Is Feingold the Only One With the Courage to End the War?

Sen. Russ Feingold is way ahead of every other politician out there on the Iraq issue. Feingold is calling for a plan for redeployment of troops out of Iraq in six months then funding for the war will be pulled. Feingold's plan is the same way the conflicts in Somalia and Bosnia were ended when Clinton was President.

Feingold was recently on Countdown with Keith Olbermann and discussed his plan and his opposition to the Warner-Levin non-binding Resolution.



Feingold also held a conference call with some bloggers. Bob Geiger, David Sirota, and Bradblog wrote about it. Bradblog wrote this about Feingold's comments...

In a passionate, thirty-minute call, Feingold stressed, "This is an important moment to see if we're gonna try and end this war. Frankly, I'm disappointed that Democrats are playing it safe on this one."

"We need to play hardball on this. We're gonna have to take the lead on this issue and we're gonna need to tie this place up as long as it takes," he said in describing what he sees as a fear and timidity in his colleagues who now hold a slight majority in the Senate...

"The problem is a whole lot of middle-of-the-road Democrats who refuse to pull the trigger, who refuse to do what needs to be done," Feingold stressed. "Even people who voted against the war" seem afraid, he explained. "It requires courage. It requires brinksmanship."

Unfortanately, it looks like the new Democratic congress is lacking the courage. The bottomline in Iraq is that Bush's surge is already underway. Non-binding resolutions won't accomplish anything when more troops are already being deployed into harms way. The only thing Congress can do that actually has teeth is to do what Feingold is proposing and it is what the vast majority of Americans want. We need a Congress that has courage to listen to the American people.

Obama in Ames on Sunday

Barack Obama will be holding an event in Ames at noon on Sunday. He is expected to hold his formal announcement on Saturday in Springfield, Illinois. I have also heard that Obama will be in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, but don't have details.

Here are details for the event in Ames from my inbox...

Beyer Gymnasium at Beyer Hall
Union Drive
Iowa State University
Ames
Doors open at 11:00AM

The event is free and open to the public, however preferred seating 
tickets will be available at the following sites starting 
tomorrow--Wednesday, February 7.

TICKET DISTRIBUTION SITES:
Campus-
Iowa State Memorial Union
Iowa State University
2229 Lincoln Way
Hours- 10AM-2PM W, Th, F

Campustown-
Gateway Real Estate
119 Stanton Ave, 2nd Floor, 
Hours 9AM-5PM W, Th, F  
P- 515-598-9100 

Downtown-
American Country
327 Main Street
Hours- 9:30AM-5:30PM W, Th, F, S
P- 515-232-7813 

West Ames-
Smoke N Antlers Bar-B-Q
4518 Mortenson Rd, Suite 104
Hours- 11AM-2PM & 4PM-9PM W, Th 
11AM-2PM & 4PM-11PM Fri 
11AM-11PM Sat
P- 515-232-1799

I am hoping to attend the event. Not sure yet how to get tickets if you don't live in Ames, but will be looking into it.

**Update**
Obama will also be holding events in Cedar Rapids on Saturday afternoon and in Waterloo on Saturday night. Follow the link for information to get tickets to these events.

**Update**
The venue for the Ames event has been changed to Howe Hall on the Iowa State campus and doors will be open at 11:00.

A Look At Vilsack's Fundraising

Congressional Quarterly took a close look at Tom Vilsack's fundraising numbers for his Presidential Campaign. So far Vilsack has raised $1.1 million. 48% of the contributions came from Iowa.

Some interesting names that donated to his campaign are Warren Buffet, Michael Gartner, Jerry Crawford, Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran, State Rep. Polly Butka of Clinton, and James Atwood, the managing director of the Carlyle Group.

The article is pretty positive about Vilsack's fundraising efforts so far, but doesn't talk about how much he has already spent. Check out the article for more information.

Ted Haggard Might Be Moving to Iowa

Evangelical leader Ted Haggard is considering a move to Iowa, according to a Denver news channel.

Haggard said in an e-mail Sunday to church members that he and his wife, Gayle, plan to pursue master's degrees in psychology. The e-mail said the family hasn't decided where to move but that they have been offered spots in Missouri and Iowa.

Haggard resigned from his position as President of the National Association of Evangelicals in fall after admitting to having an affair with a male escort and using methamphetamine.

Let's hope Haggard picks Missouri.

Some more Crazy Comments from Congressman in Western Iowa

Over the weekend there were some more crazy comments from a Congressman in Western Iowa, but this time it wasn't Rep. Steve King saying them. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) was in Council Bluffs campaigning for President on Saturday. Tancredo's focus is on illegal immigration. Unfortanately, Tancredo fails to discuss the cause of the immigration problem, instead Tancredo, like King, focuses on hate-filled remarks.

Here are three examples from his stop in Iowa over the weekend...

"Illegal immigration has diluted the country's patriotism."

and referred to immigrants as a cult...

"We have a cult of multiculturalism. This is what permeates our society," he said. Immigrants who come to the United States but refuse to assimilate by learning the language and following the laws water down what it means to be an American.

and to top it off Tancredo had this to say...

"It's a cultural, political, linguistic tower of Babel."

Doesn't Tancredo realize that the vast majority of Americans are immigrants to this nation? Maybe he needs to read the story of the first Thanksgiving again.

If Tancredo gave up the divisive remarks and actually worked at finding common ground, we might be able to find a solution that will actually work.

Swift and Co. Thinks They are the Victims of the Immigration Raids

I couldn't believe this story I saw in the newspaper on Saturday. I guess that Swift and Co. thinks they are the victims of the immigration raids that took place last December.

President and CEO Sam Rovit told the Greeley Tribune in Friday’s editions that the government rejected the company’s offer to help investigate alleged identity theft.

‘‘They were looking for a marquee to show the administration it was tough on immigration,’’ he said.

I am sorry Mr. Rovitt, if the administration was looking for a marquee to show that it was tough on immigration your company would have been fined for employing over 1,200 illegal workers. So far Swift and Co. has gotten off the hook and are able to go back to hiring the cheapest labor possible. Our illegal employer problem will continue unless the companies that hire illegal workers are fined.

Vilsack's Speech at the DNC Winter Meetings

On Saturday, Tom Vilsack spoke at the DNC Winter Meetings. I caught most of the speech on CSPAN and thought Vilsack did very well. Radio Iowa has a very good writeup on the speech.

Vilsack's theme was pushing for real change. Vilsack spoke against No Child Left Behind and the need to teach creative thinking.

Let me be clear: I'm not talking about small change. I'm not talking about incremental change. I'm talking about bold and courageous change. Let me give you a few examples: adding a few dollars and tweaking a reauthorized No Child Behind is not real change. Ending No Child Left Behind as we know it is real change and replacing it with a real, true commitment to the children of this country. In this competitive world we live in we cannot be afford to be a nation of great, standardized test-takers. We must be a nation of creative and innovative thinkers and that's what our education policy should be.

Vilsack gained huge points with me when he discussed the birth tax by saying...

Balancing budgets, making real choices and eliminating what I call the birth tax is real change. Think about it. That's what the deficit is. That's what the deficit is. It's a tax on our children and we need to eliminate that tax.

I will admit that I have not been a huge fan of Vilsack when he was governor or when he announced he was running for President. However, if Vilsack keeps using the word "birth tax" and taking a strong stance against the Iraq War, I might have to reconsider his candidacy.

Global Warming? But it is Cold Outside and Other Crazy Statements

On Friday, a group of scientists released a report that said global warming is for real and people are likely the cause.

The IPCC, the most authoritative group on warming grouping 2,500 scientists from more than 130 nations, predicted more severe rains, melting glaciers, droughts, heatwaves and rising sea levels, especially if Antarctica or Greenland thaw.

Conservatives then began showing their disaproval with idiotic statements. Rush Limbaugh tried to debunk global warming by saying stranded polar bears, who live on melting ice caps, are just playing around, just like your cat does.

A caller to the Sam Seder show said that global warming is just a way from liberals to reach into his wallet and take his money.

And the ridiculous statements continued over at State 29. State 29 has recently had a couple posts attacking Al Gore and basically saying global warming can't exist because it is cold outside. This statement shows how ignorant State 29 is. If State 29 actually spent 5 minutes researching global warming, he would know that global warming increases extreme weather patterns such as hurricanes, tornados, droughts, heat waves, and cold spells.

To counter the report, Exxon-Mobil has offered $10,000 to any reports that discuss the shortcomings of global warming.

Scientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by a lobby group funded by one of the world's largest oil companies to undermine a major climate change report

Maybe State 29 should submit his posts.

Feingold Leading the Way to End the War

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) is leading the way in the Senate to end the war in Iraq. Last week Sen. Feingold held hearings about Congress's consitutional authority to end the war. Here is Feingold's opening statement from the hearings...



Feingold then introduced legislation calling for troops to be withdrawn from Iraq in six months and prohibiting funds for continued operations after six months. Feingold then issued this strong statement about Congress's power to end the war (emphasis added is mine)...

“By passing my legislation, Congress can respond to the will of the American people and force the President to safely bring our forces out of Iraq,” Feingold said. “With the President set on pursuing his failed policies in Iraq, Congress has the duty to stand up and use its power to stop him. If Congress doesn’t stop this war, it’s not because it doesn’t have the power -- it’s because it doesn’t have the will.”

Also, Feingold, along with Sen. Chris Dodd, called the non-binding Warner/Levin resolution a mistake. Feingold went on to say...

I oppose the weak Warner-Levin resolution as currently written because it misunderstands the situation in Iraq and shortchanges our national security interests. The resolution rejects redeploying U.S. troops and supports moving a misguided military strategy from one part of Iraq to another. The American people have rejected the President’s Iraq strategy and it’s time for Congress to end our military involvement in this war. We must redeploy our troops from Iraq so that we can focus on the global threats that face us.

Feingold was the first Senator to call for a timeline to redeploy troops out of Iraq back in August of 2005. It is just now that other Senators are catching up. Now Feingold is looking ahead and offering a plan, will others follow or stay a step behind Feingold?

Candidates Speeches at DNC Winter Meetings

This morning I caught some of the DNC winter meetings on CSPAN. I was able to see Barack Obama, Wesley Clark, and John Edwards speak. Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich, and Chris Dodd also spoke today. Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, and Tom Vilsack are scheduled to speak on Saturday.

Obama's speech was good and got a good response. Clark's speech was dull and boring. Clark basically introduced himself when the audience already knew who he was. He had the chance to connect wtih the people on national security and failed to do so. Instead people left knowing that Wesley Clark has been in the military. John Edwards gave a great speech. He told stories that connected with the people, recieved standing ovations, and called on the audience to act. Of the three speeches I saw, Edwards, by far, did the best.

Here is part of his speech...

The Great Molly Ivins

As you may have heard columnist Molly Ivins passed away this week. Ivins was a great fighter for progressive politics and witty author. I enjoyed reading her columns and books.

She wasn't afraid to write about anyone, even calling out corporate Democrats when they neglected core Democratic values. She wrote this scathing article against the DLC in March of 2006 and recently explained why she would not be supporting Hillary for President.

In her last column, Ivins called for Americans to take a stand and force our elected officials to stop the war now. Ivins said...

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on January 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!"

Here is a collection of quotes from Ivins over the years...

• "Many people did not care for Pat Buchanan's speech; it probably sounded better in the original German", Ivins in September 1992, commenting on the one-time presidential hopeful's speech to the Republican National Convention.

• It's like, duh. Just when you thought there wasn't a dime's worth of difference between the two parties, the Republicans go and prove you're wrong.

• I am not anti-gun. I'm pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife. In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives.

• Naturally, when it comes to voting, we in Texas are accustomed to discerning that fine hair's-breadth worth of difference that makes one hopeless dipstick slightly less awful than the other. But it does raise the question: Why bother?

Oh, it's just that your life is at stake.

• I know vegetarians don't like to hear this, but God made an awful lot of land that's good for nothing but grazing.

• Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts.

•(About the aftermath of Katrina) Some Christians seem to me inclined to lose track of love, compassion and mercy. I don't think I have any special brief to go around judging them, but when the stink of hypocrisy becomes so foul in the nostrils it makes you start to puke it becomes necessary to point out there is one more good reason to observe the separation of church and state: If God keeps hanging out with politicians, it's gonna hurt his reputation.

• You want moral leadership? Try the clergy. It's their job.

• I have been attacked by Rush Limbaugh on the air, an experience somewhat akin to being gummed by a newt. It doesn't actually hurt, but it leaves you with slimy stuff on your ankle.

• Last week, I began a sentence by saying, "If Bush had any imagination ..." and then I hit myself. Silly me.

• Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention.”

• Let me say for the umpteenth time, George W. is not a stupid man. The IQ of his gut, however, is open to debate. In Texas, his gut led him to believe the death penalty has a deterrent effect, even though he acknowledged there was no evidence to support his gut's feeling. When his gut, or something, causes him to announce that he does not believe in global warming -- as though it were a theological proposition -- we once again find his gut ruling that evidence is irrelevant.

In my opinion, Bush's gut should not be entrusted with making peace in the Middle East.

Long, Long Week

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I had parent-teacher conferences and put in an extra 10 hours in at school this week (and only got paid for 6.5 hours, oh well.). Luckily, I have today off. I have a lot to write about, so check back.