By John Aloysius Farrell

Washington � President Bush’s attempt to jump-start a troubled second term with his State of the Union address tonight will be complicated by memories of the major initiatives he announced in last year’s speech and failed to deliver.

Bush looked like a political titan a year ago, after a re-election campaign that secured his second term and bolstered Republican control of the House and Senate. Vowing to maximize his political capital, he offered the nation an ambitious agenda.

The president declared his intent to privatize Social Security, reform the tax code, secure America’s borders, transform the immigration system with a guest-worker program and promote a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

Bush also promised to restrain “the spending appetite� of the federal government, to “make tax relief permanent� and “make health care more affordable.�

Instead, the first year of Bush’s second term was defined by events that sapped the president’s political strength and hampered progress on his agenda. >> MORE

By Anne C. Mulkern

Washington � The seven Republican and seven Democrat senators who united last year to protect the right to filibuster opted Monday not to use that tool to block a vote on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito’s confirmation.

Every member of the so-called “Gang of 14’’ – including Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar – voted to end debate and allow the confirmation vote to proceed. >> MORE

By Karen Augé

President Bush is expected to use his State of the Union address tonight to push a series of health care proposals - and the prospect of so much attention has health care wonks of all stripes unanimously thrilled.

That, however, is pretty much all they’re unanimous about. >> MORE

By Alicia Caldwell

And then there was none.

The last of three candidates hoping to become U.S. attorney for Colorado dropped out of contention Monday, saying he got word from the presidential administration that it wanted to consider other candidates.

“I had gotten a call from the White House indicating they had gone in a different direction,” said Jim Peters, who had been the district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, which includes Douglas, Arapahoe, Elbert and Lincoln counties. >> MORE

Here’s a humble policy suggestion for the Pentagon.

I call my initiative: “Don’t ask, don’t care.”

Once enacted, folks like Mara Boyd will be serving my country, instead of being ostracized for her dedication. >> MORE

Washington - Cold War terrors were at a peak and tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers were dying at the hands of communists in Korea when President Harry Truman, citing his authority as commander in chief, seized America’s steel mills.

Seething at this raw exercise of power, the steel companies appealed to the courts. In 1952, in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. vs. Sawyer, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the industry, saying that Truman had exceeded his authority.

Judge Robert Jackson’s concurring opinion set forth an enduring three-part test for gauging the legality of presidential action. When a White House acts in concert with Congress, Jackson wrote, executive authority is “at its maximum.�

When the president acts in the absence of congressional intent, he enters a “zone of twilight.�

But when a chief executive acts against the will of Congress, said Jackson, “his power is at its lowest ebb� and “must be scrutinized with caution, for what is at stake is the equilibrium established by our constitutional system.� >> MORE

By Anne C. Mulkern

Washington - Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar on Thursday joined New York Democrat Sen. Charles E. Schumer in calling for a special counsel to investigate political corruption involving lobbyist Jack Ambramoff. >> MORE

Here is the text of a speech prepared for delivered Thursday on the floor of the U.S. Senate by Sen. Ken Salazar in opposition to the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, as provided by Salazar’s office. >> MORE

By Alicia Caldwell

Another of the three candidates for Colorado U.S. attorney bowed out Thursday, saying the year-long selection process has gone on too long.

Troy Eid, a lawyer and former counsel to Gov. Bill Owens, said he was no longer interested in pursuing the job.

“I would simply say the process has taken too long,” he said. “It has affected my family and clients, and I think it’s the best move.” >> MORE

Here are excerpts from the text of a speech prepared for delivered Wednesday on the floor of the U.S. Senate by Sen. Wayne Allard in support of the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, as provided by Allard’s office. >> MORE

By Anne C. Mulkern

Washington � The Colorado lawmaker replaced as leader of the House ethics committee after it rebuked the body’s No. 2 Republican suspects that congressional corruption will continue despite reform efforts.

“You never can make enough rules to stop people who really are intent on breaking the rules,� said Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colorado Springs. “We will make a flurry to convince the American public that we’re making these sweeping changes that are going to solve the problem. >> MORE

By Claire Martin

Adeline Lombardi Tancredo, who died Tuesday at age 92, took pride in being the “Americanized� daughter of Italian immigrants, with a patriotism that helped shape the famous nativist tone of son Tom Tancredo’s political career.

She was the middle child of three daughters born to immigrants who resettled in Denver after leaving San Miguel in Abruzzo, Italy. She relished the bounty of her native country and kept a firm embrace on the Italian culture she inherited. >> MORE

By Karen E. Crummy

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, in Washington attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors this week, said Wednesday that concerns about his family and staff and whether he can finish the things he has started in his first term as mayor are weighing heavily into his highly anticipated decision about whether to run for governor.

He also wants to be sure he can have a real impact on the state if elected governor.

“I have to look at where I can do the most amount of good,” Hickenlooper said in a telephone interview from Washington. “I need to look at what’s best for the city, the state, and my personal sense of engagement and satisfaction.” >> MORE

By Mike Soraghan and Aldo Svaldi

Washington � The National Security Agency, the country’s largest and most secretive intelligence service, says it is moving some operations to the Denver area.

The NSA, which monitors communications around the world for the United States intelligence community, confirmed the move in a statement to The Denver Post but did not say how many people would be coming to Denver, when they would arrive or where in the Denver area they would be based. >> MORE

By Anne C. Mulkern

Washington � Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar is joining the Senate’s ethics committee, just as ethical transgressions and calls for reform become a major congressional issue.

“The ethics compliance of people in the United States Senate is important because it has to do with heart of integrity of government,� said Salazar, a Democrat. >> MORE