LIZ CHENEY Drops Out Of WYOMING U.S. Senate Race (Political Backlash From GLAAD??)

#LIZCHENEY

LIZ CHENEY is dropping out of the WYOMING U.S. Senate Race.

Was she run off the campaign trail by GLAAD & other GAY Activist Organizations??

I can imagine Senator ENZI is somewhere laughing right about now.

But I personally believe LIZ CHENEY would have been an Asset to the U.S. Senate.


ARTICLE: "Liz Cheney To Abandon Senate Bid"


Liz Cheney, whose upstart bid to unseat Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi sparked a round of warfare in the Republican Party and even within her own family, is dropping out of the Senate primary, she said in a prepared statement Monday morning.

"Serious health issues have recently arisen in our family, and under the circumstances, I have decided to discontinue my campaign," she said.

Cheney, the eldest daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, began telling associates of her decision over the weekend, CNN reported late Sunday night.

"Though this campaign stops today, my commitment to keep fighting with you and your families for the fundamental values that have made this nation and Wyoming great will never stop," she added.

Cheney's surprising decision to jump into the race, an announcement made in a YouTube video last summer, roiled Republican politics in the Wyoming, a state that Dick Cheney represented in Congress for five terms before moving up the Republican food chain in Washington.

Enzi was a low-key presence in Washington who was elected in 1996 and, with few blemishes, amassed a conservative voting record in the Senate. He expressed public annoyance at Cheney's decision to mount a primary challenge. A number of his Senate colleagues quickly rallied to his side and pledged support for his re-election bid.

There was little public polling of the race, but two partisan polls released last year showed Enzi with a wide lead, an assessment mostly shared by GOP insiders watching the race.

Cheney's campaign got off to a rocky start.

Her critics labeled her a carpetbagger, noting that she moved to Wyoming only in 2012 after relocating from Virginia. The issue flared in August after the Wyoming media reported that Cheney improperly received a fishing license despite not living in the state for at least a year, as the law requires.

Grabbing even more attention was her very public dispute with her sister, Mary, over the issue of same-sex marriage. Mary Cheney, who is a lesbian, took to Facebook in November to object to Liz Cheney's opposition to same-sex marriage, claiming that her sister has previously supported her relationship while saying something very different on the campaign trail.

The dispute prompted their parents to weigh in, saying they were "pained" to see the sisters battle over a private matter in full view of the news media.

Beyond the campaign missteps, Cheney's election effort, vigorously supported by her father and his allies, often felt out of tune with the small-government conservative sentiment that has fueled other Republican primary challengers.

Cheney, like her father, is an unapologetic neoconservative who favors muscular use of American military power overseas, a policy that does not sit well with many grassroots conservatives, particularly in the libertarian-leaning West.


Sources: AP, CheneyforWyoming, CNN,

GOP Plans For 2010 Victory In "Big Easy" @ Republican Leaders Conference

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2012 Already? Showcase Previews GOP Contest


Like it or not, the 2012 presidential race is already underway.

Thousands of Republicans are gathering in New Orleans for the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, a three-day event that's the GOP presidential nomination's equivalent of the annual NFL Scouting Combine for aspiring draft picks.

The lineup includes prominent Republican VIPs who might run for president, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. And political observers will be looking for clues about the nascent battle for the Republican presidential nomination.

Four years ago in Memphis, Tenn., Mitt Romney made a splash at the event, coming out of nowhere to finish a surprising second at the conference’s straw poll. The strong showing was an early indication that the Massachusetts governor would be a player in the 2008 presidential contest.

(The conference, however, isn't always a reliable predictor of the eventual GOP presidential nominee. The winner of the 2006 straw poll was former Republican Senate leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, who never ran for president. Another closely watched Republican who spoke at the event — former Virginia Sen. George Allen — ended up losing his seat later that year.)


But even if its top performers don't always go on to the GOP nomination, the SRLC serves as the first real opportunity for party leaders, prominent donors and the political press corps to size up the early field.

“It's a chance to see the candidates in front of a group of key party leaders from a big chunk of the country,” said political analyst Charlie Cook, publisher of the nonpartisan "Cook Political Report."

“Who is stiff? Who seems to strike a responsive chord?”



The speaking line-up and straw poll

The three-day conference kicked off Thursday night with speeches by Gingrich, GOP commentator Mary Matalin and former Vice President Dick Cheney’s increasingly outspoken daughter, Liz.

On Friday afternoon, Palin speaks — followed by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Perry of Texas and former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts.

And on Saturday, speakers include Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Texas Rep. (and 2008 presidential candidate) Ron Paul, and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.

Presidential hopefuls Romney — who made that splash at the 2006 Southern Republican Leadership Conference — and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty won’t be in attendance.

Romney is still on tour to promote his new book, “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness.”

Pawlenty pulled out of the event to attend a welcome-home ceremony for members of the Minnesota National Guard who are returning from Iraq, but he will address the GOP conference via video.

On Saturday night, conference organizers will release the results of its presidential-preference straw poll, which is open to any of the 3,500 Republicans — from 38 different states — who have paid to be in attendance.

In 2006, some of the fledgling campaigns paid to transport their supporters to help their would-be presidential candidates in the straw poll.

“Presidential campaigns are organizational exercises,” said Republican strategist Alex Vogel, who worked for Frist in 2006. If you can’t organize to get your supporters to vote in the straw poll, he added, then it raises questions about your organizational skills.

Palin, Steele in the spotlight

The big draw at this week's conference will be Palin, the GOP's vice presidential nominee in 2008. And if her past appearances — like her February speech at the Tea Party convention in Nashville — are an indication, the Republican audience in New Orleans will eat up every word she delivers.

“How's that hopey-changey thing workin' out for you?” she asked at the Tea Party convention, ridiculing President Barack Obama's trademark campaign message.

Still, many Republican political operatives aren't convinced that Palin will end up making a run for the White House in 2012.

“My own belief is that she is not running for president,” Vogel said. But he added that her status as a political icon fires up Republicans and conservatives.

“A little celebrity spicing things up doesn't hurt,” he said.

Another speaker who probably isn't running for president but who will receive plenty of attention at the conference is Steele, the embattled RNC chairman.

His Saturday speech will come after two weeks of tremendous scrutiny about the committee's $2,000 expenditure at a sex-themed club in Los Angeles, as well as other criticism of his tenure as chairman.

“I think it will be interesting to see how he is received,” noted one Republican political operative.

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2006 vs. 2010

Perhaps the biggest difference between this week's conference and the one in Memphis four years ago is the attitude among Republicans.

In 2006, the Iraq war, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and George W. Bush's growing unpopularity were dragging down the Republican Party. Months later in the November midterms, the GOP lost its control of Congress. (It also isn't lost on some that this week's conference is taking place in the city that Katrina devastated in 2005.)

“2006 was about as bleak as it could get,” Vogel explained about the political mood among Republicans that year.

But now that the GOP is poised to make big gains in the upcoming midterms, he said, the party's mood is “borderline euphoric.”

Republican political consultant Phil Musser, who is advising Pawlenty, believes the conference's biggest takeaway will be the Republican enthusiasm about November.

“What is the gut intensity level? And what does that mean for the upcoming midterms?”


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Sources: C-Span, Fox News, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Conservatives Are Fired Up & Ready To Win Again

Conservatives, Fired Up!


A frisky, fun keynote by Beck, an encouraging straw poll that left Palin with a happily meager 7 percent—CPAC showed that for better or worse, the GOP is fired up and ready to go.

There’s a joke they used to tell in Franco’s Spain: two guys in bar. First guy says to the other, “What do you think of Generalissimo Franco?” Second guy looks around nervously to see if anyone is listening, then says to the guy, “Follow me.” They leave the bar, walk down a deserted alley. The second guy finally stops, looks around again to see if they were followed, then whispers to the first guy: “I like him.”

I thought of it Saturday while listening to—brace yourselves—Glenn Beck, giving the keynote at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

I’ve not been a fan of Beck’s. (Rather the opposite, in fact, while conceding that he is at least a very talented demagogue.) But there was something refreshing in his fundamental message, to wit, We have seen the enemy, and it is us. Or at least, Not just us.

Using a personal trope—Beck is recovering alcoholic—he likened the Republican Party’s big-spending habit to the appetite of a drinker who can’t stop himself. He also indulged in a daring bit of palimpsest, rewriting one Ronald Reagan’s most memorable lines: “It is still morning in America. It just happens to be kind of a head-pounding, hungover, vomiting-for-four-hours kind of morning in America.” Not bad. Beck may not be the first repentant Republican, but he is certainly the most operatic, a kind of comic Pavarotti of the right.

It’s perhaps worth noting that last year’s CPAC keynoter was Rush Limbaugh, who, like Beck, is in recovery. What is it, one wonders, about these two bigfoot thunderers on the right that they share this personal history? Whatever else, it is a humanizing trait, and on Saturday night, it allowed Beck to be frisky and have fun, as he taunted Republicans, urging them to come clean themselves about their own recent boozing. If the Republican Party, he noted, had given a Tiger Woods-type apologia, he’d go all out for it. (Not, really, that he already hasn’t.)

The other encouraging surprise of the conference was the concluding straw poll. Ron Paul came in first, with 31 percent, to Mitt Romney’s 22 percent and—hallelujah—happily meager Sarah Palin’s 7 percent.

Thirty-one percent is, to be sure, several bricks shy of a landslide. It may, really, amount to a “none of the above.” Aside from his borderline-kooky isolationism, there are appealing aspects to Dr. Paul. (He is, in addition to being a Texas congressman, an Air Force flight surgeon and OB-GYN who has delivered 4,000 babies over the years; some politicians kiss babies, this one brings actually them into the world.) But he is never going to be president. That at least will free him up to go on being authentic, a quality in short supply among our pols.

So what’s the takeaway from CPAC 2010? Only this: It’s going to be messy between now and November, but conservatives are, for better or worse, fired up and ready to go. Funny—the phrase sounds vaguely familiar. Where can I have heard it before?







Rep. Ron Paul Surprise Winner Of CPAC Presidential Straw Poll



U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, a stalwart foe of government spending, won a blowout victory Saturday in the annual Conservative Political Action Conference presidential straw poll.

With participants naming "reducing the size of federal government" as their top issue, the 74-year old libertarian hero captured 31 percent of the 2,400 votes cast in the annual contest, usually seen as a barometer of how the GOP's conservative wing regards their potential presidential candidates.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney finished second with 22 percent of the vote, ending a three-year winning streak at CPAC. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin finished third with 7 percent of the vote, followed by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty at 6 percent and Indiana Rep. Mike Pence at 5 percent.

They were followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who tied at 4 percent. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, South Dakota Sen. John Thune and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour rounded out the results.

Five percent of participants voted for "Other" and 6 percent was undecided.

The announcement of Paul's win, a surprise victory unlikely to have a major impact on the 2012 presidential contest, drew a volley of loud boos from the CPAC audience.

That discontent could be seen in the poll results: A majority of participants said they wished the Republican Party had a better field of candidates to choose from.

But Paul's victory might be seen, in part, as a result of his support among anti-establishment Tea Party activists -- who turned out in force at this year's conference and expressed some frustration with the Republican Party.

Reflecting the college atmosphere of the annual event, young people dominated the voting: 54 percent of participants were between the ages of 18 and 25.

The poll also contained a bit of bad news for Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who made an under-the-radar appearance at CPAC late Friday.

Participants were asked to rate their opinions of several top political figures, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner, both of whom received a majority favorable rating.

But Steele was the only Republican to garner an upside-down rating, with 44 percent giving him an unfavorable rating and 42 percent rating him favorably.

The three-day meeting Saturday that has featured speeches by Republican leaders, training sessions for local political activists and a renewed purpose to stand firm behind their principles heading into the midterm elections.


Sources: The Daily Beast, CNN, CPAC, Politico, Youtube

Liz & Dick Cheney At CPAC: "Obama Is A One-Term President" (Videos)

Dick Cheney Surprises CPAC; Liz Cheney Attacks Obama's Terrorism Policies


Former Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise appearance Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to pay homage to the movement and declare that Barack Obama will be a “one-term president.”

Cheney came up on stage after a speech by his daughter Liz, who hammered Obama’s policies on terrorism and laid blame on administration officials for the attempted Christmas Day bombing.

The room exploded with excitement for the former vice president, who was greeted with cheers of “run, Dick, run!”

“A welcome like that is almost enough to make me want to run for office again — but I’m not gonna do it,” he said.

Cheney made clear that he has passed the torch to his daughter, of whom he said he is “enormously proud.”

“She said I could come with her, but that I had to be arm candy,” the former vice president joked.

Cheney said that he is excited for the opportunities this November’s elections present for conservatives, especially for the younger generation to step up and take control of the movement.

“The sky is the limit here. I think 2010 will be a phenomenal year. And I think Barack Obama is a one-term president,” he said.

“The highlights of my years in public office have been my opportunities to come to CPAC,” Cheney said to the conference attendees. “Let me thank you for all the energy and time and effort you’ve dedicated to our common cause.”

“It’s a remarkable time to be an American and a remarkable time to be a conservative,” he concluded. “Good luck.”

Sources: Politico, Right Scoop

Liz Cheney, Steele: "Democrats Have Double Standards On Racism"

As a guest this morning on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" Liz Cheney said "Democrats have a double standard on Racism".

Was she right?

Are Democrats Hypocrites when it comes to addressing Racism?

Do Democrats prefer Light-Skinned Leaders over Darker-Skinned Leaders?

Is this "Harry Reid Racism" issue just more Partisan politics?

Check out the videos and commentary below then judge for yourself.




Check out Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace interview: Michael Steele and Tim Kaine.

Steele says Democrats have a double standard on Racism too.







On this morning's segment of Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, RNC Chairman Michael Steele and DNC Chairman Tim Kaine were guests.

The program was extremely interesting (as always) however if you missed it never fear, I have it embedded below for your viewing pleasure.

Chris asked both Party Chairmen about Sen. Harry Reid's recent apology stemming from his Racist "No Negro Dialect" comments uttered during the 2008 Presidential race.

No one asked why Harry Reid waited an entire year (an election year) to apologize but that's another blog post.

Tim Kaine tried to brush it off as if Reid's comments were acceptable just because Pres. Obama stated on Saturday "the book is closed".

Well of course Michael Steele jumped right on Kaine's response by stating the Democrats seem to have a Double Standard when it comes to how inappropriate remarks are handled.

Steele mentioned how harshly Trent Lott was handled.

Trent Lott should have most certainly been punished but wait a minute!

How about the way Rep. Joe Wilson was treated?

Last Fall Joe Wilson was formally rebuked by the entire U.S. House 240-179 for his rallying "You Lie!" shout during Pres. Obama's Joint Session Of Congress Address On Health Care Legislation.

Even after Wilson apologized (somewhat) he was still formally rebuked.

Yet Harry Reid's comments are overlooked with a simple apology??

So because Harry Reid pushed forth the Dems' Health Care Reform agenda (without a much needed Public Option) and because Pres. Obama still doesn't want to have a conversation about Racial Discrimination (again), the entire Black Race is supposed to ignore Reid's disturbing comments?

Something is wrong with this picture and I don't think so!!

For Tim Kaine to think that what Harry Reid said wasn't that bad suggests he too believes Lighter-Skinned Black people are Superior to Darker-Skinned Black People.

Let me take it deeper, does Harry Reid and Pres. Obama also believe Lighter-Skinned Black people are Superior to Darker-Skinned Black People??

That type of Stereotypical Mentality was taught to slaves by a Slave Owner centuries ago by the name of Willie Lynch and kept the Black Race divided until this day.

My Mother is extremely Light-Skinned, with Brown eyes and hair that isn't kinky but wavy because her great, great father was Caucasian. (Yes it was a forced sexual experience probably akin to deceased SC U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond's situation)

My Father who is now deceased as of 2003, was part Native American Indian and Black.

Due to my Father's Indian heritage his hair was almost as straight as Caucasian hair but....he was Dark-Skinned.

This "hodge podge" of Genes, Races and Cultures caused me to be born with a Medium-Brown complexion, Wavy, Curly Hair (NOT Kinky) which requires NO Chemicals, Nor a Straightening Comb to smooth it out and light-brown colored eyes.

Do these physical features make me "Superior" to Black people who are very Dark-Skinned, have Black eyes or Kinky hair?

I am now the Mother of two handsome sons.

My eldest son is Brown-Skinned, has Black eyes and almost Kinky hair.

My youngest son is Light Brown-Skinned, with Brown eyes and Straight hair.

Does that make my youngest "Superior" to my eldest son?

In addition I was born in Brooklyn, New York but now reside in Charlotte, NC

Does this mean I'm "Superior" to Blacks who were born in the South?

NO of course NOT!!

Yet this type of "Superior" Racially Divisive thinking is what Willie Lynch taught Slaves to believe.

Such Ignorance has created barriers within the Black race to this day and has caused some Blacks to be treated more so favorable by White America.

You know like how favorable Pres. Barack Obama has been treated by White America and the press.

Let's be real if Barack Obama were Darker-Skinned (like Michelle) and wasn't half-White, he would NOT have been nominated or elected whether anyone else in the Democratic Party wishes to be real on this matter or not.

Sometimes the truth hurts but it will set you Free!


When Harry Reid made those Racist comments, he made them NOT just to President Obama but his comments were made against an entire Ethnic group whether any Democrat Congressional member wishes to admit it or not.

On the flip side while I don't believe Senator Harry Reid is a Racist at heart and should not resign, he STILL made those comments.

This serious issue is NOT and should NOT be about Partisan politics.

Reid's negative, Racist comments largely affected an entire Ethnic group (Black People) who are STILL being largely Oppressed in a Free Country!

Even Pres. Obama himself recently admitted during an interview with April Ryan of American Urban Radio Network, that "Blacks are usually the last hired and first fired".

In fact if Harry Reid were NOT a member of Congress but instead were just a regular employee on a regular job and made such Racist comments, he would have been fired or sued by the EEOC!

How was Reid able to make those comments and remain in his role as Senate Majority Leader while Trent Lott and Joe Wilson were harshly disciplined?

I believe that Trent Lott, Joe Wilson and Harry Reid should ALL have been harshly reprimanded!

This unresolved situation is all Pres. Obama's fault.

How so?

1) When U.S. A.G. Eric Holder said Americans are "Cowards" when it comes to conversations about Racism, Pres. Obama publicly denounced Holder's statements and brushed Racism under the rug.

2) When Harvard Professor Henry "Skip" Gates was arrested last year (due to Racial Profiling), it was the perfect time for Pres. Obama to address Racial Discrimination in America and for U.S. A.G. Eric Holder's Office to re-examine Equality laws.

Instead Pres. Obama chose to once again brush everything under the rug and have a "Beer Summit".

Furthermore I don't think any White Voters would have practiced "White Flight" if his administration decided to really enforce Equality laws or address Racial Profiling.

What happened?

Because Pres. Obama as a Leader has never handled the issue of Racism correctly, it once again reared its ugly head.

This time in the form of Sen. Reid apologizing a year later for his Racist comments.

So there you have it.

Michael Steele was correct when he said that Democrats have a Double Standard when it comes to handling Racist Remarks.

When GOP Lawmakers practice Racism they are crucified.

When Democrat Lawmakers do it they receive a slap on the wrist.

Democrats need to do better. Much better!

However here's the $64M remaining question I'm posing...

Why does Pres. Barack Obama appear to be afraid to address the destructive issue of Racial Discrimination in America?

If Obama is afraid of losing his White Voters, too late!

Most of Obama's White Voters are already jumping ship because during his first year in Office he focused on pleasing Wall Street instead of creating Job Growth for Middle Class, Less Educated and Lower Income Voters.

You know the "Common Folk" who went to the Polls for him back in November 2008.

The Democrats are now preparing to address Illegal Immigration.

How can Democrats enact effective Illegal Immigration Reform legislation if Pres. Obama is afraid to tackle Racial Discrimination?

Looks like Pres. Obama needs to stop listening to Mayor Richard Daley, Valerie Jarrett, David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel, Larry Summers and Tim Geithner for advice and follow his own heart if....

He wants the Democrats to remain in control

That's right I said Stop listening to Mayor Richard Daley, Valerie Jarrett, David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel, Larry Summers and Tim Geithner!

Their footprints are all over Obama's first year Administration decisions, from catering to Wall Street, his Stimulus Package, the "Beer Summit", his 2016 Olympics Bid, handling Foreclosures, Health Care Reform, Education, "Green Jobs", etc.,

Three Million Americans lost their jobs in 2009 and the best Obama's Administration can come up with is a "Green Jobs" program that ONLY creates about 17,000 Jobs!

Please!

What about creating Jobs for Huge Infrastructure projects too?

Like re-building old, rotten Bridges, etc.,



Joe Wilson's rallying "You Lie!" shout.

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Sources: ABC News, Huffington Post, Politico, MSNBC, NY Time, CNN, TPM, Youtube, Google Maps

America's National Security: Are We Safer Now?

Scoring Pres. Obama's National Security Team


Fresh from his election victory, Pres. Barack Obama introduced a new national security team last December that included two key players – National Security Adviser Jim Jones and holdover Secretary of Defense Robert Gates – he had hardly met. A third, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had been his bitter rival in the Democratic presidential primaries.

Meanwhile, an inner circle of Obama campaign aides mostly drawn from Capitol Hill took up positions in the National Security Council, with official ranks and titles that often understated the unofficial power they drew from the close personal relationship and trust they had forged with Obama on the thrilling upstart presidential campaign — an intimacy that Jones, Clinton and Gates lacked.

Who would excel in the new administration? Who would feel their influence ebbing and leave? A year later we know some of the answers.

The most influential player is arguably the one Obama expected to stay on only temporarily, Gates. Jones has overcome an early sense of dislocation and dismay at the wide-open, un-hierarchical Obama White House to re-impose lines of authority in the NSC, maintain a balance of power among the principals, and give the president space to assert control over the military.

In the process, a couple of Obama’s closest friends have left the administration, come under fire, or been relegated to second-tier jobs.

Clinton has arguably proven her loyalty to the new president, lent her global brand to promoting his foreign policy vision, and forged a strong alliance with the professional State Department bureaucracy.

But super-envoys previously portrayed as rivals for Clinton’s turf don't look quite so super one year on. And a powerful White House staff of foreign policy professionals and insiders has kept the locus of the new administration’s foreign policy coming from the White House, directed to an unexpected degree by the president, who has proven inclined to decide fraught policy battles in favor of pragmatism and even expedience over some of the progressive values he campaigned on, from closing Guantanamo Bay to checking executive power.

On the Way Up:

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

A veteran of a half dozen administrations, former cold war CIA chief, and the deputy national security adviser in the George H.W. Bush-era NSC that Obama sought to emulate, Gates proved to be the fulcrum of the Obama cabinet’s second recent, often highly contentious Afghanistan war policy review, guiding the president to choose a modified “hybrid” option of 30,000 of the 40,000 new US combat troops the generals were requesting, with NATO kicking in the difference.

Once widely expected to depart midway through Obama’s first term, the obvious question Gates’ increasingly influential status raises now is how Obama could afford for him to leave before 2012 at the very least – with a near term agenda that includes withdrawal from Iraq, the U.S. escalation in Afghanistan, and the tough phase of coercive diplomacy with Iran, where Gates has repeatedly said the U.S. should avoid a third military conflict.


Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Her relationship with Obama has been as scrutinized for tensions as closely as satellite photos of Iranian enrichment sites. But Clinton has shown no daylight from the foreign policy inclinations of the president she agreed to serve, from supporting engagement with Iran to his earlier tough stance on Israeli settlements.

While earlier in the administration chatterers questioned whether she had allowed the most pressing foreign policy challenges – Afghanistan, the Middle East – to be outsourced to high profile envoys, Clinton has quieted most of the doubters, forged strong alliances with the key department under secretaries and assistant secretaries, pursued an exhausting travel schedule with no sign of sweat, and most of all proven herself loyal to a president she once ran against.

The National Security Council’s Tom Donilon, Dennis Ross, Denis McDonough and Ben Rhodes

Gates’ role as the linchpin of Obama’s security policy is unquestioned, but the real day-to-day power has been wielded by the low-profile professionals, many of them veterans of Obama’s presidential campaign.

Atop the national security bureaucracy is Donilon, a Clinton administration veteran, lawyer and former Biden campaign aide, who, as deputy national security adviser, runs the key deputies committee meetings where the key American foreign policy decisions get managed and key policy decisions surfaced.

Ross, Clinton’s former Middle East peace envoy, quietly abandoned the State Department for what has become a senior role developing Iran and wider Middle East strategy at the White House -- sometimes to the seeming disadvantage of Middle East envoy George Mitchell pursuing an exhausting shuttle diplomacy mission to try to get the re-launch of Israeli Palestinian peace talks.

But the fastest rise may be that of McDonough, who coordinated foreign policy on the campaign trail and spends much of the day at Obama’s side. Currently NSC chief of staff (he previously was in charge of NSC’s strategic communications), but, like Donilon, McDonough speaks for the president inside and outside of the NSC, and as such, enjoys a measure of respect and in some cases fear and jealousy from other parts of the executive and Democratic foreign policy establishment.

Council on Foreign Relations president emeritus Les Gelb recently christened him the “Lord High Executioner.”

When McDonough replaced Mark Lippert as NSC chief of staff in October, it made space for Obama’s foreign policy speechwriter, Ben Rhodes to assume the strategic communications portfolio. At 30, Rhodes’ rise stems in part from his place crafting what’s been to date one of the most important tools of Obama’s foreign policy: his speeches.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry

An administration staffed, from the chief of staff on down, by veterans of Congress might be expected to defer more to congressional leaders, but there have been lots of early congressional complaints of the administration not sufficiently consulting them.

But there has been no rancor toward the administration public or private expressed by Kerry, though he’s recently acknowledged what everyone already knew: That he’d coveted the post of Secretary of State. He has emerged as a powerful and gracious player, ensuring that Congress and the White House are aligned on the central issues of foreign policy, and served as a key intermediary with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the administration’s bid to salvage that country’s election.

On the Way Out:

Mark Lippert, former NSC chief of staff

The White House announced in October that Lippert, and Obama’s longest serving foreign policy adviser was returning to active duty in the Navy. As one of Obama’s only inner circle aides who had a foot in the military, Lippert played a key role in influencing Obama’s decision to pick Jones, but the two were said to have a sometimes tense relationship, and Lippert was said to not enjoy the administrative nature of the NSC chief of staff job.

Still, "you don't leave one of the most powerful foreign policy positions in a new Administration, having personally served the President for the last five years in his formative ascent to the Oval Office, to take some unspecified position in the U.S. Navy," said one Democratic official familiar with Lippert from the campaign, suggesting there was more of a back story.

White House counsel Greg Craig; deputy attorney general David Ogden; Phil Carter, assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs

All three announced their departures in the past two months. Some reports have suggested Ogden wasn’t getting along particularly well with his boss, Attorney General Eric Holder. Carter has insisted he left for personal reasons. And Craig was essentially forced out in a leak campaign that began last summer and episodically accelerated in the fall until he announced he was returning to the private sector in January.

Accounts suggested other White House aides, including Rahm Emanuel, were annoyed that Craig struck out early positions on legal issues such as closing Guantanamo and releasing Bush-era Justice Department memos on water boarding, that set off firestorms in Congress and from former Bush administration officials for which the White House was not fully prepared.

Struggling:

Special envoys George Mitchell , Richard Holbrooke and Scott Gration

If there were early expectations that Clinton's high-profile envoys would overshadow her, the reverse has been true.

Mitchell, the former Senate Majority and Mideast envoy, has had even his legendary patience tested by a peace process that has yet to get off the ground, while the high profile and frank talk of Afghan and Pakistan envoy Holbrooke annoyed the White House, which temporarily muzzled him. At the same time, it seems possible to envision a scenario in which Holbrooke could move up, thanks to his strong continued relationship with Clinton.

Perhaps the most controversial envoy, however, has been Gration, whose uber realist approach to working with the Sudanese regime has made him a lightning rod for Darfur activists and Congress wary of poking at higher-ranking officials.



Sources: Politico, Fox News

Liz Cheney & Rush Limbaugh Attack Pres. Obama's Middle East Speech...."Holding Hands With Terrorists"?

The Plum LineGreg Sargent's blog

Liz Cheney: Obama Wants To Hold Hands With Terrorists
That’s not really an exaggeration! On an appearance on MSNBC, Liz Cheney appeared to say that Obama’s speech in Cairo today showed that he wants to deal with terrorists by "hand-holding."

Here’s a transcript:

"I think that if we lived in a world where terrorism, and the slaughter of innocents, and Iran’s hegemonic hopes for the Middle East could be met, could be defeated, could be dealt with by sort of hand-holding going forward, then we’d be in a much simpler environment. But these are very, very tough issues. And I was troubled by the extent to which I heard moral relativism."

(Liz's comments.)



That’s some highly suggestive language coming from Ms. Cheney, isn’t it?

In reality, in his speech today, Obama strongly denounced 9/11-denial to an Arab audience, said American troops are in Afghanistan out of "necessity," because terrorists are "determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can," and said America’s commitment to destroying terror networks "will not waver."

(Rush Limbaugh compares Pres. Obama to Al Qaeda.)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Sources: TPM, The Plumline, MSNBC, Youtube, Day Life, Flickr, NPR

Liz Cheney On 360 With Anderson Cooper Defending Dick's National Security Speech

Last night Liz Cheney made an appearance on CNN's 360 with Anderson Cooper.

Of course she defended her dad's National Security Speech.



Sources: CNN, Youtube

Dick Cheney is a Media Genius (For the G.O.P.) Or Not!

Several weeks ago every network "Talking Head" was blasting the airwaves with news of the G.O.P. dying.

Everyone (including myself) thought they were finished, kaput, dead and gone forever that is until....

"Papa Cheney" stepped in to help clean up their mess, wipe their noses and put them back on course.

First his daughter Liz Cheney emphatically preached about the usefulness of Torture, while battling it out toe to toe with MSNBC's Nora O'Donnell in front of millions of viewers.

Now suddenly former V.P. Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney is seen everywhere (Face the Nation, Meet the Press) defending the Bush Administration's right to torture, welcoming Moderates and calling former Secretary of State Colin Powell a Democrat!

He even blatantly suggested that the idea of President Obama's administration releasing CIA torture memos was the RIGHT thing to do and (gasp!) offered to testify before Congress under oath.

I mean this guy has turned himself into a G.O.P. rock star for goodness sake!

To top it all off Liz shows up (again) this time on "Morning Joe" foolishly implying that President Obama is "siding with Terrorists", while still trying to brainwash us all on why Torture is the coolest thing since Twitter. Isn't she a chip off the old block? (no offense to former V.P. cheney)

You have to admit that these two (Dick and Liz) are an awesome pair. I'd say they both deserve Oscars for being so persuasive in their arguments, even if no one else agrees with them.

Well guess what? All that media coverage may have actually worked! This week the tables have turned.

The Republicans are waking up out of their stupor and happy to be back on top.

The focus is currently on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D) and whether or not she knowingly helped to authorize those terrible Interrogation techniques, such as Waterboarding, for use in stopping Terrorist attacks on our country after 9-11.

Even Senator John Boehner came out of hiding, pointing fingers. Wait a minute! Is that a smirk I see on his face as Speaker Pelosi is being pummeled by the Press?

Here's a word to the wise for the Republican Party: This "Pelosi Media Circus" isn't going to last forever.

Nancy is a Strong, Resilient, Intelligent Woman and very devoted to President Obama's agenda for our nation, especially as it relates to Health Care Reform.

Take Heed G.O.P. when you mess with Speaker Pelosi.

Take Heed.

You may have chosen the wrong person to pick on. Throwing darts at Nancy just may prove fatal for the Republican Party's future existence.

On the other hand I still say that Dick Cheney is a Media Genius (for the G.O.P.) that is. Or not!

Hello Mr. Cheney sir, may I please have your autograph?

Cheney calling Colin Powell a Democrat.



Cheney defending the former Bush administration and stating that Torture was legal.



Cheney's daughter Liz defends her dad and Torture.



Sources: CBS News, Face the Nation, MSNBC, Meet the Press, Think Progress, Huffington Post, ABC News, Whitehouse.gov, CNN, Daylife, Youtube