MISSING IN ACTION: Maurice Hinchey: “Not long ago, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) felt comfortable enough in his re-election prospects to float nutty conspiracy theories about George Bush allowing Osama bin Laden to go free in order to justify the war in Iraq, accuse Karl Rove of planting the Rathergate memos, and to demand the nationalization of the American oil industry. Suddenly, though, Hinchey has become quite shy less than six months after his Bush-Osama paranoia-fest. Now when George Phillips, the only Republican running for the nomination to challenge Hinchey in NY-22’s midterm Congressional election, criticizes Hinchey for his positions on Iran, immigration, and health care, Hinchey is nowhere to be found.”