Why do Some Republican Senators Act Like They are Entitled to Make all Decisions for the President?

“It seems to me that trying to speak with one voice — one American voice — seems to have become a quaint thing of the past. I regret that enormously.” Former SecDef Gates

The fault of that lays right on the doorstep of Republicans in Congress especially in the Senate led by Graham, McCain, and Inhofe who cannot seem to comprehend they don't run the Government.  Truly shocking and the Republicans in Congress seem to have forgot the history of how foreign policy used to be handled in this Country.  Shame on them!

What was so amazing to me about this article from David Ignatius was the fact I was talking to someone about this very topic over the weekend after all these broke and the usual suspects went running out to microphones.  Here was Scoop Jackson one of the leading hawks in 1980 recommending prudence.  We needed a lot of that out of LBJ on Vietnam and instead received a micro manager of our military forces on the ground costing many lives.  Poor example of a wartime President. Many bought into the GOP hype that Jimmy Carter was a weak President and that is why the Iranian hostage situation happened. Today the Republicans are using the same mantra on President Obama that he is a weak President which couldn't be farther from the truth.  It is like replaying the late 70's and 80's today in the GOP.

Shame Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and the granddaddy of them all Bush 43 didn't pay attention to what Senator Jackson was saying.  Might have have saved this country a lot of lives, military resources, and our budget if we didn't spend so much on military weapons which far exceeds what the next country spends.  What we are doing is not only upgrading but now those upgrades are keeping big defense companies rolling in dollars when they can pay their CEO 26M+ a year with bonuses.  DoD has turned into a money maker for their companies who depend on war.  How many cruise missiles did Clinton send basically into tents or factories?  They had to be replaced at a fairly high cost.  Made Boeing happy.  Where would we be if those Presidents mentioned above had listened to Jackson?

The year was 1980. The Iranian revolution had toppled the shah’s regime, the Soviet Union had just invaded Afghanistan and the United States’ president, Jimmy Carter, was widely perceived as a weak leader. Looking for a sharp-edged evaluation of the situation, I decided to interview Sen. Henry M. Jackson, a leading hawk. 

What Jackson (D-Wash.) said was surprising, even at a distance of nearly 35 years. Rather than demanding tougher statements or more saber-rattling, he said he worried about “overreaction” to events: “We appear to be going from one crisis to another,” with Washington dispensing “red-hot rhetoric at least once a week about the dire consequences of this or that or something else.” 

“We need to be prudent,” said Jackson, who was perhaps the most prominent Cold Warrior of his day. “There is a need for the U.S. to make careful decisions, stand by those decisions, and avoid sending false or conflicting signals” to U.S. allies or the Russians. David Ignatius (Wash Post)

I purposely left out Bush 41 because the first Iraq War was to free Kuwait who Saddam Hussein had invaded with his forces.  The United Nations was clear that Hussein had to leave Kuwait or he would be thrown back into Iraq.  Bush 41 and General Schwartzkopf and along with their staffs did a excellent job of planning and executing those plans of the coalition to remove Saddam from Kuwait. They planned for the future after he was removed from Kuwait.  In the aftermath, sanctions plus a no-fly zone were instituted against Iraq.  That also meant it was near impossible for Saddam to have the amount of WMD's/chemical weapons touted by the Bush/Cheney Administration when there were also mandatory inspections.

Looking back invading Iraq to remove Saddam had no relation to the Taliban or Al Qaeda in Afghanistan as Saddam did not allow Iraq to become a haven for them to operate out of Iraq.  Why did the US invade with trumped up evidence? M-O-N-E-Y for companies like Halliburton where Cheney came from before becoming the Vice President candidate when he couldn't find anyone else.  How convenient.  SecDef Rumsfeld was part and parcel to the invasion of Iraq and using phony evidence in a presentation to the United Nations.

This time the combination of Cheney/Rumsfeld didn't plan for the peace when Saddam was ousted which cost many more lives then the actual invasion of Iraq.  I do vehemently disagree though with some pundits who compare our going into Iraq with Putin going into Ukraine.  First of all there was a no-fly zone in Iraq along with sanctions that Saddam thumbed his nose at time and time again plus he was a brutal dictator so IMO even with trumped evidence it was no big loss to remove him and his sons from power.  What was a travesty was no plan in place for Iraq following his removal.  I also believe any action against Saddam should have been delayed until we had firmer footing in Afghanistan and more help from the locals.  We had no business fighting two wars at the same time.

In 2001, President made the famous comment that to this day I cringe:

We are talking about Putin who was KGB and frankly I along with others think that Bush 43 was suckered into believing Putin.  Putin may not have an honest bone in his body, he lies openly and when confronted Putin loses it as we saw earlier this week when asked a question.  From New Republic:

Slouching in a fance chair in front of a dozen reporters, Putin squirmed and rambled, and rambled and rambled.  He was a rainbow of emotion:  Serious! angy! bemused! flustered! confused!

Today Putin is on a charm offensive and we are expected to trust this man?  What else was Bush 43 led down the primrose path by Cheney and company?

Yet these same Republicans who supported Bush on Iraq 100% now go after President Obama as being weak?  Former Mayor Rudy Guiliani made a fool of himself on Fox News going after Obama like Rudy is some sort of military guru.  On Fox, Giuliani Praises Putin: He's "What You Call A Leader," In Contrast To Obama.  Found it sickening and disgusting coming out of the grandstander.

Seems the German Chancellor Merkel has a different take on Putin then Rudy when she talked to President Obama:

By Tony Paterson, Berlin1:42PM GMT 03 Mar 2014 

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel is reported to have become “really annoyed” about Russian President Vladimir Putin and has questioned whether he “was still in touch with reality.” 

The German mass circulation Bild newspaper wrote on Monday that during a telephone conversation she held with US President Barack Obama to discuss the growing crisis in Ukraine she complained that Mr Putin was “living in another world.” 

“She appears to have become really annoyed,” Bild remarked. The paper said it had gained inside information on the telephone exchange between the US and German leaders from American sources. 

The two leaders roundly criticised Mr Putin in their conversation and agreed that Russia’s military intervention in Crimea was in violation of international law. A German government spokesman said that both stressed that it was important for the international community to respond to the crisis in unison. 

Both were said to be in favour of sending an immediate fact finding mission to Ukraine and backed the idea of setting up of a contact group, possibly overseen by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with the aim of ending the crisis through political dialogue.   

Read More at The Telegraph

McCain and Inhofe I have to come to expect BUT and it is a big one I do not understand how Senator Lindsey Graham who is an Air Force Reserve Officer can attack his Commander in Chief as being a weak President and try to undermine him at every turn.  The US Taxpayers pay his salary in the reserves.

IMHO he should be subject to the UCMJ, Section 88, Contempt toward Officers, for his derogatory remarks over and over again against President Obama.  If he wants to speak out against the President who is his boss, then resign his commission today.  He is an affront to the men and women who serve honorably.  For a JAG officer to act like this is even more sickening.  He deserves no respect from anyone.  It is not about the man who is President but the fact he is the Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces which Graham does not seem to comprehend.   If that wasn't enough to make you think Graham has lost it, this should do it:

My son sent that to me -- what I said when I saw this I don't use on here.  How stupid can one man get because Graham is approaching the lowest levels of some pretty dumb Republican comments.  He cannot let Benghazi go no matter what which brings into question his teaching any classes in law while in the Reserves to fellow JAG officers.  He doesn't sound like a lawyer but someone who cannot stand anyone but a white guy as President and along with his buddies, McCain, Inhofe, now Rudy, and some others will never give President Obama any credit.  I cannot even fathom how they would treat a woman the way the GOP treats women today.

When I read in the Washington Post about what former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Gates had to say, I couldn't agree more.  Maybe it is time that those GOP jokers decided to put aside their internal feelings to support the Country -- what a novel idea.  Excerpted comments from Ignatius interview with Secretary Gates:

I asked Gates what he thought about the criticism of Obama by McCain and Graham. “They’re egging him on” to take actions that may not be effective, Gates warned. He said he “discounted” their deeper argument that Obama had invited the Ukraine crisis by not taking a firmer stand on Syria or other foreign policy issues. Even if Obama had bombed Syria or kept troops in Iraq or otherwise shown a tougher face, “he still would have the same options in Ukraine. Putin would have the same high cards.” 

Gates, a Republican himself, urged the GOP senators to “tone down” their criticism and “try to be supportive of the president rather than natter at the president.” 

Gates can be an emotional person when he talks about national-security issues, as any reader of his recent memoir, “Duty,” can see. And he showed some of that emotion when he said, near the end of our conversation: “It seems to me that trying to speak with one voice — one American voice — seems to have become a quaint thing of the past. I regret that enormously.”

That sums up what I many of us are thinking that today's Republican Party has lost all sense of decorum and traditions of the past to become grandstanders who do not accept the outcome of elections. What we have witnessed out of Republicans in Congress since January 2009 is driving many of us to leave the Republican Party.  I won't remain in the same party with a bunch of arrogant jerks like Graham, McCain, Inhofe, Rubio, Rudy, and the list goes on and on in the Senate and House as well as Governors and members of state legislatures.

Want to do the Country a huge favor?  Oust the GOP in 2014 from leadership and get some common sense back in the Congress where work will actually get done!

 

Crist Coming Under Fire for His Flip-Flopping and Hypocritical Attacks

Looks like the 'real' Charlie Crist is now standing up with his 'no' core values and say anything he thinks will work to get elected. He is quickly becoming unglued with some of his remarks. Bet Charlie finds it hard to believe that Obama didn't dump Meeks for him. Obama might have dumped Meeks if he was white instead of black because he has about as much loyalty as Crist -- not much. Both Crist and Obama look out for #1 and could care less about anyone else unless it benefits them.

What would be the best outcome on November 2nd would be for Meeks to come in 2nd and Crist 3rd to put the final nail in Crist's political future. Wonder if Crist will move rather than have Rubio represent him in the Senate and have Scott for a Governor?

Crist Coming Under Fire for His Flip-Flopping and Hypocritical Attacks

Monday, October 18, 2010 @ 11:10 AM

In Florida, political opportunist Charlie Crist is coming under fire for his perpetual flip-flopping “for political gain” and his hypocritical attacks against Marco Rubio. National Journal’s “Hotline On Call” reports:

Gov. Charlie Crist (I) is up with a new ad in the Florida Senate race attacking Republican Marco Rubio for his "extremist" agenda on issues like Roe v. Wade. There's only one problem: Crist's checkered past on abortion. He has been pro-choice and pro-life in various stages of his political career - changing his positions for political gain.

Meanwhile, Rubio was joined on the campaign trail by popular former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. The Herald Tribune reports:

Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio told a Sarasota crowd Saturday he would protect and build the strength of the United States if sent to Washington, D.C. From defense to the national debt, Rubio said he will stand up to to the Democratic agenda and offer a clear plan to maintain America's legacy as the "greatest nation in human history." Rubio was joined by Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and 2008 GOP presidential primary contender, at the morning rally in Island Park at the Sarasota bayfront.

Encore? Giuliani sets stage for 4th act

Encore? Giuliani sets stage for 4th act

By MAGGIE HABERMAN 5/16/10 9:48 PM EDT

He was on political life support after his disastrous 2008 presidential run, but Rudy Giuliani has positioned himself in a critical year as a potent Republican fundraiser and the party’s star surrogate for hammering the White House on terror.

After deciding against a run for governor after a prolonged flirtation with a bid, the former New York City mayor has upped his political and paid-speaking travel schedule. In June, he’ll make his first public visit to New Hampshire since the single-digit, fourth-place finish there in the January 2008 Republican presidential primary that triggered his fast fall from front-runner to also-ran.

His high-profile reemergence, coinciding with the return of terror to the national headlines and numerous Sunday shows appearances bashing the president on the issue, leaves little doubt that he wants to be in the national mix. What’s less clear is what Giuliani is looking for in his next act.

"He wants to be part of the game in 2012," said Fred Siegel, a former adviser to the mayor and author of "The Prince of the City," a history of his time in office, who still talks to him periodically.

Giuliani, Siegel said, is trying to keep his options open for the future by being part of "the game," but isn’t necessarily angling to run for office again.

"As a presidential candidate? Not necessarily," Siegel said, suggesting that Giuliani could instead try to make himself a cabinet appointee or try for something else with national influence. The last New York mayor elected to any higher office, he noted, was John T. Hoffman – in 1869.

"But there is a strong, and I think justified, sense that there's a reasonable chance that (President Obama could) be a one-term president…It seems to me it's all in play."

That, of course, remains to be seen. Giuliani will find out the mood of voters in New Hampshire in June, when he heads north to help the Republican state senate there fundraise, tend to some business for his private firms, and be honored by the New Hampshire Political Library, whose mission is preserving the state’s first-in-the-nation primary.

Giuliani’s political obituary has been written repeatedly, only for him to spring back to life each time.

It happened when he won office in 1993 after his first run for mayor in 1989 fell short in a racially charged campaign, and again when the response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks catapulted him from unpopular lame duck to “America’s mayor,” and yet again when he emerged as a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination after President Bush’s nomination of his former Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik fell apart amid scandal.

But after $56 million spent on a 2008 “Florida strategy” that garnered just one Republican delegate nationwide, the mayor may be in search of one more revival: A fourth act.

Even with the memory of 9/11 fading – and with the dings he took from now-Vice President Joe Biden in the 2008 race about “a noun, a verb and 9/11” – Giuliani is still regarded as the best Republican spokesman on the national security issue. And the party’s governor-dominated roster of likely 2012 candidate lacks anyone with his anti-terror bona fides, an issue increasingly seen as a sore point for the White House.

Despite the sense among opinion-makers and insiders that a second national run in a Republican primary would be a heavy lift for a social moderate who governed a left-leaning city, never held statewide office, and whose personal life has repeatedly come under scrutiny – the wide-open Republican field and the riled-up electorate make it impossible to rule out.

A close Giuliani ally, though, insisted another presidential run is the least likely path, saying he’s more interested in being part of the discussion nationally, including on the deficit.

“I don’t know if that means trying to be a surrogate, or maybe trying for a cabinet appointment,” the ally said. A future run in New York seems pretty unlikely, that person said, and not necessarily something he’d want. Albany is a long ways from the klieg lights of Manhattan, and the governor’s powers relative to the intractable state legislature pale compared to the dominance over the City Council he enjoyed as mayor.

While his presidential run both demonstrated and added to Giuliani’s sustained national celebrity, it didn’t translate into votes. Rather than wage a second campaign more than a decade after leaving office, Giuliani could remain an uber-surrogate for Republicans on specific issues, which would allow him to continue making money at his law firm, which is doing well, and at his consulting practice, which was heavily pared down after his last run. Being in the public eye as a surrogate augments the business without exposing that business to the scrutiny a national race would draw.

Giuliani has been making appearances in Texas, especially on behalf of Rick Perry, and has been increasing his speechifying for “Get Motivated,” which pay him well while allowing him to reach big crowds across the nation.

At age 66 and despite a brand that took a substantial hit after 2008, he still manages to capture public fascination and admiration.

Giuliani was one of the few surrogates brought in to help Scott Brown in his come-from-nowhere Massachusetts Senate run, which became a loud signal of fear for incumbents everywhere. And he campaigned for New Jersey’s new Republican governor, Chris Christie, who’s widely seen as basing his efforts in office on the “Giuliani 1993” governing playbook.

Another point that could make Giuliani relevant now nationally is the austerity he prided himself on in his first mayoral term well before 9/11, which was a major factor in making him a national star, the transformative figure who fixed the rotten Big Apple.

Excerpt: Read more at Politico

NOTE: After reading this, we started asking ourselves if he would run for President again and frankly we don't think a "Presidential" run is in the cards. That said we would not be shocked or surprised to see him end up as a Vice Presidential candidate. One of our Republican Governors has been saying he is not interested in getting in the race but deep down is that true? Rudy would be the perfect match for him as his Vice President as he brings all kinds of national security background on terrorism to the ticket. Something to think about and keep an eye on for now.

Tampa was awarded the 2012 Republican National Convention last week and now plans are underway to start getting ready. In 2012 security is going to be a main focus of the Convention organizers.

Rudy was so well received by the delegations in 2008 that it made you wonder what the voters in those first states were thinking with their support for other candidates treating 2008 like the threat of terrorism didn't exist. Some people were lulled into complacency because not terrorist acts had happened on American soil.

Social conservatives in 2008 wanted the perfect candidate that would put social issues first and that mentality helped defeat the GOP. Most Americans are pro-life but they don't want that as the major focus of campaigns. It is time that National Security, Fiscal Conservatism, and Pledge to Appoint Strict Constructionist Judges ruled the day as qualifications to run for President on the Republican ticket for President.

National Security in today's dangerous environment takes on a whole different meaning after almost 18 months of Obama -- we need Border Security, strong military, and a President who will stand up to Heads of State who sponsor acts of terrorism. Our current Attorney General won't even use the words "radical Islam

The people yelling the loudest on Obama's Supreme Court and other judicial appointments are the ones who put a litmus test on our 2008 candidates. Elections have consequences, and we are hoping that this Administration has woken up some Republicans to the Ronald Reagan 80% of agreement factor. No more social litmus test as the primary qualification or we could lose again. Social issues were not part of the 1994 Contract with America and that is how it should have stayed.

If Republicans want to win in 2012, they need to lose the "RINO" label against some of our candidates that keeps getting plastered on them because they are not 100% conservative. They still vote for the Speaker and Majority Leader. When an office holder votes how their state wants them to vote, then they are doing their job. It might not be what an Oklahoma Senator might vote for or against but then we are a conservative state so we should expect our Senators to vote Conservative.

Anyone who stays home in a snit and doesn't vote because they don't like the candidate is the true "Republican in Name Only" -- have never figured out who made this group of conservative Republicans (if they are Republican) judge and jury over who is a "RINO" because none of us have all the answers. If we have incumbents who are lazy and just occupy a seat, they need to be gone but they don't need labeled like they are a Democrat with a ZERO conservative voting record. Base your opinions of elected officials on how they represent the constituents of their states not on how as a conservative you want them to vote.

We need to come together as a Party to nominate the very best candidate possible and anyone not liking the candidate and vowing to stay home and not vote are the ones who need kicked out of the Party. If you don't vote, then your voice should not be heard.

Rudy Guiliana Endorses Marco Rubion, April 5, 2010

We were very happy to hear this as there had been a lot of speculation about who was endorsing Marco Rubio on Monday after Senator (Dr.) Coburn endorsed Rubio on the 31st of March. We don't know of anyone from outside of Florida who will be more welcome then Mayor Rudy by the people of South Florida.

Rudy has always stood for Freedom and a strong national security along with smaller government and less taxes. He left no doubt following 9/11 what he thinks of terrorists and how they should be handled. He certainly would never consider bringing them to the United States for trial in Federal Court. Rudy is a law and order person who would make the best Attorney General that this Country ever had.

On Wednesday, March 31, Senator (Dr.) Coburn of Oklahoma, the fiscal conservative Conscience of the Senate endorsed Rubio to add to the earlier endorsements by Senator Inhofe (R-OK), and Sen DeMint (R-SC). Oklahoma has two of the most conservative Senators, and now both have endorsed Marco Rubio which speaks volumes about Marco Rubio and his conservative credentials. We believe this statement from Dr. Coburn pretty much sums up the race:

"From the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ to the ‘Woodstock Museum,’ I’ve fought all kinds of wasteful spending throughout my career. But in my lifetime, I’ve never seen as wasteful a spending project as the failed $787 billion stimulus bill that Marco’s opponents supported. I have full confidence Marco will stand against costly disasters like the stimulus bill and government-run health care," Dr. Coburn said.

When Gov Crist endorsed the stimulus package and greeted Obama like his long lost brother last fall, he broke with Republican and Independent fiscal conservatives. Then Crist had former Florida GOP Chair Greer running around arm twisting people to endorse Crist in a contested primary. The NRSC Chair Cornyn made the foolish move of doing just that -- endorsing Crist last year. The NRSC Chair should never endorse in an open seat primary. In the end it will cost the NRSC support from donors who always gave who are now giving direct to candidates.

NRCC, headed by Pete Sessions, seems to be the only one of the three major National Republican organizations on track to the task of winning back seats in the House by being on the offensive. The other two organizations, NRSC and RNC, are running into problems of their own making.

Dr. Coburn with this endorsement is asking Floridians to send Marco Rubio to the Senate to join the fight with him and Senator McCain to reign in pork, earmarks, and runaway spending. Dr. Coburn joined Senator McCain to fight pork and earmarks the day he was sworn in as a Senator in January 2005. Before that he was a House Member for three terms going to DC following the takeover of the House 1994. As part of that Contract with America group he took a pledge to only servie three terms which he did. Now as a Senator, he has pledged to only serve two terms.

Marco Rubio could not have a better mentor then Dr. Coburn who is up for reelection this year but yet to hear who will be his opponent. Oklahoma will be sending Dr. Coburn back to the United States Senate to continue the job of reigning in pork, earmarks, and runaway spending. We are asking the good people of Florida to send Marco Rubio to help.

March 31st, 2010
Sen. Coburn Endorses Rubio
Posted by Kyle Trygstad

Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio received a major endorsement this morning that could help to solidify Rubio's argument that he's the true conservative in the Republican primary. Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, known for holding up legislation he deems fiscally unsound, is throwing his support behind Rubio.

"I proudly endorse Marco Rubio for the U.S. Senate and look forward to working with him in Washington," Coburn said in a statement released by the Rubio campaign. "His genuine principles and proven record are evidence that he will come to Washington and be a consistent advocate for fiscal responsibility, individual liberty and the traditional values that have made America great. I have closely studied Florida's Senate candidates and have no doubt that Marco Rubio is the only fiscal conservative in this race."

This is another blow to Gov. Charlie Crist, the now-former establishment candidate.

Earlier this month, NRSC Chairman John Cornyn walked back his endorsement of Crist, stating the committee would not withdraw its initial pronouncement of support but would also not engage in the primary.

Source: Real Clear Politics