Friday, December 22, 2006

John Kline And The Magic Wand, A Fairytale

According to Congressman Kline, " the Navy and Air Force met their recruiting goals for November while the Army and Marine Corps again exceeded theirs". Yet without the addition of troops who did not meet the previous standards, the Army once again would have failed to meet its recruitment goals. Kline also forgot to mention they had to raise signing bonuses and a significant increase in their advertising budget as well as an increase the numbers of recruiters just to meet their goals.

Contrary to Kline's claim... it doesn't provide further evidence that our volunteer armed forces continue to answer the call of duty...and in fact it shows just the opposite: that to meet current lowered recruitment goals the services have new lower aptitude standards to help recruit in the throes of an unpopular war and mounting casualties. No wonder there are breakdowns in discipline and crimes being committed by servicemen.

In the wake of the news that the Army is taking people it otherwise wouldn’t have, comes this AP story about the Army forcing drill instructors to tone down basic training and not flunk so many recruits. One can only hope that the Army has arranged for combat to be kinder and gentler, too. What was once a 'few good men' is now becoming juat a 'few men'.

As for increasing the size, how does Kline plan to do that?JUST WHERE DOES KLINE THINK ADDITIONAL TROOPS WILL COME FROM?

You say "There are many steps we can take to increase the size of our active-duty military". How? By lowering the standards even more? Increasing the advertizing budget another $15 million? Rising signing bonuses again? Shortening enlistment time? Giving recruits even less training? It's all being done now just to meet current levels!

Kline goes on to say "But to be clear, a military draft is not one of those remedies." Oh really, again I ask...How? Gives the specifics!

Kline's comments show an amazing ability to spin half truths and false data into positive crap that the facts don't support. If Congressman Kline wants to increase the size of the active services as he has stated the only way is a military draft....unless Kline's has found a magic recruitment wand in his fairytale world? You know the fairytale world where he keeps maintaining along with Bu$h, that they will be victorious in Iraq!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Kline Desperate For Iraq Plan

The Bu$hCo administration with John Kline as one of his 'inner cabal' members is desperate to come up with a plan that will allow them to continue to occupy Iraq under the guise of “spreading democracy” that won’t look to the public like “staying the course”. The latest plan consist of sending more American troops into Baghdad to help quell the civil war. But the questions remain: What's the mission? Where's the payback? Where to get the additional 30,000 troops?

What's the mission?
Who knows? This has never been clear even from the start!...pretty words like freedom and democracy have no meaning half way across the globe if the local Iraqis don't fight for themselves. With civil war, we either have to take a side, or stand in the middle and take fire from both sides. That's not a mission, it's suicide. Where are the clearly defined goals?

Where's the payback?
Early on the administration promised that the cost of the war would be reimbursed by the Iraq government. Now we know that's no longer possible. There's been hell to pay, but no money. The massive costs of the Iraq war has basically broken our treasury and any future earnings making the United States economy less stable.

John Kline says the United States should bear the total cost of the Iraq war, suggesting the gesture will show we're serious in our committment to building a secure and stable government. So let's follow Klines reasoning.... we provide the money for troops, rebuilding and arms while the Iraqis continue to....what? Use the arms to shoot at one another and us?!

Where's the additional troops?
As John Kline so eloquently speaks against a draft, he forgets to tell you: there are no more troops! There will be the same troops on extended tours of duties, over laps and extensions of tours, and shortages elsewhere. And at what cost?

Currently the services have new lower aptitude standards to help recruit in the throes of an unpopular war and mounting casualties. Almost 20% of the first-time recruits are accepted under waivers for various medical, moral or criminal problems. Can't get much more basic that putting criminals in the military instead of jail. No wonder there are breakdowns in discipline.
Even former secretary of state Colin Powell on Face the Nation had questions regarding 'the new troops' beign sent to Iraq:

"If somebody proposes that additional troops be sent, if I was still chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my first question . . . is what mission is it these troops are supposed to accomplish? . . . Is it something that is really accomplishable? . . . Do we have enough troops to accomplish it?"

Colin L. Powell went on to say that the United States is losing what he described as a "civil war" in Iraq. Powell was not persuaded that an increase in U.S. troops there would reverse the situation. But he did called for a new strategy that would turn over responsibility for Iraqi security to the government in Baghdad, with a U.S. drawdown to begin by the middle of next year.

A deluded Kline has continued to back this losing war at the costs of billions for American taxpayers, thousands for American deaths, and countless civilian deaths.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Veterans Offended By John Kline

If Congressman John Kline continues to be against a draft, then shouldn't he be opposed to this?

"Bush plans to increase size of U.S. military Acknowledges troops stretched thin; generals doubt ‘surge’ plan for Iraq"
And since we're on the subject, instead of renaming Post Offices or putting new faces on $50 bills, could Kline possibly start working on ending the selective service? After all, it'll save tax dollars and what's the purpose if we don't need a draft?

Really Kline can't have it both ways, he's for growing the war, in which case he'll need new sources to fill in the ranks of our already thinned military, or he's for drawing down the troops and getting out now.... no surprise with which option Kline supports.

In a Star Tribune ‘netlet’, John from Coon Rapids fires away at Colonel Kline:
The veterans who fought and won World War II as well as the GIs who fought courageously and well in the Korean War and the Vietnam War may feel rightfully offended at the implication of U.S. Rep. John Kline that they were inferior soldiers because many of them were draftees. Kline, the Second District congressman, wrote that he is opposed to the draft because it would "harm our nations defense by undermining the camaraderie ... of our Armed Forces" (Opinion Exchange, Dec. 7).

Monday, December 11, 2006

Basic Kline Housekeeping

The Kline File...
...File it under: Campaign Déjà Vu
The dreaded pixie dust of Coleen Rowley has come back to haunt Kline in the form of James Baker’s ISG report. I can't wait to see Baker's face when Kline calls his report pixie dust!

...File it under: Your Day is Coming
Kennedy gives John Kline tips on what to do after next election! I can see the coming attraction and movie trailer now: Mark's excellent adventure into retirement I...and the sequel, Mark and John's most excellent adventure into retirement II (coming next election!).

...File it under: Reaching Out with his Big Stick
Glad to see Kline calling GOP delegates out on the floor for desecrating the purple heart. Can’t wait to see them jailed.
Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., said awards such as the Purple Heart “hold a deeper meaning and value for servicemen that far outweighs their monetary worth,” and called the bill a chance to honor the sacrifice of all troops by preserving the military’s legacy.
...File it under: Kline's Shock Treatment:
Over a year ago (November 2005), Republican Congressman John Kline was feeling so optimistic about the Iraq War that he declared that he “would be shocked” if the United States were not ready to withdraw military forces from Iraq within eight to ten months.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Kline Will Be Required To Work Five Days A Week!

The horror of actually working five days a week….no more extended holidays or the month off in August... Among those encumbants needing to adjust to the new leadership's work ethics is Minnesota's Congressman John Kline.

"For lawmakers, it is awful, compared with what they have come to expect. For much of this election year, the legislative week started late Tuesday and ended by Thursday afternoon -- and that was during the relatively few weeks the House wasn't in recess.

Next year, members of the House will be expected in the Capitol for votes each week by 6:30 p.m. Monday and will finish their business about 2 p.m. Friday, Hoyer said..."

"Hoyer and other Democratic leaders say they are trying to repair the image of Congress, which was so anemic this year it could not meet a basic duty: to approve spending bills that fund government. By the time the gavel comes down on the 109th Congress on Friday, members will have worked a total of 103 days. That's seven days fewer than the infamous "Do-Nothing Congress" of 1948."

Hoyer said members can bid farewell to extended holidays, the kind that awarded them six weekdays to relax around Memorial Day, when most Americans get a single day off. He didn't mention the month-long August recess, the two-week April recess or the weeks off in February, March and July.

He said members need to spend more time in the Capitol to pass laws and oversee federal agencies. "We are going to meet sufficient times, so the committees can do their jobs on behalf of the American people," he said.


Kline will just have to put in his time like the rest of us...for a change!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Kline's Hiding 'Head In Sand' Leadership

Congressman John Kline has devoted a webpage to “Terrorism in America”. On the page he speaks about not enough being done by the media and others to highlight those who have made us all safer. He’s correct and we should recognize those that make the United States and world safer for all of us. But we should also acknowledge those whose policies have put America and the rest of the world at risk starting with Kline's support of the Iraq War.
"A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks".

In fact the Iraq war has provided Americans with the next generation of terrorist:

Iraq has replaced Afghanistan as the training ground for the next generation of "professionalized" terrorists, according to a report released yesterday by the National Intelligence Council, the CIA director's think tank. Iraq provides terrorists with "a training ground, a recruitment ground, the opportunity for enhancing technical skills," said David B. Low, the national intelligence officer for transnational threats. "There is even, under the best scenario, over time, the likelihood that some of the jihadists who are not killed there will, in a sense, go home, wherever home is, and will therefore disperse to various other countries."

And while I'm glad that Kline is now paying attention to terrorism in America, it’s clear the GOP Congress with Kline and Bu$h Administration did little or nothing to pre-empt the events of 9/11. It is known that at least 11 countries provided advance warning to the US of the 9/11 attacks and that a security memo was issued by the U.S. regarding a terrorist attack by flying planes into high buildings but was ignored by the GOP administration.

Also the number one terrorist from 9/11, Bin Laden is still free. No serious attempt has ever been made by the GOP administration to catch him. Makes you wonder how committed the GOP administration is to counter terrorism when they seem to have lost sight of the terrorist leaders.


"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02

"I am truly not that concerned about him."- G.W. Bush, repsonding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts,

The current state of Iraq has not left Americans safer no matter how much it's touted by Bu$h and Kline. The statistics tell a very clear and simple story :


  • The number of significant incidents increased steadily starting in 1992.
  • Most of the significant incidents were caused by radical Islamic extremists.
  • 2004 marked the single, largest increase in terrorist activity ever recorded since the CIA started keeping records dating back to 1968.
  • The four fold increase in significant terrorist incidents (attacks in which people were killed and wounded) was a direct consequence of the war in Iraq.
Ray Close, who served as the top CIA official in Saudi Arabia, has offered the following on the importance of the current NIE:

"No reasonable person can possibly deny that our intervention in Iraq has been an enormous stimulus to terrorist activity worldwide. Efforts by John McCain and others to discount the significance of that factor by pointing out that the attacks on 9/11 occurred before our overthrow of Saddam Hussein is as trivial and irrelevant as they are disingenuous."

Once again we are witnessing the Bush Administration and John Kline trying to ignore the bad news the intelligence community is obligated to tell and present only the positive (we haven’t been attacked again…yet). This willful ignorance of bliss by Kline amounts to his being an 'enabler' in creating a more dangerous world for Americans. Hiding his head in the sand isn't the type of leadership Minnesotan's deserve.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Send The BIG Rubberstamp To John Kline!

What Should We Do With the Rubber Stamp?

Let's give John Kline the BIG rubber stamp from last session. He earned it by his lockstep 98% voting record for Bu$h's GOP radical NeoCon agenda.

Under John Kline's leadership America was led into the Iraq war, allowed corporate welfare in the billions of dollars for war profiteers and cut funding from domestic programs like education and health to pay for it. The United State's deficit is higher than it's ever been and we can't seem to provide working Americans affordable medical assistance so our businesses are leaving for countries with universal healthcare....By all means, give the rubberstamp to John Kline.

And if you think Kline will reach across partisan lines (as he promised when campaigning)...think again! The BIG rubber stamp will serve Kline well in the next session of congress!

Let the DCCC know, give the rubberstamp to Congressman John "the rubberstamp man" Kline!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Stay The Course Kline

According to the Strib: U.S. Rep. John Kline said he has changed his views on tactics but not the war itself. "The fight in Iraq is central to the war against terror" according to Kline, but more and more we're seeing that the war in Iraq is causing terrorism and a huge amount of anti-American, anti-Iraq occupation that has fuel more violence. The current conditions are a civil war and America lacked planning and leadership (aka Bu$h and Kline). They lead us to this point. Kline has continued to back this losing war at the costs of billions for American taxpayers, thousands for American deaths, and countless civilian deaths. I've said it before; Kline is all about supporting the Iraq War. It's his identity. How sad is that?


What we have today is a very involved and dangerous political destabilization of the region. Even previously very stable countries like Saudi Arabia are now facing violence. The war has reinvigorated weakened terrorist network with new recruits and more funding and a goal...fight the crusaders (that would be Americans). It has basically grown the seeds of Al Qaeda-linked groups and those like them. Add in the militias that we've armed and the local cultures of revenge and power... and wah la.... civil war without ending. Kline can be a soldier directing the war until the end of days with his 'stay the course' policy but it will ultimately bankrupt the United States and end up here anyway. John Kline will shortly being using Bu$h's 'blame the victim' by blaming Iraq. But ask yourself, did Iraq ask to be invaded? Did the Iraqis promise American anything? Or did America lie to them just like they lied to us. Kline should be held accountable just like Bu$h for what has happened in Iraq. It didn't just happen...they lead us there with thier "we could have won in Vietnam" beliefs.

Those who want to know more on what is truly happening can't depend on the local media. The three blind mice could have done a better job in the last five years. Try these ‘must read’ on the Iraq war. Let me know if you have a favorite not listed among these.

Juan Cole on Informed Comment, a very in dept look at all the information in the Middle East with insight by Juan:

And Nuri al-Maliki, head of the al-Da`wa al-Islamiyah Party (Islamic Call [Shiite]) will make all those concessions to the Baathists over his own dead body. (Remember he is already being stoned when he goes to Sadr City; what do you think the Shiite masses will do to him if he kisses and makes up with the remnants of the Baath officer corps?)On the other hand, I have long argued that the neo-Baathist and Baathist-cum-Salafi guerrilla movements are the central political actors in Sunni Iraq, and something like the process described by al-Zaman will have sooner or later to be attempted


Baghdad Burning, an female blogger in Iraq, very insightful inspired by Read Jarrar’s Blog.

A final note. I just read somewhere that some of the families of dead American soldiers are visiting the Iraqi north to see ‘what their sons and daughters died for’. If that’s the goal of the visit, then, “Ladies and gentlemen- to your right is the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, to your left is the Dawry refinery… Each of you get this, a gift bag containing a 3 by 3 color poster of Al Sayid Muqtada Al Sadr (Long May He Live And Prosper), an Ayatollah Sistani t-shirt and a map of Iran, to scale, redrawn with the Islamic Republic of South Iraq. Also… Hey you! You- the female in the back- is that a lock of hair I see? Cover it up or stay home.”And that is what they died for.

Back to Iraq, former AP reporter who is a good read on the fly for background information.

Ain el-Rummane, a Christian neighborhood in the hills above Beirut occupies an ominous place in Lebanese history. It was here, in 1975, near a statue of the Virgin, that a bus full of Palestinian refugees was ambushed by Christian militiamen. It was a massacre in response to an assassination attempt, and the reprisals it generated in turn quickly grew into the Lebanese civil war.
Today in Iraq, a picture of failure happening through out Iraq…it’s not pretty.

Bring ‘em on: Three U.S. Army soldiers were killed and two wounded during combat operations in Baghdad, the military said today. The Multinational Division soldiers died at about 9 a.m. Sunday, the command said, without providing any details about what had happened.

A transition to failure, an oldie but none the less true assessment of what has come to be in Iraq:

While certainly the Iraq War does indeed represent “hard work” – as the President pointed out more than 22 times during the debate – it more importantly symbolizes the colossal failures of the Bush administration. As the daunting statistics of the “transition” reveal, “remaining steadfast” will only compound a terrible error in judgment.

Insurgent Iraq, You have to at least know the players (something our own government leaders have lost sight of?)

The occupation of Iraq is today less about rolling back Iraqi military power, dislodging a tyrant, or building a stable democracy than it is about fighting an insurgency -- an insurgency that is now driven substantially by the occupation, its practices, and policies. We can take a first step toward understanding the insurgency by locating it within the broader field of popular Iraqi opposition to the occupation, which is widespread.

Antiwar Blog, The Corner, Truthout, more insight on what has happened in Iraq particularly politically.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

A Lesson For Kline

Keith Olbermann gives another great special comment, this time explaining to Bush the lessons he should have learned in his recent trip to Vietnam. It's a great read/watch especially if you (like John Kline) are rewriting Vietnam history to support being in Iraq. It's time for Kline and Bush to stop reliving Vietnam through Iraq.

Even Neo-con Adelman (it'll be a cakewalk!) has now backed away from the Iraq Kool Aid. When will Kline drink from the fountain of truth and call for an end to our invasion of Iraq? How many more must die in our Iraq quagmire before reality sets in?

Video - WMV Video - QT

"It is a shame and it is embarrassing to us all when President Bush travels 8,000 miles only to wind up avoiding reality again"

Transcripts Below:

And now, as promised, a Special Comment about the President's visit to Vietnam.

It is a shame — and it is embarrassing to us all — when President Bush travels 8,000 miles, only to wind up avoiding reality, again.

And it is pathetic to listen to the leader of the free world, talk so unrealistically about Vietnam, when it was he who permitted the "Swift-Boating" of not one but two American heroes of that war, in consecutive Presidential campaigns.

But most importantly — important, beyond measure — his avoidance of reality is going to wind up killing more Americans.

And that is indefensible — and fatal.

Asked if there were lessons about Iraq to be found in our experience in Vietnam, Mr. Bush said that there were — and he immediately proved he had no clue what they were.

"One lesson is," he said, "that we tend to want there to be instant success in the world, and the task in Iraq is going to take a while."

"We'll succeed," the President concluded, "unless we quit."

If that's the lesson about Iraq that Mr. Bush sees in Vietnam, then he needs a tutor. Or we need somebody else making the decisions about Iraq.

Mr. Bush, there are a dozen central lessons to be derived from our nightmare in Vietnam, but "we'll succeed unless we quit" is not one of them.

The primary one — which should be as obvious to you as the latest opinion poll showing that only 31 percent of this country agrees with your tragic Iraq policy– is that if you try to pursue a war for which the nation has lost its stomach, you and it are finished. Ask Lyndon Johnson.

The second most important lesson of Vietnam, Mr. Bush: if you don't have a stable local government to work with, you can keep sending in Americans until hell freezes over and it will not matter. Ask South Vietnam's President Diem, or President Thieu.

The third vital lesson of Vietnam, Mr. Bush: don't pretend it's something it's not. For decades we were warned that if we didn't stop "communist aggression" in Vietnam, communist agitators would infiltrate and devour the small nations of the world, and make their insidious way, stealthily, to our doorstep.

The war machine of 1968 had this "Domino Theory."

Your war machine of 2006 has this nonsense about Iraq as "the central front in the war on terror."

The fourth pivotal lesson of Vietnam, Mr. Bush: if the same idiots who told Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon to stay there for the sake of "Peace With Honor," are now telling you to stay in Iraq, they're probably just as wrong now, as they were then… Dr. Kissinger.

And the fifth crucial lesson of Vietnam, Mr. Bush, which somebody should've told you about, long before you plunged this country into Iraq — is that, if you lie us into a war — your war, and your presidency, will be consigned to the scrapheap of history.

Consider your fellow Texan, sir.

After President Kennedy's assassination, Lyndon Johnson held the country together after a national tragedy — not unlike you tried to do.

He had lofty goals and tried to reshape society for the better. And he is remembered for Vietnam and for the lies he and his government told to get us there and keep us there… and for the Americans who needlessly died there.

As you will be remembered for Iraq and for the lies you and your government told to get us there and keep us there… and for the Americans who needlessly died there — and who will needlessly die there tomorrow.

This president has his fictitious Iraqi W-M-D, and his lies (disguised as subtle hints) linking Saddam Hussein to 9/11, and his reason-of-the-week for keeping us there when all the evidence has, for at least three years, told us we needed to get as many of our kids out, as quickly as we could.

That president had his fictitious attacks on Navy ships in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964, and the next thing any of us knew, the Senate had voted 88-to-2 to approve the blank check with which Lyndon Johnson paid for our trip into hell.

And yet President Bush just saw the grim reminders of that trip into hell:

– Of the 58,000 Americans and millions of Vietnamese killed;

– Of the 10,000 civilians who've been blown up by landmines since we pulled out;

– Of the genocide in the neighboring country of Cambodia, which we triggered;

Yet, these parallels — and these lessons — eluded President Bush entirely. And, in particular, the one over-arching lesson about Iraq that should've been written everywhere he looked in Vietnam, went un-seen.

"We'll succeed unless we quit"?

Mr. Bush, we did quit in Vietnam! A decade later than we should have; 58,000 dead later than we should have; but we finally came to our senses.

The stable, burgeoning, vivid country you just saw there is there, because we finally had the good sense to declare victory and get out!

The Domino Theory was nonsense, sir. Our departure from Vietnam emboldened no one. Communism did not spread like a contagion around the world.

And most importantly — as President Reagan's Assistant Secretary of State Lawrence Korb said on this newscast Friday — we were only in a position to win the Cold War because we quit in Vietnam.

We went home. And instead it was the Russians who learned nothing from Vietnam, and who repeated every one of our mistakes when they went into Afghanistan. And alienated their own people, and killed their own children, and bankrupted their own economy, and allowed us to win the Cold War.

We awakened so late — but we did awaken.

Finally, in Vietnam, we learned the lesson. We stopped endlessly squandering lives and treasure and the focus of a nation on an impossible and irrelevant dream.

But you are still doing exactly that, tonight, in Iraq.

And these lessons from Vietnam, Mr. Bush, these priceless, transparent lessons, writ large as if across the very sky, are still a mystery to you.

"We'll succeed unless we quit."

No, sir. We will succeed — against terrorism, for our country's needs, towards binding up the nation's wounds — when you quit — quit the monumental lie, that is our presence in Iraq.

And in the interim, Mr. Bush, an American kid will be killed there, probably tonight — or, if we're lucky, not until tomorrow.

And here, sir, endeth the lesson.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Kline: Looking Toward The Future, More Of The Same

Today Rep. John Kline released a feel-good newsletter saying:

“I have put principles above partisanship and always tried to keep your best interests in mind”
But we know a group of Minnesotan veterans traveled to Washington DC last year to ask John Kline to support several pro-veteran bills.

John Kline summarily rejected the pro-veteran bills insisting that he would only endorse and co-author ‘Republican bills’. You can’t get much more partisan than that! Unless it’s to look at Kline’s 94% Bu$h voting record.

Do you really think a man who won’t support veterans unless they’re ‘Republicans’ will represent all the people? Don’t be fooled by false promises that don’t match his record! Kline realizes he’s now serving in a Democratic house. One he helped create by his Party’s inability to play fair, share leadership and be nonpartisan.

Kline also quotes President Reagan:

"It's not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work - work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it."

So why is it that in Kline's terms in office with a Republican controlled House and Senate and with a Republican President, none of what Reagan said was accomplished? Either Kline and his Party lacks the leadership to do so or they lied. Either way Kline's back peddling is too little, too late.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

John Kline: Patriot or War Profiteer?

Thousands of Americans soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice for a war that was sold to the American public by misleading assertions about an imminent threat, weapons of mass destruction, and ties to terrorist groups like Al Qaeda. Rep. John Kline (MN R) has both asserted and supported these claims since the war.

As American taxpayers we were asked to foot the bill for billions toward the ongoing occupation and reconstruction of Iraq. Yet where has the money gone?

Under the previous Republican House and with the knowledge of the Armed Services Committee that John Kline sits on, the vast majority of money for the Iraq war and reconstruction has mostly gone to companies with long-standing connections to the Bu$h administration, including Halliburton, Bechtel, and Black Water.

Early on, the administration even issued a memo which stated that "[i]t is necessary for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States to limit competition for the prime contracts of these procurements to companies from the United States, Iraq, Coalition Parties and force contributing nations."

It's still unclear how U.S. interests (particularly the interests of U.S. taxpayers) or the interests of the Iraqi people have been served by a 'no bid' contract process.

The bid 'process' is already dominated by this administration's corporate cronies, riddled with conflicts of interest, and designed in a manner that effectively undermines competition, transparency and accountability.

There are also shoddy fulfillment of work orders, huge gas surcharges and gouging and inflation of services and prices. Worse yet, the 'process' has hampered Iraqis' ability to get their own economy running. Congress own investigators reported numerous instances where Iraqi businesses have been able to complete certain work for a fraction of the cost estimated by U.S. contractors yet still were not awarded bids.

Although we hear repeated claims that the reconstruction and occupation are being managed in the interest of the Iraqi people, the ability of the Iraqi people to make key decisions about the structure of their own economy has been blocked. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) has invoked a law established during the regime of Saddam Hussein to keep unions illegal so that they can't come together as a force opposed to the privatization of state-owned industries, and CPA Directive 39 has opened up Iraq to foreign investors, allowing them to buy formerly state-owned companies and expatriate the profits.

Meanwhile, the reluctance of commercial insurers to back contractors seeking to do business in Iraq may result in further costs to U.S. taxpayers through the use of a little-know development agency (the Overseas Private Insurance Corporation, OPIC), which critics suggest is a massive corporate welfare scam designed to benefit U.S. multinational corporations abroad.

The Center for Corporate Policy has made recommendations on how to at least keep the war on the level (listed below). But I question why an independent agency has to make the recommendation. Isn't oversight, judgement and leadership one of the reasons we elected Congressman Kline? Shouldn't he be looking out for our interest over war profiteers? And why isn't he?

All the recommendations below should have come from his office but didn't. Shouldn't we (American taxpayers) open an investigation in abuses, misuse of funds and positions in regards to awarding pf Iraq bids? Kline says he's fiscally responsible yet how is that possible given the expeditures of the Iraq War and the burden of it's cost to taxpayers? Just recently the Armed Services committee that John Kline sits added a line to legislation that killed federal oversight in Iraq.

Make no mistake, Bu$h & Co. are not patriots. They are cold blooded profiteers. And Kline has stood beside and supported the profiteering since it's inception.

Recommended changes:
  • Improved oversight and open bidding.

  • Eliminate conflicts of interest and ban corporate crooks from contracts. On the same day in May that the Pentagon awarded WorldCom/MCI a contract to provide wireless service in Baghdad, the SEC announced the penalties for what was the largest accounting fraud in history. Law-breaking companies should not be awarded taxpayer-funded contracts.
  • Ban corporate tax dodgers from any contracts. The IRS estimates that offshore tax scams cost the Treasury $70 billion per year. In 2002, the President said, "we ought to look at people who are trying to avoid U.S. taxes as a problem. I think American companies ought to pay taxes here and be good citizens." Companies that move their headquarters to offshore tax havens and otherwise use offshore subsidiaries to avoid paying their fair share of taxes should be ineligible for taxpayer-funded contracts.
  • Curb war profiteering and excessive executive pay. Defenders of sky-high CEO pay often argue that corporate leaders bear tremendous responsibilities and must oversee complicated business activities. But many of the companies that have received Iraq reconstruction contracts award their top executives pay packages that are 30 to 175 times as much as a U.S. army general with 20 years experience, and nearly 2,000 times the pay of entry-level soldiers. Congress should keep in mind the words of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who, in the aftermath of WWII said, "I don't want to see a single war millionaire created in the United States as a result of this world disaster." For more information about curbing CEO pay for war contractors click here. Also see the "War Profiteering Prevention Act" (H.R. 3673) introduced by Rep. Emanuel (D-IL).
  • Cancel all contracts that work against Iraqi self-determination. The direction of Iraq's economy should be left for the Iraqi people to decide. Contracts such as the Bearing Point contract, which gives the company the right to "privatize state-owned enterprises" should be cancelled or amended. Under the principle of self-determination, such decisions are best left to a sovereign government once it is established.
  • Re-established federal watchdog oversight to the reconstruction and war efforts!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Paying The Price For Kline's War Policy

The current war in Iraq has defined Congressman John Kline's time in office. He supports it totally, voted for it, even helped determine how to deal with the fall out from it. He equates his success with America's winning of the Iraq war. He relishes and relives every adrenalin moment he's ever had in past military experiences with this war. Because of how close Kline identifies with the war; He is in essence the war.

With that in mind, for the next week I'll be featuring a series of stories and postings that define why the Iraq war is a failure. Why it's another Vietnam, why Ameirca can't win freedom for foriegn countries with different cultures, and why the Americans will pay the ultimate price for this war.

We'll start with the wounded Americans that return home from war. America will see more of their sons and daughters among the ranks of those that have returned from Iraq bearing more than just tourist trinkets.

Paying The Price, I

"We must break this cycle of violence and begin to move in a different direction; war is not the answer, violence is not the solution. A more peaceful world is possible."

I am the living death
The memorial day on wheels
I am your yankee doodle dandy
Your John Wayne come home
Your Fourth of July firecracker
Exploding in the grave


The Forgotten Wounded of Iraq
A Dig led by Ron Kovic
Thirty-eight years ago, on Jan. 20, 1968, I was shot and paralyzed from my mid-chest down during my second tour of duty in Vietnam. It is a date that I can never forget, a day that was to change my life forever. Each year as the anniversary of my wounding in the war approached I would become extremely restless, experiencing terrible bouts of insomnia, depression, anxiety attacks and horrifying nightmares. I dreaded that day and what it represented, always fearing that the terrible trauma of my wounding might repeat itself all over again. It was a difficult day for me for decades and it remained that way until the anxieties and nightmares finally began to subside.

As I now contemplate another January 20th I cannot help but think of the young men and women who have been wounded in the war in Iraq. They have been coming home now for almost three years, flooding Walter Reed, Bethesda, Brooke Army Medical Center and veterans hospitals all across the country. Paraplegics, amputees, burn victims, the blinded and maimed, shocked and stunned, brain-damaged and psychologically stressed, over 16,000 of them, a whole new generation of severely maimed is returning from Iraq, young men and women who were not even born when I came home wounded to the Bronx veterans hospital in 1968.

I, like most other Americans, have occasionally seen them on TV or at the local veterans hospital, but for the most part they remain hidden, like the flag-draped caskets of our dead, returned to Dover Air Force Base in the darkness of night as this administration continues to pursue a policy of censorship, tightly controlling the images coming out of that war and rarely ever allowing the human cost of its policy to be seen. more

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

For Kline, It Won't Be Business As Usual

I'm disappointed with the outcome of the election in CD2's congressional race. It baffles me that the voting public would buy Kline's negative campaign against a FBI agent like Coleen Rowley. But I do know one thing:

John Kline and congressmen of his ilk are a species on the brink of extinction.

Some that Kline stood with are now fallen, with more to follow. In addition, many of the corrupted rank and file that supported Kline are gone, defeated in this election.

Plus both major committees that Kline sits on (the House Armed Services Committee and the Education and the Workforce Committee) will have new leadership. And Democrat Nancy Pelosi will be the new majority leader in the US House.

It won't be business as usually for John Kline...er..well, he'll probably still rubber stamp whatever the the Preznit wants, but without bi-partisan support, nothing will fly. I also fully expect Michele Bachmann and John Kline to form an alliance as both are radical fringe folks that pathologically lie and distort issues.

I'd like to think that maybe now Kline will address the needs of this community instead of corporate America and big business. But I doubt that Kline will changed course. We'll still be here to tell the truth.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Kline Won't Be Missed

By now you should have realized why to vote for Coleen Rowley. (photo on left by a Lakeville Dad)

But just in case you missed the last several years and need more incentive, Smithers Mpls has a post on why every member of the Republican House 109th Congress (including our own Bu$hCo rubber stamper Rep. John Kline) should be voted out of office.


Buh Bye 109th
• The 109th Congress set a record for the fewest number of days worked — 218 between the House and Senate combined.
• The 109th Congress failed to raise the minimum wage, leaving it at its lowest inflation-adjusted level since 1955 while giving itself a two percent pay raise.
• There were 15,832 earmarks totaling $71 billion in 2006. (In 1994, there were 4,155 earmarks totaling $29 billion.)
• The 109th Congress turned the tragic Terri Schiavo affair into a national spectacle because, according to one memo, it was “a great political issue” that got “the pro-life base…excited.”
• The chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works thinks global warming is the “greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.”
• The House leadership held open a vote for 50 minutes to twist arms and pass a bill that helped line the pockets of energy company executives.
• The 109th Congress fired the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction,the lone effective federal watchdog for Iraq spending, effective Oct. 1, 2007.

See ya guys. You won’t be missed

.

Opportunity Knocks

You know what to do.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Election Dirty Tricksters Trying To Help Kline

Older voters in Eagan, Minn. have received phone calls asking if they are voting for Coleen Rowley, then telling those who intend to vote for Coleen that they must go the wrong polling places (not their own) and can only vote during limited hours (not any time Election Day while polls are open).

Talk about low!

The caller ID traces back to a cell phone in New York, but the owner of that phone says he has no knowledge of the calls. If the dirty tricksters are going through this much trouble, I suspect they're using a phony caller ID too.

If John Kline has any sense of decency he'll call a news conference immediately to call attention to these dirty tricksters and get the correct voting information out. Call his office to demand he do so. Kline's silence will only indicate he approves of the fraudulent phone calls.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Look Who's Pulling John Kline's Strings!

This just in! There are actually two John Kline’s. In Minnesota, Kline touts an "illusion of independence" as the Colonel Klink…er, Kline. While in WA DC, he's a Colonel in Bu$hCo's army pushing their agenda.

The latest FEC filing shows Kline to be anything but 'independent'. John Kline's campaign has accepted more money from 'special interests’ and PACs than from individuals (57% to 43%).

The PACs that gave money, 80% of which are out-of-state, include: chemical companies, right wing issue interests, pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, insurance companies and a slew of others who seek to preserve the status quo and help their industry – even though it isn't in best interest of Minnesota.

Some highlights include checks from PACs associated with the 21st Centutry who’s top donors are from California and Arizona. They also include the likes of Ex Enron CEO Ken Lay and companies like Halliburton and Exxon.

Kline also received money from both Eli Lilly and Pfizer PACs which are large pharmaceutical companies with a special interest in keep their profits up through John Kline votes.

While Medicare Part D's 'Donut Hole' denies coverage to individuals with annual drug costs exceeding $2,250. Seniors and disabled must pay nearly $3,000 in out-of-pocket drug costs on top of costly monthly premiums. With about 7 million Americans in stand-alone prescription drug plans at risk of falling into the donut hole, these large drug companies are having record yearly earnings.

The latest FEC filing coupled with his voting record shows that John Kline has peddled his influence to big money lobbyists and special interest.

When you put these special interests and out-of-state PACs on top of Kline’s connections to Dennis Hastert, Tom Delay, Randy “Duke” Cunningham, and Bob Ney, you can't help but realize that John Kline is just another pea in the corrupt Washington DC pod.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Kline Staffer-Lying Is Part Of The Game

Coleen Rowley's campaign blog notes that in a moment of true candor, Kline's spokesman admits lies and distortions are standard operating procedure for Kline:

Yesterday, Rowley for Congress held a press conference to highlight the deluge of smear attacks which John Kline has launched during this election cycle. David Peterson of the Star Tribune reports:

Pressed to specify what her own circular called "John Kline's Lies," Rowley said she had considered using the word "distortions" instead. "A lot of it turns on wordsmithing and connecting the dots by implication," she said.

Kline has accused her, among other things, she said, of wanting to legalize methamphetamines, reinstate the draft and reward illegal immigrants, and of disrespecting the military. None of that is true, she said.

In a rare moment of candor, a Kline campaign spokesman acknowledged that this is standard operating procedure for Kline:

"She is calling a press conference to complain that the other side is campaigning," Young said. "It's a little strange."

For John Kline, spreading lies about your opponent and her staff is all just part of the game.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Kline Sells Out Military To Cover Mistakes

From the Rowley Campaign:

According to a report in the New York Times today, the House Armed Services Committee somehow inserted language into an appropriations bill that effectively terminates the oversight of the Office of the Special Inspector (IG) General for Iraq Reconstruction on October 1, 2007. The termination of the IG generated surprise and some outrage among lawmakers who say they had no idea it was in the final legislation. The obscure provision was reportedly inserted in spite of the objections of Democrats during a closed-door conference that was dominated by the Republican majority.

Minnesota Second District Congressional candidate, Coleen Rowley, says if the voters of her district knew John Kline was misusing his Congressional authority in this manner, they would be outraged. The GOP's stopping of any effective oversight over potential war profiteering is just another example of the Republican "culture of corruption" that has pervaded government since the Bush Administration came to power. The public, on the other hand, is crying out for comprehensive ethics reform in Congress."

U.S. Representative John Kline apparently acted together with fellow-Republicans to add a last-minute provision that effectively undermines investigations into corruption and war profiteering, according to his opponent, DFL challenger and retired FBI Agent Coleen Rowley.

Rowley noted that Kline's comment published in today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he "can't authorize unlimited money" with regard to helping fund veterans health benefits and other assistance starkly contrasts with his actions to terminate reconstruction oversight since it is just such governmental oversight which serves to detect and reduce fraud, waste and abuse.

"This is yet another example of what I've termed 'special interest corruption', and how it happens that the interests of big-money corporate campaign donors, in this case the companies that have contracts for reconstruction of Iraq, are placed over the needs of 2nd District taxpayers and their families. It's increasingly clear that this corrupting influence has influenced what John Kline does in Washington and who he really represents."

Rowley made her statements immediately after leaving a press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul on Friday, where she criticized her Republican opponent John Kline for putting over a million dollars into negative and false campaign mailings and TV ads. "Minnesotans are fed up with negative advertising instead of discussing the issues," said Rowley. "We've tried to run an ethical, issues-focused campaign, while Congressman Kline has done little to discuss issues and has, instead, since day one, been spending enormous amounts of money derived in large measure from special interest and corporate PACs, to distract voters from the issues through distortions and half truths."

John Kline Terminates Federal Oversight In Iraq

Tucked away in a huge military authorization bill signed by Bu$h two weeks ago is an obscure provision terminating the federal oversight agency, the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, on Oct. 1, 2007.

The clause was inserted by Rep. John Kline and the rest of the Republican side of the House Armed Services Committee over the objections of Democratic counterparts during a closed-door conference. Perhaps Kline thought the Iraq's war won't need oversight in another year but then why did he vote YES on declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date (june 2006)?

It has generated surprise and some outrage among lawmakers who say they had no idea it was in the final legislation.

Lawmakers aside, this intentional removal of oversight should generate outrage among all of us. It is unbelievable and inexcusable to eliminate the oversight of billions of taxpayer dollars in Iraq. This is a balant misuse of power. It is wrong and endangers our military. As Senator Dayton has pointed out in the past:


"Certainly as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee it's been frustrating not being able to get the kind of oversight that we should have. The intelligence committee Democrats feel the same way. But they (Republicans) run the Congress as well as the White House and they've been able to basically carry out their own will."

John Kline has removed all accountability and is allowing taxpayers to be openly ripped off by no-bid contracts and war profiteering scams.

Just this week it was revealed that U.S. military has not kept proper track of hundreds of thousands of weapons intended for Iraqi security forces. The report, released by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, shows the U.S. military never even recorded the serial numbers of almost half a million weapons it gave to the Iraqis. This means tracking the weapons has now become nearly impossible. Inconsistencies in the number of weapons purchased and those in Iraqi warehouses show that more than 13,000 weapons are, essentially, missing and presumed in the hands of insurgents who use those weapons to kill Iraqi civilians and American soldiers.

Private corporations that provide food, water, fuel, services, and protection to various government agencies are often found to possess no-bid contract deals, overcharge government agencies for services rendered at ludicrous amounts, and provide little to no accountability for any misfortune or tragedy that may befall any of its employees or our military by cutting costs at the expense of safety or security.
  • Despite over eight months of work and billions of dollars spent, key pieces of Iraq's infrastructure - power plants, telephone exchanges, and sewage and sanitation systems -have either not been repaired, or have been fixed so poorly that they don't function
  • Bechtel has been given tens of millions to repair Iraq's schools. Yet many haven't been touched, and several schools that Bechtel claims to have repaired are in shambles. One 'repaired' school was overflowing with unflushed sewage; a teacher at the school also reported that 'the American contractors took away our Japanese fans and replaced them with Syrian fans that don't work' - billing the U.S. government for the work.

  • Inflated overhead costs and a byzantine maze of sub-contracts have left little money for the everyday workers carrying out projects. In one contract for police operations, Iraqi guards received only 10% of the money allotted for their salaries; Indian cooks for Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root reported making just three dollars a day.
Kline has turned his back on taxpayers and those who risk their lives in Iraq by allowing 'for profit' corporations a free hand in Iraq. The soldiers who put their lives on the live in Iraq are too valuable to allow brazen war profiteers to be free of federal oversight and accountability. Isn't it time we have some real oversight of the billions of dollars being spent in Iraq? It won't happen with John Kline. Vote Change, Vote Coleen Rowley.

Kline refuses to answer the questions



John Kline said he wanted to run "an issues oriented campaign". Yet when it comes to answering even the basic questions on the issues in the Star Tribune voter guide, he's "deklined" to let us know where he stands. In the same voter guide Kline says "Mine is not a single-issue protest campaign." We agree. He's running a no-issues campaign.

On the several of listed above Kline has been quick to attack his opponent Coleen Rowley, but here he won't offer any solutions of his own. Why? When you see his real answers you might agree that not answering the questions is probably his best option if he wants to get re-elected.
  • 1) Iraq - John kline has voted to build permanant bases in Iraq. Not exactly the thing you do if you're planning to withdraw your troops eventually.
  • 2)Enforcement of laws forbiding employers to hire illegal immigrants. -- Kline has supported the Bush administration which has only very rarely cited employers for hiring illegals. A huge drop from enforcement of the same laws before the Clinton years.
  • 3)Tax cuts - John Kline gets his campaign money from the richest 1% that get the lions share of the benefits from the Bush tax cuts. Of course he's not going to repeal them. He'd rather saddle our kids with lots of debt than be responsible and pay as you go.
You get the idea. Kline didn't answer the questions because it could hurt his re-election chances. Coleen Rowley isn't afraid to answer the questions. Coleen Rowley isn't afraid to ask the tough questions. The only one who is afraid here is John Kline.

So do you want someone in Congress who dodges the truth to protect himself, or someone who tells the truth so we can fix the problem? That's a simple question to answer. Vote for an Agent For Change. Vote for Coleen Rowley.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Rowley To Stand Up For Truth Against Kline

From the Rowley Campaign:
Coleen Rowley to Respond to Kline Accusations

9/11 Whistleblower Sets the Record Straight About Her Positions on the Issues

U.S. Congressional Candidate Coleen Rowley will hold a press conference tomorrow, Friday, November 3rd to respond to a barrage of negative mailings and television attack ads from the John Kline campaign to voters in the Second Congressional District.

The Rowley for Congress campaign invites you to attend, so Rowley has the opportunity to respond to your listeners, viewers, and readers.

PLACE: Minnesota State Capitol, Room 125
DATE: Friday, November 3, 2006
TIME: 10:30 AM

Unless Rowley has the entire day to talk she won't be able to cover all of the lies that Kline has spread about her. Go Coleen Go!

Funny, Fishy Fishstick Facts

Not only does Mr. Smelly Fish muff the facts in an endorsement by the Pioneer Press causing them embarrassment and a printed correction, now Mr. 'don't eat the tainted' Fishsticks Westover, gets in a personal attack against Coleen Rowley on his blog that of all things includes an attacks of her music sense!

(It’s more than a little symbolic that Rowley credits performer, Pete Seeger with the “gone to graveyards everyone” line rather than lyrist/composer Bob Dylan. She also misquotes it -- soldiers not flowers "gone to graveyards everyone." )

We'll start with the small stuff, hmm, like: Pete Seeger did write "Where have all the flowers gone". I'm sure Dylan has performed it, but the words as written by the author Pete Seeger, shows the progression from flowers to graveyard. A concept maybe too deep for our slimey friend to grasp as an analogy but none the less true!

I'll stop here before this turns into a 'rant' about Westover's writing being more like a slimy fish than fact. I wouldn't want to be accused of not being a Liberal 'force' as compared to a republican 'hack'.

Now I need to go cut down some fishsticks for dinner!

Enough

The choice on November 7 is to 'stay the course' of John Kline, or vote for a change. For months this blog has covered Kline's record that has repeatedly rubber stamped Bush's agenda at the expense of the middle class and average Americans. By now most folks get it...Kline must go or we are giving this corrupted group of leaders the right to continue enriching corporations and war profiteers, while everyone else pays the price. We can't afford more of the same.
Coleen Rowlely lays it out for us:

Enough
What's the most important issue in this year's election? If you had to answer that question using only the information available from the Republican Party, you would choose from the following: al-Qaeda, immigration, playboy bunnies and porn.

Al-Qaeda is a threat, one that the war of choice waged by George Bush and the Republican-led Congress has greatly exacerbated [not to brag, but I predicted exactly this outcome before the war began]. Illegal immigration is a problem, but Republicans in the House rejected a bipartisan solution which even George Bush supports, in part so they could use the issue in misleading attacks against their opponents.

I personally don't like them but campaigning against Playboy bunnies and porn descends into the realm of the absurd. In my own race, Republican incumbent John Kline is falsely accusing me of comparing U.S. Marines to Nazis. Oh yeah, I don't like Nazis either. The fact that some Republicans are campaigning on such things is a vibrant illustration of how desperate they are to avoid real scrutiny of their record. They're grasping for any distraction they can to deflect attention from the elephant in the room.

Iraq.

Today, more than 2800 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, almost exactly the same as the number of people who died in the 9/11 attacks. More than 20,000 are wounded, many of them with life-altering injuries which will require a lifetime of care, care George Bush and our Republican-led Congress seem reluctant to provide. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has likened Iraq to Vietnam, and declared that the occupation is "destroying the United States Army".

As badly as the occupation has hurt America, it's hurt the Iraqis more, with the overall death total estimated at a staggering 655,000. There is little, if any, progress to show for all the blood that's been shed. At the end of 2005, Iraq was producing less oil, electricity and drinkable water than it had before the invasion. And the sectarian violence has only increased since then.

Faced with this disaster of their own making, on such a mind-boggling scale, Republicans in Congress have done everything in their power to ignore it. They have engaged in no oversight of the administration or its failed policy in Iraq, and as a result, at least $9 billion in reconstruction funds has disappeared. This is more than a $9 billion cost to U.S. taxpayers, it has almost certainly cost U.S. and Iraqi lives. But pro-war, "tough on defense" Republicans, who also claim to be fiscal conservatives, have turned a blind eye to it.

Their willful ignorance has cost more than money. On Monday, it was reported that 14,000 weapons, including assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, have simply disappeared. There is no question that many of those weapons will be used to kill Americans.

Enough. There are many issues that matter to voters, and unlike my opponent and many other Republicans, I'm talking about them. But it's time to stop talking about Playboy bunnies and Nazis, and start working on solutions for the Republicans' failed policies in Iraq.The work starts November 7.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Kline A No Show At Vets Forum-Staffer Lies About Klines Ratings

You gotta see this, courtesy of Lakeville Dad.
Watch how Kline staffer/candidate stand-in Mike Osskopp lies about John Kline's ratings from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). He's a pretty good actor (remember his performance here?) and he does it with a straight face. He keeps up the act until vets get to talk to him one-on-one after the forum. Then Kline staffers try to block the camera and Osskopp heads for the door.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Kline needed an insider to get Pioneer Press endorsement

This story from Inside Minnesota Politics might explain why the Pioneer Press endorsed Kline over Rowley. Kline needed help from his good buddy Republican blogger Craig Westover to get the endorsement, so Westover fudged on the facts so much that the Pioneer Press had to run a correction. The really troublesome part is nobody at the PP Editorial Board checked out the facts reported by a known partisan!

Despite Westover's best efforts to manipulate the process, the PP gave Kline a very unenthusiastic endorsement.

Friday, October 27, 2006

John Kline Turns To Comedy

Mark Kennedy, who was joined by fellow Minnesota Republican congressman John Kline, called for more debate on the war on terror, saying it deserves more time. Then Kline added:

"I, like Mark, am tired of people saying, 'Well, we don't like the war in Iraq, we'll just make it better.' That's empty rhetoric,"

How can Kline talk of 'empty rhetoric' when his expensive, massive corporate welfare, devoid of policy war in Iraq has killed 99 military deaths in October alone?

And since when can John Kline join Mark Kennedy in calling for more debate when Kline is ducking out of debates with his opponent Coleen Rowley? Unless, of course, the fix is in and the moderator is partisan to the NeoCon issues.

Oh, now I get it, Kline is being funny! What a card! I'll be sure to catch him on SNL but I sure won't be voting for the joker!

With all the important issues facing Minnesotans (most of which came under Kline's leadership!), we need a new direction with a well thought out policy, not more of Kline's empty negative threats and misleading statements.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

The best reason to vote for change

If this letter from a soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan doesn't convince you to vote for change in Washington, nothing will.

The best reason to vote for change

If this letter from a soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan doesn't convince you to vote for change in Washington, nothing will.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Kline's Broken Promises On Healthcare

In 2000 when John Kline (MN R) faced off against Bill Luther, there was a TV ad that showed a small baby while the announcer told viewers that 'Rep. John Kline is fighting for “affordable, quality healthcare”.' Now - six years later anyone watching that ad would either laugh at loud or cry given Kline's horrific record on healthcare since then:
  • Kline voted YES on denying non-emergency treatment for lack of Medicare co-pay. (Feb 2006) This allows hospitals to refuse treatment to Medicaid patients when they are unable to pay their co-pay in addition to excluding payment to grandparents for foster care.
  • Kline voted NO on allowing human embryonic stem cell research.
  • Kline voted YES on limiting medical malpractice lawsuits to $250,000 damages. (May 2004) I guess we hope it’s not his child left dead from gross medical neglect. Pain and suffering damages are often all that is available when a child dies from medical negligence.
  • Kline voted YES on capping damages & setting time limits in medical lawsuits. (Mar 2003)
  • Kline voted YES on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (Nov 2003) Makes me wonder if Kline’s prescription drug benefit has limits?
  • Kline voted NO on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs. (Jul 2003)

But this doesn’t end at just broken promises for affordable quality healthcare: Big drug interests have given over $100,850 to Kline over the Representative's career. They know who they can count on for their votes.

  • Rep. Kline voted for the GOP Medicare Prescription Drug Bill that will give billions to businesses and the health care industry, while forcing seniors to accept annual increases in premiums and deductibles and a growing gap in coverage for the prescription drugs they buy.
  • Rep. Kline voted against allowing millions of Americans to save their hard-earned dollars on prescription drugs by re-importing them from Canada, even though these were U.S. made and patient safety was ensured.

While John Kline has been in office the medically uninsured population has grown nationally to 46 million Americans without health insurance. In Minnesota alone the uninsured has grown from 5.4% to 6.7%, for a total of 343,000 Minnesotans without health insurance. Those without insurance forego medical care entirely, ignoring preventive care and routine checkups, then clogging overstressed emergency rooms when their health problems become critical.

Rep. John Kline is rated 0% by APHA, showing a anti-public health voting record. The American Public Health Association (APHA) is the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world, representing more than 50,000 members from over 50 occupations of public health. APHA is concerned with a broad set of issues affecting personal and environmental health, including federal and state funding for health programs, pollution control, programs and policies related to chronic and infectious diseases, a smoke-free society, and professional education in public health.

If Kline was committed to “affordable, quality healthcare”, ask yourself how he could take money from and vote for the special interests of big drug and insurance companies instead of Minnesotans? Better yet, ask your neighbors about thier health insurance. They'll tell you about increasing costs for fewer services, if they have services. As it stands today one in five of Minneosta's children have no insurance. So go ahead and ask but I can guarantee the answer is to vote for change.

Across the Great Divide has more on the state of healthcare in MN...it's not a rosy picture.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Kids know- John Kline is a BULLY.

bul'ly, n 1. a person who hurts, frightens, threatens or tyrannizes over those who are smaller or weaker.

Nearly every campaign ad and mailing John Kline has sent out was meant to inspire fear. His paid Congressional staff show up at Coleen Rowley events to intimidate people by yelling racial slurs. When he "debates" John Kline has to have someone like Jason Lewis help him, or as on Almanac, he refuses to answer the questions and instead keeps interrupting his opponent.

Kids know bullies. These are smart kids:

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Star Tribune Endorses Coleen Rowley!

Wow! Coleen Rowley received the Star Tribune endorsement in the Second Congressional district of Minnesota against the encumbant Rep. John Kline! Among other things they cited the need for a change from the failed Bu$hCo agenda that Kline has so faithful served:

"...we cannot endorse his (kline's) steadfast, increasingly strained, defense of the Bush administration over policies that have produced destructive budget deficits, mired the nation in a disastrous war and tarnished the nation's image as a defender of human rights and the rule of law....

...While Rowley is short on political experience, she has proved herself a quick study and avid learner. Washington needs a change in course, and the Second District is a good place to start."

'nuff said! Now go tell your neighbors and friends and vote for change, vote Coleen Rowley!

Friday, October 20, 2006

A pair of Kline ad rebuttals

Nothing like a pack of lies to spur creativity in people. Thanks to Lakeville Dad and mmcintee for their work on these two video gems.




Thursday, October 19, 2006

Kline Part Of The Worse Congress Ever!

Rolling Stone has a new article The Worst Congress Ever in their latest edition. "How our national legislature has become a stable of thieves and perverts -- in five easy steps". It basically shows that politics has evolved under the likes of John Klines and the other congress members to an all time corrupted low.

The cliff note version:

Step One- Rule by Cabal. Remember when Sensenbrenner just shut off the power and walked out when the Democrats wanted to hold a hearing on the PATRIOT Act?

Step Two- Work as little as possible and screw up what little you do. Congress worked a record breaking low: 92 days in the second session and they sucked at it.

Step Three- Let the president do whatever he wants. No oversight. When there is a Democratic president, no issue is to small to investigate. When there is a Republican president. Nothing is debated.

Step Four- Spend, spend, spend. Since there is no oversight happening, what else is there to do? Spend money.

Step Five- Line your own pockets. And feel no remorse for it when you get caught. Blame those who busted you for ruining your life.

The corruption needs to stop and America needs new leadership with values. While you're at Rolling Stone, don't miss the feature: The 10 Worst Congressmen. While Rep. John Kline missed out on being one of the top ten worst, he certainly is the worst in Minnesota!

Kline Wants To Stay A Losing Course

Kline wants to stay a losing course in Iraq. The question you need to ask yourself is: Do you really want to stay with him?

If you read just one post on Iraq today...let this be the one! I know Rep. John Kline should. And before you go on about how Kline has been on several 'fact finding' tours in Iraq, let me point out the obvious: 1. Kline hasn't yet reached a fact the matches the truth; 2. Three days doesn't compare with three years; 3. Nir could speak the language, move around outside the protected zones among locals and not be precieved to be a Dubya goof and stoolie.

Nir Rosen is a fellow at the New America Foundation and a free-lance writer. His book on postwar Iraq, "In the Belly of the Green Bird: The Triumph of the Martyrs in Iraq" was published by Free Press in May 2006. His articles from Iraq and elsewhere are available on http://www.nirrosen.com.

Nir spent three years reporting out of Iraq. He has the first hand experience and insight that puts to rest John Kline's shallow 'stay the course' mindset. Staying the course has done nothing in Iraq but built a stronger, larger and more devoted terrorist network.

It's time to change the course as most experts and senior military strategist agree. Those that side with Kline are the moneymen, committed to making money for larger corporations. They could give a fig if Iraq becomes a democracy or how many of our children are sacrificed for their 'stay a losing course' policy where everybody but them pay the price.

The lack of vision and leadership by Kline that has lead us to and keeps us in Iraq is enough to vote him out. Vote for Coleen Rowley.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

DeKlining Wages

While John Kline (MN R) gave himself a payraise, he opposed even a symbolic non-binding resolution to raise minimum wage for America's working poor!

When Norwgianity posted up about Republicans not raising the minimum wage, he’s talking about Rep. John Kline. The very same Kline that attempted to hide his payraise this year by burying it in a larger spending bill.

Again, good enough for Kline - not good enough for the rest of us.
"Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it"

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Kline Gives Meaning to Sleeze

When Cunningham was convicted, Kline's office announced it would give the money ($6,000 from Cunningham) to charity:
"FEC records show the campaign contributed $4,000 to Kline's church in Burnsville, MN, Grace Methodist, where his wife Vicky is on the Board of Trustees and treasurer of the women's group "

Kline gives sleeze a whole new meaning. John Kline has received 42 contributions totaling $139,557 since 2000. And 17 of the 21 Republican congressmen on the CREW list have given to Kline. This isn't a 'chance' happening. This is cronyism and corruption and Kline is up to his neck with it's ties.
hattip to Lakeville dad

Monday, October 16, 2006

Kline and His Insane Posse

Kline And His Insane Posse

Bu$h, Cheney and Rumfeld (along with John Kline) supported the failing Iraq War policy and now want to 'stay the course' of that failure. Wonder if the 53 Americans dead in October so far in Iraq feel the same way?

According to Kline: The soldiers and Marines "know why they are in Iraq . ... They know what their mission is. And they understand [as] not everyone here does, that Iraq is the front line in the war against Islamist extremists... ." Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., in a June 16 speech on the House floor

Kline is in the same neocon choir singing the same losing tune. But we have a choice in Novemeber...stay a losing course or vote Kline out?

Kline's Moral Compass Is Broke

Is there nothing Kline wouldn't do? He even uses a Rove-like clearing house that markets in a neat little package - hate and lies. When Kline couldn't find mud on Coleen Rowley, he flings half truths at one of her volunteer campaign worker. A real class act!

It's no surprise that Kline works with, has taken money from and pals around with a really classy group of people like: felony criminals, sexual pederators, liars, cheaters, and war profiteers. Obviously he's using the same moral compass in his campaign as he does in his lock step voting with Bu$hCo over Minnesotans. Voters deserve better.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Kline: Anything To Win!

Doesn't get much better than this:

"I always vote Republican," said Tuma, who doesn't follow politics much but had Kline sponsor one of his cars. "That's just the way it is."

We get that Tuma doesn't follow politics 'much', if he did he wouldn't be voting Kline. But doesn't Kline's sponsoring of his car then amount to buying a vote? Hmm, Sponsoring cars for votes? Is that legal?

I guess it's as good as the oil, pharmacuetical , weapons and defense industries giving 'donations' to Kline's campaign while he votes for their legislation. At least this guy might actually reside in CD2!

Kline, No Ethics Left

Under this unethical and morally bankrupt Republican Congress with John Kline (MN R):
"Ney pleaded guilty to conspiracy and making false statements" and acknowledged taking money, gifts and favors in return for official actions on behalf of Abramoff and his clients."

Today Congressman Bob Ney, Republican of Ohio, went before a court and admitted guilt to charges related to his connections with disgraced former GOP superlobbyist Jack Abramoff.

John Kline has accepted donations from Ney (and Abramoff and Delay). Will he keep the dirty money like he's kept DeLay' s $30,000? Probably, no surprise there.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

John Kline's Deklining Performance

I have some good news for John Kline (MN R). Kline actually gets on the scorecard! Unlike Lakeville Dad’s blog that shows Kline with 70 different ratings of ZERO. I found a 8% and a whopping 25% rating for Kline. Naturally, they are both very low, and some might point out, failing scores, but he does at least make it on the board.

First, the League of Conservation Voters scorecard shows Kline with an 8%,(on a 1-100 scale). They based there scoring following a session of Congress that saw continued reliance on the failed energy policies of the past while ignoring common sense solutions to America's energy challenges.

“The 2006 National Environmental Scorecard offers a clear view of where each member of Congress stands on some of the most important issues facing our country,” LCV President Gene Karpinski said. “Who voted for the energy policies of the past and giveaways for Big Oil? Who stood up to protect the environment and the health and safety of American families? “

The National Environmental Scorecard was scored on the number of pro-environment votes cast out of the total number included for 2006. Among the votes included in the 2006 Scorecard are those on offshore drilling, drilling royalties, public health and environmental funding.

109th, 2nd session Score MN
Senate
Mark Dayton 86%
Norm Coleman 29%

House
MN 1 Gil Gutknecht 0%
MN 2 John Kline 8%
MN 3 Jim Ramstad 83%
MN 4 Betty McCollum 100%
MN 5 Martin Olav Sabo 92%
MN 6 Mark Kennedy 33%
MN 7 Collin Peterson 17%
MN 8 James Oberstar 67%

Next, Americans for shared Sacrifice has rated the 2005/2006 Sessions of the 109th Congress showing the percent of YES votes for Veterans Benefits. John Kline (MN R) scores the lowest among Minnesotan’s for support of Veteran benefits. John Kline once again receives a failing grade of 25%

John Kline talks of being a supporter of veterans, but he sure doesn’t vote like one. I couldn't help but notice Kline's latest mudfling at Coleen accuses her of not supporting the military, but based on the facts (Kline's vote record), he gets to hold that title:

SenateMark Dayton (D) 88%
Norm Coleman (R) 50%
House
CD1. Gil Gutknecht (R) 38%
CD2. John Kline (R) 25%
CD3. Jim Ramstad (R) 38%
CD4. Betty McCollum (D) 100%
CD5. Martin Olav Sabo (D) 100%
CD6. Mark Kennedy (R) 38%
CD7. Collin Peterson (D) 75%
CD8. James Oberstar (D) 88%