House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers told Face the Nation Sunday morning that Syria’s Assad regime has crossed the “red line” by using “at least a small quantity of chemical weapons during the course of this conflict.” Rogers says that “game-changing” development means it is time for US intervention.
With all the discussion of how the Republican Party must begin to re-brand, redefine, or resurrect itself; I found a piece over at BuzzFeed particularly interesting. McKay Coppins asks, “When the great Republican resurrection comes to pass, will conservative Christians be left behind?”
Republican strategist Karl Rove fired back at Sarah Palin this morning on Fox News Sunday in response to remarks the former Governor of Alaska made at CPAC Saturday where she suggested “The Architect” should “buck up or stay in the truck”… or something along those lines.
On Thursday, after watching a video of Iowa school children pleading with the White House to “please let us visit”, Fox New personality Eric Bolling offered to pick up the tab for an entire week of White House tours if the Obama administration would acquiesce. The plea and the generous offer were in response to the administration’s announcement that all White House tours are cancelled until further notice due to cutbacks resulting from sequestration.
Tennessee Senator Bob Corker commented Thursday on the now very public debate regarding the Obama administration’s drone policy and the potential targeting of individuals on American soil. His comments, of course, come the day after Kentucky Senator Rand Paul led a 13-hour filibuster to force the Obama administration to clarify its position on potential domestic targets.
Senator Rand Paul ended his 13-hour “talking filibuster” of Obama CIA director nominee John Brennan at approximately 12:40 ET Thursday morning. Hoping to press the Obama administration and its Justice Department into a public written statement reversing course on the legality and constitutionality of “drone strikes on Americans on American soil”; Paul vowed to “speak until I can no longer speak.” Luckily, a few of his Senate colleagues joined the endeavor and managed to give the Junior Senator from Kentucky a few moments to catch is breath. In total, seven Republicans and one Democrat (Ron Wyden of Oregon) played a role in the filibuster – the first of the “old school” talking variety since 2010.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush began what most believe to be a trial run for a White House bid in 2016 this week with a promotional tour pushing his new penned book Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution. Therein, the brother and son of former presidents made a case for comprehensive immigration reform and the Republican Party’s place in that endeavor. While I have yet to read the book, summaries and public statements (by Bush) reveal that the cornerstone for his reform plan was to be designating “permanent residency” status for those who have entered this country illegally and refuse to return home to “get in the back of the line.”
Speaker of the House John Boehner made a rare appearance on the Sunday political show circuit this weekend in a move that my finally signal an acceptance of a reality the rest of us came to terms with some time ago – President Obama is killing Boehner and his fellow House Republicans in the PR game. As I said, Boehner rarely does the dog and pony show that is Sunday morning politics. Frankly, I can’t remember his last appearance. And while the President doesn’t participate in them directly either, he does send his surrogates to represent his policies in his stead.
Former Republican presidential candidate Governor Mitt Romney and his wife Ann sat down with Chris Wallace for their first post-election interview this weekend and candidly reflected on their unsuccessful White House bid. Not surprisingly, the couple appeared very much at peace with the result. They’ve turned to family to fill the void in their now open schedules and are charting a path for staying involved in the political process – while openly accepting the diminished voice the “Romneys” now have in the Republican Party.
On Thursday, the Tennessee House of Representatives approved the much-debated “Guns-in-Trucks” bill which, if signed into law by Governor Bill Haslam, will allow handgun owners to carry or keep their weapons in their vehicles – even at previously prohibited locations like schools, universities, and workplace parking lots. The bill has slowly moved through the legislature over multiple sessions and has been opposed by Democrats and Republicans alike.
