A Rose by any other name

Steve Rose of the Sun could be considered one of the de facto leaders of moderate Republicans in the Kansas City area. He is perhaps the most visible moderate, given his column's prominent position and its wide distribution throughout Johnson County.

His endorsement for President and Congress is online and it is quite simple:

Bush and Moore

Moore is a man of conviction, and his highest priority is safety and security for his nation. Dennis Moore does not hesitate to support President Bush, no matter the party differences, because on major issues he votes his convictions, which are deeply ingrained from his deep roots here in Johnson County. ...

I have known Dennis Moore for almost 30 years, since he first served as District Attorney for Johnson County, later as a Trustee of the Johnson County Community College, and then as a U.S. Congressman, elected in 1998. He has been a part of this community for a lifetime. He knows the needs of Johnson County. He knows his constituency. And he cares deeply about the people he represents.

Meanwhile, Kris gets lucky...

I have nothing to say about Kris Kobach, however. My parents always told me if I didn't have anything nice to say about someone, it is better to say nothing at all.

Also in today's news, Brad Cooper of The Kansas City Star has an article about Moore's voting record, which the headline says "defies easy labeling."

You mean he isn't a radical left-wing ultra-liberal like Kris Kobach says?

An analysis using Votetracker.com, a for-profit nonpartisan database service, shows that Moore has voted with the president about 52 percent of the time during the 108th Congress in 2003-04. During the 107th Congress, Moore voted with the president about 48 percent of the time.

Apparently not.