Who Pays? We do!

Bush is coming to Charleston. His intent is to attend a fundraiser at a private residence for Shelley Moore Capito.

A question arose on Talkline this morning about who paid for the trip. Most callers wrongly said, well of course the campaign would pay for all expenses.

Not so.

But first let's look logically at this. Which campaign? Capito's? Hardly. She hopes to raise 400,000 this evening. If her campaign were to pay travel costs for the president there would be nothing left.

The GOP possibly could pay expenses but why wouldn't they simply funnel the money to her in other manners? Surely presidential expenses are going to almost equal tonight's goals.

No, dear hearts, this visit will be paid for as others have been. By the American taxpayer. During the campaign when Bush stopped in WV, it wasn't billed as a campaign stop so the government footed the bills. Bush is going to be giving out a service award at the airport this afternoon when he arrives. Bet me that this is going to be used as an excuse for his being here and the fundraiser will be an after thought.

Hoppy Kerchival, talkline host, said this morning that he would look into this issue. I hope he does.

Rewriting History

Arch Moore was a popular republican governor of West Virginia. He served two terms but ended his tenure in disgrace, convicted of several felonies and sentenced to serve time in the federal pen. When he came out after 33 months, the once simply confident and popular Moore struck me as now being unrepentant and arrogant as if he asked "How DARE anyone in WV question his actions." I thought we'd heard the last of Moore but more and more his name is being dropped in republican circles.

Make no mistake about this: Arch Moore was a crook. I don't care who tries to justify his actions with the tired: "Everyone in Southern WV was doing it." It matters little to me who else might have been guilty. Instead of using that example as an excuse, those who know of illegal actions need to report them and let's clean up the pitiful image WV Politics has.

I suspect part of the reason we're being subjected to a softer portrait of Arch is the political aspirations of his daughter, Shelley Moore Capito. Capito has on more than one occassion involved her father in the political limelight, even going so far as to having him sit with her in the VIP section during one of Bush's visits.

Now comes a new book: "Arch: The Life of Arch Moore, Junior" penned by former Moore staffer Brad Crouser. Crouser is a Charleston attorney and says he was waiting for someone else to write the book. Now, come on Brad. Didn't the fact that they WEREN'T writing it tell you something?

Crouser rewrote history. Taking Moore's self grandizing statements at face value without attempting to find opposition viewpoints. For that reason he is guilty of attempting to rewrite history and sanitize the term of one of the most corrupt Governor's WV has seen.

This statement of Crouser's, from WV Talkline says much of the prospective of the book:

"You know, when they call him a corrupt governor, in the strictest sense, he was not that. He was, simply, playing a cash political game that he should not have been playing,"

Crouser is deluding himself and attempting to fool the public. You might make it, Brian, with some of the younger members of the GOP, but those of us who have been around awhile still remember the bribes, the graft and Buffalo Creek.

Altho Arch still refused to admit he did anything wrong or take responsibility for his actions the truth remains: Moore was a crook and rightfully served time.

If Capito wants to further her political career, she should distance herself politically from her father, not attempt to bring him back into the inner political circle.

Stem Cell Veto

Today President Bush vetoed a bill that would have approved stem cell research.

70% of Americans support stem cell research yet the president, who supposedly represents us, has vetoed a bill that could pave the way for research that could eventually save millions of lives.

Write your representatives, please. Keep it short and sweet:

Please support the override of the president's veto to the stem cell research bill. Provide medical research the opportunity to use embryos, that would otherwise be destroyed, to gain life saving procedures from their work.

Go here to find and email your representative:
http://www.house.gov/htbin/wrep_const

Go here to contact your senator:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Then urge your friends to do the same.

For those who are concerned that embryonic "farms" created to grow specimens specifically for research: A bill banning that practice has already passed congress. It will not happen.

Feinstein NAILS Gonzales

Every now and then there's a moment when you stand up and cheer for the lil guy. When Diane Feinstein nailed Gonzales in a complete lack of logical argument - I had the squeal.

From Tuesday's judiciary hearing:

Feinstein: "About FISA, you say that the President has the authority to wiretap Americans without warrants due to his war powers under Article 2, correct?"

Gonzales: "Yes."

Feinstein: "And I got a letter from your associate saying that the President could act because Congress had not set up a statute. Well, that's not true. The FISA law clearly says that the President can eavesdrop without warrants for 15 days after a declaration of war."

Gonzales: "Yes, but we didn't have a declaration of war, only an authorization to use military force, so we couldn't work with that provision."

Feinstein: "So you're saying that the AUMF does not amount to a declaration of war?"

Gonzales: "Obviously they are different."

Feinstein: "So if the AUMF is not a declaration of war, the president shouldn't have WAR powers!"

Gonzales: "................."

(whispers in the chamber...)

Honor Or Compicity?

Our congress has several members who will be retiring or leaving this term. Giving a send off to coworkers who are leaving is not atypical in any work place and I certain don't begrudge them this ritual in congress.

BUT

One of the people they've honoring for a job well done is Duke Cunningham, who has already been convicted of graft and receiving bribes. While Cunningham appears to have been a productive member of his party in the early years, he personifies the bad in politics today.
I'll put a disclaimer to my comments in here in that I do believe his apology was heartfelt.

I don't even take issue with their honoring Tom Delay altho I personally believe he's going to be found guilty. But including a convicted felon somehow taints the honor that should be given to those who are departing.

Ending A Monopoly or Damage Control?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6071101459.html

A few weeks ago someone on TV made a comment that Bush had always been concerned about the enviroment and I thought to myself: Since when? Emission standards have been lowered. Drilling in Anwar. Industry standards on coal pollution were relaxed. I put it down to a campaign to soften Bush's image so as not to have such a negative effect on elections this fall.

Now the military contracts with Halliburton are going to be rebid, their monopoly on US paid jobs ending. (Hopefully) While this is a good thing it also takes an issue away from democrats. If Halliburton were an issue in any debate now the comment can be made: Yeah, that was wrong and we fixed it.

The cynical part of me sees this as damage control intent on changing the direction of the approval ratings and minimizing the negative effect Bush would have on republican congressional races.