Blagojevich and Jones share “Toad” award

A civic group with which I am associated, the Public Policy Caucuses, recently presented one of you dubious honor awards to Governor Rod Blagojevich and Senate President Emil Jones. I thought I would share the press release with you incase you missed the extensive coverage in the press.

Tammany Toad Award to Governor Blagojevich and Senator Jones

The Public Policy Caucuses has presented its dubious honor recognition, the Tammany Toad Award, to Governor Rod Blagojevich and Illinois Senate President Emil Jones. According to PPC President Larry Horist, the award is presented to public officials “for extraordinary disservice to the American political system and the tax-paying public.”

Horist said Blagojevich earned the derision of the public for abusing the line-item veto to slash almost $500 million dollars from the state budget, passed by the legislature, in order to fund his unlegislated and unauthorized healthcare plans.

“His action will result in a needless, prolonged and expensive legal battle that will in all likelihood support the overwhelming opinion that the money grabbing veto is not only brazen and contemptible, but unconstitutional. The Governor demonstrates a total lack of appreciation for the legislative process and an arrogance of action that is usually reserved for despots,” Horist charged. In what Horist described as “particularly egregious political crassness,” the governor appeared to target pet projects of his political enemies. “He is using his public office to engage in political warfare,” Horist added.

Jones shares the award for his support of the Governor’s scheme, promising to prevent an override of the veto in the Illinois Senate even though he concedes that the re-appropriation of the funds is probably unconstitutional. Horist said that the award for Jones is based solely on this issue. However, he added, “it appears the Governor is on his way to a life time achievement award in this category.”

-30-

I feel very badly about this. So, I hereby apologize to all the pond-dwelling toads for any slander I may have committed by associating them with the recipients of this award.

REACT: You can’t “fix” the CTA with money

Governor Blagojevich has another “Dumbo” scheme to get money to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). I hate to tell Rod, but you cannot really affix wings to an elephant and make it fly.

The governor’s so-called $24 million “bailout” is supposed to prevent the CTA from making highly publicized (read that as politically harmful) cuts in service and increases in fares.

The problem is, it is not a bailout at all. The plan merely advances or loans money from next year’s budget subsidy from the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to cover the current shortage. This means the fix is a borrowed-band-aid to cover a cancer.

It does not take a rocket scientist or a corporate accountant to figure out that the scheme will only create a $24 million problem for next year’s budget.

There is only one possible fix, but it is something for which government agencies have no talent. It requires cutting fat out of the budget and streamlining operations. It means using technology to reduce payroll. Increasing ridership. The system has to be made to run more efficiently. Yes, more service for less money. Not only is that possible, it is the ONLY way to solve the problem.

Financial “fixes” and “bailouts” are like narcotics. They alleviate the current pain with the foolish belief that some how the dependency and destructiveness will be miraculously resolved in the future In fact, the future problem will be worse.

The governor would believe that the laws of economics can be ignored like Disney’s elephant ignored the laws of physics. The only difference is that Dumbo is a cartoon, and Blago is a joke – a bad one.

REACT: What’s next? An eleven-inch ruler

If you do not believe government bureaucrats exist in a nether world of surrealism, then consider this.

The new contract between the Chicago public schools and the teachers’ union shortens the school year by approximately two weeks – essentially knocking off the June weeks.

At a time when America is losing the educational edge to the populous “backward” nations like China and India, the pressure is on to expand the school year. The most progressive education advocates talk of year-round schooling. Not only is this an educational advantage, but in today’s society, full time schooling conforms better to the career life of two-income families. The traditional school schedule is predicated on the anachronistic requirement to have the kids home for the summer farm chores.

Now cometh the Chicago Teachers’ Union and their cronies at the Board of Education. They have an explanation as to why less time at more money is better for the children – and the taxpayer.

This ought to get a really good belly laugh out of you.

By adding a marginal 15 minutes to each school day, the students will receive greater educational benefit than those two weeks on the eve of summer vacation. So, school administrator, Arne Duncan, suggests -- with a straight face and I suspect crossed fingers – that the public school kids will get better quality time out of those few additional moments a day than two weeks of full time tutoring.

He proffers the idea that those two pesky weeks in June are really rather useless – not a lot of good quality education going on. After all, the kids are daydreaming of summer plans and the teachers are suffering from a form of “exit attitude.” Duncan does not explain why this same form of psychological meltdown would not occur in the last two weeks of May.

Also, the logic that a few minutes at the fudgey end of a school day can be equated with several full days of academic requirement is lost on me. How does that work? You add three minutes to each class? If you do the math, even those silly add-on minutes do not compensate for all the lost time.

(Hey, this gives me an idea. I am going to have my family add ten minutes to each meal, and then completely skip eating for a month or two.)

Furthermore, how professional are our Chicago teachers if they simply “lose it” when the weather warms up? My children were blessed with suburban public school educations or, in one case, a private school education. I do not recall a similar seasonal dysfunction in those institutions. Just this past June, we noted that our son’s teachers were pedal-to-the-metal within 24 hours of the close of the school year. It would appear the year-end malady is unique to Chicago public schools.

Basically, the new contact deal is grounded in the same philosophy that has produced all the old deals. It is very simple. The union fights for more money and less work – the children be damned.

Arguably, the group most responsible for the shameful and tragic decline of the Chicago school system is the union. With the complicity of weak or duplicitous administrators and cohort politicians, the union has been able to rape the public treasury of every well-intentioned new dollar the taxpayers coughed up. It is not about funding education. It is about funding union demands, and the political clout of billions of dollars in expenditures and pension investments – and those millions in campaign contributions.

As a person who was involved in several contract negotiations for both the Chicago and Detroit boards of education, I will tell without fear of refutation: I have never seen a time where the school unions placed the welfare of the student in the classroom above the narrow demands designed to strengthen the union. Never.

I like to remind people that the teachers’ union is not an educational institution. It is a private membership organization. Greater membership, more dues and growing pension funds are their objective. The public treasury is the means. Education is just the vehicle.

Once again, the school children of Chicago will be harmed for the sake of union peace – at any price.

LMAO: Russia produces politically correct bomb

The Russians, legendary inventors of almost everything, have developed the most powerful non-atomic bomb ever. A literal blockbuster. One of the bomb’s advantages, according to the Russian news announcement, is that IT WILL DO NO HARM TO THE ENVIRONMENT. That opinion might not be shared by the flora and fauna that once existed in the moon-like crater produced by “Big Boris.”

Anyway, I thought you would be happy to know that warfare is going green. In fact, the bomb is even painted environmentalist green. Nice touch. Oh yeah! For those of you not at full mental power-up at the moment, I feel obligated to disclose that my super graphics guy, Xiong, used computer magic to make the explosion green -- just for the fun of it.

OBSERVATION: Labour Loves Lost

While I owe the title of this blog item to Shakespeare -- well, at least a bastardization of his “Love’s Labour Lost” -- the subject is quite different from the Bard’s.

The week following our Labor Day celebration, I am still reading stories about the importance of unions … the need for unions… the power of unions … etc.

The power of unions depends entirely on the definition. In terms of real political power, they are paper tigers often claiming victories that are more coincidental than contrived. On the other hand, it is fair to say that they do exercise more power than their numbers and place in society deserves.

At this writing, they represent less than 12 percent of the American work force – and they continue to lose ground in the private sector. The only place where there is true union growth and excessive power is in the public sector. The dangerously powerful American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees union is a threat to the democratic process. It is the vehicle that assures the continued growth and unaccountable power of the Fourth Branch of our government – the bureaucracy.

Many see unionism as a borderless expanse that covers both the private and public sectors. This is not the case. The issues that separate the public and private sectors on the business side generally apply at least as much to the union side.

Private sector unionism in America is a dying enterprise. This is due to the fact that American workers are treated pretty damn well, by world and historic standards. Credit trade unionism for the improvement, if you like. I will not counter the argument. But like the buggy whip, it has lost much of its purpose in modern society.

Only in the public sector, were “management” is the political Siamese twin of “labor,” is there growth. As special consultant to the Chicago and Detroit boards of education, I experienced the neutering effect of having union member sitting on the “management” board and public officials beholding to the raw power of union money and precinct workers. To this day, schools flounder under union dictate contract provisions and excessive union influence in policy and operations. It is no accident that the deterioration of the urban school systems tracks perfectly with the rise of union influence.

We need to look at unionism in two ways and with two responses. For the private sector, we should treat them to benign neglect. Despite the bellow of labor leaders, such as the ALF-CIO’s John Sweeney, they are more like the Wizard of Oz, attempting to enlarge their “roar” by public relations trickery.

Public sector unionism is a whole ‘nother game. The power of unions to shut down critical government services is a threat to the democracy. Because government is susceptible to acquiring of inordinate power, it is critical to prevent any all-powerful union to “control” our public sector.

If ever a group of workers did not need representation, it is government workers. Without union solidarity, they already created tenure, high wages, primo benefits and cushy retirement plans.

Personally, if I had my magic wand, I would make all public sector unions disappear – and outlaw strikes against the taxpaying public. A free society cannot endure the oppression of institutional power groups. Ronald Reagan was right. Air traffic controllers should not be afforded the right to shut down the world aviation system. There is not a teacher strike in America that EVER helped students. Police and firefighters, noble as is their profession, cannot be allowed to walk off the job.

The danger is not just to the obvious. Paper pushers in obscure bureaus can wreak havoc on individual lives by blocking the flow of their work through strikes and other “job actions.” A missed welfare check or a delay appointment at a public health clinic can be deadly.

OBSERVATION: Obama a danger to black churches

When I served as campaign media guy for Mayor Gene Sawyer’s 1989 attempt to retain his office on the fifth floor of City Hall, it was my pleasure to travel with Hizzoner as he made the Sunday rounds of black churches. It was an all day event.

I say “pleasure” because I am a total fan of black gospel music. I cannot get enough of Mahalia Jackson. Having grown up in the sonorous monotones of Gregorian chant, I find the foot stomping, hand waving, and sweaty swaying of the black Baptist tradition entirely uplifting. In terms of religious preference, I am as black as Bill Clinton, John Kerry and Father Michael Pfleger. Okay … maybe not as black as Pfleger.

Traveling with Sawyer was also politically enlightening. At each stop, Sawyer was presented to the throng in characteristic black minister style, with the over-the-top introduction punctuated with endless audience responses of “amen” and “you tell ’em, bother.”

Typically the minister would praise the good work of the Mayor, remind the audience that he is a “brother.” He would call on the assembled to spread the word to all the neighbors. It was not the word of God he was promoting, but the message of the campaign. Get out and vote “for our man Gene.”

The Mayor would then say a few words about the campaign, the issues, and the need to get out and vote for him. In some cases, a “special collection” was taken to be handed over to one of the Mayor’s aides.

Often during these Sunday services, three little words would pop into my mind – Internal Revenue Service. Clearly, the black churches were grossly violating federal laws governing 501(c)(3) tax exempt institutions. To be tax exempt, you must avoid partisan politics.

Despite this common knowledge, the black ministry has always enjoyed an informal political exemption from the law. Black churches were routinely used by candidates, Republican and Democrat, as political platforms. We were just too politically correct to call in the feds. After a couple hundred years of slavery, and another hundred years of segregation and prejudice, we were entirely too guilt ridden to point an accusatory finger at the black God merchants.

Now cometh, Barack Obama. Obviously, he is the darling of the black ministry. However, he brings more public and media attention to the black churches than any previous candidate – even the Almost Reverend Jesse Jackson. This in turn is raising the questions of propriety and legality to new heights.

Ironically, it is the liberal attack on Jerry Falwell, and the religious right, that will make the case against the liberal and black churches today. Barry Lynn, the head of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, lead the successful effort to get Falwell’s tax exemption canceled for a couple years. Today this unabashed left-winger is parsing his own eloquent arguments in an incredulously inept defense of churches serving as liberal political platforms. He is trying to sell a difference with out a distinction.

REACT: Senator Larry Criag

If truth does indeed have a certain “ring” to it, then the explanation of Utah Senator Larry Craig is a definite cacophonous “clunk.” The I-said-he-said reports of Craig and the arresting officer needs some common sense analysis.

Perhaps the described toe-touching and under-the-stall hand “swipes” are meaningful signals to the gay casual encounter crowd. Since my own lusts do not involve anonymous public bathroom sex (or even public bathroom sex not so anonymous), I cannot comment on the meaning of the hand signals. If I were ever to see a hand waving beneath the partition, my first instinct would be to hand the poor stranded soul some toilet paper – definitely not my… ah… well… you know.

Craig said he was simply reaching down for some unidentified piece of paper. Did it float into the other stall? And what was this errant piece of paper? An “eyes only” intelligence report from the CIA? Or, a piece of toilet paper? Nothing less than the former would have me groping the floor under an in-use neighboring stall. Moreover, what ever happened to verbal communication? “Excuse me sir. I dropped a top-secret CIA intelligence report on the floor by your feet. Could you retrieve it for me?”

If it were only a piece of toilet paper who, in God’s name, would retrieve it? I have, I must confess, occasionally dropped a sheet or two of poop paper on the men’s room floor. It happens. However, I have NEVER scraped my fingers across the smudged tiles to retrieve it. No. No. No. That is why we have janitors with mops and rubber gloves.

As for the toe touching, Craig claims to have a “wide stance,” and the footsie-wootsie stuff was inadvertent. This is where his story goes down the drain, so to speak. Now, I know those macho men of the once wild west tend do fix there feet to the floor a bit farther apart then the effete metrosexuals in New York. However, making contact inadvertently, as alleged by Craig, is a stretch (no pun intended) – even if the guy in the next stall is also one of those “wide stance” cowboys.

I have seen macho men sitting with their legs at a seemingly uncomfortable ninety-degree angle. I can even imagine them sitting that way on a toilet (and I am way not happy with that image in my mind, thank you every much, Larry Craig). Even in my wildest imagination, I cannot figure how two people’s feet, even “wide stance” people, can come in contact under the stall partition without some sort of unreasonable and inexplicable acrobatic contortion. Sorry, senator, I ain’t buying it.

There also is the alleged peeking through the gap in the stall wall. According to the arresting officer, one of Craig’s beguiling blue eyes was seen peeping into adjacent stall housing the officer. I am not clear if this was before or after the toe-touching and hand-swiping.

(As an aside, I have to tell you that this is the most terrifying part of the story. I am one of those bashful bathroom guys. I mean, I lock the bathroom door when home alone. I hate stalls that leave points of visual entry. It may only be a one inch space between door and frame to you, but to me, you might as well take off the door and set up a camera crew. My anxiety is not unreasonable. The internet if filled with videos taken secretly as people using the potty. Not only do I prefer my own privacy, but also, what is so exciting about watching people dispense with bodily waste. To me, seeing people using the “facilities” is a huge turn off … like seeing an accident you wished you hadn’t. But, I am not Larry Craig.)

What is missing from the Craig version of the story is plausibility. Peeking into stalls, playing footsie, and weird hand signals demands a credible explanation. This is where Craig fails. His abject denial of homosexuality, or bi sexuality, still leaves his actions unexplained.

That leads to the final mystery. Why did he plead guilty? Why didn’t he contact his lawyer? Tell his confidants? His wife? Did he believe his arrest and guilty plea to a lesser charge would forever escape public notice? Apparently. But, this makes Craig not only a bit weird and kinky (both eminently forgivable human traits), but incredibly stupid (not so forgivable).

Ironically, whatever he did in that men’s room and however he expresses his sexuality, he is a cooked goose politically – not as much for his actions, but for his stupidity. His attempted cover-up failed – and it is usually the cover-up, not the “crime,” that brings a person down. Keep in mind, neither Clinton nor Nixon were “punished” for their “crimes.” Only for their failed cover-ups. It is a lesson Craig never learned.

REACT: From one bitch to another

Billionaire hotelier Leona Helmsley died August 20^th. The principal benefactor of her will was her female Maltese mutt named Trouble. The bitch (the dog, in this case) will receive $12 million. She will be entrusted to the care of the bitch’s (Helmsley, in this case) brother for the remaining few years of Trouble. That is more money than needed to take good care of three humans from cradle to grave. After death, the dog will be laid to rest next to the bitch’s mistress.

(Hmmmm. That means that Trouble will literally follow Helmsley into the afterlife – and deservedly so. Of course, I am only joking, since dogs, contrary to Disney cartoons, do not go to heaven … or where ever the Queen of Mean is residing these days).

Now maybe you think of me as unkind for referring to that late Leona as a “bitch.” However, no one familiar with her treatment of human beings would argue against me tagging her with that title.

Even in death, Lady Leona could not resist using her money as venom. While the four-legged bitch is lavishly rewarded, Helmsley completely disinherits two of her four grandchildren “for reasons that are known to them.”

The other grandchildren are provided about $5 million each, but of course, there is a catch. They must visit the grave of their father at least once each calendar year or loose the money. Not sure how that works if they already have the money, or is it being doled out for each visit. In any case, the ugly control freak that the world knew as Leona Helmsley is no more appealing after death as she was before.

It is my recommendation that in honor of Helmsley devotion to Trouble, and symbolic of the mutt’s future resting place alongside, her headstone should be carved into the shape of a fire hydrant, and ultimately used for the relief of any roaming canines. Oh, the wonderful irony of it all. And so appropriate.

REACT: Passports from hell.

One of the few efficient government services was the issuance of passports. In my company's frequent duty to obtain passports for our clients, we found the lines short and the turn around time a matter of a day or two (for the expedited service).

Well ... leave to the government to find a way to screw up works. In over response to post 9/11 hysteria, the State Department issued new requirements. Now, you many need a passport just for thinking about leaving the country. Okay ... that is a bit of an exaggeration. However, there are no more friendly-neighbor policies with Canada, Mexico and a few other foreign destinations. These ill-conceived requirements put millions of people on the passport request list. The result is a back log stretching back months. Caught in the snafu are millions of Americans who have missed vacations, weddings (and worse, honeymoons), were no shows at business meetings, etc., etc., etc.

Well, at least the government official in charge accepted full responsibility for the decisions and policies that caused so much heart break and cost a lot of people a lot of money. She is Assistant Secretary of State Maura Harty (pictured).

While it is nice to see a bureaucrat actually take responsibility, it is of little consolation to those who have fallen victim to the new policies. In the fight against terrorism, sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.

I say Maura Harty would receive a gold medal for accepting responsibility. Yes, indeed. She deserves it. Then she should be summarily fired for gross incompetence. Yes, Indeed. She deserves that, too.

REACT: Columnist Greeley can't cannonize Jack Kennedy

Chicago Sun-Times columnist, Rev. Andrew Greeley, is a successful novelist. It is unfortunate he applies his knack for fiction to his editorial writings. He is a man who knows no limit to his rich imagination, whether writing fiction or supposed fact-based commentary.

His latest lapse into creative wishful thinking centers on his July 6 column offering a Catholic influenced revisionist look at President John Kennedy. He uses an off-handed remark by the Kennedy, “All war is stupid,” to suggest that the late President was restrained in his use of the sword of war.

Contrary to Greeley’s wish and opinion, Kennedy was a warrior president of the first magnitude. Rather than shrink from the expansion of American Democracy into the authoritarian world of the day, Kennedy committed the United States to “go anywhere and pay any price” to advance freedom. His Inaugural address was, from beginning to end, a warning of the United States willingness to use military means to defeat the enemies beyond our borders. Like Roosevelt before him, and Bush after him, Kennedy believed that it was better to fight overseas before the enemy arrived on the U.S. shoreline.

Rather than show restraint in the Cuban Missile Crisis, as Greeley proffers, Kennedy was prepared to face nuclear war rather than to appease the advancement of the Communist Kremlin into the Western Hemisphere. He showed a firm willingness to back up the Monroe Doctrine (no Eastern Hemisphere influence in the Western Hemisphere) is military action. It was his resolve, not his restraint, which caused the Soviets to step down. More recent revelations show that Kennedy manipulated events and information to prepare for war as much as Roosevelt and Bush.

The Bay of Pigs fiasco was the result of a president willing to provide American encouragement and resources to a paramilitary invasion of Cuba. Unlike Bush, who sought the approval of Congress, obtained United Nations’ resolutions of authority, and assemble a significant coalition of other nations before invading Iraq, Kennedy authorized the invasion of a sovereign nation without so much as advising Congress in advance.

Kennedy also demonstrated a willingness to play footsie with organized crime to assassinate Fidel Castro. He approved the coup plan that led to the overthrow and assassination of Vietnam’s first president, Ngo Dinh Diem, by a bullet to the head. Speculation that Diem’s murder would place the Kennedy White House in jeopardy ended just days later, when Kennedy, himself, was assassinated by a bullet to the head.

Of course, the most notable example of Kennedy’s militarism was the enormous escalation of the Vietnam conflict. Upon leaving the presidency, Dwight Eisenhower warned against committing American troops to a ground war in Vietnam. Ignoring that warning, Kennedy went head long into the U.S. escalation --- shifting America’s participation from a military advisory role to a full combat engagement.

Most egregious, however, is Greeley’s fraudulent contention that it was Kennedy’s mythological military restraint that brought down the Soviet Union and not “President Reagan’s grandstanding at the Brandenburg Gate” nearly thirty years later. In this, Greeley’s visceral animosity for Reagan appears to exceed his knowledge or his professional integrity – perhaps both.

There is a saying that so aptly applies to Greeley. As a columnist, he “is entitled to his own opinion, but he is not entitled to his own facts.”

REACT: Cindy Sheehan breaks pledge ... arrrrrgh!

Alright! Who removed the wooden spike from Cindy Sheehan’s political heart?

Apparently, those of us who celebrated the self-imposed retirement of the self-appointed and self-destructive numero uno America hater were a bit premature in our revelry. Seems the loony lady’s letter of resignation was just another publicity stunt, or a reversible moment of rationality from an otherwise psychotic personality.

She is currently hoofing it in a "march" from George Bush’s homestead in Crawford, Texas to Washington, D.C. -- yet another anti-war ritual of little significance beyond the world of the ragtag column of marchers and campers.

Before she even hit the Texas border, Sheehan issued a public threat that if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (seen here with Sheehan -- smooch, smooch) does not introduce articles of impeachment against the President by the time Miss Cindy arrives in the nation’s capital, she will run against the Speaker in the next election – and, according to Sheehan’s own assessment, will give Madam Speaker "a run for her money. "

Sheehan is angry at Pelosi, and the whole damn Democrat party, for breaking their campaign promises. (Personally, I am pretty pee oh’d at Sheehan for breaking her promise to retire. So, who is she to talk about breaking promises … eh?)

I doubt Pelosi is breaking into a sweat over the prospect of running against Sheehan. However, I have to lean back and relish the sight of Pelosi being bitten by one of the rabid dogs of peace she and her fellow travelers let loose on the public.

Unlike Sheehan, most of us knew that the Democrats were making every imaginable promise to get elected without much consideration to the problem of keeping those promises. The promises were extravagant because most pundits and politicos did not think the Dems would take control of both houses of Congress, anyway. They never expected to be called upon to fulfill the exaggerated campaign pledges. Once in office, however, the Dems were in a bind. There was no way they could, or should, keep the simplistic campaign pledges to end the war immediately. It would take an obsessed maniacal fool to have expected otherwise.

Oh! Well ... that at least explains Sheehan.

OBSERVATION: Obama is a'bombing

Barack Obama, the supernova of political candidates, is starting to look like a “white dwarf.” (Okay, for you who got your education in public schools, a white dwarf is what remains after a star bursts on the scene as a spectacular supernova, and then collapse into a tiny mass. We are not making racists allusions here.)

Just a few short months ago, there was a general public and pundit consensus that Obama was about to trounce the field of Democratic candidates. He was afforded Paris Hilton-level coverage in the press – even more and better coverage than the woman whose name sounds like a French Hotel. Without any discernible positions on issues and a obvious inadequacy of experience, Obama was declared to be the perfect candidate – a compassionate reformer without political baggage. It appears that impression is going up in smoke. (Had to find an excuse for the smoking Obama pic.)

That was the national image – carefully crafted. Those of us closer to the wellspring from whence Obama rose were not so convinced. Perhaps it was our awareness that the political “wellspring” of his advancement is more like a cesspool – arguably the most corrupt political environment in America. If you do not believe that, just start counting the number of public servants and office-holders doing time in the hoosegow. One does not rise from the muck of Illinois politics with pristine garments.

The association with indicted wheeler-dealer Tony Rezko clings to Obama like a Pit Bull with lock jaw. Though Obama once described his relationship with Rezko in distant minimalist terms, it has become increasing clear that the association was long and deep. As the candidate, and his spin meisters, trivialize each newly revealed dealings between Obama and the indicted influence peddler, a new and more damaging revelation appears on the horizon. Most problematic for Obama-the-White-Knight (ß not racial) are the news stories making it appear – almost beyond any defense – that Obama has been … ah …fibbing.

Obama says the purchase of land from his new neighbor (Tony Rezko) was foolish. Just a mistake. Obama ‘fessed up some questionable campaign donations in the few thousand range only to have it revealed that Rezko has funneled hundreds of thousands into the campaign.

Then there is the issue of the real estate development. Obama says he never helped Rezko in any deal. Ooops! The emergence of a letter from then State Senator Obama begging for government assistance for a Rezko real estate project shows that Obama did use his political influence to get Rezko and his partners a lucrative deal – a deal that later lead to accusations of massive taxpayer abuse.

Obama’s self praise as a citizen activist for public housing is not only disputed by the grassroots activists in positions to observe the significance (or in this case the alleged insignificance) of his contributions, but it turns out he was associated the guys accused of being slum landlords and bilking the public. Obama initially confirmed his participation in the business, but claimed ignorance of the abusive and illegal practices. Later evidence indicated that he was much closer to the controversial projects than he would have us believe.

All of this is doubly damaging because of an early decision to make Obama the candidate of reform. He preaches reform. He is the point man on reform in the Senate. This was a strategic mistake. His credibility was immediately compromised by his participation in, benefit from, and the ignoring of the massive home town corruption of the Illinois Democrat machine. He floated his political future on the cesspool of corruption best personified by Rezko. Lacking the ability to turn his reform spotlight on his Illinois buddies, he became a strident partisan, seeing only GOP corruption. This will not fly with an electorate which has a bipartisan disdain for corruption in both parties.

His glowing autobiographical works have come under scrutiny, and it appears he has taken license with some of the facts – even to the point of his carefully crafted transformation from a cultural and social white guy of privilege to a gritty in-the-‘hood African-American activist. Many candidates re-invent themselves, but not usually their ethnic, social and cultural background. Experientially, it was said that Bill Clinton was the first “African American” president. If that is so, then Obama comes to office in the tradition of such Brahmans as Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy and the almost John Kerry.

Obama indignantly deflects questions of his religious background, from his early Islamic schooling to his participation in a strident left-wing Christian church. But like the Mormon affiliation of George Romney, the “beliefs” are causing concern. This is not the type of issue that will be challenged in open public by a society claiming tolerance, but it will have its negative influence in the darker corners of the electorate’s heart. Religious radicalism from the left is canonized in the press, but not so with the grassroots citizenry. (Don't you just love the Saint Obama treatment on the book cover. I mean, really!)

Obama has entered into the “what next” portion of his descent, where the unrevealed future casts ethereal shadows over his candidacy. With federal blood hounds bringing down his closest associates and political patrons, the voters are wondering if there will be more bad news in the future. It is a reasonable suspicion, and one that provides its own drag on the campaign.

Not all of Obama’s problems are sordid. He is the least experienced and most ill-equipped of the national candidates, and it shows. His performance in the debates was not good. Under the glare of national attention, he showed his lack of political credentials. His rise to prominence was on the hot air of empty rhetoric. That can rise only so far. Debates success requires more than slick comforting phraseology. Among his presidential peers, Obama appear like a high school debater who accidentally got put up against the Oxford team.

Some note that even if Obama is not successful this time around, his youth gives him many opportunities in coming presidential years. The theory sounds good, but the history of such candidacies is much drearier. Chuck Percy and Ted Kennedy were presidential contenders in their politically youthful years. Their early near misses, however, where as close as they ever got to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Harold Stassen was a real contender as the youngest governor in America. His subsequent runs were Quixotic.

Politics is full or surprises. If you play the odds, however, Obama could well wind up as a foot note in political history, along with Gary Hart, Jack Kemp, Gene MaCarthy, and all the other early front runners. His one distinction is that he is the first almost African American candidate to be in the senior ranks of contention, and to actually have led the field in polls not taken by his won campaign.

At the early stages, when Obama’s rise to the presidency was spoken of in inevitable terms, I predicted in this very blog that he was foredoomed. The public finds him fascinating as a candidate, but not convincing as the President. He is not the first to be blind to the distinction.

OBSERVATION: Roosevelt in review

Just attended the induction of Franklin Roosevelt into the Radio Hall of Fame founded by my good friend Bruce DuMont. There were many praising commentaries by such notables as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Newsweek magazine’s Jonathan Alter and syndicated columnist David Broder, and a re-enactment of Roosevelt’s 1932 nomination acceptance speech by actor Robert Vaughn. It was also a tribute to the 75th anniversary of that speech.

As with any tribute, there were glowing interpretations of Roosevelt’s presidency – some even true. The somewhat geriatric Rooseveltian liberal audience were in full delight, often interrupting Vaughn’s reading with hearty applause – especially when his attack on Republicans could be construed as having relevancy for their contemporary animosity toward George Bush, modern-day Republicans and evergreen conservative issues. The audience was salted with government workers thanks to a generous donation of 500 tickets to a cadre of teachers and professors (Yes Virginia, teachers ARE government workers). What could be more appropriate, since taxpayer payrollees were the greatest benefactors of Roosevelt’s big government policies and programs? The sentimental journey into the past even came with street vendors hawking the Communist Party newspaper outside the theater.

The audience made no expression when the history modestly exposed Roosevelt’s less noble actions. For the most part, the real Roosevelt was no more evident in the tribute oratory than the real Abraham Lincoln could be divined from the old Raymond Massey classic movie. It was public relations puffery, as tributes are intended to be.

While the audience applauded vigorously at every mention of civil rights contained in Roosevelt’s public remarks, it was largely unnoted that he never proposed or supported any significant civil rights initiative. He even refused to support anti-lynching legislation opposed by his southern Democrat congressional colleagues. Throughout his long tenure as America’s Chief Executive, Jim Crow laws, poll taxes, segregation, lynchings, and the reign of terror of the Klu Klux Klan were unchallenged by the White House. In fact, they reached new heights of virulence on Roosevelt’s watch.

Roosevelt’s executive order that cast Japanese citizens into U.S. concentration camps without due process was minimized. For the those forcibly removed from the homes and relocated to harsh remote camps, he was an American Hitler. No action committed by the Bush administration, so reviled by current day liberals, comes close to the racial insensitivity and contempt for individual rights of Roosevelt, himself. His confinement of innocent Japanese Americans was among the lowest points in American history. There was an irony watching the liberal audience applauding the fiction and turning deaf ears to the awful reality.

David Brody seemed to bring out a collect audience squirm when he fearlessly noted that Roosevelt’s policies had done nothing to end the depression or to avoid war. He united the people by charismatic rhetoric. His only indisputable accomplishment, however, was the establishment of the welfare state. He took a nation of fiercely independent citizens and turned them into subservients of government.

In the tribute, there was no reference to the oft stated belief that Roosevelt was an in satiable power monger, and the closet thing this nation has ever had to a dictator. Fortunately the democracy was stronger than his lust for power. Despite his control of Congress, he was not able to pack the Supreme Court by adding more members. His third and fourth elections violated tradition established by George Washington. However, a man willing to trash the Constitution would have no difficulty violating tradition. His abuse of power, over so many years, lead the Democrat Congress to constitutionally establish the two term limit. This country was not about to suffer another Roosevelt.

It is true that Roosevelt created a new majority in American politics. He pandered to fear to create the welfare state that now threatens the foundation of the American democracy. Like street drugs, welfare at first provided a sense of well being, but prolonged use exposed the destructive nature of the beast. As he seemingly ended one national crisis, Roosevelt planted the seeds of the nest. Ronald Reagan came to power on the promise to end the 50-year Rooseveltian culture – and he did. Of course, there was no mention of the man who dismantled much of the Hyde Parker’s big government legacy.

In terms of war, Roosevelt was determined to bring the significantly pacifistic United States into the global war. He believed that it was better to fight the enemies of America on their soil, rather than ours. The liberal audience did not applaud this particular similarity to current events.

As for his induction to the Radio Hall of Fame, nothing could be more appropriate. For whatever one thinks of Roosevelt, it is indisputable that he used the new technology to remarkable advantages, and proved is skill as a charismatic communicator. Radio was critical to the establishment of the Roosevelt mystique that his “fireside chats” are immortalized in his national monument. He was to radio what John Kennedy was to television.

Much has been written about Roosevelt, and his manifest shortcomings and failures are in the record. But for many, much of the record remains sealed from public expression. Like all dictators – Mao, Stalin – there is a charade that keeps the rapt attention of a decreasing number of zealots. In China and in Russia there are still elements of the old guard who gather together to celebrate, uncritically, the fictional lives of their heroes, offering tributes from their own inexplicably fond memories. Such was the occasion I attended.

REACT: Sheehan exits stage (far) left

Oh happy day! Rather than continue the slide into oblivion, war protester and America hater, Cindy Sheehan, has chosen to announce her own political demise – albeit a bit late. Yes, the media hungry lady with the well rehearsed Emmett Kelly-style “sad face” (right) has officially announced her retirement from the war protest movement. In closing off her dubious public career, she characteristically lashed out in anger in all direction, including her onetime cheerleaders in the anti-war movement.

Wallowing in self-pity and whining about the price she has paid -- divorce, bankruptcy, physical exhaustion, and disappointment in the new Democrat majority in Congress – Sheehan released her own political obituary. She failed to include the extinguished limelight, lack of credibility and the eventual exposure of her loony anti-everything American views, as additional reasons for her withdrawal from the anti-war war. According to one report, Sheehan read her completed farewell letter, then cried – right on queue I assume.

She signed off as she signed on – abusing the memory of her fallen son. By all measure a patriotic counterbalance to Sheehan’s hateful views, her son died a hero in service to his country. After spending months abusing his views and deeds, Sheehan finally declares he died in vain. In her "retirement" letter she readily admits that she does not love this country. That has always been obvious.

Her exit announcement is anticlimactic. Judging from her disappearance from the tabloids and news shows this past year (even I forget about her), she was terminated as “old news” long before she decided to quit. Without her public letter, she would have simply remained forgotten. It was her last shot at publicity, and she was not about to miss it.

Well … of all the times I bristled at her public coverage, I must admit, this is the best news she has produced so far. And, who said they never print good news?

Adieu dear Cindy. You fared not too well, but certainly too long.

OBSERVATION: New Jersey governor gives wrong apology

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine has apologized profusely for not wearing his seat belt -- and even cut public service safety ad on the importance of buckling up. Somewhere in all this, I missed an even more important apology. His vehicle was cruising at more than 90 miles per hour for the convenience of the governor.

I think this is a much more important apology. In the seat belt infraction, he was risking his own life. For the self-taken privilege of violating the speed laws, he was risking the lives of others in his car, and on the road.

I know he was not driving, but there is no way the trooper-chauffer would have been zipping along at that speed without the tacit approval of his boss.

REACT: More environmental bees wax … royal bees wax.

A recent news item reported that the new wax figure of Prince Charles in Madam Tussauds’ London museum was developed in an environmental-friendly manner … green, as they say. This meant recycled wax from his old figure, new bees wax, workers laboring without power machinery. They rode bicycles to work, and worked only in natural daylight. A lot of symbolism … without much substance, I should add.

However, the item that caught my attention was the planting of three trees to compensate for the minimal carbon dioxide they did release into our communal atmosphere.

I recalled representing Motorola (my employer at the time) at an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony where Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, the First, officiated. He waxed on (no pun intended) about the contribution this humble tree (about 12 feet tall at the time) would make to our world’s environment. “Today,” he said, “we add one more tree to our world.”

Well, my mind drifted in wonderment to the question: From whence did this tree come? As surely as we were planting this future mighty Oak, it was brutally extracted from its former resting place. I failed to see the “addition,” the mayor so highly touted.

Since my early experience on that long-ago Arbor Day to the contemporary do-goodiness of Madam Tussauds’ wax artisans, innumerable trees have been ceremoniously planted to make their contribution to the atmosphere. In truth, not once was there a contribution, only a reallocation.

The only meaningful addition of trees to our world is the tree farming work of the lumber industry. Yikes!!! Think about that all you green genes. Driven by the profit motive of ruthless capitalism, more trees are being planted by industry than by all those green activists who so hate the loggers.

Just another little something to think about. You too, Al Gore.

SIDEBAR: You gotta have heart

I recently heard the nicest words. “You had a heart attack.”

Its true, just returned from the hospital Intensive Care Unit contemplating a future by-pass surgery.

Why do I say those were such nice words? Well … now think about it for a moment. I am sure some of you figured it out by now, but for those of you still scratching your head, here is the “duh.” A lot of people with who suffer a heart attack do not have the good fortune to hear those words because they are … D-E-A-D. So, consistent with my philosophy that my life is perfect at any moment, I found it comforting to be able to hear the doctor’s report and to be around to even contemplate my future medical needs.

There are four things that make my life -- maybe any life -- worth living. Belief in an afterlife (though my belief is not always in line with contemporary religious teachings). The belief that our earthly life has meaning and purpose (not always easy to find). No fear of death. (Why should we?) And a realization that our life on earth is perfect at almost every moment (even when you have a heart attack).

REACT: Radler wears the Black hat.

David Rat-ler … ooops … I mean Radler, the former friend and business partner of media mogal Sir Conrad Black has finally made it to the stand. He confirmed my opinion of him as a slimy, scheming, lying good for nothing.

Thanks to the generosity of the federal prosecutors, Rat-ler … ooops, there I go again … RADLER has paid off some of the money he stole, will face a short term in jail, and retire a very free and rich man. All he had to do was hang his long time friend, and the guy who made him rich, with the best lies he could conjour.

Not knowing if Black has tripped over some legal land mines, or not, I still hope the jury finds him innocent. This was not my first desire. In fact, I originally was hoping the s.o.b. would be locked up for good. But, as the trial progressed, many of the “crimes” seemed to be technical interpretations. Then there was the testimony of former Illinois Governor Jim Thompson, who, as head of the audit committee, admitted he never read any of the relevant documents. Then enter Radler. After hearing his testimony, I figure if that scumbag can get a light sentence and re-enter life a rich man, the Black should walk.

Radler has lied all his life to save or advantage himself. He lied in business deals. He lied at editorial matters at the Sun-Times. (I know this because he lied to me personally, and I still have the letter to prove it). He lied to the prosecutors. He lied to his OWN attorney. It does not take much more to conclude that he is lying on the stand. As is often the case with “plea bargains,” I think the feds bought his lies, not his testimony.

REACT: Governor Blago in denial

I have to admit. Heading into the last Illinois gubernatorial election, I could not see how Rod Blagojevich could possibly be re-elected. Of course, I had to accept the fact that the dysfunctional GOP in the Land of Lincoln could blow the Catholic vote if the had nominated Jesus Christ, himself.

So it is, even one of the arguably worse governors in Illinois history won a second chance at incompetent leadership. Not only is the man called Blago a terrible administrator, he does not appear to be a very nice person – turning on long time friends, engaging in an unseemly family feud with the father-in-law political mentor, hiding behind his children in tough political venues, etc., etc., etc. Not much to like about the guy.

As we start to see the second term take shape, we might consider the possibility that the man has totally taken leave of his senses.

Several months ago, he proposed a business tax increase so huge that it was almost incomprehensible. He hoped for success by taking advantage of a strain of anti-business sentiment in the body politic. “Make those corporate fat cats pay their share,” was his mantra. “It’s about time.” Like a pugnacious little punk, that he apears to be, the Governor said he looked forward to duking it out with the titans of commerce. He was offering nothing less than class warfare.

In an odd way, however, the Guv united the people. From the skyscrapers of Chicago to the rippling streams of southern Illinois, the people rose in opposition to his tax plan. Seems like the public’s angst with the corporate giants did not reach the level of hatred Blagojevich had expected. Like a good liberal, we does not believe in the common sense of the common man.

The Governor failed to explain to the public that you cannot tax a corporation. For them it is a cost of business that is passed on to the consumer. The people pay the tax in the form of increased prices. House Speaker Michael Madigan (pictured with appropriate response to the tax plan) understood that and said his own leader’s tax plan was regressive and would hit hardest on the people who least could afford it.

The Governor’s disturbing immaturity came fully unfurled when the General Assembly was about to vote on a non-binding resolution on the Governor’s tax plan – sort of an official poll in advance of the real vote.

Recognizing that the resolution had overwhelming support, and he was on the cusp of humiliating defeat, the smarmy Guv came up with a childish spin. He called on all legislators to vote “no” on the resolution, proclaiming that a “no” vote only meant that there should be no resolution ahead of a real vote. In other words, he tried to make the utter defeat of his tax plan look like some sort of back-handed victory.

Well he got his “victory.” The general assembly, in rare solidarity opposed Blago’s tax scheme 107 to nothing. That’s right. Not a single legislator voted in favor of the plan – and it was not about the resolution, it was about the plan.

The Governor is probably too arrogant to be humiliated, or at least to recognize humiliation when it is delivered. Will be interesting to see how he responds when the General Assemble trounces his idiotic tax plan. Is this man in denial, what?

OBSERVATION: Give that man a hug!!

I saw something really nice the other day. It was at a track meet, watching my 13-year-old son competing.

I noticed one of the other coaches working with his teams. In addition to the obvious pep talk, or post-race congratulations, he hugged his players affectionately – boys and girls alike. Occasionally, he patted a player on the butt as they sped by him.

Why did I say this was something nice?

Well, because it shows that even in these days of anal retentive, hyper-sensitive nut cases, there is still a society that can express caring and encouragement with an supportive embrace. Happily, no parent or student seemed offended by the coach’s actions – in fact, they hardly seemed to be phased at all. Contrary to politically correct paranoia, these were not sexual expressions. They were a way of showing affection and appreciation. They were self-esteem builders. There was a feeling of something really special between coach and athlete, and it was not salacious.

I would like to give personal credit here to this great coach, but I fear revealing his name and school would only sic the sick self-appointed safeguarders of society on him. He would likely be tracked down and made to “stand accused” for transgressions he did not commit outside the midget minds of the moral militia.

POST SCRIPT: I suddenly am reminded of Marva Collins, the founder of Chicago’s Westside Prep school. She was so successful in turning round hardcore inner city kids that they made a movie about her school. Contrary to all the scary warnings of the legal eagles of the school industry, Marva was an on-campus hugger and a kisser.

POST POST SCRIPT: Oh yeah! My son. He came in first in shot put and 4-man relay. Thanks for asking. However, as far as I know, he was not hugged by anyone other than his parents that day.

REACT: Kansas judge overrules God.

As part of our continuing effort to understand why judges need armed protection, we have yet another example of our judiciary out of control. In this case, we are dealing with judicial malfeasance by virtue of stupidity.

Seems like an unnamed young Kansas woman wanted to be a mother, but was not interested in intimacy with someone of the necessary opposite sex. So, she finds a good male specimen among her friends and they informally agree (no written contract) to a bit of sperm bank virtual intercourse. The result is a set of twins.

Ms. Penisphobe says she never intended for the guy to have any daddy involvement. Sort of like fish. The male sprays the egg nest …then swims off into anonymity. Mr. Ricochetromance says he always wanted to be a real daddy to his kids.

Oh! Did is say “his” kids. Not so, according to a Kanas judge.

The court ruled that the sperm donor is in no way the father. He has no more relationship to the twins “than does the taxi driver who rushed their mother to the hospital …” Here we have some a judge overruling science … and God.

If, in a night of drunken abandon, the good lady had suspended her penis anxiety and allowed her equally drunken friend of moment of foolish romping, they still might have had twins, and the courts would be declaring visiting rights --- and hold the guy responsible for 18 years of support payments. Same people. Same egg and sperm. Same twins. The only difference was the proximity of the penis to the birthing chamber.

Hopefully, there remains some sanity at the appellate level, where this case is heading.

Farewell to my Chinese friend.

Time flies. It seems like only a short time ago that Xu Jinzhong was posted in Chicago as the new Chinese Consul General. Not so.

I recently had two occasions to say good-by to my dear friend. One was at a private dinner to which he invited me and a couple of my friends. The other was a more formal farewell reception attended by a larger number of well-deserved friends. He not only leaves Chicago, but his public duties. He is retiring from active duty, as they say.

Consul General Xu leaves behind a large number of true friends and a record of accomplishment in representing the diverse, and often complicated, issues between the United States and China.

More important than his professional accomplishments has been his great integrity, openness and warm friendly personality.

It has been a pleasure to have worked with him over the past few years. But I am confident that the friendship will endure, and we look forward to seeing citizen Xu and his family in Beijing on our frequent trips to the Middle Kingdom.

Jill and I wish him and his wife great happiness in the future years.

REACT: Good kid a felon for an essay?

Well, I certainly did not take long for the Gestapo in Cary, Illinois to make fools of themselves. Let me be clear, I am NOT associating them with the real Gestapo … more like the guys in Mel Brooks’ movies, like The Producers and To Be or Not To Be.

Base on the news stories, they have brought their sleepy little community to the fore of national attention – and none of it good. They managed to take a high school incident and give it more media attention than the debate between the Democrat presidential candidates. THAT is one hell of an accomplishment. They have added a new level of meaning to the word “overreaction.”

What’s the deal?

Well … seems like a young Asian student, Allen Lee, as part of a class assignment, wrote something violent. No argument there. The teacher freaked. With visions of Virginia Tech dancing through her head, she took what she deemed a dangerous document to her superior, and from there it went to the principal. He, in turn, sends Lee’s creative writing to Police. Of course, no one tells the kid’s dad about this.

Now here is the rub, as Shakespeare would say.

According to the LAW, they were not allowed to contact the parents. According to the LAW, they were REQUIRED to bring in the police. This is just the kind of thing that helps you to understand how liberal zealots, lawyers and legislators are screwing up America. But, that’s another issue.

In Cary, we have two fault points. Knowing the idiotic law, the teacher should never have done the equivalent of smashing the fire alarm glass. By all standards, this was a kid well within the range of normal. I think a little teacher-student conversation would have done the trick. By all reports, Lee is a reasonably popular student – not given to dark moody weirdness of past mass killers. He is an honor student. Good family. Okay, so he is a bit quiet.

However, the greater blame belongs to the police. They did not have to arrest the kid and charge him with multiple felonies. A little common sense and an informal visit with the dad and the school officials would have prevented the national outrage. And yes, the police can go to the parents.

Why DID the police arrest him? Because he committed a crime? Way no. They arrested him FOR THE PUBLICITY. Yeah! They, like the comic Gestapo, not only arrested the poor kid, they sent out a press release to make sure the world knew it. A press release, for God’s sake!!! I think this is where the Internet chatterers add … lmao.

Of course, all the officials involved did not seem to care about Lee at all. What will all this false accusation do to his career? What if he is actually convicted of a felony? Will his arrect record follow him through life? (And yes, arrest records are still public information even if you are not prosecuted or acquitted. But that's another issue, too.)

It is very likely that some of Lee’s career options have already dropped dramatically. No matter what happens next, there will always be a shadow over his reputation. They have damaged him significantly --- and undeservedly. It is possible his scheduled entrance into the Marines could be nixed. If that happens, the kid will be elevated to national hero status, and the folks in Cary will be the villans.

My question is: What are the leaders of Cary going to do about the police? Maybe suspension … public scolding and a bad mark in their permanent record?

Oh! Did I forget to mention the obvious racism? Would this have happened if Lee was not Asian – Chinese to be precise? I am betting not. Thanks to the Virginia Tech shooter, Asians are under special scrutiny.

One can only hope that some level of sanity will descend on the little town of Cary, and Lee will be set free, get profuse apologies and be the guest of honor at a school assembly. In a funny sort of way, Lee is a hero for making us aware of how ineptly dangerous are our new laws regarding parental notification and how overzealous school officials can do their own version of damage. It is an example of zero tolerance and mandatory action run amok.

REACT: Guiliani is right about a Dem in White House

Have you ever had one of those situations were the truth should never be said out loud? Former New York Mayor and now presidential aspirant Rudy Giuliani recently said that the election of a Democrat president is more likely to result in a terrorist attack on the United States that the election of a Republican. Sounds pretty self-serving (which it is), and pretty outrageous (which it is not). Despite the whining of the Donkey presidential wannabes, Rudy-pa-tootie is right.

Before the last election, this blog offered a similar version – that the pending success of the congressional Dems would increase terrorist violence all around the world, but especially in the war torn countries of Afghanistan and Iraq. That prediction has come to pass, although I don’t see any of the new leaders of the Senate and House taking responsibility for it.

The logic is simple, and persuasive. Anything that suggests the United States lacks full resolve and commitment to the defeat of terrorism aids and abets the enemy. In the appeasement and surrender mentality of the liberal Democrat, the terrorists find hope, confidence and renewed determination. Perceiving America as a “house divided,” they naturally fight harder.

It is common sense that they will test the new and weaker America with provocative attacks. They we test the limits with increased carnage. They will find propaganda benefits from the public pronouncement by Senate Leader Harry Reid that the war is “lost.” He is certainly entitled to his opinion, but as the leader of the Senate, he has used his position to betray our fighting men and women. The recruitment efforts of the maniacal mass murders will benenfit from the belief in a possible victory– hence more young men and women volunteering for martyrdom through death and destruction as human bombs.

The election of a surrender at all cost Dem president will be celebrated in terrorist-ville with more bullets and bombs – and the United States will NOT be spared. That is just a fact.