"There is deep concern in our country that a transfer of weapons would be a transfer of technology to China, which would change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan, and that's of concern," President Bush said.

"For Russia to make progress as a European nation, the Russian government must renew a commitment to democracy and the rule of law," President Bush said. While "we recognize that reform will not happen overnight," Bush added, "the United States and all European countries should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia."

"Moscow and Washington have a similar understanding of the acute new threats and the need to find a firm answer to challenges to the civilization," said Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the international relations committee of Russia's legislature, the State Duma. "In some ways, they are closer than America is with its traditional allies."

"Each of you has a greater impact than you can ever imagine on people that you will only know for a brief time. All of you are delivering the greatest gift they'll ever receive by sacrificing your own comfort, your own safety and your own lives so that others might know freedom," Laura Bush told soldiers at the Ramstein military hospital.

"Social Security," said David Boaz, Cato's executive vice president, "is the linchpin of the welfare state."

"We're taking on Hollywood. We've done it in the past," says Bossie. "We want to remind the Hollywood elitists that America supports President Bush on the war on terror and that Americans will no longer stand these elitists cramming their liberal agenda down our throats," said David Bossie, the president of Citizens United.

“I think religion is a neurological disorder.” -- Bill Maher.

"There was a lot of energy and money that went to the D.N.C., and now that is gone," a Democratic fund-raiser, Joe McLean, said. "It doesn't surprise me at all that with the weight of the second term Republicans are moving serious money."

 Just POlitics

Grassley on Social Security reform

Reuters is carrying a story by Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa regarding the top Senator responsible for Social Security from Iowa, Charles Grassley, who is responding to questions in his home state about Social Security reform:

"How is the privatization of Social Security going to cure the problem?" Donna McCoy of Newton asked Grassley, the Republican who leads the Senate Finance Committee and will be among those crafting legislation.

"It isn't going to, is the short answer, but since you raise this and it's such a significant issue, bear with me," Grassley said. He launched into a three-minute tour of Bush's proposal, the centerpiece of which is to let younger workers divert part of their Social Security payroll taxes to private investment accounts.

But, responded McCoy, "If it's not going to save Social Security, why are we doing it?"

Bill Maher the shrink

American Family Online is upset with Bill Maher’s continued characterization that Christians are insane. They want to flood Maher with e-mails:

Bill Maher, host of HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher, says that all Christians are crazy and are unenlightened because of their faith. Maher made the comments on MSNBC's Scarborough Country.

Maher said: "We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion…I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think that flying planes in a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder. If you look at it logically, it's something that was drilled into your head when you were a small child."

Go to American Family Online to learn more.

Personal accounts’ humble beginnings

The Washington Post reports on how the Social Security personal accounts idea had very humble beginnings:

Twenty-five years ago, Peter J. Ferrara was a Harvard Law School student with what he called "the craziest idea in the world." In a paper he wrote before graduating, he suggested converting the government-run Social Security program into a web of private investments.

The paper caught the eye of Edward H. Crane, a former head of the Libertarian Party who had recently started the Cato Institute, which has a stated mission of encouraging "limited government." To him, Ferrara's idea wasn't crazy at all, but a way to challenge Washington's largest and most revered social program.

Hollywood vandalizes billboards

NewsMax reports on how a conservative groups billboards taunting Hollywood’s elite in front of the Oscar site have been vandalized:

Citizens United sponsored the signs to coincide with the buildup to Oscar night.

That was apparently too much to bear for at least one disgruntled vandal, who painted a Swastika on George Bush’s forehead last week.

In the end, however, you had to get up pretty early in the morning to see the defaced billboard.

David Bossie, the president of Citizens United and the author of the new book "The Many Faces of John Kerry," says he and his organization were expecting such shenanigans – arranging in advance with the sign company that the billboards would be immediately repaired if damaged in any way.

Fighting for recognition

President Bush, who is supposedly much ridiculed in Europe, found himself being pulled in many directions as heads of states and others demanded to be included on the Bush itinerary. The Washington Times offers an excellent insight into Bush’s popularity:

"One day you will read in my memoirs the difficulty to find the right way to have a press conference or to put a knife and fork together without having disrespect between institutions," said Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who holds the rotating presidency of the EU and has been Mr. Bush's official host in Brussels.

"If ridicule could kill, there'd be bodies piling up in the streets in Brussels."

Democrats feuding with AARP

The Hill reports on the continuing anger of Democrats with AARP:

"…The Democrats’ apprehension about AARP, the nation’s largest group representing senior citizens, registers at different levels throughout the caucus. Some lawmakers are willing to set aside their lingering resentment over the party’s defeat on Medicare in hopes of defeating the president’s proposal to offer personal accounts. Less forgiving Democrats, however, say AARP should stay on the other side of the aisle and work with "their new GOP friends."

Reorganization of anti-war effort

The AFP reports on the efforts of the anti-war effort to reorganize their campaign:

Some 500 representatives of pacifist organizations, former combatants, soldiers' families, as well as actor and activist Danny Glover, met last weekend in Saint Louis, Missouri, for the first time since the start of Bush's second term, seeking a united strategy for their efforts.

"United For Peace and Justice" the name of the coalition seeking to set its strategy in the coming months, organized the big February 2003 and August 2004 marches in New York, and said demos will be held on March 19 -- the second anniversary of the launch of the US war in Iraq.

Bush’s hit list

President Bush has urged the elimination of the following programs:

Agriculture Department

Agricultural Marketing Service biotechnology program

Forest Service economic action program

High cost energy grants

Natural Resources Conservation Service watershed and flood prevention operations

Research and extension grant earmarks and low priority programs

Commerce Department

Advanced technology program

Emergency steel guarantee loan program

Public telecommunications facilities, planning and construction program

Education Department

Comprehensive school reform

Educational technology state grants

Even Start (High school program terminations:)

Vocational education state grants

Vocational education national activities

Tech prep state grants

Upward Bound

Talent Search

GEAR UP

Smaller learning communities

Perkins Loans: capital contributions and loan cancellations

Regional education laboratories

Safe and Drug Free Schools state grants

(Small elementary and secondary education programs:)

Javits gifted and talented education

National Writing Project

School leadership

Dropout prevention program

Close Up fellowships

Ready to Teach

Parental information and resource centers

Alcohol abuse reduction

Foundations for Learning

Mental health integration in schools

Community technology centers

Exchanges with historic whaling and trading partners

Foreign language assistance

Excellence in economic education

Arts in education

Women's educational equity

Elementary and secondary school counseling

Civic education

Star schools

(Smaller higher education programs:)

Higher education demonstration projects for students w/disabilities

Underground railroad program

Interest subsidy grants

(Small job training and adult education programs:)

Occupational and employment information

Tech-prep demonstration

Literacy programs for prisoners

State grants for incarcerated youth

(Small postsecondary student financial assistance programs:)

LEAP

Byrd scholarships

B.J. Stupak Olympic scholarships

Thurgood Marshall legal opportunity

(Small vocational rehabilitation programs:)

Vocational rehabilitation recreational programs

Vocational rehabilitation migrant and seasonal workers

Projects with industry

Supported employment

Teacher quality enhancement program

Energy Department

Hydropower program

Nuclear energy plant optimization

Nuclear energy research initiative

Oil and gas programs

Health and Human Services Department

Administration for Children and Families Community Service Programs

ACF Early Learning Opportunities Fund

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention congressional earmarks

CDC Preventive Health and Health Services block grant

CDC youth media campaign

Direct service worker delivery grants

Health Resources and Services Administration emergency medical services for children

HRSA health facilities construction congressional earmarks

HRSA Healthy Community access program

HRSA state planning grant program

HRSA trauma care

HRSA traumatic brain injury

Health Resources and Services Administration universal newborn hearing screening

Real Choice systems change grants

Housing and Urban Development Department

HOPE VI

Interior Department

Bureau of Land Management Jobs-in-the-Woods program

Land and water conservation fund state recreation grants, National Parks Service

National Park Service statutory aid

Rural fire assistance (Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs)

Justice Department

Byrne discretionary grants x

Byrne justice assistance grants

Community Oriented Policing Services hiring grants

COPS interoperable communications technology grants x

COPS law enforcement technology grants

Juvenile accountability block grants x

National Drug Intelligence Center

Other state/local law enforcement assistance program terminations

State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP)

Labor Department

Migrant and seasonal farm worker training program

Reintegration of youthful offenders

Transportation Department

National defense tank vessel construction program

Railroad rehabilitation infrastructure financing loan program

Enviromental Protection Agency

Unrequested projects

Water quality cooperative agreements

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Hubble Space telescope robotic servicing mission

National Veterans Business Development Corporation

Postal Service

revenue forgone appropriation

Small Business Administration

Microloan program

Small Business investment company participating securities program

MAJOR REDUCTIONS:

Agriculture Department

Federal in-house research

Forest Service capital improvements and maintenance

Forest Service wildland fire management

Biomass research and development

Broadband

Commodity Credit Corp. - bioenergy

CCC - Market Access program

Farm bill's environmental quality incentives program

Farm bill's conservation security program

Farm bill's wildlife habitat incentives program

Farm bill's farm and ranchland protection

Farm bill's agricultural management assistance

Initiative for future agriculture food systems

Renewable energy

Rural firefighter grants

Rural strategic investment program

Rural business investment program

Value-added grants

Watershed rehabilitation

Natural Resources Conservation Service conservation operations

NRCS resource conservation and development program

Water and wastewater grants and loans

Commerce Department

Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Education Department

Adult education state grants

State grants for innovation

Energy Department

Environmental management

Health and Human Services Department

Health Resources and Services Administration Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education payment program

HRSA health professions

HRSA rural health

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration programs of regional and national significance

State, local & hospital bioterrorism preparedness grants

Housing and Urban Development Department

Housing for persons with disabilities

Native American housing block grant

Public housing capital fund

Interior Department

Bureau of Indian Affairs school construction

National Heritage Area grants

Payments in lieu of taxes

United States Geological Survey mineral resources program

Justice Department

Federal Bureau of Prisons construction program

High intensity drug trafficking areas program

Juvenile justice law enforcement assistance programs

Labor Department

International Labor Affairs Bureau

Office of Disability Employment Policy

Workforce Investment Act pilot and demonstration projects

State Department

Assistance for the independent states of the former Soviet Union

Transportation Department

Federal Aviation Administration - facilities and equipment

FAA - Airport improvement program

Federal Railroad Administration - next generation high speed rail

Treasury Department

Internal Revenue Service - taxpayer service

Environmental Protection Agency

Alaska Native villages

Clean water state revolving fund

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Aeronautics: vehicle systems program

Jupiter icy moons orbiter

Other agencies

National Archives and Records Administration: National Historical Publications and Records Commission

U.S. Institute of Peace: construction of new building

Rice for president?

A grassroots effort called AmericansForRice has begun. Matt May, formerly a C-SPAN archivist, will be their blogmaster. And the group will soon install a dedicated phone line to reach its staff, which, while it ain't a fundraising team or a caucus commitment, is a good place to start. AmericansForRice is the brainchild of Dr. Richard Mason, a Miami Republican, and has active co-chairs in at least three other states. Mason and his allies plan to seed movements in all 50 states.

Republican legislative agenda