24 hours have passed since news was released of Mitt Romney’s endorsement of John McCain for re-election to the United States Senate. Opinions vary as to why this decision was made. Looking at a broader view for America’s future, Romney weighed the potential outcome of the Arizona senatorial election. There were many considerations pro and con, but in the end, Romney chose strength for the United States military and a strong national security. The need for McCain’s gravitas and experienced, respected, powerful influence on national security matters point to Romney’s core belief that keeping Americans safe trumps all.

John McCain press release yesterday:

PHOENIX, AZ – U.S. Senator John McCain’s re-election campaign today announced that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has endorsed Senator John McCain for re-election to the United States Senate.

Governor Romney today issued the following statement:

“For years, I’ve been an admirer of John McCain. Then we became competitors. Today, I’m proud to call him my friend.


“In my view, it’s hard to imagine the United States Senate without John McCain, especially in the critical times we find ourselves in, with double-digit unemployment, a mountain of debt imperiling future generations and a global terrorist threat from jihadists bent on destroying our very way of life.

“It is times like these that we look to leaders of character. Senator McCain’s record of service and sacrifice for America is honored by all. But I believe that it is his core values of courage, faith and honor – forged in battle and confirmed by a lifetime of service to America – that make Senator McCain’s leadership in the United States Senate so necessary in these perilous times. Not only am I proud to call him a friend, but as an American I am constantly reassured by Senator McCain’s continued involvement in the affairs of our nation, and I am honored to support him.”

“Governor Romney is among the brightest and most dynamic leaders in our Party, and I am proud to have his support,” said Senator John McCain. “I look forward to working with him to advance our shared vision for a stronger, safer and more prosperous America.”

Thoughts on Romney’s endorsement of McCain:

Newsweek -- Katie Connolly

After gracefully exiting the presidential campaign, Romney became a cheerful warrior for McCain. He logged countless hours fundraising for his onetime opponent and appeared on the senator’s behalf almost anywhere the campaign asked, including at the Democratic National Convention. His competence and dedication won him begrudging fans among McCain’s senior staff, who later freely admitted they’d misjudged him. McCain himself was deeply appreciative of Romney’s work, and was won over personally after spending time with Romney and his gracious wife, Ann, at the senator’s Sedona ranch. Romney ended up in serious contention for McCain’s VP slot, and as the financial crisis took over the agenda, he became one of McCain’s valued go-to sources of advice and perspective on economic issues.

So perhaps the news of Romney’s endorsement isn’t all that surprising. It’s good for McCain to have someone with Romney’s financial expertise and centrist appeal come out in his favor. It also helps McCain to appear connected with someone considered part the GOP’s future. The question for Romney, who’s emerging as the GOP’s most serious contender for 2012, is, what’s in it for him? For starters, a friendship with McCain has lots of benefits. McCain is still an excellent drawing card for fundraisers, and although Romney has vast personal wealth, having a name like McCain on board makes a big difference. McCain could also lend a Romney candidacy some foreign-policy and national-security credibility, particularly with Republican voters. Romney lacks it; McCain has it in spades. And McCain has always been popular in New Hampshire, a critical early state.

The move fits nicely with Romney’s apparent strategy. My Gaggle pal Andrew Romano calls it the “adult in the room” approach. Unlike some of his potential opponents, Romney is incredibly strategic about his public appearances. He doesn’t weigh in on every news cycle. He gives selective interviews to drive home messages on the key issues facing the Obama administration: the economy, national security, the auto bailout, and health care. But we don’t see his perfect coif on TV every day, and he’s not racking up a litany of quotes he’ll later wish he never said. Instead, he’s using the George Costanza approach: end on a high note and leave them wanting more. Next week he begins a national tour for his new book, which is touted as a “blueprint for maintaining America’s global leadership.” Advisers say he’ll offer a serious, intellectual analysis of America’s place in the world.

North Star National -- Dan Calabrese:

I bet John McCain thought, when he won the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, he was playing the most pivotal role he would ever play in the party. Apparently that was not the case. He now has an even more pivotal role. McCain has become a walking conservative litmus test.

The conservative base at the moment is on a mission to rid the party of so-called RINOs, and McCain is the poster boy for their ire. This is not without some justification. McCain’s past support for free-speech-restricting campaign finance reform, his opposition to the Bush tax cuts and his blocking of a Republican attempt to end Senate filibusters against Bush judicial nominees deserved the criticism they received.

But if you’re a philosophical conservative, and your goal is to get policies enacted that are most crucial to the nation from the conservative point of view, it doesn’t necessarily stand to reason that the best way to do it is to toss out every RINO in a primary and replace him with a so-called “true conservative.”

Relax, ‘true conservatives’: There’s a good case to be made for Romney and Palin (and you) backing McCain:

On national security, McCain has always backed, and proposed during his presidential campaign, the very strategy most conservatives believe Obama has erred by not pursuing. If McCain were president, we would still be putting a missile shield in Eastern Europe. We would be taking a hard line on Iran. We would not be bending over to let the Taliban back into the political process in Afghanistan.

On health care, McCain has been a consistent and effective voice against Obama’s proposals throughout the past year, and his own proposals in 2008 would have moved the nation toward the sort of consumer-directed system we need, not the sort of top-down system we already have, and that Obama would make worse.

- Because of his seniority and standing with the media, McCain can be an effective voice for the conservative positions on the above-mentioned issues. Many conservatives have criticized McCain for making too nice with the media over the years, and not without some justification, but at this particular point in time his having done so can come in very handy. It’s precisely because they do regard him as something other than a blustering partisan that his criticisms of Obama carry weight and get air time.

- J.D. Hayworth shows signs of not being a serious person. His big-spending, earmarking track record, we’ve already covered. His past ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff should give any one concerned about ideological principle serious pause.

Surely there are plenty of reasons for conservatives to be upset with McCain about his past track record. But no election held in 2010 is for the purpose of repeating the past. It’s to put the best people in place to make the best decisions for the nation going forward.

Whatever his faults on other issues, McCain is for the right things on spending, health care and national security. His seniority and bipartisan credibility put him in a good position to advocate effectively for these things. And it just might be that, while Hayworth could make the case that he is the “true conservative,” Palin and Romney recognize the results for the nation – from a conservative point of view – might very well be better if McCain is the guy Arizona sends back to the Senate to get them done.

What good does it do to elect a “true conservative” if he can’t achieve what conservatives think is important?

Evangelicals for Mitt -- David French:

The definition of “RINO” is not “any politician who deviates in any material respect from conservative principles.” A RINO is someone who deviates in virtually every material respect. In fact, when it comes to national security, most social issues, most economic issues, judges, and many other areas, McCain is one of us. I’m not sure that our goal as a conservative community is to simply support the most conservative candidate in any given primary. There’s a lot more to effective leadership than ideology, and such a mindset encourages the rather unpleasant ideological puritans in our midst.

(emphasis mine)

3-8-10 UPDATE by Ross:

Described as ‘Mardi Gras for the Right’, CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) opened this morning at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C. Excited GOP power players, power player makers, and everyday citizens concerned about the abuse of political power are streaming through the doors. The three-day conference will be filled with speeches, exhibits, forums, panel discussions, book signings, networking, hospitality suites, banquets, and entertainment.

Among official bloggers attending is our own Nate Gunderson. He will be posting blog updates and sending live tweets. We’ve already received several tweets today from Nate, including one received this morning: “Governor Romney just dropped by to tell some jokes.” Tonight, Nate will be tying on his bowling shoes as he joins Romney’s ‘bowling for bucks’ to support Romney’s PAC. We eagerly anticipate more of Nate’s coverage of CPAC goings-on and especially, Mitt Romney!

Lisa De Pasquale, CPAC Director:

As CPAC director, De Pasquale spends all year planning and organizing the annual three-day conference that is the largest gathering of its kind in the country. The event has become so huge that it was moved this year from its longtime home at the Omni Shoreham Hotel to the larger Marriott Wardman Park, just off Connecticut Avenue near the Woodley Park Metro station.

“We’re at a larger facility this year, but it looks like we’re already going to be bursting at the seams,” said De Pasquale. “Right now, we’re about 20 percent above pre-registration for last year. So we’re expecting between 9,000 and 10,000, if on-site registration is on pace with last year.”

Not only will this be the biggest CPAC ever, but it is likely to be the most energized conference in several years. This year’s conference will bring the added enthusiasm of hundreds of new attendees who have been active in the Tea Party movement. In fact, one of the movement’s first events took place during last year’s conference, when about 200 CPAC attendees gathered for a rally in front of the White House that featured Michelle Malkin.

That February 2009 LaFayette Park rally was mocked by liberal bloggers — “puny,” sniffed the Village Voice — but the grassroots movement swelled into a force that made a real political impact. Tea Party activism helped conservatives score big wins in last fall’s Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections, as well as Republican Scott Brown’s stunning victory in Massachusetts, capturing the Senate seat held for nearly four decades by Ted Kennedy.

The Tea Party movement will be represented by speakers and panelists on this year’s CPAC agenda, including Jenny Beth Martin of the Tea Party Patriots and Dana Loesch of the St. Louis Tea Party. And the final keynote speech on Saturday will be given by Glenn Beck, who helped spur on the movement with his 9-12 Project.

“I think he’s someone who’s going to energize the conference,” De Pasquale said of Beck. “I expect him to give a call to action that will help our attendees take the energy from CPAC into the 2010 mid-term election.”

This will be the first-ever CPAC appearance for Beck. Also making their CPAC speaking debuts at this year’s event will be Allen West, an Iraq war hero and congressional candidate, and Marco Rubio, whose Florida Senate campaign has ignited a grassroots uprising against the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which backed Gov. Charlie Crist in the GOP primary.

Liz Cheney and Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter will make their first CPAC speaking appearances this year, said De Pasquale, while Internet news entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart (who has previously participated in panel discusses at the conference) will give a main-stage speech Saturday. Breitbart will be introduced by Hannah Giles, who became famous in a series of videos exposing the community organizing group ACORN. Giles will also be a participant in XPAC, a series of events for younger conference attendees — and there will be lots of them.

“As in years past, we’re expecting that more than 50 percent of our attendance will be college students,” De Pasquale said. “It bodes well for the movement that there are so many young people who are energized about attending CPAC.”

Attendees young and old will hear from a stellar list of conservative speakers, including South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, House members Steve King, Mike Pence, Jason Chaffetz, Darrell Issa, Scott Garrett, Eric Cantor, Dan Lungren and Ron Paul, and numerous commentators including Andrew Napolitano, John Fund, George F. Will and Ann Coulter.

Beyond the speeches and panel discussions, the conference features numerous book signings, receptions and an enormous exhibition hall.

“The official schedule is just one part of the CPAC experience,” De Pasquale said, adding that the chance to meet with fellow conservatives is a major attraction of the annual conference.

Governor Romney will fire up the crowd tomorrow (2/18/10) when he speaks at 1:30 PM Eastern Standard Time in the Marriott Ballroom. Dr. Jay Sekulow, (American Center for Law and Justice) will introduce him.

National Journal:

Romney, who has won the last 3 CPAC straw polls, has a crucial leg up on other contenders, according to many who think he will win a fourth. His team’s ability to organize around the event in previous years is likely to give him some residual good will among attendees.

“Everyone knows how good his organization was in the lead-up to the 08 primaries, but not everyone realizes how sneaky-good that organization remains,” said one respondent. Added another: “Mitt bears the high expectations of having won CPAC three years in a row. While this establishes him as the clear favorite of mainstream conservatives, it also keeps the pressure on for him to win every time he shows up.”

CPAC runs today through Saturday when it will adjourn at 6:45 PM EST. We’ll keep you informed on the latest from CPAC and news from Nate Gunderson.

Additional info:
CPAC Agenda
CPAC Exhibitors

Update: CPAC coverage for 2/18/10:
Townhall.com -- UStream live stream click here.
C-Span online stream click here.
C-Span network TV coverage of CPAC begins at 9:45 – 4:30 PM EST. TV schedule here.

“If the Senator-elect will now present himself to the desk, the chair will administer the oath of office,” intoned Vice President Joe Biden yesterday (2/4/10) at Scott Brown’s swearing-in ceremony. Brown, accompanied by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Senator Paul Kirk (D-MA), strode across the senate floor where Biden was waiting to administer the constitutionally required oath of office:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

Within moments, the Senator-elect became United States Senator Scott Brown.

Senate Chamber swearing-in ceremony. (Biden begins at 3:45):

A private swearing-in ceremony which included the 41st Senator’s wife, reporter Gail Huff, was later conducted in the Old Senate Chamber where press photos are allowed. Although the Brown daughters were unable to attend, Senator Brown carried his daughters’ bibles at both ceremonies. Daughter Ayla was committed to play a basketball game with Duke that evening and youngest daughter, pre-med student Arianna, was taking tests at Syracuse University:

After being sworn in, Senator Brown immediately held a press conference where he endorsed across-the-board JFK-style tax cuts and mentioned job creation and terrorism among his top priorities. He also deftly handled ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ queries by stating his desire to talk to generals in the field before forming an opinion on the polemic issue:

Washington D.C. is expecting a ‘snowmageddon’ snow storm this weekend. Depending on Mother Nature’s proclivities, Brown’s first vote may come as early as Tuesday of next week. Obama’s controversial choice of SEIU union attorney, Craig Becker, to be seated on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will be first on the senate agenda to vote on next week. Fearing that Becker will use his post to create more union-friendly labor laws sans congressional approval, Republicans have stalled Becker’s confirmation for months.

Even if D.C. is up to the Capitol Dome in snow next Tuesday, I have no doubt  Senator Brown’s trusty truck will get him were he needs to be to cast his first vote.

Additional reading:
Patrick Kennedy: Scott Brown’s candidacy ‘a joke’
Biden on Brown: “Im not worried about anything.”

Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC month-in-review for January 2010:

Scott Brown Wins Massachusetts Senate Race:

For the first time in decades, a Republican has been elected to a Senate seat in Massachusetts. Senator Scott Brown ran a grassroots campaign based on cutting wasteful spending, lowering taxes and getting tough on terrorists. The election sent shockwaves around the political world.

As supporters of the PAC, you deserve a thank you. Your support made it possible for Governor Romney to get behind Senator Brown from the very beginning, when polls showed him a 30-point underdog and everyone assumed the outcome was pre-ordained in favor of the Democrats.

Governor Romney asked his entire political team to help the then-unknown Brown, and he raised early money for him at a time when very few people would give him a second look.

At his January 19 victory speech at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Senator Brown told the entire country: “I’m grateful to all those from across Massachusetts who came through for me even when I was a long shot. I especially thank a friend who was there with encouragement from the very beginning, and helped show us the way to victory — former Governor Mitt Romney.”

Exclusive Audio: Governor Romney Reads from “No Apology”

We wanted you to be the first to hear this clip of Governor Romney reading a selection from his new book “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness” courtesy of the book’s publisher, St. Martin’s Press.

Click here to listen to the clip.

The paper version of the book hits shelves on March 2nd, but you can pre-order a copy today. In the book, Governor Romney outlines his views on how to create a stronger economy, military, and families, and his vision on jobs, education, health care, energy, and citizenship.

Free and Strong America PAC Raises Nearly $3 million in 2009

The PAC’s contributions included $9,000 in early “seed money” to U.S. Senator-Elect Scott Brown, who went on to win a special election in Massachusetts to become the state’s first Republican Senator in decades. The PAC also gave $5,000 each to Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Republican Whip Eric Cantor (VA-07), Missouri Representative Roy Blunt who is running for U.S. Senate, Jim Tedisco who ran in a special election in New York’s 20th congressional district, and David Harmer who ran in a special election to represent California’s 10th congressional district.

CNN: Romney’s PAC Raises Nearly $3 Million in 2009
AP: Mass. Health Model, Not Obama’s, Pleases Voters
WASH POST: How Massachusetts Was Won
BOSTON GLOBE: Romney Will Hit Key Primary States on Book Tour
BOSTON GLOBE (1/1/10): Romney Says Brown Can “Make History“

 

 

(emphasis mine)

Before Obama turns on the teleprompters and clears his throat to speak before a State-of-the-Union joint session of Congress tomorrow evening, it’s worth highlighting the ONE campaign promise he DID keep this past year.

Peppered throughout his presidential campaign were pronouncements that he, the community organizer, would meet with tyrannical leaders of nations that are antagonistic toward the United States. As a new president, he would proudly go eye-ball to eye-ball with them -- without pre-conditions.

April 17, 2009: At the ‘Summit of the Americas’ on twin-island nation Trinidad and Tobago, an eager-as-a-puppy Obama met, chatted, and back-slapped Marxist Hugo Chavez. Chavez sweetened the meeting by gifting Obama with a copy of The Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. Written by Eduardo Galeano, the book portrays U.S. and European economic and political interference in the region.

A promise fulfilled.

Let’s examine dates of note that have taken place since President Obama’s meeting with Chavez.

April 19, 2009: Obama referenced the Chavez meeting:

The whole notion was that if we showed courtesy or opened up dialogue with governments that had previously been hostile to us, that that somehow would be a sign of weakness,” Obama said, recalling his race for the White House and challenging his critics today. “The American people didn’t buy it,” Obama said. “And there’s a good reason the American people didn’t buy it — because it doesn’t make sense.”

 May 7, 2009: News broke that well-known Venezuelan nongovernmental organizations were warned that a bill was being drafted by loyal Chavez  lawmakers that would be used to financially cripple entities that criticized Chavez.

May 8, 2009: The next day, Chavez seized the assets of foreign and domestic oil contractors in his country to control more of Venezuela’s oil industry:

“They come with their soldiers from the National Guard, and they take what they want,” he [oil industry official] said, “and you, as the owner of your company, can do absolutely nothing.”

June 3, 2009: Referencing the U.S. government’s taking 60% ownership in a once-powerful symbol of American ingenuity -- General Motors, Chavez was haranguing the ‘curse’ of capitalism and praising socialism. He joked on live television:

“Hey, Obama has just nationalized nothing more and nothing less than General Motors. Comrade Obama! Fidel [Castro], careful or we are going to end up to his right!”

July 10, 2009: The Irish Examiner reported: President Hugo Chavez’s government was imposing tough new regulations on Venezuela’s cable television while revoking the licenses of more than 200 radio stations.

July 29, 2009: Obama appointed Chavez-admirer Mark Lloyd ‘Chief Diversity Officer’ at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to a position specially formed for him.  Back in 2006, Lloyd authored Prologue to a Farce: Communication and Democracy in America – a book outlining how leftist activists can oust commercial broadcasters (conservative talk radio) off the airwaves and replace them with public broadcasters.

The National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR) unearthed a 2006 a tape of Mark Lloyd praising Chavez:

“In Venezuela, with Chavez, is really an incredible revolution -- a democratic revolution. To begin to put in place things that are going to have an impact on the people of Venezuela.

“The property owners and the folks who then controlled the media in Venezuela rebelled -- worked, frankly, with folks here in the U.S. government -- worked to oust him. But he came back with another revolution, and then Chavez began to take very seriously the media in his country.”

August 4, 2009: The White House issued a call for informants to report on Americans who publicly opposed the President’s health care plan ASAP – even those speaking against it in casual conversation. (What a coincidence this happened six days AFTER Mark Lloyd was appointed FCC Commissioner!)

From the White House website: 

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

August 14, 2009: The Miami Herald revealed that an unclassified report listed examples of Venezuelan government efforts to crack down on or seize control of media outlets to stifle criticism.

November 25, 2009: Reuters news agency reported the arrival of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Caracas as part of a South America tour. Ahmadinejad hailed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as a fellow anti-US ‘brother’:

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez used a visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday to brand Israel as a murderous agent of Washington. Chavez and Ahmadinejad, on the last leg of a tour of three left-leaning South American nations, hugged, held hands, and praised each other as fellow revolutionaries.

The Venezuelan singled out a comment by Israeli President Shimon Peres, during a visit this month to South America, that his and Ahmadinejad’s days in power may be numbered.

“We know what the state of Israel stands for — a murderous arm of the Yankee empire,” Chavez told joint news conference. “What the president of Israel said, we take as a threat.”

Chavez broke relations with Israel this year. He won praise in the Muslim world after branding an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip as genocide.

December 18, 2009:
Obama met with world leaders, including Chavez, and addressed the Global Warming Summit in Copenhagen (in the middle of a blizzard). After our president spoke, Chavez stepped to the podium. Referring to the ‘sulfur’ stench at the pulpit, Chavez mockingly referred to Obama as “Obama Nobel War Prize” and chastened him for his lack of commitment to climate change and lack of transparency.

Chavez: “If Obama, Nobel War Prize, said here -by the way, it smells of sulfur here. It smells of sulfur. It keeps smelling of sulfur in this world.” 

January 20, 2010: American-hating Chavez declared that the United States Navy, incognito and in the dark of night, launched a weapon of such colossal capacity that it triggered the massive, deadly earthquake in Haiti. Chavez also warned the world that it was only a drill for the United States THIS time, but the final target is destroying and taking over…Iran:

January 25, 2010: Six TV stations forced off air in Venezuela.

An opposition TV station in Venezuela along with five others were taken off the air early Sunday for violating rules issued by President Hugo Chavez’s government, a station spokeswoman said.

The new rules require stations to air Chavez’s speeches, among other mandates. Chavez critics view many of those speeches, which can last for hours, as government propaganda

We’re going to hear powerful language from the President tomorrow night. Populist language - language meant to disguise philosophies and failings. Language to deflect and delude. Language punctuated with big smiles, broad gestures, stern gazes, varying volumes, clipped sentences, and a jutting jaw.

In spite of the political theater on display, let’s never forget the many reasons Obama won’t mention the one promise he kept.

.

It’s a race against time as Democrats make a frantic, final run at passing the mega-monster Health Care bill. Meanwhile, the eyes of America are glued on Massachusetts and the last-minute politics of Martha Coakley and the Scott Brown crescendo.

WASHINGTON – Like a roller-coaster ride on its last twisting turns, President Barack Obama’s campaign to remake health care is barreling into final days of breathless suspense and headlong momentum.

Democrats — led by Obama himself — are deploying this weekend to salvage an unpredictable Senate race in Massachusetts, while senior White House and congressional staffers in Washington hurry to finish work on cost and coverage options at the heart of the sweeping legislation.

At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs was unequivocal that Obama’s effort would prove successful. “As you heard the president say yesterday, we’re going to get health care done,” he said.

Not everyone was quite so certain, particularly given poll results from Massachusetts that showed Republican Scott Brown within reach of an upset over Democrat Martha Coakley in a three-way race.

“If Scott Brown wins, it’ll kill the health bill,” said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass, reflecting that the Republican would provide opponents of the health care bill a decisive 41st vote to uphold a filibuster and block passage in the Senate. Frank predicted Coakley would ultimately prevail and thus preserve the essential 60-vote Senate majority. Obama hurriedly scheduled a weekend campaign trip to the state.

Even so, Frank’s remark sent shudders through the ranks of Democrats.

Obama will blow into Boston tomorrow to pontificate for Coakley. Meanwhile, Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Senate Candidate Scott Brown campaigned in Boston’s North End yesterday, Jan 15th. Speaking at Paul Revere Park, Brown and Giuliani drew a large, earnest, enthusiastic crowd. Here are three videos taken yesterday at that venue. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the ‘Scott’ heard around the world:

(Giuliani mentions Governor Romney’s name at 4:07.)

Rally participant: Get out and vote on Tuesday (1/19/10)! Don’t take it for granted.

A U.S. Marine – Iraqi war veteran – tells why he supports Scott Brown:

The election momentum is clearly for Brown, but the situation is very fluid in MA. Anything can happen in the next three days. We stand with Scott Brown and all who support him. To MA residents, stay sharp and keep up the great work. We’re counting on you to flood the polls next Tuesday!

Help Scott Brown:
Donate at: http://redinvadesblue.com/
Info@http://www.brownforussenate.com/

UPDATE today from the Boston Globe:

Coakley’s campaign also announced today that Obama had chosen Northeastern University as the venue for his visit to Massachusetts on Sunday to boost her campaign. The 3 p.m. event (doors open at 1 p.m.) at the Cabot Center is free and open to the public.

Coakley was joined at a morning rally at the IBEW hall in Boston’s Dorchester section by Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the widow of the late Edward M. Kennedy, the liberal legend who held the seat for 47 years. The cheering crowd of 200 included union members in workboots, sweatshirts, and Carhart jackets.

Robert Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO delivered a stemwinder, telling the union members, “We have a fight on our hands. There’s nothing less than the future of the labor movement at stake in this election.”

At a later event in downtown Boston, she was greeted enthusiastically by Service Employees International Union members at their headquarters, who stood and applauded, chanting in Spanish, “Si Se Puede,” (“Yes, we can”). Some listened to her remarks through translation devices.

At his first campaign event today, in Quincy, Brown was greeted by an excited crowd of about 500 people. Detail police officers clapped him on his back, and the crowd included elderly women and people who described themselves as Democrats.

Before he spoke, on a stage in front of the public library decorated with a giant American flag and bunting, he was greeted by seven seconds of applause, cheers, and chants of “Go, Scott, go!”

He was joined by former Republican governor William F. Weld and a former Quincy mayor, Frank McCauley, who said, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Brown told the crowd, “This race is about differences. It’s always been about differences, and it’s not about personalities,” citing the two candidates’ positions on taxes, spending, and terrorism.

He also criticized Coakley for running negative ads, saying, “It’s funny how quickly the politics of hope, the politics of hope, have turned into the politics of destruction.”

 Our Heroes
A hero isn’t someone with great speed or strength
Nor someone in great power
A hero is someone who stands up for the old; the small; the weak.
A hero is someone who defends those who can’t defend themselves.
A hero is someone willing to die for their country so that his friends, family, & neighbors can be free.
He does this willingly
Without thought & without regret
A hero is our Sons; Our Daughters
Our Fathers; Our Mothers
Our Husbands; Our Wives
Our Brothers; Our Sisters
Our Hero’s are our Soldiers

~ Stacy Smith

Oh, how the Christmas Spirit is alive and well in the deserts of Iraq…

Soldiers, Families Fund Iraqi Baby’s Surgery     
By Army Spc. Ruth McClary, Special to American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD, Dec. 15, 2009

Army 1st Lt. Jason Hickman holds baby Noor Hassam Oudah during a celebration in her honor, Dec. 9, 2009. (Photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense)

U.S. soldiers, family members and friends have brought the gift of sight to an Iraqi baby born blind with congenital cataracts.

North Carolina National Guard soldiers of Troop C, 150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, were invited to a small celebration Dec. 9, hosted by the family of Noor Hassam Oudah – known as “Baby Nourah” — in appreciation for setting up and covering expenses for the baby’s Nov. 15 eye surgery, three days after her first birthday.

Though Nourah’s condition is reversible with surgery, the operation is out of reach for a family living in Baghdad. The city’s hospitals lack the facilities and physicians to perform the procedure.

“I was very pleased to be able to do something for this family,” said Army 1st Lt. Jason Hickman, a platoon leader. “They have been very hospitable. It has truly been a pleasure to be able to help Nourah. I was relieved and very pleased that everything fell into place, considering all the obstacles that we faced.”

Hickman said that if ever there were a more perfect example of divine intervention, it happened on a dark road about five months ago when a convoy made a wrong turn and ended up in Zwaynat, a small village southwest of Baghdad. Nourah was there visiting with her uncle, Muhameed Gharbi Sultan, who informed him of the baby’s plight.

“So there we were at a place we hadn’t intended on being,” said Hickman. “Wrong turn, perhaps, but that’s not how I see it. My interest and contacts with the Order of Saint John, the wrong turn, her being there with her uncle instead of with her parents in Baghdad — no, not a coincidence.”

The Order of St. John, accredited by the United Nations, provides first aid, health care and support services in more than 40 countries.

“I don’t believe in the traditional sense of the word ‘destiny,’ but I do believe that God puts people in certain places at certain times,” Hickman said. “Things don’t happen solely by coincidence. All you have to do is look for the road signs. The signs were clear, so I sent some e-mails, and that’s how we arrived here.”

Once Nourah was diagnosed, Hickman e-mailed St. John’s Jerusalem Eye Hospital, the main provider of eye care in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, and a cause he has contributed to in the past.

Through contact with Ruth Ann Skaff, the U.S. executive director of the Priory of St John’s, Hickman was referred to Dr. Mehyar of the Khalidi Medical Center in Amman, Jordan, where the procedure was performed.

Hickman asked for donations from his fellow brigade soldiers, and e-mailed his family about the baby. Family members and friends from the West Virginia communities of Greenville, Belmont and St. Marys were the main contributors of the $5,000 needed to help Nourah.

From that point on, Hickman said, he was determined to help Nourah, and even in his darkest hour, he thought of her.

“Lieutenant Hickman’s father passed away as we were working out all the details for Nourah,” said Army Staff Sgt. Travers Brake of Elkins, W. Va., who took over the campaign while Hickman was on emergency leave. “He asked for the guys in the platoon to give donations to Nourah in lieu of sending flowers. Now that’s special.”

Many e-mails and meetings followed, and led to the celebration where Hickman, who didn’t get a good look at Nourah that first night, finally was able to hold her. Dressed in a plush, pink, puppy snowsuit with a yellow-and-pink hat and yellow-rimmed glasses, Nourah made her rounds at the celebration; oblivious to her stardom. She looked around, waved and stared at some of the people instrumental in giving her such a special gift.

Nourah’s paternal grandfather, Oudah Ghardi Sultan al-Jubori, said she has to go back for a check-up in a month and will have to wear glasses for five years — a small sacrifice for a lifetime of vision.

“We are very grateful to you,” Jubori said to Hickman and the other soldiers. He recalled a time when Iraqis and U.S. soldiers couldn’t sit and talk without wearing armored vest and helmets. “Now we are very close,” he said. “You should visit more. Please come back and visit before you go back to the states.”

Hickman, Brake and the elders of Nourah’s family shared a traditional Iraqi meal together, drank chai tea and talked late into the evening; laughing and joking like old-time acquaintances.

Since the operation, family members said, Nourah crawls, grabs for things and follows hands, fingers and objects placed in front of her. With her big, pouty cheeks and little cherry lips, she quietly absorbs her surroundings and responds at will.

“The Lord may not push you around the board like a pawn, but every now and again he puts you where he wants you,” Hickman said. “We were supposed to end up in Zwaynat that night. It was just up to us what we were going to do when we got there.”

The ninth Day of Christmas features two videos. Here is a special version of The Little Drummer Boy with Christmas greetings from our U.S. military:

A Medley of Christmas Music - Tribute to our awesome military:

“Heart is what makes the American soldier.” ~ SFC Barbara Ray

Send a message of support and love to our troops here.

Be sure to catch Mitt Romney on tomorrow’s ‘State of the Union’ with John King: “an exclusive interview with Former Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney on his thoughts about President Obama’s plan for Afghanistan.” As Mitt Romney has a very clear perspective of what is needed for victory, this is no doubt going to be a very great interview.

Tune into CNN tomorrow -- Sunday, December 6th -- at 9am ET for the full show. Keep in mind that the program is 4 hours long and Gov. Romney is said to get the ‘Last Word’; therefore, its likely that he won’t actually be on air until around 12pm ET (just my guess).


*Be sure to join us here at MRC for a live CHAT during the show.

*UPDATE*
Here is the You Tube of Mitt’s Appearance:

Mitt Romney calls out to all believers of Justice and Strong Defense: “Stand With Me”.

Please help keep America strong, prosperous, and free. Tell President Obama that war criminals must face justice in a military tribunal, not in a civilian court. Click below to sign the petition, and join the rest of Mitt’s PAC in our effort to strengthen America!

Click Here to Read and Sign Mitt Romney's 'Stand with Me' Petition.

“As we reunite with our families on the Thanksgiving holiday, we are reminded once again of our military men and women, standing watch in dangerous places to protect our liberties at home. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for their service, and with emotion for the families that mourn an empty place at the table, now filled with tender memories of those who in loving sacrifice have laid down their lives.”

Original post at Mitt Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC.