Sen. Arlen Specter (R-not sure) has disputed the President’s powers as Commander in Chief.

“I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider,” Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania said during a hearing on Congress’s war powers amid an increasingly heated debate over Iraq war policy. “The decider is a shared and joint responsibility,” Specter said.

Once Congress gave the President the authority to go into Iraq the only say they have would be to cut off the funding; a move nobody seems willing to make because of the fear of political fallout. We had a plethora of legislators vote to give the President the authority in 2003 who now decry the military actions in Iraq as being illegitimate, immoral and illegal. For those who feel so, why not just vote to defund the war?

No doubt mistakes were made in the execution of this war but hindsight is a luxury we have that President Bush could not take advantage of at the time we initiated the military action. To leave now, before the work is done, would surely render useless nearly four years of toil and sacrifice by our military. It would show disrespect to over 3000 brave soldiers, marines and airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice making the world a safer place for the rest of us.

Arlen Specter, Chuck Hagel, Barack Obama, Barbara Boxer, Hillary Clinton and a plethora of others do not have the sense they were born with or the courage of their stated convictions. They constantly draw nonexistent parallels to the Vietnam War when the only true similarity would be the very scenario they are too politically timid to pull off. Instead of non-binding resolutions or legislation that subverts Presidential authority and responsibility, I suggest they pull the trigger; defund the war if their belief is that it is so wrong and we show no benefit to the people of the United States or Iraq by our continued presence. If they wish Iran to take an openly active role in the governance of Iraq, yank the money.

The time is now, make a stand and put some substance behind the words you exhale like so much carbon dioxide. Otherwise be quiet and let the real people of courage do their work.

Under the Constitution, lawmakers have the ability to declare war and fund military operations, while the president has control of military forces.

Sen. Specter, Congress has given the President authority and he is now carrying out his duties as the Commander in Chief. Use your constitutional powers or shut up…if you have the courage and principle. My guess in you possess neither.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics, War on Terror at 4:31 PM EST

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Sign the pledge against ignorant Republican Senators who support the non-binding resolution against the President’s plan for Iraq. Our Commander in Chief has many flaws but his support for the military is not one of them. General David Patraeus, the new Commander in Iraq testified before Congress yesterday and plainly stated how such a resolution could bring harm to our military by emboldening our enemies. Even with that knowledge, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations voted 12 - 9 to approve the resolution for a debate and full floor vote. Sen. Chuck Hagel was the lone Republican on the committee to vote for the resolution.

Hat Tip to the Illinois Review.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics, War on Terror at 10:29 PM EST

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For those espousing a political solution to the war in Iraq:

How do you negotiate with people who would send their children, laden with explosives, into a market or mosque crowded with civilians and ask them to detonate themselves, taking the innocent with them? Where is the political gain in speaking with those who hide behind children and women, using them as human shields? What is there to barter and compromise with those who take hostages and behead them in a grotesque video display while they shout “God is great”?

The short answers are: you don’t, there is none and nothing.

Evil is to be defeated, eradicated and exterminated but never bargained with or given credence or credibility. Neither can you negotiate with those who defend, prolong or support said evil, whether it be passive or overt. Is there any chance of success in talking with those who deny Israel the right of existence or reject the fact that the holocaust ever happened in the face of overwhelming historical evidence?

This is what we face in Iraq and it is the very scenario that would spread throughout the rest of the Middle East if we pull out in either a phased withdrawal or all at once. Leaving is leaving and the implications are further reaching than just the current trouble spots in the Middle East. Evil is only brought under control by decisive and total defeat, bereft of compromise. There is no rationale that would allow murdering civilians, or beheading Christians as a “protest” to the American presence or one’s disagreement with the current elected government of Iraq.

To be able to anticipate a political solution one would have to have a reasonable expectation of compromise and even sacrifice for the greater good. I challenge Sen. Barack Obama and others who encourage American defeat and futility through repeated requests for a military pullout from Iraq to explain how they expect a political solution to be gleaned from the morass and carnage that would surely result with no American support to help them in stabilizing their country. These are not disagreeing factions or even Iraqi Patriots fighting tyranny, they are murderers, plain and simple.

Political solutions are for those who are actually interested in compromise. The enemy that is radical Islam is not worthy of a voice in civilized society or a place at the negotiating table. The surge is aimed at removing some of the cancer, including those militias that do not invest in a real peace that can be achieved through political maneuvering. Iran, Syria and the Hezbollah aid those who would kill innocents and thus cannot be counted on to be meaningful players in any goal of a lasting peace.

American Senators who supported today’s non-binding resolution against the President’s Iraq war policy are not murderers but their actions serve to undermine our troops and aid the enemy, effectively emboldening them to continue their actions. America asked for a change of course and the President is offering one, don’t condemn it without allowing it the opportunity to succeed. With our help the Iraqi people will eventually step up and take full control as great strides have already been made in that direction.

Political solutions are for diplomats, innovators and statesmen. The enemy in Iraq is none of the above and leaving them to ply their trade without finishing our job will not only fail to bring peace to the Middle East, it may allow for the export of terrorism and spread of chaos beyond Iraq’s borders.

Our fighting men and women WILL finish the job they have so bravely undertaken, they WILL defeat the enemy. Only then will Iraq be ready for a political resolution. God Bless our Military and God Bless America.

Posted by Biloxi in Radical Islam, War on Terror at 9:43 PM EST

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The two political cartoons shown on the page were featured one above the other in last Saturday’s edition of the Chicago Tribune. They were both referencing a New York Times article stating that 51% of American women now live without a spouse. Even if we overlook the fact that the information upon which the article was based is skewed at best, we still see a poor depiction of men. Granted, some men are less than desirable when it comes to being a complete spouse but the same can be said for many women. So why the poor image of men?

Is it not enough that men are so often used as a foil and a punchline to the much smarter women in television and movies? The article doesn’t mention that the poll’s sample data was flawed as it counted women in their teens and some spouses who remain married while their husband works out of town. If one wants to look for a cause for the decline of marriage it would be as easy as looking at our increasingly selfish society where people firmly believe they can “have it all”. With a relationship comes sacrifice and that is something people are less inclined to do these days. The good relationships don’t come easy but are well worth the work we put into them. Celebrity idol worship and the dumbing down of the great institution of marriage have taken their toll as well. Why get married when Brangelina doesn’t bother? Kurt and Goldie have been together for years without the legal benefit of matrimony so why can’t we?.

Eventually people begin to recognize and embrace the deviations as the norm and that us harmful to society. Of course with depictions of men such as these, why would any woman bother at all? Men and women together can accomplish great things, the most important being the children that make the next generation. Don’t let half-baked studies and biased portrayals become a deterrent. There’s a lot to live for out there, but it is even better if you share it.

Posted by Biloxi in Social Issues at 12:33 AM EST

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Part of Barack Obama’s announcement yesterday concerned what he called “the smallness of our politics.”

But challenging as they are, it’s not the magnitude of our problems that concerns me the most. It’s the smallness of our politics. America’s faced big problems before. But today, our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can’t tackle the big problems that demand solutions.

His claim is that politics have gotten so bitter and partisan that people cannot work together and with that I cannot disagree. It seems though that many blame the current administration for the morass that is Washington D.C. I withhold it was a very determined and angry Democratic opposition that set the tone from the day this President took office and they never let up. Never ones to admit defeat the Dems couldn’t accept the results of the close vote in Florida in the 2000 election and assumed that George W. Bush must have cheated. They blamed him for perceived Republican persecution of President Clinton, they blamed him for breathing, jock itch, premature balding and the heartbreak of psoriasis.

President Bush came to Washington promising a new tone himself. He invited Democrats to work with him and they stabbed him in the back. He let Ted Kennedy darn near write the No Child Left Behind Act only to have the Senior Senator from Massachusetts start criticizing him afterward. He worked with them and gave them a massive increase in the Medicare entitlement and they still scream, the economy is up, they say only for the rich. He received a majority vote on the authorization to enter Iraq but many of them voted for it before they voted against it and now lambaste him for a decision that many approved of at the time. Democrats have stymied the President at every opportunity denying him up or down votes on his judicial picks and and other nominations. When they couldn’t stop it out of committee they filibustered. Senator Obama himself, the anointed one came out against the filibuster with both feet planted firmly on either side of the fence so as to look reasonable. Noticeable in his commentary before the attempted filibuster during the Samuel Alito nomination vote was the following:

I think a filibuster makes sense when you have a prospect of actually succeeding,” he said on CNN’s “Late Edition.”
Mr. Obama had a simple prescription for his fellow Democrats.
“There’s one way to guarantee that the judges who are appointed to the Supreme Court are judges that reflect our values. And that’s to win elections,” he said.

Bravo! Who can argue with that? Sounding like a breath of fresh air in the cesspool of politics Obama made his courageous statement of principle shortly before he voted for the filibuster. How can he preach bipartisanship without practicing it himself? Follow his party line voting record which is virtually in lockstep with ultra liberal Senate whip and fellow Illinoisan Dick Durbin. This is a man who talks about changing the tone while he lets others do the dirty work for him. While he attempts to reach out, how can he stave off repercussions and retaliations from the Republicans? It could prove to be difficult and is essential to any reversal of direction in partisanship.

I would love to see a change in the smallness of politics as the Senator calls it but I won’t hold my breath. When the shoe was on the other foot we saw no attempt at bipartisanship. Senator Obama is a David Axelrod creation, a cleverly crafted image and message that is very much like the premise for the Seinfeld Show, it is about nothing. Until I see some action on the perfumed words and some flesh on the policies and principles the Senator claims to have I will remain skeptical. When the good Senator emerges from the throes of the Obamasms that are wracking the very nerve endings of the media with exquisite pleasure as they ask for one more touch and gets the klieg light of a national campaign thrown on his person we may see a very different Barack. A man that will have to take positions that contrast with his everyman message, that conflict with his stated Christian faith and pull him away from his closely guarded territory in the middle.

That is when it will get interesting and we will see the real Senator Obama. America has long been ready for a black President, but I’m not sure if we are ready for Barack Obama. If he can keep the momentum and maintain this fever pitch he just might have a chance. Of course that may be hard to do, November 2008 is a long way off and the shroud will eventually have to be lifted from the blank vessel that is Senator Mangod.

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics, Politics at 12:16 AM EST

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Starting last Monday Teri O’Brien, America’s Conservative Warrior Princess hit the airwaves again after three months… and not a moment too soon. The new format where Teri interacts with producer Lynn (or is it Lynne?) is refreshing and I believe it will get even better as time goes on. Teri offers a refreshing take on the issues before us and doesn’t just rehash Rush and some of the other conservative talkers out there. The one thing that would make the show even better, would be more interaction with callers. Not because Teri and Lynn don’t interact with the callers but that the callers are slow to dial in at this early stage in the new program. “Right Talk” with Teri O’Brien can be accessed through her home page at the link above and can be heard through the internet. Teri’s blog and website can be accessed through the Webloggin network as well. Give it a listen, call in and remain informed and engaged.

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says at 10:10 AM EST

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Scott Stantis provides a good example of what I have always said; bipartisanship means bending to the will of the Democrats, we saw no such “cooperation” when they were in the minority.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics at 8:46 AM EST

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If the stem cells in amniotic fluid mirror that of embryos in their flexibility, why did it take so long to hear about it? Wouldn’t this be considered a bipartisan compromise? It is the best of both worlds, stem cells that can mimic several types of cells and no living being gets killed in the research process. Why didn’t we see a bill last week suggesting funding for this type and excluding embryonic research? I guess bipartisan means “bend to my will” in Democrat-ese. Conservatives are fine with adult, cord blood and amniotic stem cell research yet the Dems push the only type that involves the destruction of life. And we get accused of dualism, go figure.

Illinois is looking to move their primary date to February 5 to help Junior Senator Barack Obama build momentum with an early victory should he run for President. Shouldn’t every state with a favorite son or daughter in the race do the same? Heck, move all the primaries to the same date and take the top three to the convention where they can actually choose a consensus candidate like in the old days. A little horse trading is good for the parties. It removes the front load where a few early states choose our party candidates making the primaries in the rest a foregone conclusion rendering the conventions lackluster and without a real purpose. They could choose the running mate also. Just a thought.

Queer Eye For the Straight Guy is ending its 5 year run after a 10 episode season this year. Leading me to say, “it was still on?” Waxing guys backs… ewwwwww!

Did it seem to you like the Democrats didn’t really go into the President’s speech on Iraq this past week with any kind of open mind? Considering there were as many “prebuttals” as rebuttals and they were all strikingly similar, one could say there is an agenda and it doesn’t involve winning, or trying to win. The speech also seemed to be the world’s worst kept secret as the opposition had the talking points beforehand. The problem is that nobody addressed the real points in their criticism. Nobody expects perfection but taking the power away from the corrupt militias and interrupting the supply lines to the insurgents (read Iran and Syria) would go a long way towards making things safer for our fighting men and women and would enable the Iraqi army and security forces to actually do their jobs. When that is possible our troops can start coming home as we would only require a much smaller force to train, facilitate and aid the Iraqis. The surge, when coupled with the changes in tactics as mentioned above, is less an escalation and more about correcting our mistakes and getting on the right path. Does a good football team that is getting their rear end handed to them in the fist half go home or do they make adjustments that enable them to overcome the bad start and win in the second half? I’m for victory.

This is what makes it hard to take Democrats seriously. Obama News, aka Chicago Sun-Times columnist Debra Pickett thinks we need a “feel good” President and suggests that it should be Oprah. If she can’t have that she would like to at least see the daytime talk queen coronated or at very least confirmed as Secretary of State in an Obama Administration. If I were the Democrats I’d be too embarrassed to even admit that my supporters used such a superficial set of criteria for their voting choices. In the end they welcome the moonbats with open arms. Tell me again that the libs are “thinking people”.

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says, Politics, Social Issues at 3:10 PM EST

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Why is it whenever people move sharp left they try to pass it off as centrist? How is it that those firmly left of center on most issues are called moderate? As in moderate former Rhode Island Republican Senator Lincoln Chaffee, a man who never saw a Democratic proposal he wouldn’t vote for.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken the tactic to a new height by proposing socialized health care in the Golden State to be funded by new taxes on even small employers as well as the medical providers themselves. The Governator uses the twisted logic that if so many more people had insurance, it would certainly mean more money for the providers. The flaw in his logic is that the same providers are being taxed to pay for the uninsured. With the Doctors paying 2% of their gross revenues in tax and hospitals being dunned at a 4% rate it would end up being a money swap at best with losses being likely. With a plan like that you can look for things to get even worse in California as business streams out of the state. This plan is so onerous that it even requires coverage of illegal immigrants.

When did Government take over private sector functions to such an extent that they can hurt the viability of the very businesses they look at as their source of funding? With a flurry of minimum wage bills and a push for socialized health care it appears that politicians are hell bent on a path to financial ruin for private companies as they curry favor with the voters. This is not centrist, it is socialism pure and simple and in my book that always means hard left. If they are going to propose it they at least need to call it by its real name.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics at 12:04 AM EST

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Well it’s impossible if you don’t try! In a clear example of the dysfunctional existence of that is the Illinois Republican Party, not one candidate has stepped forward to even consider a challenge to incumbent Senator Dick Durbin.

This is the state that ran off Sen. Peter Fitzgerald for being to independent after appointing a U.S Attorney for Northern Illinois that wouldn’t look the other way at the corruption that has been status quo in the city of Chicago and Cook County for decades. The state that had multiple candidates to replace Sen. Fitzgerald but ran off the frontrunner and primary victor for wanting to have sex with his wife (kinky, but his wife nonetheless) and then replaced him with Alan Keyes; an out of towner and bombastic type so they could spite the conservative wing of the party. Their actions virtually assured the election of the current Junior Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.

It would be an uphill battle in a blue state but it can be done. Downstaters trend more conservative and a contrast of the Senator’s gulag speech to the respect many conservatives have for the military would be a place to start. They could highlight his extremely liberal stances on taxation, abortion, gun control and a host of other issues. One could expose his aw-shucks demeanor wherein he acts so reasonable and bipartisan as he slides the shiv into his opponents vertebrate while maintaining the faint smile on his face. The very persona that Teri O’Brien likens to Eddie Haskell of “Leave it to Beaver”.

The start to rebuilding the party as a true option for Illinoisans is to field contrasting candidates with principle and opposing Durbin is as good a place to start as any. Republicans heaping praise upon him as State Sen. Kirk Dillard does while declining to recruit somebody to enter the fray is as useless as it is pointless. It’s time to wake up Illinois Republicans, unless you plan on being marginalized forever. It’s never too soon to start working for conservative principles. How’s about we get going NOW?

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics, Politics at 11:49 PM EST

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