Sen. Michael Crapo (R-ID) pleaded guilty to drunk driving following his arrest last month and issued a sweeping apology after a judge accepted his plea, the Washington Post reports.

Crapo “was sentenced to 180 days in jail, all of which was suspended. His license was suspended for a year, but he’s eligible for a restricted license. Crapo must also pay a $250 fine and complete an alcohol program over the next year.”

Crapo, a Mormon, said that he had been using alcohol for several months to “relieve stress,” a decision that was “at odds with who I am” and against Mormon practices.

“We’re less on testosterone. We don’t have that need to always be confrontational. And I think we’re problem solvers, and I think that’s what this country needs.”

— Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), quoted by ABC News, on the record number of female senators in the 113th Congress.

A filibuster reform proposal — sponsored by Senators Carl Levin, Chuck Schumer, John McCain, and others — is so weak that one of the leading reformers in the Senate, Jeff Merkley, tells Greg Sargent he will vote against it if it comes to the floor.

Said Merkley: “If Levin-McCain comes to the floor in its current form, I’ll vote against it. I’ll certainly encourage others to oppose it.”

“That Merkley is sounding the alarm in this fashion suggests the prospects for real filibuster reform may be very bleak. If Merkley can round up some liberal votes against the final package, that might not stop it from passing, but it could cast real doubt on the seriousness of the proposal.”

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) gave his first in-depth interview to the Daily Herald since he suffered a massive stroke nearly a year ago.

“Awakening from what he says might have been a dream, a side effect of medication or a near-death experience, Kirk found himself lying in a hospital bed in Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, hooked up to monitors and tubes. He had no way of immediately knowing what had transpired in the days after he suffered an ischemic stroke on Jan. 21, 2012; that doctors had put him in a coma and performed several surgeries, temporarily removing a 4-by-8 inch portion of skull to allow his brain to swell and heal.”

The Chicago Tribune reports Kirk “is expected to make a dramatic return to Congress on Thursday, perhaps walking up the Capitol steps.”

The New York Times reports that yesterday was the first time in 42 years that there have been roll call votes in Congress during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“The House and Senate have held numerous pro forma sessions during the week between Christmas and New Year over the years, and in 1995 during a major budget battle. But the last time they held roll call votes that week, before Thursday, was during the second session of the 91st Congress, in 1970, amid a large spending fight and a filibuster over financing for a supersonic transport plane.”

Politico: “Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s decision to buck the dying wish of legendary Sen. Daniel Inouye and install his own No. 2, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, as the state’s soon-to-be senior senator may be less surprising than it seems.”

“Abercrombie and Inouye were not allies. In fact, their two-decade relationship in Congress was marked by rifts — most notably over Inouye’s encouragement of a primary challenger to Abercrombie in the 2010 governor’s race. Abercrombie and Schatz were running mates in that same election.”

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) selected Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz (D) to replace the late Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) in the U.S. Senate, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports.

Schatz said “he will fly to Washington tonight and be sworn in Thursday so he can participate in Senate votes to avert a fiscal cliff of federal tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take effect in January.”

At 40 years old, Schatz will be the youngest senator — at least until Sen.-elect Chris Murphy (D-CT), who is 39, takes office next month.


Abercrombie chose Schatz from a list of recommendations from the Democratic Party of Hawaii that included Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) and and Esther Kiaaina (D), the deputy director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Sen. Michael Crapo (R-ID) was arrested in Virginia early Sunday morning and charged with driving under the influence, CBS News reports.

An officer was on routine patrol when he saw Sen. Crapo’s vehicle run a red light. Crapo underwent several field sobriety tests, which he failed… He was then taken into custody without incident.

Said Crapo: “I am deeply sorry for the actions that resulted in this circumstance. I made a mistake for which I apologize to my family, my Idaho constituents and any others who have put their trust in me. I accept total responsibility and will deal with whatever penalty comes my way in this matter. I will also undertake measures to ensure that this circumstance is never repeated.”

Politico notes Crapo is Mormon and has said publicly that he abstains from alcohol.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) told an emotional story at a memorial service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye’s (D-HI) about how he escorted former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS), Inouye’s longtime friend and a fellow wounded World War II hero, to pay their respects to Inouye at the Capitol Rotunda, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports.

Reid recounted how Dole, who usually uses a wheelchair, insisted on walking up to the casket.

Said Dole: “Danny’s not going to see me in a wheelchair.”

Dole, who lost the use of his right arm in combat, struggled to the casket, but “he got up there and, soldier to soldier, he saluted him with his left hand.”

“We are exactly where our first president George Washington warned us not to go, where members of Congress would put the interest of their party or political faction, as Washington described it, higher than the interest of our country.”

— Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), in an interview with ABC News.

Smart Politics finds that Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), who died yesterday, served alongside a total of 412 men and women in the U.S. Senate over his career of nearly 50 years. Among those were 218 Democrats, 189 Republicans, three independents, one Conservative, and one from the Independence Party.

“Included among these 412 Senators were 14 from Minnesota, 13 each from Illinois and Tennessee, 12 from Colorado, Florida, and North Carolina, 11 from California, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Virginia, and 10 each from Missouri, New York, and Ohio.”

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) wrote a letter to Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) urging him to appoint Rep. Colleen Hana­busa (D-HI) as his successor just before he succumbed to respiratory problems at a Bethesda, Md., hospital, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports.

The Washington Post notes that less than two hours after Sen. Daniel Inouye died, the Senate passed a resolution naming Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) as the new president pro tempore.

Inouye’s death “also marks a significant generational shift in Senate history: Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) will be the only — and likely the final — veteran of World War II serving in the Senate next year.”

“The death of Hawaii’s senior senator also creates a vacancy atop the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. Here too Leahy is next in line, giving him the right of first refusal to the chairman’s gavel.”

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) died today of a respiratory ailment, “ending a life of remarkable service for his country and Hawaii that included sacrificing his right arm in World War II combat and spending 50 years as a U.S. senator,” the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports. He was 88 years old.

According to his office, Inouye’s last word was “Aloha.”

Roll Call: “He was seen using oxygen around the Capitol before being admitted to George Washington University hospital. It was explained at the time that because of a misdiagnosis of lung cancer several decades ago, Inouye had part of one of his lungs removed, causing the need for the oxygen treatment. Other news outlets have reported that Inouye may also have suffered from emphysema.”

The Week: Not since FDR has a president transformed so many senators into Cabinet secretaries.

Supporters of the “talking filibuster” are closing in on the majority needed to reform the rules, according to a whip count compiled by the Huffington Post.

“Nailing down at least 50 votes, however, doesn’t guarantee success. Advocates worry that Reid may use the prospect of victory on the most ambitious reform to persuade Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to cave and agree to a milder set of reforms. Those would likely include provisions that would speed up the pace of action in the Senate without altering the fundamental nature of minority rights.”

Retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told WFSB-TV that it is time for sweeping changes in the way the United States chooses its leaders and said he supports the elimination of the electoral college and supports term limits for his colleagues in the Senate.

Said Lieberman: “My position on this has changed. Some say there are term limits for senators every six years and it is up to voters to decide. When I started here (24 years ago) I was 99th in seniority, and now I am 20th, so it does change, but needs to change more often… I think it would make the senate less partisan and healthier if it turned over more often.”

He also said he was surprised there wasn’t a movement after the 2000 election to eliminate the electoral college.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) told the Tennessean that if Senate Democrats carry out a dramatic maneuver to change one of the institution’s most revered traditions, the filibuster, it will be “the end of the United States Senate.”

Alexander says the Senate “will become just like the House,” where a simple majority vote wins every time and the chamber loses its historic function of acting as a brake on popular proposals to give them more judicious consideration.