Senator Coburn: Republicans Are in Denial

An excellent article in today's Wall Street Journal by Senator Tom Coburn, who writes that "Republicans Are in Denial."

What's he getting at? Here's a clip:

"Unfortunately, too many in our party are not yet ready to return to the path of limited government. Instead, we are being told our message must be deficient because, after all, we should be winning in certain areas just by being Republicans. Yet being a Republican isn't good enough anymore. Voters are tired of buying a GOP package and finding a big-government liberal agenda inside. What we need is not new advertising, but truth in advertising."

"Becoming Republicans again will require us to come to grips with what has ailed our party – namely, the triumph of big-government Republicanism and failed experiments like the K Street Project and "compassionate conservatism." If the goal of the K Street Project was to earmark and fund raise our way to a filibuster-proof "governing" majority, the goal of "compassionate conservatism" was to spend our way to a governing majority."

He slams "compassionate conservatism" and says "Spending other people's money is not compassionate."

Read on here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121184690228421415.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

Obama's Wild Facts

Michelle Malkin has compiled a number of "Barack Gaffes" in her latest column on National Review Online.

Some of the gaffes:

* Last May, he claimed that tornadoes in Kansas killed a whopping 10,000 people: “In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died — an entire town destroyed.” The actual death toll: 12.

* Explaining last week why he was trailing Hillary Clinton in Kentucky, Obama again botched basic geography: “Sen. Clinton, I think, is much better known, coming from a nearby state of Arkansas. So it’s not surprising that she would have an advantage in some of those states in the middle.” On what map is Arkansas closer to Kentucky than Illinois?

* And in perhaps the most seriously troubling set of gaffes of them all, Obama told a Portland crowd over the weekend that Iran doesn’t “pose a serious threat to us” — cluelessly arguing that “tiny countries” with small defense budgets can’t do us harm — and then promptly flip-flopped the next day, claiming, “I’ve made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave.”

As Malkin asserts: "Barack Obama — promoted by the Left and the media as an all-knowing, articulate, transcendent Messiah — is a walking, talking gaffe machine. How many more passes does he get? How many more can we afford?"

See more Barack Gaffes in her full column here.

Bush sounded the appropriate alarm

Last week, President' Bush so-called "controversial" statements at an event commemorating Israel's 60th anniversary sparked a feud between himself, John McCain, and Congressional Democrats, including Senator Barack Obama.

Even though President Bush has not engaged in personal political attacks, Barack Obama, who is running against the notion of the politics of personal destrcution, made an attack on Bush. Obama accused President Bush of "a false political attack" Thursday after Bush warned in Israel against appeasing terrorists. It is interesting that Obama would feel this is a personal attack on him, when Bush didn't name or refer to him or anyone specifically. I guess we see where his weakness is - and where he knows it is.

Bush's statement was simply this: "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along." Bush continued, "We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

I think what Bush did was signal the alarm. He sees the writing on the wall: As his own term as President is coming to an end, a Presidency in which he led a vigorous assault on radical Islamic terrorists, he realizes a new Commander-in-Chief must take over this responsibility. He realizes it is more likely that Democrat President (say, Obama?) will take over the controls and have with them a Democrat-led Congress. Given the Left's weakness on fighting America's enemies, Bush may have just spoken words that historians will uncover later... after the bloodshed that ensues when appeasement is given the green light.

President Bush may not be a perfect President, but one can't argue with his record against terrorism. He experienced 9/11 like the rest of us, and he went on the attack, protecting our nation from it's hostile enemies, and never relenting. Victory is the only option.

Duncan Hunter's son, Iraq war veteran, running for Congress

California Congressman Duncan Hunter has served as a standout conservative in Congress for 28 years including several years as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. He decided to give up his congressional seat last year when he launched his presidential campaign.

I met Congressman Hunter at the New Hampshire GOP dinner in June 2007. I was lucky enough to speak on behalf of Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) at that dinner, when Senator Brownback got stuck in DC, deliberating on an immigration vote. I met Congressman Hunter before the dinner and he told me he was a big fan of Brownback. After the dinner - where most of the GOP Presidential candidates gave talks to promote their own campaign (and after I had given the speech for Senator Brownback), Duncan Hunter came up to me and told me I did a great job representing Brownback. "I like Brownback," he said. "You represented him well!"

So I humorously asked him, "Did I win you over?" He laughed. I also gave him my best towards his son, who he said was currently serving over in Afghanistan. He had also earlier served two tours in Iraq as a U.S. Marine Reserve. He also told me then that his son was planning to run for his very own Congressional seat.

Well, now he is. In fact, if Duncan D. Hunter (the younger) is elected to Congress, he will be the first Iraq war veteran in Congress. Let's help him keep his father's Congressional seat and serve our country in Congress as well as he has served it on the battlefield. You can visit his campaign website at: HunterForCongress.com

Russia Parades Nukes on Red Square - Today, 2008

For a second, I thought I was reading a story about the history of the Soviet Union. But then, I realized quickly that this happened today - Russia! If you don't believe me, see the pictures for yourself: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080509113625.2fytcrew&show_article=1

What else is "new" in Russia? Well, President Dmitry Medvedev just took office, following in the footsteps of "Czar" Vladimir Putin. It looks like Medvedev is getting off to a fiery start, showcasing Russia's military might, just like they did in their "glory" days. Yikes.

Big Government Profits Most from Gasoline

My friend Jonathan Williams at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) recently wrote an article that I finally picked up and read today, about how "Big Government Profits Most From Gasoline."

Lately, we are all hurting at the pump, and there are many reasons. Everyone is quick to blame the oil companies, especially when reports about their profits come in. In this article, Jonathan points out that "In all the crusading against oil profits, one very important fact is being neglected: The biggest winner from high gasoline prices is none other than government."

"For starters, American motorists pay an average of 47 cents per gallon in state and federal gasoline taxes. If your vehicle uses diesel fuel, you pay more than 53 cents per gallon on average. Taxes on gasoline don't end there. The government collects billions from energy companies in corporate income taxes, off-shore royalties, severance taxes, property taxes, payroll taxes, the list goes on. According to Department of Energy data, from 1977 to 2004, federal and state governments extracted $397 billion by taxing the profits of the largest oil companies and an additional $1.1 trillion in taxes at the pump—that's nearly three times what the oil industry made in profits over that same period."

Wow. If you want relief at the gas pump, stop pointing your fingers to "Big Oil" and start taking a closer look at Uncle Sam.

Dear Mrs. Clinton: Stay in the Race

In today's "Best of the Web" on the Wall Street Journal's Opinion page, James Taranto wrtes a letter to Hillary Clinton, urging her to stay in the race. "Don't Let it End," he says.

I agree and this article is great, espcially for nuggets of gold like this:

"These chauvinists think that they can "signal, suggest, insinuate or instigate" you out of the race, and that, being a woman, you'll respond to such cajoling. We know you're tougher than that." - James Taranto

The Case for Charter Schools

Will Okun is a Chicago high school teacher whose column about his inner-city school appears regularly in the New York Times. His personal observations about what goes on in an inner-city classroom and school makes a good argument for rescuing those kids who do desire to learn by providing them with other options.

Will's colum can be viewed here and it's well worth the read: http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/the-mire/index.html

He makes the argument for charter schools.

He says: "I do not blame parents for wanting to surround their children with other children and parents who give education top priority. As her teacher, I wish motivated students like Shatara could attend a charter school where her desire would be the norm and not an aberration. At a charter school, Shatara would probably not have to share a classroom with students whose only interest in school is chaos, money and the opposite sex. She would not be surrounded by failing students actively pressuring their classmates to also denounce academic achievement. She would not have to wait in frustration as a teacher explains the coursework to students who are beginning the class five weeks into the ten-week quarter. More importantly, I believe that Shatara would flourish as a student and as a person in an encouraging and hopeful school community that still believes education is the foundation for a successful future."

(emphsasis added)