Liberal Iowa judge over turns state's marraige law

A liberal Iowa judge has struck down that state's marraige law and is requiring that gay couples be issued marriage certificates.

From AP/USAToday:

A county judge struck down Iowa's decade-old gay marriage ban as unconstitutional Thursday and ordered local officials to process marriage licenses for six gay couples.

Gay couples from anywhere in Iowa could apply for a marriage license from Polk County under Judge Robert Hanson's ruling.

Less than two hours after word of the ruling was publicized, two Des Moines men applied for a license, the first time the county had accepted a same-sex application. The approval process takes three days.

This will impact the Iowa caucus, but in whose favor I'm not sure.

Mark Udall and Hillary Clinton Take Donations From Known Felon

First reported at ToTheRight.

This morning’s New York Times has reported Hillary Clinton will take nearly $25,000 of the felon-fugitive/Democratic-uberfundraiser Norman Hsu’s various campaign contributions and unload them on unnamed charities.

Unfortunately for the Democrats, Hsugate doesn’t end with Clinton, because she isn’t the only candidate who benifted from his corrupt cash: Our very own U.S. Senate wannabe, Mark “Screwball” Udall, D-People’s Republic of Boulder, had no problem accepting $1,000 of it on June 25 of this year. And just like with the Abramoff scandal, the dirty-money flow doesn’t stop there.

Udall has received $5,000 from the PAC For A Change, the Barbara Boxer-led liberal leadership PAC, which itself took $2,000 from Hsu. Udall got $10,000 from the Searchlight Leadership Fund, the Harry Reid-steered PAC, which Hsu and his front donors gave a total of $3,000. Worst of all, Udall accepted about $40,000 from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees, which received a whopping total of $82,333 from Hsu and his cohorts.

So, will Udall and his supporters continue to attack Republican U.S. Senate canididate Bob Schaffer for accepting legal donations, or will they clean up their own homes before they worry about someone else’s? We suspect Udall won’t be calling Merry Maids anytime soon.

Breaking: Udall will donate the $1000 donation to the Colorado National Guard Fund.

Rove Humor

For a little Friday humor play Politico.com's Game of Rove.

Huckabee recieves union endorsement

Just how far has Governor Mike Huckabee strayed from the conservative fold?

Today, Huckabee and Hillary Clinton recieved dual endorsements of The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).

The IAM have decided to endorse both a Democrat and a Republican this election cycle.

"The dual endorsement is intended to involve all IAM members in the upcoming election," said
Buffenbarger. "It is fitting for the union whose early members gave birth to Labor Day to reach beyond traditional partisan boundaries to establish new relationships for the benefit of all working Americans.

On why they chose Huckabee:

"Mike Huckabee was the only Republican candidate with the guts to meet with our members and the only one willing to figure out where and how we might work together,"said Buffenbarger. "He is entitled to serious consideration from our members voting in the upcoming Republican primaries."

Mike Huckabee is willing to work with union thugs?

A round of applause is goes to ALL the other Republicans running for President who ignored the sirens song of these union thugs.

My past concerns about Huckabee, combined with his new union endorsement make it safe to say that Huckabee should NOT be the choice of conservatives.

Al White to run for state senate

In completely unsurprising news, liberal Republican Representative Al White is "98%" sure he will run for term-limited State Senator Jack Taylor's 8th District seat. It has long bee speculated that White would run for this seat.

White is the single most liberal member of the Republican delegation now serving under the gold dome in Denver.

Rumors about possible primary opponents include Gregg Rippy (another of Colorado's most liberal former state legislators) and an as yet unconfirmed report that a local county commissioner might throw his hat in the ring.

As yet there is no indication that a real conservative might run against White.

Problems with Huckabee

Tomes have been written about how conservatives are struggling to find their candidate in the 2008 Presidential race. Rudy, Mitt, John --all the front runners -- have dubious to down-right liberal records.

While many are turning to some of the second tier candidates, especially Mike Huckabee after his surprise "victory" at the Ames Iowa Straw poll, conservatives should take a closer look at these candidates before they jump of their respective band wagons.

Mike Huckabee, of all the second tier candidates, seems the mostly likely to challenge the unholy trinity (McCain, Romney, Giuliani). But Huckabee is far from the "authentic conservative" he claimed to be when he entered the Presidential race.

I can't lie, part of me likes Huckabee.

There is not doubt that he will be 100% pro-life and 100% pro-gun. However, Huckabee's populist rhetoric and big-government solutions have me running scared.

Yesterday, Huckabee called for a national smoking ban. (You can watch the video here.)

While I'm not a smoker, the issue of federally mandated behavior control is at the heart of nanny-government. While I enjoy going to Colorado restaurants and bars and not smelling like John Boehner's ash tray, but there is a larger, small-government issue at stake.

This sort of populism is a branch of the tree of George W. Bush's so-called "Compassionate Conservatism" that he has used to grow the size, scope and authority of federal government. Bush's brand of nanny-big government "conservatism" has expanded government to levels that the Clinton's only dreamed about. To all appearances, it looks like Huckabee is part of this big-government crowd.

Adding this idea to Huckabee's comments about main street vs. wall street, his opposition to school choice vouchers, as well as his references to the "club for greed" should give all conservatives pause.

It is also informative that long time Arkansas political writer John Brummett believes that Huckabee is cut from the same political tactics mold as Bill Clinton:

Mike Huckabee has always had a more liberal side than the left thinks and Hillary Clinton a more conservative one than the right thinks. ...

First, the liberal side of Huckabee:

Fresh from his Iowa straw vote impetus, which came courtesy of his conservative side, Our Boy Mike appeared at the monthly newsmaker breakfast of the Christian Science Monitor. What he pronounced prompted an official with the Club for Growth, the extreme economic conservative group that's been trying without success to bedevil him, to say disapprovingly that Huckabee sounded like he was doing "John Edwards' poverty tour."

At this breakfast, Huckabee declared that:

-People aren't doing as well economically as broad indicators suggest. Costs of health care, gasoline and college tuition have them struggling to break even. The next president must be sensitive to that.

-It's ridiculous to say God belongs to any school of political thought. One's religious values must influence more issues than abortion. Those values should make one an environmentalist who cares about poor people. (He didn't say anything about "environmental wackos," which he uttered last century in one of his right-sided moments.)

-Governors without much foreign policy experience can succeed in foreign affairs, as evidenced by the performances of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and, get this, Bill Clinton. Huckabee didn't mention the similarly situated George W. Bush, coming back later under questioning only to say he meant no disrespect to the current president and that history will judge Bush more favorably than contemporary views.

Part of this is tactical by Huckabee. But part of it is genuine. He is a political quilt with patches of pettiness, meanness, hyperbole, hypersensitivity, ethical impairment, generosity and open-minded compassion.

(H/T: Politico.com's Jonathan Martin blog.)

Bottom line: a Huckabee presidency would be a Pyrrhic victory for the Conservative Movement.

Hillman on private property

Property: Rights or privileges
By Mark Hillman

Anyone who has grown up on a farm or ranch hears this maxim, "Take care of the land, and the land will take care of you." A farmer or rancher who doesn't take care of the soil will soon find that the soil won't produce enough to make ends meet.

But you don't need to be a farmer or rancher to understand the importance of private property rights. What's more, property isn't simply a piece of land or a home. Property is anything you own - your clothes, your car, your business.

For most, our possessions come from how we choose to utilize our own unique time, skills and labor and are selected to meet our specific needs. Moreover, because our possessions are our own, we take care to maximize their use.

Public and private lands illustrate well the stewardship incentives of genuine ownership. Theoretically, we all own parks, open space, forests and such. Yet without paid employees to keep them clean and safe, our public lands would be overgrown, littered with garbage, and overrun by "owners" who enjoy them too much.

By contrast, most private property owners regularly tend to their property. Even owners who never plan to produce anything from their land often invest time and money to improve its appearance.

Once you've made a piece of property your own, for someone to take it from you by force is nothing less than theft - not just theft of your property, but of the time and hard work that you exchanged to purchase it.

Who would do such a thing? Too often, the answer is our government. But let's not forget that government isn't organic. Government responds to the public. When government seizes your property or changes the rules to make your purpose for it illegal or unprofitable, it's often your fellow citizens using government to do their dirty work.

Back in 2003, I sponsored a bill with then-Rep. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, to restrict the use of eminent domain by local governments.
In several cases around the Denver metro area, city councils or urban renewal authorities wanted to condemn undeveloped lands or existing businesses in order to give those properties to developers who would replace the status quo with something that would generate more tax dollars.

At the same time, the town of Telluride - in a case now before the state Supreme Court - condemned a prime parcel just beyond its city limits for precisely the opposite reason: to prevent its development.

Although the owners in these cases were offered compensation, the point remains that, for financial or sentimental reasons, they did not want to sell their property - in some cases, at any price.

Colorado's popular new statewide smoking ban is another example of blatant disregard for property rights. If every bar or restaurant owner in the state chose to go smoke-free tomorrow, that would suit me just fine. But for the state legislature - increasingly comprised of people with no business experience - to pass a law that puts some mom-and-pop establishments out of business is simply unconscionable.

Viewed from a property rights framework, if I am a guest on your property, it's your choice to allow smoking or not. If you are a guest on my property, the choice is mine. If we are both guests of a third party, the choice is neither yours nor mine but the property owner's.

Simply because we outnumber the property owner, we have no right to impose our will on someone else's property. Yet the legislature put the will of the majority ahead of the rights of property owners.

When a mere majority, which has no investment of time or labor nor any legitimate stake in your property, can seize it for their own purposes or regulate it into financial ruin, property ownership has become a privilege, not a right.

Visit Mark Hillman's website.

Gonzales resigns

Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned this morning. The resignation is a day late and a dollar short.

Applause to Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave for calling for Gonzales resignation months ago.

Romney back peddles on abortion

Former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney is already softening his luke-warm position on the sanctity of life.

Last week Romney in an interview with a local ABC-TV affiliate said he believes that state should have the right to legalize abortion.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Tuesday in a Nevada television interview that he supports letting states "make their own decision" about whether to keep abortion legal.

"My view is that the Supreme Court has made an error in saying at the national level one size fits all for the whole nation," Romney told Nevada political columnist Jon Ralston in a televised interview. "Instead, I would let states make their choices."

Asked by Ralston if it was "OK" with him that Nevada is a "pro-choice state," Romney said, "I'd let states make their own decision in this regard. My view, of course, is I'm a pro-life individual. That's the position I support. But, I'd let states have this choice rather than let the federal government have it." [Emphasis added]

Romney hasn't even won the nomination yet, and is already trying to appeal to moderates. Statements like this, void his supposed pro-life conversion.

Either you are opposed to the murder of innocent children or you are not, there is no middle ground.



Read the full story here.

Government is not the answer

The Economist has an interesting piece on the state of liberalism in America. The piece included the results of a poll, released by the Democracy Corps showing that liberalism is far from flourishing.

83% of Americans believe that if the government had more money, it would waste it.

Additionally, 57% of Americans actually believe that government makes it harder for people to get ahead in life.

H/T to NRO's The Campaign Spot.

Hastert to screw conservatives, again

As I discussed earlier, former Speaker of the House, Congressman Denny Hastert is no friend of the conservative movement.

It's too early to pop the champagne to celebrate his retirement, because Hastert may be lining up to screw conservatives again. It is being rumored that Hastert may resign in November to ensure succession by his hand-picked (and liberal) associate.

From Evans-Novak Political Report (via Politico.com):

According to the Evans-Novak Political Report, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) will be resigning from Congress in November, instead of retiring at the end of his term. If true, this could have significant ramifications in determining his successor.

A shortened special election campaign would likely benefit the candidates with the highest name recognition and the deepest pockets. Among Republicans, that status belongs to dairy owner Jim Oberweis, who has run unsuccessfully in three previous statewide bids for governor and for the Senate.

Conservative state Sen. Chris Lauzen is Oberweis’ main challenger, but he has feuded with Hastert in the past. Several Illinois Republicans speculate that Hastert’s decision to resign stems from wanting to help Oberweis win the nomination. [emphasis added]

Romeny's Unfavorables surpass Hillary

Rasmussen Reports released a poll that has Mitt Romney's unfavorable ratings higher than Hillary Clinton's.

The salient details:

The Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 44% of Likely Voters would definitely vote against Romney if he’s on the ballot in 2008. That’s a point higher than the 43% who would definitely vote against Clinton.

more:

In terms of partisan reaction, it’s interesting to note that 25% of Republicans say they would definitely vote against Romney while 22% of Democrats would vote against Edwards.

Among unaffiliated voters, 44% say they will definitely vote against Clinton and 41% say the same about Romney.

Clinton does a better job of uniting Republicans than any other candidate. Seventy-six percent (76%) of the GOP faithful say they’ll definitely vote against the former First Lady. Only 61% of Republicans say the same about Obama and Edwards.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of Democrats say they’ll definitely vote against Romney.

Couldn't resist

The First Daughters, Jenna and Barbara have been the fantasy of every College Republican and RNC intern since Bush became president.

Classic line from George W. Bush's son-in-law to-be on his engagement to Jenna Bush:

'At that moment I knew. I knew the way you know about a good melon'

From Politico.com's Shenanigans blog.

Marsha Looper has lost her mind

"Republican" State Rep. Marsha Looper (R -Calhan) has joined liberal Democrat State Senator Abel Tapia (D - Pueblo) in calling for a guest worker program, with U.S. employment offices in Mexico.

Yes that's right, Marsha Looper wants employment offices in Mexico.

Read the full Rocky Mountain News article here.

"If we don't find a way to address the labor shortage, we're going to be in trouble," Looper said. "As it stands now, 40 percent of the state's produce is rotting on the vine."

Looper said farmers in her district aren't hiring migrant workers because they are afraid of getting raided or fined if they can't verify the workers' legal status.

"We need help, and we need to get help here legally," Looper said. "Ag is a big part of the economy in this state."

Imagine that, people are afraid of breaking the law because of its consequences!!

Immigration Warrior State Senator Ted Harvey (R - Highlands Ranch) schools Tapia and Looper on Federalism, the role of state government, and the truth about illegal immigration.

But Rep. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, a vocal critic of illegal immigration, said that any guest worker program should be created by the federal government and not individual states.

"I believe we need to ensure we have enough workers to help farmers, but perhaps they need to look for U.S. citizens and pay an appropriate wage for them to go out and work," Harvey said.

Quick Praise From the RINO Galt

A huge surprise to all I am sure, but I do not share my buddy If Josh Lyman Were Conservative's contempt for the good speaker from Chicago.

Quite the opposite I have always been impressed with Congressman Hastert's resolve to do what is right for the people. His heart for serving is almost unmatched in current times in regards to our representatives. This can be seen time and time again going back to when he served as a teacher and famed wrestling coach.

Here is wishing Congressman Hastert best wishes as he proceeds to the next chapter of his life.

With Goodwill From Fellow Republicans, Hastert Leaving on His Own Terms

By Susan Davis
Roll Call Staff

Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) defied expectations when he opted to remain in the House after Republicans lost a majority — and he lost his Speakership — in November.

Plagued by health problems, a number of high-profile GOP scandals and a rank and file that was ready for a change in management, he easily could have chosen to end his run as the longest-serving Republican Speaker by resigning from office.

Yet Hastert has long been mindful that Speakerships in modern times do not end well. In his 2004 memoir, “Speaker,” he recalled reading an anthology on his predecessors in the post shortly after he was tapped for the top job in 1998.

“Most were Democrats who had labored in the fields for years. They kept climbing up the ladder, making it all the way to Majority Leader and then, finally, winning election as Speaker,” he wrote. “Then, after a year or two, they died. It happened over and over again. Not much future to this job, I thought.”

But instead of bowing out when the road forked for the GOP in November, Hastert has opted to stick around — at least until next year. With his retirement announcement Friday, he is seeking a graceful exit before the curtains close on a Congressional career that spans more than two decades.

“I think under most circumstances, the moment a Speaker faced what he faced a year ago he would have resigned, as [ex-Speaker Newt] Gingrich [R-Ga.] and others did in the past,” said Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), a longtime Hastert friend and ally. Dreier said Hastert reminded him of Winston Churchill, who returned to the House of Commons after being defeated as prime minister to “fulfill the role of elder statesman.”

While recent Speakers such as Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Gingrich hold significantly brighter national spotlights, the media-averse, avuncular and verbally clunky Hastert easily transitioned back onto the bench with the rank and file when he lost the Speakership.

That was in large part because of a generous reserve of goodwill built over the years from his GOP colleagues, who overwhelmingly credit Hastert as the force that held a fractious and narrow majority together during eight of the 12 years of Republican control.

“During two decades of service in the House, Speaker Hastert has earned a reputation of being a steady, loyal and gracious colleague and leader whose personal integrity and respect for our institution is unparalleled,” Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement. “He ascended to the Speaker’s chair with the unanimous support of his Republican colleagues and will leave Congress as one of our most respected Members.”

Hastert largely was able to avoid the kind of partisan fights and verbal attacks lodged from and against his second in command, then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), but it took Hastert years to shake the perception that the more assertive DeLay was the one in control and he was the one who followed marching orders.

In hindsight, there is little to indicate that Hastert and DeLay’s relationship was built on more than the business of politics. Hastert told Roll Call in March that he still speaks to DeLay “occasionally” but said they no longer communicate “on a regular basis” since DeLay resigned from the House.

Regardless, Hastert and DeLay were an effective team that often used heavy-handed tactics to move their agenda. The most cited example of that is the 2003 House vote on the Medicare prescription drug bill during which Hastert held the vote open for nearly three hours — the longest roll call in House history — to get the votes to pass the bill. Democrats decried the move as blatantly unfair, and it prompted an ethics investigation into DeLay on his vote-getting tactics that resulted in an ethics admonishment for the Majority Leader.

Hastert made no apologies, recalling in his book that he told reporters after the vote, “I’ve been working this issue for 20 years and seniors have been waiting through three Congresses for a prescription drug benefit, so I don’t think that waiting an additional three hours to get it done is too much.”

The Medicare bill was only one example of how Hastert worked to enact an agenda outlined by President Bush, which at times put him at odds with his own Conference. “I think Bush would have been a one-termer without Hastert, I truly believe that,” said John Feehery, a former top Hastert aide who is now a lobbyist. “There’s no doubt about it, [Hastert] was the most important person in the House moving the president’s agenda. He’s the most underestimated and undervalued member of the Bush team in that sense.”

Feehery cited Hastert stewarding the passage of the 2001 tax cuts, Medicare, and in particular a series of defense and intelligence measures such as the USA PATRIOT Act after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“I think his greatest accomplishments are twofold, in both bringing the country together after 9/11 and moving all of the important legislation that happened as a result of that,” Feehery said. “I think that’s what he is most proud of.”

Members overwhelming credited Hastert’s leadership in the wake of Sept. 11 as what will secure his place in history. Dreier noted that there have been no terrorist actions on U.S. soil since. “That’s not an accident and due in part to Hastert’s leadership,” Dreier said, noting that Hastert often was willing to push legislation that was not politically popular to do what he believed was necessary to protect the country.

“His leadership after the 9/11 attacks helped strengthen our national security and prevent future attacks on the homeland,” added House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (Fla.), who credits Hastert as a mentor.

Hastert’s tenure was not without folly. It was on his advice that the Conference changed internal rules in 2005 to protect DeLay’s leadership post as he faced a criminal indictment in Texas. The move later was reversed, but Members grumbled that Hastert was losing touch with the Conference in an effort to protect DeLay.

His office also was in the center of the controversy surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who resigned just weeks before the midterm elections when it was revealed that he had sent sexually explicit electronic messages to teenage males he had met through the House page program.

There is no evidence that Hastert or anyone else knew of those messages before they were revealed in the press, but leadership offices and senior aides in Hastert’s shop were aware of a series of more innocuous e-mails sent to pages in the past.

The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct immediately launched an investigation. While the panel concluded that no one was guilty of wrongdoing, it chastised the Speaker’s office for showing an “inexplicable lack of interest” in a matter involving underage teens.

The panel further concluded that Boehner and Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) had informed Hastert about the e-mails despite the fact that Hastert testified that he did not recall such conversations.

His critics also have accused Hastert of contributing to a more partisan, divided atmosphere on Capitol Hill; the Illinois lawmaker had little to no relationship with Pelosi and then-Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) before her. However, neither party’s leaders in recent years have made bipartisan outreach a priority in a chamber that divides them by a thin margin.

In a statement, Pelosi lauded Hastert’s tenure. “Speaker Hastert has always placed a high value on public service, a calling he dedicated much of his life to as a teacher, coach, and member of the House,” she said. “He can take great pride in his record as the longest serving Republican Speaker, an accomplishment that is a testament to his leadership in the Republican Conference.”

While Hastert, 65, has not yet said what his future career goals are, sources close to him say they expect him to retreat back to Illinois. While his health always has been a concern — he is diabetic — he has dropped more than 50 pounds and counting since November.

Neither he nor his wife, Jean, has ever embraced Washington, D.C., life, and they own considerable farmland in the Midwest. Sources said they could see Hastert returning to his first profession of teaching, or earning a cushy salary as a corporate consultant. He has expressed no interest in becoming a lobbyist, and he has all but ruled out an ambassadorship — an avenue former leaders of both parties have pursued in the past after leaving Congress.

While Hastert likely will hold on to the distinction of longest -serving Republican Speaker for the foreseeable future, the jury is out on whether history will judge his Speakership as one of the greats. His allies would like to think so.

“The funny thing about Speakerships is they usually end badly, and usually in personal controversy,” Feehery observed. “But in the annals of the modern Speakership, I think Hastert’s will rank right up there with Sam Rayburn’s.”

The truth about Denny

American Spectator editor R. Emmett Tyrrell has an excellent piece unmasking former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert's real legacy.

The highlights:

His period as Speaker marked the Republican congressional delegation's final decay from Reagan splendor to the provincial Republicanism of an earlier era...

He also opened the floodgates to Congressional spending. He also turned a blind eye to the petty corruption that beset the House during his term. He encouraged mediocrity and held back young principled Republicans of the Reaganite variety. He allowed the Republican Party to return to the era of pork barrel deal making...

The result was the Reagan Administration, an amalgam of the best of the rising right and the old liberal consensus developed at the beginning of the Cold War. It was a politics of ideas. Irving Kristol had pronounced modern politics the domain of ideas and he was right. Hastert, the retired high school wrestling coach, had no appetite for ideas. Until Republicans return to a politics of Reaganite ideas, they will be as antiquated as the Democrats and infinitely less interesting.

More hot air in CO-5

El Paso County GOP Chair Greg Garcia is full of more hot gas than a hot air balloon.

In today's Gazette, Garcia is threatening to "punish" any candidate in CO-5's unnecessary primary who doesn't meet with his standard of campaign "ethics."

That process would include some sort of investigation of claims alleged to be false and a requirement that candidates disavow any statements that are made by their campaigns or supporters and are found to be untrue, Garcia said. Not following the rules could lead to punishment, he said, adding that he is still trying to determine what that could be.

I'm not sure that Garcia has any real comprehension of what his job as county party chair actually entails. Garicia has no authority to "punish" campaigns he thinks have gotten too rough, in fact Garcia should be staying out of the whole primary mess in the first place.

However, Garcia is a bought and paid supporter of sore-loser Jeff Crank.

Even liberal Republicans like former El Paso Chair, State Rep. Bob Gardner don't think Generalissimo Garcia's "rules" are enforceable.

“The fact is the chairman has no real power other than the position of the chairman to express disapproval or dissatisfaction with the tactics. You can’t make a candidate or campaigns change their campaign if they don’t wish to.”

The bottom line is that Generalissimo Garcia's statements were made to give him cover when he uses the county party machine to actively campaign against his sitting, conservative Congressman.

Pro-Life Movement gets boost

From the Fort Collins Coloradoan:

Ritter trying to 'sneak in' abortion view
Erik Rush

Although I'm not a one-topic crusader columnist, every now and then a political issue gets my hackles up so badly I feel I would be grossly remiss if I didn't address it.

The phenomenon of the "pro-life" vs. "pro-choice" issue is one in which I think many conscientious (non-ideologue fringe dwellers) folks are a little too lukewarm on. Leaving religious convictions aside for the moment, I know it was consoling to think that our legislators had everything in hand as far as medical ethics go, having been lulled into an erroneous belief that the subjects in question were simply blobs of undifferentiated cells.

It's become apparent to more and more Americans over the years that abortion is about the lucrative industry of killing babies in nauseatingly brutal and inhuman fashion; hence the "partial-birth" (in reality, full-term) abortion debates within the last few years.

Colorado Constitution Article 5, Section 50, was passed via ballot measure by the people of the State of Colorado to ensure that our tax dollars would never be used for the "direct or indirect" support of abortion mills.

It recently came to my attention (and to that of Colorado pro-life organizations) that Gov. Bill Ritter, in an effort to pay back some of the far-left supporters who helped get him elected, intends to circumvent this law and "indirectly" funnel Colorado taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.

It should be no surprise: "I will restore the funding to Planned Parenthood and other agencies," Ritter stated on his campaign Web site.

How, one wonders — without doing it illegally?

Depending on how familiar one is with the machinations of politics, this process can be likened to the laundering of money by organized crime. When dollars change hands enough times and no one is paying attention to the paper trail, when the government cuts a check, all looks to be above board.

The Christian Family Alliance of Colorado (www.ChristianFamilyAlliance.com), which has the support of Greeley Sen. Scott Renfroe, one of our state’s pro-life champions, is mounting a grassroots effort to stop this abomination in its tracks.

If you’ve been paying attention to the media of late, you’re aware it was a bipartisan grassroots effort that killed the U.S. Senate’s abysmal and dangerous immigration bill. Nationally, it was a major wake-up call that the voters, not special interests, still hold the lion’s share of political power in America.

There’s no reason to assume that this won’t hold true concerning Ritter’s designs, in spite of pro-abortion liberals controlling the state Legislature.

Timing is important, as well, according to CFAC literature: “… we think Ritter believes he will be able to sneak his pro-abortion scheme into action this summer when he hopes others will not be paying attention.” It’s a tactic we’ve seen played out at the federal level many times.”

This time, let’s show Ritter that the citizens of conscience in Colorado are indeed paying attention.

For more information on how you can help in this effort, contact: Mark Hotaling, director, Christian Family Alliance of Colorado, P.O. Box 13528, Denver, CO 80201; telephone (970) 556-0097.

Erik Rush is an author and columnist who works in advertising. Send e-mail to opinion@coloradoan.com

Senator Scott Renfroe introduced the first legislation banning abortion (SB07-143) in the history of the Colorado General Assembly last session. Renfroe is a pro-life champion and I'm glad to see he is supporting the Christian Family Alliance of Colorado.

I hope the Christian Family Alliance of Colorado can make some positive steps for the pro-life movement here in Colorado.

Romney speaks out of both sides of his mouth

From National Journal's Hotline and the Boston Herald:

Boston Herald's Ross reports Mitt Romney owns stock in 2 companies involved in embryonic stem cell research, biomedical firms Novo Nordisk and Millipore corp, "both of which use human embryos to research cures for chronic diseases." In his "public actions," Romney has "occupied a middle ground on stem cell research," supporting "using excess embryos created at fertility clinics, but he has opposed cloning or creating new embryos solely for experimentation."

Romney's "assets are held in a blind trust created after he was elected" Gov in '02. The manager of his trust, Brad Malt of the firm Ropes & Gray, "said Romney had no way of knowing how his funds were invested." While many candidates sell stocks held in blind trust, Romney didn't do so before WH '08. "Candidates can also set restrictions on their investments when a blind trust is created, but Malt said Romney did not take that step in 2002."

Romney's financial statement shows he owns between $100K and $250K in Novo Nordisk, "a Denmark-based company engaged in research projects involving embryonic stem cells" (8/15).

Romney has claimed that his election year conversion to the pro-life cause is a result of studying embryonic stem cells, and how his opposition to embryonic stems cell research was the catalyst for his pro-life conversion.

Romney opposes embryonic stem cell research, but has no problem making money off the destruction of human life.

NRO: Brownback should pull out of POTUS race

National Review's Rich Lowry writes on why Sam Brownback should pull out of the 2008 Presidential race.

Coffman, Tonner and CO-6

Several well placed Republican sources have confirmed that Secretary of State Mike Coffman has been meeting with Flat-Line's (Phaseline) Sean Tonner about running for Tom Tancredo's CO-6 House seat. At least two meetings have taken place in the last three weeks.

Does this indicate that Coffman has inside information into Tancredo's plans for 2008?

Does Tanc's strong finish in the Iowa Straw Poll breath new life into his Presidential run?

What isn't clear is whether or not Coffman will primary Tancredo. A Coffman run for CO-6 is sure to anger both the Republican party establishment, as well as conservatives.

Republicans want to keep the Secretary of State seat, which if Coffman won CO-6, would be appointed by Governor Ritter.

Conservatives believe that Senator Ted Harvey or Wil Armstrong would be far better conservative ambassadors in Congress.

Humor, POTUS style

Yes, that is Rudy in drag. Yes this is Romney dressed like a mariachi singer at a Massachusetts Mexican restaurant.

Iowa Straw Poll

The clear victor of Saturday's Iowa Republican Straw Poll is Governor Mike Huckabee.

Mitt "RINO" Romney may have actually won the poll, but Huckabee made the strongest showing and elevated himself to the top tier of candidates.

I'm in the process of tracking down some Colorado guys who went to the straw poll to get there first hand reactions. I'll post their reactions, once I get them.

In the mean time, read National Reviews analysis of Huckabee here.

Full Straw Poll results:

Iowa state auditor David Vaudt has unofficially certified the Iowa Straw Poll results. With 14,203 ballots having been reportedly cast, here are the results as per (http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/) …

1. ROMNEY: Gov Mitt Romney won the 2007 Ames straw poll, receiving 4516 votes, or 31%.
2. HUCKABEE: In a surprise, Gov. Mike Huckabee finished second with 2587 votes at 18.1%
3. BROWNBACK: Sen. Sam Brownback with 2192 votes and 15.3%
4. TANCREDO: Tom Tancredo with 1961 votes, 13.7%.
5. PAUL: Ron Paul with 1305 votes, and 9.1%
6. THOMPSON: Tommy Thompson, 1,039 votes, 7.3%
7. THOMPSON: Fred Thomson with 203 votes.
8. GIULIANI: Rudy Giuliani with 183 votes.
9. HUNTER: Duncan Hunter with 174 votes.
10. MCCAIN: John McCain with 101 votes.
11. COX: John Cox with 41 votes.

Do The Bart Man

If you frequent PPH, you have probably already seen this.

POTUS candidates likened to Simpsons characters according to The Krusty Konservative

John McCain – Maude Flanders – she’s died on the show and no one really misses her.

John Cox – Dr. Nick Riviera – he’s a charlatan who only fools a small minority of people into believing he’s a legitimate practitioner of his trade.

Mike Huckabee - Ned Flanders – he’s a good guy. He’s nice, friendly and everyone likes him… but he’s completely non-threatening.

Mitt Romney – Dredrick Tatum – the reigning heavyweight champion of the world with a MAJOR problem.

Tommy Thompson – C. Montgomery Burns – he’s dying and everyone knows it, but he’s just not quite dead yet. And yes, that means Steve Grubbs is Waylon Smithers.

Rudy Giuliani – Homer Simpson – He screws up all the time but for some reason everyone still loves him.

Tom Tancredo – Ralph Wiggum – he’s a minor character who’s wildly popular with die-hard fans.

Sam Brownback – Principal Skinner – he’s kind of a dork and no one respects him.

Fred Thompson – Dr. Julius Hibbert – he’s big and jovial and he’s trying to figure out what’s wrong with the body (politic).

Newt Gingrich – “Sideshow” Bob Terwilliger – he’s a smart guy with TONS of baggage.

Quote of the Week

Seen on a bloggers signature over at CoPols

"For those of you who do not know what a blogger is, it is someone with a laptop, an axe to grind, and their virginity." - Steven Colbert

Ron Paul is up... on TV

Today, Congressman Ron Paul went up on the airwaves with his first set of 30 second TV ads in Iowa.

The ads are running in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines markets.

Iowa Straw Poll Predictions

In the spirit of the moment, I am going to add to the white-noise, by releasing my own predictions for this Saturday's Iowa Straw Poll.

1. Mitt Romney
2. Fred Thompson
3. Rudy Giuliani (tie)
3 Tom Tancredo (tie)
4. Ron Paul
5. John McCain
6. Mike Huckabee
7. Sam Brownback
8. Duncan Hunter
10. Tommy Thompson
11. John Cox

Sour grapes in CO-5

The Denver Post has a puff piece on the continued sour gapes of Jeff Crank and his supporters, over Doug Lamborn's victory in last years primary.

Crank and his supporters are sore losers. Lamborn has done a good job so far, in his first months as a minority Congressman. He has represented his constituents and their conservative values well.

Party insiders agree:

Lamborn has support from his constituents, said Greg Garcia, chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party. That county's voters represent about 80 percent of Lamborn's district.

"When I talk to people and ask them, 'How do you think we're doing?' Doug Lamborn is talked about very positively," Garcia said.

Even liberal business groups, a natural "constituency" for former Chamber of Commerce hack Crank, are happy with Lamborn.

Lamborn, he said, has used public appearances and mailings to let voters know his congressional efforts, which many have praised.

"He has supported business issues and Realtor issues," said Terry Storm, chief executive of the Pikes Peak Association of Realtors, which so far is happy with Lamborn.

In fact the piece even goes so far as to claim that Crank is already a primary candidate, in a photo caption.

Jeff Crank candidate for Colorado's 5th congressional district at a meeting sponsored by NFIB at Broadmoor in Colorado Springs on Monday. (Post / Hyoung Chang)

Crank is very clearly only in this to appease his Mount Rushmore sized ego, and not represent the people of Colorado's 5th Congressional District.

If Crank was actually interested in doing the right thing, and not feeding his ego, he'd run for a state house of state senate seat. But he's not interested in that. He's going to take his principles compromising agenda (endorsed gay candidates and tax hikes, while claiming to be conservative) and run a sore-loser primary campaign.

Musgrave getting some Greeley love

The Greeley Tribune has a great piece on the re-branding of Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave.

From the piece:

"I would say that I think Congresswoman Musgrave is a lot more visible than what she was given credit for even previous to 2007," said Dick Wadhams, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. "I think she worked hard before this, but I also would concede that she does seem to be at least having more visible events in the district."

Both sides believe it's good for more constituents to hear Musgrave's beliefs, so more people will know where Musgrave stands -- a good thing to her staff, who believe most people in the region agree with her, and a good thing from the perspective of Democrats, who believe most people don't.

More:

While her beliefs have stayed consistent, her work with Democrats has been mostly friendly this year. She's appeared on more than one occasion with Udall, the U.S. representative and Democratic Senate candidate from a town outside that liberal bastion, Boulder. She has bucked other members of her party and joined with U.S. Rep. John Salazar, another Democrat, to oppose the U.S. Army's stalled plan to expand its training site in southern Colorado, inside Musgrave's district.

Musgrave said at a meeting last month that she's always worked well with Democrats; the media just never focused on it, so she took matters into her own hands. To that end, her staff started a newsletter in February called "Bi-Partisanship Works."

The e-newsletter, sent by Musgrave's communications director Aaron Johnson, highlights work she is doing with the other side. The first e-mail went out Feb. 9, and similar newsletters have followed about once a week.

One could argue, however, that many of her bipartisan actions are things that can hardly be called controversial. For instance, Musgrave recently joined the Congressional Bike Caucus.

Other bi-partisan actions have been more controversial, however. Musgrave caused a stir in the delegation with her opposition to the Army's plans to expand its training site at Piñon Canyon in southern Colorado, which led to nasty comments by U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, a friend of Musgrave's.

Even more obvious than the newsletter has been Musgrave's renewed focus on her constituents, which includes photo-ops like pumping gas and pouring coffee, but also attempts at substantive events like "listening sessions" on the local economy and the farm bill, among other topics.

Good for Musgrave for working hard to re-brand herself, while still sticking up for conservative values. These sort of news stories will go a long way toward Musgrave's upcoming re-election campaign.

Splurgin Video

Hilarious post from our buddies over at PPH