Flap's Blog – FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog

Flap wants to remind the Speaker that Congress enjoys less popularity in the polls than the President.

The public’s view of Congress is even worse. Its approval rating has hit a new low of just 18 percent, down from 23 percent last month, according to a new AP-Ipsos poll. Bush’s approval is at 28 percent, about even with the 29 percent rating last month.

No Class Nan…….

Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Thursday ridiculed Democrat Barack Obama’s vow to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq in 16 months as a political tactic aimed at getting votes.

Obama in a speech this week stuck by his pledge to withdraw U.S. combat forces from Iraq in 16 months, a policy McCain said would sacrifice the security gains that have recently brought a measure of stability to parts of the country.

“This success that we have achieved is still fragile and could be reversed,” McCain said on his campaign bus. “And if we do what Sen. Obama wants to do, then all of that could be reversed,” and leave behind chaos and Iranian influence, he said.

In a town hall meeting in Kansas City, McCain said troop withdrawals must be governed by the situation on the ground, “not some artificial, politically inspired” timetable.

The problem with Obama is that he was elected by the radical left anti-Iraq War faction of the Democrat Party, the MoveOn.org folks and he cannot move off his position of an immediate withdrawal timetable.

The “SURGE” has been effective and the United States has quelled violence in Iraq to the point commanders are considering a draw down of troops.

But, Obama was against the “SURGE.” He favored capitulation and immediate withdrawal – just last year.

Can you say Barack Obama was against the Iraq War before He was for it? Or can you say Obama’s Iraq War policy is “WHATEVER THE POLITICS DEMAND?”

On Aug. 1, 2007, when Obama unveiled his counterterrorism agenda, the Biden camp fired off a snarky email congratulating him for his “Johnny-come-lately position” on Afghanistan, noting that during two Foreign Relations Committee hearings on Afghanistan and other subjects, Obama didn’t ask questions about the Taliban, Al Qaeda, or Afghanistan. (We also wrote on it here.)

“We find it a little disingenuous that Sen. Obama is hailing this as a new bold initiative when he has neglected to join his colleagues in the Senate when the opportunities have been there to redirect our forces into Afghanistan” Biden campaign manager Luis Navarro said at the time. “It’s good to see Sen. Obama has finally arrived at the right position, but this can hardly be considered bold leadership.” Ouch.

Slow Joe Biden, what can you say about a politician who steals the work of others first in law school and then as a Presidential candidate, who then turns around and conveniently forgets how he criticized Barack Obama for the same thing he now praises him.

How do you spell disingenuous or is Biden just a LIAR?

Come on, Joe, tell us the real truth. Barack Obama has NO foreign policy experience, has NEVER traveled to Afghanistan and has been to Iraq one time. Obama has NO military experience. Obama is a ROOKIE.

Oh! Flap remembers you have forgotten again……

The news that Obama gathered in $52 million in June underscores the need for Team McCain to choose a Veep with an eye not just on the most important qualification –the ability to become president on short notice– but also with an emphasis on the ability and willingness to campaign hard (no John Edwards), to put states in play (for Romney, that means Michigan, New Hampshire, Colorado and Nevada; for Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota and Wisconsin) and especially to raise money from established networks.

Though some commentary asserted Senator McCain would wait until after Obama selected his running mate, the pressing need to keep the funding gap somewhat close argues for an early selection. Whether Pawlenty or Romney or someone else, it just makes it much easier to raise the crucial funds with both members of the ticket working the country’s donors.

Romney’s “Ms”–the message on the economy, his and his supporters’ money, the Mormons and the enthusiasm they would bring to the campaign, especially in Mormon-heavy states like Colorado and Nevada, and of course Romney’s ties to his home state Michigan– make the case for choosing Romney very strong. An early selection would give the campaign an huge lift throughout the summer, one that could keep the already lower-than-expected Obama lead in the single digits.

Flap promoted a similar argument as to why McCain MIGHT choose Romney some weeks ago.

There is no love lost between John McCain and Mitt Romney but at this point in the campaign Romney is a net POSITIVE for the GOP.

Romney will NOT hurt MCCain who MUST run as a moderate Republican (which he is) against the radical LEFT Obama and WILL help McCain in states where he needs it.

Look for more events featuring Mitt Romney as an economic surrogate for Team McCain. If Romney polls well in the battleground states above, McCain may have no choice but to name Mitt as his Vice President.

Hewitt makes the case that Romney can infuse Mormon supporters, votes and money into McCain’s campaign and especially help in the battleground states of Nevada and Colorado. This is true.

But, would the pushback from southern Evangelical Christian states play into an Obama “southern strategy?”

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is RIGHT on the issues and would make a far better coalition builder for the GOP than Mitt Romney. She is a solid conservative that appeals far better to independent voters than Romney.

McCain has already accepted public financing for his campaign and a change of this position, with an infusion of Romney money, would weaken his argument of a flip-flopping Obama. John McCain should choose Mitt Romney if he thinks he will bring victory to his GOP team not because Mitt delivers the cash.

Flap has not seen any polls in battleground states that supports the argument that Romney is the BEST choice for Vice President – at least not yet.

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Why John McCain Picks Mitt Romney as Vice President

Texas Rep. John Culberson uses his Blackberry to post blurbs about his work onto Twitter, a social networking site on the Internet. The Internet has set him free from unfair media reports and other barriers between him and his constituents, enabling him to better represent them in Congress, he says.

But Culberson’s actions have put him in possible violation of House rules that appear to ban blogging or other work-related activities on non-House Web sites.

Current rules “have been interpreted to prohibit (House) members from posting official content outside of the House.gov domain,” Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., chairman of the Congressional Commission on Mailing Standards, better known as the franking committee, wrote in a report late last month.

In a series of recommendations sent to House Administration Capitol Security Subcommittee Chairman Robert Brady, Capuano said some rules are necessary so as not to mix House official messages with commercial or political campaign material.

“Members of Congress who use taxpayer money to communicate with constituents should be held to the highest possible standard of independence — and the appearance of independence,” he said last week.

“Official content” — like video — that is posted outside the House.gov domain should be clearly marked, should not appear alongside commercial or campaign content and should contain an exit notice for people linking out from the House.gov domain, Capuano recommended.

And, does anyone expect these rules which equal censorship and a violation of the First Amendment will pass a federal court Constitutional review?

But, if the Democrats think their AS(S)inine rules will pass Constitutional muster, Flap says bring it on. A federal appeals court WILL laugh these arguments to prohibit speech from the Halls of Congress out of court.

How is this speech useful or relevant?

For example, Flap received a tweet from @JohnCulberson yesterday afternoon reporting a personal attack House Floor fight between Reps. Silvestre Reyes and Pete Hoekstra. Flap was instantly able to tune into C-Span and watch Steny Hoyer, Democrat House Majority Leader take to the floor and make a complete ass of himself in order to quell the disturbance.

Yes. This is inside political baseball but will certainly add context and immediate information to the public in the workings of THEIR government.

Isn’t government, as invisioned by the Founders, required to be transparent?

The Democrats will relent on the rules or NOT enforce them. In the meantime follow @JohnCulberson and Representative Bob Latta – @BobLatta

Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will NOT be able to order the tide to stop.

Barry is in a box. It will be difficult to satiate his friends on the anti-war LEFT, such as MoveOn.org, meet with General Petraeus, accept their recommendations and then differentiate a policy separate from John McCain AND Hillary Clinton.

Flap now knows what Obama means by “REFINING.”

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