Rodger A. Payne's Blog

Guest Blogger Paul Parker
(on a 19.6 kbps dial-up; its -6 degrees, but sunny)

In the previous post, Rodger discussed car decals. Around Missouri, we had oodles of the “W” stickers this year; the guy is a brand. But yes, far more of the ribbons: yellow “support the troops” and red-white-and-blue “God bless America” were most common.

Now for a few headlines

According to today’s LA Times (sub req) the environmental racist arsonists in Maryland wanted to draw attention to their Cavalier Racing Club. Chevy can’t buy that kind of advertising.

"There's no oath, nothing signed in blood," the attorney said. "They race together; they eat at Wendy's and Denny's together; they get together and fix up their cars. They do anything a group of 20-year-olds would do."

According to today’s Post, “Powell Advised Bush to Add Iraq Troops.” No, not in the buildup to the war:

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell told President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair last month that there were too few troops in Iraq, according to people familiar with official records of the meeting.

No wonder Powell did not rate a Medal of Freedom. Meanwhile, Donald Rumsfeld visited Mosul today to try to rebuild his soiled reputation.

The Post also has a behind-the-scenes look at a White House Public Liason officer, whom the headline calls, “Pipeline to the President.”

Goeglein will be an influential, if little-seen, player in coming years, too, working with conservatives to create private Social Security savings accounts, overhaul the tax code, outlaw same-sex marriage, and limit the number and size of lawsuits. If a Supreme Court vacancy emerges, Goeglein will be Rove's point man dealing with the political right over who should become the next justice. After all, it was Goeglein who three years ago created an influential coalition of conservatives to pressure lawmakers to approve Bush's judges in the Senate and prepare for the next Supreme Court fight. That group has raised as much as $5 million and is planning to lead the charge for conservative justices.

Familiar stuff to policy wonks, not so familiar to those who vote based on candidate image.