By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  May 2nd at 11:34 AM  | 

Rebuilding Iraq during the raging insurgency was no easy task. It required ingenuity, courage and innovative ways to get the job done—sometimes with equipment that offered little protection from the car bombs and rocket attacks launched by America’s enemies. For veterans of the Iraq war like Col. Kerry Kachejian, it was a life-changing experience to work on the unprecedented reconstruction project. As an Army Reserve | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  December 8th at 12:31 PM  | 

Following a speech yesterday at The Heritage Foundation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sharply criticized President Obama for engaging in class warfare and accused him of shifting the focus away from his own failed policies in advance of next year’s election. “My view is he’ll have a hard time convincing Americans he deserves four more years of this,” McConnell said. “There’s nothing he’s done | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  November 22nd at 11:53 AM  | 

Republican presidential candidates turn their attention to foreign policy and national security tonight at a debate hosted by The Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute. It airs on CNN at 8 p.m. ET. Over the past few days, workers transformed an empty auditorium at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., into a full-scale television set. As the final preparations were made, Heritage got a behind-the-scenes look | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  November 16th at 10:16 PM  | 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) had tough words for President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder following a speech today at The Heritage Foundation. He criticized Obama for a failure to lead and voiced concern about Holder’s handling of the Operation Fast and Furious scandal. “Unfortunately, the president is already campaigning, trying to channel Harry Truman, railing against a ‘do-nothing Congress’ when he’s apparently given up | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  November 4th at 05:00 PM  | 

The eight Republican presidential candidates have confirmed they will attend the Nov. 22 debate hosted by The Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute on CNN. The debate will focus exclusively on foreign policy and national security. The debate will take place in Washington, D.C., at a location to be announced shortly. It will air nationally on CNN and CNN en Español and worldwide on CNN | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  October 20th at 09:37 PM  | 

Gibson Guitar is an American icon. Musicians ranging from blues legend B.B. King to rock stars with Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith have used its guitars. Today, however, the guitar maker is facing a high-profile persecution from its own government. The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing a case that smacks of overcriminalization. Federal agents raided Gibson’s Nashville headquarters in August, the second raid on the company | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  October 18th at 05:35 PM  | 

The latest iteration of No Child Left Behind comes before a Senate committee tomorrow with bipartisan support. But if Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has anything to say about it, the bill won’t go anywhere fast. Paul, the Tea Party favorite who won election last November, has promised to introduce 100 amendments, including a complete repeal of No Child Left Behind. That could significantly slow down | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  October 13th at 03:00 PM  | 

Richard Cordray, President Obama’s pick to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, won approval from the Senate Banking Committee last week on a party-line vote. His confirmation to run the new agency faces fierce opposition from Republicans, who have vowed to block Senate approval until reforms are made to the agency. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) is leading those calls for reform. As the ranking Republican on the | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  July 15th at 03:30 PM  | 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s politically motivated plan to raise the debt limit “does nothing for the good of the country,” according to The Heritage Foundation’s David S. Addington, who outlined the think tank’s concerns on The Foundry this afternoon. “The McConnell Plan would put America deeper into debt and achieves nothing toward the vitally important objective of getting federal overspending and overborrowing under control,” | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  May 4th at 09:40 AM  | 

A lifetime appointment to the federal bench is now selling for $700,000. At least that was the cost for Rhode Island judicial nominee Jack McConnell, who has donated that sum of money to Democrats in the two decades before President Obama tapped him for federal district court. McConnell faces a Senate confirmation vote as early as today, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown that | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  March 30th at 07:29 PM  | 

An 18-month congressional investigation into AARP reveals that the organization stands to make more than $1 billion over the next 10 years from Obamacare, a law the seniors lobby supported despite opposition among its core constituency. AARP, which operates as a tax-exempt organization in Washington, would profit from an increase in its insurance business, specifically from the sale of Medicare products to older Americans. The | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  March 3rd at 03:13 PM  | 

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) wasn’t among the handful of Republicans who opposed the two-week continuing resolution yesterday. But don’t count on his vote for another short-term spending bill. “If it wasn’t just two weeks, I wouldn’t have voted for it,” DeMint said on Fox News. “And, frankly, this is the last time I’m going to give them a two-week extension.” DeMint’s decision to oppose another | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  February 21st at 05:45 PM  | 

Promoted and bumped. – Moe Lane Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker sat down for an interview with The Heritage Foundation to talk about his resolve, his political hero, and why he’d prefer to see the stalemate last indefinitely rather than compromise on his principles.

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  January 19th at 04:30 PM  | 

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) wants the Obama administration to provide Congress with data on the federal government’s offshore drilling revenue — information that would show just how much President Obama’s anti-drilling policies are impacting the budget. Based on recent projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, production in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to drop this year by 220,000 barrels per day. With oil | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  December 3rd at 04:11 PM  | 

Thought today’s unemployment report looked bad? It’s just a taste of what’s to come in 2011 if Democrats have their way on taxes. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote Saturday on two proposals that would raise taxes. Both would jeopardize even more American jobs at a time of economic uncertainty. The first vote, on a proposal from Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), would increase taxes | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  December 1st at 10:54 PM  | 

From the diaries by Erick. With their days numbered in control of the U.S. House, Democrats are planning a political stunt Thursday in hopes of embarrassing Republicans on a vote to raise taxes. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced Democrats would disregard the Obama administration’s ongoing negotiations with congressional Republicans and force a vote on taxes. Democrats will use a procedural maneuver preventing the | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  May 10th at 04:18 PM  | 

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis rewarded six former staffers from her congressional office with political appointments and huge raises upon taking over at the Department of Labor. The appointees had significant pay increases averaging 50 percent upon changing jobs; one employee’s salary nearly doubled. Solis, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California, began hiring the employees shortly after she was confirmed by | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  March 23rd at 04:52 PM  | 

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, while serving as Chicago Public Schools chief, maintained a list of special requests from politically connected individuals for children to attend the city’s best schools. The information, reported today by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, is the focus of a federal probe and investigation by the school district inspector general. According to the Tribune: Whispers have long swirled that some | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  August 11th at 09:52 PM  | 

Americans are rightly concerned that a government-run health care plan will lead to changes with their own health insurance. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to draw the conclusion that employers will drop coverage once the government starts meddling with the financial incentives. This is a problem for the White House, and it’s why President Obama uses every opportunity to tell Americans, “If you have | Read More »

By: Robert Bluey (Diary)  |  August 9th at 09:28 PM  | 

Politicians are usually known for kissing babies. But not R. Creigh Deeds. The Democrat candidate for Virginia governor is attacking Republican Bob McDonnell‘s pro-life views in a desperate attempt to woo female voters and excite his liberal base. Tomorrow he will rally with NARAL to promote his pro-abortion position. Deeds previewed his attack for the Washington Post, telling the newspaper, “I think it’s an area | Read More »