Politics 12-11

Retired Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson, who served as a senior military aide to President Bill Clinton from 1996 to 1998, delivered an indictment of Democratic party leaders’ policies on military issues at a 12/3 lecture at UCSB. Among the anecdotes Patterson recalled was Clinton’s alleged misplacement of a document that contained the nuclear codes. Patterson has written several books on Democrats and military issues. (/patterson1211)

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Sarah Weddington, the winning attorney in Roe v. Wade, attended a 12/6 “Coffee with Lois Capps” gathering, sponsored by the S.B. Women’s Political Committee. Weddington told an 80-person crowd at the Contemporary Arts Forum that the Obama administration is likely to fill U.S. Supreme Court vacancies with pro-choice judges. Congressmember Capps expressed hope for climate change action, as environmental reformer Henry Waxman will chair the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (/weddington1211)