Thank You Senator McCain for Standing up for Facts and Fairness

Once again Senator McCain has stood up to the far right to call out Bachmann and others with their ridiculous charges against Huma Abedin who works in the State Department for Hillary Clinton.  Their charges are baseless but attacks like this have had adverse consequences in Egypt where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was attacked with tomatoes and shoes because some Egyptians believe what Fox News puts out along with people like Bachmann who have no regard for the truth.  

I have had my doubts about Hillary Clinton and have stated them over the years but no matter she is the Secretary of State, and it is time the far right quit attacking with baseless allegations.  Never thought Bachmann was too bright as she has proved it over and over but now she is interfering in foreign policy.  Frankly Speaker Boehner was nuts to put her the Intelligence Committee with her strange allegations over the years.

What has happened to the Republican Party?  Is this what the National Tea Party movement has caused in the Republican Party?  The group that doesn't seem to understand how Government works and only believes in continual attacks on leaders without regard to consequences.  Is this going to end up splitting the Republican Party with Mitt Romney cozying up to them and their lack of reality.  The lack of empathy out of today's Republicans plus their continual attacks on innocent people who are not running for office is flat out wrong.

Thanks Senator for making me proud I voted for you in 2008 and supported you in your Senate race!

McCain defends top aide to Clinton from fellow Republicans
By NBC's Libby Leist 

Arizona Sen. John McCain (R) offered a personal and passionate defense of top State Department aide Huma Abedin in the face of conservative allegations that she is using her position in "unduly influencing" foreign policy in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. 

McCain called allegations that Abedin has ties through her family to the Muslim Brotherhood "sinister" in a rare speech on the Senate floor taking fellow Republicans to task. 

"Rarely do I come to the floor of this institution to discuss particular individuals. But I understand how painful and injurious it is when a person's character, reputation, and patriotism are attacked without concern for fact or fairness," McCain opened. 

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann (R), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, led four other Republican lawmakers in writing a letter last month requesting that the State Department investigate whether Abedin, who is Muslim, has any ties through her family to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic political group that found success in recent Egyptian elections. 

Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. 

Bachmann has expressed concerns about how Abedin, who is married to former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner (D), was able to obtain a security clearance. 

McCain condemned these accusations as unsubstantiated. 

"These sinister accusations rest solely on a few unspecified and unsubstantiated associations of members of Huma's family, none of which have been shown to harm or threaten the United States in any way," he said. "These attacks on Huma have no logic, no basis, and no merit. And they need to stop now."  

McCain called Abedin a "friend" who is an "intelligent, upstanding, hard-working and long servant of our country and our government."

"Put simply, Huma represents what is best about America: the daughter of immigrants, who has risen to the highest levels of our government on the basis of her substantial personal merit and her abiding commitment to the American ideals that she embodies so fully," he added. 

McCain picked apart the rationale of Bachmann and her colleagues, who wrote their June letter based on a report "The Muslim Brotherhood in America," produced by the Center for Security Policy. 

"The letter alleges that three members of Huma's family are 'connected to Muslim Brotherhood operatives and/or organizations.' Never mind that one of those individuals, Huma's father, passed away two decades ago. The letter and the report offer not one instance of an action, a decision, or a public position that Huma has taken while at the State Department that would lend credence to the charge that she is promoting anti-American activities within our government." 

McCain has spent time traveling with Abedin while she served as a personal aide to Hillary Clinton during Clinton's time as a senator from New York. 

He ended his floor speech with a strong show of support. "I have every confidence in Huma's loyalty to our country, and everyone else should as well." 

Source:  MSNBC

Why is Ron Paul helping Mitt Romney?

This is no shock as some of us figured out some time ago that Paul was helping Romney which is annoying his Paulbot supporters to no end.  In fact, some have actually turned on him now with their finally waking up to the fact that Paul has sold out to Romney.  Is Paul the one who got Michelle Bachmann to be the vicious attack dog against Rick Perry for Romney.  Beginning to look like that is why she went after Perry so hard as she has been a supporter of Ron Paul in the House.

Now for the $64,000 question -- what does Romney have on Ron Paul or what has he promised Paul because this makes no sense at all.  Philosophically they are not close so what is the reason for Paul when he was cheated in Nevada and now in Maine by the Romney camp to still support Romney?  After learning that the Super PAC of Romney is headed by Larry McCarthy who did the Willie Horton ad against Dukakis, I would believe anything.  

This follows along with the details of Tim Pawlenty paying off his campaign debt for 2012:

Former Minnesota Governor and Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty paid off his 2012 campaign’s debt, according to recent FEC reports filed over the weekend. 

According to Politic, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican front-runner, and his family members joined with several Bain Capital officials to assist Mr. Pawlenty in retiring his debt last year, federal records show. Mr. Romney previously ran Bain Capital, and has faced scrutiny in the past months over his dealings with the venture capital firm. 

Mr. Pawlenty, who endorsed Mr. Romney in late 2011, dropped out of the 2012 race following the results of the Iowa caucus.

Looks like Romney liked Pawlenty phone calls against Santorum that were not factual so now he has paid off his debt.  Was this a pay off for an endorsement of Romney by Pawlenty?  I really thought Pawlenty had more class than that but some people will do anything for money.  Now I wish I had not supported him at the beginning.  Was Bachmann also the attack dog for Paul (Romney) to take out Pawlenty?  How much did Bachmann get out of all of this.

This seems to be a corrupt Republican primary so far as Romney will do anything to get the nomination and could care less about ethics or the future of the Republican Party.  This is all about Romney and the rich who surround him which is where he gets most of his campaign contributions.  Now he has Donald Trump out raising money for him who is saying if Romney is not the nominee then he is going to run.  He has done a 180 because it used to be Newt.  Now he is firmly in the Romney camp this week.  Makes your heard spin with all the flip flopping around the Romney camp.

Paulbots on line are not happy right now that Paul will not fight against the voter irregularities in NV and ME when his votes are not being counted for now.  One thing is definite that Ron Paul sold out to Romney but "WHY?" is the question.

Is Ron Paul helping Mitt Romney?
The State Column | Tuesday, February 21, 2012

It seems Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul is assisting former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s bid for the Republican nomination. 

According to NBC News, the Paul campaign is passing around opposition research to the Romney campaign, focusing on thwarting former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Rick Santorum’s rise in the polls. 

The report is the latest making the rounds. The New York Times reported earlier this week that Mr. Paul and Mr. Romney have developed a close friendship during the 2012 campaign, with the Texas Republican saying he discusses a number of issues with the Massachusetts Republican.

“I talk to Romney more than the rest on a friendly basis,” Mr. Paul said. ”I throw Romney’s name out because he’s made a bigger attempt to do it. The others are sort of just real flat.” 

With Mr. Santorum potentially on the brink of upsetting Mr. Romney in state of Michigan next week, the Paul campaign is targeting the former Pennsylvania senator for what it says is hypocrisy. The Paul campaign released an ad on Tuesday, attacking Mr. Santorum’s support of a number of policies that the Paul campaign said lead Republican voters to question the Pennsylvania Republican’s conservatism. 

Titled “Fake,” the Paul ad highlights Mr. Santorum’s support for raising the debt ceiling, his backing of the expansion of the Department of Education and his support for No Child Left Behind. It even accuses him of sending billions of dollars in aid to North Korea.

Read more: http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/2012/02/21/is-ron-paul-helping-mitt-romney/#ixzz1n49L2xOP

Iowa Caucus Day

We have returned from the Valley of the Sun and ready to go back already. This time the weather cooperated in Tempe for the Insight Bowl. We were warmer sitting out at night this year then we were inside the Fiesta Bowl dome last year when it was so cold. Everything about Tempe and the Scottsdale area were awesome. The Insight Bowl was handled much better in Tempe then the Fiesta Bowl last year. In fact the New Year's Even Fiesta Bowl party is held in Tempe. The trip was awesome and so happy to get away from here for a few days and from politics.

Don't know one Republican who is happy with Iowa and the mess that has been happening there. The media has way too much control over this primary. The dirty tricks and attacks against candidates other than Romney on behalf of the establishment led by Bush 41 and others are as disgusting as I have witnessed since the Reagan/Bush fight in 1980. Funny how on the Bush 41 side it is the same bunch of low life consultants who now support Romney.

The Dole/Bush 41 endorsements for Romney proves the establishment is firmly behind him and everything we have been speculating is true about the establishment in this election. Look at the people who have endorsed Romney -- many of the elected officials or 2010 candidates were heavily supported by Rove's Crossroads and Romney in the 2010/2011 elections -- can you say Christi, Hailey, O'Donnell for starters? Pawlenty was promised help with his finances and a job at Fox News to endorse Romney according to sources -- that didn't work out too well for him did it?  Did Rove and the establishment dry up Pawlenty fundraising?  Funny thing is if he had stayed in the race, there is a good chance he could have won Iowa which is most likely why Rove and company got him out of the race.

This Republican Primary seems to be turning into the establishment trying to take back the Republican Party from the conservatives. If Romney gets the nomination, you will see a giant exodus from the Republican Party by conservatives. I have never seen a more underhanded, dirty treatment of candidates who are not Romney by the media and the Romney Bush 41 group of establishment types then I have in 2011/2012. Thought it was bad in 2008 but that doesn't hold a candle to 2012. Rove and his friends have down a real job of taking out other candidates one by one with lies, planted stories, and phony polls to leave the liberal Romney standing.

If Romney is the nominee, there will be a strong third party challenger and you can take that to the bank. This is one site which remains conservative and will not support Mitt Romney under any circumstance. His policies could be as bad in some cases as Obama. He is not conservative and the Mormon Church has way too much power over him.

Romney comes from a background of entitlement and greed shown by his willingness as head of Bain Capital to buy up companies, lay off employees, and send the jobs overseas long before it was fashionable. He comes from a Church whose bank they use, Zions Bankcorp, laundered at least $13B in drug money and drew a $7M fine which as buried in the news. Bain Capitol bought Clear Channel Communications before the last election where all the so-called conservative pundits for the most part reside and have sold-out to Romney for the most part. Hannity is turning into one of the most disgusting pundits on the air from the conservative viewpoint.

Any candidate who puts their son's missions for the Mormon Church or working the Romney campaign in 2008 on the same level as serving in the military will never get my vote or support.  I know I speak for a lot of others who hold the same view. Many conservatives vowed in 2008 never to hold their nose again to vote for an establishment candidate.  From talking to some of them and viewing their comments, believe they will walk from the Republican Party if Romney is the nominee. No one I know is donating money to the RNC and will not until it is cleaned out, and the RNC proves they are honest brokers. Now I think one of the primary reasons to get rid of Steele, which unfortunately I supported, was to get the establishment puppet Preibus in place from Wisconsin.  Did Rove and company for Bush 41 undermine Steele every step of the way?  Was he set up?  Believe the answer is a resounding YES! 

This site will call it like it sees it following today's Iowa Caucus. One computer is already down thanks to an attack but this site will not be silenced. Personally didn't like Romney in 2008 and loathe him today. Don't even see how anyone who is conservative could support him which says a lot about a conservative who turns their back on their principles to support Romney. His history of flip flops is getting to be larger than Kerry.  Romney will say and do anything to win including lying, cheating, and yes we believe some of his people are capable of stealing votes from their actions so far.

We already know that some Republicans will cheat on voting as fast as Democrats as all you have to do is look at Wisconsin and the former Cain campaign manager.

Today a caucus will be held in a state that went for Obama in 2008 and then three out of the four next states to hold primaries went for Obama in 2008. Only South Carolina went for the Republican McCain in the first five states to vote in this year's GOP Primary. There is something wrong with this picture. Not only that, but in Iowa which considers their primary closed, we have this gem:

Voters may change party on the day of the primary election.

In New Hampshire it is a semi-closed primary where independents can vote.

South Carolina, Florida, and Nevada are closed primaries where you have to register to change parties ahead of the primary not the day of the primary and none of those three states allow independents to vote.

Out of the first five states, our first two are iffy as both went heavily for Obama in 2008. Florida and Nevada went for Obama big time in 2008 but are still in the early primary position. What can we say about Virginia and the way they are set up for only for early entries into the race to get on the VA ballot after their throwing out signatures of other candidates. The percentage tossed are pretty suspect. But then their Governor is rumored to be in the Romney camp. All candidates except Romney and Paul have joined in a lawsuit against Virginia and their honest Attorney General who seems to be saying all candidates should be on the ballot or at least until the establishment gets to him.

The Republican Party headed by the RNC Chair is now allowing four states who voted for the liberal Obama to help choose our nominee and give them momentum while they move reliable red states like Oklahoma to March. The RNC is also responsible for all the debates which it is pretty unanimous that was wrong and foolish as candidates spent more time prepping for primaries instead of getting to know voters.  Also a plus for Romney who does better in debates then when he meetings people in person where his arrogance shows.  His 'unemployment' line is so disgusting and demeaning to those who are truly unemployed but then he is an east coast elitist.

In the aftermath of the Iowa campaign, you have to ask yourself why those of us who are conservative Republicans have allowed the RNC to continue to choose their Chairman from among the elitists who are members of the RNC. Why didn't we raise our voices earlier? There is no way that the two Democrat states of Iowa and New Hampshire should be the first states in the Republican primary process in today's world. In fact no state should require candidates to visit every nook and cranny to get votes like these two states.

Time to join the 21st century after this election and redo the way an RNC Chair and the RNC is chosen along with changing the primary system. Also time to get the media out of the primaries with their 'flavor of the week' which has been giving an undue amount of spotlight on polling when 70%+ of people going to the Caucus in Iowa had not made up their mind.

There is another problem with the primary system -- it is too early and too close to the holidays and bowls for college teams. We played Iowa in the Insight Bowl and got back last night after spending an extra day in Tempe. There were people staying for the Fiesta Bowl or to enjoy the warm weather from Iowa because when you travel that far, you want to enjoy your vacation. That is something that the RNC and Iowa GOP Chair were ignorant about how many fans travel to a bowl game. Know we saw a lot of Iowa fans the day after the game who were not leaving until Sunday or Monday. Tells me that the RNC is a puppet of the establishment who probably wouldn't be caught dead at a Bowl Game.

Will continue to support Rick Perry and believe he will do much better than the pundits and the establishment want in Iowa.  Why are the establishment so much against Perry?  Will he upset the status quo?  Their attacks on the Governor are so far over the top by Bush 41 and his crowd that it is mind boggling.  He is conservative, has a conservative track record, and from the looks of it must be taken out for Romney.  Why would conservatives even look at voting for Romney.  We don't think they will, but believe the Romney/Paul camps will get a lot of support from people who register Republican to vote today as has happened in the past.  Some in the past don't even live in Iowa.  The Caucus is set up for fraud.  Will we see it this year?  Time will tell.

At the end of the day no matter what happens, I will continue to be proud of Rick Perry and the job he has done against all odds against him.  The establishment's support of Romney and their underhand tactics against other candidates has to bring into question -- WHY? 

That is my more than two cents after being gone for over a week and not posting.  Frankly it was great not to hear much about Iowa and the flavor of the week who was surging.  Right now I disgusted with having given one cent to the RNC since Preibus was elected.

Iowa is finally about to draw to a close and hopefully that closure will be the last time the liberal state of Iowa who voted in big numbers for Obama will lead the way for a Republican primary.  They need at the back of the pack due to their liberal voting record for President over the years starting in 1988.  Only in 2000 did they vote for the Republican George W. Bush.  New Hampshire started their travel to the Democrats in 1992 except for 2000. 

Good luck to the honest candidates today who do not change their views based on what some polling says the voters want and who are truly conservative -- that would be Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann who both believe heavily in the 2nd amendment and conservatism. Was prepared to put Santorum in the group until I found out he was in favor of gun control so he will not get the vote of this conservative.

Morning Examiner: Perry vs the Entitlement Apologists Romney, Bachmann and Liberals

What a group to align yourself with as a Republican candidate for President -- Center for American Progress who tries to scare senior citizens on social security to get votes.  Looks like Romney has not left the politics he had as a one term Governor in MA behind.

The real Bachmann is now starting to come through as well.  She is from liberal Minnesota, was a Democrat at one time which never gets mentioned, and loves pork and earmarks.  She tried to spin the farm subsidies which appear on on her federal report,  her husband's subsidies for his therapy clinic, and now we find out that she likes social security just the way it is as long as it gets her votes.  She is more than willing to scare senior citizens to get votes.  Her and Romney are alike -- whatever it takes to get votes -- throw the truth out the window.

Bachmann’s penchant for earmarks dates back to her days in the Minnesota state Senate. Despite her reputation as a fiscal conservative, from 2001-2006, then-state Senator Bachmann proposed more than $60 million in earmarks, including a $710,000 “Bond For Centerville Local Improvements Around Highway 14″ and a $40,000,000 “Bond for Lino Lakes And Columbus Township Highway Interchanges.” 

The federalist argument is also severely undercut by the fact that since joining the U.S. Congress in 2007, Bachmann has appropriated more than $3.7 million in earmarks. What is more, when Republicans sought an earmark moratorium, Bachmann pushed to exclude transportation projects from the ban. 

Bachmann may also be plagued by her involvement in a controversial pardon. In 2007,Bachmann wrote a letter requesting a presidential pardon for a convicted drug-smuggler and money-launderer named Frank Vennes. Vennes was convicted of money laundering in 1988 and pleaded no contest to a cocaine and weapons charge. Making matters worse, he and his wife donated a total of $27,600 to Bachmann’s 2006 and 2008 election.  

During an interview with The Daily Caller, Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of FreedomWorks, called her an “articulate spokesman” for the Tea Party, but added: “She doesn’t have a long list of legislative accomplishments.” 

Read more: Daily Caller

We would be willing to bet that if Mitt Romney, who went independent because of Reagan, (“I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush,” Romney retorted) who went back to Republican when he ran against Ted Kennedy in 1994 had won, he would have been the king of earmarks and pork.  All you have to do is listen to him know when he is now putting a finger in the wind to know he is NO conservative.  Romneycare in MA which is a mandate on the citizens of Massachusetts and unfortunately for the states north of them, drove more MA liberals to Maine and New Hampshire.  People of Maine have no use for the people from MA who make up a large portion of the southern part of the state.  Heard it with my own ears while visiting my daughter at Brunswick NAS in Maine.  What is there not to like as a conservative about Romney?  Almost everything!   

Romney helped raise money for Planned Parenthood and supported gay rights until it was time to run for president. He supported a bail-out bill in Michigan during the primaries before it was popular. And, while he now claims to be pro-life, he supported legalization of the “morning-after” abortion pill, RU-486. Moreover, as recently as his 2002 run for governor his platform stated:

“The choice to have an abortion is a deeply personal one. Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not the government’s.”

Of course, Romney says that his views have “evolved.” But one can strongly suspect his adaptation relates more to the evolution of political ambitions than that of conscience. Call me cynical, but unless you’ve been cloistered in an ancient monastery for the duration, I’m very suspicious of deep personal growth occurring between ages 55 and 60.

Romney opposed the Boy Scouts’ policy prohibiting homosexuals from serving as scoutmasters and prevented the organization from participating publicly in the 2002 Olympics. Then the Boston Globe wrote in 2005, “Governor Mitt Romney, who touts his conservative credentials to out-of-state Republicans, has passed over GOP lawyers for three-quarters (75%) of the 36 judicial vacancies he has faced, instead tapping registered Democrats or independents – including two gay lawyers who have supported expanded same-sex rights.”

The problems with Romneycare are well known: Mitt argued that Massachusetts needed to reform its health-care system because the uninsured were placing huge strains on the state’s emergency rooms and the rest of the population had to pick up the tab for the free-riders, and that was driving up Massachusetts health costs. So, as a famous can-do technocrat, he looked at the problem and came up with a can-do technocratic solution. Three years later, everyone was insured, but emergency-room use was higher than ever, and 70 percent of those newly insured were all but entirely subsidized by the state, and Massachusetts residents were paying 30 percent more for their health care than the U.S. average, and Boston had the longest wait time in the nation to see a new doctor.  

Check out more facts on the The Romney RINO: Scorecard from the klsouth blog. 

The keywords of the day put together by Karl Rove is that Romneycare is nothing like Obamacare.  Tell that to the people of MA where doctors are fleeing the state.  This is who Bachmann has now aligned herself?

Guess they both missed the part about the social security system is going bankrupt rapidly.  In order to do guarantee younger people anything from social security, it needs fixed.  Maybe they didn't miss that social security is going bankrupt and are just like the Democrats willing to scare senior citizens with their lies about social security and now Rick Perry to get votes.

How many times do people have to inform senior citizens that their benefits will not be affected if they are currently getting social security or if they are over 50?  Why is that so hard to understand?  Because Democrats and now two Republican candidates want to scare them for votes.  What kind of candidates are Romney and Bachmann to join the liberals to scare senior citizens to try and make Rick Perry who spoke the truth the bogeyman?  Shows they will say and do anything for votes.

For Romney and Bachmann to take this tact shows it really is all about politics with those two in what looks to be a coordinated effort.  Did Romney (Rove) find his stooge to join him or is dangling VP in front of Pawlenty  since Pawlenty endorsed Romney today.  One of our problems  we had with Pawlenty running for President was that even though he was a nice guy, as Governor he seemed to be a caretaker for the MN government most of the time with no new and innovative ideas to make government work better.  Did Romney infer an offer of the Vice President slot to Pawlenty -- he thought he was going to be McCain's VP in 2008.  First he endorsed McCain and now Romney.  That is all you need to know if you are a conservative.

Bachmann also has an ad coming out from her Super PAC against Perry on immigration just like Romney.  Both of those candidates do not have a clue about the Texas border but they don't care as long as they score points against Rick Perry -- why let the facts get in the way.

Wonder what the Tea Party thinks of Bachmann now on the same side as Mitt Romney and the Center for American Progress. Those two are too weak to to stand up and admit the truth, so they go on the attack for Perry telling the truth hoping it will bring in votes which is right out of the Karl Rove playbook.

Morning Examiner: Perry vs the entitlement apologists 

By Conn Carroll 

At last week’s Reagan Library Republican presidential debate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney cast his lot with decades of Democratic demagogues and attacked Texas Gov. Rick Perry for speaking the truth about Social Security. The Romney campaign made it clear before, during, and after the debate that Perry’s accurate description of Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme” should disqualify him from the race. The George Soros funded Center for American Progress quickly echoed the Romney campaign’s message.   

Now it appears that Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., wants to join Romnney and his new liberal allies in attacking Perry on entitlement spending. An anonymous Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., aide tells The Examiner‘s Byron York: “Clearly she feels differently about the value of Social Security than Gov. Perry does. She strongly disagrees with his position on that, and it’s clearly not something that’s going to sit well with the people of Florida and Iowa and South Carolina and many of the early states, where there is a large population of seniors who rely heavily on Social Security. For [Perry] to scare them is wrong.” 

The only people trying to scare seniors are the Romney and Bachmann campaigns aided by leftist groups like the Center for American Progress. Perry has never said he wants to abolish Social Security or cut benefits for current seniors. That Romney and Bachmann are so quick to reach for this page from the liberal campaign playbook on entitlement spending is disheartening. We will see how the Tea Party crowd at tonight’s CNN debate welcomes these developments. 

Source:  Washington Examiner

We do not believe that conservatives for a minute are fooled by Romney and now the faux Tea Party person Bachmann who believes the entitlement program social security is okay.  Had a hunch when she formed the Tea Party Caucus in the House that it was only for her political future.  The House TP Caucus doesn't meet, doesn't take a position on bills, and has no coherent message.  All you have to do is compare the House and Senate Tea Party Caucus' to see that the Senate has an active caucus with members who take a stand but then none of them are running for President while the House TP Caucus is mostly a joke which has not left their members very happy.

Welcome to the world of Romney who most have considered a moderate for years and still do and Bachmann, the opportunist who now has joined Romney in saying and doing anything to get elected.  The rate these two are going they are using up all the background the Democrats had ready to throw.  Is this a general election or a Republican Primary -- Romney and Bachmann sound more like Democrats -- liberal ones -- by the day!

IBD Editorial: Is Gov. Perry Smart? His Record Says Yes

IBD has it pegged but we would like to add that it is not only the liberals spewing this mantra against Perry but Rove and some of the Conservative neocon sites and their writers.  After making his speech at the VFW, the neocon sites went after Perry even more.  Why because he said we shouldn't send our sons and daughters into war without a plan to win along with the resources?

“A president should never send our sons and daughters into war without a plan to win and the resources to make that possible,” Perry said. ”It’s a dangerous world that we live in today. Our enemies often don’t wear uniforms or swear allegiance to a particular flag but instead to an ideology of hatred. As the 10^th anniversary of the attacks of 911 approach, we must renew our commitment to taking the fight to the enemy wherever they are before they strike at home.” (Rick Perry at the VFW)

Now some neocons like Jennifer Rubin cannot stop trashing Rick Perry and along with others are trying to portray him as a religious radical.  The might as well say the Republican grassroots and Tea Party are radicals right along with Rick Perry.  Cannot get over the so-called conservatives who are trashing Perry as much as the liberals.  What does Rove expect to happen?  Certainly not going to get Romney elected in the primary so what is his next plan to take out Perry?    He tried in 2006 and 2010 to take out Perry as Texas Governor but it didn't work.  Why does he think his strategy is going to work this time?  The regular conservative sites have Rove pegged for his attacks on Perry for Romney.  It is having the reverse affect as more and more are defending Perry across the board from the attacks of the liberals and the neocons/lawyers in the Republican Party.

Must be the right candidate with some of the people who are opposing him along with their weak dollar policy.  This is so much like 1980 and what the Bush 41 people tried to do to Reagan in the primary along with the liberal Democrats as the liberals didn't want Carter to face him in the general election.  Rove lost that one as well when he took on Reagan.

Likewise, President Reagan was the butt of leftist jokes for his alleged lack of intelligence. "An amiable dunce," they called him. They also looked down on his humble education — he attended tiny Eureka College in Illinois. 

But Reagan not only knew more about economics than his supposed intellectual betters — having been educated in the pre-Keynesian, 19th-century tradition of economic thought. He had character, courage, conviction and communication skills that made him the greatest president of the 20th century. 

Now they're giving Gov. Perry the same treatment. Good luck. By his lead in the polls, it looks like Americans, rather than dwelling on his transcripts, are cottoning to his common sense and sound policy ideas.   

This editorial from IBD gets it right about Governor Perry.  We have seen him in office as Texas residents and as Governor from north of the Texas/OK border.  Have been very impressed with him since 1990 when he ran for Ag Commissioner.  He is one of the most personable candidates along with that West Texas wit who just makes people feel good to support him.  What you see is what you get with Rick Perry.

Editorial: Is Gov. Perry Smart? His Record Says Yes
Posted 06:58 PM ET 

Politics: Liberals and their water-carriers in the media are trying mightily to characterize Republican front-runner Rick Perry as less intelligent than the president they're bent on re-electing. But who are the dumb ones here? 

Denigrating an opponent's intelligence is one way progressives like to work as they follow the "Rules for Radicals" that Saul Alinsky set out for those who wish to seize power on behalf of the left. Followers of the Chicago Marxist include President Obama. 

One rules says: "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. It's hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage." 

This is precisely what the left has done with Perry, questioning his mental ability while holding up the president as a paragon of intelligence. Such ridicule, they hope, will goad Perry and those who support him into saying something stupid or regrettable. 

Unfortunately for the left, Perry's no dummy. And Americans, increasingly, are looking at the record of our sitting president and wondering how he could go from failure to failure and not alter course — a mark of someone — dare we say it? — who isn't very smart. 

How intelligent was it, for example, for Obama early in his term to make a deal with Russia giving up our planned missile defense in Eastern Europe in exchange for help with Iran (which never came)?
What was the president thinking when he signed ObamaCare into law, even though surveys showed 89% of Americans said they were satisfied with their current health care plan? A costly, care-rationing program that Americans want repealed will cost well over $1 trillion over 10 years. 

Cash for Clunkers ran out of money its first week, and GM recently announced that taxpayers won't ever get their money back. A huge waste of money that didn't revive car sales. A smart move in retrospect?

Then there was the brilliant $839 billion stimulus, which so far this year has resulted in an economy growing at a near-recessionary 0.7% while unemployment remains stuck above 9%. And the big thinkers at the White House would like to do it all over again! 

Didn't the cerebral Obama think twice before running up $4 trillion in debts in less than three years, pushing America's total indebtedness above $14.5 trillion, or 100% of GDP, and bringing about the first-ever downgrade of the nation's credit rating? 

What brainiac decided to walk away from longtime U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, so that the fundamentalist, America-hating Muslim Brotherhood can write a new constitution and take power? 

What was the president thinking when he backed a rebel insurgency in Libya without knowing who will take power once Moammar Gadhafi is gone? Meanwhile, we've largely abandoned our best, and only, democratic friend in the region, Israel, which appears on the verge of war with the Palestinians and possibly Iran and Egypt. Has this been intelligent? 

Not only is this partial record abysmal, but Obama seems dead-set on repeating the same errors — seeking more stimulus, pushing more targeted tax breaks for favored industries and perpetuating the absurd myth that we can recover by creating "green" jobs. 

Perry? The knock on him is that he's a Texan with a Texan's drawl. For elitist liberals, a southern accent is akin to a mental disability. 

He's also a graduate of Texas A&M, not some fancy Ivy League school, like Obama and most of his aides and Cabinet. Enemies deride him by calling him "Gov. Goodhair." But let's look at the record. 

Perry served his country as pilot of C-130 transport planes — huge, $130 million aircraft that carry very important cargo, including troops and equipment. Does anyone believe the U.S. Air Force would entrust such a responsibility to someone of limited intelligence? 

It also takes more than a little savvy to win every political office you've sought. And so far, Perry's eight for eight. He's been governor of the nation's fastest-growing, most business-savvy state for 10 years. 

Since June 2009, Texas has produced nearly 40% of all net new U.S. jobs. He talks about small, manageable government, and delivers. Every one of his budgets — every one — has been balanced, and his state has a $6 billion "rainy day fund." 

Remember in August, when S&P downgraded U.S. debt from AAA to AA+? In 2009, S&P upgraded Texas' rating from AA to AA+. If only we had such a dunce in the White House now. 

To recast a quote from Forrest Gump, "intelligent is as intelligent does." Perry seems to do lots of smart things, despite lacking the elitist credentials of the so-called leaders in today's dysfunctional, hyper-incompetent Washington. 

But this is an old slur. Whenever the left doesn't like someone, they resort to ridicule. That happened with Harry S Truman, who didn't even go to college but who as president made courageous and often unpopular decisions — such as resisting Soviet expansionism — that later turned out to be right. 

....

Source:  IBD

Now we have an ad by Bachmann's front group PAC attacking Rick Perry on being from the south and increasing the budget in Texas.  The ad is on Hot Air.  Here is a excerpt from one of the Hot Air writers about the ad:

The ad begins airing in Columbia, S.C., today and will run for one week on CNBC, Fox News and CNN. 

“Nobody will go after Rick Perry so I thought I would,” PAC founder Bob Harris told CNN. “His record doesn’t match the big talk.” 

That’s not quite right, of course: Plenty of conservatives have gone after Rick Perry — and I’m firmly in the camp of those who maintain every conservative candidate, no matter how appealing or how promising, has to be vetted (in fact, the more promising, the more rigorous the vetting should be!). But the ad’s selective images, piddly background music, cheesy substitution of “hombre” for “man,” and pseudo-Southern-sounding narrator combine to make the ad likely to be ineffective. A big spender Rick Perry might be, but a hick he is not. He’s of humble origins and from the South, yes, if that’s what the ad is driving at, but, more importantly, he’s a seasoned politician who professes a strong brand of conservatism at the same time that he displays energetic executive leadership. The ad’s thinly veiled attempt to portray him as backwoods rubs the wrong way, especially when it comes from a conservative organization that surely knows the MSM will do what it can to perpetuate the “gee, aren’t Republicans dumb” meme.

Agree 100% about vetting a candidate and what was wrong with the Obama campaign -- media did not vet Obama and what they did find, they covered up.  Now for what the Perry campaign said as they immediately shot back:

ABC news 

Rick Perry’s presidential campaign lashed out at a pro-Michele Bachmann Super PAC that is planning to run a television ad in South Carolina seeking to portray the Texas governor as unworthy of Tea Party support. 

“Gov. Perry is a proven fiscal conservative, having cut taxes, signed six balanced budgets, and led Texas to become America’s top job-creating state,” Ray Sullivan, communications director for Perry’s presidential campaign, said in a statement on Thursday. “Congresswoman Bachmann’s front-group ad is patently and provably false. Unlike Washington, the Texas budget is balanced, does not run deficits and limits spending, even as Texas added jobs and population in big numbers.” 

Anyone with an ounce of brains would know when you have as many new people moving into Texas as has happened since Rick Perry has been Governor, your budget is going to grow by leaps and bounds.  What did Texas do under Perry -- they balanced the budget by 'cutting' and at the same time made sure there was plenty of money in the rainy day fund in case something catastrophic happened.

Thought this was the perfect place to show the ad from Rick Perry talking about who he is since the Bachmann ad portrays him in a negative light being some hick from the south:




Michelle Bachmann from Minnesota who has never been an Executive at any level in Government is taking on a Governor from the Southwest as one poster said about Bachmann "She's a da.. Yankee so what do you expect?"  She tried her superior act in Waterloo, IA, when she camped out in her bus while Perry spoke, and then making a grand entrance to Elvis music which did not go over well.  She said she was at a family reunion and why she couldn't share dinner with them but she lied as she didn't attend the reunion.  Then Rick Perry waited around to have a few words with Bachmann and shake hands after she was finished speaking but she refused to acknowledge he was in the room.

A southerner or westerner would shake hands and talk to a fellow Republican unlike what Bachmann pulled.  In fact, having grown up in the north and lived in Texas and Oklahoma for the last 21 years along with almost five years in Southern California, I will take the friendliness of the people in this part of the Country any day to what I saw growing up in Ohio and even worse the farther east and north you go.  Rudest people I have ever met were in Massachusetts when we were there on an Air Force Industry assignment for nine, long miserable months with Vermont and NY State coming in a close second.

I will take a Western Governor any day of the week over someone from a Democrat state whose state supported Obama and elected a Democrat Governor in 2010.  Bachmann's people don't even understand that Texas is part of the Western Governor's association.  Poor choice for an ad and poor choice of words to run in South Carolina shows she is not ready for prime time.  The wording in the ad is offensive to those of us who live in this part of the Country.

Bachmann is about to find out how they play politics in the big leagues and obviously with this ad in South Carolina shows she is not ready for prime time.  I know how PACs work so don't bother to say she or her husband didn't know about it -- if you believe that there are pigs flying by my window.

Bachmann is late to events and some events she didn't show up at all in Iowa.  Why doesn't some reporter ask her why the House Tea Party Caucus she founded that has no meetings and never takes a stand on anything?  They might discover that all the hype was to position her to run for President.  Why not check out her anemic legislative record?  Wouldn't take long to discover she has not been in the front of the pack submitting bills.

This should be an interesting debate at the Reagan Library with Bachmann's people pulling this stunt with running this ad in South Carolina filled with lies against Governor Perry.  Maybe I should start a rumor she is Rove's next candidate but then she does have Rollins as a consultant so she doesn't need Rove for being underhanded.  Originally Rollins went to Ross Perot in 1992 against Bush 41 and Clinton.  This little gem sums up Rollins ads against opponents -- would bet he had a hand in that negative ad against Perry as it would fit his style:

Bachmann will also have to especially avoid gaffes that can be linked to Rollins’ political baggage, and, perhaps most important, be willing to play a little dirty. “The negatives feel good,” Ed Rollins told the Washington Post around the time of the Huckabee incident. “It’s like being a boxer when you’re young. To me, hitting somebody, knocking somebody down, is a great feeling. Firing out a negative ad just feels amazing.”

This ad filled with lies is right out of that Rollins playbook -- he wanted Huckabee to run a negative ad against Romney but when Huckabee refused Rollins showed the ad to the media as this was the kind of ad Huckabee was not running so he was still able to get out his trashy ad.

IMHO Rollins is a scumbag consultant any way you want to slice it with his negative ads mentality which fits right in with this ad running in South Carolina filled with lies trying to use a stereotype against Govenor Perry.    

What happened in Waterloo last night at the Black Hawk County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner?

First heard there were problems via a phone call from a good friend at the event who said any good will Bachman had when she first came to Iowa was fast going out the window over a period of time capped off  by last night.  Seems Michelle Bachmann instead of greeting the people at the dinner and sitting down talking to them, preferred to stay in her bus in front of the Ramada Inn across the street.  After all, they had to change the lightbulbs before her grand entrance which was a flop.  She didn't even come out on stage when first announced and then came out to Elvis music for her entrance which according to my source left a lot in the audience cold.  This is Iowa not Hollywood I was told.

The fact that she refused to be in the room when Rick Santorum and Rick Perry spoke says a lot about her and it is not good.  We also learned she has a list of reporters on a card she calls on and if you are not on the list, then forget it.  Her staff plants questions in the audience at her events and only those people are called upon.  Romney replay from 2008 following the lead of the Democrats.  Rick Perry last night took impromptu questions from the audience.  It wasn't planned as there were no microphones for the people asking questions.

The rhetoric from the media and some candidate supporters that Perry was dissing Iowa by not being in the Straw Poll was bogus.  He wanted to buy a booth but the people in the charge of the straw poll wouldn't allow it and wouldn't put him on the ballot so he chose to go to the Red State Gathering to make his announcement he was running for President.  Even then Governor Perry received 719 write-in votes in the Ames Straw Poll.  Last night proved that the Texas Governor who was raised in very rural West Texas connects to the Iowa Farmers.  This former Gold Star 4-H member and Eagle Scout is what rural America is all about.  My brother and I were both in 4-H and my three children were also 4-H members.  That is how you grow up in rural America.

I laughed when Gov Perry talked about the churches in his town -- a Methodist and a Baptist.  We had three in our small town within a block of each other when I grew up -- Church of the Brethren, Congregational Christian, and Presbyterian, but then we had around 1,500 people in our small town which was a metropolis compared to Paint Creek.  I graduated with 62 in my class so we were huge compared to Paint Creek and we had a zip code.  Paint Creek is similar to the size of the town where our Mom grew up. The values you get growing up in rural America stay with you during your life and get stronger as you older.  The rural background of the West Texan was on display last night as he sat and talked crops and animals with the Iowa farmers of that area.

These clips from the Washington Examiner tell a short version of what happened last night and what has been happening at the Iowa State Fair:

Iowa: Texas Gov. Rick Perry out shined Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., at the Black Hawk County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner, Sunday night. Perry arrived early, worked the crowd, and was accessible to everyone in the room. Bachmann “campaigned like a celebrity,” according to Politico, staying in her bus until she had already been introduced twice on stage. “She kept us waiting, she was not here mixing – then she was talking about what great evening it was. How do you know? You just got here,” Karen Vanderkrol, of Hudson, Iowa, told Politico, “She can say she’s real and part of the people, but that’s not what we do.” 

Then we have the Palin controversy with Bachmann which has been rumored for sometime:

Palin: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her aides are upset with how Bachmann’s campaign is taking their support for granted. “It is so pervasive and so continuous that it can’t be rogue people doing it without the understanding and encouragement from the candidate herself,” a Palin supporter in Iowa told Real Clear Politics. “The entire Bachmann team has gone around the state saying Palin is a lightweight and a quitter and saying that Sarah’s about to endorse Michele. Bachmann’s campaign is radioactively dirty. They are shameless.” 

Source:  Washington Examiner

This is one good reason that your candidates for President need that experience of running a statewide campaign along with governing.  This idea of becoming a star in your own mind doesn't work in rural America at all.  We want our candidates to be able to sit down and talk to us -- that is the way it has been done for years and it is not going to change.  When I read that Bachmann's handlers shove and elbow people out of the way, I couldn't believe it as the Texas Rangers are ever vigilant for the Governor but they stand back and allow Governor Perry to meet the people, and answer the questions from any and all reporters.  No one is shoved out of the way.  The contrast is obvious down to taking questions from the crowd at the end of his speech.  If Rick Perry is going to be late, his staff will let people know.  It is rude to not only show up late but to not show up at all which Bachmann has been doing in Iowa.  She didn't reach her 6,000 vote goal which now we understand why now the facts are out in public.

The Politico articles starting with Ben Smith's Bachmann plays Napoleon at Waterloo to Ben Smith's and Jonathan Martin's article, Rick Perry schools Michele Bachmann in Waterloo with more details were backed up by the people who were there including Ed Morrisey of Hot Air.  Sean Hannity's Blog has now weighed in as well.  This was not just last night but a pattern that has developed in Iowa by the Bachmann camp led by her husband.

It is time the truth came out about Bachmann and how she is handling her recent rise to the top of Iowa when you are talking about how important this election is against Obama.  We are not even getting into her record from the past.  Unlike others we will not sweep this under the table or pretend that she is a mainstream Republican because she is not -- her actions and speeches over the years speak otherwise.  Sean Hannity sure didn't sweep it under the table and neither will this site.