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Tweets of the Week

The Crystal Ball’s Tweets of the Week is a look back at the highlights of the past week in politics in snippets of 140 characters or less. To get this analysis as soon as news breaks, follow University of Virginia Center for Politics Director, and Crystal Ball founder, Larry Sabato on Twitter by clicking here.

9:27 AM Jun 24th: Another nation has woman leader: Australia’s PM Julia Gillard. Ruthless Labor coup takes down PM Kevin Rudd. Aussie politics mean as USA.

9:56 PM Jun 24th: Good to be back online. Wild day in Charlottesville. Severe microbursts & unconfirmed tornado, damage to UVA & town. News vacuum hurts.

9:57 PM Jun 24th: Even parts of Jefferson’s Serpentine wall off Lawn crumbled as trees fell right & left. Never seen anything like it. TJ’s Lawn littered.

9:37 AM Jun 27th: Kagan hearings: Goal of Dems, to bore you. Goal of GOP, to alarm you. Boring S.Ct. hearings always a good bet these days.

9:40 AM Jun 27th: After tons of primary TV ads: Few positive spots vs. tough negatives that match public’s sour mood. “Lesser of evils” strategy apparent.

7:00 PM Jun 28th: As predicted here last night, election for Byrd seat will be in 2012. No way Dems will put this on ballot in GOP yr of ’10 in semiRed WV.

11:44 AM Jun 29th: Confirmation Conversions:Kagan was for openness by nominees B4 she was nominated. Roberts was for judicial term limits B4 he became a judge.

11:46 AM Jun 29th: If Kagan & Roberts were politicians, we’d call these shifts “flip flops”. But because they are judges, we call it “intellectual growth”.

6:04 PM Jun 29th: Just came across a research gem. 11/4/60. Ike & Nixon attacked for raising natl debt from $6 billion to $10 billion. Yes, that’s a “b”.

6:05 PM Jun 29th: See why some of us pine for the 60s? Dubya raised natl debt from $6 TRILLION to $10 TRILLION. Obama piling on more Ts. Long way from B to T.

6:12 PM Jun 29th: Fascinating–Bill Clinton endorses Romanoff in CO SEN. x-POTUS has been very careful not to cross Obama WH til now. WHO’S HILLARY FOR?

7:43 PM Jun 29th: Everyone is looking at their neighbors today and asking, “Are they Russian spies?” Gee, it’s the 1950s all over again!

11:27 PM Jun 29th: Rarely do talk show hosts have a major effect on elections. In 1992 CNN’s Larry King did. He launched & promoted Ross Perot, who won 19%.

11:42 PM Jun 29th: We seem to be repealing 17th Amendment via death & resignation. I favor universal special elections for Senate vacancies within 3 months.

10:47 AM Jun 30th: Every time a senior senator dies, is defeated, or retires, his state loses billions in future appropriations. WV, PA, UT, etc in 2010.

10:34 AM Jun 30th: SCt hearings just combination of ‘hide & seek’ & ‘catch me if u can’. Everybody knows what bloc a nominee will join, but s/he can’t say so.