Former Texas Supremes Betray the Republicans that Elected Them

by Timothy Bradberry
President, Central Texas Republican Assembly (CTRA)
On behalf of the CTRA Board of Directors

In similar vein to Speaker Joe Straus “endorsing” Democrat Patrick Rose by headlining a fundraiser for Rose while Rose’s very viable Republican opponent, Jason Isaac was ignored by the Speaker, three former Republican members of the Texas Supreme Court have explicitly endorsed Democrat Kurt Kuhn in his bid for the 3rd Court of Appeals while Kuhn’s very viable Republican opponent, former District Judge Melissa Goodwin, is left with what can only feel like a knife in her back.

Here is how the announcement of this latest Republican betrayal is reported on the Texas Lawyer Blog (Tex Parte Blog):

On his campaign website, Kurt Kuhn, the Democrats’ nominee for a seat on Austin’s 3rd Court of Appeals, touts endorsements by three former Texas Supreme Court justices, all Republicans. Former Chief Justice Tom Phillips and former Justices Craig Enoch and Scott Brister confirm they have endorsed Kuhn, a partner in Austin’s Brown McCarroll. Phillips, now a partner in Baker Botts in Austin, says, “Most of us who have been on the [Supreme] Court in recent years do not regard the judiciary as a partisan enterprise.” Enoch, a shareholder in Winstead in Austin, says, “I’m retired [from the bench], so I’m free to express my opinion.” Brister, a partner in Andrews Kurth in Austin, says he has known Kuhn for a long time. “I think he’ll do a great job,” Brister says. Kuhn says he is trying to run a broad bipartisan campaign. “I’m not going to be a Democrat if I’m elected; I’m going to be a judge,” he says.

The former “Republican” Supremes may not view the judiciary as a partisan enterprise but if they truly want themselves to be seen as apolitical, they picked a strange time to stir the political pot by endorsing a Democrat in a general election. Also, former Chief Justice Tom Phillips' motivation for taking off his robe at this time in this election is clouded by the fact that he advocates for appointed rather than elected judges.

Regardless of their apolitical status or reasons for endorsing a Democrat I ask, like I did about Speaker Straus, what kind of Republicans are they? If they were members of the Central Texas Republican Assembly they would be expelled from membership as our members are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates of other political parties. Though we did not end up making an endorsement in the Republican Primary in the 3rd Court of Appeals race, once Republicans choose Melissa Goodwin we were and are bound to follow the lead of the Republican Primary voters and put our weight behind the Republican nominee. What the three former Supremes have done is to betray Republican Party voters, many of whom had previously voted them into office.

Apparently ignored by the three former Supremes, the reason we need Melissa Goodwin on the 3rd Court is her extensive experience with administrative law, criminal law, and family law. These three facets of the law account for nearly 2/3 of the cases that the 3rd Court will potentially hear on appeal. Goodwin brings the most experience to the table on these important areas of law and fills a void on the existing 3rd Court, which is made up almost entirely of former civil litigators who have represented deep pocketed clients and have very little experience representing the little guy or gal. Kuhn fits that mold, and if he is elected, he would add nothing to the court that's not already heavily represented (and thoroughly dominates at the Texas Supreme Court).

All evidence from her prior jurisprudence indicates that if Melissa Goodwin gets on the court she would not carry water for trial lawyers or business interests but would be fair and respect the right to a trial by jury. She would also bring important expertise in areas of law that are very much underrepresented on the appellate courts as described above. She has a lot to contribute that isn't there yet, unlike Kuhn.

In summary, Goodwin’s experience covers a supermajority of the kinds of cases that will come before the 3rd Court of Appeals and on the flip side Kurt Kuhn is lacking in the experience that is sore needed on the Court.

So, let me just say in response to this betrayal, Republicans should ignore the three former Supremes and give our full support (read money, money, money, etc.) and encouragement to Melissa Goodwin in her bid to be the next elected Republican on the 3rd Court of Appeals.

Democratic Jailbirds

Democrats arrested: Rep. Lynn Woolsey, a Marin Democrat, was arrested at the Sudanese embassy this morning with four other members of Congress - Reps. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, John Lewis of Georgia, Donna Edwards of Maryland and Keith Ellison of Minnesota - all Democrats. It's curious that these Congressmen and -women think getting arrested is accomplishing something, when they have the power to actually legislate to address greivances. Moonbat activist habits die hard for these leftists.

Meanwhile, former Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, will face trial May 26 on federal corruption charges that he sought bribes in exchange for his help with business deals in Africa.

Thought for the day: Release the moonbats, and send Chris Dodd and Barney Frank to jail instead.

RedState update

Wisconsin Democrats screw taxpayers and pay off the teachers unions by removing an instrument of fiscal responsbility.

Stop Obama's CO2 Regulations Now.

Pete Sessions is new NRCC Chair, will recruit more.

Freedom Ain't Free: Honk to Save Our Homes

Freedom Ain't Free: Honk to Save Our Homes

Rangel the Tax Cheat Is Unfit to Write Our Laws

Rep Charlie Rangel (D-NY), the Nancy Pelosi-appointed Democrat in charge of the House tax-writing committee is a tax cheat. He got a sweet deal on a condo from a developer and for 20 years failed to report income on it. I pull my hair out over the arcane minutiae of tax law and try to follow the law - and this Congresscritter cheats on taxes for 20 years?!?! I AM AGHAST.

Charlie Rangel: Time to step aside from office and/or admit that we need tax simplification. YOU ARE UNFIT TO WRITE OUR LAWS WHEN YOU DONT FOLLOW THEM!

Hillary's last stand may be in Texas

Hillary counts on Texas: "She has to win both Ohio and Texas comfortably, or she’s out,” said one superdelegate who has endorsed Mrs. Clinton, and who spoke on condition of anonymity to share a candid assessment. “The campaign is starting to come to terms with that."

The Seeds of Socialism

SOCIALISM?

What are some of the political reforms and public policies advocated by socialists and their allies on the road to full socialism?

Consider what a top socialist leader advocated in 1922:

WE DEMAND THAT THE GOVERNMENT UNDERTAKE THE OBLIGATION ABOVE ALL OF PROVIDING CITIZENS WITH ADEQUATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYMENT AND EARNING A LIVING.

THE ACTIVITIES OF THE INDIVIDUAL MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO CLASH WITH THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT MUST TAKE PLACE WITHIN ITS CONFINES AND BE FOR THE GOOD OF ALL ...

WE DEMAND THE NATIONALIZATION OF ALL BUSINESSES WHICH HAVE BEEN AMALGAMATED (INTO TRUSTS).

WE DEMAND THAT THE STATE SHALL SHARE IN THE PROFITS OF LARGE INDUSTRIES.

WE DEMAND THAT PROVISION FOR THE AGED SHALL BE MADE ON A VERY GREATLY INCREASED SCALE.

WE DEMAND A LAND-REFORM SUITABLE TO OUR NATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, THE PASSING OF A LAW FOR THE CONFISCATION OF LAND FOR COMMUNAL PURPOSES; THE ABOLITION OF INTEREST ON MORTGAGES, AND PROHIBITION OF ALL SPECULATION IN LAND.

WE DEMAND AN AGRARIAN REFORM SUITABLE TO OUR NATIONAL REQUIREMENTS; THE ENACTMENT OF A LAW TO EXPROPRIATE WITHOUT COMPENSATION THE OWNERS OF ANY LAND THAT MAY BE NEEDED FOR NATIONAL PURPOSES; THE ABOLITION OF GROUND RENTS; AND THE PROHIBITION OF ALL SPECULATION IN LAND.

...THE STATE SHALL ORGANIZE THOROUGHLY THE WHOLE CULTURAL SYSTEM OF THE NATION . . . THE CONCEPTION OF THE STATE IDEA (THE SCIENCE OF CITIZENSHIP) SHALL BE TAUGHT IN THE SCHOOLS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. WE DEMAND THAT SPECIALLY TALENTED CHILDREN OF POOR PARENTS, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR STATION OR OCCUPATION, SHALL BE EDUCATED AT THE COST OF THE STATE.

IT IS THE DUTY OF THE STATE TO HELP RAISE THE STANDARD OF THE NATION'S HEALTH BY PROVIDING MATERNITY WELFARE CENTRES, BY PROHIBITING JUVENILE LABOUR, BY INCREASING PHYSICAL FITNESS THROUGH THE INTRODUCTION OF COMPULSORY GAMES AND GYMNASTICS. . . .

(WE) COMBAT THE MATERIALISTIC SPIRIT WITHIN AND OUTSIDE US, AND ARE CONVINCED THAT A PERMANENT RECOVERY OF OUR PEOPLE CAN ONLY PROCEED WITHIN ON THE FOUNDATION OF "THE COMMON GOOD BEFORE THE INDIVIDUAL GOOD."

-- From the "Twenty-Five Point" Programme of the German National Socialist Workers Party, authored by Adolf Hitler and others on February 24, 1920. (Konrad Heiden's translation in A History of National Socialism)

Sound familiar?

To read more click here.

Hillary Tanks

Suddenly, the shrieking and frightening prospect of a Hillary Presidency does not loom as large. Hillary's numbers are crashing nationally and in Iowa, and we may see an upset there that could end the 'aura of inevitability' around her candidacy.

CQ has an update:

USA Today has the polling results, and they look even worse for Hillary. In 16 days, she dropped nine points overall. Obama, Edwards, Richardson, and Biden split Hillary's castoffs almost equally. She dropped eleven points in a month. Her negatives have gone from 44% in October to 50%, and now has a favorability deficit of -3, the worst since the beginning of summer.

We are just loving the hurt that Hillary's flying monkey minions are going through.

S-CHIP-Wreck of our Healthcare

SCHIP is just the ante into the pot for Socialized medicine. And Bush just shot down, with a veto, the Democrats' attempt to raise the ante and move us towards socialized medicine.

What exactly did the Democrats do? They grossly expanded and perverted the program in many ways: They included adults in a "children's" program; they raised taxes yet again (earlier it was on energy, now on cigarettes, tomorrow more income taxes); they increased Government spending and support for illegal aliens. One important socialistic change the Democrats want is for the Government to match based on state funding instead based on state need. That is a huge shift towards states that have over-generous programs and away from states that have more need but are more frugal. ... And for what? So the Democrats could have governmental health insurance a la Canada for " include families with incomes over $83,000 — in short, people who could buy health care but choose not to."

The SCHIP bill veto from President Bush was well-deserved. As IBD says, "Let SCHIP Veto Be Start Of A Trend":

As delivered to the White House, the State Children's Health Insurance Plan, known as SCHIP, was very bad legislation that would have created a massive new entitlement not for the needy, but for the middle class.
Democrats had portrayed SCHIP as a plan "for poor children." So Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid predictably called the veto "heartless." But it was nothing of the sort.
In reality, the bill was a cleverly concocted scheme to move the U.S. toward a nationalized health care system for all — the kind that Europe and Canada are now trying to undo.

IBD ends with:

Democrats like taxes and what they represent — an expansion of the government's power to take your money and spend it, leading to much higher spending and bigger government than we need.
That's why Bush's SCHIP veto is important. He's been criticized for a lack of spending restraint. Well, now he's showing it. Better late than never, we say.

The Democrats are exposing their tax-hiking, over-spending, socialistic pandering ways. If this becomes law, our healthcare system will be shipwrecked by yet more governmental spending, intrusion, taxation, and regulation. Will voters wake up in time for November 2008?

Travis County Leaders vote Higher Taxes and Spending

Thanks to Sam Bisco and his Democrat friends on the Commisioners Court, the Era of Big Travis County Government Continues, as the County passes budget, tax increase:

Travis County commissioners on Tuesday adopted a $663.6 million budget that includes a tax increase largely intended to cover raises for employees.

The average raise for the law enforcement departments is a hefty 11.5%. Public employee unions pushed this and the Statesman notes:

"The commissioners passed the budget and tax increase by separate 4-1 votes. Commissioner Gerald Daugherty was the dissenter, saying he could not justify the increases. ... The unions contributed heavily to the campaign of Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt. Last year, she defeated Karen Sonleitner, who opposed the kind of pay raises sought by the unions."

The public employee unions have gotten all the Democrats to roll over for them, and the taxpayers are the one's holding the bag. Daugherty is the lone Republican in the Travis county Commisioner's Court and is now the lone holdout against higher taxes and spending in country Government.

THE GONZALES CIRCUS

By Bob Ward

Republican senators managed to head off the political pantomime Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called a “no confidence vote" aimed at Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales. The 53-38 tally was seven votes short of the 60 needed to pass the non-binding resolution.

Schumer had boasted that if the vote went against Gonzales he would no longer hold the office. This was empty bluster since the attorney-general does not work for the Senate and it is irrelevant whether the senators have “confidence” in him or not. The whole stunt was an amateurish attempt to conjure the image of a “no confidence” vote that occurs in European governments operating under a parliamentary system. In the U.S., the attorney-general is chosen by the President – with Senate confirmation – and serves until the President wants to replace him.

And the same goes for the U.S. attorneys whose firings by the President provided the pretext for the ongoing harassment of the Attorney-General. It’s true that Gonzales invited this treatment by trying to cover up his part in the firings and conceding the firings were “mishandled.” instead of standing up to the Democratic inquisitors and telling them flat out, “The President has the authority to replace the attorneys and he did, end of story, have a nice day.”

In fact, Gonzales, and other Republicans, should resist the impression, created by the media and encouraged by Gonzalez’ wimpiness, that the firing of the U.S. attorneys was “bungled” or “botched.” The attorneys are gone so obviously their firing was successful.

Republicans should also resist the pretensions of the Senate Democrats that they have some authority over these matters. They do not and their intrusion comes close to violating the principle of the separation of powers. They advance no public interest and are aimed only at creating the false impression the Bush administration acted illegally.

There is an upside to the Democrats’ antics. While they’re screwing around with pointless political gestures, they aren’t doing even more serious damage to the country by legislating.

Alter(man)cation

Another Liberal who has no clue about property rights - Eric Alterman arrested for trespass after Democrat debate!

American Protestants who have converted to Islam are counted among those who back suicide attacks

As alarming as the story below is, the most depressing part of it to me is the last line of this, the last paragraph:

Among respondents who were converts, 91 percent were U.S. citizens. Of the total number of converts, 59 percent were black, 55 percent followed Sunni traditions and 67 percent had converted from a Protestant denomination.

Young U.S. Muslims back suicide attacks

By Jennifer Harper
The Washington Times
May 23, 2007

The first nationwide survey of Muslim Americans revealed that more than a quarter of those younger than 30 say suicide bombings to defend Islam are justified, a fact that drowned out the poll’s kinder, gentler findings suggesting that the community is mainstream and middle class.

“There are trouble spots,” noted Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center, which conducted the survey of 1,050 adult Muslim Americans — two-thirds of whom were foreign-born — January to April. The results were released yesterday.

“We should be disturbed that 26 percent of these young people support an ideology in which the ends justify the means,” said Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, chairman of the Arizona-based American Islamic Forum for Democracy.

“But the survey also found that only 40 percent of the overall American Muslim population would even admit that Arabs were behind 9/11. They’re in denial, refusing to take moral responsibility, and the radicals will feed on this,” Dr. Jasser said.

Farid Senzai of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding said he had “concern” about evidence of youthful radicalism.

The revelation that some young American Muslims condone violent bombings led coverage from CBS News, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Detroit Free Press, the Los Angeles Times and other news organizations.

“I’m not surprised that the press picked up on the bad news, because that’s what sells. I’d like to see another ethnic group get asked the same question,” said Laila Al-Qatami of the District-based American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

“What’s also missing were responses about what it means among Muslims to be an American, or their opinions about education, health care and domestic issues. Failure to include this stuff lends an impression that American Muslims are different,” she added.

The survey, which estimates the U.S. Muslim population to be 2.3 million, emphasized the more positive findings, billing the group as “middle class and mostly mainstream,” socially assimilated and happy.

“Clearly, this public comes across as much more moderate than much of the Muslim public in most of the world. They are decidedly American in outlook,” Mr. Kohut said.

Indeed, seven out of 10 of the respondents rated their communities as good or excellent and said they would get ahead through the “American work ethic,” a greater percentage than found in the general public. Seventy-three percent have never been discriminated against as a Muslim on these shores, and 78 percent said they were either “pretty happy” or “very happy” with their lives.

Practicing their religion was a positive as well: 74 percent said they were satisfied with the quality of mosques in their neighborhood. Most identify themselves as Democrats (63 percent) and seven out of 10 voted for Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, in the 2004 presidential race. Sixty-one percent say homosexuality should be discouraged.

Yet many are troubled by politics or policy: 69 percent disapprove of President Bush, 75 percent disapprove of the Iraq war and 48 percent disapprove of the war in Afghanistan. Only 26 percent say the war on terrorism is a “sincere effort,” compared with 67 percent of the general public.

Where are their hearts? It depends on the age group. Sixty percent of the younger-than-30 demographic said they were “Muslim” first, and a quarter were Americans first. Among the total population, 47 percent consider themselves Muslims first and 28 percent are Americans first.

Social factors also come into play. The survey found that 54 percent are dissatisfied with the general state of the nation, 53 percent say life has gotten more difficult for Muslim Americans since September 11, 2001. More than half believe that their population has been singled out by the U.S. government for surveillance.

Among respondents who were converts, 91 percent were U.S. citizens. Of the total number of converts, 59 percent were black, 55 percent followed Sunni traditions and 67 percent had converted from a Protestant denomination.

Democrat DOJ Double Standard

Via The American Spectator:

For all of the posturing by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee during the testimony of former Department of Justice political appointee Monica Goodling, they and their Democrat colleagues in the Clinton administration went to far greater lengths to identify and track the political activities of career and politically appointed lawyers in the Department of Justice and elsewhere. "We knew the political affiliation of every lawyer and political appointee we hired at the Department of Justice from January 1993 to the end of the Administration," says a former Clinton Department of Justice political appointee. "We kept charts and used them when it came time for new U.S. Attorney nominations, detailee assignments, and other hiring decisions. If you didn't vote Democrat, you weren't going anywhere with us. It was that simple." In fact, according to this source, at least 25 career DOJ lawyers who were identified as Republicans were shifted away from jobs in offices they held prior to January 1993 and were given new "assignments" which were deemed "noncritical" or "nonpolitically influential."

Democrats Attack Our Free Speech Rights

Congressman Marty Meehan (D-Massachusetts) has introduced H.R. 2093 that will harm the rights of citizens to receive information about and criticize Washington.

Please call your United States Representative today and tell him or her to oppose H.R 2093, the Meehan grassroots bill. Go here to find contact information for your U.S. Rep:

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

And please forward this email to as many people you can today, and ask them to act quickly.

The House Democratic leadership is keeping their timing under close wraps, but congressional staffers have said this unconstitutional bill may be considered by the Judiciary Committee as part of lobbying reform as early this Friday, but more likely next week. If it gets voted out of committee, then it goes to the floor of the House.

Whatever day HR 2093 is considered, it’s important to start calling Congress now, and forwarding this email alert now to help get more callers to oppose this bill.

The Meehan bill will regulate citizen-supported grassroots causes. What would trigger this new law? Citizens engaging in their First Amendment rights to (1) speak, (2) publish, (3) associate and (4) petition the government. It even will regulate some religious activity.

But get this. It will help big special interests, billionaire George Soros, and even big-time lobbyists themselves. The bill was written by lobbyists, so it will, of course, protect them and their clients.

My letter this week to Congressman Meehan shows how our First Amendment rights are being done in by secret dealings with insider lobbyists and Mr. Meehan’s own lawyers.

http://www.grassrootsfreedom.com/gw3/articles-news/articles.php?action=view&CMSArticleID=1381&CMSCategoryID=23

Dozens of grassroots organizations joined by the ACLU have signed a letter opposing the Meehan bill, H.R. 2093.

Grassroots causes would be required to tell Congress what they’re talking about in private communications to you and other citizens – often before they even say it.

This is very bad legislation. It is actually dangerous to our democracy because it attacks our basic freedoms to speak and criticize government.

The grassroots bill was defeated in Senate earlier this year, 55 – 43.

Now citizens must tell the House of Representatives that the First Amendment means what it says, “Congress shall make no law . . .”

So please, call your U.S. Rep today.

Tell him or her to vote against H.R. 2093, the Meehan grassroots bill.

And please forward this email to as many people as you can today, if you can.

Thank you.

Mark Fitzgibbons

GrassrootsFreedom.com

May Day, May Day

On this May Day, Doug Patton gives us a rundown on Congressional Democrats' socialist excesses:

Democrats are doing their level best to please their radical leftist constituencies, and it's worse than we thought. In their first 100 days in control of Congress, they have introduced legislation that would cripple small business, surrender in Iraq, socialize our medical care and extend the redundant hypocrisy of "hate crimes" to gays.

Let's not forget the multiple evasions of the Constitution in their first 100 days, for example, the DC vote bill passed by the House violates Constitutional provisions on representation. The damage such an extremist Congressional leadership could do with Hillary or Obama in the white house is alarming.

Op-For's fact v fiction on Vietnam

A friend passed along an email "Vietnam: Fact or Fiction" that was chock full of great facts abouve Vietnam, and I traced it back to this website - Op-For (with sourcing from FR). It's a "keeper" that gives a low-down on many Vietnam facts:

- Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups.

- Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent.

- Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes.

- As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not.

- Myth: Common Belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted.
Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers.

The above is just a snippet of what it has. Well worth a visit. This item is pertinent given the coverage of Iraq war that invariably ignores the depravity of the enemy in Iraq:

Isolated atrocities committed by American Soldiers produced torrents of outrage from anti-war critics and the news media while Communist atrocities were so common that they received hardly any media mention at all. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. The death squads focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and school teachers. - Nixon Presidential Papers Common Myths Dispelled: Myth: Common Belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted. Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers.

And then there is this quote, also apropos our current situation:

Was in the Da Nang area with the 1st MAW for almost a year, and believe we were there for a good reason. Still do.
My good wife, God bless her, says we 'lost' that one. Still doesn't understand that we did not lose.........we quit, thanks to the lily livered politicians and celebrities.
Some of them are still with us today. Pity.

Some lily-livered politicians are desperate to relive Saigon 1975. The Democrats want to lose Iraq on Bush's watch, hence their desperation to leave by 2008. How sad that 'victory' to them means running from the central battlefield we face in the war on terror.

Tax-hiking Democrat Gov dodges taxes

File this one under DEMOCRATS ARE HYPOCRITES:

Governor Corzine gave nearly $100,000 in cash gifts to top aides who worked on his gubernatorial campaign and U.S. Senate staff last year, administration officials confirmed Friday.

The nine trusted Corzine staffers who received the gifts are not required to pay income tax, which they would be if they had been rewarded with a bonus because the Internal Revenue Service considers bonuses earned compensation.

This New Jersey Democrat has raised taxes in New Jersey, voted against lower taxes when in the Senate. I guess paying taxes are for suckers, not for him and his minions.

Action Alert: Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Declares Iraq War 'Lost'

We finally saw the Democratic Majority leader come clean on where his party really stands on the Iraq War Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev, pronounced the Iraq War 'lost' militarily on Thursday, and said it "can only be won diplomatically, politically and economically."

Please take a moment to shoot an email or make a phone call to our two senators, calling on them to take to the Senate floor and let the country know that the war in Iraq is not lost in any way shape or form, that indeed there are signs of progress as pointed out by Defense Secretary Robert Gates during a surprise visit to Iraq (see article via link), and that irresponsible political statements like the one made today by the Democratic Majority Leader only put our troops at risk by convincing the enemy he need only press his attacks harder and our political resolve will break, and we will run. The country needs to understand that statements like the one by Senator Reid today are not only being heard domestically, but are also heard by our terrorist enemies in Iraq, and no doubt embolden and strengthen their resolve that it will only take a few more bombs, a few more days of blood before our leaders back home capitulate and withdraw our forces from Iraq for good. Ironically, the enemy knows he can't ever hope to defeat us militarily, but only "diplomatically, politically, and economically". With the aide of Senator Reid and other like-minded public statements meant only for political gain, they may just succeed.

It is clear now that Reid and his compatriots have harbored this belief for some time, and that the Iraq Spending Bill they have been holding hostage with their time table for withdrawal is the political tool by which they plan to bring their beliefs to fruition. They know that without body armor, humvees, and ammunition itself that our forces will have no choice to but pull out and give the enemy military victory on the ground. Likewise, they understand that President Bush has said he will never sign a spending bill that includes a time-table for withdrawal. Thus, the Majority Leader and his compatriots are hoping that they have en-snared the President and the Iraq campaign in a no win situation; without bullets and armor the President will have no choice but to pull our troops out (never mind the danger such a Democratically-enforced situation would put our unarmed and un-equipped troops in), and if he wishes to have the bullets and armor, he would theoretically have to agree to allow some sort of time table, thus engendering a sure-fire militarily defeat once the pull out takes place, thereby brining to fruition the 'pronouncement' of Senator Reid today that the war is indeed 'lost militarily.' In the aftermath of this policy campaign, whatever it be, the Democrats are gambling they can convince the American people that the President and the GOP are to blame, despite the fact that the Democrats now control both Houses of Congress. If the President vetoes the Iraq Spending Bill because of a time table for withdrawal that would only pre-plan defeat a little ways down the road, Reid and his allies hope to accuse the President of not funding our troops, even though he would have done so with a political gun to his head. If the President does approve the bill with the time table intact, this is tantamount to admitting defeat and siding with the Democrats, and in reality would doom our troops to failure and Iraq itself to chaos at the hands of the terrorists who would simply bide their time until we are gone, then attack with full force. This is a shrewd plan from the minds of those who hate the President and wish nothing more than to see us fail in Iraq, no matter the cost this would impose upon our brave troops and nation; and they and have carefully constructed their policy to achieve just such a goal.

This uncompassionate and arguably politically criminal plan shows just how out of touch with reality the Democratic Party, or at least its public leaders, have become. From their statements it seems they cannot grasp the fact that if we do not fight the forces of terrorism over-seas, we will end up having to confront them on our own soil once again, just as on the morning of September 11th 2001. It is amazing that Senator Reid, who now says victory in Iraq can only come diplomatically, politically and economically, forgets that prior to 9/11, this was just how numerous U.S. administrations, most notably the Clinton Administration, had attempted to deal with global terrorism; with sustained and decisive military action being almost non-existence despite numerous attacks against our interests. Yet the result of this policy prior to 9/11 led only to the disastrous attacks we are now all so familiar with. Yet Reid and his compatriots now insist that we should go back to just such a policy, believing that if we no longer pursue the terrorists or try to interfere where we don't belong, they will leave us in peace.

Do these Democrats and their allies truly think that a terrorist making IEDs today in Iraq will tomorrow, following a total American pullout, simply go back to being a productive and peaceful member of society? Or is it more plausible that on the day following such a pull out, that same terrorist bomb maker would pack up his things and head to the next campaign target, which if Reid and his allies have their way would eventually only be America herself? Find it hard to believe that Democratic leaders could be this blind and out of touch with reality? You need look no further than Senator Ted Kennedy's remarks in response to the GOP's characterization of the Democratic position on troop withdrawal as 'surrender' : "Surrender to who? Who are we surrendering to? This is an unconventional war and has to be dealt with in unconventional ways. This is an administration that has never understood the nature of the threat or the way to respond to it." Surrender to who?? How about the hordes of Al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq who just a short time ago exploded a bomb in the cafeteria of the Iraqi Parliament, with the clear intent of stopping us from setting up a free and democratic government in that nation?? The mere fact that Senator Kennedy would issue such a ludicrous and unbelievable statement is proof of how out of touch with reality he and his Party have become.

My friends, we live in perilous times, and we can only hope to prevail if our leaders are righteous and embrace the realities of this post 9/11 world. Clearly today's pronouncement by the Senate Majority Leader and the campaign that surrounds it proves that the Democratic Party is not the one we need leading our nation for the long term, unless we wish to abandon the people of the world to terrorism and hate, and wait idly by for the terrorists to turn to us at home. Please do what you can to convince our Texas Senators to relay the reality of the situation to the American people via the podium of public office to which we have elected them. Thank you, and Gold Bless America!


PS: This post was put together with the aide of information from an article form FOX News. You can find and read the original article in its entirety at this link:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,267181,00.html

Hillary Clinton Donor Money Came From Scam Artists

Hillary Clinton Donor Money: Two Multi-Million Dollar RICO Suits Filed Against International Profit Associates By Group Of Plaintiffs

Mar 15 2007 —
Hillary Clinton along with several other influential politicians have failed to return campaign donations that appear to be directly connected to an alleged scam which defrauded small to medium sized businesses across the United States and Canada of millions of dollars over more than ten years. In the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois-Eastern Division, the law firm of Reda & Des Jardins, LTD on Tuesday filed a multi-million dollar RICO lawsuit (Case No. 07C 1425) against one of Hillary Clinton’s top campaign donors, International Profit Associates (IPA).

This is the second multi-million dollar lawsuit filed in less than two weeks against Buffalo Grove, Illinois-based IPA. Another similar filing took place on February 26, in Albany, New York.

Clinton received over $145,000 in campaign donations from those closely affiliated with IPA. Since the article, most politicians that received donations from IPA have since returned the money back to IPA; the plaintiff’s believes Clinton is an exception.

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