The National Report

Last Change

2006-05-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

New and final location: Net Roots

Lieberman Smears Lamont

2006-05-23T12:54:00.000-04:00

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) is making primary challenger Ned Lamont's (D) personal fortune a campaign issue, according to the Hartford Courant.

Said Lieberman: "Having between $90 million and $300 million, Ned Lamont can not only try to buy a seat from Connecticut in the U.S. Senate, he can probably buy a seat in a couple of other states if he wanted."

An interesting argument coming from a man with over 4 million dollars in his "war chest" coming mostly from lobbyists and big business. Lamont, on the other hand, is raising money from individual and grass roots donations only and has barely breached the million dollar mark.

DFA Supports Lamont

2006-05-23T12:45:00.000-04:00

Lamont's recent victory at the CT democratic nominating convention has resulted in an uproar of publicity to the CT senate race and the endorsement of Democracy For America, a group dedicated to social progress, fiscal responsibility and grassroots activism: all keystones of the Lamont campaign.

Today, Democracy For America enthusiastically endorsed Ned Lamont in his run for United States Senate against incumbent Joseph Lieberman. Lamont surprised the pundits and Senator Lieberman with a strong showing at the Connecticut Democratic Party Convention on Friday and earned a spot on the primary ballot. The primary will be August 8. “Ned Lamont has been loud and clear about America’s position in Iraq and world affairs, one of the most important concerns for voters,” said Jim Dean, Chair for Democracy for America. “Senator Lieberman has been a broken record supporting broken policies.” Democracy for America will help raise money, media, and volunteers for Lamont’s campaign from across the nation.

Help DFA meet goal today! Read"Joe Lieberman: George Bush's Favorite Democrat?"on Blog For America, the DFA blog.

My Summer: Interning with Ned Lamont

2006-05-17T23:15:00.000-04:00

I am going up for an interview with Ned Lamont's campaign for a summer internship tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Farrell for Congress

2006-05-15T20:47:00.000-04:00

Diane Farrell was officially nominated today to run as a Democrat against Congressman Christopher Shays in the 4th district of CT. The Farrell race is one of, if not the, highest profile congressional race in the country and its gona be a hot one! I love Diane as a politician and personaly but I am not going to be interning with her this summer. Why? Because I believe Diane will have no problem kicking Shays out of Congress. She lost by a very small margin last election and since then the republican party has been exposed for the corrupt, greedy lot they are. Instead I will be doing everything I can to help Ned Lamont kick Joe Lieberman out of the Senate. In any case, this blog endorses Ms. Farrell and will continue to cover the campaign.

Watergate The Sequal

2006-04-06T13:39:00.001-04:00

Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide told prosecutors President Bush authorized the leak of sensitive intelligence information about Iraq, according to court papers filed by prosecutors in the CIA leak case. Before his indictment, I. Lewis Libby testified to the grand jury investigating the CIA leak that Cheney told him to pass on information and that it was Bush who authorized the disclosure, the court papers say. According to the documents, the authorization led to the July 8, 2003, conversation between Libby and New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

You Know It's an Election Year When...

2006-04-06T09:23:00.000-04:00

Today's Kos Diary Have you ever read a tiny article in the back of some film magazine announcing the production of some movie and then three years later its the highest grossing movie phenomenon of the era? That's how a progressive feels every day (just substitute the movie for a major public scandal). It's hard as a progressive not to get 'i told you so' syndrome. Below is a perfect example. How long have voices on the liberal "fringes" been talking about the billions and billions of dollars being squandered in no-bid contracts and poor allocation in Iraq? How many bloggers have "whined" about Halliburton bus drivers being paid more then U.S. military men who brave the battle field each day with inadequate armor and weaponry? Well finally, years later, its coming into the public forum. Of course it takes an election year with a incredibly unpopular president for republicans to sign on to this but its better late then never.

WASHINGTON -- Two House Republicans have agreed to cosponsor a landmark proposal to create a special House committee to investigate Iraq war spending, joining Democrats in demanding more accountability for billions of dollars that allegedly have been misspent, according to lawmakers and congressional aides. The stalled proposal to create a modern-day ''Truman Committee" -- modeled after the oversight board run by then-Senator Harry Truman to root out contracting abuses during World War II -- has been blocked from consideration by GOP leaders for more than a year. But after new reports about malfeasance involving reconstruction contracts in Iraq, the bill for the first time has begun to attract the support of rank-and-file Republicans.(Boston.com)

Too Soon?

2006-04-06T08:57:00.000-04:00

Open Thread.

Myth: Immigration Hurts U.S. Workers

2006-04-05T22:18:00.000-04:00

Reposted from Think Progress The recent focus on immigration has provided an opportunity to knock down several prominent myths about the issue — that mass deportation of 12 million people is a feasible solution; that hardline “enforcement-only” proposals will actually reduce illegal immigration; or that undocumented workers don’t pay taxes. Another common misperception is that increased immigration has had a negative impact on wages for lower-skilled U.S.-born workers. But as Princeton University professor Alan Krueger shows in a new American Progress memo, the actual impact of immigration on lower-skilled workers is negligible. Why?

One likely factor is that, in addition to increasing the supply of labor, immigrants increase the demand for goods and services produced in the U.S. This leads to higher wages and employment for all workers in the U.S. Immigration can also result in an increase in capital investment. And many immigrants become entrepreneurs, creating jobs for other immigrants and natives. (The latest U.S. Census data shows that “Hispanic-owned businesses now comprise one of the fastest-growing segments in the U.S. economy.”)

As Krueger writes, if we are serious about helping low-income workers, we need to act now on measures that can have a much larger impact, like “an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, an increase in the child tax credit, a boost in the minimum wage, and increased job training.”

Christopher C. on Daily Kos

2006-04-03T23:41:00.000-04:00

Look out for my Diaries on The Daily Kos under username "Christopher C."

Can the GOP replace DeLay?

2006-04-03T23:15:00.000-04:00

The Law says NO:

145.035. WITHDRAWN, DECEASED, OR INELIGIBLE CANDIDATE'S NAME OMITTED FROM BALLOT. A candidate's name shall be omitted from the ballot if the candidate withdraws, dies, or is declared ineligible on or before the 74th day before election day. Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 211, 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1986. Amended by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., ch. 1109, § 7, eff. Sept. 1, 2005. 145.036. FILLING VACANCY IN NOMINATION. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), if a candidate's name is to be omitted from the ballot under Section 145.035, the political party's state, district, county, or precinct executive committee, as appropriate for the particular office, may nominate a replacement candidate to fill the vacancy in the nomination. (b) An executive committee may make a replacement nomination following a withdrawal only if: (1) the candidate: (A) withdraws because of a catastrophic illness that was diagnosed after the 62nd day before general primary election day and the illness would permanently and continuously incapacitate the candidate and prevent the candidate from performing the duties of the office sought; and (B) files with the withdrawal request a certificate describing the illness and signed by at least two licensed physicians; (2) no political party that held primary elections has a nominee for the office sought by the withdrawing candidate as of the time of the withdrawal; or (3) the candidate has been elected or appointed to fill a vacancy in another elective office or has become the nominee for another office. (c) Under the circumstances described by Subsection (b)(2), the appropriate executive committee of each political party making nominations for the general election for state and county officers may make a replacement nomination for the office sought by the withdrawing candidate. (d) For the purpose of filling a vacancy, a majority of the committee's membership constitutes a quorum. To be nominated, a person must receive a favorable vote of a majority of the members present. (e) A vacancy in a nomination for a district, county, or precinct office that was made by primary election may not be filled before the beginning of the term of office of the county executive committee members elected in the year in which the vacancy occurs.

Read the Law UPDATE:The law is a bit more confusing for national elections. Follow the analysis on Swing State Project by blogger DavidNYC

Conservatives will do whatever it takes to discredit Hillary Clinton.

2006-04-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

Monday night on MSNBC's Scarborough Country Joe Scarborough had a seven minute segment about how Hillary Clinton had poor taste in furniture and did not do her job as first lady to maintain a tasteful decor. He had a single guest on that claimed Clinton "didn't want the job, she wanted her husband's job". My theory: these Republicans are so damn scared of Hillary Clinton that they will do anything to make her look bad. But when they result to insulting her talent for interior decoration you know they're in trouble.

BREAKING NEWS!

2006-04-03T22:09:00.000-04:00

Unbelievable, Tom DeLay just spoke with MSNBC's Chris Matthews and told him he will withdraw from the 2006 Congressional race tomorrow morning. He says he does not think he can "reverse the trend" of anti-DeLay voters. He decided it is too important to have a Republican in the Texas seat and he does not want to risk losing it to the Democrats.

Personally, I was looking forward to beating DeLay in Texas but I suppose it will be just as gratifying to beat his replacement. One down.

Update: DeLay apparently believes he can more easily lead the Republican Party from outside the congress! Is he serious or is he just covering for the fact that he knows there is no way he can juggle his bleak trial and bleak political campaign. In either case, he is sure that any other republican could simply "Walk into the seat". I am scared he may be right

UPDATE II: When Washington Post reporter Mike Allen asked DeLay if he thought his actions were unethical he started to answer, stopped himself and said "We are all sinners".

Oh yeah... hes outta here.

2006-04-03T21:16:00.000-04:00

“QUESTION: Have you had any thoughts that you might be leaving soon? MCCLELLAN: I don’t speculate on any personnel matters. QUESTION: You’re not speculating for yourself. MCCLELLAN: I’m focused on helping the President advance his agenda, just like the rest of the team at the White House.”

Without Personal Attackes...

2006-04-03T17:15:00.000-04:00

Bill O'Reilly Would Be A Mime Another great video from Media Matters for America:

Spring Cleaning

2006-04-03T11:43:00.000-04:00

CNN Reports: Press Secretary Scott McClellan Next to Resign

According to both administration and GOP insiders, we’re hearing here at CNN that Press Secretary Scott McClellan and Treasury Secretary John Snow could be the next ones to be shown to the door. Now, why McClellan? Several sources familiar with the thinking of new White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten say that immediately, right out of gate, he began on focusing on improving White House communications in order to regenerate the White House’s — the administration’s message, the performance — you know those poll numbers are really lagging right now. One White House insider says there’s been “a lot of dissatisfaction with the state of communications.” At the same time, though, very important to point out that there are many who insist that McClellan is very secure because of his close personal relationship with President Bush. We are hearing that if McClellan were to leave, that one name being floated as a possible replacement is White House counselor Dan Bartlett. (CNN)

Irony!

2006-04-03T11:38:00.000-04:00

President Bush’s new Medicare drug plan is so confusing “even the parents of the Michael Leavitt, secretary of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department, ended up picking a plan that put their retiree medical coverage at risk. And this after Leavitt helped his parents in making their initial selection.”

Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room

2006-04-02T20:19:00.000-04:00

I Highly Recomend it! I just saw it and I was outraged!

I Looked Into His Soul...

2006-04-02T18:16:00.000-04:00

Remeber this:

After meeting Putin for the first time in June 2001, Bush said he had been able to gain “a sense of his soul” and had found Putin to be “very straightforward and trustworthy.”

Ooops:

Putin has repressed Russians and their media, supported Belarus’ authoritarian president and not cooperated with the U.S. in dealing with Iran’s suspected development of nuclear weapons.

Statements Made "Under Duress"

2006-04-02T17:59:00.000-04:00

Now that U.S. journalist Jill Carroll is home and safe she has recanted the statements she made while still in captivity speaking out against the occupation and criticizing the American government. Idiots on the right were quick to take these comments and call her a terrorist sympathizer not even considering that perhaps she was being forced by her captors to say what she said. Some even went as far as to joke that she would be the kind of person to walk into the green zone with a bomb strapped to her chest. Now that she is safe we know that she was being forced to make false statements. I hope the right wing critics are proud of themselves.

Morning Talk Show Open Thread

2006-04-02T00:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Daylight Savings Time Meet The Press Sen, John McCain, R-AZ, Armed Services Committee and Gen, Tony Zinni (Ret.), U.S. Marine Corps, Author, "The Battle for Peace" The Chris Matthews Show Gloria Borger -- CBS News; U.S. News & World Report Joe Klein -- Time Magazine Laura Ingraham -- The Laura Ingraham Show Andrew Sullivan -- New Republic Magazine; Time Magazine This Week Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. George Allen, R-Va. Face The Nation Sen. Richard Durbin Democratic Whip D-Illinois Rep. James Sensenbrenner House Judiciary Committee R-Wisconsin David Brooks The New York Times

Fox News: Liberal Media 'Out To Sabatage The Economy'

2006-04-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

According to Fox News guests, the media is ignoring all the great news about the economy just like it does in Iraq. Watch it: Transcript:

But according to a new survey, 59 percent have bought into that crackpot notion. They rate it [the economy] as bad, very bad, or terrible, in fact, when all the facts say that just the opposite is true. So, where are the folks getting this image? My next guest says look no further than the liberal media. Larry, it’s media making the people thank the economy stinks, is that right?

But the polls don’t reflect media manipulation. Americans see the real state of the economy in their everyday lives: - After adjusting for inflation, wages have not risen during the last three years. In fact, real hourly wages fell for most middle- and low-income workers in 2005 and the inflation-adjusted value of the minimum wage is 29 percent lower today than it was in 1979. - The poverty rate has risen each year since 2001, with 12.7 percent of the population now living in poverty. - Job growth during President Bush’s term has been the lowest since World War II. Fox News: misleading the public!

Saturday Open Thread

2006-04-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

Whats up?

Lamont

2006-03-30T23:46:00.000-05:00

If you asked me three weeks ago who Ned Lamont is I wouldn't have an answer to save my life. But in the last week or so it seems like the Democratic challenger for Joe Lieberman's CT senate seat has been all over the blogosphere and talk radio. Basically, Lieberman is a closet Republican who needs to either switch parties or retire from the Senate. He sides with the president on far too many issues and refuses to denounce the war despite it's obvious mishandlings. The closer we get to the CT primaries the more democrats rebel against Lieberman.

Lieberman became Obama's mentor when Obama was sworn into the Senate in 2005. They stayed close at Thursday night's event, too, entering the room together and working the crowd in tandem. Despite the camaraderie between the two, the crowd was clearly more receptive to Obama's remarks than Lieberman's speech about party unity and the potential for Democratic victories at the ballot box this fall. In fact, scattered boos greeted Lieberman when he took the podium, and he had to stop three times during his remarks to shush the crowd so he could deliver key points.

Is it possible for Lamont to beat a powerful, well funded incumbent in a primary? Not likely. But there is a chance. I gave $10 to the Ned Lamont campaign and signed up to host a house party for him. If you care about establishing a democratic majority as strong as the current republican majority then join me in slowing Lieberman's "Joementum" and volunteer for the Lamont campaign.

They Deserve Better

2006-03-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

Army bans use of privately-bought body armor By Chris Casey Since the beginning of the war on terror, frightening reports of inadequate body armor and low-tech weapons have trickled from the front lines to the front page of news organizations all over the country. Families have been forced to raise money on their own just to buy body armor and advanced munitions accessories for their relatives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Well Thursday the pentagon put an end to that problem not by ensuring that every soldier in properly equipped but by outlawing the use of "non-official" gear.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers will no longer be allowed to wear body armor other than the protective gear issued by the military, Army officials said Thursday, the latest twist in a running battle over the equipment the Pentagon gives its troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I get that it isn't fair that some people get fancy armor with cool features like "stopping bullets" and others are stuck with a few layers of corrugated cardboard wrapped in vinyl but the answer is not to lower everybody down to the weakest leak of official-issue gear. Perhaps the government should use the $21.3 million it spent on hiring mercenaries to buy effective body army for the patriots that are working not for the money (paid mercenaries get $1,000 per day) but for the love of their country. Until then we should allow their concerned families to send them effective armor.

Jill Carroll Set Free

2006-03-30T20:20:00.000-05:00

Iraqi insergents set US journalist free for no reason By Chris Casey You know how I know the US negotiated with the terrorists for the freedom of Jill Carroll? Because they denied it.

No involvement from military In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman said the U.S. military was not involved in Carroll’s release. Meanwhile, German authorities said Thursday they arrested a man who is accused of trying to extort $2 million from the Christian Science Monitor by promising to win Carroll’s release. A U.S. arrest warrant and FBI affidavit made public Thursday by federal prosecutors in Washington said that Kelvin Kamara, a west African native living in Germany, struck up an e-mail exchange with a Monitor editor in Washington little more than a month after Carroll’s abduction in early January. Kamara, calling himself Saidu Mohammed, said he knew who was holding Carroll and could arrange her freedom in exchange for the payment, the FBI affidavit said.

In either case I am glad Ms. Carroll has been let free and is unharmed.

Cleaning House or Shuffling Dirt?

2006-03-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

Card out Bolton in By Chris Casey Many have been predicting the resignation of Andrew Card for a long time now. After all, he has served longer than almost any chief of staff in history. But we thought when he resigned Bush would use it as an excuse to bring in some fresh blood. Instead he was replaced by the former deputy chief of staff under Card in Bush's first term.

Atrios on the West WIng

2006-03-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

One small step for Bloggers, One giant leap for... also Bloggers Blogs are being taken more and more seriously. The gold standard of being taken seriously, in my opinion, is being mentioned on the West Wing. And even though it was done in a bit of a degrading manner, fellow blogger Atrios was mentioned as a blog with "more readers that the Philadelphia Enquirer". Hurray!

Rally

2006-03-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

Anti-Imigration Reform Rally held in CA

PHOENIX - Thousands of immigrant rights supporters filled a major Phoenix thoroughfare Friday as they marched toward the office of U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl in a rally call for a more humane reform of immigration laws. “They’re here for the American Dream,” said Malissa Greer, 29, who joined the crowd estimate by police to be at least 10,000 strong. “God created all of us. He’s not a God of the United States, he’s a God of the world.” Lawmakers have been considering bills that, among other things, would make it a felony to be illegally in the United States, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border. (read more)

Raising the Debt Limit

2006-03-22T23:36:00.000-05:00

The United States Senate has voted to increase our debt limit by $781 billion. Doesn't the American balance of power only function by Congress being an impediment to the presidential administration's free reign? I am sick of Congressmen claiming they disagree with the direction of the Bush administration's policies in Iraq and of cutting taxes yet drastically increasing federal spending. If that's how they feel, they should exercise their Constitutional power to cut off the funds he needs to continue his misdirected policies. Only 36% of Americans think Bush is doing a good job. But why should he listen to the poll numbers when no one is holding him accountable for his actions? The Democrats did the right thing; they all voted against this measure. What about Republicans, though, who are growing ever conscious of the effect the Bush administration's mismanagement will have on their re-election campaigns. Too much is at stake here! Granted, not raising the debt limit could have had catastrophic consequences -- but could they really be any worse than showing the president that he needs to be fiscally responsible? I agree with Harry Reid when he told The New York Times,

"Any objective analysis of our country's fiscal history would have to conclude this administration and this rubberstamping Republican Congress are the most fiscally irresponsible in the history of our country," Mr. Reid said. "In fact, no other president or Congress even comes close."

But how good is complaining about it when nothing changes? The Republicans supporters try to paint the picture that not increasing the debt limit would cause crisis. They fail to acknowledge that fiscal responsibility also sometimes includes increasing taxes, especially on their Big Business buddies that can afford it. If our budget deficit and debt continue to grow at their current rate, our next big national security crisis won’t be ports in Dubai or nuclear weapons in Iran. Instead we’ll be fearing incredible currency instability as the dollar is increasingly supported by Chinese bond buyers. Scary.

Denial?

2006-03-20T18:38:00.000-05:00

'Strategy is working,' president says on three-year anniversary of war By Chris Casey It seams like Bush is the only one in the country still trying to convince us that the war is going well.

CLEVELAND - President Bush on Monday cited progress in stabilizing an insurgent stronghold in northern Iraq, saying he has “confidence in our strategy” and critics should look beyond the images of violence to see clear signs of progress. (more)

Murtha Calls for Rumsfeld's Resignation

2006-03-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

Rep. Jack Murtha tells NBC's Tim Russert that Rumsfeld Should Resign

MR. RUSSERT: The president picks up the phone and calls you up, and says “Jack, come on down. You voted for this war, you now think it was a mistake, but we’re in a fix. And if I get out right away, we could leave behind a civil war, we could leave behind a haven for terrorism. Tell me specifically Mr. Murtha, what should I do today?” REP. MURTHA: Here, here’s what you should do, Mr. President. First of all, you should fire all the people who are responsible for that, which gives you international credibility. MR. RUSSERT: Including his secretary of defense? REP. MURTHA: Well, he, he should—well, let’s say he should offer his resignation, because he certainly... MR. RUSSERT: And it’s sure to be accepted? REP. MURTHA: I would accept it, that’s exactly right. (full transcript)

"Trapped In The Closet" maybe trapped forever

2006-03-19T11:47:00.000-05:00

By Chris Casey A war between nutty Hollywood religion, Scientology, and the creators of Comedy Central's hit animated series, South Park, rages on. The episode entitled "Trapped in the Closet" which sparked the war, aired late last year and became an instant South Park classic. The Scientologists are up in arms now, demanding Comedy Central (a Viacom company) pull the episode permanently. They crazies won the first battle when Isaac Hayes (the voice of Chef and practicing Scientologist) up and quit last week. Obviously the Scientologists are not concerned too much with their public image because generally people who whine and complain about being the subject of parody are labeled asshole's who cant take a joke. The creators of the series issued the below statement to the Daily Variety magazine:

So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!! -Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu

The National Report Endorses Trey and Matt on this issue

Allawi: Iraq in Civil War

2006-03-19T11:37:00.000-05:00

Iraq is in the middle of civil war, the country's former interim prime minister Iyad Allawi has told the BBC. from kos

Iraq is in the middle of civil war, the country's former interim prime minister Iyad Allawi has told the BBC. He said Iraq had not got to the point of no return, but if it fell apart sectarianism would spread abroad. The UK and US have repeatedly denied Iraq is facing a civil war, but Mr Allawi suggested there was no other way to describe the sectarian violence.

-BBC

If It's Sunday It's Open Thread

2006-03-19T11:08:00.000-05:00

Topic: Third Year Anniversary of War in Iraq open thread

Protests

2006-03-18T18:32:00.000-05:00

The Third Anniversary of the War in Iraq Sparks Protests Around the World By Chris Casey Today marks the third anniversary of the War in Iraq and, unfortunately, it seams as though we are in worse shape now than we were three years ago. Many countries who were involved in the initial coalition have since pulled out leaving a majority of the burden on the shoulders of the US and UK. Protests took place in several cities around the world including Washington D.C., New York City, Los Angeles and Toronto. Since the war began more than 18,000 US soldiers have been killed or injured in Iraq, more than 94% of them after the April, 2003 declaration of "Victory in Iraq". read more...

Worth Reading

2006-03-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

Bush Using Straw-Man Arguments in Speeches By Jennifer Loven, Associated Press Writer

When the president starts a sentence with "some say" or offers up what "some in Washington" believe, as he is doing more often these days, a rhetorical retort almost assuredly follows. The device usually is code for Democrats or other White House opponents. In describing what they advocate, Bush often omits an important nuance or substitutes an extreme stance that bears little resemblance to their actual position. He typically then says he "strongly disagrees" — conveniently knocking down a straw man of his own making. (read more...)

Keeping Tabs: Mike Huckabee

2006-03-18T17:43:00.000-05:00

A Watchful Eye on '08 White House Hopefuls By Chris Casey The GOP straw poll election marks the unofficial beginning of the presidential campaign season and since we have just started this blog I think it is only fitting to launch a "Keeping Tabs" series to profile potential candidates and their policies. It is good to start watching these things early because generally candidates let some pretty telling things slip in the months before their campaign managers convert them into broken records. For instance, I read on kos today about Governor Mike Huckabee of AK and his frightening relationship with the religious right. Now, it is public knowledge that Gov. Huckabee is a Southern Baptist minister but what may not be known is his radical stance on the separation of church and state (or lack there of) issue.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Faith is not present enough in politics as candidates and elected officials try to court voters too broadly, fearing their values will splinter their base, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister, said Friday at a Christian gathering. Introduced as a "fine Christian American governor," Huckabee, who is considering a bid for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, said he will always remain true to his beliefs. "I don't think most Americans are turned off by people of faith. I think they're turned off by people who are phony," Huckabee said to a small group. He added that Christianity is not represented "nearly enough" in Washington.

These quotes were taken from an article on MSNBC covering an address Gov. Huckabee gave to a group called the The Center for Reclaiming America for Christ. This group's docket of important issues included: "(1) Religious Liberties, (2) the Sanctity of Life, (3) the Homosexual Agenda, (4) Pornography, and (5) Promoting Creationism." It is dangerous to have a leader or even a candidate that takes such a radical stance on an issue that has long been considered a basic freedom of America. The separation of church and state is a value that this country was founded on. Puritans came to this country largely to escape religious persecution. Don't we owe it to our forefathers to ensure that protection to future generations of Americans? Don't be fooled: You may hear in the coming weeks that former president Bill Clinton has supported the Governor's decision to run. If so it would be based of a local WCAX interview with the president where Clinton said that anyone who thinks they have something to run on should run. Read the article for yourself

Alternative Feul: So Close but So... CLOSE!

2006-03-18T01:00:00.000-05:00

The Switch to E85 Fuel Could Drastically Reduce US Reliance on Foreign Oil By Chris Casey In the most recent State of the Union address, President Bush emphasized the United States' unsettling dependency on foreign (specifically Middle Eastern) feul to satisfy our energy needs. He has since launched a program to fund scientists in the research of this alternative fuel supply (an initiative that has gone almost completely unreported in the wake of several Whitehouse scandals). The problem with the Bush effort is that it is too little, too late. It is also rather unclear exactly what is left to be studied. Let me explain: Currently in Brazil, over %40 of all vehicles run on a version of Ethanol derived from sugar cane. Mills that process the cane put out sugar and ethanol and the rest is burned to create energy that powers the mill. Even regular fossil fuel in Brazil is %20 ethanol. What's more, ethanol is a clean burning fuel that will not result in the same negative repercussions that will petroleum (aka global warming). Plants in Canada and even some in the US are already processing E85. So why hasn't anyone in America even heard of this miracle fuel, and why, if it already is proven to work, doesn't the US government throw billions behind development and set deadlines for car and gas manufacturers to convert their product line to Ethanol? The answer is that there is no good answer; no good reason why this technology should not become the energy standard on America's roads. A switch to Ethanol would, in time, completely wipe out our dependency on foreign oil and reduce the pollution in the environment. It may even lessen the incentive for US war in the Middle East. We cannot wait until it is too late to incorporate this new technology. Bush should use this issue as an opportunity to regain some points with his public. No body of either persuasion could argue against this kind of initiative. And the ulterior motives of those who did would destroy them before they had an impact on the program's success. GM is already manufacturing a line of vehicles that run on both traditional feul and E85 called "flexfeul". Its a step in the right direction but there's a lot more to be done, and time is running out.

Majority Rule

2006-03-17T00:56:00.000-05:00

By Chris Casey Its funny, the little things you learn when chatting with a Hill staffer. Yesterday I was sitting in the minority office of the House Judiciary Committee office, chatting with a senior staffer for Representative John Conyers about a myriad of issues. Eventually the discussion came to a report that was released by his office last December called Constitution In Crisis about the proof of foul play in the lead up and execution of the Iraq war (its basically a precursor to an Impeachment trial that will take place if Democrats win back the house majority in 2006). The staffer went over to his desk and retrieved a bound copy of the report, printed in the traditional style, with the seal of the House on the red and blue cover. I asked him if he had an extra copy that I could take and his reply surprised me and inspired this post. He said he only had one printed copy because the Republicans controlled the only color printer in the House and they wouldn't let the Democrats use it. I was shocked. He went on. "Oh yeah, they control everything. Even paperclips and pencils". It just goes to show you how much power the majority party has over what gets done and what doesn't get done in the US Congress. The Democrat's inability to print the report resulted in its undetectable release and its virtual nonexistent in the main stream media. In congress, the majority party is king.

Regreting Loyalty

2006-03-17T00:39:00.000-05:00

GOP Members Rebel Against White House By Chris Casey As the 2006 interim elections approach and Bush's approval ratings continue to drop (currently below %35), Republican members of congress are beginning to wonder if siding with the president on every issue was a bad idea. According to an article in Thursday's Washington Post the Dubai Port debacle was the catalyst for an explosive release of pent up GOP frustration.

The White House at times has been "non-responsive and arrogant," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.). "There are a thousand small cuts," he added, that are ignored when things are going well but "rear their heads when things are not going well." "Members felt they were willing to take a lot of tough votes and did not get much in return," said Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), an early critic of the port deal. -Washington Post

If you ask me, the Neo-Con ship hit the iceberg upon the discovery of the Downing Street Memo (if not before). Unfortunately for the Republicans, they waited far too long to jump ship as all the life vests and dingys are now submerged and inaccessible. Now all the GOP can do is pray they can swim long enough to survive the 2006 elections, or that rescue comes in the form of progress in Iraq (not likely). In a way I pity poor Cousin George who thought he had friends on the Hill until they all stabbed him in the back over a deal that wasn't really that big a threat to national security. It hurts being used, doesn't it George?

Voting Rights Act Set to Expire

2006-03-16T17:22:00.000-05:00

By Chris Casey A number of important articles in the Voting Rights Act, the legislation the ensures the right to vote to every U.S. citizen, are set to expire in 2007. Specifically section 5, requiring jurisdictions with significant histories of discrimination in voting to get federal approval of any new voting practices or procedures; Section 203, ensuring that voters with limited English proficiency get the help they need at the polls; and Sections 6-9, authorizing the attorney general to appoint federal election observers where there is evidence of attempts to intimidate minority voters at the polls. In a time when disenfranchising voters is a political tactic, several groups are fighting to keep the Voting Rights Act alive. One such group is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who has just launched its "Every Voice. Every Vote. Renew the Voting Rights Act." campaign to bring attention to this increasingly relevant issue. Despite the efforts of the ACLU and similar groups, the fast approaching expiration of the VRA has yet to break the surface of the T.V. or print news media. When conducting a Google News search of "Expiration + Voting Rights Act" or "Renewal + Voting Rights Act" only four articles surfaced mentioning the topic. I was lucky to be present for a portion of a closed meeting at the National Education Association where this issue was discussed. Reverend Jesse Jackson as well as several other African American leaders and ACLU attorneys were present to discuss what needs to be done about the VRA, specifically as it relates to the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Thousands of people were displaced by the hurricane and are now unable to vote in the upcoming election. This is due, in part, to an inadequate response by the republican administration, a party that will surly benefit from low minority turnout in a traditionally democratic area. Reverend Jackson talked of a march in New Orleans at the time of the election, this April, in hopes that it will bring more media and public attention to the issue of the VRA and put pressure on members of congress to support the renewal of the expiring sections.