To begin with, let’s get a snip of this morning’s op-ed up on National Review:

Arlen Specter belongs to a type familiar to Congress: the time-serving hack devoid of any principle save arrogance. He has spent three decades in the Senate but is associated with no great cause, no prescient warning, no landmark legislation. Yet he imagines that the Senate needs his wisdom and judgment for a sixth term. He joined the Republican party out of expediency in the 1960s, and leaves it out of expediency this week.

Indeed. At the end of the day,what we have here is the second in a line of what will be many ‘victims’ of what are now being called the Tea Party protests. The first, I think, was John McCain.

Now, you’re going to be hearing, over the next weeks and months between now and the mid-term elections, how the supposed GOP swing to the extreme right has cost the Republicans the 2008 election. These charges have come from such as Lindsay Graham and Ramesh Ponnuru, among others, and of course from staunch Democrats, who it would appear are simply pulling themselves up on any available handhold. Specter, in particular blames that factor on his leaving the party. But it’s not so. In truth, the movement of the party for the time that Specter has been in office, has been to the left… The exception… Reagan.. being their wildest success. That leftward march since Reagan has damaged the party, and the country and culminated in the GOP losses in 2008. The Tea Parties have been a [...]

James Joyner at OTB, this morning brings news abot the latest action of Eric Holder’s Justice Dept:

Attorney General Eric Holder has dropped the case against Ted Stevens, NPR’s Nina Totenberg reports.

A jury convicted Stevens last fall of seven counts of lying on his Senate disclosure form in order to conceal $250,000 in gifts from an oil industry executive and other friends. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, however, he lost his bid for an eighth full term in office just days after he was convicted. Since then, charges of prosecutorial misconduct have delayed his sentencing and prompted defense motions for a new trial.

According to Justice Department officials, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has decided to drop the case against Stevens rather than continue to defend the conviction in the face of persistent problems stemming from the actions of prosecutors.

The judge in the Stevens case has repeatedly delayed sentencing and criticized trial prosecutors for what he’s called prosecutorial misconduct. At one point, prosecutors were held in contempt. Things got so bad [...]

Read The Complete Article

Tags: Alaska, Barney Frank, Charles Schumer, charlie rangel, Chris Dodd, Corruption, Crime, Democrat, Eric Holder, justice department, Nancy Pelosi, Republican, schumer, Ted Stevens, US Senate, US Senator, william jefferson

The Wall Street Journal states the bloody obvious:

According to recent Gallup polls, the president’s average approval rating is below 30% — down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.

This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, “Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust.”

Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.

Rejected from the Democrats because that’s what the Democrats do. Reach out to them, they’ll break your arm… as Bush Sr found out. Remember[...]

Tonight I attended my first Polk County (Iowa) Republican Central Committee meeting. I have never been at this level of politics (okay, 2008 continues to be a year of firsts for me in local politics), and it was more interesting than I expected.
I won’t get into a lot of details about the meeting, except [...]

From the GateWay Pundit:

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New information reveals that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was indirectly sending messages to the FARC. The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is designated as a terrorist [...]

The following was copied from www.whatiam.net.  It was forwarded to me in an email (thanks, Brent!), and was the content of an ad (presumably full-page) that was taken out in the Washington Post on October 24, 2004 by George J. Esseff Sr.  This is just as meaningful now as it was almost 4 years ago. 

You’re a [...]

Both the Democrats and Republicans have agreed to postpone their conventions, which were scheduled for this weekend. Flooding throughout the state will make it very difficult for people to travel let alone leave whatever chaos is currently ensuing in their homes and communities.
This was an exceptional decision by both parties’ leaders. We commend [...]

My dad hates labels. We’ve had this conversation numerous times in the past regarding how bad it is to put a label on yourself or others as if that label defines who you are.
I understand where he’s coming from in many respects, and yet I also maintain a need to use short expressions clarify [...]

I am fortunate enough to live in District 60 of the Iowa House of Representatives, represented by Libby Jacobs, whom I have tremendous respect for. And who is a Conservative Republican.
Libby provides a Legislative Update (as do some other representatives) in the Des Moines Register’s “West Des Moines” section. This week she provided [...]

Where ever you may be in the United States, if you are in a state where a Primary or Caucus is occurring, go and vote, talk, participate.  Be part of the process, part of the solution, part of making America Great!
We can only be strong if we all work together and support each other, and [...]