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Where are the Democrats?
In further proof that the Democrats are not keen on national defense, a
group of forty Democrat veterans took to the Capitol steps. However, the
National Democrat Party was not present, according to the
Boston Globe:
But the candidates, many of whom are political neophytes, also declared
their independence from the national party establishment.
Several candidates complained that they have received only lukewarm support
from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party's apparatus
to recruit and promote promising House candidates. The veterans said the
DCCC has embraced only those candidates taking on obviously vulnerable
incumbents. They complained that the national party isn't capitalizing on
their military credentials.
The Republican response was:
The National Republican Campaign Committee dismissed yesterday's events as
theatrics and said they underscored how desperate Democrats are to convince
voters they can protect the nation.
NRCC spokesman Ed Patru said that 38 Republican congressional challengers
have served in uniform, but ''we don't broadcast that because we don't have
a credibility gap in terms of security issues."
Patru said the Democrats ''have a problem on the most important policy of
the day. The public just doesn't trust Democrats to keep America safe."
Reid caught lying
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has consistently stated that no
Democrat was involved in the lobbyist Jack Abramoff scandal. However, the
Associated Press is reporting that Reid provided important help to the
Abramoff lobbying team:
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid wrote at least four letters helpful to
Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, and the senator's staff
regularly had contact with the disgraced lobbyist's team about legislation
affecting other clients.
The activities _ detailed in billing records and correspondence obtained by
The Associated Press _ are far more extensive than previously disclosed.
They occurred over three years as Reid collected nearly $68,000 in donations
from Abramoff's firm, lobbying partners and clients.
One of Reid’s legislative counsels -- Edward Ayoob -- was helpful to the
Abramoff lobbying team in assisting with the firm’s foreign account of the
Marinas. Ayoob was not the only member of Reid’s staff to be helpful to
Abramoff -- Reid's chief of staff Susan McCue was also very helpful,
according to the AP story:
In January 2002, McCue took a free trip, valued at $7,000, to Malaysia with
several other congressional aides. The trip, cleared by Senate ethics
officials, was underwritten by the U.S. Malaysia Exchange Association, a
group trying to foster better relations between the United States and
Malaysia.
The trips were part of a broader lobbying strategy by Malaysia, which
consulted with Abramoff and paid $300,000 to a company connected to him,
according to documents released by Senate investigators. The arrangements
included a trip by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and his wife to
Malaysia in October 2001.
Reid’s personal involvement was also extensive according to the AP:
On Nov. 8, 2002, the Nevada Democrat signed a letter with California
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein urging Interior Secretary Gale Norton to
reject a proposal by the Cuyapaipe Band of Mission Indians to convert land
for a health clinic into a casino in southern California.
The casino would have competed with the Palm Springs gambling establishment
run by the Agua Caliente, one of Abramoff's tribes.
Two weeks later, Reid went to the Senate floor to oppose fellow Democratic
Sen. Debbie Stabenow's effort to win congressional approval for a Michigan
casino for the Bay Mills Indians, which would have rivaled one already
operating by the Saginaw Chippewa represented by Abramoff.
"The legislation is fundamentally flawed," Reid argued, successfully leading
the opposition to Stabenow's proposal.
The next month, Reid joined six other Democratic senators in asking
President Bush in mid-December 2002 to spend an additional $30 million for
Indian school construction. Several Abramoff tribes, including the Saginaw
and the Mississippi Choctaw, were seeking federal money for school building.
2008 Caucus/Primary Schedule
The
Union Leader writes about the upcoming Democrat meeting to decide the
fate of the 2008 presidential selection process:
The DNC’s Rules and ByLaws Committee will take up the fate of the New
Hampshire primary on March 11 in Washington.
The rules committee will act on the Dec. 5 recommendation of the DNC’s
calendar commission to place one or two caucuses between the Iowa caucus and
New Hampshire primary, plus one or two caucuses after New Hampshire but
before all other states can hold events.
It is expected to back the report but will probably decide whether one or
two events will be held between Iowa and New Hampshire, which could be a key
factor in determining how New Hampshire officials react.
The rules committee’s proposed rule will then be passed to the full DNC,
which is expected to vote on it in April.
Harkin staff deface Wikipedia
Staff of Senator Tom Harkin altered the online viewer encyclopedia known as
Wikipedia.
Wikipedia said staffers of Senator Tom Harkin had removed a paragraph
relating to Harkin's having falsely claimed to have flown combat missions
over North Vietnam, and his subsequent recantation. Harkin never received
the Vietnam combat medal but is a Vietnam era veteran.
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