrected by people make this paper's credibility in serious question. You're reminding me of Keith Olberman, except he at least admits he's biased.

[Јas]

Might I strongly suggest talking to the people they are writing about before slandering them without knowing anything? I have every intention of replying to questions (which I just finished doing), I just had no intention of doing it late last night or really early this morning when they were posed and I was on.

The only reason I posted the second part of the Foreign Policy Review at that time because it had been finished at a previous time and had recieved the OK from Phil to release it. All I had to do was copy and paste, not write out any responses.

It's only slanderous where the comments are untrue. The material as printed was, and as far as I'm concerned was still, evidently true at the time of going to press. Nothing you've said contradicts anything in the article. It isn't a rebuttal to my piece, it's an excuse. You did ignore the questions (whether or not you intended to get around to them at some later point) - instead of offering any response to them, you continued with the review.

At any rate, President Phil has said to me that I should expect no co-operation from the administration. Since given that notification, I've simply taken for granted that any questions or requests for information I make will be ignored. I see no need to waste my time in doing so.

The absolute anti-Phil administration bias of this paper and the mistakes that need to be corrected by people make this paper's credibility in serious question. You're reminding me of Keith Olberman, except he at least admits he's biased.

As I've said to you already, "this paper will only be, indeed can only be, the news in Atlasia as I see it, reflecting my own interests and reflections".

I'm not claiming that there is no bias in my writings. I don't believe it's possible to write a completely unbiased newspaper. I've not made any claims about this newspaper being biased or unbiased. I simply report what I think is newsworthy and occasionally provide my own commentary.

The readers of this paper know that this administration and I don't see eye to eye. Obviously, I have different political views to Phil. For example, I am of the political left, not of the right; I believe in working hard in office, not in inactivity; and I believe in trying to fulfill my campaign promises, not merely offering insubstantive rhetoric and playing the blame game.

If I make an error, I correct it. I do not claim to be infallible, I am perfectly happy to correct any factual inaccuracies as and when they may arise. If you don't like my coverage don't read it. If you think there should be a better journalistic endeavour, set one up or utilise your press secretary to get your message out. I really fail to see how yourself or your boss coming in here and complaining about bias really helps your cause - this apparant surprise that there may be Atlasians who disagree with you and then go so far as to voice their disagreement seems to take you by surprise. You can come in and complain about bias as often as you like, but I'll run this newspaper however I see fit and I will not cow to anyone who questions my credibility with cheap and lazy insults.

[Keystone Phil]

I ask my Cabinet members to not get frustrated over this silly rag.

[Sensei]

I ask my Cabinet members to not get frustrated over this silly rag.

next headline

"President calls largest active newspaper 'silly rag'"

[Keystone Phil]

I ask my Cabinet members to not get frustrated over this silly rag.

next headline

"President calls largest active newspaper 'silly rag'"

Sounds good. I'd love to do a hilarious interview about that topic with the esteemed editor.

[Јas]

I ask my Cabinet members to not get frustrated over this silly rag.

next headline

"President calls largest active newspaper 'silly rag'"

lol

[Јas]

The Examiner

24 March 2008

MAS Stands Down
President Keystone Phil’s nominee for the office of the Attorney General, MAS117, has withdrawn his own nomination from consideration after 8 days of his Senate confirmation hearing. The announcement comes after a day where the nomination's chances of success seemed to be slipping away.

Fighting a losing battle
Last night, MAS had made clear his continued frustration with the Senate:

“The level of respect and urgency in this Senate is not where it should be. I know that this might hurt my nomination but someone has to say it, and if I go down I go down, but I will not go down without a fight.”

Over the past 24 hours, 2 more Senators made their positions clear on the nomination – and neither were willing to back the nominee. Sen. Afleitch (NLC-D3) explained that he felt unable to either vote explicitly in favour or against the nominee in the circumstances. Sen. hughento (NLC-MW) voted Nay, feeling it inappropriate to vote to confirm a nominee who couldn’t command the support of a majority of the Senate.

With the vote of hughento, the position in the Senate was as follows:
Aye: 1 (Sam Spade)
Nay: 3 (Jake; friz; hughento)
Abstain: 4 (Verily; Hashemite; CultureKing; afleitch*)
Yet to cast votes: 2 (Bacon King; meekermariner)

Withdrawal
With the tide evidently against him, MAS proceeded to formally withdraw his nomination. His concluding speech to the Senate, in which he derides the present Senate and lauds his own Atlasian career, is reproduced here, in full…

“For the good of the entire nation in the chance to move on, I will withdraw my nomination. Thank you to President Phil for his confidence in me. Also, thank you to Hugh, for actually standing for something and doing whats right whether that was for me or against me. I have to say, I have been in Atlasia since before it was actually Atlasia, and this is one of the disingenuous and worst Senate sessions I have ever come across. The level of respect is subpar at best. Thank god for good Senators like Sam and Hugh who make it somewhat bearable. I believe my record of service here in Atlasia is admirable and stellar. I will not let those who wish to trash that due to personal reasons get the best of it. I urge all Senators to start doing their jobs, and doing them honorably.”

What’s Next?
Given President Phil’s recently stated position that the Attorney Generalship is a position which needs to be filled urgently, eyes will turn now to the White House to see who the President now submits for confirmation.

----

Sen. Jake resigns
In an unexpected move, Sen. Jake of District 4 has resigned his Senate seat. In doing so, he utilised the provisions of the proportional Representation Act to gift the seat to the NLC, by joinging the party just before resigning. The SoFA, Mr. Moderate has given notice to the NLC that they have the right to fill the vacancy. The move gives the NLC an effective majority in the Senate, something unknown in recent times in Atlasia.

Jake though has announced that he will be contesting the April mid-term elections.

----

SoEA not ready to take on board VP’s concerns
In his response to Vice President Ebowed’s concerns about the recently stated administration policy in favour of restrictions on Cuba, the SoEA Masterjedi informed the VP that he wasn’t prepared to alter the review unless the President authorises it. He went on to defend the decision saying: “Restrictions on Cuba aren’t hurting the people, it’s mostly hurting the Government”.

Part III of the Review, covering Europe, has now also been released, notably rowing back on the previous SoEA’s strong position on Russia.

----

NOTA wins Pacific Lt. Governor race
PLP Vice Chair, Xahar, has lost his bid to become the Pacifican Lt. Governor - with a final result registered as 4-1 in favour of NOTA. All 4 votes were cast by JCP members. Governor bgwah has announced that an election will be held next weekend should a candidate emerge.

In related news, Gov. bgwah has announced his re-election bid. It is not believed that a credible opponent will emerge with a chance of defeating the incumbent Governor.

The JCP’s membership continues to grow, with Sen. Sam Spade joining the party, though with the stated reason of attempting to destroy the JCP from within.

----

Regional Legislatures
The Northeastern region has passed the Predatory Lending Prohibition Act and Northeast Evidence Act but rejected Ernest’s Land Value Tax Initiative by a vote of 4-7. The measure sought to remove consideration of improvements to property being taken into account for property taxation purposes. In the Mideast, both the Mixed Parentage Act and the Healthy Youth Act passed relatively comfortably.

The Southeast region has approved John Dibble’s Free Range Prison Initiative by a narrow vote of 5-4. The move represents a major break from orthodox prisoner detention systems. The Southeast Abortion Initiative No. 2 tied 4-4-1 and will appear on the ballot again next month.

[Јas]

The Examiner Interview

24 March 2008

For today's Examiner Interview, I spoke with Senator Hashemite...


Relationship with the NLC

You've had a fairly unique relationship with the NLC, having been affiliated with rather than a member of the party for a great length of time. Why have you been so reluctant to being a fully fledged member?

Hashemite: I was waiting for that question. Well, I'd say it's because I like doing unique stuff with political parties.  It's not because there's something or somebody in the NLC that I don't like in particular. That said, I'll probably end up joining the NLC once I'm tired of my one-man party.


The Senate and Elections

What do you hope to achieve as a Senator now that you've succeeded Mr. Moderate to the District 2 seat?

Hashemite: There are a number of bills currently on the agenda, and I don't have any particular bill that I urgently feel the need to add to the agenda. I wish to contribute to the debate on those bills and propose amendments to them, as any Senator should do.


You've also indicated that you intend to seek election in your own right to the Senate this April. At this stage, how do you view your prospects?

Hashemite: At this point in time, I do intend to seek re-election. However, that's not set in stone, as many unforseeable things could happen between now and then that would require me to retire temporarilly. However, if I do decide to seek election, I think I can realistically win with the support of the NLC and other citizens nationwide.


The NLC seems to have a fairly healthy level of interest in the elections in general, with the prospect of a party primary to decide on candidates. What do you see as an acceptable result for the party in the mid-terms?

Hashemite: An answer to that depends on whether or not incumbents like afleitch or Bacon King decide to seek a spot on the NLC list. If they do, I hope they can be re-elected, as well as myself. Therefore, I'd say 3 out of 5 seats would be an excellent result for the NLC.


Attorney General

Your last substantive post was as Attorney General, now following your term, how do you view your performance in the role?

Hashemite: I think that I handled the Phil-Walterstein case well, and I tried to re-open the Patents Office, but it seemed few people were still interested in that, as they had been under my predecessor, King, who issued a large number of patents and copyrights.


One of your first acts as Senator has been to cast an abstention on MAS, who is nominated to succeed you as Attorney General. Can you explain why you voted so?

Hashemite: Firstly, I wasn't too impressed when he asked Friz to explain his "nay" vote on his confirmation. If Friz doesn't want to explain why he voted that way, then we should respect that. More importantly however, he failed to give specifics to myself and others on how exactly he plans to expand the position of Attorney General. That said, if he is confirmed, I don't think that he would do a terrible job, and I believe that he is qualified. I obviously don't know of his performance in past positions before I registered in Atlasia, but he was a good and competent Governor in the Northeast region.

----

Any persons interested in being the subject of a future Examiner Interview should contact the editor directly by PM.

[Јas]

The Examiner

25 March 2008

Bell new AG nominee

Atlasian veteran, Peter Bell, has been nominated as the replacement nominee to fill the vacancy at the office of the Attorney General. The President made the announcement after his first nominee, MAS117, yesterday removed his name from consideration after a lengthy Senate hearing. The President did though ask that MAS “remain with us so that we can work together to rebuild Atlasia”. The Bell nomination was immediately welcomed by MAS.

The Mideast Lt. Governor Ben Constine has expressed concern about Mr. Bell’s recent inactivity and suggested the nomination was made because of the help Mr. Bell provided President Phil during his fraud trial appeal. However, his concerns have been quickly waved off by a number of citizens.

The Examiner has learned that it was Mr. Bell who approached the President on learning the news of MAS’s withdrawal seeking the nomination. An Examiner Interview with the new AG nominee will be published shortly.

----

NLC decide on how to fill Jake’s vacancy

NLC Chair Verily wants all options on the table in deciding who to replace Sen. Jake in the Senate. He has expressed the view that there is no need to try and fill the vacancy from District 4. The view is informed by the fact that the upcoming mid-term elections will be nationwide in character. The announcement could be seen to scupper South Park Conservative’s hopes of a Senate seat – as he is the notable NLC candidate from District 4. He is yet to comment on the issue.

Following his withdrawal from the AG confirmation hearing, MAS has moved to joing the NLC and has himself made known his wish to replace Sen. Jake.

Rocky back in the race
In related news, Rockefeller Republican has re-entered the Senate mid-term race and is seeking a place as one of the NLC’s official nominees.

----

Foreign Policy Review

SoEA Masterjedi has released the 4th part of his 6 part Foreign Policy Review. This section covers administration policy regarding Africa. As has become the norm, questions and queries have been raised by a number of Atlasians about the stances put forward.

[Јas]

The Examiner Interview

25 March 2008

For today's Examiner Interview, I spoke with the new AG nominee, Peter Bell...


Recent Absence

Your recent activity has been fairly infrequent. How closely have you been following the advent of the Phil Presidency and latterly the nomination of MAS?

Peter: Unfortunately, approximately 6 weeks ago I suffered a medical problem that required serious hospital treatment. This cut short my involvement in an important court cases for Atlasia and also caused my posting to come to a near complete halt. In the weeks since then I have been following the forum, though I have not contributed. A good deal of my time was spent continuing to recover and also catching up at work. I am happy to report that all of this should now be behind me and that I will be able to dedicate the necessary time to Atlasia that this position involves.

Whilst I have not been posting, I have been quite closely following the events surrounding the new administration and confirmation hearings.


The Phil Presidency

A month after the election, what are your views on the performance of the Phil Presidency to date?

Peter: The President's performance to date is almost impossible to judge in a reliable, objective way - his supporters will approve of him; his detractors will not. The simple reason is that he has yet to have a chance to put forward his agenda. He has nominated his cabinet, and that is about as much as one could have expected to this point.


Then may I ask what was your assessment of his cabinet nominations themselves and how the administration has handled the issues arising therefrom?

Peter: The President's nominations are/were excellent, not that he needs my approval; I have absolute confidence that my two colleagues will serve with distinction in the roles they have now been confirmed to. I have absolutely no problem with the President replacing Lewis Trondheim in the Forum Affairs brief - the cabinet is there to serve the President, and it is absolutely right that a President should feel he can start from a blank sheet.


You appear to suggest that the President may yet put forward some form of agenda - though since his inaugeration, the president hasn't hinted at any legislation; policy announcements; or initiatives of any kind. Have you any actual knowledge of Phil's upcoming plans for his Presidency?

Peter: No, having only recently been nominated I have not had a chance to have any detailed discussions with the President regarding either his visions for the Justice department or any policy proposals I might have. The fact that such discussions have not taken place does not mean these policies do not exist, and I have no doubt that the President will put forward a vigourous and cogent agenda for the Senate and nation to consider.


It's believed that President Phil approached you to be the AG before his inaugeration. Is this accurate?

Peter: At the time I would have been unable to accept the nomination because I still needed recuperation time


The MAS Confirmation Hearing

How do you regard the Senate's treatment of the MAS confirmation hearing and were you a Senator, how would you have voted on the nomination?

Peter: It is unfortunate that Senators did not present MAS with an opportunity to demonstrate his competence (or alleged lack thereof). Ultimately I would have tried to ensure the Senate was better informed of a nominee before entering a vote.


How would you have ensured that the Senate was better informed in the way you describe?

Peter: I would have asked substantive questions that the nominee could have answered.


The timing between MAS's announcement that he was withdrawing his nomination and the announcement that you were to be the new nominee was particularly brief. Is there any particular reason why this was the case?

Peter: To catch you out!!
No, it is actually entirely co-incidental. I was online and noticed MAS's withdrawal - I told the President privately that I was available, and he nominated me.


The AG's Office

The President has expressed the view that an AG is needed as a matter of urgency. Do you concur with this assessment?

Peter: Yes.


Can you elaborate on why this may be the case?

Peter: The office has sat vacant since Hashemite resigned from the post for pastures new - it'll be over 4 weeks by the time I am confirmed - the Justice Department needs a titular head to ensure its many functions can be carried out. I'd definitely say this qualifies as urgent.


Why have you decided to accept the nomination?

Peter: I feel that Atlasia needs an Attorney General who will continue the growth in activity of the legal dimension of Atlasia that we are just beginning to witness - this will require a proactive AG, and I feel that I fulfil that requirement, and my history in my many roles I would hope bears me out on this.


Do you have any specific plans regarding how to achieve further growth in Atlasian legal activity?

Peter: Several issues have arisen out of the recent Walterstein case - I will work to address these. I am also considering instituting a formal Atlasian Bar (not the alcoholic kind either), but that will require more thought and consultation.

----

Thanks to Peter for the interview.

Any persons interested in being the subject of a future Examiner Interview should contact the editor directly by PM.

[Јas]

The Examiner

26 March 2008

NLC: Wixted favourite to fill D4 Vacancy

NLC Chairman Verily has opened the party’s decision making process on who to fill the District 4 vacancy.

Despite early support for MAS from Gov. AndrewCT, MAS withdrew himself from consideration following a declaration of interest from Fmr. President Colin Wixted.

The declaration was quickly followed by declarations of support from across the party including: Sen. Hashemite; Rockefeller Republican; Gov. Andrew CT; and, SoFA Moderate.

However, NLC newcomer South Park Conservative would seem to also be in the running. He has declared himself to be “willing to take the seat” and indeed “willing to caucus with the party on important issues”.

Though Colin Wixted must be seen as the strong favourite to take the position, South Park Conservative seems eager to put the matter to a vote.

----

NLC: Primary Details Confirmed

NLC Party Chairman Verily has confirmed that the NLC will be holding a Primary to decide upon it’s candidates for the upcoming mid-term Senate elections. On the weekend of 28-30 March, the party will select its 5 candidates and, crucially, its preferred ordinance of the candidates using the STV method of polling.

Verily listed the candidates for the primary as being:
Sen. afleitch
Sen. Bacon King
Fmr. Pres. Colin Wixted
Sen. Hashemite
Fmr. Lt. Gov. Rockefeller Republican
Fmr. Lt. Gov. South Park Conservative

It is unknown whether or not Fmr. Gov. MAS will be added to the list – though he was interested in the vacant District 4 seat; he hasn’t yet stated a position on the mid-terms themselves.

----

National Policy Standardisation Amendment

The National Policy Standardisation Amendment is at final vote before the Senate. The Amendment proposes to place matters passed by the Senate which only affect federal territories automatically onto the ballots of all regions at the next available opportunity. As a Constitutional Amendment, it will at least require two-thirds support in the Senate before it can be sent to the regions.

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Foreign Policy Review

SoEA Masterjedi has released Part 5 of his Foreign Policy Review covering the Middle East and Central Asia. Notable among the policy pronouncements were the apparent approval of a two state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian problem; and the decision not to impose any restrictions on Saudi Arabia despite a great many recognised abuses and issues of concern. The decision leaves the administration open to claims of that it is more concerned about oil supply than applying a consistent foreign policy. As has now become the norm, the Review has sparked concern from a number of Atlasian citizens on some of the designations in the review.

The SoEA also announced that Mideast Gov. HappyWarrior will be advising the Department on independence movements around the world.

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AG Senate Confirmation Hearing

The Senate confirmation hearing for Peter Bell has been opened by the PPT, Verily.

The nomination is expected to pass without great difficulty. Notably, the only criticism of the nomination to date - that of Mideast Lt. Governor Ben Constine – has now been withdrawn.

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Mideast Lt. Gov Under Pressure

Mideast Lt. Gov. Ben Constine has found himself under public scrutiny in recent days for both his opposition to the Peter Bell AG nomination (subsequently withdrawn) and his policy pledge to re-introduce the Cloning Bill which previously failed to pass in the region.

The Gubernatorial candidate spoke in an Examiner Interview about the importance he attached to allowing science to be unimpeded to make potentially beneficial discoveries. However, his remarks and position have been criticised by his electoral opponent, Inks.LWC; sitting Gov. HappyWarrior; SoEA Masterjedi; and most particularly, by Al.

[Јas]

The Examiner Interview

26 March 2008

For today's Examiner Interview, I spoke with MAS about his recently ended controversial nomination to be the Attorney General...

Before...

Your relationship with Phil has not always been positive. When and how did it occur that you came to achieve a friendlier relationship?

MAS: First off thanks for having me hear. I think over time we both realized that there was no reason to continue to argue in a manner that became personal. Over the years here at Atlasia, there is no doubt that Phil and I have had our differences, but really, at least for me, I realized that we do have a lot in common, and now I consider us somewhat friends.


Can you describe to us the background to your nomination? Did Phil approach you or vice versa? What was the reasoning behind the decision to nominate you for the Attorney Generalship?

MAS: I believe I was watching LOST at the time, both the President and I and huge LOST fans. We were discussing an episode I just watched online and he offered me the position to be in his cabinet, and I happily accepted. I do not know the reasons he nominated me for AG. I like to think that he thought I would be a great Attorney General, and that I would be a good cabinet officer.


During...

Early on following your nomination, allegations about incompetence arose, the issue that came to dog the entire process. From your own perspective, can you understand why such concerns were raised? And how do you feel you can best demonstrate that the allegations are untrue?

MAS: I think the main reasons those allegations arose was due to personal reasons behind some Senators disagreeing with my nomination. I have been a member of Atlasia since before it was even Atlasia, so there are several people I have squabbled with at some point in time, Jake being one of them. In terms of my record, I think it speaks for itself. I believe I am one of the most accomplished Governors in the history of the Northeast region, and I think others will verify that claim. When Atlasia was became a nation, I switched around positions a bunch, and actually Phil was one of my biggest critics in that regard. But as with any cabinet appointment, you serve at the pleasure of the President. Nym90 at the time was President and he asked me to move around a bit and I obliged. Years later I don’t think that argument still has any merits. 


You've expressed the view that the Senate was not doing it's job properly when it came to dealing with your nomination - indeed you made remarks suggesting that there is a worrying lack of capable Senators in the legislature at present. Can you explain to the people what you feel was done wrong and how things should have been done differently?

MAS: It is the Senate’s duties to give advice and consent on the basis of whether nominees are qualified for their post. As a former Attorney General, Justice of the Supreme Court, and Chief Judicial Officer of the Northeast I feel I am more then qualified to hold the position of Attorney General. My problem with this hearing was that Senators did not participate in the hearing and them arbitrarily voted nay or abstained on my confirmation. No Senator sought me out outside of the hearing as well. I received no PMs, IMs, or emails from Senators. I don’t feel that shows the willingness and capabilities of a good Senator. I am disappointed in several Senators, who did not even attempt to contact me regarding allegations made against me in the hearing yet abstained from voting. As a former Senator, I know what the duties of a Senator should be. I don’t feel like members of this Senate understand these well enough.


You said during the hearing that you hoped to bring a "fresh philosophy" to the office of the AG. Can you give some more detail about the types of changes you hoped to make to improve the stature and workings of the office?

MAS: I think the fresh philosophy would have come in the form of being removed from this office so long. I have time to evaluate the position since I held it in 2004. As a member of regional government for some time, one of my goals would have been to work with regional Judges and Governors to help establish guidelines and regulations concerning their individual court systems. I believe since the regional judiciaries are so small, the AG’s office could have acted as an advisor to regional governments in this regard.


After...

You've just recently decided to join the NLC. Curiously though, this is the party with the dominant position in the Senate. Could this not be seen as an odd move, given your disparaging remarks about the Senate's recent behaviour?

MAS: For a while I have been an independent in Atlasia, and I decided that it was finally time to a join a party. I believe the the NLC has a great core group of members who have been influential and decision makers in Atlasia, and I want to be a part of that. While its true some of the members of Senate that I criticized are NLC members, I hope to work with them in the future to help bring the Senate back to where it should be.


You've also expressed interest in taking a Senate seat. What do you offer the people as a Senator and what can we expect from a Senator MAS?

MAS: I am very happy with my previous record as a member of the 6th, 7th, and 10th Senate sessions. However, I have since removed my name from consideration for the Senate seat in favor of our former President and my friend Colin Wixted, so that I can explore further opportunities that have arose.


Peter Bell quickly became the replacement nominee for the vacant AG spot. What are your thoughts on his nomination?

MAS: There is no finer person in Atlasia then Peter Bell to serve in the position as Attorney General. Peter has been a long serving legal scholar in Atlasia, and will be a brilliant AG. I have all the confidence in the world in him, and I think the President has made a great nomination. I expect his confirmation to be a bit easily then mine, and I hope the Senate will give him the respect they did not give to me. 


Addendum... Since the interview was conducted MAS has pulled out of the Senate race and has been appointed Northeastern Chief Judicial Officer. Commenting on this, he said:

MAS: I have been named CJO of the NE region once again. I look forward to serving in regional government once again and will continue to serve in an honest and fair capacity for the Northeast.


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Any persons interested in being the subject of a future Examiner Interview should contact the editor directly by PM