From Todays "Inside the Beltway" Washington Post

Sam's failure
   During his gubernatorial campaign, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promised voters that every time he traveled to Washington he would fight for reimbursement for his state's costs of incarcerating "criminal aliens."
   After all, he reasoned, such aliens are Uncle Sam's responsibility because he "failed" to prevent their entry into the country in the first place.
   This week, Mr. Schwarzenegger was back on Capitol Hill, and, as promised, he was discussing with House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert the outrageous cost of incarcerating aliens.
   "Each year, we are asked to bear the increasing cost of incarcerating undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes here in California," the Republican governor said. "It is the federal government's responsibility to secure our nation's borders and the federal government's responsibility to reimburse our state when they fail that duty."
   California spends more than $700 million per year locking up illegals.
   
 
   Jewish drawl
   We hadn't realized the historic bond between the Jewish population and the state of South Carolina until the House this week passed a resolution introduced by a Southern congressman honoring the 57th anniversary of Israel's independence.
   Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, relates these little-known facts: South Carolina was home to the largest Jewish population in North America at the time of the American Revolution; its provincial constitution was the first to recognize Judaism as being equal to Christianity; (bet that will rub some raw) the first election of a Jew to public office in North America was in South Carolina; and the first Jewish fatality of the American Revolution was a patriot from South Carolina.

I love South Carolina!