By Ravi Bhatia-Talk Radio News Service

A number of high ranking Congressional Republicans Thursday protested President Barack Obama’s recent decision to scrap an Eastern European based missile defense system.

Ranking Member of the House Committee on Armed Services Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Michael Turner and House Chairman Michael Pence (R-Ind.) all delivered statements.

“We’re seeing this administration’s real national security policy emerge,” McKeon said. “The administration is capitulating to Russia’s demands, rewarding Russia for its divisive policies and actions.”

The plan eliminates former President George W. Bush’s planned missile defense system, which would have deployed either a radar system in the Czech Republic or 10 ground-based interceptors in Poland in order to deter long range and short range missiles. Instead, the Obama administration will use a system aimed more toward intercepting shorter-range missiles from Iran, which Defense Secretary Robert Gates believes pose a more immediate threat.

“The sudden turnaround, the sudden release of new intelligence information – that has not come the way of the Hill – is puzzling, to say the least,” Cantor said. “We await the answers associated with that turnaround from our administration.”

Cantor also said that he hoped Vice President Joe Biden was “misquoted” when he said he was much less concerned about Iran because Iran does not have the potential capacity to launch a missile at the United States.

“To me, implicit in [Biden’s] statement is that we should not naturally concern ourselves with the threat to our allies in Europe, to our allies in the Middle East such as Israel,” Cantor said.

Acording to Michael Turner, the Obama administration has cut missile defense funding by $1.2 billion. He also said that the plan will not provide the United States with long range missile defense until 2020, while the former plan would have considered long range missile defense as early as 2013.

“They’re retreating from the deployment of a missile defense shield in Europe,” he said.

“The Obama administration is continuing a policy of appeasement at the expense of our allies,” Pence said. “History teaches that weakness and appeasement invite aggression against peaceful nations.”

Meagan Wiseley, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

The FreedomWorks Foundation is sponsoring a three day event that will give grassroots conservatives the opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with government spending to Congress. The September 12 “March On Washington” will be the largest gathering of fiscal conservatives in history, with tens of thousands expected.

In a conference call Wedneday to promote the event, FreedomWorks President and CEO Matt Kibbe said, “I do think that our theme of ‘government goes to those who show up’ is relevant here. We’ve seen lots of Americans leave their homes and come to townhall meetings and come to Washington.”

September 9th and 10th will be dedicated to workshops, training seminars and rallies. Fiscal conservatives will also have the opportunity to address their congressmen during lobbying visits to Capitol Hill.

Jenny Beth Martin with The Tea Party Patriots, who also participated in Wednesday’s conference call, said of her fellow patriots, “They think it’s time for their elected officials to pay attention to what they have to say. They will have that opportunity on Thursday and Friday while they are in D.C.”

The three day event will begin Thursday September 9th.

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
Photo by Michael Ruhl

According to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the Democratic Leadership will stick by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter through thick and thin. The remarks came at a power breakfast on Capitol Hill, where Reid addressed, among other things, Specter’s recent defection to the Democratic Party.

President Obama, Vice President Biden and Reid have all pledged to support Specter when he comes up for reelection in 2010. When asked today whether or not that support was dependent on Specter voting a certain way, Reid said that it wasn’t.

“I’m not going to be in a forever, never position, but the facts are that he’s going to vote with us most of the time,” Reid Said. “I can’t foresee him doing anything that would be so mean spirited that Obama, Biden, and Reid would turn against him.”

If Al Franken wins the Senate Seat in Minnesota, which is still being contested in court, Specter would be the 60th Democrat in Congress, the number needed to stop a Republican filibuster.

“I don’t think [Specter is] going to be an automatic vote, but I don’t have any automatic votes,” Reid said. He was referring to fears from the right that Specter will be the key vote in stifling Republican policy.

Critics believe that Specter is going to help the Democrats steamroll through radical legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has called the filibuster-proof Senate a “threat to the country.” He it would allow the Democrats to “have whatever it wants, without restraint, without a check or a balance.”

Specter’s defection became a reality when he was assured by Reid that his seniority in the Senate would not be compromised. Reid has publicly stated that no members of Congress will be “bumped” from a committee position to make room for Specter.

The deal struck regarding Specter’s seniority was that upon defecting, he would be treated as though he had been elected a Democrat in 1980.

Not this Congress, at least.

Reid left open the door to moving Specter up in the ranks next Congress, and said, “We’ll work something out,” adding that in every new session of Congress, committee positions are worked out at the beginning of the term and restructured as necessary, and that the next Congress will not be an exception.

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Talk Radio News Service speaks with Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) about the Red River catastrophe and what efforts he is making in Washington, D.C. for North Dakotans. Pomeroy also addresses the H1N1 epidemic and expresses what precautions Americans should take. (09:00)

 

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By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) talks with Ron Brownstein of the National Journal at a breakfast on Capitol Hill. Reid, President Barack Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden all said that they would personally support Arlen Specter in his 2010 election. Reid said that support was not conditional.

“I’m not going to be in a forever, never position, but the facts are that [Specter is] going to vote with us most of the time,” Reid Said. “I can’t foresee him doing anything that would be so mean spirited that Obama, Biden, and Reid would turn against him.” (00:44)

 

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by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Today on Capitol Hill experts gathered to talk about the future relationship between Iran and the United States and expressed their recommendations to the Obama administration.

This morning, the Middle East Policy Council, an organization that provides political analysis of issues involving the greater Middle East, held a discussion on the prospects of engagement between Iran and the United States.

Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East specialist at the Congressional Research Service and author of “Warriors of Islam: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard” said that Iran envisions a Middle East free of what Iran believes is domination by the United States and Israel.

“Iran’s goal, it’s honored policy goal, the assessment of many, is to fundamentally restructure the Middle East by reducing U.S. influence in the region and weakening Israel to the furthest extent possible,” said Katzman.

Thomas Pickering, the former Undersecretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and the Russian Federation said that the future of our relationship with Iran will not depend on a totally accurate reading of Iranian internal politics because that remains something of a crapshoot.

“Watch as much as what is done, as what is said,” said Pickering.

Pickering said that the objective for the U.S. and Iran ought to be to seek a normal relationship over a period of time.

“A relationship that involves not just embassies and ambassadors but an ability for people on all sides to meet, talk with, know and work with each other…. We have a lot at stake and Iran has a lot at stake,” said Pickering.

Trita Parsi, the President of the National Iranian American Council and author of “Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the United States” said that in order for the U.S. to improve relations with Iran there needs to be a change in atmosphere and said that the speeches and comments made by President Obama are creating just that and injecting trust.

But Parsi said that giving a deadline of diplomacy to Iran will only militarize the atmosphere, and that will not be successful.

“The more the atmosphere gets militarized, the more difficult it will be for the Obama administration to be able to pursue its path of diplomacy,” said Parsi.

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

This afternoon on Capitol Hill, two influential Jewish organizations announced the merging of campaigns stating that immigration raids are not a substitute for immigration reform.

Gideon Aronoff, the President and CEO of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society said that the campaigns, “The Progress by Passover” and “We Are Strangers, Too” support comprehensive immigration reform.

“This campaign will seek to further engage the Jewish community around the country in increased advocacy and increased direct service for newcomers in our communities,” stated Aronoff, and that the collaboration is “just the beginning.”

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said that the high cost of becoming a naturalized citizen and harsh immigration laws unnecessarily separate families.

“This can’t be done piecemeal,” Schakowsky said. “We need to do it as part of comprehensive immigration reform. I believe that now we are poised to do just that.”

Schakowsky said there should be enforcement of reasonable immigration laws and that the U.S. should allow law abiding illegal immigrants, who are willing to pay fees and learn English, a clear path toward citizenship.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) agreed, stating that the support of comprehensive immigration reform comes from the Jewish community because they understand that “the system is broken.” Nadler said that not only do documented and undocumented aliens live in fear of improper law enforcement, so do American citizens.

“It is time to bring people out of the shadows, to unite families, and to provide simple due process of law in accordance with American traditions. It is time to reaffirm our nation as one which welcomes immigrants as it is so wonderfully symbolized by the Statue of Liberty in my district,” Nadler said.

Today the Talk Radio News Service will attend a briefing on U.S. Supreme Court rulings at the Brookings Institution in Washington. An event on climate change’s effects on Gulf Coast transportation and waterworks in New York held by the American Meteorological Society will be covered on Capitol Hill. In preparation for the G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan, the Washington Bureau will also participate in a conference call discussing the summit’s agenda which includes global warming.