If there were a political version of the color-coded terrorism-alert system, Senate Republican leader Trent Lott would have gone to orange last week as he braced for an emergency Republican caucus. Several G.O.P. Senators were in revolt over news that House Republicans had tinkered with legislation creating a Homeland Security Department, slipping in provisions that had little to do with making the country safer but a lot to do with making special-interest groups happy. Lott figured he could get House leaders to delete the most egregious items when Congress returns in January, so he had his staff hang a sign with...
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