I was going to get an early start to the Holiday weekend, but after reading Krusty’s article on the 2nd District Republican Primary, I thought I would add my two cents as well.

I’ve written before that I believe Miller-Meeks gives Republicans the best shot at winning in November. Our friend Krusty points out that Teahen’s campaign is falling apart, he isn’t raising any money, his TV ads are not very good, and yesterday he had a FEC Complaint filed against him. I don’t care how he wants to spin it; no campaign would every want that series of events to unfold less than two weeks before a primary.

Krusty went on to say, “if it couldn’t get any worse” when writing about Teahen’s disaster of a week, but I have to tell my colorful friend that yes, it seems that it can get even worse for Peter Teahen.

This past week I received an unsolicited email from David Tredrea. I’m a little hesitant to post all of the contents of the email as I think that someone in the media should reach out to Mr. Tredrea who provides his address and phone number. Basically Tredrea claims that Peter Teahen has exaggerated his record. This is a serious claim that I do not take lightly.

I think Teahen deserves credit for his work with the American Red Cross; however the voters must also know is Mr. Teahen is shooting straight with them. Voters want to know that the candidates they are supporting and end up representing them are genuine in how they behave and live their lives.

Below is the email which I received and other received on Tuesday.

From: David Tredrea
To: Peter Teahen

Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 3:11 PM

Subject: Problems concerning your Darfur mission 2007

Peter: Attached are two documents that I trust you will read in due course. I regret having to write the first and further regret their distribution but as you will no longer discuss serious matters of your integrity, there seems to be little other choice. As you know, I have tried frequently to get clear answers from you but you have been extremely evasive. These papers are circulated now because I feel your claims to be a quality Iowan Republican candidate are somewhat erratic and this poses a substantial risk for Americans who may support your candidacy. Of course, anyone can make up his or her mind about voting but in doing so might benefit from accurate data. The first document is why I think you are a disaster waiting to happen. The second is your current 8 page résumé upon which you rely heavily to impress others. As you know, some of your claims are “over-egged” and have been for quite some time and others are simply untrue.

To be fair and because this email is quite widely circulated and may be published or investigated further by local authorities in the US, I have spent considerable time carefully and quietly investigating your background. All the allegations I make about your credentials have been fully verified such as status letters from your Universities.

You also know some of your recent claims about Darfur are complete fantasy - like looking into machine guns and being physically close to the Janjaweed bandits. I sense you have known for some time that your exaggerations would be uncovered and that is why your political campaign has been relatively low-key. Well done for that control.

If you were not standing for Congress, I probably would let these embarrassing matters rest; however I sense your desire for applause and recognition will over-ride any ability to keep your ambitions in check. The time has now come to stop. Of course I expect you to lash out when you have thought about some of this information. However, I am sure you know I will have been extremely careful about limiting assertions and have carefully filtered the selection to reflect merely the spectrum. The choices and word style has been influenced by others including the UK Government who, regrettably, have expressed astonishment at some of your claims.

Please do not get yourself into further difficulties by responding wildly to this note. You will need some time for its seriousness to sink in and to be studied. I will, of course, be happy to reply to appropriate comments and answer, if able, any questions you or others may have. As ever: David

David Tredrea
12 Harley Street,
London W1G 9PG
Mobile: 070 107 56789

Maybe I’ll delve into the word document next week if it doesn’t turn up in the main stream media. While I have not contacted Mr. Tredrea, I have done a Google search and he does exist.

By Emily Geiger

In my car yesterday, I heard a radio ad for Steve Rathje, GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Tom Harkin. The add was actually very well done in my opinion. It essentially made fun of the fact that nobody knows how to say “Rathje” by having a whole bunch of little kids try to pronounce it (often mutilating it in the process), while at the same time gaining a whole bunch of name ID because the ad is pretty memorable.

After the kids are done massacring his name, Rathje comes on and says some typical, scripted, feel-good tripe about how he wants to change Washington. The ad is pretty effective, and it needs to be, given Rathje’s dismal performance in the radio interviews I’ve heard him give. I heard him one afternoon on WHO, and I couldn’t believe how many times he answered questions by saying “I don’t know” or “I’ll have to look into that.” It was embarrassing.

And on a side note, didn’t Rathje have like $249 dollars in the bank at the last reporting deadline? I wonder how he’s paying for these ad buys.

And on another side note, it’s also probably a good thing that Rathje’s ads are well done because he won’t be getting any good publicity from the upcoming GOP Primary Senate Debate sponsored by the Polk County GOP. That’s because Rathje is refusing to participate. I guess after seeing what a miserable failure he is at speaking live and off the cuff on the radio, it’s no surprise Rathje would want to avoid a debate.

The Race for VP V2.0

By Emily Geiger

So, it’s all over the news today that John McCain has invited a select group of “friends” over to his house in Arizona for Memorial Day weekend for some “socializing.” It just so happens that these “friends” are pretty much the guys who most people think are at the top of McCain’s VP list. The names being thrown out are Charlie Crist, Bobby Jindal, and Mitt Romney.

Ok, if you’ve been following this blog for any period of time, you know that even the thought of Mitt Romney anywhere near the White House makes me throw up a little in my mouth. And if you remember during the primary season, McCain seemed share that feeling about Romney. The two really seemed to HATE each other. But, hey, a $50 million automatic war chest can make anyone a lot more likable.

A lot of what I’m reading about Crist and Jindal is that they could deliver their own states in the general election (which would be especially important in Florida), but some are questioning their level of experience given that they are both first-term governors.

Plus, Crist is 51 and single… with a perma-tan and perfect hair… how does that happen unless there is some “alternative lifestyle” involved? Jindal is extremely smart, but also extremely young. At 37, he’s barely old enough to even be eligible under the Constitution to hold the office of president.

I’ve heard several different theories of what could really be behind this weekend gathering in Arizona. The first is that all this VP talk is really just a distraction from McCain’s medical records, which are scheduled to be released in the next few days. We all know he’s old and has had skin cancer, and I’m sure the McCain camp doesn’t want people reminded of that.

The next theory, which is more related to the actual VP issue, is that this is all a big distraction to get attention and free media for McCain, but that McCain is calling these guys to his house to let them know they are NOT his pick. Crist even recently told the media that the McCain campaign has not requested the kind of personal information it would need from him to even begin the vetting process.

So, if it isn’t any of those three, then who is it? Well, I can tell you that Nathan is terrified that McCain will go the politically correct route and choose a woman as his running mate. The only problem with this is that, unfortunately, neither of us could think of any conservative GOP women who would be qualified. (And for all you Condi lovers, she would have to undergo a major shift on social issues for me to even consider her to be a possibility given her strong pro-choice position.) Worst case scenario, we get VP candidate Christy Todd Whitman… barf.

The optimist in me is still hoping for someone like Huckabee. If you watched Meet the Press last Sunday, it was a little hard to tell if Tim Russert was just blowing smoke up Huck’s derriere, or if he really though that Huck was a front-runner for the job. In any event, Russert called Huck “Mr. Vice President” too many times to count.

Unfortunately, the realist in me is telling me that Nathan’s pessimist is probable more accurate than my optimist. I just hope that McCain keeps in mind that who he picks for VP will determine whether people like me will actually vote for him as a candidate we can believe in, or if he just needs to hope that the thought of an Obama presidency will be so distasteful that we decide we need to come out and vote against the left-wing wacko.

My fear is that McCain doesn't care either way, so long as he gets elected. 

The chattering class is all a buzz about McCain inviting Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to his Arizona home for a BBQ. While McCain claims this is just a social function, we all know that is hogwash.

However, I’ll bet the house that neither Crist, Jindal, nor Romney will be on the ticket with McCain this fall. Some will rejoice in that, others will be sad. That said I believe all three will play important roles in the fall campaign. Let’s examine each.

Governor Crist: Florida has played a crucial role in the past two presidential contests and will once again be a key state for McCain if he’s going to win. McCain is smart to court Crist, but in all honesty Crist is probably more valuable to McCain as a surrogate than a running mate.

Governor Jindal: Jindal is the only good election story for Republicans in the Post-2006 political environment. Like Crist he’s probably more valuable as surrogate (i.e. Prime Time National Convention Speaker) than a running mate/

Former Governor Mitt Romney: Simply put, Romney probably wants to be asked but doesn’t want it. That’s not an indictment against McCain; it’s just a political move by Romney. In politics actions speak louder than words. Romney recently created a new Federal PAC that will allow him to support federal candidates and keep his campaign team in place as he seems increasingly committed to running if McCain is defeated. The untold story out there is how quickly Mitt Romeny will be able to reassemble his team after the 08 elections. If Obama wins Romney will immediately begin running again with most of his team in place.

So if it’s not those three who?

I think its anyone guess. With the current division in the Democrat Party he very well could look to a woman to be his running mate. Christie Todd Whitman gives me heartburn, but Alaska’s Governor Sarah Palin might fit the bill. However Alaska doesn’t deliver much in terms of electoral votes, but neither did Wyoming when Bush tabbed Cheney.

Two names that would be included on my short list would be:

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford – Conservative and from the south. Hey Iowans look at this quote from Sanford “Cigarette Tax Shouldn't Be Used to Grow Government.” Why don’t we have elected officials that can take a stand like this in Iowa? Our elected officials cave so easily, and don’t even mount a conservative argument in opposition. (Sorry for the Rant)

Texas Governor Rick Perry – I know another Texan? I thought the same thing but this guy is impressive. Great on the stump and again from the south.

McCain could also turn to the business world and tab someone like Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay, but I think that while the base wants someone new, they also want to know exactly what they are getting so I think the eventual VP nominee will have some elected experience.

By Emily Geiger

To expand on Nathan's excellent post on the Obama rally...

No one can argue that Obama had a big crowd in Des Moines last night, but after hearing/reading several different press accounts, my question is still: how big?

The Obama suck-ups at the Register  claim the crowd size was 7,000. Various radio news reports I heard this morning said 3,000 to 3,500.

Um, that’s kind of a big difference. Maybe Iowans (at least those who don’t work for the Register) are finally starting to realize what an extreme (baby-killing) liberal Obama truly is, and they just aren’t all that excited about him anymore. I’m sensing a pretty strong case of buyers’ remorse among mainstream Iowa Dems who are ashamed they caucused for someone who’s wife has never before been proud of our country and who, up until a few months ago, liked to spend time with a “spiritual mentor” who gave awards to anti-Semitic, racist hate-mongers such as Louis Farrakhan.

But, hey, his claim to the Democratic nomination is that he's got better judgment than Hillary, so, I guess according to Obama, those are all examples of good judgment. 

Does anyone really want be stuck with more of this "good judgment" being wielded from the White House?