September 13, 2007
Sep 13 01:16 Obama Wants to Change Washington Politics? Sep 13 02:43 Jon Carry, Halp Us Sep 13 03:18 Josh Behling's Grand Entrance Sep 13 09:14 In Search of a Sistah Souljah Moment Sep 13 10:38 Charity Begins at Home Sep 13 15:59 Where's Pogemiller & Sertich Sep 13 16:33 MNF-I Inflicts Heavy Damage on AQI
Prior Months: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Prior Years: 2006
Obama Wants to Change Washington Politics?
That's the image that Barack Obama wants to project but I'm having trouble seeing how he's any different than any other Washington politician. Granted, he's a more polished speaker but that's where the differences begin and end.
He could've withheld finalizing an opinion on Iraq until after he'd listened to Gen. Petraeus. He didn't. He could've denounced the MoveOn.org ad in the NY Times. He didn't. He could've visited Iraq to find out for himself what was happening. He didn't. Had he visited Iraq with an open mind, he might've changed his mind like Brian Baird and Keith Ellison did. That would've taken real courage. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
For all his talk about his representing a new generation of politicians, I don't see proof of it. It would've taken real courage for a Democrat to excoriate MoveOn.org for their vicious advertisement against Gen. Petraeus in the NY Times. Instead of writing a profile in political courage, Sen. Obama instead chose to write a chapter in political cowardice.
Jumping on MoveOn.org would've been the right thing to do. It also would've said to people that he wouldn't tolerate the sliming of an honest man. He didn't do it, thereby giving people the opportunity to question his sincerity about changing the tone in Washington.
According to this AP article, Sen. Obama wants us to immediately withdraw our troops from Iraq:
Obama Outlines His Troop Pullout PlanI'll admit that that type of thinking is new to top tier presidential candidates but it isn't new to Democratic Party politics. After all, it's what Dennis Kucinich and John Murtha have been saying for a couple of years or more.
The Associated Press | September 12, 2007
By MIKE GLOVER
CLINTON, Iowa -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is calling for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. combat brigades from Iraq, with the pullout being completed by the end of next year.
"Let me be clear: There is no military solution in Iraq and there never was," Obama was expected to say in a speech Wednesday at Ashford University.
"The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year...now," the Illinois senator was to say.
For someone proclaiming to represent a new type of Democratic thinking, Sen. Obama's policy sounds almost identical to the McGovernite thinking of the 1970's.
For all his talk, the evidences says that Sen. Obama is a typical liberal with a smooth delivery and a fancy suit. I'd doubt that people would define that as a different type of politics.
Posted Thursday, September 13, 2007 1:21 AM
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Jon Carry, Halp Us
Remember when this picture was all the rage?
To say that Minnesota State Rep. Laura Brod, (R-New Prague), thought that John Kerry's 'joke' was foolish is understatement. That's because she had some 'inside information' on just how smart our soldiers are. It turns out that her brother, who is currently serving in Iraq, is a very smart man. Rep. Brod's brother was "recently been activated for his second deployment to Iraq." Rep. Brod's brother is Capt. Todd Morris. Capt. Morris is an M.D. and has a PhD. Here's some additional information that Rep. Brod forwarded to me about Capt. Morris:
In his civilian life he is the Medical Director and a General Surgeon at Regions Hospital Breast Cancer Health Center.After reading these impressive credentials, I decided to do a little digging into Dr. Morris. What I found just adds to Dr. Morris' impressive list of credentials. Here's what I found:
He is also a associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Minnesota and is published in a number of medical journals.
Todd Morris, MDIf I were sarcastic, I'd say something like "if not for the military, who knows what type of dead end job Capt. Morris might be stuck in"? Anyone who knows me knows that that isn't my style so let's move on.
Medical Director, Regions Hospital Breast Health Center
Education: University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, 1987
Advanced Medical Training: Internship: University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics, Minneapolis, MN 1987-1988
Residency: University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics, 1988-1995
Board Certification: American Board of Surgery, 1996
Professional Activities: Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School; Fellow of the American College of Surgeons; Minnesota Medical Association; Ramsey Medical Society; Society of Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.
The truth is that Capt. Morris is 'typical' of the type of person serving in today's military. I'm sure that doesn't fit the image that some people have about our military but I'd bet that stories similar to Capt. Morris aren't difficult to find. It's time that we started paying attention to the types of skills our military needs to competently do the job.
I'd like to thank Rep. Brod for giving us the opportunity to see just how highly qualified our military personnel are. Before anyone thinks that military medical personnel have it easier than soldiers, let's remember that many of the medical personnel are positioned on or near the front lines. It's worth remembering that that's why such a high rate of casualties don't turn into fatalities.
Posted Thursday, September 13, 2007 2:44 AM
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Josh Behling's Grand Entrance
I've had the privilege of getting to know Josh Behling this year. I first met Josh at a local BPOU meeting to assess why we got our butts whooped last November. What impressed me about Josh is that he immediately took up reading the blogs so that he'd stay more informed about what was happening in St. Paul. I figured that anyone that immediately realizes the value of staying up-to-the-minute current on what's happening in St. Paul is a wise man.
Josh recently announced his candidacy for Minnesota House District 15B. I couldn't be more thrilled because that's the district I live in. I'm definitely in need of a representative who closely represents my values of limited government and low taxes. I want a representative who uses common sense in finding solutions to the issues confronting St. Cloud and the state. As a result of my many conversations with Josh, I'm confident that Josh will be exactly that type of legislator.
Wednesday night, Josh emailed me with the good news that Josh's official campaign website is now up & running. Make sure you check out the issues page. It's an impressive outline of what's most important to Josh.
Personally, I get pumped thinking about the possibility of having a principled conservative like Josh representing me in the Minnesota legislature. If there's anything that's in short supply in St. Paul, it's legislators who apply capitalist principles in solving problems. Electing Josh would add such a person to our legislature.
Posted Thursday, September 13, 2007 3:23 AM
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In Search of a Sistah Souljah Moment
I remember a cartoon in Newsweek right after President Clinton ordered ground troops to Bosnia. In the next-to-last frame of the cartoon, President Clinton is telling them that he's proud of them & that he wishes them a successful return. Then, in the final frame, he says "And don't do anything that I wouldn't do." Unexpectedly, the troops say in unison "We're already doing something you wouldn't do" in direct reference to his avoiding the draft.
This week, we've had another Clinton "Don't do nothing that I wouldn't do" moment, thanks to former NYC Mayor Ed Koch. In his column, he's already done what Hillary won't do:
There are people in our country who have different views on what U.S. policy toward Iraq should be. MoveOn.org, a radical group of opponents of the Iraq war, took a full-page ad in The New York Times of Sept. 10, the day he was to testify before the House of Representatives. Under his photo, a banner headline stated, in a play on words, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?"In other words, Ed Koch has stood up to MoveOn.org because of their disgusting NY Times ad about Gen. Petraeus. As Mayor Koch has noted, the Democratic presidential candidates haven't shown the spine to denounce MoveOn's ad. They've written a profile in political cowardice with their silence. They'd better not say that they didn't speak up because they're opposed to the war, either. Here's what Mayor Koch said about that:
It is vile on the part of MoveOn to charge the general with betrayal of our country, even before he testified.
The Republican candidates for president have denounced MoveOn for its unfair attack on Gen. Petraeus. Most of the Democratic presidential candidates declined to do so when asked.
While I believe we should leave Iraq immediately, I respect the opinions of those who have come to a different conclusion. We are at war. The Iraqi insurgents and al Qaeda operatives want to kill us, not only U.S. military personnel in Iraq, but Americans wherever we are, including those of us in the United States.In other words, it isn't a matter of your position on the war, it's a matter of not letting an organization drag an honest man's name through the mud. That simply isn't acceptable. So why the silence? Here's Mayor Koch's theory on that:
In my opinion, the Democratic candidates declined to denounce MoveOn because they fear themselves becoming the victims of a similar onslaught from the radical left. This is a cowardly position, which I hope they will rethink. It takes more than intelligence to be a good or great president. It takes integrity and courage, as well.If he's looking for integrity and courage, he's looking in the wrong place. This group of candidates haven't shown that they've got the fortitude it takes to pull off a Sister Souljah moment.
Mayor Koch has stated perfectly the reasons why I wrote that Sen. Obama isn't a new type of Democrat.
I don't know how long it'll be but Democrats will pay a political price for not standing up to the MoveOn.haters.
Posted Thursday, September 13, 2007 9:16 AM
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Charity Begins at Home
It isn't surprising to find out that John Murtha has found some creative ways of avoiding FEC regulations. It isn't even surprising that he's tried establishing a slush fund for his campaigns using his defense contractor cronies. While these things aren't surprising, they are disgusting. Thanks to the bloggers at Redstate, we now know about the slush fund known as PAID (Pennsylvania Association for Individuals with Disabilities). Here's what's happening:
GuideStar, an organization that tracks charitable organizations, reported the group's accomplishments were "construct(ing) a new Website to accommodate diverse client needs in conducting a search for employment," and "recruit(ing) new employer partners committed to interviewing and hiring individuals with disabilities."It isn't surprising to find out that that's just the tip of a very big iceberg:
But neither PAID, GuideStar, nor any other organization tracking charitable organizations has reported on what appears to be major part of PAID's mission: voter registration.
As a tax-exempt charitable organization, PAID is required to file an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990, " which provides the public with financial information about a given organization, and is often the only source of such information. It is also used by government agencies to prevent organizations from abusing their tax-exempt status."
PAID's tax documents report the organization spent a total of $600,138 between 2003 and 2005 for "training and securing employment for disabled individuals," as well as "assisting disabled individuals with voter registration."
According to a report in Roll Call earlier this week, PAID has had questionable success as a job training and placement organization. Disability advocates in Pennsylvania told the paper they had never heard of PAID.In other words, it's useless in doing what it reportedly is supposed to do. It isn't a stretch to think that this is essentially a shell company used to funnel defense contractors' money into voter registration drives in John Murtha's district. This is at least as sleazy as Murtha's Abscam folly. Here's how it works:
"Since its creation, PAID claims to have helped 237 people with disabilities obtain permanent jobs," they reported. "But the organization has never been mentioned in a local newspaper and it does not appear to have ever been awarded any of the myriad citations given by agencies that employ people with disabilities."
An invitation obtained by majorityap.com reports that the Pennsylvania Association for Individuals with Disabilities (PAID) will sponsor a charity golf tournament priced at upwards of $10,000 on September 24, 2007, at the Argyle Country Club in Silver Springs, MD.In other words, a 'charity' funded by John Murtha's defense contractor cronies pays for regularly scheduled voter registration drives in John Murtha's district. What's worse is that, because the money is going into a 'charity', that 'charity' doesn't have to report who's giving how much to the charity. Here's some more PAID funny business:
The group first came under fire in December, 2006, after the Washington Post reported "PAID has become a gathering point for defense contractors and lobbyists with business before Murtha's defense appropriations subcommittee, and for Pennsylvania businesses and universities that have thrived on federal money obtained by Murtha."
As late as June 25, 2007, PAID's website named Murtha as its Honorary Chairman. His name has since been removed from the group's Internet homepage.It's time to shut PAID down. It's time the people of PA-12 dumped this serial ethics violator. There's a reason why even Soros-funded CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) put him on their list. It's because it's difficult to find proof that there's even a single ethical bone in Rep. Murtha's body.
PAID's stated claim of representing " 60 million persons with disabilities " was questioned by Roll Call's Paul Singer , who reported that well-established organizations aiding Pennsylvania's disabled "had never heard of or worked with PAID."
A study by the U.S. Census Bureau found that roughly 50 million Americans reported some level of disability ; meaning that if PAID's claims were accurate, they represented more than the entire nationwide population of the disabled.
Frankly, this reeks of the type of cronyism that Dan Rostenkowski built up during the time he chaired the House Ways and Means Committee. Rostenkowski didn't even bother hiding it. In fact, he bragged about his golf trips with lobbyists, possibly because he thought of those trips as a status symbol. The only difference I see between Murtha's 'charity' golf tournament and Rostenkowski's lobbyist-paid golf trips is that Murtha is attempting to hide his involvement in this unethical game.
I strongly recommend you read both of MajorityAP's reports on Murtha's latest scandal.
Posted Thursday, September 13, 2007 10:39 AM
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Where's Pogemiller & Sertich
Larry Schumacher's Democracy at Work blog has a schedule posted of a DFL flyaround in Southeastern Minnesota. Here's that schedule:
Rochester - 12:15 p.m. Government Center Rotunda: Liebling, Norton, Kelliher, ClarkDoesn't it seem odd that the House & Senate Majority Leaders aren't on this trip? Are they being excluded because they're PR liabilities? It'll be interesting to see how the DFL will spin this. (Perhaps they'd explain that Pogemiller & Sertich have come down with 'foot in mouth disease'?) Personally, I'll bet that they don't even talk about it unless they're confronted on it.
Winona - 1:45 p.m. Winona County Government Center: Pelowski, Kelliher, Erickson-Ropes, Clark
Rushford - 2:45 p.m. Rushford High School: Tschumper, Pelowski, Erickson-Ropes, Clark
Posted Thursday, September 13, 2007 3:59 PM
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MNF-I Inflicts Heavy Damage on AQI
That's the unmistakable message of this UPI article:
Al-Qaida militants in Iraq have taken heavy losses in two joint U.S.-Iraqi raids north of Baghdad, the U.S. military reported Thursday.Despite this information, John Edwards bought 2 minutes of airtime on MSNBC to rebut President Bush's speech tonight to preach his anti-war message:
In one operation involving more than 1,000 U.S. troops and Iraq Special Forces in the Hemreen mountain area and Diyala river valley, three al-Qaida fighters were killed and 80 others were arrested, the Army statement said.
The report said four of the arrested men are considered senior leaders in the terror group , Kuwait's KUNA news agency reported. U.S. air support was used to conclude the raid, after which a major weapons cache was found , the statement said.
Elsewhere in Salah Al-Din province, U.S. forces arrested 12 al-Qaida suspects and destroyed an entire house packed with explosives and weaponry, the report said.
"Unfortunately, the president is pressing on with the only strategy he's ever had: more time, more troops, and more war," Edwards says in the ad, according to excerpts provided by his campaign.Someone should tell Sen. Edwards that pressing on with military operations is a good thing when you're killing terrorists. That seems to have escaped Sen. Edwards. This is another telltale sign that Sen. Edwards is pandering to the MoveOn.org wing of the Democratic Party because that's his only hope of getting the nomination.
It's also proof that Sen. Edwards is a profile in political cowardice. If he won't stand up to a fringe special interest group, why should we believe that he'd stand up to terrorists?
There's more:
"Tell Congress you know the truth," Edwards says. "They have the power to end this war and you expect them to use it. When the president asks for more money and more time, Congress needs to tell him he only gets one choice: a firm timeline for withdrawal."Sen. Edwards' political timing doesn't exist. If it existed, he wouldn't buy ad time right when there's news of a major operation that's seriously degraded AQI's capabilities in Diyala Province.
I've always thought that Barack Obama was an empty suit, vastly underqualified for being our next president. That said, it's difficult to pick whether Obama is the emptiest suit amongst the Democratic presidential candidates or if John Edwards is.
It's unfortunate that they weren't actors in the 1980s. They would've been perfect poster children for the old Wendy's 'Where's the beef' commercials.
Posted Thursday, September 13, 2007 4:33 PM
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