According to this Politico article, there’s a huge rift in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. If Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s accusations are true, the rift is bound to get bigger.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez has quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, accusing the chairman, Rep. Joe Baca, of telling people she’s a “whore.” Baca denied the charge.

If that’s true, Mr. Baca needs to be run out of the House immediately. At minimum, a full investigation should be conducted, starting immediately. Baca didn’t take long to respond to Ms. Sanchez’ accusations:

In a statement to The Politico, Baca said Sanchez “has decided to resign from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), and has chosen to air baseless statements. Let me be clear; her comments are categorically untrue.”

We’ll see which of these opposing statements is the truth. Ms. Sanchez does seem to have a leg to stand on:

She said she was surprised and insulted when she learned that Baca had made the disparaging personal comment about her to California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and other legislators last year. Nunez “is a friend of mine. Did he think he wouldn’t tell me?” Sanchez asked.

The Ethics Committee needs to address this type of boorish behavior if it wants to have any credibility or purpose. If this type of ethical lapse isn’t investigated, then this committee is useless.

Technorati Tags: Joe Baca, Loretta Sanchez, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Ethics Committee, Hispanics

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has his doubts about that based on this post:

Remember the ethics and transparency issues? Oh, come on. You know — they were going to be the most ethical and transparent Congress ever and they would get rid of earmarks, cure global warming, and re-solve the Pythagorean theorem in a more holistic, Montessori style approach — all for the children. Remember?

Well, sorry.

Today the House Democrats are pushing their omnibus appropriations continuing resolution and spending more than Republicans ever dreamt of spending. Oh, and with a 137 page bill that only came out yesterday in an unsearchable PDF format, the Dems only want 1 hour of debate in the House (just remember last week they did the same thing and were forced to write amendments on paper napkins on the House floor).

Here’s the curious part. The Senate requested, and the House agreed, to not really touch the Department of Energy’s budget. Why? There aren’t any major new energy initiatives needing funding. Well, if we dig into this continuing resolution that the Democrats are trying to push through in a hurry we might just find the answer, which might just go something like this (stay with me on this):

The Senate wanted the Department of Energy largely protected in the bill. After that was done, the Department of Energy said it would fund a bunch of earmarks with the money. (continue reading post »)

Thus far, all of the witnesses that I’ve read about have had memory problems of varying degrees. Patrick Fitzgerald saying that “it’s implausible” that former Cheney Chief of Staff Scooter Libby would forget several conversations he had with officials about Plame is looking shaky at best. And that’s with his witnesses testifying. If you were a moonbat who waited breathlessly for Fitzmas, you’d have to ask if Fitzgerald’s trying to make the defense’s case for them.

Former Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper testified Wednesday that a key conversation with White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby in the CIA leak case was off the record, a description that appeared to be at odds with his written account of the interview.

Why didn’t Fitzgerald indict Cooper? After all, he indicted Libby because of conflicting statements. For that matter, why didn’t Fitzgerald indict Armitage friend Marc Grossman? Grossman was the prosecution’s first witness. Grossman testified that he told a different story in two FBI interviews. In those interviews, he described telephone conversations but no face-to-face meeting.

The first journalist to testify in the case, New York Times reporter Judith Miller, acknowledged Wednesday that she had conversations with other government officials and could not be “absolutely, absolutely certain” that she first heard about Plame from Libby.

Miller is a crucial witness in the case. She says she had two conversations about Plame in mid-2003 with Libby, who was Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff. Those conversations are at the heart of the trial because they allegedly occurred well before Libby says he learned Plame’s identity from another reporter.

It’ll be interesting to see if Judge Walton rules that the prosecution has met its burden so that the defense has to present a case. Regardless of that ruling, it’s obvious that Fitzgerald’s case is built on flimsy witnesses. I’m not surprised. I’ve never been impressed with Fitzgerald’s prosecutorial, investigative or analytical abilities.

Technorati Tags: Patrick Fitzgerald, Scooter Libby, Plamegate, Matt Cooper, Judith Miller, Dick Cheney, Richard Armitage

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

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GDP growth for the the 4th quarter of 2006 has been revised upward to 3.5 percent. The Dow was trading in the plus side before the Fed released its monthly report but it jumped on the Fed’s assessment that the economy remains strong. Also factoring into the jump was the Fed not changing the Fed interest rate.

Stocks shot higher Wednesday, sending the Dow Jones industrials up by triple digits after the Federal Reserve answered two of Wall Street’s major concerns, indicating that the economy remains healthy and that inflation pressures are easing. In midafternoon trading, the Dow was up 116.08, or 0.93 percent, at 12,639.39.

I’m not an economist but I’d have to think that this likely means that tax receipts will continue pouring into state and federal coffers in healthy amounts. That should translate into a smaller federal budget deficit and larger state surpluses. The exceptions to the larger state surpluses would be Michigan and California, states that haven’t heard of fiscal sanity. This article seems to support that opinion:

Budget estimates released Wednesday showed some improvement in the deficit but gave little solace to Democrats struggling to match President Bush’s promise to balance the budget. The new forecast from the CBO put the deficit for the current budget year reaching about $200 billion after factoring in Iraq war costs. Last year’s deficit was $248 billion. (continue reading post »)

For decades, Iraqis have been brutalized by a police force they were unable to trust, but with the fall and execution of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi police force is turning a new page in their country’s history.

COL Michael Galloucis, commander of the Army’s 89^th Military Police Brigade deployed in Iraq, is leading the effort instructing Iraqi police on democratic principles such as tolerance, restraint, forgiveness, free speech and the value of human life, as well as law enforcement skills. He and his unit are teaching Iraqi police “that nothing good ever comes out of hatred and murder.”

“They are making tremendous strides over here and are out there every day putting it all on the line to help turn the tide and stem the flow of violence that has been so prevalent here.”

COL Galloucis also said Iraqis are tired of violence and are eager to embrace a system of accountability and justice that treats all citizens with dignity and respect, and that because of Iraq’s complex social and political environment, “We see here gradual movement, gradual progress, and it just is going to take time.” He pointed out that Saddam brutalized Iraq’s citizens for 30 years.

All this may seem relatively inconsequential to those outside the “sandbox”, but it is a big step in the development of democracy in Iraq and its significance is not lost on Iraqis.

Imagine three decades being the majority sect in Iraq. Now imagine being brutalized by the minority sect led by a ruthless dictator who indiscriminately tortured, raped and murdered Iraqi citizens leaving the entire country gripped by fear. Words like “ruthless and brutal dictator” are mere anomalies for us, but for Iraqis those words were a reality with memory that still resonates powerfully.

Saddam’s Fedayeen (or martyrs) were his militia men who carried out much of the Iraqi police’s dirty work. You Tube hosts a quantitative archive of video documenting the Saddam years. Much of it is disturbing, showing militia and police abuses detailing the horrific punishments, torture and executions visited upon Iraqis for various infractions, real or imagined by Saddam. (due to the disturbing nature of the atrocities, no link will be given for the videos) Below are some of what Iraqis suffered at the hands of Iraqi authorities:

(continue reading post »)

Yesterday I wrote about the Constitutional showdown looming over the Iraq War. Now, I’d like to examine some other things that the NYS Times article brings up. The most important thing to be examined is who’s hands the blood would be on if Congress cut off funds for Iraq.

Prof. Robert Turner of the University of Virginia suggested that Congress had made itself responsible for the deaths of the 1.7 million Cambodians estimated to have been slaughtered by the Khmer Rouge, by denying funds for President Nixon to wage war inside Cambodia. Similarly, he said Congress bore responsibility for the deaths of 241 marines killed by a suicide bomber in Lebanon in 1983 because it raised the question of forcing a withdrawal there.

The wisdom of the Founding Fathers is proven by their insisting that the Commander-in-Chief sets and executes war policy. A Democrat congress made the major mistake to cut off funding for the South Vietnamese and Cambodia, with 1.7 million Cambodians getting killed as a direct result. If this Democrat congress cuts off funding for Iraq, there will be a bloodbath both in Iraq and here.

When we left Vietnam, we were certain that the Soviets wouldn’t follow us home. If we leave Iraq in defeat, the terrorists will know that they can wear down Democrats simply by surviving. They’ll know that we are a paper tiger. When that becomes proven fact, they’ll become emboldened just like when Clinton pulled the troops out of Mogadishu. (continue reading post »)

You say you want a revolution…

With press and pundits currently obsessing over “Hillary vs. Obama,” there’s another story flying under the MSM radar that deserves greater coverage. It’s about a new force entering the political arena, one that really promises to shake things up.

As the battle for 2008’s Presidential Election gets underway, the footsoldiers of liberal activism are being rallied, both on the ground and online.

Four years ago, when Howard Dean ran for President, MoveOn.org drew significant media attention as a major player in the emerging practice of campaign fundraising via the Internet. With the backing of George Soros and other millionaires on the Left, the online group continued to make news through their activist support of all things anti-Bush, anti-war and, quite often, anti-American efforts. Conservatives could only grit their teeth because there was no competing organization online — and on the Right. Until now.

“Founded by some of Silicon Valley’s most successful conservatives, TheVanguard.Org is here to take the battle to the enemy,” declares the organization’s website. “Read more about how we’re going to fix the Republicans and beat the Democrats in 2008, and be part of our Plan for Victory.”

Them’s definitely fighting words. A welcome breath of fresh air.

And the latest news suggests that liberal Democrats and activists have plenty to worry about.

Last week, TheVanguard.org proudly announced that Jerome Corsi is joining their efforts. If his name sounds familiar, that’s because he elevated two words into the political lexicon: “swift boat.” Widely credited for helping sink John Kerry’s presidential ambitions, Mr. Corsi is the author of “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry” (along with John O’Neill), among several others.

Corsi is a force to be reckoned with. But TheVanguard.org has no shortage of brainpower and moxie.

Conservative journal Human Events recently published an article asking the question, “The Next Moveon.org?”

From the looks of it, the answer is “Yes!”

The piece gives us an introduction to the man behind the movement: TheVanguard’s founder, Rod Martin.
(continue reading post »)

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If you don’t believe it, read the quotes from this NY Times article and tell my why I shouldn’t expect it.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee began laying the constitutional groundwork today for an effort to block President Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq and place new limits on the conduct of the war there, perhaps forcing a withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.

They were joined by Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who led the panel for the last two years, in asserting that Mr. Bush cannot simply ignore Congressional opposition to his plan to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq.

“I would respectfully suggest to the president that he is not the sole decider,” Mr. Specter said. “The decider is a joint and shared responsibility.” Mr. Specter said he considered a clash over constitutional powers to be “imminent.” The Senate next week will take up competing proposals that would express disapproval of Mr. Bush’s plan.

Specter is right in the sense that Congress has a role in going to war. They are the ones to formally declare war. They also can decide not to fund that war. Other than that, they aren’t co-deciders. The Constitution is quite clear that there is one Commander-in-Chief, not 436. (continue reading post »)

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That’s the thrust of this article. Rep. Waxman is planning a hearing into whether the Bush administration misled them about global warming.

The Democratic chairman of a House panel examining the government’s response to climate change said Tuesday there is evidence that senior Bush administration officials sought repeatedly “to mislead the public by injecting doubt into the science of global warming.”

I’m wondering how Rep. Waxman will prove that the science surrounding global warming. Look at all of the headlines on global warming today:

10 Years to Save the Planet

U.N. agency pressures Ban on climate crisis summit

Climate change means hunger and thirst for billions: report

Rep. Waxman wants people to think that global warming is Gospel fact. The bad news for Rep. Waxman is that intelligent people are shooting holes in the global warming theory, chief among them Michael Crichton. The truth is that most people accept that Earth’s climate is changing but they’re skeptical of global warming claims. Reports like this don’t help sell global warming:

Billions of people will suffer water shortages and the number of hungry will grow by hundreds of millions by 2080 as global temperatures rise, scientists warn in a new report. (continue reading post »)

Can America ever win another war?

Wars are not won on the battlefield. They are won or lost by the will and resolve of the people of the countries who fight them. Unfortunately the U.S. has been so manipulated by the leftist media and by communist organizations, such as International ANSWER and Code Pink, that it has lost its will and resolve to defend itself, and to win wars.

American has a 60 year record of failing to prevail against strategically significant enemies. Our last victory was World War II.

In 1951 we went to Korea to stop the spread of communism. We left after three years because we lost interest and our will to win. We entered into a truce that today has possible nuclear consequences for this country.

10 years later we went to Vietnam for the same cause – stop the advance of communism, only to withdraw unbeaten, but certainly unvictorious, after 10 years. America simply lost the will to prevail. Millions of innocent Vietnamese were killed in the carnage that followed our exit.

We did vigorously rebound and we demonstrated renewed prowess in the First Gulf War, however, we did not have a decisive victory.

As we now see that Congress is ready to give up once again, it is not unreasonable to ask: Are Americans capable of winning real wars? (continue reading post »)