This morning, I had the privilege of attending a rally put on by the Washington Coalition of Veterans for McCain at the Garden of Remembrance at Beneroya Hall.  There were over 50 people in attendance, most veterans of every major conflict from World War II through Operation Iraqi Freedom showing their support for the man they believe will best represent their ideals and values as President of the United States.

By now I'm sure that all of our Washington readers have heard the new radio ads comparing Dino Rossi to George Bush. On issues such as climate change, Roe v Wade, transportation, and health care, the ad makes factually inaccurate claims about Mr. Rossi and then adds the phrase, "just like George Bush." Let's take a minute to step back here. Roe v. Wade? I must have missed the press release that announced Rossi's campaign for Supreme Court. At any rate, the Gregoire people have made it clear that their strategy is to attack Rossi. Next time it graces the airwaves, listen to the very end. The ad was not sponsored by a PAC or union. It was paid for by "friends of Chris Gregoire."

As Gregoire has assumed the office of Governor for the last four years, one would assume that her re-election campaign would be able to boast her accomplishments. Apparently not.

Similarly, the state Democratic Party has sponsored a spoof website, The Real Rossi, which again compares Rossi to the President. Surely the Democratic Party, while controlling the Legislature as well as the Governor's Office, would be able to boast some accomplishments? Wrong again.

The Democrats are back to the only campaign tactic they know; attacking their opponent, because they know they have no records of their own to promote, except of course for:

• The highest gas tax in the country
• Overbudget and overdue transportation projects
• Early release of violent felons
• Education debacles

C'mon, Chris, who says you don't have any records of achievement to promote?

The President today lifted the executive ban on offshore oil drilling, putting pressure on the Congress to act. At this point, the only barrier standing between the American people and lower gas prices is the Democratic Party. Remember, when the Democrats took control of the Congress, oil was trading at less than $75 a barrel. Last Friday, oil closed at $145.

We all love paying close to $4.50 a gallon for gas, don't we? Let's do our part to keep Pelosi and the gang around, shall we?

Now I'm willing to listen to what any candidate has to say, and I've never been one to blindly vote strictly on party lines, but if you happen to be one of those people who do NOT like paying close to $4.50 a gallon, then remember this: a vote for ANY Democrat in ANY one of the 435 Congressional districts nationwide is a vote for Nancy Pelosi and the $145/barrel Congress.

As I think about this long summer, I'm looking forward to/dreading all of the parades and fairs going on around the state. There are going to be tons of events, and the grassroots of our party are going to be out there, so look for them. At almost every parade, there will be GOP candidates walking with supporters. It's a great thing to be a part of if you can find the time. 

It may seem like a lame thing to do, but go to Costco, buy 20 giant bags of candy, and then watch the faces of the kids light up and then tell me how lame it is. My friends and I joke around that during parades you really see "America," and it is kind of true. You get to see the excitement of the kids when the Seafair Pirates drive by, some all proud to wear their cub scout uniforms, or their drill team's outfit and you get to appreciate all the activities that we get to do in our free time. Other countries around the world are not this lucky and sometimes it takes something like watching kids at a fair to remember that. 

Here is a video from the 4th of July: 

The list of dignitaries now supporting Senator Barack Obama's candidacy for President now includes former secretary of state Madeleine Albright. Albright publicly condoned Obama's pledge to meet with enemies of our country (i.e. Iran). Very well; let's assume that unconditional meetings with Ahmedinejad would be a good idea. "Who is going to do the talking?," asks Dinesh D'Souza in a recent piece in Town Hall.

In order to effectively negotiate with leaders such as Ahmedinejad, Kim Jong Il, and Hugo Chavez, a President must possess the experience necessary to do so. D'Souza does a fantastic job summarizing the State Department's lack of effort to go after bin Laden, including how popular media were able to find him, yet the federal government was not.

Read the whole piece here and decide for yourself whether Obama's latest endorsement is a credible one.

 I was recently asked this question and was expected to write a response. It's a tough question, and I really have tried to put myself in the shoes of the average militant to try and see things from their point of view. It gave me a few ideas.

It seems to me that when someone is oppressed, or more importantly, when someone percieves that they are oppressed, then they act out. Whether it's a child who throws a tantrum to spite what they percieve as an overbearing parent, or a terrorist who bombs citizens of a county that they percieve as an overbearing country, where there is percieved oppression, there will be a counter act of protest or violence.

I would say this is why Palestinians fight with Israelis, why Al Qaeda in Iraq attacks coalition forces, and why teenagers get tatoos.

The next question that follows, considering that we are combating global terrorism, is how to we stop the perception of oppression by terrorist groups that are attacking us and our allies. This becomes increasingly more difficult as we need to balance our national security, and our ablity to protect the interests of our friends and allies around the world.

 Some would suggest that we could withdrawl from bases around the world, and solve this problem that way. The concern would then become how do we stay competitive economically, politically, and militarily in a very competive world where natural resources are hard to come by, and every country has the responsibility to protect the livelyhood of its citizens.

It's not a question easily answered, although it may be one of the most important ones that we need to find a solution for.  

Feel free to discuss in the comments part of this blog.

Senator Obama this week continued to refine his position on the Iraq war, saying that he would call in the "joint chief of staff" and ask them to end the war. Whether the war should be ended immedately is a separate issue. But the manner in which Obama is going about this speaks volumes about his ignorance regarding our military command structure.

First off, any candidate aspiring to be the commander in cheif of our armed services should know that each branch of the military has it's own chief of staff, thus making "chiefS of staff" plural. Hence the word "joint".

Admittedly, that is a cheap shot and mundane detail. The real point here is that the joint chiefs of staff are not responsible for combat strategy during wartime. That duty lies with secretary of each department. Mr. Obama fails to realize that each branch of our military essentially has two separate heirarchies; one career military and one civilian. The members of the JCS are career military; they advise the President; the President does not advise them.

The Iraq war, and Mr. Obama's position on it are one issue. However, ignorance about the structure of our military is inexcusable. How can the commander in chief of our military not be familiar with the chain of command? Obama has proven once again the degree to which his inexperience will affect his performance.

Imagine this situation in a different context. You start at a new job as a lower-to-mid manager at your local Starbucks. After 143 days of work experience, you start to ask around your store to see about becoming the CEO. A month later, you offically announce your candidacy for the position.

This is exactly what Barack Obama did. He was inaugurated on January 4, 2005. 143 working days later, on January 17, 2007, he formed his exploratory committee. Now, that is two years, but the Senate had actually been in session for 143 days. That translates into a little over five months of work experience. With five months of leadership experience at the federal level, is Obama really qualified to be the leader of the free world?