RIP Arlen Specter

I never voted for the guy but I always respected him. The Yonk has a great tribute

Specter's passing comes at a time when both political parties and the nation are divided straight down the middle. Long gone are the days when a Republican like Specter could reach across the aisle and enact legislation without being pilloried as a pariah. In the next few days, many editorial writers in referencing Specter’s life and career, “You shall not see his like again” Sadly for our country that will also apply to an era when compromise and working together was not a political mortal sin punishable by banishment from Capitol Hill.

You Tube weekend

Arlen Specter, stand-up comic

Ames, Iowa looking over it's shoulder

With all the attention on the Iowa straw poll my friend Dave Baloga decided to get a head start and organized his own.


At the Jonathan Balaster Memorial Summer Picnic on Aug.13th, 2011 we conducted a straw poll of potential (age 18 or older) voters and the results were compiled before anyone had known the Iowa straw poll results. There were 120 attendees and many children. It was a mixed political attendance with the majority Republicans, many Independents and an unknown number of Democrats.


The results of the Luzerne County GOP straw poll:

Rick Perry – 23 votes
Michelle Bachman – 15 votes
Rick Santorum – 12 votes
Mitt Romney – 11 votes
Newt Gingrich – 7 votes
Herman Cain – 7 votes
Ron Paul – 3 votes
Sarah Palin – 2 votes
Tim Pawlenty – 1 vote
.

I know this is a small sample but people who go to these events are the hard core Republicans who actually work in campaigns. I'm surprised that Santorum only got 12 out of 77 votes. Maybe they're still mad at him for endorsing Arlen Specter.


Ames, Shmames – Rick Perry Wins Luzerne GOP Straw Poll

Home rule event tomoorow

My favorite radio talking head asked me to post this and I'm happy to oblige. Unlike some other people on WILK she is up front about her loyalties and biases, I can respect that. Plus she is a Red Sox fan, we'll get 'em next year.


Gort,
If you are blogging, can you give a shout out to a:




Home Rule Forum
King's College
Monday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.
Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center
Third Floor Walsh Room


Sponsored by the King's College Pre-Law Society
Moderated by Dr. Jayne Klenner Moore, King's Professor of CIS
10 minute opening statement, then questions from the audience
Open to the public!


Featuring Jim Haggerty and Rick Morelli on behalf of Home Rule yes and Attorney Vito DeLuca on behalf of Home Rule no


Coordinated by Dr. David Sosar of the Political Science Dept.
Thank You,
Sue

.


If you are blogging?


The above pic is from the Arlen Specter airport rally in April with VP Joe Biden. (L to R) Attorney and past Judge candidate Joe Terrana, the lovely and talented WILK newstalk radio host Sue Henry and fellow blogger Steve Urbanski who writes SPPE who is talented but not lovely.

You will notice that they put them in a cage.

Marino almost got fired before he quit

Reading the press reports today it has become clear that not only is Tom Marino a liar but his superiors in the Department of Justice thought he was incompetent.


Marino's effectiveness questioned

A senior Justice Department official recommended firing Marino in September 2006, saying he "perceived that Marino was not leading his office," according to the report, which has taken on fresh relevance as the Republican challenges Democratic incumbent Chris Carney in the 10th Congressional District.

D. Kyle Sampson, the chief of staff to then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, subsequently placed Marino's name on a list of U.S. Attorneys he said the department, "should consider pushing out," based on "problems" he learned about in summer 2006, according to the report.

You can read the report at this link.

The only thing that saved his tail was the Justice Department didn't want to piss off Senator Arlen Specter.

REPORT: Political ties kept Marino from termination


A report timeline shows that Marino was recommended for termination weeks after he provided a personal reference on a gambling license application for a convicted felon who was under investigation by Marino’s office.

Marino and one other attorney were removed from the list “not because anyone disagreed with the removal recommendation...because both were believed to have the political support of their home-state Senators and the judgment was made not to risk a fight with the Senators over the proposed removals,” according to the report.


This seems to be different than the dismissal of other US Attorney's at the time who were booted for political reasons by Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and Karl Rove. Why Karl Rove was making personnel decisions at DOJ is a subject that has been covered by many other bloggers at the time. Instead of getting rid of him because he wouldn't toe the party line like they did to the others they just thought he was a putz.

Tom Marino continues to be Chris Carney's biggest asset in this election and the Carney camp let him have it in a press release:


CLARKS SUMMIT -- This morning, news broke in the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice and the Scranton Times-Tribune about a Department of Justice report that provides searing evidence that Tom Marino was unfit to serve as U.S. attorney and was recommended for firing before his abrupt 2007 resignation. The report shows that Marino was singled out for firing just weeks after he had provided a personal reference for a convicted felon who was under investigation by Marino's office.

The following is a statement in response to the news from Josh Drobnyk, campaign spokesman for Congressman Chris Carney (Pa-10):


"The facts speak for themselves. The report from the Justice Department makes it clear that Tom Marino lacks the essential qualities that people on all sides of the political spectrum deserve in an elected official: leadership, integrity and competence. This Department of Justice report states in no uncertain terms that Marino failed to lead his office. He has lied about the controversial reference he provided for a convicted felon who was under investigation by his office. And it is now clear that he lied about his record at as U.S. attorney. The question that he must answer is what else is Tom Marino hiding? It is time for him to truthfully account for his record and stop deliberately misleading the public."


Marino's mouthpiece did his best to minimize the damage.


A spokesman for Marino's Congressional campaign, Jason Fitzgerald, dismissed the revelations in the Justice Department report as another distraction in a race that has centered more on missteps and personal defects than social issues and policy positions.

"We're really not going to play in the mud on this stuff," Fitzgerald said Wednesday. "Those claims are totally without merit. Tom Marino was a distinguished prosecutor."

He also added that Nancy Pelosi is a liberal.

After talking with Chris Hackett and Dan Meuser last Friday I keep thinking what if those guys had held off running until this year.


Marino timeline

2002: Tom Marino is sworn in as U.S. Attorney for Middle District of Pennsylvania, which includes Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and Harrisburg.

2004: Federal authorities launch an investigation into allegations Dunmore businessman Louis DeNaples used a middleman to make campaign contributions to Gov. Ed Rendell.

December 2005: Marino serves as a personal reference for DeNaples' application for a license to operate the Mount Airy Casino in Monroe County.

January 2006: A Justice Department official includes Marino on a list of "problem" prosecutors and tells a colleague she is "not sure about" him.

September 2006: Marino makes private decision to resign, does not set specific date.

September 13, 2006: D. Kyle Sampson, the chief of staff to then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, places Marino's name on a list of U.S. Attorneys the department "should consider pushing out."

November 2006: Sampson places Marino's name on another list of targeted prosecutors.

January 2007: Marino discloses relationship with DeNaples to the Justice Department and is ordered to withdraw from the investigation into DeNaples.

Sept. 21, 2007: Marino announces resignation, which takes effect Oct. 12, 2007.

January 2008: Marino starts working for DeNaples, earning $249,999-per-year as the full-time counsel for his non-casino interests.

Sestack wins

The AP just called it.

SESTAK, JOE (DEM)
393,325 53.4%
SPECTER, ARLEN (DEM)
342,883 46.6%

President Obama backs Senator Specter

The has been a lot of buzz all over the intertubes the last few days that the President would hold a weekend rally with Arlen Specter in Philadelphia but that idea was nixed by the White House Press Secretary today.

This is not good news for the Specter campaign. It's bad news because a visit by the President could have provided a last minute boost and it gives the appearance that the White House is reading the polls and doesn't want to be too closely associated with a losing campaign. They don't want a repeat of the Massachusetts Senate special election debacle.

The good news is he has new commercial up with the President saying nice things about him.






This is not the first time that the occupant of the White House at the time has backed Specter's reelection.

Poll time

I will be putting up polls on the left side bar over the next couple of days for the races that interest me.

First up is the US Senate race between Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak. Vote in the poll and tell us in the comments why you think your guy will win.

Senate race tightens

Capitol Ideas reports today that the Morning Call/Muhlenberg College tracking poll shows that Joe Sestak has opened up a 4 point lead (46-42) in his quest to replace Arlen Specter in the US Senate. Sestak has been trending up all week in this poll and we will see if the other polling oufits confirm it.


Sestak will be in Wilkes-Barre again tomorrow

Date: Monday, May 10, 2010
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location: Luzerne County Court House
Street: 200 N River St
City/Town: Wilkes-Barre, PA

I think Specter's Captain Queeg ad may have backfired, especially with veterans, and the spot tieing Specter to Bush is devastating. The Pennsylvania Progressive reminds Democrats of all the bad things Specter has voted for in the last few years.

One of the things I will give props to Specter for is his support of medical research and being the champion of National Institutes of Health even when his then Republican collegues wanted to cut funding for the agency.

Michael J Fox agrees

Santorum's greatest pics

From the comments


Big Dan said...
Where's your patented picture of Santorum with the PINK SUIT on???


Big Dan said...
I WANT THE PINK SUIT PICTURE!!!!

Calm down pal. Mrs. G tells me that the suit is actually powder blue and the tie is pink. Shades are not my strong suit so I stick to primary colors. I think he looks rather dashing in this getup with the cross thing on the lapel. Because of you I didn't write up some insightful and well researched post about local politics tonight. Instead I went on a picture hunt.







I always liked this photo of Ricky, Dubya and Arlen Specter from 2004.

Lou Barletta teamed with Rick Santorum when Santorum was looking for an issue to scare the pants off of people and has run with it since.

My apologies to Gomer Pyle.

The "SMALL GOVERNMENT" Senator injected himself and the federal government into one of the most painful decisions a family can face and helped to make it into a circus.

Santorum 2012

The candidate brought his wierd act to Wilkes-Barre and nobody gave me a heads up. Former U.S. Sen. and Presidential candidate Rick Santorum was in town yesterday to hobnob with the common working people at the Westmoreland Club.

He has been running around the country endorsing various candidates like Marco Rubio in Florida's Republican Senate primary and Jay Riemersma for the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan. Locally he has added his kiss of death to 10th CD GOP hopefull Tom Marino. He has also been hitting all the early primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Santorum's endorsement of Arlen Specter in the 2004 Senate primary race against Pat Toomey still sticks in the craw of many of my Republican friends





Speaking of his loss in 2006 he said “The voters of Pennsylvania had always given me what I had wanted, but in 2006 they gave me what I needed” ... so he could spend more time with his family. Then he channels Michael Corleone saying “I just feel like I’m being pulled back into it.”

Below we see Santorum talking to possible running mate Carl Romanelli with 2nd choice Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta hovering in the background.

Yes I know that the Constitution says that the the President and VP must be from different states but Santorum has lived in Virginia for years so that shouldn't be a problem.

Specter with Bush ad

With the polls closing to single digits in the Pennsylvania US Senate Democratic primary race between Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak the long awaited TV spot highlighting Specter's last campaign in 2004 when he was selling himself as a loyal Republican being backed by GW Bush and Rick Santorum finally aired.


It is not on Sestak's website or YouTube channel which shows how incompetent the Sestak campaign has been. Liberal bloggers all over the state and country would link to it if it was available giving them all sorts of free media. Maybe tomorrow.

Blog buddy Dan Hirschorn of pa2010.com has the video that looks like somebody pointed a camera at a TV .





His play by play


It’s the campaign ad everyone knew was coming—and it was only a matter of time.

The latest TV spot by Democrat Joe Sestak’s Senate campaign highlights former President George W. Bush’s support for Senator Arlen Specter during the 2004 campaign, as well Specter’s support for vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in 2008. It also twice plays a clip of Specter saying that “my change in party will enable me to be reelected.”

The 30-second spot aired Wednesday night on CBS in the Philadelphia media market, appearing on “CSI: NY” and later on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” Sestak has harped on Specter’s party-switch throughout the campaign, but the new ad is the first time he’s taken that message to the airwaves.

“For 45 years, Arlen Specter has been a Republican politician,” a narrator says.

The footage of Bush endorsing Specter—”I can count on this man,” Bush says with former Senator Rick Santorum at his side—is taken from one of Specter’s own 2004 campaign ads.

The ad closes with a shot of Specter standing with Palin. “Arlen Specter switched parties to save one job,” the narrator says. “His, not yours.”

Arlen Specter and Peg Lusick in NEPA

Who: Senator Arlen Specter
What: Coalition Summit
Where: Operating Engineers Hall at 501 E. Main Street in Wilkes Barre, PA.
When: Monday May 3rd, 5:00pm



Senate candidate Peg Luksik will hold a Constitutional Compact Rally in
Scranton on Tuesday May 4th. The open event will be held at the Radisson
Lackawanna located at 700
Lackawanna Avenue in Scranton

A brief chat with Arlen Specter

After the airport rally yesterday with Vice President Joe Biden I got a chance to ask Senator Arlen Specter a couple of questions. My full report of the event will be forthcoming.


The Vice President made a compelling case to Democrats to vote for you although you were a Republican. What do you tell a lifelong Democrat like myself who never voted for you in the past why should I vote for you this time?

My roots go back to the Democratic Party originally. My parents were immigrants, FDR immigrants, hard hit by the depression. I was a JFK Democrat even served as one of the young lawyers on Warren Commission that investigated the assassination of President Kennedy. Came back to Philadelphia were I won some big cases and wanted to run for DA on the Democratic ticket but the party leaders said we don’t want an honest, tough DA in Philadelphia which won’t shock anybody about Philadelphia. The Republican Party came to me and said we haven’t won an election in a long time run on our ticket no strings attached. I didn’t even change my registration I ran as a Democrat on the Republican ticket ,won, and for a long time tried to bring some moderation to the Republican Party. And when President Obama wanted the stimulus package and we were about to slide into a 1929 Depression I simply would not be part of Republican obstructionism and I joined Obama. During my tenure in the Senate I have voted with Democrats probably more often on the big issues than with Republicans. I supported a woman’s right to choose, I opposed Bork. It would be a different country with Bork. I’m pro labor and got the AFL-CIO endorsement. I’m against warentless wiretapping, against Guantanamo and in favor of raising the minimum wage. Provided the 60th vote for the health care package. When August came I went out to the town hall meetings and defended Obama and the health care package

Part of the Military Commissions Act says that the government can declare a United States citizen arrested in the US an enemy combatant and hold them indefinitely. Is there any chance you can revisit that?

I think that’s wrong unless there is probable cause and a reason to hold them. The federal courts have taken jurisdiction over habeas corpus which I have pushed and I think that is an issue to be revisited and I think that the courts are taking it up. You have seen some limitations on detentions. There has to be a reason, there has to be a risk to the United States government on an evidentiary basis before that kind of detention can be justifiable.

Joe Biden visit Friday

If you want to see our always colorful Vice President who is never at a loss for words on Friday at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport you will need a ticket. They can be obtained at the Arlen Specter Scranton office today and tomorrow located at 520 Spruce St, 2nd floor in Biden's hometown of Scranton between 10AM and 5PM. The rally will be in one of the hangers just follow the signs and look for lots of law enforcement types. Doors open at 12:30PM and the program is scheduled to start at 2PM but they always run late. This is a BFD.

Update from Herself: For folks from Luzerne County and other areas who can't make it to Scranton there will be a ticket pickup for Friday's event in Wilkes-Barre as well:

DAY/DATE: THURSDAY APRIL 22nd
TIME: 12pm to 6pm
PLACE: BARNES & NOBLE ON PUBLIC SQUARE in WILKES-BARRE-- 7 S. Main St.



Specter's Democratic primary opponent was in Wilkes-Barre yesterday saying small businesses should have greater access to federal contracts decrying the influence of big business in the US Senate. Joe Sestak slammed Specter

CV: "I believe that the Democratic establishment in Washington, D.C., supported by the Democratic establishment in Harrisburg, got off track when it felt it had to make a political deal with Arlen Specter so he could try to keep his job because he couldn't win in the Republican primary," Sestak said.

Sestak finally dipped into his $5 Million warchest to go up on the the air with this bio ad




Specter had 2 positive ads running over the weekend but now is up with a spot that starts off calling Sestak Captain Queeg. If I didn't know better I would think that Capitol Ideas helped write the script. What about the strawberry's? Then he accuses him of being AWOL from Congress. Specter has switched to the Dems but this ad is out of the Karl Rove playbook. Attack your opponent's strength. Just like Bush tore down John Kerry's military service Specter is trying to do the same to Sestak.

Senate candidates coming to town

Congressman Joe Sestak will be in Wilkes-Barre tomorrow for a seminar on how to get more pork.

Joe will join members of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre business community to describe how he will work to bring more federal funding to Northeast Pennsylvania as the state's next U.S. Senator. Joe's opponent, 30-year Senator Arlen Specter, has made his ability to obtain earmarks for Pennsylvania projects the hallmark of his campaign, but Specter has lost his seniority and actually brought back less funding to the Commonwealth than first-term Senator Bob Casey in Casey's first year.

In his District, Joe has demonstrated other ways to win federal resources. As one example, Joe will bring to the event businessman Ed Brill, founder of Brill Worldwide Investments (BWWI). Through Joe's Business Procurement Summit, Ed has helped Pennsylvania small businesses win more than $13 million in federal contracts.

The event is Monday, April 19th at 1:00pm at The Innovation Center at Wilkes:


The Innovation Center at Wilkes
7 S. Main Street
2nd Floor (above the Barnes & Noble Store)
Wilkes Barre, PA 18701



On Friday Vice President Joe Biden will be at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport for a rally to support the Pork King himself Senator Arlen Specter. I don't have all the details yet but I'm told many local Democratic officials will attend including Congressman Kanjorski


I hope to make this event because it's not everyday that the Vice-President of the United States comes to town. It's a Big Fucking Deal!

Yes Health Care Reform is a BFD. Just ask this guy who was rejected for health insurance because he has a pre -existing condition.

Geisinger TV rep can’t get a Geisinger policy

“Our decision to decline your application for insurance was based on the following reasons: STROKE,” the letter stated. “According to the non-group underwriting standards and guidelines, the above mentioned condition is disqualifying.”

Petition Day

Today was the last day to file nominating petitions and we got a few surprises. It's almost like the trade deadline in MLB but not as important.

Some surprises.


In the US Senate race Joseph Vodvarka of Allegheny county filed as a Dem making Arlen Specter's and Joe Sestack's life more complicated.

Republican Terrance O’Connor, of Monroe County will be running against against Mike Carrol in the 119th.


In the State Senate 14th Distcrict Michael Saporito of Pittston Twp. will take on W-B Mayor Tom Leighton and State Rep John Yudichak in the Democratic primary.

10th CD happenings

I attended the annual Kiss the Blarney for Carney event on Sunday along with a couple of hundred other people. Despite being to subjected to bagpipe music it was a good time. Many local Lackawanna County elected officials and candidates were in attendance along with reps from Senator Specter's office. I chatted with a few including State Rep Jim Wansascz who is running for State Senate to succeed Bob Mellow.

Carney asked me for my assessment of the race and I told him that I think he is in good shape. I'll repeat it again; Challengers don't win elections, Incumbents lose them. He hasn't done anything to lose this thing. Addressing the Health Care Reform bill in his remarks to the crowd he pointed out that we can't continue with the status quo. Something has to be done to get costs under control and insurance companies can't be in charge of who gets health care in this country. I offered my observation that he voted for it once because it was the right thing to do and his Republican opponents will howl about it but if he now voted no on the bill he becomes John Kerry, I voted for it before I voted against it.

He was little iffy on the FRAC ACT but assured the crowd that he was in favor of clean drinking water. He made the national security argument that the US has to off foreign oil. I'll keep bending his ear on this one. There is no reason this should be excluded from the the Clean Water Act and I'm sure that Kayak Dude can make that case.

I asked him about some of the other races this year. I was surprised that he endorsed Manan Trividi in the 6th CD primary against Doug Pike. His 2006 campaign manager is running Pike's campaign but Chris was adamant in his support for fellow military officer Trividi. As far as the Paul Kanjorski-Corey O'Brien race he said "I serve with Congressman Kanjorski" and supports him. 2 years ago O'Brien and fellow Lackawanna Commissioner Mike Washo showed up for the event but were not to be seen this time nor were any of Kanjo's people.

A real treat was meeting the author of NEPArtisan and we plotted another blogger meetup. For some strange reason he really wants to meet the Blogfather. I'll call Mark tomorrow and try to set up a meeting of his fan club and coordinate with the Northeast Blogging Council and the Saturday OT Committee to find an agreeable date.

The Republican candidates had an event in Lewisburg yesterday before 50 people. The tax cut triplets of Tom Marino, Malcolm Derk and Dave Madeira made it but Steven Solieri and young Ted Yale were no shows. Just a guess but I don't think that Yale or Solieri will make the ballot.

The Republican candidates all decry deficit spending but offer no realistic solutions to cutting the federal budget putting large portions of the budget off limits. At the same time they all advocated cutting taxes. Maybe they all need course in remedial mathematics.

I'm not going to pick it all apart so read these press write-ups.


Carney out of touch, Republicans say



Candidates lay out issues at forum

Arlen Specter in Wilkes-Barre

Senator Specter was in Wilkes-Barre yesterday touring the new muli-million dollar over budget and behind schedule parking garage (intermodal transportation center) promising more money for the project. The city needs another $500,000 to replace sidewalks on Public Square. The Blogfather has documented the incompetence of the last administration in doing simple maintenance especially because the materials have been available for years. On a side note Mark is feeling bit neglected by the local blogosphere so I thought a little link love would be appropriate.

While in the area Specter picked up the endorsement of a couple of local unions. Specter has declined a debate invitation from Meet the Press so his Democratic challenger Joe Sestak and Republican Pat Toomey are going to try to recreate the magic of the Alllentown beer summit.

A few months ago the reports I was getting was that Sestak's campaign was a mess. He could show up on MSNBC all the time but his campaign couldn't bother to return a phone call or send out an email alerting local supporters when he would be in town. That is improving.

In his latest web ad he slams President Obama for supporting Specter despite his own support of Hillary Clinton in the primary.





I really can't make up my mind in this race. I've never been an Arlen fan but Sestak's campaign has been just so incompentent until lately.

PA reaction to the President's Afghan speech

Senator Arlen Specter


“I oppose sending 30,000 additional American troops to Afghanistan because I am not persuaded that it is indispensable in our fight against Al Qaeda. If it was, I would support an increase because we have to do whatever it takes to defeat Al Qaeda since they’re out to annihilate us. But if Al Qaeda can operate out of Yemen or Somalia, why fight in Afghanistan where no one has succeeded?

“I disagree with the President’s two key assumptions: that we can transfer responsibility to Afghanistan after 18 months and that our NATO allies will make a significant contribution. It is unrealistic to expect the United States to be out in 18 months so there is really no exit strategy. This venture is not worth so many American lives or the billions it will add to our deficit.”

Challenger Congressman Joe Sestak


"President Obama has presented a plan that will allow us to finally complete a mission that is as indispensable today as it was eight years ago: the elimination of the Al Qaeda terrorists who struck us on 9/11," said Joe Sestak. "It is a difficult decision. After years of war and with economic challenges at home, the American people are justified in their concern about an increased commitment in Afghanistan. But the President has made the right call. If we leave Al Qaeda behind in a safe haven and are struck again, what can we ever say to those we swore to protect?


"From the outset of this debate, I have called for a strategy that is focused on Al Qaeda in Pakistan, is not overly dependent on nation-building in Afghanistan and is not open-ended. The President stated similar goals. But, while I support the President's overall approach, I will be looking for further details. First, the clear emphasis of our overall goal must remain focused on eliminating the safe haven in Pakistan. And second, we should measure our progress not by a fixed timetable, but by benchmarks of achieving America's security. We therefore must be provided those benchmarks of success and/or failure that trigger an exit or alternative strategy."


11th CD Democratic Candidate Corey O'Brien sent out out this email before the speech

As President Obama prepares to speak this evening about our troop commitment in Afghanistan, I am hopeful that the President will match any increase in troop levels with a renewed call for a bilateral relationship between the United States and Pakistan and for the Afghan government to root out corruption within its ranks. Corruption within Afghanistan has led to weakened popular support for the government, and a flourishing drug trade that has turned Afghanistan into the world’s largest narco-state. I believe that taking these actions will be critical to making real progress in Afghanistan, reducing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and fighting global terrorism, a growing drug trade, and international corruption.

Unsure of our resolve in Afghanistan over the last eight years, Pakistan has been hedging its bets and has been friendly to both the United States and the Taliban at the same time. To achieve regional stability, however, we must engage Pakistan and secure their unwavering commitment as a serious and lasting partner in our fight to eliminate terrorism. By collaborating with Pakistan to root out terrorists and secure and upgrade the country’s military equipment pipeline, we can bring stability to the region and reduce the global terrorism threats we face at home.

Republican 11th CD hopefull Chris Paige

Senator John McCain got it right: the President's decision to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan is correct, but his decision to set an arbitrary withdrawal date is ludicrous...and ironic. In the aftermath of the U.S. Civil War, the Democratic Party successfully demanded the premature withdrawal of federal troops from the South, and the result was the horrifyingly racist policy known as Jim Crow. Despite its flaws, Radical Reconstruction would have ended legal segregation in the 1870's instead of the 1970's, and one can only imagine how much suffering this nation in general and African-Americans in particular might have avoided if federal troops had remained in the South to protect the biracial governments (usually led by Republicans) that Southern Democrats, often in league with the KKK, overthrew once our troops left. Similarly, the President's policy might create a "stable" government in Afghanistan, but his policy virtually guarantees that Afghanistan's women and its religious minorities will be oppressed by whatever unholy Taliban-inspired government takes over after we leave. (After all, the Solid South was stable, even as the Democratic Party and its allies in the Klan moved quickly to deny African-Americans their legal rights.) The Afghan people deserve better; our troops and their families deserve better. In words of my fellow Republican Ulysses S. Grant, we should accept nothing less than the Taliban's and Al Qaeda's "Unconditional Surrender."

I'm sure Congressmen Carney and Kanjorski will have statements out later today and we may even hear from Lou Barletta. Other prospective candidates such as Malcolm Derk, Dan Naylor and Dan Meuser are welcome to send me their thoughts that I will be happy to publish.

Lu Lac analyzes the situation and Zen is his usual open minded self. My friends at CSPT heard want they want and advocate endless war.

Update:

Congressman Chris Carney


"It is critical that we not back down from terrorists who threaten our long-term security. Sending additional troops into Afghanistan will give us the military manpower to contain al-Qaeda and the Taliban while laying the groundwork for the Afghan military to step up and the Afghan government to implement long-needed reforms.


I am, however, concerned about the narrow timeframe that the president has presented. While our commitment cannot be open-ended, the reality on the ground in Afghanistan must dictate the actual timeframe. It could take 18 months for our troops to be fully deployed and trained and equipped for battle. The president did an excellent job laying out the reasons for the overall policy, but I will reserve judgment until I see the full details of the plan.


Demonstrating a commitment to our efforts in Afghanistan will signal our resolve to the region and help Pakistan focus its attention on fighting terrorism on its side of the border.”


Congressman Paul Kanjorski hasn't released a statement but had this to say


Kanjorski said he wants to give the president "the benefit of the doubt" on his decision but wonders if the pursuit of a stable Afghanistan will only shift the problem.

"I'm looking forward to having an exit strategy," he said. "I don't want to support a 10-, 20-year commitment. ... We could spend ourselves into bankruptcy in Afghanistan."