May 2008

The following was issued today by the National Press Club: Vice President Dick Cheney will address the National Press Club on Monday, June 2, during an annual journalism awards presentation luncheon for the Gerald R. Ford Foundation. Full release

Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced today the appointment of five new members of the Executive Office for Immigration Review's Board of Immigration Appeals (Board). The new Board members are: Charles K. Adkins-Blanch, Anne J. Greer, Garry D. Malphrus, Hugh G. Mullane and Linda S. Wendtland. Full release

As the school year comes to a close, two recent polls show that more Americans want desperately needed changes to reform our nation's schools. The Pew Research Center's latest poll reveals that education is the No. 2 priority for voters this fall; trumping taxes, Iraq and other issues. A recent Rasmussen poll found that 90 percent of voters believe education is important. Specifically, nearly three out of five voters polled said education is "very important." Full release

RNC Press Secretary Alex Conant released the following statement today: "Voters worried that Barack Obama lacks the judgment and experience to be Commander in Chief will find little solace in his decision to deploy John Kerry to discuss the Iraq war. Kerry's record of belittling American troops and voting both for-and-against the war is as troubling as Obama's failure to visit Iraq in the last 873 days. Both Obama and Kerry voted against funding our troops, clearly demonstrating a lack of understanding about how to bring peace and security to Iraq." Full release

Campaign Money Watch, a campaign finance watchdog group, released the following statement from its director David Donnelly today regarding Sen. John McCain's continuing refusal to remove lobbyists from positions of power on his campaign: "In the two-and-a-half weeks since Campaign Money Watch launched FireTheLobbyists.com, John McCain has failed to fully address the crisis in his campaign. Despite a handful of departures, as many as 120 lobbyists remain raising money for, staffing, or advising McCain." Full release

The following release was issued today by the Democratic National Committee: Yesterday John McCain told a town hall meeting that he "can look you in the eye and tell you [our strategy in Iraq] is succeeding." As evidence, McCain claimed that Mosul is "quiet" and that U.S. troops have "drawn down to pre-surge levels." Only problem for McCain? Neither is true. On the same day he said Mosul was quiet, suicide attacks killed at least 19 Iraqi troops, police officers and police recruits. And troops in Iraq are not expected to return to pre-surge levels until the end of July. [Wisconsin Town Hall, 5/29/08] Full release

The following op-ed written by John Fund, from The Wall Street Journal, is being issued by Republican National Committee: For months, Barack Obama has had the image of an incandescent, golden-tongued Wundercandidate. That image may be fraying now. As smart and credentialed as he is, Sen. Obama is often an indifferent speaker without a teleprompter. He has large gaps in his knowledge base, and is just as likely to dig in and embrace a policy misstatement as abandon it. ABC reporter Jake Tapper calls him "a one-man gaffe machine." Full release

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's new book detailing the "propaganda campaign" President Bush and his allies used to make the case for war in Iraq is raising new questions about John McCain. As a new video released today by the Democratic National Committee shows, John McCain was a key part of the Bush Administration's efforts to misrepresent the threat posed by Iraq and make war look like "the only feasible option." Full release

As part of its continuing commitment to engage a broad spectrum of audiences in new and creative ways, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today announced that a record number of blogs have been credentialed as members of the media for the 2008 Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. These blogs will help ensure that communities across the country are connected to the Convention through the eyes and ears of a growing, diverse group of online voices. Full release

Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (http://www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org) was at Fort Bliss, Texas on Wednesday during the activation ceremonies of the first battery of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). His observations and comments on the ceremony and the significance of this historic event follow.
Full release

This Morning, Obama Communications Director Robert Gibbs Said That Obama Would Go To Iraq To See How He Can Withdraw Our Troops: Gibbs Said That Obama Was Considering A Trip To Iraq To See How He Could Begin Removing Troops. MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski: "And, Robert, is your candidate -- I mean, just this whole Iraq thing is now being revitalized a bit because of the book. But is your candidate going to go to Iraq? Is that in the plans?" Full release

Waving signs and carrying boxes, AARP members and volunteers today delivered more than 20,000 petitions to the offices of Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn in Dallas and Austin, saying it's time for Congress to halt out-of-control Medicare premium increases. Full release

The initial list of speakers for the rally in support of Count Every Vote '08 in Washington DC is being released. Another 5 to 10 speakers and celebrities will be announced one day later. Full release

The following is being issued by the Republican National Committee: Yesterday, Obama Confirmed That He Has Made No Effort To Meet One-On-One With Gen. David Petraeus: Obama Confirmed That He Has Never Attempted To Meet With Gen. Petraeus. Question: "He's saying outside of those meetings on the Hill, you would not set up your own meetings with General Petraeus, never attempted to meet with him?" Full release

The following was issued today by the Republican National Committee: Obama Changing Position On Unconditional Summit Meetings With Rogue Leaders, Raising Questions About His Judgment, "Inexperience And A Certain Worrisome Naivete" Full release

Yesterday, at a town hall meeting in Reno, John McCain claimed that he has worked to pressure the Iraqi government to pay its fair-share of the cost of reconstruction, emphasizing that "they understand that." But, once again, McCain's rhetoric doesn't match his voting record, which shows him repeatedly voting against efforts to require Iraq to help pay for its reconstruction. [McCain Town Hall, Reno (NV), 5/28/08; 2003 Senate Vote #389, 10/16/2003; 2003 Senate Vote #380, 10/14/2003] Full release

More than half the world's governments agreed Wednesday to ban the production, use, stockpiling and export of all existing cluster munitions. Meeting in Dublin, Ireland, representatives of 110 nations completed negotiations on a new international treaty that commits their governments to stop using these weapons and to destroy their existing stockpiles within eight years. Full release

The following is being issued by the Republican National Committee: Sean Hannity: "Let me ask you this. Your name has come up a number of times Senator. And Sen. Tom Coburn is on our newsmaker line he wrote this piece in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, and first it came up with Sen. Obama comparing you with the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, here's what he said."
Full release

The American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC) announced today that a new Wood Mackenzie study shows climate policy legislation to be considered by the Senate as early as next week could force a reduction in natural gas supplies and a significant price increase for consumers. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in response to President Bush's remarks at the U.S. Air Force Academy: "The President's remarks today brought cynicism to what should be an occasion of great pride, the commencement ceremony at the Air Force Academy. In his remarks, President Bush rightly compared the valor of our men and women in uniform today to those who fought in World War II, yet he still opposes our bipartisan efforts to send our brave troops to college, just as we did after World War II. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in reaction to the continued detention of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. San Suu Kyi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, is the leading advocate for democracy and human rights in Burma. She has spent the majority of the last 18 years under house arrest despite winning the country's last democratic election in 1990, which was annulled by the military regime. Full release

For a candidate who regularly brags about his experience as a Washington insider, John McCain has a troubling pattern of flubbing key facts and echoing obviously false statements about his own record. To help voters keep track of all the gaffes and distortions, the Democratic National Committee today released a list of John McCain's top 10 misstatements and outright deceptions. Full release

John McCain claims to be an expert on foreign policy. Yet in the course of his presidential campaign he has taken two very different stances on the same issue -- nuclear nonproliferation. Last December, Senator McCain wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine that the idea that "nuclear technology can spread without nuclear weapons eventually following" is a "mistaken assumption" that undermines the nuclear nonproliferation regime. Yet just months later, in McCain's major foreign policy speech yesterday, he said he would provide nuclear power to countries under international supervision to promote nonproliferation. [Foreign Affairs, December 2007] Full release

Today the DNC issued the following statement: "Last night members of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee received a 17 page memo that outlined a staff analysis of the Michigan and Florida challenges. Included in the materials were copies of the challenges, and an overall timeline re-capping the process from the decision in 2004 to establish a Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling, through to current events. Full release

A new national study analyzing how Medicare budget cuts proposed by the Bush Administration will impact rural America's seniors and nursing homes finds Texas will be the second hardest-hit state in the nation, prompting the Texas Health Care Association (THCA) to warn that yet another funding cut related to long term care financing simply adds to the already significant challenges posed by rising energy and food costs, and a state Medicaid payment rate that ranks 49th in the nation in terms of accurately meeting facility reimbursement rates. Full release

With its primary on June 3, South Dakota's 2007 population of 796,000 includes a higher percentage of the non-Hispanic white-alone population and a higher percentage of the American Indian and Alaska Native population than the nation as a whole, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. About 68 percent of South Dakota's voting-age citizens cast a ballot in the 2004 general election, which was higher than the national rate of 64 percent. Full release

Yesterday, Obama Admitted "He Was Wrong" To Tell A Story About How His Uncle Helped Liberate Auschwitz: "Democrat Barack Obama Admitted On Tuesday He Was Wrong To Say His Uncle Helped Liberate The Nazis' Auschwitz Concentration Camp After Republicans Said Soviet Troops Freed The Camp." ("Obama Admits Reference To Auschwitz Was Wrong," Reuters, 5/27/08) Full release

The following Op-Ed from The Wall Street Journal, written by Amir Taheri, is being issued by the Republican National Committee: In a report released this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed "serious concern" that the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to conceal details of its nuclear weapons program, even as it defies U.N. demands to suspend its uranium enrichment program. Full release

As the Senate is poised to vote on the Lieberman-Warner America's Climate Security Act, a new poll finds an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the higher energy costs the bill would impose. The poll, conducted by the National Center for Public Policy Research, found 65% of Americans reject spending even a penny more for gasoline in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The number rejecting raising gas prices to combat global warming has increased by 17 percentage points -- or 35% -- in just over two months. The National Center conducted a similar survey in late February. Full release

RNC Press Secretary Alex Conant released the following statement today: "Barack Obama's dubious claim is inconsistent with world history and demands an explanation. It was Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, so unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, there's no way Obama's statement yesterday can be true. Obama's frequent exaggerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead as commander in chief." Full release

The following was released today by the Republican National Committee: Today, Obama Will Participate In A Discussion On Homeownership: 2:30 PM: "Barack Obama Participates In A Discussion On Protecting Homeownership In North Las Vegas." (Mark Halperin, Time's "The Page" Blog, thepage.time.com, 5/27/08) Full release

Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) brings its national tour of a life-size Guantanamo prison cell replica to Philadelphia beginning Friday, May 30 until Sunday, June 1. On Saturday, May 31, AIUSA members and other activists will gather from noon to 2 p.m. in Dilworth Plaza (adjacent to City Hall) in Philadelphia, to listen to local musicians, the Late Nite Drifters and Tom Mullian, experience the cell and continue to push the Bush administration to shut down the U.S.-controlled detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Full release

As students prepare to graduate this spring, nearly 20,000 students in Missouri, and 1.2 million nationally, will not receive their diplomas with their peers, indicating that schools in Missouri and across the nation are failing to prepare students for college, work and life. Full release

Today in the Wall Street Journal Asia, John McCain writes that "American leadership is also needed on North Korea." Yet he goes on to describe a method for action that would bring us back to Bush Administration policies that didn't work with North Korea for six years and made America less safe. As the Washington Post described it, McCain's "language concerning North Korea in the article...is remarkably similar to President Bush's first-term rhetoric, which the White House has largely dropped in recent months." [Wall Street Journal Asia, 5/27/08; The Trail Blog, Washingtonpost.com, 5/26/2008] Full release

The following is an op-ed by RNC Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan: Last month in my home town of Inez, Kentuckians got to hear some encouraging and inspiring words from Sen. John McCain. I am confident that voters can take him at his word, that his straightforward plan to help hard-working communities like those in Eastern Kentucky will do just that: help communities.
Full release

Labor unions view this year's presidential elections as a golden opportunity to reverse a decades-long decline in union membership as both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton have vowed to pass a law that would drastically tilt the balance of labor relations in favor of unions. The so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would grant unions certification as soon as they had collected signature cards from half the workers, effectively stripping workers of their right to vote in a secret ballot. Full release

The following is being issued by the Republican National Committee: Yesterday, Obama Said That He Would Not Necessarily Meet With Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Obama Said He Would Not Necessarily Meet With Ahmadinejad. "Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama underscored his willingness to talk to leaders of countries like Iran that are considered U.S. adversaries but said that does not necessarily mean an audience with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." (Caren Bohan, "Obama Says Won't Guarantee Ahmadinejad A Meeting," Reuters, 5/26/08) Full release

The following is an Op-Ed from Real Clear Politics by Jack Kelly being issued today by the RNC: Should Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez be engaged? Or isolated? Presidential candidates debated this question in Florida last week. Make that a presidential candidate debated this with himself in Florida last week. Sen. Barack Obama took both positions on successive days.
Full release

WomenCount PAC and Count Every Vote '08 are working together to promote and organize a rally in Washington, DC, on May 31st when the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meets to decide the outcome of the votes in Michigan and Florida. Full release

The following release is being issued by the Republican National Committee: Today, Obama Said He Would Meet Without Precondition After "Careful Preparation" And "At A Time" Of His Choosing. Obama: "[I]t is time to pursue direct diplomacy, with friend and foe alike, without preconditions. There must be careful preparation. We will set a clear agenda. And as President, I would be willing to lead that diplomacy at a time and place of my choosing, but only when we have an opportunity to advance the interests of the United States, and to advance the cause of freedom for the Cuban people." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remark At Campaign Event, Miami, FL, 5/23/08) Full release

The Department of Justice today announced a consent decree with the Robertson Fire Protection District (Robertson), that, if approved by the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, will resolve a lawsuit in which the United States alleged that Robertson had engaged in racial discrimination and retaliation against two black former fire inspectors, Ephraim Woods Jr. and Lamont Downer. Full release

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement in commemoration of Memorial Day: "This weekend we honor the brave men and women who have defended our country and those who have lost their lives on the battlefield. They deserve the very best in return, which is why the Democratic Congress passed the bi-partisan 21st Century GI bill to help them pay for college when they come home." Full release

The House yesterday rejected a measure to devote new funding to a Bush administration proposal to build a new nuclear warhead and revamp the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. The House approved the defense authorization bill after defeating an amendment to allocate $10 million to the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program. The final version of the legislation includes no money for RRW. Full release

In his keynote speech on May 23 to the Libertarian Party National Convention, Richard A. Viguerie, one of the founders of the modern conservative movement, declared today that John McCain is "trying to get conservative support on the cheap." Full release

From the Iowa caucuses through Tuesday night's primaries in Oregon and Kentucky, the student vote has been an integral part of this primary season. To help ensure that students stay engaged through the general election, the National Campus Voter Registration Project has launched a nonpartisan, nationwide campaign to register college students, educate students about the issues and candidates, and motivate students to go to the polls on Election Day. Full release

The Republican National Committee (RNC) released a new Web video today, titled "Without Preconditions." The video highlights Barack Obama's naivete on national security, as demonstrated by his misguided proposals on Cuba and his promise to meet with the leaders of rogue nations "without preconditions." Full release

The following is being issued by the Republican National Committee: Today, Obama Will Attend A Cuban Independence Day Celebration. "Obama Will Attend A Cuban Independence Day Celebration At The Intercontinental Hotel In Miami. He Will Then Host A Rally At The Bank Atlantic." ("Barack Obama Campaigns In South Florida," Local10.com, http://www.local10.com, 5/23/08)
Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement tonight after the House voted 384 to 23 to approve the Defense Authorization Act, which will reverse declining trends in military readiness, ensure our troops have the proper equipment they need and provide our service members with better health care, better pay, and the benefits they have earned. Full release

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed Sen. John McCain's rejection of bigoted Texas pastor John Hagee's endorsement, and called on the presidential candidate to "unequivocally distance himself" from Ohio pastor Rod Parsley. Full release

The nation's mayors are putting forth their full support behind Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer's revised version of the pending Climate Security Act (S.2191), which will enable cities and the country to make systematic reductions nationwide in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Full release

Archive of Previous Posts