Rand Paul, the Kentucky Derby & Foreign Policy

The Senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul, a likely 2016 Presidential candidate, went to the Kentucky Derby this weekend – and invited, as a guest, Rupert Murdoch. The event was covered in some detail by the New York Times, although not as a society piece – between the descriptions of traditional Kentucky Derby couture (a la, page 6 of the Post), the Times brought up the political ramifications associated only with Republicans – and Rupert Murdoch.the New York Times – Undoubtedly, the Times failed to mention that Republican’s aside, there are Democrats that Murdoch holds in some esteem – namely Hillary Clinton (also a possible 2016 candidate). (Fox News).

Paul, a prolific fund raiser may have invited Mr. Murdoch for more than say, a Republican Blessing.

The Washington Post then, seriously, asks the question: "What is Rand Paul is right about foreign policy”? - Apparently, polling suggest that Senator Paul is on the right side of the majority of Americans, including Democrats and Independents – the most amazing aspect of this poll discover, according to the Post is the fact that Republicans’ are equal in the mix of those wishing less direct involvement in foreign escapades. (Washington Post).

Of course, if history were taught at Public and Private Institutions those in the “know” would recall that George Washington was of the same mind as Senator Paul.

Bob Woodward Tells the Truth About Sequestration – White House Lashes Out – Woodward – a Day Late and a Dollar Short

Bob Woodward speaking on Sequestration - Photo and Article Business Insider: "BOB WOODWARD: Obama Is Showing 'A Kind Of Madness I Haven't Seen In A Long Time"

Bob Woodward of “Watergate” fame, established journalist and associate editor of the Washington Post, has had an epiphany. Apparently, the Obama Administration is playing fast and loose with the facts as they relate to sequestration, and, as a result, Woodward has had the gall to call them out! The details of the “feud” are available on Politico in an exclusive interview entitled simply “Woodward at War” (Here at politico.com) In the piece it outlines Woodward’s incredulity that the President would “spin” the fact that he is responsible for sequestration, not the “Republicans” and has been misleading the public as a result, while using campaign tactics, which one of the White House Aides noted in a somewhat threatening email to Woodward, were to further the White House Agenda. Woodward is not backing down. (Politico) In fact, he he has stepped up editorializing that he Presidents decision to pull back on defense prior to the “Sequestration” is “madness”.(Reuters).

The MSM has countered as of this morning with ABC focusing more on the White House and their operatives:

“Former Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith also opined: “Woodward deserves a lot of credit for taking a macro story about DC dysfunction, competing econ theories & making it all about him,” she said. In the column at the center of the storm, Woodward writes the White House has been deliberately disingenuous about its role in the sequester, and accused Obama of “moving the goal posts” by insisting Republicans agree to new tax revenue as part of any substitute for the sequester. “That was not the deal he made,” he says.”

Woodward is about to come to a new epiphany, outside of certain limited news outlets, the balance of them will side with the White House, in fact, Bob Woodward and his accurate portrayal of events regarding the sequester, will receive little to no airplay or ink. Rather, the media, from local to national, is touting the fears that the white house is propagating.

Since Woodward has been public in his questions on the tactics used by the White House, the left are treating him as “right wing”, and those elected officials in the Republican Party, who were accommodating to Woodward in his newly published book on Sequetration, (Politico) are most likely in shock that he has formed this opinion and publicly.

The bigger question is: Has Woodward been living under a rock for since 2009? He must have missed the histrionics, fear tactics, and “campaign-style” messaging that the white house has delivered on the Stimulus, the Jobs Bills, name an issue. The fact of the matter is, that the White House has cried “wolf” so many times, the general public could care less now. It is not the fact that “Sequestration” is hard for most Americans to comprehend (given the length and obscurity of the word); news agencies are boiling that down to “severe budget cuts” and “lost jobs” in order to get the President’s point across.

The fact that the Congress has brought budgets, proposals, and other reasonable bills forward, during the length of the Administration, all stalled at the desk of either Harry Reid, Democrat Majority Leader of the Senate or the White House or a combination of both – must have been lost on Woodward.

Of course, those previously uncompromising Republicans (who are blamed for the Sequestration - inaccurately), are not going to meet with the White House today (NBC New) Here’s what the general public expects: The two sides will meet, there will be a deal, and all will be well, until the next “crisis”. What is most likely to occur, the decrease in projected spending will be either greatly reduced or eliminated, and there will be tax increases to cover the cost of the increased spending as well as additional spending – in other words, John Boehner will cave in to Obama over a round of golf.

If Boehner does not, it will be a shock to those Conservatives who see Washington as one big Party feast on the American taxpayer. If Boehner sticks to his guns over this non-existent crisis, and insists that these cuts to discretionary spending and defense are made – with zero additional tax increases, in order to get the deficit on the first tiny step towards sanity – it would make him the media’s “Public Enemy #1” and give him some credibility among those who feel he’s been singing, go along to get along in DC.

The later is unlikely to occur.

Woodward, however, being right on target with a subject and publicly so, will come to the realization that those in power, enjoy it, and will continue to abuse their power, regardless of political affiliation. Their popularity with the public relying solely on marketing, and aided by a willing media, will make it difficult, if not impossible for the “Bob Woodward’s” of the world to combat with “hard hitting journalism” – That ship has sailed. What is left are those who know, not all is well, above board, and for the people and those who are led by the nose as if they are being returned to Korea to a certain death by the willing Chinese. There are more of the later, which is a growing problem for the nation, as those who are “easily duped” continue to vote. They vote by issues that will never be solved, and they continue to elect multiple term Senators and Congressional Representatives that are more interested in keeping their power base in DC than serving those who hired them. That is true for both political parties. Which is why, in his Farewell address, the First President of the United States offered his take on Political parties by noting: “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”

Washington was not alone in the concept of the danger of political parties and the powers they would amass, one might flip through the Federalist papers, where this was a resounding theme, and today, it can be deem prophetic. (Also a note, they where vehemently opposed to the addition of “Freedom of the Press to the bill of rights – the reason: the founders feared the press would align itself with a political ideology, inconsistent with the founder’s visions and use their power to “overthrow the nation” ) (Federalist Papers – available online at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18)

Joe Lieberman – Introducing the New Independent Republican Party.

Last night Joe Lieberman addressed the Republican Convention and made a direct appeal to moderates across the nation, regardless of party lines, to take a long look at McCain and cast their vote in November for a Republican. Although the party faithful Democrats are up-in-arms about Joe’s speech, those Progressives who would have replaced him in a heartbeat with an Obama clone two years ago, one can’t be sure how that appeal affected the likely voters that are on the fringe - moderate Democrats as well as Independents. In contrasting the speech given by Zell Miller in 2004, which was a fiery lecture regarding the basic values that Miller felt had been abandoned by his party, Lieberman looked to history and gave a spot-on analysis of what the first President felt was wrong with party partisanship and how one-day it that partisanship – putting party first - might lead to a division within the nation that would cripple the government. His references to Barrack Obama were polite, yet they pointed to the lack of experience and the partisanship shown in Obama’s short time in his national Senate seat.

Lieberman is being called “Brave by some for crossing the aisle and incurring the wrath of his party. Threats have been made, by the likes of Harry Reid, that Lieberman could face the loss of a coveted Committee Seat should he not blindly follow the party. The fact that anyone would think a place of prominence in a given political party should concern an American or hold a Public Servant hostage is mind-boggling. When one compares the various “Party” experiences of both McCain and Palin with those of Joe Lieberman - a theme of true independence occurs. Many in the within the rank and file of the Democrats feel, and rightly so, that their party has been hijacked by Progressives (Socialist-Communists), turning the once inclusive party into a elite machine (See DNC Reform and PUMA), while most within the Republican party have been Independent (the rank and file and those outside of the Beltway), and the party, although much maligned, was the original party of inclusion and has historically, done more to promote those who may by gender or ethnicity, be targeted as “owned” by the other party.

Now that Joe Lieberman has thrown down the gauntlet, so to speak, and invited independents, rather those who care more about the country rather than a political party, to join with him in what amounts to a reform movement, a movement not only for the country but a movement within a party for the good of our nation.

As the far left members of the Democrat Party (or more appropriately the Progressive Democrat Party by virtue of its leadership), has, in recent days, shown that fascism and fanaticism know no bounds. In the past few days, Democrats have released the SS number and Home Address of VP Nominee, Sarah Palin, sympathetic media outlets such as Move-on.org, The New York Times, the Daily Kos (who works for Howard Dean, disclaimer on Home page), and the Huffington Post have placed unusual amounts of emphasis on Palin’s family personal matters – and Howie Carr, WRKO Boston, reported that one that had gone so far as to offer a reward to anyone who can come up with dirt on the family. Fascism anyone?

There has always been party rivalry, but that has been tempered with decency – within recent years, decency has fallen by the wayside, in favor of any tactic, including slander, in order to place the Democrat ticket at the top. As an independent minded American who, granted, leans conservative, the choice has become increasingly clear – there simply is no alternative to a McCain-Palin ticket – it is the New Independent Republican Ticket that offers real change that is backed up by the players resumes - not an empty “Yes we can” (borrowed from a Massachusetts governors campaign), that does not offer a resume or any certainty that there will not be four more years of the same partisanship that our first President, George Washington, predicted.