‘U.S. Department of Peace’ may never get its chance
It is the Hope Diamond of liberal ideas: pure, breathtaking and highly impractical in the real world.
The proposal has been submitted for consideration in every Congress since 2001, and the idea behind it is that the federal government could stop wars, pacify street gangs and distill violence out of the American soul itself. All it would take was a new Cabinet-level department and $10 billion a year in taxpayer money.
But now its prospects, the ultimate Capitol Hill longshot — the “U.S. Department of Peace” — are looking even less likely than usual. It is losing its champion in the House.
“Of course it could work,” said Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) in an interview this week. “It’s very practical. You know, I’m a practical politician.”
full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-department-of-peace-may-never-get-its-chance/2012/05/18/gIQAJg4iYU_story.html