Missiles Gone: Montana’s Senators Fail

The U.S. Air Force completed the removal of 50 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles this week at Malmstrom AFB – one quarter of their mission. With the removal of the missiles, Malmstrom also lost 492 military personnel (plus family members) from the community.

Meanwhile, the world is still a dangerous place with several countries developing nuclear weapons.

The removal of the 50 missiles was first proposed in 2005-2006, but it was stopped due to some clout, at that time, from the Congressional delegation. Then, with a new more anti-military Congress taking over in 2007 and with a change in the Montana delegation’s make-up, the missile removal happened with relative ease.

Pro-Malmstrom and pro-military folks are probably getting a little tired of the rhetoric coming from Senators Max Baucus, and recently Jon Tester, in regards to their “support” of Malmstrom AFB.

For example, Max Baucus, in a September 2005 press release said:

The ICBMs should stay at Malmstrom – it’s that simple,” Baucus said. “Keeping the ICBMs at Malmstrom is about keeping good-paying jobs in our state. It’s also about ensuring Montana plays a strong role in our nation’s defense and military future.

Then on Baucus’ 2008 campaign website we find these tidbits:

Max has repeatedly been an outspoken opponent of the deactivation of missiles at Malmstrom

Max has repeatedly been a leader in bringing a new mission to Malmstrom

During Max Baucus’ watch, Malmstrom Air Force Base lost its flying mission, never received the X33 space mission, and now lost one-quarter of the missile mission. We won’t get into “game-costing fumble” Baucus committed when he tried to open the runway at Malmstrom. This is hardly the work or leadership pro-Malmstrom folks expect from a “powerful” 30-year Senator.

Then, following in Max’s shadow with sound bites trying to show a pro-military agenda, Jon Tester told us:

These Minuteman missiles are critical to our national security in the 21^st Century. Max and I are working together to make sure the Secretary knows that this proposed cut isn't good for Montana and it isn't good for America, Tester said.

And in this article we find, “Tester aims to keep Malmstrom's missiles”

I guess Tester’s “aim” was a little off. Way off.

With “support” like this can Malmstrom AFB remain open many more years? It’s becoming apparent to many pro-Malmstrom and military folks that Baucus and Tester may not even want the military base in Montana, and they are just paying lip service to the notion they want the base to grow. It’s time for the community of Great Falls, all of Montana, and especially the Montana media to understand that Baucus and Tester are no friends to Montana’s military.

Gaining

John McCain has pulled slightly ahead of Barack Obama in Montana according to a recent poll by Rasmussen:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows McCain attracting 45% of the vote in Montana while Obama earns 44%. When “leaners” are included, it’s all tied up at 47%. A month ago, Obama had a five-point advantage in Montana.

That’s got to be like a punch in the gut for the Obama Campaign in Montana, as well as the Montana Democratic Party. Obama has several paid staff working here with six offices across the state and they lost six points in the polls. Plus, McCain hasn’t started campaigning in Montana yet.

Maybe Obama should open more offices!

It looks like Montanans feel that reporters are trying to help Obama win, too:

Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Montana voters say that most reporters are trying to help Obama win in November. Just nine percent think they’re trying to help McCain.

Montanans must remember how reporters influenced the election here in 2006.

The Surge Worked

The President talked about Iraq this morning and there’s some great progress being made. A big thanks should go to our military personnel for the outstanding job they are doing in the war on terrorism. I salute you!

Unfortunately, I imagine it won’t be very long for the detractors to try and cut holes in this good news, because they want to make the war all political all the time.

Some of the key things the President spoke about include:

-Violence is down to its lowest level since the spring of 2004

-Iraqi forces now have 192 combat battalions in the fight -- and more than 110 of these battalions are taking the lead in combat operations against terrorists and extremists.

-The Iraqi Council of Representatives has passed several major pieces of legislation this year, and Iraqi leaders are preparing for provincial elections.

-All five of the combat brigades and the three Marine units that were sent to Iraq as part of the surge have been brought home.

-They are also reducing the length of combat tours in Iraq. Beginning tomorrow, troops deploying to Iraq will serve 12-month tours instead of 15-month tours.

It was also recently reported that we lost eleven military members in July which is the lowest monthly toll since the 2003 invasion. Iraqi civilian deaths are down as well.

All in all, this is pretty good news and the surge worked as John McCain felt it would when he first pushed for it back in 2003. Will Barack Obama finally agree that the surge was the right thing to do? I doubt it. Obama is lost when it comes to defense and national security issues.

I would expect more troop reductions to start taking place later this year and into next year, depending on what our military leaders decide. There should be no timeline set as this gives the enemy hope. We are winning in Iraq, but we must continue to be aggressive and vigilant because the world is a very dangerous place.

Working?

I have always thought it would be nice to be a member of the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate. You get a nice salary ($165,200), and about a million dollars to run your offices. Your travel is paid for, so you really don’t need to worry about high gas prices. If you want to travel to some far-away country, you just schedule a “fact-finding” trip and that’s paid for, too. But the best part is the time off.

If I were a senator or a representative, I think I would at least attempt to try and solve the nation’s energy problem before I took 30+ days off for summer vacation.

The Democrat-controlled U.S. House wants their time off in August. On Wednesday, they voted to take a nice vacation until September 8, which is more time off than most of us get each year:

That when the House adjourns on the legislative day of Thursday, July 31, 2008, Friday, August 1, 2008, or Saturday, August 2, 2008, on a motion offered pursuant to this concurrent resolution by its Majority Leader or his designee, it stand adjourned until 2 p.m. on Monday, September 8, 2008…

The resolution passed by one vote. Every one of the 213 “Yea” votes for the vacation were cast by Democrats. The House Democrats don’t want to work on our nation’s energy problems.

Congratulations to Montana’s Congressman Denny Rehberg who wants to solve the nation’s energy problem. He voted to stay in Washington and find a solution. Sadly, 213 democrats voted for vacation.

Rehberg said in this statement:

“I was elected to do the work of the people of Montana, and they’re demanding action to fix high energy prices,” said Rehberg, a member of the powerful Appropriations Committee. “I requested during the debate in New Orleans that Congress postpone its month long recess until we’d passed meaningful energy legislation. My Democratic colleagues stated their intention to wait until a new President took office in January of 2009. They need to know what anyone who has bought a gallon of gas in the last two years already understands: The time for action is now.”

It would be nice to see our two Senators, Max Baucus and Jon Tester, get behind Rehberg and stay in Washington to work on our nation’s biggest problem. There’s not much of a chance of that happening – they have fundraisers to attend.

Wexler has a Lease!

In a follow-up to a recent post about the official residency of Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL), there’s more and more information coming out. It appears Floridians are not that happy with the Congressman’s living arrangements.

Today we find out that Wexler has changed his mind. Wexler released this letter to his local papers that, in part, says:

As a result, Laurie and I have decided to lease a residence of our own in my congressional district.

A week or so ago, it was discovered that Wexler did not own a home in his district (or state), but he did own a home in Maryland. He counted his in-laws’ home as his official residence, but it was discovered that the home was for people 55 years old and older. Wexler has three teenagers who attend a private school near their home in Maryland.

Wexler’s problem became an issue with more and more stories appearing in the local newspapers:

…Wexler is the only member of Congress from Florida who doesn't own a home in the district, and therefore pays no Florida property taxes.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board did not find favor with Wexler’s residency issue. They felt it is a little deceptive and arrogant of Wexler to claim his in-laws home as his residence in Florida. Apparently, Wexler has lived in Maryland since 1997.

The Editorial Board wrote:

It's not unusual for Washington pols to live outside their districts while maintaining a residence in their district. But Wexler's in-laws' home is a stretch.

They also want it looked into a little more:

The congressman's nebulous housing arrangement needs to be thoroughly scrutinized by authorities — and now.

Then, they added:

BOTTOM LINE: Congressman, get your own Florida home.

And, it appears Congressman Wexler has done just that!

We all remember in November 2007, it was discovered that Senator Max Baucus had not owned a home in Montana for 11 years, but now he owns one-half of his mother’s home. The story quickly died.

The Montana Newspaper Editorial Boards and reporters could learn from their counterparts in Florida.

So, is the Wexler issue put to bed now? Well, there’s a tax issue he may have to worry about.

Coincidence?

First we have this report:

The Los Angeles City Council has approved a one-year moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a low-income area of the city.

Then we have this report:

A 5.4-magnitude temblor at lunchtime on Tuesday sent office workers streaming from their downtown Los Angeles high-rises…

Hmmm…

NIMBY

We’ve heard our Montana congressional delegation tell reporters and defense officials many times that Montana has wide-open spaces, uncluttered air space, clear flying weather, and low population when they were trying to attract new flying missions to Montana, especially flying missions for Malmstrom AFB.

Malmstrom AFB has a nice long runway (11,500 ft) that has not been used in over 10 years. They have several nice hangars and plenty of flight line. As the years have gone by, the runway has deteriorated some, but not to the extent that would prevent the federal government or a private aerospace company from sinking a few million dollars into the runway to make it useable.

I don’t see that ever happening now.

Recently the Air Force has made plans to expand their training area called the, “Powder River Training Complex” for Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota to include part of southeastern Montana. All or part of Big Horn, Carter, Custer, Fallon, Powder River, Rosebud, Treasure and Yellowstone counties and the Crow Reservation and the Northern Cheyenne Reservation would be in the expanded training area. The planes would not fly over Billings.

U.S. Senator John Thune, R-SD, proposed the idea of expanding the training area back in 2006. Thune, unlike Montana’s two Senators, actually works hard to keep his military base viable. This expansion would help the Air Force expand their training and readiness. Thune understands this. It appears the Montana delegation does not.

Montana’s three member congressional delegation are against the expansion. They are saying NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) so, unfortunately, it does not look like Montana’s skies are open for business or defense training any more.

Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester issue a press release telling the aerospace world that they reject the proposal. The headline on their press release said it all: “Senators call on Air Force to reject proposal to expand air space into Southeastern Montana.” While I did not see a press release from Congressman Denny Rehberg, the Associated Press reported that, “Mont. delegation opposes expanded bomber training” and “Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg said he also thinks the concerns of agricultural producers and rural hospitals should be addressed.”

Incredible.

While Malmstrom AFB’s runway and the Montana National Guard’s home at the Great Falls International Airport may seem a long way from Southeastern Montana, (just a few minutes in a jet) the action by our congressional delegation probably harmed any future plans the Air Force or other aerospace companies might have that uses Montana’s skies (or facilities) for defense or business.

When I hear a military bomber or a jet flying over, I think of one thing: Freedom. Due to the lack of military experience from our Montana Congressional delegation, it does not appear they think the same.

Leadership

According to Rasmussen Polling, veterans support John McCain more than Barack Obama. According to Rasmussen:

Voters who have served in the U.S. military favor John McCain over Barack Obama by a 56% to 37% margin.

You can add this veteran’s name to the list, too.

This poll was taken before Barack Obama slighted the wounded troops in Germany when he decided to cancel his visit to the military hospital there. It appears when he could not take his campaign folks and cameras with him, he decided to go to the gym instead.

I imagine the margin will increase after more and more veterans see that John McCain puts his country first, and McCain’s views don’t change with the wind direction.

Last night on MSNBC’s Countdown, Keith Olbermann spent the first 30 minutes of his show trying save Obama from this embarrassment. Of course, Olbermann is afraid to invite anyone on his show that might disagree with his opinion, so for 30 minutes or so, he and Rachel Maddow tried to help Obama in his time of need, taking time to cite left-leaning veterans’ groups to bolster their argument. Please Keith-go back to sports. You could clean up if you devoted an hour each night to sports.

The left has to be concerned. Obama is not running away with this election in a time where the current Republican President’s approval ratings are at an all-time low. One poll showed McCain leading Obama. Other polls show Obama ahead by an average of five points.

In another Rasmussen poll:

While Barack Obama has touted his travel to Afghanistan and Iraq as a “fact-finding” trip, 63% of Americans do not believe it makes the Democratic candidate any more qualified to be president.

I agree with these poll results. Obama lacks the experience to be a leader of our nation, and most people are starting to see this.

Best of all, the McCain campaign released a video called, “Troops” showing Obama’s lack of support for our troops. Enjoy!

Don’t Come Home

Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, participated in a National Energy Policy Discussion which was held today at Tulane University in New Orleans.

It was a four Republican and four Democrat discussion. It appeared from what I watched that the Democrats were a little short on substance. Gas prices have increased 74% since they took over congress in January 2007, so their record on this issue is very weak and polls are showing they are on the losing end of this debate.

A couple of highlights:

Rehberg called on Congress to stay in session through the August recess and through the General Election if needed until they pass comprehensive energy legislation.

I say, “Hear! Hear!”

We all know many of the Democrats in Washington want to slide into the August recess, attend barbecues, raise a little campaign coin, and take a few junkets at taxpayer expense, and then attend the Obama “Mile High” show in Denver.

Although everyone would like to see Congress actually do something about the high energy prices, I think Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) hit the nail squarely on the head with this statement found on Politico.com: “The only thing standing between the American people and the 88 billion barrels of oil on the Outer Continental Shelf,” Bachmann said, “is the Democratic Congress.”

Exactly.

For me, the best bill out there that addresses our energy problems is H.R.6566, the American Energy Act.

The bill increases domestic supplies in an environmentally responsible way, it improves conservation, it develops alternatives, and it invests in technology for future energy demand.

Time is wasting. Stay in Washington and debate this bill, and don’t leave until you have a solution. Most of us have no desire to see you at any public events in August, or September, or October…

No Talk. No Action.

Montana’s “senior” U.S. Senator, Max Baucus, sent his subscribers an e-mail from his U.S. Senate account on Friday he called, “Sizzling Summer Successes.” The e-mail dealt with four main topics: Quality, Affordable Health Care, Outdoor Heritage, Indian Health Service, and Secure Borders.

Lacking in the campaign-type e-mail was any idea on how to lower gas prices – not one word. This is the major issue facing America – dealing a huge blow to tourism, trade, and commerce. He does tell his readers, “As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee I’m working to secure a bright and prosperous future for Montana and America.” It would be nice if Senator Baucus would push his majority leader, Harry Reid, into allowing votes on drilling. We might actually believe he is working to secure Montanans a bright and prosperous future.

But Harry Reid is just one part of the problem. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was in Montana for a wedding (details here) and it appears she did not care to discuss high gas prices during the press interviews.

There’s an elephant in the room and congressional democrats should be doing something about it. It looks like the House and Senate have about one week left before they leave on their August vacations, so time is wasting.

Americans can squarely place the blame on Pelosi and Reid for our energy woes, especially when it comes to more drilling off our coasts. Since President Bush lifted the executive ban on offshore oil drilling, oil prices have dropped a little. To get prices to drop even more, Reid and Pelosi must follow and lift the congressional ban. We must drill for more oil at home, period.

Like I wrote before, everything must be on the table. Everything. It’s a national security issue. It’s something that Max Baucus and Nancy Pelosi should be talking about.