GOP POLITICAL PARADISE

2012 Won't Be About Money And Organization

2009-07-28T19:20:00.000-04:00

Chris Maiorana has an excellent blog called "2012 Won't Be About Money and Organization". It should be required reading for anyone interested in our country and the political process. http://tinyurl.com/nk8l94

Much teeth-gnashing in certain segments of the blogosphere this morning over the "importance" of organization and money in the 2012 GOP primary. It's clear that these bloggers believe that these are the most important things when it comes to running for President.

And during the 1980s and 1990s that might have been true, but 2012 will prove otherwise. The 2012 race will be about ideas and the rise of individuals and their personal networks. Money and organization are always important to spreading ideas and reaching voters but if they were the most important thing, Mitt Romney would have won the GOP nomination in a walk.

The DC media which handicaps every aspect of the run and does much to shape it, doesn't see this yet. They are still framing the race through an older lens. So Mitt Romney looks tough to beat today. But if you look back, starting I would submit in 2004 with Howard Dean, we have seen glimpses of what the future holds in terms of politics and frankly for the Mitt Romney's of the world.

Howard Dean's contribution was online fundraising to an extent but I believe his greatest contribution and the one that shaped much of what Obama did online, was his reliance on a devolved campaign infrastructure built on the strengths and weaknesses of outside groups locally organized. The campaign gave the football to its supporters and they ran downfield with it calling many of their own plays. In Iowa this strategy finally backfired on Dean.

Barack Obama's team, took Dean to the next level. They brought the groups within the campaign structure so they could harness the energy these groups created and carefully direct their actions. They provided tools to their supporters justlike Dean but each tool had a purpose in their overall strategy. The effort was grassroots in its breadth but conventionally top-down in its direction. A perfect blend and I suspect something that is hard to replicate.

So what will 2012's evolution be? The one that is the difference maker for the next winning presidential campaign? And is it something that can be bought and paid for?

In my opinion, the campaign that most effectively harnesses individuals and leverages their personal networks not as financial bundlers but as spokespersons for their ideas will win.

With social media being ubiquitous now and even moreso in 2012, it's these influentials and their networks that will carry the day. Very localized groups will still be there in the mix and very important, but you will see these online influentials rise in importance to campaigns, existing wholly outside of a traditional campaign structure, their strength derived from their use of social media platofrms like Twitter and Facebook.

And really that is a back to the future moment for politics. These new influentials are the old precinct workers of early 20th century neighborhood politics. This time around though, with the help of technology, their precincts are national and interconnected; with viral communication tools at the push of a button.

Mark my words, @socialmediamaven's network of friends that he shares his political views with multiple times a day for FREE between now and Jan 1 2011, is more important in terms of actual votes come Iowa Caucus Day than a $500,000 bundler for Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, etc who helps fund a micro-targeted GOTV plan for the Des Moines area...

So while I enjoy a good money and organization story every now and then, I worry and think about more how to reach these new influentials where they eat and sleep...on the strength of my clients ideas not their warchests...

Posted by Chris at 3:37 PM

Reposted with permission of Chris Maiorana

A Letter to Bret Baier and "The Hill"

2009-06-02T13:42:00.000-04:00

Note From Paradise: This is a letter from Marilyn of Colorado to Bret Baier and "The Hill" News Magazine. Republicans everywhere should read Marilyn's letter and keep it for a resource in how to respond to the biased liberal media. It is time for we Republicans to fight back. Well done Marilyn!!

Hello Mr. Baier,

As usual i enjoyed your report yesterday.

But I was wondering about a remark from the Hill reporter. She said there
was no leadership for the Republican Party. Has she looked? I remember a
time when reporters went out and found stories. Perhaps its the rising cost
of everything that keeps her sitting at her desk. Dunno that!

With your permission here is my report to her - smile!

It is the "off year" and from the GOP national chair to state chairs to the
county chairs all are busy doing typical "off year" tasks like plotting and
planning and training central committee members and checking our voters
lists twice and having fund raising events. Precinct primaries loom!
hummmm! Just so the she and the world will know we think we have super
leadership and are excited about our candidates stepping up at all levels
for the 2010 elections.

It is great that our retired official republican players and in-seat governors
continue to find time to travel and speak on our behalf during the off year
election cycle but she is certainly welcome anytime to come check us out.

Thank you for all your information. Keep up the good work please

Marilyn, Colorado

Fact Checking The "Stimulus" Spending Bill By John Boehner

2009-05-27T16:09:00.000-04:00

May 27, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink

Today, the Administration is releasing yet another report on its trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill – one that Democrats claim will produce only half the jobs at twice the cost of the House GOP’s better stimulus solution. It’s been a full 100 days since the bill became law, and the Administration is pulling out all the stops to put a positive spin on the legislation, which has been increasingly panned by media and state and local officials as wasteful and inefficient – basically, anything but the “timely, targeted, and temporary” bill Washington Democrats promised earlier this year. As the Administration marks the 100th day of the “stimulus” spending bill, let’s take a closer look at some of the claims Democrats made about the legislation earlier this year – and how those claims stack 100 days later:

Claim: The President claimed that the stimulus “…will save or create 3 million to 4 million jobs over the next two years.” (Remarks by the President in Elkhart, Indiana, WhiteHouse.gov)

Fact Check: “State officials have complained about the difficulty of obtaining grants for construction projects, while economists question administration claims that the effort already has saved or created 150,000 jobs.” (Adriel Bettelheim, “Tinkerbell Effect, Part 3: Obama’s Job Creation Efforts,” CQ Politics, May 27, 2009) The Associated Press reported that: “The early trend seen in the AP analysis runs counter to expectations raised by Obama, that road and infrastructure money from the historic $787 billion stimulus plan would create jobs in areas most devastated by layoffs.” (Matt Apuzzo and Brett Blackledge, “Stimulus Watch: Jobs, But Not Where Needed Most,” Associated Press, May 11, 2009)

Claim: The President claimed that it would contain, “[n]ot a single pet project. Not a single earmark.” (Remarks by the President at his first press conference, WhiteHouse.gov)

Fact Check: The “stimulus” “contains dozens of narrowly defined programs that send money to specific areas or cater to special interests.” In fact, the “stimulus” contains “$50 million for habitat restoration and other water needs in the San Francisco Bay Area” and “$62 million for military projects in Guam.” (Michael Grabell and Christopher Weaver, “In stimulus bills, earmarks by any other name,” ProPublica, Feb. 5, 2009)

Claim: The President claimed that the stimulus “…contains an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability, so that every American will be able to go online and see where and how we’re spending every dime.” (Remarks by the President at his first press conference, WhiteHouse.gov)

Fact Check: “Although President Obama has vowed that citizens will be able to track ‘every dime’ of the $787 billion stimulus bill, a government website dedicated to the spending won’t have details on contracts and grants until October and may not be complete until next spring — halfway through the program, administration officials said.” (Matt Kelley, “Details thin on stimulus contracts,” USA Today, May 6, 2009)

Claim: The President pledged that “nearly 400,000 men and women will go to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges.” (Remarks by the President, WhiteHouse.gov)

Fact Check: So far “a full 99.7 percent” of money allocated to the Transportation Department remains unspent, according to The Washington Post. Perhaps an aide to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) said it best: “To some extent, I think the administration oversold the transportation aspect of this…It was sold as the heart and soul of the package, and it really just isn’t.” (Matt Apuzzo and Brett Blackledge, “Stimulus Watch: Jobs, But Not Where Needed Most,” Associated Press, May 11, 2009)

Claim: Then-Senator Obama promised that was he would, “not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.” (Organizing For America, “Obama’s Stance on Ethics”)

Fact Check: Congress passed the stimulus bill on Friday, February 13; the President signed it in Denver on Tuesday, February 17 – less than the five day review period promised by the President. This troubling trend has continued throughout the year. Just last week, for example, the President waited only one day before signing the Defense Department weapons acquisition bill after Congress passed it and waited two after Congress passed the “Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act” before his signature made that bill law (Stephen Dinan, “Obama ducks promise to delay bill signings,” Washington Times, May 26, 2009); in fact, as of March, “Of the nine bills Mr. Obama has signed so far in his term, he has signed six of them less than five days after Congress sent them to him,” including the trillion-dollar “stimulus” bill. (Stephen Dinan, “Obama to sign lands bill before 5 days of comment,” Washington Times, March 30, 2009)

REPUBLICAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)
H-204, THE CAPITOL
(202) 225-4000 | GOPLEADER.GOV

Eric Cantor comments on 100 Day Stimulus Report

2009-05-27T14:03:00.000-04:00

"One hundred days after the President signed the ‘stimulus’ bill, we unfortunately continue to read about waste, delays, and job losses. These are not the results America hoped for."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement after the Administration issued a “recovery report” on the $787 billion stimulus bill, one hundred days after the President signed it into law:

“One hundred days after the President signed the ‘stimulus’ bill, we unfortunately continue to read about waste, delays, and job losses. During the debate, well before the President signed the $787 billion spending bill, House Republicans made clear our belief that any stimulus action must be laser focused on jobs. In the hundred days since that misdirected bill was enacted, well over a million Americans have lost their jobs. These are not the results America hoped for.

“Even though the President himself promised to be tough on waste and just last week said that America is now ‘out of money,’ special interest projects inexplicitly are deemed worthy of taxpayer dollars. That is unacceptable, and it’s time for the majority in Congress to get serious about how tax dollars are being spent. Our priority must be on job protection, creation, and preservation.

“I hope that over the next one hundred days, Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, and the Democrat majorities in the House and Senate open their eyes to not just the misdirected, but reckless and unprecedented spending that has gone on under their watch."

LCM Strategies Shows the Way

2009-04-25T18:21:00.001-04:00

The Tolbert Report has a story about my favorite web team LCM Strategies. Partners Chris Maiorana and Linus Catignani do a terrific job handling many political web sites. Of course, since I work for Chris and Linus, I may be a little prejudiced, but I think they are the best bosses in the world. Lots of patience with me, a novice to all this stuff, and a lot of humor. They make the work all worthwhile and fun for me to do. Read the complete Tolbert Report article here . Check out LCM Strategies here.

Once In A Lifetime - A Tribute to Senator Bill Frist

2009-02-09T21:13:00.003-05:00

Once in a lifetime a person may be fortunate enough to find a cause worth fighting for. Once in a lifetime a person may find a venue for fighting for that cause. Once in a lifetime a person may find someone to lead that fight. As we look back on our time at Volpac, we all realize that we were fortunate to find all three in one place.

We all knew that Republican principles were worth fighting for. We had a President who we believed in and a Party that defined us. We had causes that united us, such as helping to elect solid Republican Senators, passing meaningful legislation, fighting for transparency in government and for the confirmation of strong Conservative judges like John Roberts and Sam Alito.

As we look back on our days (and nights) at Volpac, who among us will forget the good times (and the bad, although they seemed to be far fewer than the good). We worked hard and laughed a lot and late at night chatted on the hot board with each other, and sometimes bickered and argued. Even now, thinking back to those days brings a smile to all of our faces.

We all remember fighting for our good Republican Senators, making telephone calls to find out who placed a hold on the transparency bill, gathering lists of County Chairs for all of us to use, urging voters to reject Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, urging that Democrats stop filibustering the President's judicial nominees. We fought hard for what we believed in, but we fought fair, battling with dignity and respect for each other and for those that disagreed with us.

We were all drawn to Volpac because of the vision of one man. Senator Bill Frist, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate. A man of uncommon vision and dedication. As we go on, all of us can look back with pride to his accomplishments, from funding for HIV Aids in Africa, which has saved the lives of millions of people, to affordable prescription drug coverage for seniors, to bankruptcy reform, to the Patriot Act, to the appointment of conservative judges and to so much more.

Once in a lifetime a person is blessed to find a public figure that they believe in, someone who can lead them. We at Volpac were so fortunate to find Volpac, but more importantly to find that Leader in Senator Bill Frist. How in awe of him most of us were (and still are). A Doctor, not just any doctor, but a heart and lung transplant surgeon; a Senator, but not just any Senator, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate.

What a leader we all found. An honest, ethical, highly principled man, one who would never ask us to do something that he was not willing to do. He taught us all to behave with dignity and respect for each other. And we did accomplish that most of the time. He taught us all to listen to each other, but most of all he taught us about the important issues of our time.

His passion and commitment to the causes and issues he believes in will remain a part of us all the days of our lives. When things went good, he taught us not to gloat, but to reach out to those that didn't see things the way we did. When things went bad, he taught us to hold our heads high, and stay above the fray. Sometimes that was easier for us to do when it was one of us being attacked than when it was (as it usually was) him being attacked. We defended him. We fought for and with him.

Through it all we maintained such tremendous respect and admiration for this man, this uncommon politician, this doctor with a heart to serve. Wherever we go in life, whatever we do, we will never forget the lessons he taught us. Most of all, we will never forget Senator Frist. He set a standard for us all.

Mountain Gorillas

2008-11-29T11:38:00.002-05:00

MARKET THRIVING, ECONOMY IMPROVING IN BAGHDAD NEIGHBORHOOD

2007-11-17T11:41:00.000-05:00

Funny how these stories are never reported by the MSM.

THE REAL IRAQI MIRACLE

2007-11-07T07:51:00.001-05:00

I just saw this article in the Weekly Standard by Dean Barnett. It again shows the bias of the media toward any good news coming out of Iraq.

GOP NATIONAL COMMITTEE KEEPS UP MONEY LEAD OVER DEMS

2007-10-24T20:38:00.000-04:00

The RNC enjoyed a more than $2 million fundraising edge over the DNC in September. The RNC raised $5.8 million in September, compared to $3.7 million for the DNC.

THOMPSON STIRS RIVALS WITH IMMIGRATION PLAN

2007-10-24T20:33:00.000-04:00

Fred Thompson has a tough plan to curb illegal immigration. Thompson wants to strip federal funds from cities and states that do not report illegal immigrants. Thompson calls his first principle "No Amnesty". Senator Thompson also calls for stronger laws forcing employers to verify that workers are not illegal immigrants, for a more rigorous system to track who is coming in and out of the country, and for increased prosecution of smugglers who bring illegal immigrants across the Mexican border.

BOBBY RISES IN LOUISIANA

2007-10-22T20:40:00.000-04:00

Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters has a good post about Bobby Jindal, the newly elected Governor of Louisiana. He is a rising star in the Republican party.

RUDY RUNS RIGHT

2007-10-22T20:36:00.000-04:00

Salena Zito thinks Rudy Giuliani is trying to convince rock ribbed conservatives to take another look at his candidacy.

HOW HOLOCAUST HEROINE RESCUED 2,500 CHILDREN

2007-10-20T19:57:00.000-04:00

It started out as a National History Day project by four young women from Kansas. What it ended up is really a testament to their efforts - they have introduced us to a Polish heroine of the Holocaust, a woman who saved some 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto. It's a terrific story

NEW STRATEGY AIMS TO KEEP RETIREES IN THE MONEY

2007-10-20T19:53:00.000-04:00

Some major investment firms have begun to roll out life-cycle mutual funds for post-retirement investors. It will be interesting to see if this helps the boomers, who now face the fear of outliving their nest eggs.

CREDIT CRISIS HAS INCREASED GLOBAL RISKS

2007-10-20T19:48:00.000-04:00

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the credit crisis has increased risks to the global economy. Secretary Paulson says the economy remains strong despite this.

LEDEEN: VICTORY IS AT HAND

2007-10-20T19:41:00.000-04:00

Ed Morrissey has a post on an article by Michael Ledeen in the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Ledeen believes that not only have the Americans overpowered al-Qaeda in Iraq throughout the western provinces, the Iraqi Army and central government have established their will in Basra and the south. That is more good news for the United States.

MCCAIN: SANCHEZ'S CRITICISMS NEVER COMMUNICATED TO CONGRESS

2007-10-15T20:15:00.000-04:00

Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters has the interview with John McCain. The Senator emphatically says when he met with General Sanchez and Ambassador Bremer five years ago in Baghdad, Sanchez defended the policy in effect at that time. Senator McCain also points out that Sanchez had plenty of opportunities to tell Congress of his concerns, but never once did. Sounds to me like Sanchez is interested in selling his book.

GOP'S BUDGET BLUES

2007-10-11T19:45:00.000-04:00

Another story by the Politico about how much trouble the Republicans are in. According to polls taken by GOP pollster David Winston earmark reform is of little importance to most voters. It will be intersting to see how spending issues play out with voters in the 2008 election.

GOP RANKS NO MATCH FOR DEMOCRATS' LEGIONS

2007-10-11T19:42:00.000-04:00

According to Jonathan Martin of Politico Republicans are lagging far behind Democrats in many areas, including volunteers and staff.

TEAM FRED CELEBRATES

2007-10-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

Byron York writes about the debate for the National Review. As he said Team Thompson was very happy, and with good reason. Fred Thompson came out a clear winner in the debate.

FRED WINS, CHRIS LOSES

2007-10-10T22:22:00.000-04:00

Captain Ed gives his views on the Republican debate. I agree with his assessment. Fred Thompson was the big winner, and Chris Matthews and MSNBC were the big losers.

MITT ROMNEY'S BLUEPRINT FOR AMERICA

2007-10-09T13:45:00.000-04:00

I just received this as an e-mail and thought it was interesting enough to post as I received it.

BLUEPRINT #1: Making The Bush Tax Cuts Permanent:

Governor Romney Will Make The Bush Tax Cuts Permanent. Governor Romney believes making the Bush Tax Cuts permanent is the first step to ensuring that Americans are able to keep more of their hard-earned money.

By Making The Bush Tax Cuts Permanent, Governor Romney Will Preserve Tax Relief For Millions Of Americans:

* 108,950,000 Total Taxpayers Benefited From The Tax Relief In 2006.
* 97,024,000 Americans Benefited From The Rate Reduction In The Lowest Tax Bracket In 2006.
* 34,080,000 Couples Saw A Reduction In The Marriage Penalty In 2006.
* 27,975,000 Taxpayers Benefited From The Increased Child Credit In 2006.

BLUEPRINT #2: Rolling Back Tax Rates For All Americans:

Governor Romney Will Roll Back Tax Rates Across The Board For All Americans. As President, Governor Romney will cut marginal tax rates across the board, allowing all Americans to save more money. This approach is fair, simple and extends the pro-growth benefits of tax rate cuts to all Americans.

BLUEPRINT #3: Eliminating Taxes On Middle Class Savings:

Governor Romney Will Make Middle Class Savings Tax Free. Governor Romney's plan will allow middle class Americans to save tax free by changing the tax rate on interest, capital gains and dividends to absolutely 0%. By helping more Americans save and invest, we can meet the challenges of an aging population and ensure the financial security of America.

* Governor Romney's Plan Will Allow Over 95% Of American Families To Save And Invest Tax-Free. Any taxpayer with Adjusted Gross Income of under $200,000 would pay a tax rate of absolutely 0% on all of the income they earn from their savings, capital gains and dividends.

Governor Romney's Plan Will Help Millions Of Taxpayers Save And Invest Tax-Free. Based on 2005 tax returns:

* 56,148,740 Taxpayers Who Earned Interest Could Have Benefited From This Tax Break.
* 28,351,341 Taxpayers Who Earned Dividends Could Have Benefited From This Tax Break.
* 23,316,273 Taxpayers Who Earned Capital Gains Could Have Benefited From This Tax Break.

BLUEPRINT #4: Eliminating The Death Tax Once And For All:

Governor Romney Will Kill The Death Tax. It is unfair to tax the American people three times: once when they earn their money; second when they invest it and receive income from those investments; and third when they die.

* Governor Romney Believes The Death Tax Is Fundamentally Unfair. The Death Tax unfairly impacts families, farmers, ranchers and small businesses. These are the engines of America's economic growth and they should not be burdened by unfair taxes. By eliminating the Death Tax, we will help thousands of Americans take money that would be used to pay an unfair tax and instead use it fuel economic growth.

BLUEPRINT #5: Cutting The Corporate Tax Rate:

Governor Romney Believes Our Corporate Tax Rate Must Be Competitive With The Rest Of The World. The United States has the second highest corporate tax rate in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. We simply cannot afford for future economic growth to have a tax rate that is out of alignment with the other major economies of the world.

BLUEPRINT #6: Opposing Social Security Tax Increases:

Governor Romney Opposes Any Increase In Social Security Taxes. We can strengthen Social Security without resorting to higher Social Security taxes that will impact all Americans. Governor Romney will oppose any proposed increase in Social Security taxes.

BLUEPRINT #7: Making Medical Expenses Tax Deductible:

Governor Romney Will Make Qualified Medical Expenses Tax Deductible. Governor Romney supports the full deductibility of qualified medical expenses, which will allow Americans to deduct the cost of their health insurance and out-of-pocket medical expenses, where accompanied by at least catastrophic insurance.

BLUEPRINT #8: Vetoing Appropriations That Exceed Spending Targets:

Governor Romney Will Veto Appropriations Bills That Exceed Spending Targets. He will veto any non-defense appropriations bill that grows spending at a rate greater than inflation minus one percent (CPI-1%). This should be considered the minimum amount of spending reductions. This will save $300 billion over 10 years.

BLUEPRINT #9: Reevaluating All Federal Spending Programs:

Governor Romney Will Lead An Effort To Review And Reevaluate All Federal Spending Programs. His administration will undertake an exhaustive review of each individual federal program with the goal to eliminate and consolidate programs that are no longer useful or are bureaucratic and unwieldy. Federal spending programs do not have a right to immortality, and should not enjoy automatic increases year after year.

BLUEPRINT #10: Giving The President The Line-Item Veto Power:

Governor Romney Believes The President Needs The Line-Item Veto Power. As Governor, he had line-item authority, and often used it to trim or eliminate individual appropriations. Giving the President this power would allow us to make tremendous strides in eliminating earmarks and cutting inefficient programs.

BLUEPRINT #11: Reforming Entitlements:

Governor Romney Will Work To Reform Entitlement Programs. In a forthright and bipartisan manner, as President, Governor Romney will work with Congress to address the looming budget crisis caused by increased entitlement spending.

BLUEPRINT #12: Restoring The Supermajority Requirement:

Governor Romney Has Called On Congress To Re-Impose A Three-Fifths (60%) Supermajority Requirement To Raise Taxes. While Governor Romney is committed to lowering taxes, and as President will fight any proposed tax increase, he recognizes that all steps must be taken to prevent tax hikes. Congress should not be able to increase taxes on a political whim and with a simple majority.

BLUEPRINT #13: Giving The President Additional Flexibility To Cut Taxes:

Governor Romney Proposes Giving The Executive Branch The Authority To Spend Up To 25% Less Than Congress Appropriates. Governor Romney believes the President has an important role to play in the budget process, but that Presidential authority has been unjustifiably curbed in recent decades. With the proliferation of earmarks and with Congress unwilling to make tough spending choices, it is clear we need to re-insert the President into the budget process. The amount of money Congress tells the President to spend should be a spending ceiling, not a final price tag.

BLUEPRINT #14: Reforming The Tort System At The National Level:

Governor Romney Will Implement National Tort Reform. Governor Romney believes we must enact common sense tort reform at the federal level to make the system fairer and more predictable for both companies and the general public. These reforms will allow our companies to grow, while at the same time protecting those who deserve compensation for legitimate losses.

* Governor Romney Will Limit Non-Economic Damages And Prevent Excessive Punitive Damages Award. Non-Economic damages are inherently speculative, and a reasonable statutory cap makes sense. Governor Romney also believes we need a statutory prohibition on outrageous punitive damage awards.

* Governor Romney Will Require More Disclosure In Contingency Fee Arrangements. More disclosure will help clients make informed decisions, and it will help end abusive lawsuits and extortionate settlement demands by plaintiffs' lawyers.

BLUEPRINT #15: Providing Regulatory Relief:

Governor Romney Will Provide Employers With Regulatory Relief. Governor Romney believes the Washington regulatory burden is too high. As President, Governor Romney will eliminate cumbersome and unnecessary regulations and bureaucracies that hinder economic growth and job creation. Too often Washington politicians do not consider the negative economic effects of the many regulatory weeds that choke off growth. One of these regulations that must be pruned is Sarbanes-Oxley.

BLUEPRINT #16: Becoming Energy Secure:

Governor Romney Will Work To Make America Energy Independent. Energy costs that put pressure on household finances are a major concern for families. With nearly 60 percent of our oil coming from abroad, we must become energy independent. Governor Romney has called for a bold and far-reaching research initiative to create new, economic sources of clean energy. We must invest in renewable and alternative fuels such as ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, and liquefied coal.

BLUEPRINT #17: Improving America's Health Care System:

Governor Romney Will Improve Our Health Care System By Putting Conservative, Market-Based Principles To Work. Governor Romney's health care reform plan is a comprehensive solution to America's health care ills that expands access to affordable, portable, quality, private health insurance. Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all, government-run system, Governor Romney's plan recognizes the importance of the role of the states in leading reform and the need for innovation in dealing with rising health care costs and the problem of the uninsured.

* Governor Romney's Plan Facilitates The Growth Of The Private Health Insurance Market. Governor Romney believes that by expanding and deregulating the private health insurance market, we can decrease costs and ensure that more Americans have access to affordable, portable, quality, private health insurance.

* Step 1: Establish Federal Incentives To Deregulate And Reform State Health Insurance Markets So Market Forces Can Work.

* Step 2: Redirect Federal Spending On "Free Care" To Help The Low-Income Uninsured Purchase Private Insurance.

* Step 3: Institute Health Savings Account (HSA) Enhancements And The Full Deductibility Of Qualified Medical Expenses.

* Step 4: Promote Innovation In Medicaid.

* Step 5: Implement Medical Liability Reform.

* Step 6: Bring Market Dynamics And Modern Technology To Health Care.

BLUEPRINT #18: Promoting Free Trade:

Governor Romney Believes The United States Must Continue To Work To Open Markets To American Products. Governor Romney is a strong believer in free trade and opening foreign markets to American products. While continuing to promote free trade, Governor Romney will also work to ensure that free trade is fair and there is a level-playing field for American products.

BLUEPRINT #19: Taking On The Issue Of Embedded Taxes:

Governor Romney Will Address The Issue Of Embedded Taxes On American Products. In the global economy, American products carry a very heavy load known as embedded taxes. It’s estimated that our products face about a $100 billion disadvantage around the world. Because of a WTO ruling, taxes that are embedded in Americans products cannot be refunded to exporters. As President, Governor Romney will fight for a level playing field for American products around the world.

BLUEPRINT #20: Strengthening Our Education System:

Governor Romney Will Strengthen Our Education System To Prepare America's Children For A New Generation Of Challenges. As President, Governor Romney will emphasize math and science education, while promoting innovative approaches such as charter schools and public-private partnerships, to ensure that our workers have the intellectual capital and skills to compete in the 21st century economy. We should raise the bar in education by setting high standards for our schools, insisting on accountability, and treating teaching as a true profession.

BLUEPRINT #21: Improving Worker Retraining:

Governor Romney Supports Efforts To Give Workers The Skills And Tools Necessary To Succeed In The Global Economy. He supports consolidating and streamlining the numerous existing federal worker training and retraining programs.

BLUEPRINT #22: Reforming Our Immigration Laws And Securing Our Borders:

Governor Romney Will Secure Our Borders And Enforce Our Current Immigration Laws. Governor Romney believes we must enforce our laws, secure our border, put in place an enforceable employment verification system, and provide no special pathway to citizenship for those here illegally. We must also encourage legal immigration and streamline the system to recruit and retain high-skilled workers and welcome the best and the brightest from around the world to our universities.

BLUEPRINT #23: Investing In Our Transportation Infrastructure:

Governor Romney Will Invest In Building And Repairing The Nation's Transportation Infrastructure. We need to invest in infrastructure projects critical to the national economy and the flow of goods and people, instead of funding home-district pork.

Read Governor Romney's Full Strategy For A Stronger America:

To read more about Governor Romney's agenda to change Washington, please click on the Strategy for a Stronger America, a compilation of his policy proposals for conservative change and to meet the new generation of challenges confronting our nation. Since January 2007, Governor Romney has outlined more than 50 different policy proposals. From defeating violent Jihadists to protecting traditional values, Governor Romney believes we can build a stronger America by taking Washington apart and putting it back together based on conservative principles that strengthen our national defense, our economy and our families.

NUTS ON THE RUN

2007-10-08T11:50:00.000-04:00

Captain's Quarters has a blog about the theory that an assassination in Syria revaling how desperate al-Qaeda has become. Ed Morriseey refers you to an article published in the New York Post for the story.

COLORADO "RIGHT TO WORK" ADVANCES

2007-10-07T16:20:00.000-04:00

Colorado is contemplating a constitutional amendment that would bar compulsory union membership for workers. The language for a proposed "Colorado Right to Work" amendment was approved by the state's Review Board. It will be interesting to see if this gets through the political process.

PHONY SOLDIERS AND PHONY SENATORS

2007-10-05T15:10:00.000-04:00

Recently 41 Democratic Senators tried to silence Rush Limbaugh because of his reference to "phony soldiers." It didn't matter that Limbaugh was referring to one phony soldier, Jesse Macbeth, a confessed and convicted phony, whose faked but graphic war crimes confessions received far wider media notice than his later confession. Idiots like Macbeth dishonor the heroism and valor of every military person. Rush was right to call him a phony soldier. It is amazing to me that Harry Reid and his Democratic cronies have nothing better to do.

US OFFICER: DROP MARINE'S MURDER CHARGES

2007-10-05T15:06:00.000-04:00

An investigating officer has recommended that the Marine at the center of the biggest prosecution of U.S. troops in the Iraq war should not stand trial on murder charges. Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich is charged with the unpremeditated murder of 17 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005. Lt. Col. Paul Ware recommended that Wuterich should be tried for the lesser offense of negligent homicide.

LEADING THE WAY ON THE ISSUES

2007-10-04T21:36:00.000-04:00

Republicans fought to abolish slavery, give blacks equal rights and then the vote. Many Republican politicians risked their careers on that period's "third rail" of politics. In fact, many blacks even held elected office and were influential in state legislatures. And, in 1869, the first blacks entered Congress as members of the Republican Party, establishing a trend that was not broken until 1935 when the first black Democrat finally was elected to Congress.

Meanwhile, Republicans continued being elected to the White House. In 1868, Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant won the presidency easily and was re-elected in 1872. Although he seemed a bit bewildered by the transition from the military life of a general to being president, under Grant the Republican commitment to sound money policies continued, and the Department of Justice and the Weather Bureau were established. The Republicans in Congress continued to boldly set the agenda, and in 1870 they proposed and passed the 15th Amendment, which guaranteed voting rights regardless of race, creed or previous condition of servitude. Setting another precedent two years later, the Republican Congress turned its sights toward women's issues and authorized equal pay for equal work performed by women employed by federal agencies.

It was around this time that the symbol of the elephant for the Republican Party was created by Thomas Nast, a famous illustrator and caricaturist for The New Yorker. In 1874, a rumor that animals had escaped from the New York City Zoo coincided with worries surrounding a possible third-term run by Grant. Nast chose to represent the Republicans as elephants because elephants were clever, steadfast and controlled when calm, yet unmanageable when frightened.

But, embracing a tradition established by George Washington and the Republican Party, which had gone on record opposing a third term for any president, President Grant did not run for re-election in 1876. Instead, in one of the most bitterly disputed elections in American history, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes won the presidency by the margin of one electoral vote. After the election, cooperation between the White House and the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives was nearly impossible. Nevertheless, Hayes managed to keep his campaign promises. He cautiously withdrew federal troops from the South to allow them to shake off the psychological yoke of being a conquered land, took measures to reverse the myriad inequalities suffered by women in that period and adopted the merit system within the civil service.

Not surprisingly, the Republican appeal held in 1880 when the party won its sixth consecutive presidential election with the election of the Civil War hero James A. Garfield and also managed to regain small majorities in both the House and the Senate. Following Garfield's assassination, Chester A. Arthur succeeded to the Oval Office and, in 1883, oversaw the passage of the Pendleton Act through Congress. This bill classified about 10 percent of all government jobs and created a bipartisan Civil Service Commission to prepare and administer competitive examinations for these positions. As dreary as this bill sounds, it was important because it made at least part of the government bureaucracy a professional work force.

Suddenly the Republicans' fortunes changed, and embarking on a decade-long period of quick reversals, the Republicans lost the 1884 election. But by this time the party had firmly established itself as a permanent force in American politics by not only preserving the Union and leading the nation through the Reconstruction, but by also striking a chord of greater personal autonomy within the national psyche. Yet while the presidency was regained for one term with the 1888 election of Benjamin Harrison, with the re-emergence of the South from the destruction of the Civil War the Republicans were shut out for the first time since the Civil War in the election of 1892, as the Democrats won control of the House, the Senate and the presidency.

THE BULL MOOSE

2007-10-04T21:34:00.000-04:00

Assuming the presidency when McKinley was assassinated in 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt busied himself with what he considered to be the most pressing issue, ensuring the Republican principle of competition in a free market. To do so, Roosevelt used the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, passed in 1890 under Republican President Benjamin Harrison, to successfully prosecute and break up several large business monopolies.

In 1903, Roosevelt became involved with foreign policy, supporting revolutionaries who then formed the Republic of Panama. His actions in Panama resulted in the treaty that permitted construction of the Panama Canal. In 1905, Roosevelt--who popularized the West African phrase "Speak softly and carry a big stick" to explain his view on foreign policy--successfully negotiated the Treaty of Portsmouth, ending the conflict between Russia and Japan. Roosevelt's accomplishments as a peacemaker earned him the Nobel Peace Prize and the distinction of being the first American to receive this award. Roosevelt easily won a second term and proceeded to continue to stand by his principles. Roosevelt, who was constantly bucking public prejudice, appointed the Cabinet's first Jewish member, Oscar Strauss. Then, in 1906, after reading Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, Roosevelt instructed Congress to pass laws concerning meat inspection and pure food and drug legislation. Two years later he placed 150 million acres of forest land into federal reserves and organized a National Conservation Conference. Believing in the importance of work, Roosevelt was also responsible for creating the Department of Labor.

Although his immense popularity almost guaranteed that he could be elected to a third term, following precedent, Roosevelt retired, allowing William Taft to become the next Republican to hold the presidential office.

Discord struck the Republican Party in the 1912 election as Teddy Roosevelt, dissatisfied with President Taft, led his supporters on the "Bull Moose" ticket against the president. Playing to the advantage of a split Republican vote, as they would again 80 years later, the Democrats won the election with Woodrow Wilson. When Wilson ran for re-election in 1916, he promised to keep the United States out of World War I. Yet shortly after his re-election, the United States stepped onto the European battleground and entered the war. By mid-1918 the Republican Party won control of Congress as Wilson's popularity began to wane because World War I dragged on.

THE FIRST REPUBLICAN

2007-10-04T21:32:00.000-04:00

With the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the Republicans firmly established themselves as a major party capable of holding onto the White House for 60 of the next 100 years. Faced with the first shots of the Civil War barely a month after his inauguration, preserving the Union was Lincoln's greatest challenge--and no doubt his greatest achievement. But it was by no means his only accomplishment. Amid the fierce and bloody battles of the Civil War, the Lincoln administration established the Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and a national banking system. Understanding the importance of settling the frontier, as well as having a piece of land to call your own, Lincoln passed the Homestead Act, which satisfied the former Free Soil members by offering public land grants. Hoping to encourage a higher level of education, Lincoln also donated land for agricultural and technical colleges to the states through the Land Grant College Act, which established universities throughout the United States.

Fully sensitive to the symbolism of their name, the Republicans worked to deal the death blow to slavery with Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the passage, by a Republican Congress, of the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery. Hoping to permanently turn back the Democratic advance in the South, immediately after the Civil War the Republican Congress continued to push through legislation to extend the full protection of civil rights to blacks.

During Reconstruction, the mostly Democratic South, which had seceded from both the Union and Congress, struggled to regain its footing. Meanwhile, the Republicans took advantage of their majority and passed several measures to improve the quality of life for blacks throughout the entire Union. First the Republicans passed a Civil Rights Act in 1866 recognizing blacks as U.S. citizens. This act hoped to weaken the South by denying states the power to restrict blacks from testifying in a court of law or from owning their own property.

Continuing to take advantage of their majority, Republicans proposed the 14th Amendment, which became part of the Constitution in 1868, stating: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

That same year the Republican Congress also passed the National Eight Hour Law, which, though it applied only to government workers, brought relief for overworked federal employees by limiting the work day to eight hours.

FROM THE BEGINNING

2007-10-04T21:29:00.000-04:00

Abolishing slavery. Free speech. Women's suffrage. These are all stances the Republican Party, in opposition to the Democratic Party, adopted early on.

Reducing the government. Streamlining the bureaucracy. Returning power to the states. These issues don't sound like they would be the promises of the party of Lincoln, the party that fought to preserve the national union, but they are, and logically so. With a core belief in the idea of the primacy of individuals, the Republican Party, since its inception, has been at the forefront of the fight for individuals' rights in opposition to a large, bloated government.

The Republican Party has always thrived on challenges and difficult positions. Its present role as leader of the revolution in which the principles of government are being re-evaluated is a role it has traditionally embraced.

At the time of its founding, the Republican Party was organized as an answer to the divided politics, political turmoil, arguments and internal division, particularly over slavery, that plagued the many existing political parties in the United States in 1854. The Free Soil Party, asserting that all men had a natural right to the soil, demanded that the government re-evaluate homesteading legislation and grant land to settlers free of charge. The Conscience Whigs, the "radical" faction of the Whig Party in the North, alienated themselves from their Southern counterparts by adopting an anti-slavery position. And the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed territories to determine whether slavery would be legalized in accordance with "popular sovereignty" and thereby nullify the principles of the Missouri Compromise, created a schism within the Democratic Party.

A staunch Anti-Nebraska Democrat, Alvan E. Bovay, like his fellow Americans, was disillusioned by this atmosphere of confusion and division. Taking advantage of the political turmoil caused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Bovay united discouraged members from the Free Soil Party, the Conscience Whigs and the Anti-Nebraska Democrats. Meeting in a Congregational church in Ripon, Wis., he helped establish a party that represented the interests of the North and the abolitionists by merging two fundamental issues: free land and preventing the spread of slavery into the Western territories. Realizing the new party needed a name to help unify it, Bovay decided on the term Republican because it was simple, synonymous with equality and alluded to the earlier party of Thomas Jefferson, the Democratic-Republicans.

On July 6, 1854, in Jackson, Mich., the Republican Party formally organized itself by holding its first convention, adopting a platform and nominating a full slate of candidates for state offices. Other states soon followed, and the first Republican candidate for president, John C. Frémont, ran in 1856 with the slogan "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Frémont."

Even though he ran on a third-party ticket, Frémont managed to capture a third of the vote, and the Republican Party began to add members throughout the land. As tensions mounted over the slavery issue, more anti-slavery Republicans began to run for office and be elected, even with the risks involved with taking this stance. Republican Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts experienced this danger firsthand. In May 1856, he delivered a passionate anti-slavery speech in which he made critical remarks about several pro-slavery senators, including Andrew F. Butler of South Carolina. Sumner infuriated Rep. Preston S. Brooks, the son of one of Butler's cousins, who felt his family honor had been insulted. Two days later, Brooks walked into the Senate and beat Sumner unconscious with a cane. This incident electrified the nation and helped to galvanize Northern opinion against the South; Southern opinion hailed Brooks as a hero. But Sumner stood by his principles, and after a three-year, painful convalescence, he returned to the Senate to continue his struggle against slavery.

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY - GOP HISTORY

2007-10-04T21:27:00.000-04:00

The Republican Party was born in the early 1850's by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. The first informal meeting of the party took place in Ripon, Wisconsin, a small town northwest of Milwaukee. The first official Republican meeting took place on July 6th, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan. The name "Republican" was chosen because it alluded to equality and reminded individuals of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. At the Jackson convention, the new party adopted a platform and nominated candidates for office in Michigan.

In 1856, the Republicans became a national party when John C. Fremont was nominated for President under the slogan: "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Fremont." Even though they were considered a "third party" because the Democrats and Whigs represented the two-party system at the time, Fremont received 33% of the vote. Four years later, Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican to win the White House.

The Civil War erupted in 1861 and lasted four grueling years. During the war, against the advice of his cabinet, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves. The Republicans of the day worked to pass the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlawed slavery, the Fourteenth, which guaranteed equal protection under the laws, and the Fifteenth, which helped secure voting rights for African-Americans.

The Republican Party also played a leading role in securing women the right to vote. In 1896, Republicans were the first major party to favor women's suffrage. When the 19th Amendment finally was added to the Constitution, 26 of 36 state legislatures that had voted to ratify it were under Republican control. The first woman elected to Congress was a Republican, Jeanette Rankin from Montana in 1917.

Presidents during most of the late nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century were Republicans. The White House was in Republican hands under Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush. Under the last two, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, the United States became the world's only superpower, winning the Cold War from the old Soviet Union and releasing millions from Communist oppression.

Behind all the elected officials and the candidates of any political party are thousands of hard-working staff and volunteers who raise money, lick the envelopes, and make the phone calls that every winning campaign must have. The national structure of our party starts with the Republican National Committee. Each state has its own Republican State Committee with a Chairman and staff. The Republican structure goes right down to the neighborhoods, where a Republican precinct captain every Election Day organizes Republican workers to get out the vote.

Most states ask voters when they register to express party preference. Voters don't have to do so, but registration lists let the parties know exactly which voters they want to be sure vote on Election Day. Just because voters register as a Republican, they don't need to vote that way - many voters split their tickets, voting for candidates in both parties. But the national party is made up of all registered Republicans in all 50 states. They are the heart and soul of the party. Republicans have a long and rich history with basic principles: Individuals, not government, can make the best decisions; all people are entitled to equal rights; and decisions are best made close to home.

The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. During the mid term elections way back in 1874, Democrats tried to scare voters into thinking President Grant would seek to run for an unprecedented third term. Thomas Nast, a cartoonist for Harper's Weekly, depicted a Democratic jackass trying to scare a Republican elephant - and both symbols stuck. For a long time Republicans have been known as the "G.O.P." And party faithfuls thought it meant the "Grand Old Party." But apparently the original meaning (in 1875) was "gallant old party." And when automobiles were invented it also came to mean, "get out and push." That's still a pretty good slogan for Republicans who depend every campaign year on the hard work of hundreds of thousands of volunteers to get out and vote and push people to support the causes of the Republican Party.

RIVER WEST: I AM A REPUBLICAN

2007-10-04T20:34:00.000-04:00

I'm a Republican Because...

I BELIEVE the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that each person’s dignity, freedom, ability and responsibility must be honored.

I BELIEVE in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability.

I BELIEVE free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity.

I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.

I BELIEVE the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations, and that the best government is that which governs least.

I BELIEVE the most effective, responsible and responsive government is government closest to the people.

I BELIEVE Americans must retain the principles that have made us strong while developing new and innovative ideas to meet the challenges of changing times.

I BELIEVE Americans value and should preserve our national strength and pride while working to extend peace, freedom and human rights throughout the world.

FINALLY, I believe the Republican Party is the best vehicle for translating these ideals into positive and successful principles of government

MURTHA REQUIRED TO TESTIFY

2007-10-03T21:05:00.000-04:00

Federal Judge Rosemary M. Collyer has ordered Representative Jack Murtha to appear in court and be cross examined in response to a sobpoena by Marine Sgt. Frank Wuterich. Wuterich is suing Murtha for defamation. Should be interesting.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

2007-10-03T19:51:00.000-04:00

This is a really good discussion about what is actually going on in Iraq. Just this one sentence pretty well sums up the tenor of the article:

"With most Sunni factions now seeking a deal, the big questions in Iraq have been resolved positively. the country remains one, it has embraced democracy and avoided all-out civil war. What violence remains is largely local and criminal."

Here is another important point:

"The great question in deciding whether to keep fighting in Iraq is not about the morality and self-interest of supporting a struggling democracy that is also one of the most important countries in the world. The question is whether the war is winnable and whether we can help the winning of it. The answer is made much easier by the fact that three and a half years after the start of the insurgency, most of the big questions in Iraq have been resolved. Moreover, they have been resolved in ways that are mostly towards the positive end of the range of outcomes imagined at the start of the project. The country is whole. It has embraced the ballot box. It has created a fair and popular constitution. It has avoided all-out civil war. It has not been taken over by Iran. It has put an end to Kurdish and marsh Arab genocide, and anti-Shia apartheid. It has rejected mass revenge against the Sunnis."

GINGRICH SAYS HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A CONTENDER

2007-10-02T21:29:00.000-04:00

Newt Gingrich says he'd have been a contender if he had entered the Presidential race. It sure would have been a a lot more interesting.

RUDE GIULIANI

2007-10-02T21:08:00.000-04:00

John Fund writes an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. He is upset with what he calls Rudy Giuliani's rudeness. What does he think Rudy is being rude about? Well, he has taken telephone calls from his wife more than 40 times in the middle of speeches, conferences and presentations to large donors. I'm not sure what Rudy's purpose is in taking these calls, but if it is a publicity stunt, it has gotten old. Time to stop Rudy.

U.S. MILITARY DEATH TOLL DOWN IN IRAQ

2007-10-02T11:41:00.000-04:00

The United States Military announced that American military deaths fell to 63 in September, the lowest death toll since July 2006 Another story not reported by the MSM.

OBAMA RAISES $19 MILLION IN QUARTER

2007-10-02T10:50:00.000-04:00

Barack Obama continues to raise a lot of cash for his Presidential bid, reporting more than $19 million from July through September. That brings his total for the year to nearly $80 Million.

QUESTIONS FOR OBAMA

2007-10-01T15:04:00.000-04:00

George Will, who is not one of my favorite conservatives, especially after his attack on Fred Thompson, has a column asking 17 questions of Barack Obama. Some of the questions are relevant, some are not. Some of the questions are important, some of not. Check out the article and judge for yourself.

MITT'S MISSION

2007-10-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

Mitt Romney, according to Newsweek, is on a mission. People need to know him. The question is how much does he want to share? Probably the most important thing that Mitt Romney needs to share with the voters is his faith. Not his religion. By now everyone knows that Mitt Romney is a Mormon. So talk to the voters about your faith, Mitt. Tell us what you believe. You might be surprised at the positive response. Americans are basically fair people.

GIULIANI PROVES HIMSELF MR. SEPTEMBER

2007-10-01T14:54:00.000-04:00

Jonathan Martin of the Politico has an article about Rudy Giuliani. According to Martin, Giuliani believes that he can position himself as the inevitable Republican candidate. It will be interesting to see if the Conservatives can overcome their hatred of Rudy's liberal views enough to support him if Hillary is in fact the nominee for the Democrats.

IRAQ PARTIES DENOUNCE SPLITTING COUNTRY

2007-09-30T22:28:00.000-04:00

Representatives of Iraq's major political parties on Sunday strongly denounced a U.S. Senate proposal calling for a limited centralized Iraqi government with the bulk of the power given to the country's ethnically divided regions. Prime Minister Maliki said dividing Iraq is a problem, and decision like that would be a catastrophe. I guess I don't understand - but who in the heck does Senator Biden think he is to tell another country how to divide up their country.

NAVAL CENTRE TO COMBAT COCAINE

2007-09-30T22:24:00.000-04:00

The United Kingdom and six other nations are trying to intercept drug smuggling runs across the Atlantic into Europe from Latin America. The centre is jointly run by the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, the Irish Republic, France, the Netherlands and Italy. These countries are going to need all the help they can get.

THE SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON AGAINST OUR DEPLOYED FORCES

2007-09-29T21:22:00.000-04:00

Since 2003 more than 81,000 IED attacks have occurred in Iraq, including 25,000 so far this year. The roadside bomb has become the signature weapon in Iraq and Afghanistan. IED's have caused nearly two-thirds of the 3,100 American combat deaths in Iraq and an even higher proportion of battle wounds. It's a sobering story.

DEMOCRATIC LEADERS CALL LIMBAUGH COMMENTS "BEYOND THE PALE"

2007-09-29T20:38:00.000-04:00

If this is what the liberal left plans on using to respond to the MoveOn.Org ad, they are really a sorry crew. It seems that a caller called Rush Limbaugh's radio show, and talked about anti war soldiers being "phony soldiers". Limbaugh responded that he agreed when talking about the guy who wrote about all the atrocities he had seen in Iraq, but the guy never served. Now the Democratic leaders are going to send a letter Monday. How silly!!

LEADING INDICATORS POINT DOWN FOR GOP

2007-09-29T17:19:00.000-04:00

Things are not looking good for the Republicans in Congress. They are having trouble finding candidates, they are having trouble raising money, and Congressional Republicans are retiring every month. How much worse can it get.

DEMOCRATS MISS BUDGET DEADLINE

2007-09-29T17:16:00.000-04:00

Andrew Taylor of the Associated Press correctly points out that the most basic job of Congress is to pass the bills that pay the costs of running the government. The Democrats have not completed even one of the 12 spending bills necessary. Let's see how they spin this one.

MARINES, IRAQI POLICE RID ANBAR OF INSURGENTS

2007-09-10T21:48:00.000-04:00

A good article detailing how the Marines of Company C, and local Iraqi Police recently swept through the farmlands outside Habbaniyah, to rid the area of insurgents.

CITIZEN MARINE AWARDED SILVER STAR

2007-09-10T15:20:00.000-04:00

Read this post from Centcom about a true hero. Marine Corps Reserve Sgt Jeff Hunter. We are so blessed to have heroes like this fighting for our country.

MY MIND IS MADE UP, DON'T CONFUSE ME WITH THE FACTS!!

2007-09-10T14:59:00.000-04:00

Powerline has an excellent post pointing out the Democrats hypocrisy with their attack on General Petraeus, without ever having seen his report.

THE TIDE IS TURNING IN IRAQ

2007-09-10T14:55:00.000-04:00

Good op-ed by Kimberly Kagan. She correctly points out that the tribal movement against al Qaeda in Anbar province has spread to other parts of Iraq. She also explains why the American people should be optimistic about the prospects for establishing security in Iraq, and every reason to continue supporting the current strategy.

SUNNI BLOC ENDS BOYCOTT IN IRAQ

2007-09-10T12:10:00.000-04:00

Just another story that we have to look to the foreign media for an honest report. The mainstream media continues to mislead the American people, and even worse, fails to report the story at all. The BBC has this story, reporting that the Sunni bloc has ended their boycott in Iraq.

DEMS ALREADY DISCOUNT WAR REPORT

2007-09-10T12:03:00.000-04:00

The Washington Times reported last week that it really doesn't matter what General Petraeus says today, the Democrats have already discounted his report. Shame on the Congressional Democrats.

BUSH WILL GET HIS WAY ON IRAQ - AGAIN

2007-09-10T09:35:00.000-04:00

John Podhoretz has an interesting article in the New York Post. He claims that George W. Bush will get his way again on Iraq. Why? Several reasons. First Petraeus will report startling and unexprected progress against al Qaeda and the Sunni insurgency. Second, the expected Republican meltdown (expected by who - the Democrats?) has not happened. The best part of Podhoretz's article is the following "Teddy Kennedy will bloviate. Carl Levin will castigate. Harry Reid will susurrate and Chris Matthews will hyperventilate."

CRACKS APPEAR IN DEMOCRAT'S OPPOSITION TO IRAQ WAR

2007-09-03T21:10:00.000-04:00

When Congress left for it's August recess, everyone expected them to return with cracks in the resolve of the Republicans to back the President on Iraq. Well, surprise, surprise!!! There are cracks - but they are on the Democrats side. the surge has been working. The importance of the failure of the Democrats to be able to use Iraq to beat Republicans over the head can't be underestimated. It eliminates the Democrat's use of the war in the 2008 races.

OPERATION MARNE TORCH

2007-09-03T20:53:00.000-04:00

The Victory Caucus has another terrific story. This one is about Operation Marne Torch, which was undertaken by the Multi-National Division-Center (MND-C, under the command of Major General Rich Lynch. The idea was to deny the enemy freedom of movement south of Baghdad. It was an overwhelming success.

GENERAL PETRAEUS - SOLDIER AND SCHOLAR

2007-09-03T20:43:00.000-04:00

The Chicago Tribune has a good article by Philip R. O'Connor about General David Petraeus. Mr. O'Connor points out that the General has a doctorate in political science from Princeton University. It's a fascinating article, and one that every American interested in what is going on in Iraq should read.

WHY WE CAN'T FAIL IN IRAQ

2007-09-03T20:18:00.000-04:00

Joseph Joffe has an op-ed in the Opinion Journal titled "If Iraq Falls" - "America might have made a mistake going in, but fleeing would be a disaster." Mr. Joffe starts with the argument that President Bush's analogy of Iraq to Vietnam was ill-conceived. But, he does make some very valid points about Iraq and the Middle East. As he notes, "the Middle East is the central strategic arena of the 21st century." It's a chilling analysis of what would happen if we quit on Iraq, and one that every defeatist in this country should be required to read.

al Qaeda alliance split by Marriages

2007-09-01T21:31:00.000-04:00

Why are Iraq's Sunni tribes turning against al Qaeda? It appears that it started when the largely foreign-run terrorist organization tried to arrange forced marriages with local women. Read the full article in the Washington Times.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW - SUPPORT FOR THE WAR IS RISING!!!

2007-09-01T21:26:00.000-04:00

According to the Washington Times, the White House believes it has made significant progress over the past month in swaying public and political opinion toward supporting a continued U.S. military effort in Iraq. According to Bush officials the surge is producing significant results. A recent Zogby poll showed that 54% of those surveyed believe the war is not lost.

AFGHAN VILLAGE AND THE AMERICAN MILITARY

2007-09-01T21:09:00.000-04:00

Centcom has a great story about American medics seeing nearly 200 people in a small Afghan village, and dispensing various medications to them, including de-worming medication and vitamins to every person seen. This really is what Bill Frist has been talking about for years - using medicine as a currency for peace. It does work.

BUSH: LOOKING AHEAD TO HIS LEGACY

2007-09-01T21:00:00.001-04:00

The New York Times has a fascinating piece about an interview President Bush gave to a book author. According to the Times, President Bush is keenly interested in what history will say about his term of office.

PETRAEUS TELLS CONGRESS THAT HE IS WRITING THE REPORT

2007-09-01T20:56:00.000-04:00

General David Petraeus who will brief Congress in two weeks on the progress in Iraq, has assured Congress that the administration is not involved in writing his report.

AMERICAN SOLDIERS REMEMBER IRAQI HERO

2007-08-30T18:31:00.000-04:00

We don't often read stories of the sacrifices the Iraqi people are making. Here is a story of our soldiers remembering a real Iraqi hero, who gave his life to save others.

PROGRESS IN IRAQ

2007-08-30T18:25:00.000-04:00

Victory Caucus says that Lt. General James Dubik and Brig. General Kevin J. Bergner talked about progress being made around Iraq.

CONGRESS TO IRAQIS: JOIN MILITIAS

2007-08-30T18:17:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post has published an article by Kyle Teamey, a former Army officer, who served in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. Mr. Teamey points out that much of the violence in Iraq last year came about because of the realization of the Iraqis that our military is increasingly irrelevant. He argues that although a debate over the merits of the war may be the way a democracy works our Democratic Congress has in effect told Iraqis that they are better off joining militias, because Iraq is going to descend into chaos when we leave.

JIHAD AND DEMOCRACY

2007-08-30T18:11:00.000-04:00

This is a very thoughtful post by Paul J. Cella as published in Redstate. Mr Cella points out that there is no necessary connection between democracy and secularism. He goes on to point out that democracy is not a natural antidote to the Jihad. He urges us to think hard and discuss openly the character of the Jihad.

BATTLE OF "THE BUMS"

2007-08-30T15:20:00.000-04:00

Representative Thaddeus McCotter has an article in Redstate called "Battle of the Bums". It is a good article about "Our Bums" - the American Congress vs. "their Bums" - the Iraqi parliament. As Congressman McCotter reminds us "it would help too, if the collective bums in both the Iraqi Parliament and the American Congress remembered all power in a democracy is vested in its sovereign citizens, not its subservient government."

PATRICK RUFFINI ON LARRY CRAIG

2007-08-29T20:49:00.000-04:00

Patrick Ruffini has a thoughtful and compassionate post on Larry Craig. It is one that should make all of us think.

IS JOHN MCCAIN FINISHED OR NOT?

2007-08-29T20:13:00.000-04:00

John McCain says he has not yet begun to fight. I think Senator McCain is delusional.
He is in the position where he is running 4th in most polls, has lost most of his staff, and has very little money to operate on. I think the danger for McCain is that he may soon drop into the second tier of Republican candidates.

BUSH: $50 BILLION MORE FOR THE WAR

2007-08-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post is reporting that President Bush plans to ask Congress for up to $50 Billion in additional funding for the Iraq war, evidently confident that the Democrats don't have the votes for a pullout.

ARMY OFFICER CLEARED OF CHARGES IN ABU GHRAIB CASE

2007-08-29T12:50:00.000-04:00

Much to my surprise, I found this article in the Washington Post. The only Army officer to face a court-martial for Abu Ghraib has been cleared.

BUSH: CAN'T WITHDRAW FROM THE MIDDLE EAST

2007-08-28T23:34:00.000-04:00

President Bush, in a hard hitting speech to veterans at the American Legion convention, said that if the United States is driven out of the Middle East the civilized world would be imperiled. I think the President is right.

DIVERSITY IN THE IRAQI ARMY??

2007-08-28T23:16:00.000-04:00

Sgt. Andy Hurt has a very interesting article at Central Command about the diversity of the Iraqi army. I found the article informative and surprising.

MITT ROMNEY - LARRY CRAIG IS DISGUSTING

2007-08-28T23:02:00.000-04:00

Another great article by Tommy Oliver regarding Mitt Romney's unbelievable comments about Larry Craig. I think Tommy has stated very well what many of us have been thinking. Shame on Governor Romney.

TOMMY OLIVER ON MIKE HUCKABEE AND THE CIGARETTE TAX

2007-08-28T22:40:00.000-04:00

Tommy Oliver (Perico to his friends) has an interesting take on Mike Huckabee's recent comments on a cigarette tax. Tommy blogs at race42008.com. By the way, Tommy is a Fred Thompson supporter, as am I.

IRAN: POWER VACUUM IN IRAQ INEVITABLE

2007-08-28T22:34:00.001-04:00

The President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that a power vacuum in Iraq is inevitable and Iran is ready to step in when it happens. The Victory Caucus has the story.

PEGGY NOONAN's SPEECH

2007-08-27T19:12:00.000-04:00

Here is a speech by Peggy Noonan. It was sent to me by my nephew. It is one that we all should take the time to read.
Gen Fred McCorkle sends this speech by Peggy Noonan,
who used to be Pres. Ronald Reagan's speech writer.

Let suffice to say the upper strata of Marine Corps
leadership is on the cc line of this e-mail.

Thanks and Semper Fi, General,

PEGGY NOONAN

'To Old Times'
A toast to American troops, then and now.
Friday, August 24, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT

Once I went hot-air ballooning in Normandy. It was the
summer of 1991. It was exciting to float over the
beautiful French hills and the farms with crisp crops
in the fields. It was dusk, and we amused ourselves
calling out "Bonsoir!" to cows and people in little
cars. We had been up for an hour or so when we had a
problem and had to land. We looked for an open field,
aimed toward it, and came down a little hard. The
gondola dragged, tipped and spilled us out. A half
dozen of us emerged scrambling and laughing with
relief.

Suddenly before us stood an old man with a cracked and
weathered face. He was about 80, in rough work
clothes. He was like a Life magazine photo from 1938:
"French farmer hoes his field." He'd seen us coming
from his farmhouse and stood before us with a look of
astonishment as the huge bright balloon deflated and
tumbled about.

One of us spoke French and explained our situation.
The farmer said, or asked, "You are American." We
nodded, and he made a gesture--I'll be back!--and ran
to the house. He came back with an ancient bottle of
Calvados, the local brandy. It was literally covered
in dust and dry dirt, as if someone had saved it a
long time. He told us--this will seem unlikely, and it
amazed us--that he had not seen an American in many,
many years, and we asked when. "The invasion," he
said. The Normandy invasion.

Then he poured the Calvados and made a toast. I wish I
had notes on what he said. Our French speaker
translated it into something like, "To old times." And
we raised our glasses knowing we were having a moment
of unearned tenderness. Lucky Yanks, that a wind had
blown us to it. That was 16 years ago, and I haven't
seen some of the people with me since that day, but I
know every one of us remembers it and keeps it in his
good-memory horde.

He didn't welcome us because he knew us. He didn't
treat us like royalty because we had done anything for
him. He honored us because we were related to, were
the sons and daughters of, the men of the Normandy
Invasion. The men who had fought their way through
France hedgerow by hedgerow, who'd jumped from planes
in the dark and climbed the cliffs and given France
back to the French. He thought we were of their sort.
And he knew they were good. He'd seen them, when he
was young.

I've been thinking of the old man because of Iraq and
the coming debate on our future there. Whatever we do
or should do, there is one fact that is going to be
left on the ground there when we're gone. That is the
impression made by, and the future memories left by,
American troops in their dealings with the Iraqi
people.

I don't mean the impression left by the power and
strength of our military. I mean the impression left
by the character of our troops-- by their nature and
generosity, by their kindness. By their tradition of
these things. The American troops in Iraq, our men and
women, are inspiring, and we all know it. But whenever
you say it, you sound like a greasy pol: "I support
our valiant troops, though I oppose the war," or "If
you oppose the war, you are ignoring the safety and
imperiling the sacrifice of our gallant troops."

I suspect that in their sophistication--and they are
sophisticated--our
troops are grimly amused by this. Soldiers are used to
being used. They just do their job. We know of the
broad humanitarian aspects of the occupation--the
hospitals being built, the schools restored, the
services administered, the kids treated by armed
forces doctors. But then there are all the stories
that don't quite make it to the top of the heap, and
that in a way tell you more. The lieutenant in the
First Cavalry who was concerned about Iraqi kids in
the countryside who didn't have shoes, so he wrote
home, started a drive, and got 3,000 pairs sent over.
The lieutenant colonel from California who spent his
off-hours emailing hospitals back home to get a
wheelchair for a girl with cerebral palsy.

The Internet is littered with these stories. So is
Iraq. I always notice the
pictures from the wire services, pictures that have
nothing to do with
government propaganda. The Marine on patrol laughing
with the local street kids; the nurse treating the
sick mother. A funny thing. We're so used to thinking
of American troops as good guys that we forget:
They're good guys! They have American class. And it is
not possible that the good people of Iraq are not
noticing, and that in some way down the road the sum
of these acts will not come to have some special
meaning, some special weight of its own. The actor
Gary Sinise helps run Operation Iraqi Children, which
delivers school supplies with the help of U.S. forces.
When he visits Baghdad grade schools, the kids yell,
"Lieutenant Dan!"--his role in "Forrest Gump," the
story of another good man.

Some say we're the Roman Empire, but I don't think the
soldiers of Rome were known for their kindness, nor
the people of Rome for their decency. Some speak of
Abu Ghraib, but the humiliation of prisoners there was
news because it was American troops acting in a way
that was out of the order of things, and apart from
tradition. It was weird. And they were busted by other
American troops.

You could say soldiers of every country do some good
in war beyond fighting,and that is true enough. But
this makes me think of the statue I saw once in
Vienna, a heroic casting of a Red Army soldier. Quite
stirring. The man who showed it to me pleasantly said
it had a local nickname, "The Unknown Rapist." There
are similar memorials in Estonia and Berlin; they all
have the same nickname. My point is not to insult
Russian soldiers, who had been born into a world of
communism, atheism, and Stalin's institutionalization
of brutish ways of being. I only mean to note the
stellar reputation of American troops in the same war
at the same time. They were good guys. They're still
good.

We should ponder, some day when this is over, what it
is we do to grow such men, and women, what exactly
goes into the making of them. Whatever is decided in
Washington I hope our soldiers know what we really
think of them, and what millions in Iraq must, also. I
hope some day they get some earned tenderness, and
wind up over the hills of Iraq, and land, and an old
guy comes out and says, "Are you an American?" And
they say yes and he says, "A toast, to old times."

Ms. Noonan is a contributing editor of The Wall Street
Journal and author of "John Paul the Great:
Remembering a Spiritual Father" (Penguin, 2005),
which you can order from the Opinion Journal bookstore

Her column appears
Fridays on OpinionJournal.com.

REPUBLICANS RESPOND TO SCHUMER

2007-08-27T19:07:00.000-04:00

The Republican National Committee responded to Senator Chuck Schumer's political cheap shot at departing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

AMERICAN MILITARY HELPING AFGHANISTAN

2007-08-27T18:58:00.000-04:00

There is a really nice story about American Airmen and Soldiers helping set up a hospital in Afghanistan. Funny how we never hear about these kind of stories.

IRAQI CITIZENS HELPING IRAQI ARMY

2007-08-27T18:52:00.000-04:00

The Victory Caucus has another good article about the cooperation between the Iraqi people and the Iraqi Army as they work throughout their country to defeat the terrorists.

BUSH HAILS IRAQ RECONCILIATION AGREEMENT

2007-08-27T18:41:00.002-04:00

President Bush on Monday praised the Iraqi political leaders for reaching a reconciliation agreement, pointing out that it had been a long, hard process that was now beginning to show results.

WHY DON'T WE EVER HEAR THE GOOD NEWS

2007-08-25T20:53:00.000-04:00

The Multi National Force - Iraq (MNFI) has a story about Iraqi citizens and Iraqi police standing up to an Al Qaeda attack.

ANOTHER GREAT ARTICLE IN THE VICTORY CAUCUS

2007-08-25T20:44:00.000-04:00

The Victory Caucus has a great article by Richard S. Lowry about the operation at the heart of the surge: Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, also known as the Baghdad Security Plan

SENATOR WARNER - HE'S JUST WRONG

2007-08-25T20:29:00.000-04:00

Senator John Warner has called for President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq - 5,000 by Christmas. Why would he say this when he admits that the surge has made a noticeable difference? Well, Warner says we need to send a message to the Iraqi government - that our patience is wearing out and we won't stay forever. Senator Warner, I have news for you - if we leave Iraq, Al Queda will fill the void as will Iran and Syria. Prime Minister Maliki has already said Iraq can find other friends. And so they can - but they sure won't be our friends.

BUSH SATISFIED WITH SURGE - IT'S JUST BEGINNING

2007-08-25T20:25:00.000-04:00

President Bush, during his weekly radio address said that he is satisfied with the progress of the surge and said that offensive operations were just beginning.

IRAQ - ALL SHADES OF GRAY

2007-08-23T18:52:00.000-04:00

Major General Rick Lynch, the commander of Multinational Division Center and Task Force Marne, points out something that a lot of us have been thinking for a long time. Iraq is in the middle of a struggle for "power and influence." As General Lynch said "It's not black and white here. It's all shades of gray." The violence inside of Iraq is not just Sunni v Shiia, or another sect. Instead its intra-Shiia, intra-Sunni, etc. General Lynch pointed out that the Americans have to have great precision when talking about the enemy. It isn't easy to figure out who the enemy is.

TIGERHAWK AND THE CIA INVESTIGATION

2007-08-23T18:48:00.000-04:00

TigerHawk has a great commentary about the internal investigation at the CIA. It is really a thought provoking piece.

WHAT COUNTRY DOES HILLARY LIVE IN?

2007-08-23T18:36:00.000-04:00

GOP USA has a terrific article about Hillary Clinton. The article is a column written by Christopher G. Adamo. He talks about Hillary's latest ad, where she says that as she travels around America she meets many people who feel like they are invisible to their government. It is laughable to hear Hillary talking about the plight of the American people. When she was in the White House (remember she was First Lady - much to our regret) she insisted on being treated like royalty. Stories of her tirades are legion. Mr. Adamo reminds us of the Marines who were required to service the Clinton White House as waiters and bellhops. Hillary needs to find a new message because that one is not going to work.

A REMARKABLE YOUNG MAN - JOHN PEHR

2007-08-23T16:02:00.000-04:00

I had a chance to meet John Pehr at a recent Republican meeting. What a remarkable young man he is and what a future he has. Jim Coffield, Volusia County Republican Chairman is a big supporter of teens like John getting involved in the political process. As Jim said "The teen group sure is a big help with canvassing neighborhoods with their strong legs and their enthusiastic spirits."

GO AHEAD - REFUSE TO LET OUR DELEGATES VOTE!!!

2007-08-22T15:43:00.000-04:00

Good for Jim Greer, the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida for making the decision that the Florida Republican Party will send all of its delegates to the 2008 National Convention, despite the National Republican Party's warning that Florida may lose half of its delegates because of our January 29 primary. I salute Jim Greer!!!

MORE PROGRESS FROM IRAQ

2007-08-22T14:43:00.000-04:00

There is a report from Victory Caucus quoting a former top official of the now banned Baath party. According to this former official, the leader of the banned Baath Party, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, has decided to join the Iraqi fight against al-Qaeda.

GENERAL PETRAEUS' INTERVIEW WITH THE NEW YORK POST

2007-08-22T14:38:00.000-04:00

Ralph Peters of The New York Post recently sat down with General David Petraeus. It's a fascinating story about the best qualified General we have had in Iraq and how he handles his job.

OPERATION PHANTOM STRIKE

2007-08-22T14:29:00.000-04:00

Multi National Force - Iraq reports on Operation Phantom Strike.

IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH FOR THE GOOD NEWS, YOU WILL FIND IT

2007-08-22T14:26:00.000-04:00

The Nashville City Paper reports that Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, just back from a trip to Iraq report that military successes are being made but political progress is slow. Funny how hard it is to find good news.

MRAP'S ON THEIR WAY TO IRAQ

2007-08-21T19:40:00.000-04:00

Secretary of Defense Thomas Gates has been pushing for the delivery of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles to our troops in Iraq. Thankfully that is now happening. These vehicles, called MRAP'S, have bullet shaped bottoms, and are much more able to withstand the IEDS that the terrorists are so fond of. Good for Secretary Gates.

A STORY FROM FALLUJAH

2007-08-21T15:29:00.000-04:00

Victory Caucus has a story from the front lines in Fallujah. Again I have to ask where is the MSM?

THE STORY OF A REAL AMERICAN HERO

2007-08-20T21:33:00.000-04:00

I have always believed that all of our military people, past and present, are American heroes. Here is the story of one who gave his life to protect us all.

GENERAL PETRAEUS WILL LIKELY TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS ON 9/11

2007-08-20T16:03:00.000-04:00

The White House has announced that General Petraeus will likely testify before Congress on 9/11.