The day began with new Senate Majority Whip Harry Reid of Nevada taking the chair following a brief invocation to recognize Daschle as the Senate's new majority leader.

CNN: Democrats settle into power in the Senate

Morris was kind enough to give the invocation prior to a dinner address of mine at a soiree toasting entrepreneurialism.

FORBES: The US is Missing a Historic Economic Opportunity

But the mere invocation of Watergate is enough to chill anyone: In 1974, President Richard M.

CNN: By Ronald D. Elving, CQ Staff Writer

And it's an awful lot to glean from the simple act of asking someone to deliver an invocation.

CNN: Commentary: Respect Obama's choice of Rick Warren

Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his swearing-in.

CNN: Gay critics say 'too little, too late' from Obama

Resentment lingers over Britain's invocation last year of anti-terrorism laws to freeze Icelandic assets.

ECONOMIST: Iceland and the European Union

Okay, so some invocation of the phrase "chickens coming home to roost" might be in order on this one.

ENGADGET: Former RIAA chief makes plea for "consumer rights"

While the "slippery slope" argument can, and ought to, be a legitimate cautionary policy tool, the invocation of the slippery slope argument can be its own form of slippery slope and must be applied with a large measure of caution.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

And I must say, after this committee subpoenaed and then unsubpoenaed all the people on the Kathleen Willey case, and subpoenaed and unsubpoenaed the people in the campaign finance case, I was disappointed to have Mr. Schippers begin today by an entirely inappropriate invocation of unnamed and unspecified further crimes, which he claims he is still investigating.

CNN: Transcript: Opening statement of Rep. Frank

Martin McGuinness's comments on Inside Politics sounded like the party's bottom line, even though his invocation of Nelson Mandela as an example of a prisoner who had gone on to play a role in political progress only served to infuriate Paul Travers more.

BBC: Mary Travers killer controversy too recent for Stormont

And hence, having criticised the Arab League a few weeks ago for suspending Syria's membership, Russia's current invocation of the Arab League as part of a possible solution, saying its efforts to encourage dialogue and deploy a monitoring mission in Syria should be supported.

BBC: Syria unrest: Russia pulled two ways

"You would have to know the internals of what they have before you can assess whether there is a sensible invocation or not, " Giuliani said.

CNN: SHARE THIS

Furthermore, in practice invocation of the precautionary principle focuses attention solely on the possibility of harm, often ignoring information about the dose to which people are exposed, avoiding consideration of benefits of the agent in question and whether safer substitutes are available, and giving greater weight to studies that appear to indicate a hazard, even when these studies may be of poorer quality.

FORBES: How Activism Distorts The Assessment Of Health Risks