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Jack on Fox & Friends
April 25th, 2007 by Press StaffJack was on Fox & Friends this morning to debate the Democrat’s supplemental appropriations bill with Liz Hourican, a member of Code Pink. Mrs. Hourican was a member of a group of Code Pink activists who met Jack on Monday while walking through the halls handing out “prescriptions for peace” and signing songs in protest of the war in Iraq.
To view a clip of the segment, click here.
Jack on CSPAN
April 24th, 2007 by SpokesbloggerThis morning, Jack went on CSPAN’s Washington Journal to discuss the Democrat’s emergency supplemental and his participation in the conference committee on the bill. To see a clip of the segment, click here.
Good Government or Good Press Release?
April 24th, 2007 by SpokesbloggerHouse Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) is threatening to subpoena Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tomorrow over the Iraq-Niger uranium reference in the 2003 State of the Union Address. Not only has the State Department been fully compliant in all requests for information from the committee but Secretary Rice specifically addressed the issue at length in her confirmation process.
The fact is, there’s nothing left to be said. Unfortunately, the intelligence was misinformed and came from forged documents but the Department has been fully compliant in acknowledging this and being forthcoming. The problem is that this just isn’t enough for Chairman Waxman - he’s not interesting in just investigating the issue, he wants pictures and a press release to boot.
Maybe this should come as no surprise given the proclivity of the current Democrat leadership to seek only political whip checks and press rather than passing real legislation (see: everything they’ve done on Iraq). This time, however, they are going too far.
As Secretary of State, Dr. Rice has a busy schedule of doing the people’s business ahead of her. The Secretary had planned on going to Norway to participate in a NATO foreign ministers meeting to solidify support among the alliance for our ongoing efforts in Afghanistan. Speaker Pelosi herself calls our efforts there the “real war on terror” (link).
In addition, Secretary Rice has two trips to the Middle East on her schedule. One to Egypt for the Iraq Neighbors Conference for the “regional diplomacy” the Iraq Study Group brought in vogue. Then another to for talks with Israel and Palestine (perhaps Mr. Waxman is trying to avoid having his California cohort Pelosi upstaged in her attempt to work on the issue).
Secretary Rice also plans on a trip to Russia to discuss Iran and other pressing issues, hosting the foreign minister of Australia which has proven to be one of our most steadfast supporters in the war on terror, and continued diplomacy on North Korea.
For Mr. Waxman, his spot in the limelight is more important than Dr. Rice being permitted to do her job.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
April 19th, 2007 by SpokesbloggetteToday, our troops fighting in Iraq aren’t getting much respect from Democrats here at home. Not only has Senator Reid declared that the war in Iraq is lost, but earlier, Virginia Congressman Jim Moran (in discussing the much needed war supplemental) “half-jokingly suggested a desirable outcome might be to let the military funding run dry, forcing Bush to pull out of combat zones. ‘We might have to withdraw our troops. Holy smokes, that would be a disaster, wouldn’t it?”
Are these the same Democrats who run around claiming they support our troops? Just asking.
Reid Concedes Defeat In Iraq
April 19th, 2007 by Spokesbloggette
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090812234023im_/http://varifrank.com/images/Preacher_Reid.jpg)
Today, General Senator Harry Reid proclaimed that the war in Iraq “is lost” and the “surge is not accomplishing anything.”
First, the surge only began in mid-February and all the troops haven’t even arrived in Iraq yet. Second, despite Reid’s assertions, there have been successes including:
Since the surge, more than 2,000 families (about 12,000 people) have returned to their homes in Baghdad.
Sectarian violence was down 26 percent from February to March. The first week in April saw the lowest level of Sectarian violence since August 2006.
There was also a recent Wall Street Journal Editorial (subscription required) by the Iraqi Ambassador to the United States, Samie Shakir Sumaida’ie where he discusses the progress that’s being made in Iraq. He ends with these thoughts:
“There is a lot more to be done on all fronts, but for Americans to abandon this effort halfway would be fatal. To signal the intention to withdraw by a certain date would be seen as the beginning of the end, and would be hailed as a victory by our enemies who will no doubt press their advantage. . . . We need to get the violence in Baghdad under control so that the government can govern and political issues can be solved peacefully. We need the help of our American friends to achieve this. The plan Prime Minister Maliki developed with President Bush is sound, but it won’t work unless we all do our part. The terrorists and their allies are determined and resourceful. We must not be any less determined.
Iraq is a young democracy, but Iraqis are an old and proud people. We have the courage to face the terrorists and defeat them in our land. America is an older democracy, with a younger people. Yet, even in your own relatively brief history, Americans have answered the call several times, and millions around the world owe their freedom in part to your sacrifices and bravery. My countrymen and I are grateful to be counted in that number. America is standing by Iraq, and one day Iraq will stand by her. Right now, we have a war to fight, and together, we must fight and win it.”
Perhaps Reid would be wise to listen to those words rather than telling our troops that they have lost and our enemies that they’ve won.
A Challenge
April 18th, 2007 by SpokesbloggetteRight now, firefighters are battling a large fire that is burning south and west of the city of Waycross, Georgia. Several homes have already been lost and around a 1000 people have been evacuated. It’s one of five fires burning across southeastern Georgia.
The Kingston office has donated some supplies to the hard-working firefighters down in Waycross and would like to encourage businesses (and individuals) in the area to do the same if you haven’t already. Supplies can be dropped off at the Ware County High School.
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Democrat Priorities
April 13th, 2007 by SpokesbloggerYesterday morning the Iraqi parliament was bombed sending a clear message that, while progress has been made, we still face a lot of challenges in helping the Iraqi people to secure their nation.
President Bush immediately condemned the attacks and reminded Americans just what we’re fighting for:
“There’s a type of person that would walk in that building and kill innocent life, and that is the same type of person that is willing to come and kill innocent Americans.” (Washington Post)
He pledged to work with the Iraqi people to , “not only reconcile politically, but also put a security force in place that is able to deal with these kinds of people” (International Herald Tribune)
The Democrats who now control Congress, however, couldn’t be bothered.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continued her two-week Spring Break, appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno discussing her love for chocolates and ice cream.
In the Senate, too, the discussion was not about Iraq but about man’s best friend.
The Washington Post reports that during the Senate’s debate, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia devoted his time to discussing his Shih Tzu during which he, “informed the panel three times that he has a Shih Tzu, nine times that his late wife named the dog Trouble, and three times that he prefers to call it Baby.” (Washington Post)
Meanwhile, our troops continue to wait on funding in the form of the Emergency Supplemental on which the Democrats tagged more than $20 billion in pork to gain the votes needed to micro-manage the war. It appears that their love of chocolates, ice cream, and dogs take priority over funding our troops…
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
April 11th, 2007 by Spokesbloggette
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090812234023im_/http://www.hastert-for-congress.org/images/user_images/nancy_pelosi.jpg)
Speaker Pelosi has already visited one state sponsor of terrorism - Syria - now it seems she wants to add another visit to her list. In today’s San Francisco Chronicle, Pelosi says she’s open to a trip to Iran to meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
At the same time, she is refusing to meet with President Bush to discuss much needed war funding for our troops who are over in Iraq - fighting terrorists.
So the Speaker will meet with terrorist sponsors but not our own President?
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A Report from the Field
April 10th, 2007 by SpokesbloggerWith Fort Stewart’s 3rd Infantry Division starting their third deployment in Iraq, Major General Rick Lynch has started sending home his observations. Yesterday, we saw the first of his letters home published in the Savannah Morning News.
For General Lynch and many of the troops he commands, this is not the first deployment to Iraq. His words are seasoned by the progress seen in the 10 months since he was last there. He notes:
“There are more stores open. Traffic is returning to the streets. Commercial airlines are flying in and out of Baghdad International Airport. These are signs the economy is improving.”
In addition to economic progress, General Lynch cites improved infrastructure and more security forces. He also comments on Iraqi’s view of the insurgency:
“The insurgency is not popular here in spite of what you may have seen on TV. The criminal elements here battle every day with Iraqi security forces, and the former are recognized as extremists with outside sponsors”
“Iraqis from the al-Anbar province in western Iraq to Baghdad are joining the Iraqi government security forces and turning on these vicious people. Their ideology is foreign to the Iraqi people and - with our help - will be defeated”
General Lynch’s words provide a true sense of progress being made in Iraq. Unlike the mainstream media, he is not going after ratings but working towards getting the job done. To read the entire article, click here.
Oops, she did it again…
April 5th, 2007 by Spokesblogger
![PelosiGoosed1.jpg](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090812234023im_/http://kingston.house.gov/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/PelosiGoosed1.jpg)
Since taking the Speaker’s gavel, Nancy Pelosi has been pushing the bounds of her constitutional authority. First, she tried her hat at being commander in chief. Now, on her trip to Damascus, Pelosi’s going for broke and trying to take the reins on Isreal’s foriegn policy.
There’s just one problem. The message she proclaimed to be carrying on behalf of Israel wasn’t the message Israel was trying to send. Within minutes of her claiming that Israel was, “ready to engage in Peace talks,” Israel’s Prime Minister released a statement that Pelosi’s message, “does not contain any change in the policies of Israel.”
An editorial in today’s Washington Post reveals what went down. To read the piece, click here.
First General, Now President?
April 3rd, 2007 by Spokesbloggette
Speaker Pelosi and some of her fellow Democrats have taken it upon themselves to travel to Syria despite President Bush arguing that it sends mixed messages to President Assad.
“There have been a lot of people who have gone to see President Assad: some Americans, but a lot of European leaders, high-ranking officials. And yet we haven’t seen action,” Bush told reporters at a Rose Garden news conference. “He hasn’t responded.”
Bush said that Assad had not reined in violent elements of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah as requested by the international community, had acted to destabilize the democratically elected government of Lebanon and was allowing “foreign fighters” to move into Iraq from Syria.
In today’s National Review Online, Thomas Sowell has an article up in which he makes an excellent point:
“Congressman Tom Lantos, who is a member of the delegation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading to Syria, put the mission clearly when he said: “We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy.” Democrats can have any foreign policy they want — if and when they are elected to the White House.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.