"Town hall meetings are a unique part of American democracy and I look forward to a lively and engaging discussion with folks in every locality across the district," said Rep. Perriello. "I always appreciate feedback from constituents, which is why I hold town halls and Main Street tours in addition to my one-on-one constituent meetings."

"There is no tradition more tried and true in our American democracy than the debate. Tom looks forward to informing the voters of his record of results, as well as to engaging with the other candidates about their ideas for how to improve competitive advantage in our local economy," said Lise Clavel, campaign manager for the Perriello campaign. "We urge Sen. Hurt and Mr. Clark to quickly agree to this debate so that 5th district voters may be best equipped to make an informed choice in November."

The question now facing the GOP in the Fifth District is: Can the party be united in the contest to unseat Rep. Tom Perriello? And for Rep. Perriello: Can he overcome the current anti-incumbency sentiment to keep his seat?

“On this Memorial Day, and indeed every day, I am humbled by the courage of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country, and for their families who have sacrificed so much as well. It has been my single greatest honor since coming to Congress to serve on the Veterans Affairs Committee, and to have worked on a bipartisan basis to move us closer to fulfilling the promise we have made to those who wore the uniform. We have had great successes on support for rural veterans, disabled veterans and their family caregivers, and those who wish to pursue higher education, but we are not nearly satisfied. Our returning veterans face unusually intense health and economic challenges, and we must stand with them and their families. This Memorial Day, we must remember and honor the sacrifice of the fallen, but we also must recommit ourselves as a nation to doing everything in our power to provide them with unwavering support every day.”

While I respect his decision, and the need for delay and investigation, I do not believe outright cancellation was the only alternative given the fact that this sale was not due to occur until two years from now, and actual drilling would likely take place years after that. The two-year environmental impact statement already underway would provide ample information about the wisdom of proceeding on to an actual lease sale.

Judging by our scorecard, all the talk about growing political polarization has a basis in fact. We score 20 votes in each house, on a wide range of foreign and domestic issues. In 2007, there were 53 House members who achieved a perfect score (our "ADA Heroes"), and 43 who got every vote wrong (the Zeros). In the latest survey, the ranks of the Heroes swelled to 98, but there were also a lot more Zeros--75. In the Senate, the three Heroes of '07 became 16 last year. (Zeros are generally scarcer in the Upper Chamber: 3 in '07, 1 last year.)

"We live in Omaha and we get no benefits," Brenner said. "We wanted to get married on the first day available and we want Nebraska to join with Iowa and make it happen."

"We pay taxes. We vote. We serve our country," said Beckstead. "I don't think Nebraska understood that we want to continue."

Supporters of same-sex marriage said they plan to continue to spread their message of equality and they hope others will listen.

"This is about civil rights, not religious rights," said JoAnne Palmer.