South Dakota Politics

Durbin Apology

Senator Durbin apologizes (again):

Under fire from Republicans and some fellow Democrats, Sen. Dick Durbin apologized Tuesday for comparing American interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to Nazis and other historically infamous figures.

"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line," the Illinois Democrat said. "To them I extend my heartfelt apologies."

His voice quaking and tears welling in his eyes, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate also apologized to any soldiers who felt insulted by his remarks.

"They're the best. I never, ever intended any disrespect for them," he said. ...

Durbin said in his apology: "I made reference to Nazis, to Soviets, and other repressive regimes. Mr. President, I've come to understand that's a very poor choice of words."

A poor choice of words indeed.  However, like John Hinderacker and Captain Ed, I'm not satisfied.  Captain Ed put it best:

However tearfully delivered, though, it still contains qualifiers that shift the responsibility to everyone but Durbin.  "Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line, and to them I extend my heartfelt apologies."

No, no, no. 

Your remarks did cross the line, Senator. Why can't you just admit that, without qualification? This is yet another halfway dodge in putting the onus onto those whom you offended instead of taking responsibility for your own actions and comments.

Color me unimpressed. His fellow party members will now ask us all to move along. I'll consider doing that if they now will admit that Durbin's original statement slandered the military and debased the memories of those millions of victims that truly experienced what genocidal maniacs do with their innocent captives. If not, then they are just playing word games until they discover the right combination to climb out of the box in which Durbin has put them.

Kerry Blogging

Power Line has John Kerry's Form 180s.

John Hinderacker brings up a good point:

This is a very weird procedure--authorizing the records to be released, but only to specified reporters. It raises obvious questions: did the reporters discuss their role with Kerry or his representative before they were designated to receive the records? Were they required to agree not to make the records public, but only to report on them? What other discussions did they have with Kerry or his representatives? Are they willing to release the records, or at a minimum give us an inventory of what they received so that we can assess the completeness of the disclosure? I have phone calls in to two of the reporters, and will attempt to interview them.

Thune in Wall Street Journal

*update* Thune is on FOX News discussing today's BRAC hearing and will be on tonight's NBC Nightly News too talking about BRAC (does anyone ever bother to call the "senior" Senator?). 

Senator Thune has a piece in today's Wall Street Journal.  Excerpt:

Redundancy Is Good for National Security

We all want to eliminate waste and reduce redundancy in the government. But our national security needs have changed since Congress launched the current Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round in 2001 -- and the BRAC process should change accordingly.

Now we are engaged in a protracted war with large overseas rotational deployments. Put simply, it is the worst possible time to launch a new round of domestic base closures and massive relocations of manpower and equipment.

Regardless of the outcome for my state's Ellsworth Air Force Base, the current BRAC round will have serious implications -- both in the short term, when we are engaged in war, and in the longer term, as we preserve critical infrastructure for an uncertain future. In addition to cutting costs, the BRAC process should maximize our nation's war fighting capability. If we fail to follow that principle, the BRAC process will put the country at risk.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what could happen if we discard "strategic redundancy," a tenet of military doctrine we have lived by for the past 60 years. Reflecting the lessons of Pearl Harbor, the doctrine disperses high-value assets at different locations to prevent their destruction in a single attack. In its March 2005 National Defense Strategy the Department of Defense reiterated its goal of "developing greater flexibility to contend with uncertainty by emphasizing agility and by not overly concentrating military forces in a few locations." But the Pentagon's recent BRAC recommendations do the opposite -- consolidating some of the nation's most valuable air and naval platforms at single installations.

Hopefully, we have not forgotten the lessons of history -- from the surprise attacks at Pearl Harbor to 9/11. And hopefully, the independent BRAC commission will reject any recommendations that put our armed forces or this nation at risk.

Our national defense posture should come back to the intuitive logic possessed by most Americans: We simply cannot allow analytical cost models to trump sound -- and proven -- security precautions.

The Permanent Campaign and the Revenge of the Left

Jason mentioned this article by Paul Weyrich about the national Left's orchestrated effort to undermine Senator Thune, which is worth a read.  Here are the most important paragraphs:

The Left is as outraged at Daschle's defeat as it was with [Senator Dick] Clark's defeat [in 1978]. Daschle was the Left's guy. He could be relied upon to deliver the Left's viewpoint in very soft and believable terms.  When the Left wanted one of President Bush's nominees blocked, it could count on Daschle. Like Clark, Daschle believed in what he did. In contrast to Senator Harry M. Reid (D-NV), who really doesn't understand hard Left politics and makes many errors, Daschle knew exactly what to do and when to do it. The Left lost a great deal when Daschle was defeated.  They are avenging this loss by viciously attacking Thune. ...

The Left will continue to attack Thune, thinking Thune can be defeated in 2010. That hope will not come to pass if Thune adopts an offensive strategy and if conservative groups in South Dakota understand what is happening and fervently defend Thune. Thune did what no other Republican or Democrat candidate has done in half a century.  He defeated a Member of the Senate Leadership. Conservatives had better wake up and start giving Thune a hand.

The Left operates on Lenin's principle. Lenin told his disciples that you take your bayonet and probe. If you encounter mush you advance. If you encounter steel you retreat. If conservatives help Senator Thune construct a band of steel in South Dakota the Left will take its operations elsewhere. That would help Thune and conservatives everywhere.

Of course, what is not mentioned is that much of this anti-Thune effort is paid for by the money in former Senator Daschle's PAC and campaign account.  Nobody is saying that the Left can't organize a constant attack against Thune---it's a free country.  But who is behind it--the old Daschle machine--and who is paying for it should be reported in detail by the press. 

Weyrich explained how the Left was "avenging" Daschle's defeat, which they have acknowledged--it's about revenge.  Note the following about Todd Epp, one of the main Thune attackers/Daschle supporters:

Where Hildebrand insists his criticism is policy-driven [ha!], Epp acknowledges a component of revenge in his own.

"I think there was considerable bitterness about what happened to Tom," Epp says. "I think as Democratic activists have looked at ways to try to do something about it, this has been one of their outlets. I think it is for me."

Epp also says Thune should expect more of the same throughout his term in the Senate.

"To be frank with you, this is to hold John (Thune) accountable and to soften him up for a future election," Epp says. "And it's good sport, it's fun."

Award/Honor

The Argus Leader reports today that Tom Daschle has been named a trustee of the Freedom Forum, but they still haven't mentioned his major award given by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance for "putting a dagger through the heart" of the Federal Marriage Amendment.  The Aberdeen newspaper mentioned it, but not the Argus.  Excerpt:

At its 16th annual Leadership Awards, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the nation’s oldest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights and advocacy organization, honored former U.S. Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle—who was defeated for reelection in South Dakota last fall—for his role earlier last year in beating back the Federal Marriage Amendment. The amendment would have defined marriage throughout the U.S. as only the union between a man and a woman.

The Task Force event was held Monday evening at New York University.

Democrat Charles Schumer, New York’s senior senator who was a featured speaker at the event, heralded Daschle’s efforts, saying that he not only defeated the amendment but “put a dagger through its heart.” Democrats needed only 34 votes to block the amendment last July, but the measure’s Republican supporters were unable to muster even a simple majority.

Apparently, awards and honors are only newsworthy when they make Daschle look good, not when they involve major pieces of legislation which Daschle killed.  Meanwhile, Dave Kranz of the Argus spends almost all of his column today on who bought a house in Sioux Falls.  Who cares? 

How Parts of the Left View the World

Chris Britt is a "cartoonist" for the Copley newspaper in Springfield, Illinois and he represents the views of parts of the American left in this "cartoon."

BRAC Hearings Tomorrow

Duluth News Tribune:  Midwestern lawmakers make case to keep military bases open.

The next regional hearing is Tuesday in Rapid City, S.D., and concerns plans for South Dakota and Wyoming. Hearings are also scheduled this week for Thursday in Grand Forks, N.D. (North Dakota and Minnesota) and Friday in Clovis, N.M. (New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada).

Oops

From Jay Reding:

Captain’s Quarters notes that the infamous Downing Street Memos cannot be authenticated because the Times reporter destroyed the originals. If the memos cannot be authenticated, they’re worthless - while they may very well be accurate, we’ve no way of knowing.

The whole issue of the Downing Street memos positively reeks of desperation on the part of the left. Far from being some kind of smoking gun, they indicate that the British had fears that Saddam Hussein would use WMDs against Israel, Kuwait, or advancing coalition troops. There’s nothing in the memos that supports the contention that Bush lied about WMDs, and the line about intelligence being “fixed” around the policy is ambiguous at best, and in context clearly doesn’t indicate what the left thinks that it does. Indeed, the memos contain nothing that was not well known at the time.

Indeed.  You can read more on this from Ryne, Hinderacker, LGF (here, here, and here), and Insty.

Godwin's Law (and the SD Corollary)

Ryne:  Everybody's A Nazi, Or Acts Like One

Weyrich on Thune

Paul Weyrich:

The reporter who questioned me [Paul M. Weyrich ] about the Senate races became hostile. He argued that Thune could not win in South Dakota, that South Dakotans recognized Daschle as a good Senator and that they knew that Daschle could protect their interests. Small states, this reporter arrogantly explained, seldom have Senators in top leadership posts. They weren't about to lose that influence for a freshman Senator who had little influence.

The reporter's intensity reminded me of that television reporter in 1978. Each reporter obviously had a stake in the outcome of the elections.

What happened to Senator [Roger W. ] Jepsen [(R-IA)] is happening to Senator Thune. He is being attacked daily by the organized Left. Thune is stunned by these attacks. Politics in South Dakota is seldom vicious, regardless of which side is power. When Rep. James Abdnor (R-SD) defeated Senator George S. McGovern (D-SD) in 1980 he was not subjected to the daily attacks that Thune is experiencing. Senator Abdnor lost his re-election bid because he was challenged in the GOP primary by Governor William J. ("Bill") Janklow. (Janklow narrowly lost the election and took his marbles and his people and went home. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 but resigned and was jailed for causing a death in a traffic accident.)

The Left is as outraged at Daschle's defeat as it was with [Richard C.] Clark's [(D-IA)] defeat. Daschle was the Left's guy. He could be relied upon to deliver the Left's viewpoint in very soft and believable terms. When the Left wanted one of President Bush's nominees blocked, it could count on Daschle. Like Clark, Daschle believed in what he did. In contrast to Senator Harry M. Reid (D-NV), who really doesn't understand hard Left politics and makes many errors, Daschle knew exactly what to do and when to do it. The Left lost a great deal when Daschle was defeated. They are avenging this loss by viciously attacking Thune.

Senator Thune is the poster boy for how to defeat incumbents. Republicans looking to the future planned to use the Thune victory to encourage other potential candidates to challenge incumbents who would be difficult to defeat. Thune's victory was the only 2004 GOP victory over an incumbent. The other three GOP Senators won open seats.

 

Gingrich & Durbin

PowerLine:  Newt Says:  Censure Durbin

Newt Gingrich (Ph.D. in history, I might add) makes an incredible argument in this letter.  Senator Durbin's "historical parallel" was contemptuous to say the least.  I have no qualms against Dick Durbin for voicing his opinion about the war in Iraq or the Bush Administration, but to compare our men and women of the military to the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot is lower than low.  These men are known for their genocide, the mass-murder of millions of individuals.   How many deaths have there been at Guantanamo?  None.  No evidence of genocide and no evidence of torture.  This whole ordeal is victimology at its best.      

By the way, this is a prison, not a Hilton Hotel.  I wouldn't expect life to be perfect for criminals (although they do get fed rice pilaf...)

John Hinderacker sums it up well:

Gingrich puts the case very well, I think. The argument is a compelling one: if the Senate censures Durbin, it will largely undo the damage that he has done by demonstrating to the terrorists and their allies that Durbin's misguided attack on the U.S. military was an aberration. Moreover, the American people deserve to know who, if anyone, agrees with Durbin's slander of our armed forces, so that when those Senators run for re-election, they can be defeated. Senators should not be able to hide behind a discreet "no comment," as Hillary Clinton has done. This is not a time for our elected officials to be neutral as between the terrorists and the armed forces of the United States.   

UPDATE I:  David Gelernter--We Are Our History--Don't Forget It

Ignorance of history destroys our judgment. Consider Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill), who just compared the Guantanamo Bay detention center to Stalin's gulag and to the death camps of Hitler and Pol Pot — an astonishing, obscene piece of ignorance. Between 15 million and 30 million people died from 1918 through 1956 in the prisons and labor camps of the Soviet gulag. Historian Robert Conquest gives some facts. A prisoner at the Kholodnaya Gora prison had to stuff his ears with bread before sleeping on account of the shrieks of women being interrogated. At the Kolyma in Siberia, inmates labored through 12-hour days in cheap canvas shoes, on almost no food, in temperatures that could go to minus-58. At one camp, 1,300 of 3,000 inmates died in one year.

"Gulag" must not go the way of "Nazi" and become virtually meaningless. Europeans love calling Israelis "Nazis" — a transparent attempt to slough off their guilt like rattlesnakes shedding skin. ("See, the Jews are as bad as we were!") I'd like to ban the word "Nazi" except when applied to … Nazis. Lawbreakers would be ordered to learn what Nazi actually means.

I recommend reading the whole Gelernter article (don't worry, it deals with more than just Durbin). 

Hitler Comparisons and SD Politics

In addition to Democratic Senator Richard Durbin's recent use of the Hitler comparison, don't forget former Democratic Senate leader Robert Byrd's camparison of Republicans to Hitler (message discipline!).  Speaking of Byrd, his new book, according to the Washington Post, explains his early involvement with the KKK:

In the early 1940s, a politically ambitious butcher from West Virginia named Bob Byrd recruited 150 of his friends and associates to form a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. After Byrd had collected the $10 joining fee and $3 charge for a robe and hood from every applicant, the "Grand Dragon" for the mid-Atlantic states came down to tiny Crab Orchard, W.Va., to officially organize the chapter.

As Byrd recalls now, the Klan official, Joel L. Baskin of Arlington, Va., was so impressed with the young Byrd's organizational skills that he urged him to go into politics. "The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation," Baskin said.

The young Klan leader went on to become one of the most powerful and enduring figures in modern Senate history.

Here's more on Byrd, Nazi comparisons, and South Dakota politics from early March:

There's a little blurb in today's Argus Leader entitled "Byrd criticized for Nazi comment."  Apparently, long-serving Democratic Senator Robert Byrd said Republican strategy to confirm judicial appointments was how Hitler would have acted.  Jewish groups are not impressed (and, as Insty notes, Byrd broke Godwin's law).  Byrd's comments might find some support in SD, where some lefty blogs call the Bush administration "fascist" and "Stalinist."  Another lefty SD blog, not to be outdone, is today calling SD state legislator John Koskan "a Taliban Theocrat Republican," following his party's leader Tim Johnson, who denounced the Republicans as the "Taliban" in May.  Also, note this from last summer's Boston Herald:

WASHINGTON - Former Vice President Al Gore yesterday unleashed another verbal assault on President Bush, comparing him to Richard Nixon and his staff to Nazi ``Brown Shirts.''

Some say that the Democratic Party should not be held responsible for some of the radical positions advanced by the Democratic base.  What these people fail to realize is that the Nazi/Hitler references have come from the top, i.e. VP Gore and Senator Byrd, as did the Taliban reference, which came from Senator Johnson.  That doesn't make the Democratic Party leadership responsible for the absurd statements from their base.  But it surely doesn't make them innocent either.  And such extremisim will probably hurt them politically.  Note the following from MSNBC:

Democrats must shore up their standing on national security, say the folks at the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, who urge the party to "reject Michael Moore and the MoveOn crowd" and focus on ideas and becoming the party of reform again.  They also caution Democrats that blogosphere is "not representative of most of the American people" and that it could actually have a "pernicious effect" on how the party is viewed because it's polarizing and getting too much media attention. 

Ryne:

Extra credit assignment: another shining example of what I've dubbed the South Dakota corollary to Godwin's Law.

I think maybe we need to amend the SD corollary thusly: If the subject amongst South Dakota Democrats is George Bush or John Thune, Republicans or conservatives, the probability of a Hitler/Nazi/fascism comparison becomes equal to one.

Here's even more on the Hitler analogy front from some in South Dakota:

From a Dakota blog:

Is there any chance that the next president will be able or willing to repair the damage done by 8 years of Bushist facsism? [sic]

Did you also know the Republicans are led by a "fuehrer," Iraq was a "war of atrocity," that Hitler, like Republican statements on reforming Social Security, "probably referred to his gas ovens as a 'reform,'" and that "If Hitler were alive today, he'd have his own blog"?  If not, you haven't been keeping up on your Dakota reading.  From another Dakota blogger of the left:

The Republicans need a fuehrer to lead their party. They like to be led into wars of atrocity based upon false pretenses. They like to be given easy-to-remember cant to dully repeat in the face of facts.

You know, that "war of atrocity" which allowed 8 million Iraqis, or 60% of those registered, to freely vote a few weeks ago.  That "war of atrocity" which toppled an authoritarian regime which had killed a million people.  Last weekend, this fellow's town welcomed home South Dakota National Guard troops from Iraq.  I wonder if he asked the troops about their "war of atrocity."  Also, see this from yet another Dakota lefty blogger:

Republicans like to “frame” there [sic] destruction of programs as “reform” and refer to Democrats [sic] evil agenda. Hitler probably referred to his gas ovens as a “reform”.

For more on the left's constant use of comparisons to fascism, see this, which notes how the editor of Harper's compared Trent Lott to "Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring" and thinks the war in Iraq was a "test market for a reconfigured American political idea matched to Benito Mussolini's definition of fascism."  Still another Dakota blog featured a "cartoon" comparing Senator Thune to not only Hitler, but also to a KKK leader to boot.  And you can't forget this gem from the editor of South Dakota's biggest newspaper:

"If Hitler were alive today, he'd have his own blog."

Also, note the current controversy over the University of Colorado professor's comments about the "little Eichmanns" who died in the twin towers on 9/11.  With all this talk about fascism and Hitler, it seems that parts of the left have gone mad. 

House and Johnson

Charley House is wondering about Senator Johnson's voting record, which the SD MSM largely ignores:

What do the following folks have in common? ... They are the only ones to vote against Thomas Griffith to sit on the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia. Harry Reid voted for this guy's nomination for Chrissakes! Dodd, Dorgan, Biden, Feinstein, and Schumer all voted for this guy. But not Tim.

Remember that next time Tim starts bleating about how "bipartisan" he his.

The simple fact is, Tim can call himself whatever he wants. But, based on his votes, he is as left, or left of, Daschle.

THIS is Torture

New York Times:

Marines on an operation to eliminate insurgents that began Friday broke through the outside wall of a building in this small rural village to find a torture center equipped with electric wires, a noose, handcuffs, a 574-page jihad manual - and four beaten and shackled Iraqis.

The American military has found torture houses after invading towns heavily populated by insurgents - like Falluja, where the anti-insurgent assault last fall uncovered almost 20 such sites. ...

The men said they told the marines, from Company K, Third Marines, Second Division, that they had been tortured with shocks and flogged with a strip of rubber for more than two weeks, unseen behind the windows of black glass. One of them, Ahmed Isa Fathil, 19, a former member of the new Iraqi Army, said he had been held and tortured there for 22 days. All the while, he said, his face was almost entirely taped over and his hands were cuffed. ...

The manual recovered - a fat, well-thumbed Arabic paperback - listed itself as the 2005 First Edition of "The Principles of Jihadist Philosophy," by Abdel Rahman al-Ali. Its chapters included "How to Select the Best Hostage," and "The Legitimacy of Cutting the Infidels' Heads." [emphasis mine]

Somebody inform the kind Senator Durbin that nothing like this has happened or been seen at Guantánamo.

Continue with the Durbin Bashing!

As usual, Mark Steyn has it about right.  Read the whole thing here (and try to find the obscure Marx Brothers reference):

The senator from Illinois' comparisons are as tired as they're grotesque. They add nothing useful to the debate. But around the planet, folks naturally figure that, if only 100 people out of nearly 300 million get to be senators, the position must be a big deal. Hence, headlines in the Arab world like "U.S. Senator Stands By Nazi Remark." That's al-Jazeera, where the senator from al-Inois is now a big hero -- for slandering his own country, for confirming the lurid propaganda of his country's enemies. Yes, folks, American soldiers are Nazis and American prison camps are gulags: don't take our word for it, Senator Bigshot says so.

This isn't a Republican vs Democrat thing; it's about senior Democrats who are so over-invested in their hatred of a passing administration that they've signed on to the nuttiest slurs of the lunatic fringe. It would be heartening to think that Durbin will himself now be subjected to some serious torture. Not real torture, of course; I don't mean using Pol Pot techniques and playing the Celine Dion Christmas album really loud to him. But he should at least be made a little uncomfortable over what he's done -- in a time of war, make an inflammatory libel against his country's military that has no value whatsoever except to America's enemies. Shame on him, and shame on those fellow senators and Democrats who by their refusal to condemn him endorse his slander.

Playing the Hitler Card

John Stewart of The Daily Show has a great monologue  denouncing the use of Hitler in political debates. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna call it Tuesday afternoon, 2:43 p.m., the debate over Guantánamo has its first official Hitler reference--now we're gettin' somewhere!  You know, I don't think something can even be considered and issue or debate in this country unless there's been a Hilter reference."

See the video here.

We Must Have Misunderstood

Durbin has posted a sort-of apology (HT to PowerLine):

“More than 1700 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and our country’s standing in the world community has been badly damaged by the prison abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. My statement in the Senate was critical of the policies of this Administration which add to the risk our soldiers face.”

“I will continue to speak out when I disagree with this Administration.”

“I have learned from my statement that historical parallels can be misused and misunderstood. I sincerely regret if what I said caused anyone to misunderstand my true feelings: our soldiers around the world and their families at home deserve our respect, admiration and total support.”

Read what John Hinderacker has to say about it.

UPDATE:  The Boston Herald wants Durbin to resign. 

The second highest ranking Democrat in the Senate has compared American servicemen and women to Nazis on the floor of that body. Has political debate sunk so low that a comment that hideous can be made by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) without repercussions?

Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) lost his leadership position for the lesser if still odious offense of praising Strom Thurmond's presidential campaign which had taken place decades earlier.
         
When Amnesty International makes such comparisons it irreversibly damages its credibility. When a U.S. senator does so, he damages the institution and the country he serves.
    
Durbin must go.

UPDATE:  Red State has aptly stated:

In the first place, the Distinguished Senator does not apologize for what he said, but only apologized if others misunderstood what he said. This, essentially, says that given the chance, Durbin would say it again, if only the rest of us were smart enough to understand what he truly meant.

Thune Speech to VFW on Durbin

Yankton Press & Dakotan:

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) called a remark by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) "irresponsible" Friday while Thune addressed the 75th VFW State Convention at Yankton's Kelly Inn.

Earlier this week, Durbin compared American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis.

"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings," Durbin said Tuesday.

Thune said Durbin made an "outrageous comparison."

"One of my colleagues compared the detention facility to Nazis, the Soviets in their gulags or some other made regime like Pol Pot (in Cambodia)," Thune said. "I think it is irresponsible to draw such an extreme comparison. To put in perspective lets compare the numbers of people killed by totalitarian regimes to Guantanamo Bay. The Nazis killed 9 million people, there were 2.7 million killed by the Soviets and Pol Pot left 1.7 million people dead. That is more than 13 million people killed under those regimes. How many have been killed at Guantanamo Bay. The answer is zero. There have been five instances of what is being called Quran abuse' by guards and 15 instances by prisoners."

Thune said that although he will always stand by Durbin's right to speak his mind, he thinks Durbin should apologize.

"I will always defend (an American's) right to dissent but to make such wild and ridiculous comparisons is reckless," Thune said.

Award

Aberdeen American News:

Nation: Daschle receives award

Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., was recently honored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

The group recognized Daschle for what it called his "fight to defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment in the U.S. Senate." Daschle, an Aberdeen native, received the honor at an event last week in New York City. Last year, he was defeated in his reelection bid by Republican John Thune.

Standing O for Thune at VFW

As Jason noted below, the national VFW is lashing out at Senator Durbin's ridiculous comments about Nazis, gulags, Pol Pot etc...  Emailers say that Senator Thune received a standing ovation today at the SD state VFW convention in Yankton when he denounced Durbin's remarks.  Remember that these comments came from the Democrats number 2 man in the Senate.  The Senate leader, Reid, called the President a "loser" and the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Dean, says that he "hates" Republicans, who run an "all white, Christian party."  These comments are coming from the Democratic leaders.  What is said by the more radical elements of the Democratic Party is even more strange.

UPDATE:  see this story from WNAX regarding Senator Thune's speech:

06/17/2005
VFW Convention
Saying its time to depend on steady leadership, South Dakota Senator John Thune told the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Yankton Friday that recent comments by political leaders about the war on terrorism are counter productive.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin said that US treatment of terror prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay holding facility was sickening, and reminded him of past dictatorial regimes.
Thune was sharply critical of those comments. He says Durbin is "losing his bearings".

Thune says there is a big difference between dissent and lies. He says he defends the right of people to disagree abut the war, but comments on the floor of the Senate do a diservice to men and women in the armed forces.

Durbin Rebuked

First the VFW, now the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee:

The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman yesterday accused Sen. Richard J. Durbin of insulting American soldiers with a "grievous error in judgment" by comparing U.S. treatment of al Qaeda suspects to the crimes of Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Pol Pot, and demanded that the Senate's No. 2 Democrat apologize. The rebuke followed a similar rebuke by the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who called Mr. Durbin "totally out of line." Republican lawmakers lined up to condemn the remarks as making the war on terror more dangerous for American troops. Some were particularly angry about the Al Jazeera Arab language news station, which had posted Mr. Durbin's Nazi comparison made in a Tuesday night floor speech. "That's horrible. That's our worst nightmare," said Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, about the posting by the network, which the administration accuses of stirring up anti Americanism.

See the full story by The Washington Times.

Daschle & Gay Marriage

As we've noted before, Daschle has been honored by a gay task force for his role in "put[ting] a dagger through [the Federal Marriage Amendment's] heart":

At its 16th annual Leadership Awards, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the nation’s oldest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights and advocacy organization, honored former U.S. Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle—who was defeated for reelection in South Dakota last fall—for his role earlier last year in beating back the Federal Marriage Amendment.  The amendment would have defined marriage throughout the U.S. as only the union between a man and a woman.

Before this cause célèbre goes to far, I'd like to remind people that Daschle was once supporting a federal statute to ban gay marriage:

Reading from the federal code, Daschle told a news conference: "The word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as a husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife."

"You can't get any clearer than that," he said, adding that he supports the current law. "No changes necessary, in my view. You've got it in law today," Daschle said.

Even during the campaign Daschle continued to say he was opposed to gay marriage, but then voted against the amendment that would have defined marriage as between men and women.  David Frum noted last fall:

What is the Democratic position on the amendment? As near as I can tell it amounts to this. They say they oppose same-sex marriage – but then they also oppose the constitutional amendment necessary to prevent same-sex marriage.

My view on this is that a Constitutional amendment isn't the answer.  I'd rather leave this situation up to the state governments.  I think people have the right to enter any relationship they wish, but the legality of that relationship is a matter of the state's decision, not the federal government's decision.

Cheney & the Durbin Debacle

Dick Cheney has now condemned Dick Durbin.

Freshmen Senators

Press release:

Freshman GOP Senators Issue Joint Statement
Call on Senator Durbin to Apologize

WASHINGTON, DC – Freshman Senators Richard Burr – NC, Tom Coburn – OK, Jim DeMint – SC, Johnny Isakson – GA, Mel Martinez – FL, John Thune – SD and David Vitter – LA today issued the following statement in response to comments made by Senator Dick Durbin – IL on the Floor of the United States Senate comparing U.S. troops to Nazis, Soviets and others:

“As freshman Senators, we recently campaigned to change the tone in Washington and accomplish great things on behalf of the American people. We are united in our support for our troops in the ongoing War on Terror. We found Senator Durbin’s remarks to be highly offensive and dangerous. This rhetoric is harmful to our soldiers and emboldens our enemies. We call on Senator Durbin to issue an apology to the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces.

“The American Armed Forces are the best in the world and to compare them with Nazis, Soviet Gulags, or Pol Pot is outrageous. Millions of innocent people were murdered in death camps under these evil regimes.”

On A Lighter Note

As I prepare to teach a week long seminar on the origins of the Civil War in a couple weeks, I have been immersing myself in Lincoln, again.  There are many reasons to admire Lincoln, and one of them is his sense of humor.  You owe it to yourself to read this letter by a young Lincoln discussing a failed courtship. This is Lincoln at his funniest. 

A Brief Thought on Durbin

Here's the excerpt from the FBI report that Durbin quoted:

On a couple of occasions, I entered interview rooms to find a detainee chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor, with no chair, food or water. Most times they urinated or defecated on themselves, and had been left there for 18-24 hours or more. On one occasion, the air conditioning had been turned down so far and the temperature was so cold in the room, that the barefooted detainee was shaking with cold. . . . On another occasion, the [air conditioner] had been turned off, making the temperature in the unventilated room well over 100 degrees. The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor, with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his hair out throughout the night. On another occasion, not only was the temperature unbearably hot, but extremely loud rap music was being played in the room, and had been since the day before, with the detainee chained hand and foot in the fetal position on the tile floor.

Yep.  This isn't pretty.  Although anyone with a passing knowledge of the Second World War knows that this is child's play compared to what American GIs did to Japanese prisoners in the Pacific theater (and elsewhere, for that matter).  War is not pretty, and those who intend to win a war should expect to win ugly (but not unjustly, as my students will discuss in their July World Politics course).  But I think Americans need to keep this always in the front of their minds: the only reason every single one of us is not dead right now is not because of a lack of will on the other side, but a lack of means.  For those of you who have children, for example, the only reason your kids haven't been murdered by Osama Bin Laden is because he is unable to murder them, not because he doesn't want to.  Trying to win a war against evil people by trying to "out nice" them is like trying to house break your puppy by asking nicely.

Update: OK, this just became an unbrief thought on Dick Durbin.  The VFW has condemned Dick Durbin.  Why can't any Democrat in Congress manage to do the same thing?  Here's what the head of the VFW says (hat tip, Michelle Malkin):

"The senator was totally out of line for even thinking such thoughts, and we demand he apologize to every man and woman who has ever worn the uniform of our country, and to their families," said John Furgess, the VFW's commander-in-chief.

"Our soldiers put the needs of others first, just like generations of Americans before them," said Furgess, a Vietnam veteran who retired as a colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard.

"They answered the call to create our country, to save our Union, and to help free the world from tyranny. And in return, all they ever asked for was to be appreciated for who they are and what they do, and for the country to care for their minds and bodies if broken or care for their families should they die," he said

"To link such selflessness to three of world's worst regimes is reprehensible," said Furgess, "and I call on every member of Congress and all 900,000 veterans in the State of Illinois to make their displeasure known to Senator Durbin."

 

Bad Movie

Am I alone in having a perverse love for movie reviews which excoriate the film in question?  Roger Ebert has one today regarding the Heather Locklear/Hilary Duff film "The Perfect Man."  Here's an excerpt.

"The Perfect Man" crawls hand over bloody hand up the stony face of this plot, while we in the audience do not laugh because it is not nice to laugh at those less fortunate than ourselves, and the people in this movie are less fortunate than the people in just about any other movie I can think of, simply because they are in it.

It's hard to imagine such impressive talents as Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff being involved with such a bad film. 

Social Security and Hitler: From the mailbag

Here's a couple unconnected thoughts that come to us from readers.  The first refers to my quotation about the difference between politicians and statesmen.  A reader tells me:

The source for your quote is James Freeman Clarke, 1810-1888, Transcendentalist Unitarian minister.Actually the quote is "A politician thinks of the next election - a statesman, of the next generation." from a sermon that I haven't been able to locate.  Thought you would like to know. I enjoy your blog.

I used this quote in reference to the Democrats' "do nothing" Social Security strategy.  It turns out that the Heritage Foundation is actually counting the debt we owe to the Social Security Trust Fund.  You can see the running tabulation here.  This is the dollar cost of doing nothing.  Those concerned about passing on debt to the future generations maybe should pull their heads out of the sand and start getting serious about Social Security reform. 

Also, a reader chimes in on Dick Durbin's "The American Military is as bad as the Nazis" comment. 

I have called Johnson's Washington office the last two days, the response is we don't know what the Senator thinks about the matter.

How much time does it take to think up a response to someone who compares the U.S. Military to Hitler, Pol Pot, and Stalin?  Didn't take Senator Thune long:

"Equating American Marines to Nazis is irresponsible and wrong. Senator Durbin owes our men and women in uniform an apology."  - Senator John Thune

Thank You Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon is at or near the top of my list of least favorite presidents (he gets competition from Buchanan and Wilson).  But there are two things Nixon did right.  First, he aided Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur war.  Second, he beat George McGovern in 1972.  Now, the Nixon administration and campaign was rife with corruption in '72, so in retrospect the Nixon-McGovern race for me is like Florida vs. Florida State in college football: I root for injuries.  But as you'll learn if you read my chapter on the '72 election in this fantastic book about McGovern (I assure the lefties that I am the only non-McGovern supporter in the book), McGovern's economic policies were often described as being "European".  Here's the great historian Paul Johnson in today's Wall St. Journal:

Hence it is not surprising that Europe, which grew rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, before the EU got going, has slowly lost pace since Brussels took over its direction and imposed convergence. It is now stagnant. Growth rates of over 2% are rare, except in Britain, which was Thatcherized in the 1980s and has since followed the American model of free markets. Slow or nil growth, aggravated by the power of the unions, fits well with the Brussels system and imposes further restraints on economic dynamism: Short working hours and huge social security costs that have produced high unemployment, over 10% in France and higher in Germany than at any time since the Great Depression which brought Hitler to power.

It is natural that high and chronic unemployment generates a depressive anger which finds many expressions. One, in Europe today, is anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism. Another is exceptionally low birthrates, lower in Europe than anywhere else in the world except Japan. If present trends continue, the population of Europe (excluding the British Isles) will be less than the United States by midcentury--under 400 million, with the over-65s constituting one-third of that.

Durbin

From PowerLine:

Just for the record (as if that matters to the left) Rowan Scarborough in the Washington Times reminds us of the following:

Adolf Hitler - About 9 million dead
Soviet gulags - About 2.7 million dead
Pol Pot - About 1.7 million dead
Gitmo - zero dead
Gitmo - five instances of Koran abuse by prison guards
Gitmo-15 instances of Koran abuse by prisoners.

The big lie is nothing new in politics. Hitler and Stalin were master practicioners. What's unusual about Durbin's lie is that it slanders his own country. Normally that kind of slander is uttered only by revolutionaries seeking the violent overthrow of the government. Yet Durbin purports to be part of a loyal opposition.

What possessed Durbin to do it? How, after harping constantly on the importance of our image to winning the war on terrorism, could he cast the U.S. in such a false light? It's not likely that he intentionally set out to injure his country. Until I hear a better explanation, I'll put it down to a kind of sickness or derangement brought on by hatred -- of President Bush, the military, etc. -- coupled with a very weak immune system (i.e. intellect).

From Neal Boortz:

The Democrats in the Senate continue to come unhinged, but this time they're not attacking politicians.  The target is now the United States Military.  It's no secret that a large portion of the Democratic party (as Bill Clinton once wrote) loathes the Military.  To them, the whole idea of maintaining a national defense is as waste of time. ...

That's right...a United States Senator has just compared our men and women in uniform to Nazis, Soviets running a gulag and even Pol Pot.  This makes what Amnesty International said look tame.

But we shouldn't be surprised.  It's all part of the Democratic party template.  If they don't agree with something, at some point in the debate, they're going to call you a Nazi.  It's just how it works these days.

Durbin is refusing to apologize.  Good.  Just like Howard Dean, he's representing his party quite well.

I wonder if Johnson and Herseth will denouce this?

New Blog

Check out this new blog about South Dakota Politics called SD War College.  S/he seems to have some interesting experience and dish.  A sample:

Rumor campaigns have been used to effect in South Dakota in the past. Sometimes the information is legitimate, but mostly it’s pure garbage.

The most historical example that has been related to me is a story that during the Kneip/FarrarGubernatorial race, a couple of the Kneip people would travel incognito from small town tavern to tavern (or café), and they would sit down. After sitting, one would query the other loudly as to “had they heard about the Governor’s personal improprieties”, and they’d go on at length, and then leave to plant the rumor in the next town.

UPDATE:  SD Blog Watch Man is taking SDP to task for not saying that he mentioned the new blog first.  Sorry, SDBWM, but the new blogger emailed us.  We didn't know you scooped us, so sorry about that.  Who is SDBWM anyway?

More on the Ethanol Bill

A reader notes that Senator Thune has always been an advocate of an 8 billion gallon ethanol mandate and had co-sponsored the bill immediately, despite what the bitter and angry former Daschle staffers/bloggers say.  Here's the bill.  More from our reader:

You should know, as I mentioned, that the Johnson staff people were running around on Monday yelling the 'sky is falling' and the 'ethanol bill will fail' while Thune and Domenici were trying save the deal, which they did.  The corn association group recognized this and gave Thune the credit, which he deserved.  Johnson was just not a factor in this, which is obviously hard for some Democrats to realize.  You can see that in how the Democratic bloggers are bashing the South Dakota Corn Growers and the President of the Corn Growers.  Imagine how twisted you must be to bash the biggest corn advocacy group in the state.  And this goes right to the top and is not just bloggers.  Johnson's office was on the phone yelling at the Corn Growers people too.  If you don't agree with these Democrats, just get ready to be bashed. 

In addition to the reader's comments, you might want to see the Argus Leader story explaining how the Thune-Domenici 8 billion gallon bill finally passed after Thune helped broker deal and see the praise given to Thune by the SD Corn Growers for saving the ethanol deal. 

More on Durbin

Heppler notes below Sen. Thune's response to Sen. Durbin's recent inappropriate remarks comparing the U.S. Marines at Gitmo to Nazis.  Durbin is foolishly standing by his comments, and got lit up by Senator Warner on the floor tonight.  Now the AP has more in a story headlined "White House Castigates Durbin for Remarks."  Excerpt:

The White House said [Senator Durbin's] comparison of American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis, Soviet gulags and Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot was reprehensible and a disservice to those serving in the military....

Several Republican senators, including John Thune of South Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas, also criticized Durbin's comments in speeches Thursday.

Poor Losers

Here's a great letter from the Yankton Press & Dakota:

Wouldn't it be nice if the "poor losers" of the Daschle-Thune campaign would stop whining and appreciate the winner?

Over and over, Daschle asked for nonpartisan leadership and votes on issues while he continued to prove his strong partisanship holdouts against anything the Republican administration advocated. He tied President Bush's hands many times while big class-action Lawsuits continued to drain our Welfare and Medicare systems, along with other very important issues.

Ask any Non-south Dakotan and see how fast they thank you for ridding the U.S. Senate of an obstructionist.

John Thune and his colleagues have already accomplished passing bills on issues to better our country that Daschle held up because he could not tolerate anything that wasn't his idea.

I commend John Thune for his accomplishments, and am shocked and disgusted at the bashing he has received since the possibility of closing Ellsworth first aired. If Ellsworth goes, don't blame John Thune. Daschle let the opportunity slip by years ago, when we had those other losses of planes sent elsewhere. Isn't that shutting the gate after the horses get out, then blaming it on someone else?

Thune & Durbin

From a Thune press release:

WASHINGTON – Senator John Thune today called on Senator Dick Durbin to apologize for his inappropriate remarks made on the Senate floor Tuesday regarding U.S. Marines serving their country in the War on Terror.

“Equating American Marines to Nazis is irresponsible and wrong. Senator Durbin owes our men and women in uniform an apology.” – Senator John Thune

More Wal-Mart Fun

According to lefty bloggers we are not supposed to shop at Wal-Mart because of all the evil they support, such as John Thune.  Well:

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), the current frontrunner for the 2008 presidential       nomination, received a $5,000 check from Wal-Mart in February.  Congressman Harold Ford (D-TN), a Democratic candidate for Senate and rising star within the party, also took a $5,000 contribution. And Congressman Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, received $5,000 from Wal-Mart in April. This year, Wal-Mart's giving has been nearly even between the two parties.

People interested in Wal-Mart should read this insightful piece in its entirety. 

Sticking the Head in the Sand

Here's CCK's answer to the Social Security mess:

All Bush and Republicans would have to do is agree to take privatization off the table, not cut guaranteed benefits, and make a proposal that doesn’t saddle future generations with trillions more in debt. So far the Republican leadership has refused to do any of this.

In other words, all Republicans have to do is promise to do nothing, and they will be joined by the courageous Democrats.  The do nothing proposal of the Democrats already saddles future generations with trillions of debt.  That's the whole damned point.  Who is it that said, "A politician cares about the next election; a statesman cares about the next generation"?  On this issue, the Democrats play politics while George Bush acts the statesman. 

Patriot Act Foolishness

The stupidity of the Democratic left and their willing accomplices on the libertarian right knows no bounds when it comes to the Patriot Act.  The House has passed an amendment restricting federal government access to library records and bookstore receipts.  This amendment was championed by the self-described socialist Bernie Sanders who will run for Senate in Vermont next year as a Democrat.  It was foolishly supported by Stephanie Herseth.  Every Democrat in the House except young Boren from Oklahoma voted for this stupid amendment.  This is idiocy:

"No question, this is a real shot in the arm for those of us who want to make changes to the USA Patriot Act," said Rep. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., sponsor of the provision that would curtail the government's ability to investigate the reading habits of terror suspects. He said the vote would help "rein in an administration intent on chipping away at the very civil liberties that define us as a nation."

Powerline is devastating when it comes to the notion that the FBI was wantonly searching library records.  In fact, no one can come up with one example of this occurring.  John Hinderaker sums up:

The upshot of this, if it becomes law, will be that the FBI can obtain an order permitting it to obtain possession of any tangible object whatsoever, from any person or organization, except the records maintained by libraries and bookstores. I, as counsel of record for any party in any civil lawsuit venued in any state or federal court in the United States, can obtain records from libraries and bookstores. But the FBI can't, at least not if it is conducting a terrorism investigation.

No doubt the House members who voted for the amendment will sleep more soundly tonight.

Here are some evidently little known facts on the Patriot Act.  There is virtually nothing novel in this law.  All the provisions that have Democrats and libertarians wetting their pants existed before the Patriot Act.  The Patriot Act achieved two main purposes. First, it applied law enforcement powers usually associated with busting up organized crime to FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) investigations  Second, in some cases it allows federal law enforcement to gain warrants for searches by simply going to a judge rather than going to a grad jury.  This makes sense, because in some cases the fewer people who know, the better.  Everything, I mean EVERYTHING, in the Patriot Act requires a warrant from either a judge or a grand jury.  After 9-11 we beat ourselves up about our lack of intelligence gathering and coordination in fighting terrorism.  Now Democrats and some foolish Republicans want to go back to the bad old days.  You can find alot of myth busting about the Patriot Act at this Justice Department website, including this fun fact:

The Patriot Act specifically protects Americans' First Amendment rights, and terrorism investigators have no interest in the library habits of ordinary Americans. Historically, terrorists and spies have used libraries to plan and carry out activities that threaten our national security. If terrorists or spies use libraries, we should not allow them to become safe havens for their terrorist or clandestine activities. The Patriot Act ensures that business records - whether from a library or any other business - can be obtained in national security investigations with the permission of a federal judge.

Democratic Energy Proposal

Mr. Epp prints a press release from South Dakota Democrats urging passage of two energy amendments mandating the United States wean itself off of foreign oil and increase the use of so-called renewable energy, which I assume means wind, solar, etc.  It's a long press release, but I think this is the upshot:

The Cantwell amendment puts forth a bold new goal of reducing our dependence on foreign oil by 40 percent in 20 years – a goal that will make America more secure, energize our economy and protect our environment. The amendment is being offered by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). Democrats believe being serious about national security means being serious about ending America's dependence on Middle Eastern oil.

The Bingaman amendment would create a renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The amendment would require that utilities that sell more than 4 million megawatt hours per year provide 10% of their total sales from renewable resources by 2020. The amendment is being offered by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).

I support the goals expressed in these amendments, but am not sure these are good laws.  Once my gas hogging Jeep meets its maker and they come up with a decent hybrid SUV or truck, that will be my vehicle.  But I am unsure of mandating this from the government.  The question is how will the US achieve these goals?  Reducing the use of foreign oil by 40% in 20 years is no small feat.  There is little doubt in my mind that it will mean using less efficient and more expensive energy sources.  It does not seem likely that in the near future, or distant future for that matter, wind or solar power will provide enough megawattage to even come close to supporting the energy needs of cities of any size.  Funny how the people most earnest about these matters oppose drilling for oil in ANWR, which would boost domestic sources of oil, and also oppose nuclear energy, which is the most efficient energy source (and yes, I know the draw backs).    The amendments offered by Cantwell and Bingamen will have the likely effect of making our nation poorer. 

But as I say, I support the basic ideas of Senators Cantwell and Bingaman.  I read somewhere in all these energy policy stories that someone is proposing tax breaks for those who buy hybrid vehicles.  I would support that.  It's a question of mastering the use of hydrogen (can everyone say "Hindenburg"?) and making fuel cells powerful enough to power larger vehicles and machinery.  Reducing our use of gas in our automobiles is the best bet for improving our energy independence.  This can be achieved through fuel cells and/or hydrogen fueled vehicles.  Or the mastering of the power of anti-matter.  Unfortunately our planet suffers from a shortage of dilithium crystals.  Maximum warp Mr. Sulu!! 

Daschle

Dakota Voice:

Former South Dakota Senator and former Senate Majority Leader Daschle received the New York National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Leadership Award for leading the “successful fight to defeat the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment in the Senate,” according to Roberta Sklar, Communications Director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Many consider Daschle’s opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment a key reason for his 4,508-vote loss to John Thune in November 2004. Daschle was the first Senate party leader in 52 years to lose a re -election bid. ...

“Senator Daschle put his quarter-century career in Congress on the line to stand up to the forces of intolerance and division and kill the Federal Marriage Amendment. We are proud to honor such rare courage and leadership,” says Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

The Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation’s most vocal homosexual advocacy groups, gave Daschle a score of 63% on their 2004 scorecard, and 100% on their 2002 scorecard.

Insider View on Ethanol

From a reader regarding today's ethanol action:

Your readers will be interested to know that as late as a few days ago Tim Johnson's staff was spreading the word that the ethanol bill was melting down and disaster had struck and an ethanol deal was impossible.  While they were in a panic, Thune was working to get Senator Inhofe (the oil co. rep) on board...and he did it.  Since Thune pulled the whole deal out of the fire, he's been getting much praise from insiders and I see from the SD corn group.  It's much deserved.  In reality, Senator Johnson had nothing to do with this.  He has no mojo, on this or anything else (there's a game in DC some play where people are asked who the other Senator from SD is and nobody ever gets it--Tim who?).  Johnson's rather obvious vote for ethanol in committee was nothing grand--it passed out of committee 23-1 or something like that.  This whole situation always depended on Inhofe, Domenici, and Thune, who was doing everything possible to get people to the table and get the highest ethanol mandate possible.  If the lefties in SD think Tim Johnson had anything to do with this they're more deluded than I thought. 

But don't take the reader's word for it.  See what the South Dakota Corn Growers Association, who would know, is saying about the Thune bill:

“The SDCGA applauds the Senate for passing the largest ethanol amendment in U.S. history today and thanks South Dakota Sen. John Thune for being instrumental in bridging a compromise with Sen. Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee which led to today’s landmark vote,” said David Gillen, SDCGA president and White Lake, S.D. producer. The bipartisan compromise that led to the inclusion of the 8 billion gallon RFS in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, was brought to the floor by Senate Energy Chairman Pete Domenici, R-NM, and co-sponsored by Sen. Thune.

Ethanol, Take Three

Los Angeles Times:

...[T]he Senate today voted to double the amount of ethanol, to 8 billion gallons, that must be added to the nation's gasoline supply by 2012.

"The Senate is poised to make ethanol a cornerstone of America's energy policy," said Sen. John Thune, a Republican from ethanol-producing South Dakota. ...

The 8-billion-gallon mandate is higher than any amount that has come before Congress and would give the industry its biggest boost since Congress approved a tax break for the fuel in 1978.

The provision was eagerly sought by farm state lawmakers — Democrats and Republicans — underscoring that energy policy is often shaped by regional politics rather than party affiliation. ...

Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat from ethanol-producing Iowa, called the ethanol mandate something "we've been waiting for a long time." He warned that if the provision is stripped out during House-Senate negotiations on a final bill, "there won't be an energy bill, period."

Nazis, KGB and Pol Pot, oh my!

From LGF:

Last night on the Senate floor during a debate on the Energy Bill, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill) suddenly launched into a bizarre rant comparing the American military to Nazis, the Soviet KGB, and Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge. (Hat tip: Right Wing Conspirator.)

If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime—Pol Pot or others—that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.

UPDATE at 6/15/05 12:33:32 pm:

More on this craziness at The American Thinker, where they have a quote from Durbin describing the brutal torture that led him to those comparisons:

When you read some of the graphic descriptions of what has occurred here—I almost hesitate to put them in the RECORD, and yet they have to be added to this debate. Let me read to you what one FBI agent saw. And I quote from his report:

On one occasion, the air conditioning had been turned down so far and the temperature was so cold in the room, that the barefooted detainee was shaking with cold. ..... On another occasion, the [air conditioner] had been turned off, making the temperature in the unventilated room well over 100 degrees. The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor, with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his hair out throughout the night. On another occasion, not only was the temperature unbearably hot, but extremely loud rap music was being played in the room, and had been since the day before, with the detainee chained hand and foot in the fetal position on the tile floor.

Here’s a PDF file of Durbin’s statements.

UPDATE:  Durbin refuses to apologize.

SD Corn Producers Praise Thune Ethanol Bill

The South Dakota Corn Growers are praising Senator Thune's leadership in overcoming years of Democratic obstruction and getting a deal for ethanol producers:

SOUTH DAKOTA CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SDCGA applauds Senate passage of 8 billion gallon RFS 

(June 15, 2005) – An 8 billion gallon Renewable Fuels Standard passed in the United States Senate today by an extraordinary majority vote of 70-26. The South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA) is elated by the Senate’s action and commends the bipartisan leadership for recognizing renewable fuels as a priority to the nation’s energy stability.

“The SDCGA applauds the Senate for passing the largest ethanol amendment in U.S. history today and thanks South Dakota Sen. John Thune for being instrumental in bridging a compromise with Sen. Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee which led to today’s landmark vote,” said David Gillen, SDCGA president and White Lake, S.D. producer. The bipartisan compromise that led to the inclusion of the 8 billion gallon RFS in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, was brought to the floor by Senate Energy Chairman Pete Domenici, R-NM, and co-sponsored by Sen. Thune.

Ethanol, Take Two

Here is the brief KELO report:

South Dakota's US senators say an eight billion gallon renewable fuels standard tentatively agreed upon in the Senate Tuesday will be good for the state's economy.

The standard would mandate that refiners annually use at least eight billion gallons of renewable components, almost all of it ethanol from corn, in gasoline by 2012. It's part of a comprehensive energy bill being debated in the Senate.

Senator Tim Johnson says the higher standard will create 234,000 jobs and add 20 billion dollars in gross domestic production between 2005 and 2012.

Senator John Thune says passing the energy bill will dramatically increase ethanol demand and guarantee a good market for South Dakota farmers.

I'm glad that Thune got Energy Committee Chair Pete Domenici and the anti-ethanol chair of the Environment and Public Works James Inhofe (from oil rich Oklahoma) to agree to this amendment. You know, elections have consequences.  When Tom Daschle was heading the Senate, he was busy signing books while the last energy bill went to defeat because of his party's filibuster.  Some leadership.  President Bush has been advocating a stronger energy policy since the 2000 election.  Now, thanks to a change in leadership in the Senate, he is starting to get it.  You can see the roll call vote here. 

Finding Common Ground

The common ground may be a bit mushy, but members of the religious right and religious left (yes, there is one) are trying to find common ground on certain issues.  I agree with those in this article who say fighting poverty is the easiest issue on which agreement may be found. 

SENATE APPROVES THUNE AMENDMENT ON ETHANOL

The U.S. Senate has just approved the Thune ethanol amendment 70-26!  It's another sign that the Age of Daschle/Obstruction is finally passing and some things are actually getting done in the Senate!

The Thune amendment, introduced in the Senate yesterday, significantly boosts the ethanol industry, and was covered in this morning's Argus Leader:

Thune called for 8 billion gallons of ethanol to be used in motor vehicles in a amendment introduced on his behalf by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-NM, Energy Committee Chairman.

That amendment would be part of a comprehensive energy bill being debated in the Senate.

A key to reaching an agreement was the backing of Sen. James Inhofe, R-OK, head of the Environment and Public Works Committee.  His state relies on the oil industry, so Inhofe is not a staunch supporter of ethanol.

"This is a huge breakthrough to get Senator Inhofe and others from oil states to (support) this provision," Thune said.  "I think Senator Inhofe really wants an energy bill.  In order to get it, he needs to play ball with
farm-state senators."

Thune Ethanol Amendment and the New Senate

The Thune ethanol amendment is moving forward.  The New Senate is getting things done, unlike the Daschle Senate during the last Congress.  See here for a run-down of how the last ethanol bill died/was killed/filibustered.  Here's a release from the Senator's office:

Senate moves closer to passing higher ethanol requirements

Thune fights for 8 billion gallon RFS in new Energy Bill

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate began debate on the long-stalled energy bill today, moving closer to establishing a renewable fuels standard (RFS) and reducing America’s dependence on foreign sources of oil.

As debate began, Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici introduced an amendment on behalf of Senator John Thune to establish an 8 billion gallon renewable fuels standard – dramatically increasing America’s reliance on ethanol. Thune said the energy bill would not be possible without the leadership of Domenici and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe.

“Passing the energy bill will dramatically increase ethanol demand, guaranteeing a good market for South Dakota farmers,” Thune said. “The Senate is poised to make ethanol a cornerstone of America’s energy policy. I hope we can move quickly to send a final bill to the President’s desk and strengthen America’s energy security. I am proud to work with the Chairmen Domenici and Inhofe to promote renewable fuels and strengthen our energy security.”

If the Senate agrees to Thune’s amendment, the 8 billion renewable fuels standard would displace as much as 2 billion barrels of imported crude oil, lower the U.S. trade deficit by $67 billion, create $51 billion in new farm income and cut government farm payments by an estimated $5.9 billion – all by 2012.

“The energy policy will create new jobs and invigorate South Dakota’s economy,” Thune said. “An energy policy won’t just make it easier to fuel our cars, tractors and homes – it will fuel our nation’s economy.”

The renewable fuels standard would also function as a rural economic stimulus package by creating the need for $5.3 billion in new investments, while generating 230,000 new rural jobs. It is estimated that, overall, a new energy policy would create as many as 800,000 new jobs for Americans.

In his campaign for the U.S. Senate last year, Thune cited the gridlocked energy package as a primary reason for entering the race. President Bush proposed a comprehensive energy policy shortly after taking office in 2001, but was blocked in the U.S. Senate for the last four years.

“America needed an energy policy four years ago – and we need an energy policy even more today,” Thune said. “We came here to get things done and at the top of our list was passing an energy policy. This will be a great accomplishment that will create new jobs and strengthen America’s security.”

Who is the Party of Porn?

Poor Seth.  You can't seem to win.  Today over at CCK the Republican Party is being taken to task because they're having a big fund raiser in D.C. and it appears that a couple people associated with the "adult entertainment" industry are contributors and are going to attend.  Ah ha!!  The old hypocrisy game again!! The right-wing Christians are hosting pornographers!!  The right-wingers are taken to task for not paying attention to this.  Too bad one of the sources that Seth uses for his Republican bashing is World Net Daily, a right-wing online news organization. 

I agree.  It is wrong for a party to take money from pornographers and the Republican Party should be ashamed.  If the Democratic Party takes such money, it too should be ashamed.  Unfortunately the extremely useful opensecrets.org does not list "adult entertainment" or "pornography" as one of their industries.  But you can search by individual name and company name. What do you know, pornographer Larry Flynt gives money to the Democratic Party (see here and here).  And the Hefners of Playboy give money to Democrats (and some to Nadar and Libertarians).  You can see that here and most interestingly, here.  On that last link you will see that South Dakota Democratic Senator Tim Johnson received $1,000 from Christi Hefner of Playboy Enterprises on October 28, 2002.  At that time $1,000 was the largest allowable individual contribution.  Tim Johnson received money directly from people in the business of peddling pornography.  You will also note that Playboy folks also give lots of money to the pro-abortion PAC EMILY's List, who is the largest contributer to South Dakota Representative Stephanie Herseth. 

What is the argument?  My argument is that since both parties take money from pornographers both parties should be ashamed of themselves.  What is Seth's argument?  If the Republicans are to be accused of hypocrisy, then the he must be complimenting the Democrats for not being hypocrites, but by logic that also means they aren't really that opposed to pornography since they take porn money, too. As I have said before, there are worse things than being a hypocrite.  I would rather be a hypocrite than blase about  pornography.  My guess is that both parties oppose pornography, and both are hypocrites, and both should be ashamed. 

By the way, I think Sen. Johnson is a decent enough guy if wrong politically.  I don't believe that he supports the efforts of the Hefners to spread smut around the nation.  The same goes for Rep. Herseth, although I would call her a gal, not a guy.

Update: I notice today that the very non-judgmental CCK, by willfully misrepresenting what a minister says, condemns to Hell those who think we should tell the truth: the homosexual lifestyle is dangerous.  To point out this fact is not to make a comment on the moral worth of a person who happens to be homosexual, but to point out that some choices have consequences.  It is dangerous to put dirty needles into your arm, and it is dangerous to engage in homosexual sex.  To deny this is to be foolishly politically correct.  Instead, CCK does something not even the Council of Trent would have done: name a class of particular people and condemn them Hell.  Whew!  At least he's not passing judgment. 

Hillary References Daschle

The News Observer:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has been prospecting for political contributions in the back yard of one her rivals for the 2008 Democratic presidential nominations -- former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

Clinton, New York's junior senator, has sent out a national mailing asking for contributions to help with her 2006 re-election campaign, saying the GOP was likely to make her their top target.

"They are determined to distract me from my work," said a letter that went to some North Carolina homes. "They want to limit my ability to speak out. And they are emboldened by the defeat of my friend and former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. That's why the Republicans are planning to run a relentless attack operation against me -- one that is likely to set new standards for negative campaigning."

Although the money is for her re-election campaign, building a national donor base is important for her expected presidential run in 2008. Both Edwards and Clinton are expected to seek the Democratic nomination.