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Monday, August 27, 2007
Playing catch-up: ‘I’ve seen this movie before,’ says Cleland
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A busy weekend meant many things slipped through the cracks. One of them was former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, the former Georgia senator, who on Saturday gave the Democratic response to President Bush’s weekly radio address.
The topic was Bush’s comparison of Iraq and Vietnam last week — which made Cleland an obvious choice.
Said Cleland: “I’ve seen this movie before. I know how it ends. I know that all the PR in the world didn’t change the truth on the ground in Vietnam and won’t change the truth on the ground today in Iraq.”
Listen to his full comments here.
Drama alert: State Senate to dip into Doraville mess
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ran into state Sen. John Douglas (R-Covington) this afternoon. He’s chairman of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.
He’s got a hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 4 — that’s Tuesday week — to look into the Doraville City Council’s attempt to can its police chief, John King. Members of the parallel House committee have been invited, too.
King is an Army National Guard colonel who spent a year in Iraq, apparently much to the aggravation of some members of the Doraville City Council.
Since his firing — retracted by the mayor — King has become the poster child for guard members who say they’ve been sidelined or otherwise done out of jobs while serving their county.
Wrote Douglas to colleagues: “This is not a meeting to determine the guilt or innocence of any party, rather a fact finding meeting and an effort to get everyone in the same room for a possible solution.”
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Don’t let the door hit you, Mr. Attorney General
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An hour before President Bush announced the resignation of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta was already throwing his final punches at the nation’s top prosecutor.
Not bothering to wait until Gonzales’ resignation became official, the Democrat was the first Georgian — if not the first congressman — to issue a statement venting every frustration he’s ever had with the AG.
Lewis said Gonzales “never came clean,” “never told the truth” and “encouraged the violation of civil liberties in this country” while helping Bush fire U.S. prosecutors, institute a national surveillance system targeting Americans, and other evil deeds.
“It was time for the Attorney General to go,” Lewis said.
The press release put out by Jane Kidd, chairman of the state Democratic party, was much more terse:
“It’s about time,” she said. And nothing else.
The link between the Fair Tax and Scientology?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Wall Street Journal’s opinion web site carried a Sunday attack on the Fair Tax, focusing on the bill pitched by two Georgia Republicans, U.S. Rep. John Linder and U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.
It was written by Bruce Bartlett, deputy assistant secretary of the treasury for economic policy in the administration of Bush No. 41.
Many of the points we’ve seen before. This one we hadn’t:
The Fair Tax, Bartlett said, “was originally devised by the Church of Scientology in the early 1990s as a way to get rid of the Internal Revenue Service, with which the church was then at war (at the time the IRS refused to recognize it as a legitimate religion). The Scientologists’ idea was that since almost all states have sales taxes, replacing federal taxes with the same sort of tax would allow them to collect the federal government’s revenue and thereby get rid of their hated enemy, the IRS.”
Playing catch-up: Bobby Saxon enters race against Paul Broun
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.S. Rep. Paul Broun (R-Athens) picked up his first Democratic opponent over the weekend, as Bobby Saxon — who describes himself as a small business owner and Iraq War veteran — announced his entry into the 10th District race from his front porch in Nicholson.
Early reports indicate that Saxon is picking up where James Marlow, a Democrat defeated in this summer’s special election for the seat, left off.
According to the Athens Banner-Herald, Saxon told supporters he wants to “drastically change our course in Iraq.”
“I believe that we should find a way to get our troops home. However, I do not believe that we bring all our people home tomorrow and abandon all the people in Iraq,” he said.
The newspaper identifed Saxon as “a major in the Georgia National Guard, he served on active duty from 1987 to 1990, and re-enlisted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, serving another three years in Afghanistan, the Middle East and the Pentagon.”
Tim Bryant, the morning radio host at WGAU (1340 AM) in Athens, tossed us this sound clip from Saxon, who declared himself “very, very disappointed” with the results of this summer’s special election.
Half of the candidates didn’t live in the district, Saxon said, and Broun’s victory in July was nothing but an anti-Jim Whitehead vote.
Saxon’s entry means Broun have to earn his re-election — both next July and November. No Republican rival has entered the primary, but that’s sure to come.
