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Maine Republican Susan Collins said Thursday she does not foresee a Republican filibuster of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, but she’s withholding judgment on her own vote until after the summer hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. And in a statement that may further bolster the prospects for Kagan’s confirmation, Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), a potential swing vote, said he was comfortable with Kagan’s explanation of Havard’s ban on military recruiters at the Law School.

Tea Party Patriots in Maine turnout to show support for Senator Collins and Snowe standing strong against the new Democrat government takeover bank bailout scheme.

Sen. Collins pledges to block Democratic Wall Street bill By Alexander Bolton - 04/19/10 04:19 PM ET Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced after meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Monday that she will vote to filibuster a Democratic Wall Street reform bill. Her announcement hurts Democratic chances of moving financial reform legislation through the Senate this week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said last week that he planned to bring the legislation to the floor this week, but Collins’s stance means that Democrats will likely not have the 60 votes needed to begin floor debate. Collins said she...

"This administration cannot see a foreign terrorist even when he stands right in front of them." Yes my friends, that came from the mouth of MS Maine, our Northeastern RHINO, Susan Collins. She continued, “President Obama recently used the phrase that ‘we are at war’ with terrorists. But unfortunately his rhetoric does not match the actions of his administration. The Obama administration appears to have a blind spot when it comes to the War on Terrorism. And, because of that blindness, this administration cannot see a foreign terrorist even when he stands right in front of them, fresh from an...

In the Republicans weekly address.Conservatives often give Sen. Susan Collins grief for her willingness to compromise with Democrats (but note that she joined all 39 other GOP Senators and voted AGAINST the Dem health bill and the increase in debt). Here, she comes out swinging hard on the sheer idiocy of the Obama Administration's handling of the Christmas Bomber. Let's give her a vote of thanks for getting this issue right! [VIDEO AT SITE] Valuable intelligence which might prevent the next attack has been lost. The next attack may be a direct result of the Obama Administration's decision to treat...

Maine Senator Susan Collins totally destroys Barack Obama over his administration's conduct of the war on terror in the Republican weekly radio address.Video hereNo need to elaborate. Read the text for a masterful take down of Obama.“Less than one hour. That’s right, less than one hour. “In fact, just fifty minutes.“That’s the amount of time that the FBI spent questioning Abdulmutallab, the foreign terrorist who tried to blow up a plane on Christmas Day. “Then, he was given a Miranda warning and a lawyer, and, not surprisingly, he stopped talking. “How did we get to this point? How did the...

Architects of competing Senate climate change plans met Tuesday as behind-the-scenes talks continue over legislation that advocates of greenhouse gas limits are struggling to keep alive in 2010. Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are trying to craft a compromise climate and energy bill, and they met in the afternoon with Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). Cantwell and Collins introduced a so-called cap-and-dividend approach in December. Kerry, Graham and Lieberman are hoping to blend emissions caps with energy provisions including expanded offshore drilling and new subsidies for nuclear power. “They [Cantwell and...

An already crowded field in this year's race for governor got even larger on Tuesday. Steve Abbott, who spent the last 12 years as chief of staff for Senator Susan Collins, threw his hat into the ring, joining six other republicans. Abbott, who grew up in Orono and now lives in Portland, says the state needs to get a handle on spending. One of the first things he'd do in office is order an audit of all state government spending.

"I don't see voting for the current bill that is on the floor, even with the improvements that have been made," Collins said. "I'm very leery of the impact of nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts, particularly the cuts in home health care, which are completely counterproductive to the goal of lowering costs." Collins explained that she is continuing to work on the bill not because she intends to vote for it but because, "I think something is going to pass, and I would like to make that bill as good as possible, even if ultimately it's not a bill...

Over the weekend, the Senate continued debate on its version of the government takeover of health care with Republican “unanimous consent” cooperation on floor procedure.   Democrats fell into a rhythm of voting down Republican amendments to jettison the half-trillion dollars worth of Medicare cuts while passing their own -- garnering Republican votes (at times 100-0) on their amendments for political cover. As early as today, they will begin consideration of an amendment to bar abortion funding by or through any government-run “public option” insurance plan. This issue still may be the one that kills the bill for the year. ...

Sen. Lindsey Graham may be under fire from conservatives back home in South Carolina. But the Republican got a personal assurance from President Obama yesterday that the White House is supporting his efforts to craft a sweeping Senate energy and global warming bill. “The president told me personally he was very open, that nuclear power would be part of the mix, that clean coal would be part of the mix, that he’s for offshore drilling in a responsible way,” Graham said today in describing his Oval Office meeting with Obama. “But we have to have a price on carbon,...

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the top-ranking Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today argued against establishing a new cybersecurity coordinator position at the White House. Rather than have a new White House “cyber czar” oversee cybersecurity efforts, the Homeland Security Department should be given greater resources and authority to secure civilian networks, Collins said during a speech in Washington. She called for establishing a cybersecurity center at DHS with a “strong and empowered leader” who would also serve as principal cybersecurity adviser to the president. Under the government's overall computer security strategy, DHS is responsible for protecting...

HOUSE RACE: Maine senator attends rally to support Scozzafava. BY MARTHA ELLEN CANTON — More than 50 supporters of Republican Dierdre K. Scozzafava's campaign for the 23rd Congressional District turned out Saturday at Phoebe's Restaurant to hear U.S. Sen. Susan K. Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., tell them she was the best candidate.

Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava (R-N.Y.) brought two female GOP lawmakers with her on the campaign trail today after a week in which several national Republicans endorsed Conservative Party challenger Doug Hoffman. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) joined Scozzafava today at a campaign event. Ex-Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), arguably the Republican Party's most visible woman, endorsed Hoffman this week. Most conservatives have shied away from Scozzafava or endorsed Hoffman, arguing that she holds too many liberal positions.

Maine's junior Republican senator said Wednesday she's open to voting for a sweeping health care overhaul this year. Sen. Susan Collins said the status quo is unacceptable, but she has serious concerns about the version that cleared the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday with support from Maine's senior Republican senator, Olympia Snowe. Collins said she fears the coverage will not be affordable for many families and small businesses, and the proposed Medicare cuts are too deep. Snowe said she opposes a government-run health insurance option, unless private insurers fail to do their part.

A second Republican senator signaled Wednesday she's open to voting for sweeping health care legislation this year, putting President Barack Obama closer to a historic achievement that has eluded generations of Democratic leaders.

WASHINGTON – A second Republican senator signaled Wednesday she's open to voting for sweeping health care legislation this year, putting President Barack Obama closer to a historic achievement that has eluded generations of Democratic leaders. But Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told The Associated Press that the bill approved Tuesday by the Finance Committee needs substantial improvements to make coverage more affordable, contain costs, and protect Medicare. Nevertheless, she joined her Maine GOP colleague Sen. Olympia Snowe in endorsing the goal of far-reaching changes.

A healthcare reform expert says Democratic leaders in Congress who are seeking to pass healthcare legislation before Thanksgiving are "deceiving themselves into thinking they know what's best for the American people." The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote today on a healthcare reform bill authored by Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) that would create new taxes and regulations to pay for a massive expansion of the Medicaid entitlement program. Although the Baucus proposal has been billed as the most "moderate and reasonable" of five committee healthcare bills, a new study prepared by Price Waterhouse Coopers estimates that by 2019 the...

Taking Health Care Courtship Up Another Notch By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG Published: September 26, 2009 WASHINGTON — With its swanky wine bar and jazz pianist, the 701 Restaurant is one of those downtown spots where lobbyists woo clients and couples pursue romance. But it was a political courtship — President Obama’s quest for a health care overhaul — that brought the White House budget director, Peter R. Orszag, and Senator Susan Collins of Maine together for a recent dinner there. Ms. Collins is one of a handful of moderate Republicans who might provide the president a pivotal vote, but she...

Politics: In yet another vote against transparency, the Senate killed an amendment imposing legislative oversight on unconfirmed White House officials. Shouldn't we know who they are and what they're doing? Green czar Van Jones is gone, forced to leave the administration after Fox News and the conservative blogosphere revealed his past as a self-avowed communist. Jones had issues that some argue should have been discussed in confirmation hearings that never occurred before he assumed his position. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, would have liked to have learned of Jones' communist links and more before this man, who believes that white America...