Speakers for "Country First" RNC 2008

The 2008 Republican National Convention has announced the themes and preliminary lineup of speakers for the program of events that will run Sept. 1-4. The convention’s overall theme, "Country First," reflects John McCain’s remarkable record of leadership and service to America. Each day of proceedings will center on a touchstone theme that has defined John McCain’s life and will be central to his vision for leading our nation forward as president. McCain 2008 Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker said:

"Our convention will showcase a cross-section of leaders who will highlight John McCain’s long commitment to putting our country first -- before self-interest or politics. The speakers will address John McCain’s unmatched record of service and sacrifice for America, and his vision for moving our nation forward to keep us safe and get our economy back on track."

The roster of speakers announced today includes John McCain, Mrs. Cindy McCain, 10 current and former Republican governors, five current and former U.S. Senators and two well-respected businesswomen. Their remarks will echo the themes that have been selected for each of the convention’s four days: service, reform, prosperity and peace.

Monday, Sept. 1 - Service: "Love of country, my friends, is another way of saying love of your fellow countryman." --Sen. John McCain

John McCain’s commitment to his fellow Americans, a commitment forged in service to his country, is one of the defining hallmarks of his life. Monday’s events will highlight John McCain’s record of service and sacrifice and reflect his commitment to serving a cause greater than one’s own self-interest.
Speakers will include:
• U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (CN)
• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA)
• Vice President Richard B. Cheney
• First Lady Laura Bush
• President George W. Bush

Tuesday, Sept. 2 - Reform: "If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you are disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and correct them." --Sen. John McCain

John McCain’s life is a testament to the fundamental truth that every American can be a force for change. A restless reformer who has dedicated his career to taking on special interests and the status quo, John McCain will deliver the right kind of change and reform to meet the great challenges of our time. On Tuesday, the convention program will underscore his vision of a government that is transparent, principled and worthy of the American people it serves.
Speakers will include:
• Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani
• Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR)
• Former Gov. Tom Ridge (PA)
• Gov. Sarah Palin (AK)
• Gov. Jon Huntsman (UT)
• Rosario Marin, California Sec.of State & former Treasurer of the U.S.,
• Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson (TN)
• Gov. Linda Lingle (HA)
• Former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (MD)

Wednesday, Sept. 3 - Prosperity: "America’s best days are still to come." --Sen. John McCain

The American story is one of perseverance. Even in the face of tough times, the ingenuity and spirit of the American people has ushered in a new era of prosperity. Wednesday’s program will focus on John McCain’s plans to get our economy back on track and continue our long tradition of meeting the challenges we face and using our prosperity to help others. The day will conclude with an address by the vice presidential nominee.
Speakers will include:
• U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (MN)
• Meg Whitman, National Co-Chair for McCain 2008 & former President & CEO of eBay
• Carly Fiorina, Victory ‘08 RNC Chair & former Chairman & CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co.
• Former Gov. Mitt Romney (MA)
• Mrs. Cindy McCain
• Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA)
• Republican Party’s Vice Presidential Nominee

Thursday, Sept. 4 - Peace: "Our next president will have a mandate to build an enduring global peace on the foundations of freedom, security, opportunity, prosperity, and hope." --Sen. John McCain

John McCain understands the challenges that America faces in the world and the sacrifice necessary to defend our freedom in a way that few others can fathom. Thursday’s events will reflect his vision of an America in pursuit of peace and seen as a beacon of goodwill and hope throughout the world. The evening will close with John McCain accepting the Republican Party’s nomination for the Presidency of the United States.
Speakers will include:
• Gov. Tim Pawlenty (MN)
• Gov. Charlie Crist (FL)
• U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback (KS)
• U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (FL)
• Sen. John McCain (AZ)

In the coming days, the 2008 Republican National Convention will announce additional speakers and program details. The 2008 Republican National Convention will be held at Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center from Sept. 1-4, 2008. Approximately 45,000 delegates, alternate delegates, volunteers, members of the media and other guests are expected to attend the convention. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is expected to receive an estimated $150-$160 million positive economic boost from the four-day event. For more information about the 2008 Republican National Convention, please visit the RNC Convention 2008 website and join one or more of their social network sites on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

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Tags: Election 2008, 2008, Minnesota, Republican National Convention, RNC, St Paul To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Biden on Obama - Bloggers on Biden

From Joe Biden's own lips . . .


Fausta's blog quips: The announcement came at 3AM, so, was it meant to be a slap in the face for Hillary? Or to the newspapers, who missed their deadlines? Or to the Obama supporters, who weren’t the first to know? . ..

Fort Hard Knox sums up What bloggers are saying regarding Obama’s running mate…

Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey: It’s an admission that Obama’s inexperience has finally begun worrying voters, and not just Democratic power brokers. There really is no other way to see an addition of Biden to the ticket. … Now Obama, who supposedly represents a new brand of politics, has instead hitched his wagon to an old-time pol who has trouble coming up with his own words when he campaigns. That’s desperation, and what’s more, it’s obvious desperation. And in politics, just as in dating, desperation is not an aphrodisiac (HotAir.com, 8/23/2008)

Power Line’s Scott Johnson: Barack Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as his running mate is underwhelming for many reasons, but it affords an opportunity to review a few of the moments that might have provided all the embarrassment a normal person needs to escape from public life. (PowerLineBlog.com, 8/23/2008)

The Moderate Voice’s Jazz Shaw: At this point, Obama is fast becoming the only convincing argument I’ve seen in favor of gun control. He shoots himself in the foot so often that I’m shocked the man has any toes left. … Obama made his bones during this election cycle talking first about how Hillary Clinton lacked the judgment to get the Iraq war right. (She voted in
favor of the authorization to use military force in Iraq.) Barack later criticized John McCain for his support of the war (”getting it wrong”) and voiced his opposition to the surge. (Another place he had better “judgment” than McCain.) He has now selected a running mate who not only voted in favor of the war, but came out on McCain’s side in saying what a great idea the surge was. (TheModerateVoice.com, 8/23/2008)

The National Review’s Kathryn Jean Lopez: Question of the Day: How exactly is Biden “change”? (NationalReview.com, 8/23/2008)

RedState’s Erick Erickson: The One has chosen. … This is all about Obama. Joe’s just there for constitutionally required window dressing. (RedState.com, 8/23/2008)

The Weekly Standard’s Dean Barnett: The conventional wisdom regarding vice-presidential nominees is first do no harm. Given that Biden has been a garrulous gaffe machine for his lengthy political career (36 years in the senate, although it feels like longer), it would seem the potential for harm is great. … Also on the right, we’ll get to watch progressives feign
joy over Obama’s elevation of an Iraq war supporter who enjoys a cozy relationship with the credit card companies. (WeeklyStandard.com, 8/23/2008)

Townhall’s Hugh Hewitt: Obama represents the merger of two of the worst aspects of Democratic politics –’60s radicalism and corrupt Chicago machine politics. With the addition of Slow Joe Biden to the ticket, Obama has added to his unsteady candidacy an epic amount of Beltway cluelessness and arrogance unsupported by anything except frequent flier miles and Delaware’s love for a chuckle-headed fellow with a big smile. (Townhall.com, 8/23/2008)

Instapundit’s Glenn Reynolds: OBAMA PICKS BIDEN: So Much for Change? That’s unfair. He’s at least as fresh a face as Madeleine Albright. (Instapundit.com, 8/23/2008)

The National Review’s Jonah Goldberg: I think it is an outright terrible decision on Obama’s part to pick Biden. Yes, he helps balance Obama’s inexperience on foreign policy, but he also reminds people of it. Yes, Biden could conceivably be effective as an attack dog. But Biden is such a gasbag he makes the Hindenburg look like a sack of rocks. (NationalReview.com, 8/23/2008)

Townhall’s Amanda Carpenter: Joe voted for the Iraq war, just like Hillary and everybody else did. Obama bashed Hillary on this over and over again through the primaries and yet Obama picks a VP, based on his FP experience, who did the same? This doesn’t make sense. (Townhall.com, 8/23/2008)

Commentary’s Jennifer Rubin: Put simply: what happened to the themes of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign? A “no” vote on the Iraq war was the telltale sign of superior national security judgment. Experience doesn’t matter. A long senate career is useless in preparing one for leadership. All these are now officially inapplicable? Or is there some bizarre methodology by which one would reconcile these messages (and the candidacy of Obama) with the selection of Joe Biden? You got me. (CommentaryMagazine.com, 8/23/2008)

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Tags: Barack Obama, Democrats, Election 2008, Joe Biden, John McCain, Politics To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obamba-Ayers Annenberg Challenge Records Available Tuesday

Update on prior post: Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Influence On Barack Obama Records of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge that Obama chaired and Ayers co-founded will be made available to the public Tuesday, the University of Illinois at Chicago said in a statement. After spending $160 MILLION with NO measurable benefit to students, troubling questions may be answered: How close were Ayers and Obama? Where did the money go? See University of Illinois to release Obama records

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Tags: Annenberg Challenge, Barack Obama, Bill Ayers, influence, terrorist To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Woe Is Me, Said The Democrat

Debra Saunders, GOPUSA: In politics, everyone wants to be seen as a mudslinging virgin -- who, like King Lear, is "more sinned against than sinning." Toward that end, Democrats have crafted the conceit that Republicans are attack dogs, while Democratic candidates are not sufficiently ruthless. After years of calling President Bush every name in the book, the left nonetheless manages to see itself as the victim in the smear game. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama knows how to play to that conceit.

In a speech before a Veterans of Foreign Wars gathering in Florida on Tuesday, Obama went into woe-is-me mode as he responded to Republican candidate John McCain's criticism of Obama's opposition to the successful U.S. troop surge in Iraq. "One of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can't disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism," said Obama. "I have never suggested that Sen. McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it, because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America's national interest. Now, it's time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same." Poor baby. . . .

Oh, and while the Democratic National Committee produced a spot lampooning "Exxon John," ABC reported that Exxon Mobil Corp. execs have donated more money to Obama than McCain. On a conference call Wednesday, Obama surrogate Richard A. Clarke called McCain "reckless" and "trigger-happy," while surrogate Susan Rice attacked McCain's Karl Rove-style "gutter" politics. . . .

Hey, I'm game. In the play of politics, campaigns hurl accusations at each other, but only the good stuff sticks, and only then because something about the charge resonates with voters. . . . The left then whines that the right plays hardball, and the right excels at slinging mud -- blind to the fact that both sides have able mudslingers, but only one side has champion poor losers. . . . [Full article: Woe Is Me, Said The Democrat]

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Tags: Barack Obama, Debra Saunders, Democrat, Election 2008, GOPUSA, John McCain, mudslinging, Politics To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Pelosi & Reid Are Porkers of the Month

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) Porkers of the Month for leading a do-nothing Congress into a five-week recess. Of the 106 bills enacted since January, 94 -- or 89% -- were to name government buildings or lands, extend or make technical corrections to existing laws, or passed either by unanimous consent or with less than 10 dissenting votes. The dubious accomplishments include “Frank Sinatra Day,” “National Plumbing Industry Week,” and “National Day of the Cowboy.” In addition, the congressional leaders have deliberately ignored the October 1 deadline for passing the 12 annual appropriations bills. Only one of the bills has passed the House, and the House Appropriations Committee has approved only four others. In the Senate, the Appropriations Committee has approved nine, but none has reached the floor. The Speaker and Majority Leader appear to be awaiting the presidential election, hoping that the winner will favor higher spending and more earmarks. They had also wanted to avoid a vote on the moratorium on offshore oil drilling, which is typically renewed through the appropriations process, though they reversed course last week and said they would allow a vote. For leaving town after Congress has spent nearly all of its time on frivolous legislation and failing to address critical issues, CAGW names Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid the August 2008 Porkers of the Month. Read more about the Porker of the Month.

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Tags: CAGW, Citizens Against Government Waste, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, porker of the month To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Pelosi & Democrats Promote Sham Energy Proposal

Rep. Tom Cole, Chair NRCC: "While Nancy Pelosi is off on her cross-country tour trying to get her book moved off the New York Times' worst-seller list, voters are wondering why she and her fellow Democrats can't be bothered to address the issue of out of control fuel costs," said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the NRCC. (http://www.politickerca.com/)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat Majority are well into the third week of their paid five week vacation right now. And no, they aren't showing any signs of getting back to work before September to vote on an energy package that would increase the supply of American oil. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that kids are about to head back to school where they'll be paying more for lunch, studying from old textbooks and walking further to the bus stop - assuming their bus schedule hasn't been cancelled altogether - thanks to higher fuel prices.

This past Sunday, Pelosi proposed a sham of an energy proposal during her weekly radio address. And it was nothing short of an insult to the American people. Madam Speaker, who hails from California, refuses to allow Congress to vote on - or even debate - legislation that would open the Golden State to offshore drilling. But listen to this - even George Skelton, a left-of-center columnist for the Los Angeles Times, advocates opening up California to more drilling. He writes:

"California is the nation's biggest consumer of gasoline - 45 million gallons a day, plus 10 million gallons of diesel. That makes us the third-biggest petroleum-consuming entity in the world, behind on the United States and China. ... So there's a gusher of hypocrisy here: The state that is the biggest consumer of gasoline in the nation - but produces less than 40% of what it uses - is opposed to drilling for more oil off its shores. We're slackers not pulling our weight."

The long and short of it is that our nation is being held hostage by one woman from San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi, who opposes drilling for American oil off the shores of California.

The good news is that Republicans are winning the debate on energy. A recent Rasmussen Poll finds that 61% of Americans want Congress to get back to work immediately and lift the ban on offshore drilling. In terms of how they'll vote for Congress this year, 77% say offshore oil drilling is important. And 67% of Americans recognize Republicans - not Democrats - are pushing the drilling issue.

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Tags: Democrats, energy plan, Nancy Pelosi, NRCC, Tom Cole To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Influence On Barack Obama

Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers and his wife, fellow terrorist Bernardine Dohrn, have had a long term relationship with Barack Obama. Although this relationship is well known, the paper trail is being hidden even from the main stream press. H/T to Cynical Optimist for the following:

Bill Ayers in a known terrorist from the 60’s. He wasn’t just some random hippie that protested the war and got high. He blew stuff up. With bombs. He’s unrepentant even as of 2001 when he told the New York Times, “I don’t regret setting bombs; I feel we didn’t do enough.” From Wikipedia . . .

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, it happens that Barack Obama has had a long term relationship with Ayers and his wife. The key to the story is Obama’s stated position that Ayers is just a “guy who lives in my neighborhood,” when, actually, the relationship is much deeper than that. Ayers and his wife, fellow terrorist Bernardine Dohrn, held a campaign event for Obama in 1995 at the Ayers home. This is supposedly where they first met, but the record, at this point, isn’t clear. At the time of this meeting Obama was already the chairman of a foundation, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which Ayers had formed. Obama served as chairman of the board for three years and continued as a member until the foundation was closed in 2001.

They also served together on the board of Woods Fund, another foundation. Obama was a director of the board from 1999 to Dec. 11, 2002. Ayers is still a member. This organization provided a $40,000 grant to the Arab American Action Network in 2001, with a second grant of $35,000 in 2002. This organization was co-founded by Rashid Khalidi, an Arab who has made statements supportive of Palestinian terror and reportedly has worked on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization while it was involved in anti-Western terrorism and was labeled by the State Department as a terror group. Khalidi also held at least one fundraiser for Obama. Source

Additionally, Ayers and Obama served together on panels together at numerous speaking events throughout the years. There are records which may reveal additional details of the relationship but they are being suppressed. As the Associated Press reported yesterday: Source . . .

So, it’s apparent that Ayers is not just a “guy who lives in my neighborhood.” Obama’s attempts to minimize this relationship are disturbing and calls into question his truthfulness on the matter. The suppression of the records, even if only temporarily while they are cleansed, is equally disturbing. Combine all that with Obama’s relationships with other radicals, such as his Pastor Rev. Wright, Communist Party member Frank Marshall Davis and who knows who else, and we are left with a lot of questions which need to be answered. Questions which Barack Obama doesn’t want to answer.

See also: Chicago Annenberg Challenge Shutdown? ; Documents in Danger & Who is Bill Ayers? (Chicago Sun Times)

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Tags: Annenberg Challenge, Barack Obama, Bill Ayers, influence, terrorist To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Democrats Are More Ethical

A fellow Arkansan, sent us this tidbit today:

I believe the democrats have suddenly developed a keen sense of morality.

John Edwards has been banned from making a speech at the democratic convention for having an affair and lying about it.

In his place Bill Clinton will be speaking.

P.S.: Bill Clinton, AKA Billy Blythe, knew how to keep his affairs in order.

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Tags: Bill Clinton, Democrat National Convention, John Edwards, morality, political humor To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Care Enough to Send the Very Worst

Tony Perkins, FRC Action Update: Hallmark, a privately owned company and the biggest name in greeting cards, is releasing same-sex marriage cards. This latest marketing venture comes despite the fact that homosexual "marriage" has only been imposed by the courts in two states. The cards include two tuxedos on the front or two hearts intertwined. The company made the controversial decision to begin releasing the cards, despite the fact that a vast majority of Americans support traditional marriage as between one man and one woman. We can only wonder whether the company, which also owns the Hallmark Channel that defines itself as "the quintessential 24-hour television destination for family-friendly programming and a leader in the production of original movies," will try to push this new view of "family values" through its television broadcasting. We shouldn't be totally surprised by this latest move. Last year, Hallmark started offering "coming out" cards for homosexuals to announce their sexual orientation to their family and friends. Placing profits over character should never be a good business decision. This is far from being "the Very Best" and I suggest you contact Hallmark and let them know that when it comes to greeting cards you are considering the rest. Take Action Now Contact Hallmark See also: Now on the Hallmark aisle: Gay marriage cards

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Tags: action alert, FRC, gay marriage, greeting cards, Hallmark, Tony Perkins To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Time to Repeat -- Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less!

Dave Ryan, President, American Solutions: This is a critical moment in the energy debate. The anti-energy elites are on the run and we must seize this opportunity. The Democratic and Republican conventions are just days away and we need your help to impact the energy debate in a big way. With all the news media and national attention on both conventions, it's time to show the strength of our grassroots movement.

To do that, we've set a goal of bringing 2 million "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition signatures to both national conventions. We're at nearly 1.5 million signatures and we urgently need your help in the next couple days to reach our goal and send a powerful message to both political parties that it's time to produce more American-made energy now. . . .

ARRA Editor: If you have signed the petition, take a moment to email this post or the link to this post to several of your friends and urge them ask them to sign the American Solutions "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition. If you haven't signed, come on -- do you want cheaper gas an increased independence from Middle eastern oil -- sign the petition!

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Tags: American Solutions, drill here, drill now, oil drilling, petitions To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

John McCain Gains Strength in Polls

Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: A Zogby poll released today depicts John McCain leading Barack Obama among likely voters by 46 to 41% which removes the prior month's seven-point advantage for Obama. Also, a Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll that gave Mr Obama a 12-point lead in June found that the McCain and Obama were statistically tied. RealClearPolitics average of polls has McCain trailing by less than 2% and in today's electoral college match up with no toss-up states has McCain winning the electoral votes for the first time (see image)

American voters will soon be focusing on the DNC 2008 in Denver and Obama's selection of his vice presidential running mate. McCain is expected to select his vice presidential running mate immediately after the DNC and American voters will then shift their focus to the RNC 2008 in St Paul. Therefore, we can expect the polls to flex a lot in the coming days. However, the current polling results may evidence that Americans have taken notice of Obama's significance lack of experience which calls into question his ability to address national and global issues. They may be admitting that novelty is not necessarily a better choice over proven experience.

Voters have noted McCain's ability to address critical issues and to take clear positions while having a willingness to adapt over time to changes in positions due to changing national or global needs. Most likely voters are sharing with pollsters that McCain would be the better choice for president of the United States for the next four years. Obviously, the candidates' choices of their vice presidential running mates will be critically evaluated by voters. But, vice presidents are NOT presidents but presidents in waiting. And, America has proven in the past its willingness to select someone other that a former vice president or even former president to be their next president of the United States.

Many Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, did not like former president "give 'em hell" Harry Truman. However, they knew that Truman understood that he was responsible for the leadership of America and for making difficult decisions unthinkable to them. As Truman said, the "Buck Stops Here." He understood his leadership responsibility. Whereas, the recent words by Sen. Obama that some issues are "above his pay grade" evidences that he is not ready to lead with competence and convictions and may be easily swayed by politics and others when America needs a man of conviction. Hopefully, American is awakening from a period of game show electioneering picking the next "American Idol" to electing the best person to lead and protect America as the President of the Unites States.

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Tags: Barack Obama, Election 2008, John Mccain, polling, Zogby poll To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Time for Humor - LOL Bush Olympics

Hat tip to Beth at Blue Star Chronicles:

There’s so much to love about President George W. Bush. I’ve enjoyed watching him having a blast at the Olympics and mixing and mingling with American athletes. It's obvious he’s having fun and it's obvious the Americans there are enjoying him as well. Some of the photos coming from there have been hilarious. When you have a camera trained on you 24/7, you are going to get some very good and very bad pictures. The ones of him with the beach volleyball players were really hilarious. He looked like he was having a blast while being VERY careful to keep his hands and eyes in the right places. He knows he’s a man under constant scrutiny and didn’t make a single misstep in terms of all those athletic women in bikinis! Bravo!

So, someone started collecting LOL Bush photos from the Olympics and Fausta sent along the link. How much fun is that? I love it. Here are some of them for your viewing pleasure -- We’re going to miss W. when he’s not in office anymore! . . .

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Tags: humor, Olympics, President George Bush To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

It’s “above my pay grade"

An interesting read appeared in the Boston Herald by Michael Graham:

"Well, uh, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or, uh, a scientific perspective, uh, answering that question with specificity, uh, you know, is, is, uh, above my pay grade.” - Sen. Barack Obama, on “When does a baby get human rights?”

In 1948, they had Harry Truman and “The buck stops here!” In 2008, they’ve got Barack Obama and it’s “above my pay grade.” This is definitely not your grandfather’s Democratic Party. Certainly not mine . . . .

Watching Obama with the Rev. Rick Warren this past weekend, answering questions - or, more accurately, not answering - about his most basic beliefs was simply embarrassing. Obama supports partial-birth abortion and voted against the “Born Alive Infant Protection Act.” When he got the invitation to an evangelical forum hosted by a pro-life pastor, he had to know that issues regarding life and the law were going to come up. And his prepared answer to the most fundamental question about public policy and abortion (“is the fetus a human being?”) is that it’s “above my pay grade?”

There are certain sentences that should never appear on the lips of the Leader of the Free World. “That Vladimir Putin, what a great guy!” is one of them. “I did not have sex with that woman” is another. But on the very top of the list of statements about our nation’s laws that should never be spoken by a guy whose job it is to sit next to the Big, Red Button is “That’s above my pay grade.” . . .

Leaders don’t pass tough questions to the next “pay grade.” They don’t need five minutes to answer yes-or-no questions about the surge or Russia’s invasion of a democratic neighbor.

Politicians flip-flop on taxes and FISA and the Second Amendment to meet the political needs of the moment. They try to explain away the votes they’ve already cast, like Obama’s extreme pro-abortion voting record. Or they courageously cast 130 non-votes of “present” in the Illinois legislature and pass the buck that way.

That’s not leadership, that’s politics. And Barack Obama is 100 percent pure politician. He is certainly no Harry Truman. . . . [‘Pay grade’ unartful dodge]

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Tags: Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Election 2008, Harry Truman, Rick Warren To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The Second American Revolution

Thomas Paine, author of "Common Sense,"... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit and bookmark the following link to help you Contact your US Senators or your US Representatives!

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Tags: America, American Revolution, Common Sense, Representative, Senator, Thomas Paine, US Congress, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Saddelback - Even Hillary & Bill Clinton are Smiling

Hat Tip to Big Dog for the following: Barack Obama once famously announced he would debate John McCain anytime, anywhere. We found out that was untrue 75 days ago when John McCain invited The One to participate in 10 town Hall type debates. Obama agreed to one on the Fourth of July when no one would be interested and has avoided any other mention of the subject. The recent presidential forum at Saddleback church in California hosted by Rick Warren demonstrated why Obama is avoiding any more debates than he absolutely has to attend. He is not well informed, he is not well prepared and he got his head handed to him on a platter.

Obama took some risk in this type of venue because this is not the typical liberal base. Liberals believe in immoral things that fundamental Christians oppose and given Obama’s position on murdering children in the womb and after they are born it is safe to say he was entering a place where he was out of his comfort zone. Of course, any place where Obama is without prepared text and a teleprompter is out of his comfort zone.

The sainted one went first and he stumbled over questions by searching for the right answer. He could not avoid stating his positions that are well known but he searched for nuanced ways to make them a softer sell. His appearance was off balance, awkward and disastrous. John McCain, on the other hand, gave immediate answers and was well prepared. He answered from the heart based upon decades of experience and his replies were genuine. He did not have to fumble around looking for the “right” answer because he gave sincere answers. He made Obama look like the amateur that he is.

It is obvious that the Obama camp knew right away that their messiah had done poorly. The campaign accused John McCain of not being sequestered and therefore being able to hear the questions beforehand. This is not true as McCain was in a motorcade in route to the event and then in a green room that had no feed of the broadcast. The Obama camp had to claim McCain cheated because they exclaimed that he was so well prepared. He was so at ease. He must have heard the questions because no one can answer that smoothly and confidently. Only he did.

After the Obama camp made the accusations of cheating, Andrea Mitchell of NBC carried the water for them. She said that McCain was crisp, immediate, and forceful and that Obama did not do as well as his camp had wanted and then she said; “…what they’re putting out privately is that McCain may not have been in the cone of silence and may have had some ability to overhear what the questions were to Obama.”

Leave it to Andrea to fan the flames of rumor and unsubstantiated claims in order to assist The One. A real journalist would have investigated the claims in order to ascertain the truth and then reported it. Mitchell took the short cut in order to help Obama spread doubt about McCain. As a commenter on Wizbang pointed out, this is the way to help Obama in the real debates. They will give him the questions in advance so he can rehearse answers and then if McCain accuses him of cheating they will yell sour grapes and that he was the one who cheated. It is a ploy that involves the media wing of the Democratic party. . . .

It is obvious why Obama will not debate McCain in Town Hall type events and why he will participate only in as many debates as he absolutely has to. McCain has much more experience and looks more presidential than Obama does. Obama will give a great speech in Denver because he will be reading prepared remarks from a teleprompter. Force him to answer based upon experience and knowledge and he flounders like a fish out of water.

One can only parrot Yes We Can [Thanks AOW] and scream Hope and Change for so long before the truth is exposed. Obama would have done better to start late so people did not have as much time to see his weaknesses. He will be played out by the time the election comes. iven that Investor’s Business Daily said Saddleback was “No Contest” Obama and his people must be fretting the post convention debates. I can smell the fear and their reaction to Saddleback only demonstrates just how afraid they are. It won’t be long before they realize the Emperor has no clothes. I bet even Hillary and Bill Clinton are smiling today… [No wonder Obama will not debate]

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Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Election 2008, forum, Hillary Clinton, John Mccain, media bias, Saddleback Church To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama on Justice Clarence Thomas

Hat Tip to the National Black Republican Association: "The below article exposes how readily Senator Obama promotes the Democratic Party's hate of black Republicans." The Wall Street Journal, Review & Outlook: Barack Obama likes to portray himself as a centrist politician who wants to unite the country, but occasionally his postpartisan mask slips. That was the case at Saturday night's Saddleback Church forum, when Mr. Obama chose to demean Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Pastor Rick Warren asked each Presidential candidate which Justices he would not have nominated. Mr. McCain said, "with all due respect" the four most liberal sitting Justices because of his different judicial philosophy.

Mr. Obama took a lower road, replying first that "that's a good one," and then adding that "I would not have nominated Clarence Thomas. I don't think that he, I don't think that he was a strong enough jurist or legal thinker at the time for that elevation. Setting aside the fact that I profoundly disagree with his interpretation of a lot of the Constitution." The Democrat added that he also wouldn't have appointed Antonin Scalia, and perhaps not John Roberts, though he assured the audience that at least they were smart enough for the job.

So let's see. By the time he was nominated, Clarence Thomas had worked in the Missouri Attorney General's office, served as an Assistant Secretary of Education, run the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and sat for a year on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the nation's second most prominent court. Since his "elevation" to the High Court in 1991, he has also shown himself to be a principled and scholarly jurist.

Meanwhile, as he bids to be America's Commander in Chief, Mr. Obama isn't yet four years out of the Illinois state Senate, has never held a hearing of note of his U.S. Senate subcommittee, and had an unremarkable record as both a "community organizer" and law school lecturer. Justice Thomas's judicial credentials compare favorably to Mr. Obama's Presidential résumé by any measure. And when it comes to rising from difficult circumstances, Justice Thomas's rural Georgian upbringing makes Mr. Obama's story look like easy street.

Even more troubling is what the Illinois Democrat's answer betrays about his political habits of mind. Asked a question he didn't expect at a rare unscripted event, the rookie candidate didn't merely say he disagreed with Justice Thomas. Instead, he instinctively reverted to the leftwing cliché that the Court's black conservative isn't up to the job while his white conservative colleagues are. So much for civility in politics and bringing people together. And no wonder Mr. Obama's advisers have refused invitations for more such open forums, preferring to keep him in front of a teleprompter, where he won't let slip what he really believes.

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Tags: Barack Obama, Clarence Thomas, Election 2008, Rick Warren, Supreme Court, Saddleback Church, National Black Republican Association To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

"In God We Trust" Poll Still Getting Hits for MSNBC

MSNBC is still running their poll on should 'In God We Trust' stay on our American currency. It was initiated based on 2005 story [Pledge of Allegiance foe Newdow sues to remove motto from U.S. currency]. MSNBC evidently has noted the poll remains a good source for visitors to their site and still affords them the opportunity for more advertising. Heck, I am even writing about it. To cast your vote, visit MSNBC poll before MSNBC takes this off the web page. As of this post, not quite 3 years after it started, even with the anti-God crowd refreshing their browsers or clearing their computer cashe and re-voting, 65% still says leave In God We Trust alone. When the poll first started running the results were 85%. I guess it is time for the pro-God people to vote again! The unscientific results as of today are as follows:

Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. currency? 3914854 responses

Yes. It's a violation of the principle of separation of church and state. 35%

No. The motto has historical and patriotic significance and does nothing to establish a state religion. 65%

For the 35%, have you ever truly studied the history of the United States? Where in the U.S Constitution is the "principle of separation of church and state"? For those who actually believe there is no God, the "real" atheists, why would you even care? If an atheist doesn't believe in God then they must see the majority as delusional in their belief in a non-existent God. If so, why are they so intent on attacking the beliefs of the majority? Are they trying to save the majority from our disillusionment? It seems they "dost protest to much." Maybe they are not really atheists but are in fact believers / worshipers of an anti-God and / or Godless beliefs to which they hope all mankind to be converted. History has shown us Marxism - or even cults like Nazism - that seeks converts by having them first reject their belief in God.

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Tags: atheism, currency money, God, In God We Trust, liberalism, MSNBC, poll To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Babies' Rights & the Definition of Marriage

by Jennifer Mesko, Editor, CitizenLink: Values voters should look closely at what the presidential candidates had to say on the issues that matter. Leading up to Saturday's Civil Forum on the Presidency at Saddleback Church, the Rev. Rick Warren said he would address "issues that are bridging divides in our nation, such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, climate and human rights.” Family advocates wondered if Warren also would ask Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain about abortion and marriage. He did. . . .

Here's a recap:
Warren: "At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?"
Obama: "Answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade." . . .
Obama continued: "I am pro-choice. I believe in Roe v. Wade and come to that conclusion not because I'm pro-abortion, but because ultimately I don't think women make these decisions casually. They wrestle with these things in profound ways." Obama went on to say that when life begins apparently is not up for discussion: "If you believe that life begins at conception, and you are consistent in that belief, then I can't argue with you on that because that is a core issue of faith for you." . . .

Warren: "Define marriage."
Obama: "I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now for me as a Christian, it's also a sacred union. God's in the mix." Obama went on to say that while he doesn't "promote" same-sex "marriage," he does support civil unions. He opposes a federal constitutional amendment to protect marriage. . . .

Warren: "At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?"
McCain: "At the moment of conception. I have a 25-year pro-life record in the Congress, in the Senate. I will be a pro-life president, and this presidency will have pro-life policies. That's my commitment to you." . . .

Warren: Define marriage.
McCain: A union between one man and one woman.
McCain went on to say he believes the California Supreme Court overstepped its bounds this year when it struck down state law and legalized same-sex "marriage." He expressed support for the marriage-protection amendment on the ballot in his home state of Arizona, though he has not supported a federal marriage amendment. . . . [See: Babies' Rights and the Definition of Marriage & Complete Transcript]

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Tags: Barack Obama, John McCain, Rick Warren, Saddleback Church To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Imagine…

Leo Pusateri: With a major Presidential hopeful openly pining for one-world socialism, and the prospect of encroaching socialism moving ever more mainstream, it would appear that John Lennon’s dream in his protest song, Imagine, is much closer to fruition this day and age. So, with conservatism becoming the new counter-culture, I offer a protest song for the 21st century.

Imagine, for the 21st Century (without apology to John Lennon)

Imagine there’re no Liberals
It’s easy if you try
No welfare state to enslave us
Or taxing us to the sky…
Imagine all the people
Keeping their own wealth…
Imagine we have a country…
It isn’t hard to do
One that we’ll defend and die for..
And secure our borders, too
Imagine all the people Living life secure…
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And our nation will be as one.
Imagine no class envy…
I wonder if you can
Opportunity for everyone..
From fetus unto man
Imagine all the people
Living the American Dream.. ah-haaa-ah!
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll be conservative
And our nation will live as one.

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Tags: American Dream, conservatives, counter-culture, Defending America, Imagine, protests To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The New Toyota

H/T to Stix: Also saves on the processing of corn for ethanol.
SAVE GAS WITH TOYOTA ‘S NEW ‘HIGH-BRED’ TRUCK

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Tags: humor, Stix, Toyota To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Liberals are meaner, cheaper, more willing to steal!

Warner Todd Huston has reviewed the work of a new book, Makers and Takers, by Peter Schweizer, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. Todd says the new book "is sure to drive the loony left, well, even loonier." "Schweizer tells us 'why conservatives work harder, feel happier, have closer families, take fewer drugs, give more generously, value honesty more, are less materialistic' than lefties in America."

Huston reports that Peter Schweizer has dug deep–through tax documents, scholarly data, primary opinion research surveys, and private records–and has discovered . . .

• Liberals are more self-centered than conservatives.
• Conservatives are more generous and charitable than liberals.
• Liberals are more envious and less hardworking than conservatives.
• Conservatives value truth more than liberals, and are less prone to cheating and lying.
• Liberals are more angry than conservatives.
• Conservatives are actually more knowledgeable than liberals.
• Liberals are more dissatisfied and unhappy than conservatives.

Huston also reviewed Schweizer's website and noted:

• Seventy-one percent of conservatives say you have an obligation to care for a seriously injured spouse or parent versus less than half (46 percent) of liberals.
• Conservatives have a better work ethic and are much less likely to call in sick than their liberal counterparts.
• Liberals are 2_ times more likely to be resentful of others’ success and 50 percent more likely to be jealous of other people’s good luck.
• Liberals are 2 times more likely to say it is okay to cheat the government out of welfare money you don’t deserve.
• Conservatives are more likely than liberals to hug their children and “significantly more likely” to display positive nurturing emotions.
Liberals are less trusting of family members and much less likely to stay in touch with their parents.
• Do you get satisfaction from putting someone else’s happiness ahead of your own? Fifty-five percent of conservatives said yes versus only 20 percent of liberals.
• Rush Limbaugh, Ronald Reagan, Bill O’Reilly and Dick Cheney have given large sums of money to people in need, while Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Michael Moore, and Al Gore have not.
• Those who are “very liberal” are 3 times more likely than conservatives to throw things when they get angry.

Huston concludes: Schweizer argues that the failure lies in modern liberal ideas, which foster a self-centered, “if it feels good do it” attitude that leads liberals to outsource their responsibilities to the government and focus instead on themselves and their own desires. Read Huston's Review: Liberals are meaner, cheaper, more willing to steal than Conservatives

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Tags: conservatives, liberal news, liberals, media bias, Makers and Takers, Peter Schweizer, Warner Todd Huston To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The Democrats' Missing History

by Jeffrey Lord, The Wall Street Journal: As Democrats prepare to nominate Sen. Barack Obama to be the first black president, the Democratic National Committee and its chairman, Howard Dean, have whitewashed the party's horrific and lengthy record of racism. The omission is in the section of the DNC Web site that describes the party's history. The missing history raises the obvious question of whether the Democrats, unable or simply unwilling to put their party on record as taking direct responsibility for one of the worst racial crimes of the ages, will be able to run a campaign free of the racial animosities it has regularly brought both to American presidential campaigns and American political and social life in general.

What else to make of the official party history as presented by the DNC on its Web site? It is a history so sanitized of historical reality it makes Stalin look like David McCullough. The DNC Web site section labeled "Party History," linked here, is in fact scrubbed clean of the not-so-little dirty secret that fueled Democrats' political successes for over a century and a half and made American life a hell on earth for black Americans. . . . In a stroke, 52 years of Democratic history vanishes. Disappeared faster than the truth in the Clinton administration. Why would this be? Allow me to sketch in a few facts from those missing 52 years. . . . So what's missing?

• There is no reference to the number of Democratic Party platforms supporting slavery. There were six from 1840 through 1860.
• There is no reference to the number of Democratic presidents who owned slaves. There were seven from 1800 through 1861
• There is no reference to the number of Democratic Party platforms that either supported segregation outright or were silent on the subject. There were 20, from 1868 through 1948.
• There is no reference to "Jim Crow" as in "Jim Crow laws," nor is there reference to the role Democrats played in creating them. These were the post-Civil War laws passed enthusiastically by Democrats in that pesky 52-year part of the DNC's missing years. These laws segregated public schools, public transportation, restaurants, rest rooms and public places in general (everything from water coolers to beaches). The reason Rosa Parks became famous is that she sat in the "whites only" front section of a bus, the "whites only" designation the direct result of Democrats.
• There is no reference to the formation of the Ku Klux Klan, which, according to Columbia University historian Eric Foner, became "a military force serving the interests of the Democratic Party." Nor is there reference to University of North Carolina historian Allen Trelease's description of the Klan as the "terrorist arm of the Democratic Party."
• There is no reference to the fact Democrats opposed the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution. The 13th banned slavery. The 14th effectively overturned the infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision (made by Democratic pro-slavery Supreme Court justices) by guaranteeing due process and equal protection to former slaves. The 15th gave black Americans the right to vote.
• There is no reference to the fact that Democrats opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1866. It was passed by the Republican Congress over the veto of President Andrew Johnson, who had been a Democrat before joining Lincoln's ticket in 1864. The law was designed to provide blacks with the right to own private property, sign contracts, sue and serve as witnesses in a legal proceeding.
• There is no reference to the Democrats' opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1875. It was passed by a Republican Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses Grant. The law prohibited racial discrimination in public places and public accommodations.
• There is no reference to the Democrats' 1904 platform, which devotes a section to "Sectional and Racial Agitation," claiming the GOP's protests against segregation and the denial of voting rights to blacks sought to "revive the dead and hateful race and sectional animosities in any part of our common country," which in turn "means confusion, distraction of business, and the reopening of wounds now happily healed."
• There is no reference to four Democratic platforms, 1908-20, that are silent on blacks, segregation, lynching and voting rights as racial problems in the country mount. By contrast the GOP platforms of those years specifically address "Rights of the Negro" (1908), oppose lynching (in 1912, 1920, 1924, 1928) and, as the New Deal kicks in, speak out about the dangers of making blacks "wards of the state."
• There is no reference to the Democratic Convention of 1924, known to history as the "Klanbake." The 103-ballot convention was held in Madison Square Garden. Hundreds of delegates were members of the Ku Klux Klan, the Klan so powerful that a plank condemning Klan violence was defeated outright. To celebrate, the Klan staged a rally with 10,000 hooded Klansmen in a field in New Jersey directly across the Hudson from the site of the convention. Attended by hundreds of cheering convention delegates, the rally featured burning crosses and calls for violence against African-Americans and Catholics.
• There is no reference to the fact that it was Democrats who segregated the federal government, at the direction of President Woodrow Wilson upon taking office in 1913. There \is a reference to the fact that President Harry Truman integrated the military after World War II.
• There is reference to the fact that Democrats created the Federal Reserve Board, passed labor and child welfare laws, and created Social Security . . . as the result of an agreement to ignore segregation and the lynching of blacks. Neither is there a reference to the thousands of local officials, state legislators, state governors, U.S. congressmen and U.S. senators who were elected as supporters of slavery and then segregation between 1800 and 1965. Nor is there reference to the deal with the devil that left segregation and lynching as a way of life in return for election support for three post-Civil War Democratic presidents, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt.
• There is no reference that three-fourths of the opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Bill in the U.S. House came from Democrats, or that 80% of the "nay" vote in the Senate came from Democrats. Certainly there is no reference to the fact that the opposition included future Democratic Senate leader Robert Byrd of West Virginia (a former Klan member) and Tennessee Senator Albert Gore Sr., father of Vice President Al Gore.
• Last but certainly not least, there is no reference to the fact that Birmingham, Ala., Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor, who infamously unleashed dogs and fire hoses on civil rights protestors, was in fact--yes indeed--a member of both the Democratic National Committee and the Ku Klux Klan.

. . . The Democrats are poised to nominate a black man for president of the United States. But will they apologize for slavery? . . . Do they have the guts to publicly admit what serious history records of their deeds? Are they capable of running a campaign without playing the race card as they have played it for the better part of two centuries? Can they even escape the race psychology that has indelibly branded them as America's Party of Race? Or, when it comes to their own responsibility for race relations in America, will they order up more of what, under the circumstances, is a very appropriate word for the DNC website? Whitewash. [Complete Article: The Democrats' Missing History]

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Tags: Democrat Platform, Democratic Party, Democrats, History, KKK, slavery To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!