Harkin wants USA to surrender

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) called for the United States to surrender to terrorists in Iraq.

The Associated Press is reporting that Harkin said,

"I'm firmly convinced now, after all this time, that it really is a civil war," the Iowa Democrat said Friday.

Withdrawal should begin immediately "to extricate ourselves from that quagmire over there," he said.

Harkin is among the first congressmen to call for the immediate surrender to the terrorists. Sen. Russ Fiengold (D-WI) also has called for surrendering.

Touring Iowa

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is making his seventh trip to Iowa on Monday. Huckabee is scheduled to headline the Iowa Christian Coalition's Spring Kick-off at Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale.

Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts is making his fourth visit to Iowa by dropping in on some of the Republican County Conventions taking place this Saturday, March 11th.

Meskwaki case dismissed

The Waterloo Courier reports that the dispute involving lobbyist Jack Abramof’s associate drafting a letter for Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) to send to the Department of Interior regarding the closing of the Meskwaki casino has been dismissed. Harkin, shortly after sending the letter, received $17,000 in contributions from Abramof’s associates:

A federal appellate court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit over the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs response to tribal infighting with the Meskwaki settlement.

The tribal Election Board led by Leo Dean Peters had asked U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids to review the [Bureau of Indian Affairs] BIA's recognition of the elected Tribal Council led by Homer Bear Jr. following a series of contested elections in 2002 and 2003. The board had alleged the BIA unlawfully interfered with elections on the settlement.

Spanking Dean

According to a report in the WashingtonPost, Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid had a 'showdown' with Democrat National Committee Chairman Howard Dean last month in Pelosi's office:

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) challenged the former Vermont governor during a session in Pelosi's office, according to Democratic sources. The leaders complained about Dean's priorities -- funding organizers for state parties in strongly Republican states such as Mississippi -- rather than targeting states with crucial races this fall.

Neither side was willing to give ground, according to several accounts of the meeting. Dean argued that his strategy is designed to rebuild the party across the country, and that he had pledged to do so when he ran for party chairman. Reid and Pelosi countered that if Democrats squander their opportunities this year, longer-term organizing efforts will not matter much.

Here are the numbers – according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings – for the top two political parties in America:

DNC       raised  $  50.1 million      cash on hand  $  5.8 million

RNC       raised  $103.0 million      cash on hand  $34.0 million

Streisand v Bush on smarts

Barbara Streisand's latest Bash Bush blog rant [Feb. 28, 2006] attacks Bush for his supposed lack of intelligence – yet Streisand's own writing skills show a glaring lack of smarts. According to a report on DRUDGE [LINK], Streisand has topped her personal record for misspellings, with a whopping TEN:

In her February 28th, 2006 essay, Streisand flubs ten words, a personal record.

• curruption

• dictatoriship

• crediblity

• Adminstration

• warrented

• desperatly

• preceedings

• ouside

• subpoening

• responsibilty

And this time around, Streisand makes four spelling errors -- in one sentence!

["In the 1970’s, during the Nixon Adminstration, serious political curruption arose and the Republican leadership stepped up and took responsibilty by holding hearings and subpoening administration officials."]

Streisand has not seen fit to run a spellcheck on the rant as of Noon, March 06.

"The arrogance of this C student," Streisand says of Bush.

McFarland: I can beat Hillary

Hillary has a new GOP challenger in the New York senatorial race -- K.T. McFarland. Excerpts of a draft support letter from McFarland have surfaced on DRUDGE:

“Nine months ago, my daughter Fiona, a student at the United States Naval Academy, reminded me that service to one’s country is both an honor and an obligation. She challenged me to return to public service, to re-apply the skills and expertise I acquired while serving three U.S. Presidents on behalf of our state and nation.

“Today, I accept my daughter’s challenge by announcing that I am running to be my party’s nominee for the United States Senate from the State of New York. Toward that end, I have formed an exploratory committee, which I expect to upgrade to a full Senate campaign committee in the coming days.

“When I left government service to raise my children, America was enjoying a period of profound optimism. We were on the brink of winning the Cold War, our economy was reaching historic heights and the future looked bright in every direction. Morning in America had indeed returned; our nation had regained its footing after years of self doubt.

“Today, our country faces new challenges. We are confronted with a dangerous and determined enemy abroad and political divisions at home that are eroding our national spirit. At a time when Americans should be working most closely together, we are being pulled apart by partisan rancor and counterproductive ‘gotcha’ politics.

“A man I once had the privilege of serving reminded Americans that we are better than that. To Ronald Reagan, America forever would be ‘that shining city on a hill,’ always noble, always striving, always hopeful. In that spirit, I will conduct my campaign for the U.S. Senate.

“I seek to engage other candidates for this office in substantive debate on issues of importance to New York State and the nation, including homeland security, over-dependence on foreign energy, education and job growth. I will be issuing detailed statements on these and other key issues as my campaign progresses, and I expect to hold a formal announcement of my candidacy down the road. I am taking this campaign one step at a time.

“I have been personally assured by New York State Republican Chairman Stephen Minarik that the nominating process for this seat will be fair and open. For the past several weeks I have been in touch with county leaders of the Republican Party throughout New York State and I am very encouraged by the response. I now believe I will have the requisite support to appear on the Republican ballot this September.

“I also have met with the Chairman of the New York State Conservative Party, who has personally endorsed another candidate in this race, but who graciously recommended that I meet with other leaders from his party to solicit support. I will certainly do that.

END

“I have been blessed over the years by the manifold opportunities this nation has provided. I have been privileged to serve at the highest levels of government; I have received a world-class education through scholarships, part-time jobs and student loans and I have shared my life with the most wonderful husband and children one could hope for.

“Now it is time to get back to the business of serving my country, which I seek to do as a candidate for United States Senate from the State of New York.”     

Hillary & Bubba's Dubai Debacle

Since news of it first surfaced the proposed Dubai ports deal has been soundly attacked by Sen. Hillary Clinton. However, numerous news reports since have exposed the fact that her husband Bill was not only in favor of the purchase, but had been contacted by Dubai officials and advised them on the deal. Further, there is much evidence of Clinton's personal ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE): [LINK]

Mrs. Clinton's own senatorial financial disclosure forms reveal that her husband earned $450,000 giving speeches in Dubai in 2002.

Officials from the UAE also donated between $500,000 and $1m to fund Mr. Clinton's presidential library in Arkansas.

It was part of an effort by the emirates, said a person close to UAE officials, to forge a close relationship with a former US president who is influential and highly regarded in the region.

Mr. Clinton's admiration for the UAE was last on display in November, when he made his fourth visit to the American University in Dubai and met students participating in the Clinton scholarship programme.

The UAE has also contributed $100m to Hurricane Katrina relief funds – which Mr Clinton had a leading role in raising.

The MSNBC.com news story goes on to say, "Mrs. Clinton's tough stance that the deal represented an "unacceptable risk" to national security has caused UAE officials some consternation."

As the news article says, this is a classic Clinton mess:

Privately, some Democrats see the revelations about his ties to the UAE as a classic Clinton dilemma. Mrs. Clinton told the New York Post on Thursday that she did not know her husband had been contacted by Dubai officials two weeks ago and offered them advice on the deal. Although both Hillary and Bill Clinton say he stands behind her on the issue and there is no direct conflict, his relationship to the UAE has complicated her political stance on the transaction.

South Dakota Guv signs Anti-Abortion Bill

The Roe v Wade abortion showdown looms closer... South Dakota's Governor Mike Rounds signed into law a bill passed Feb. 24 by the South Dakota legislature that drastically restricts abortion. How drastic is it? Here is an excerpt from the Reuters news report:

The new law bans abortion in virtually all cases, punishing doctors who perform one with a $5,000 fine and five years in prison.

The measure bans abortion even in cases where a woman is pregnant as a result of rape or incest, or if giving birth would damage the health of the mother. It creates a narrow exemption in cases in which a physician's effort to save a pregnant woman's life results in the accidental death or injury of her fetus.