Bluey Blog - Official Blog of Robert B. Bluey

My Top 10 Most Memorable Moments of 2007

Over dinner tonight at home, my wife and I recounted the highs and lows of 2007. Even though there were definitely some low points, overall we had a tremendous year. We both made strides at work (I started a new job at Heritage) and we were once again fortunate to spend many memorable moments with our family and friends (including a wonderful traditional-Polish dinner on Christmas Eve with both sets of parents one week ago).

Because I love taking pictures — perhaps even more than I enjoy writing — I thought I’d recount my 10 most memorable moments of the past year. While I probably excluded a few because I didn’t capture them on film, this just about sums it up for 2007.

10. CPAC: I’ve been attending the Conservative Political Action Conference ever since I came to Washington, so when I was asked to moderate a panel this year, it was an honor to be listed among so many people I admire in the movement. To make matters even better, I debuted my new blog at CPAC, an event that transformed my life perhaps more than anything else in 2007. The best part of the conference was meeting Mitt Romney, who chatted with bloggers, and Rudy Giuliani (pictured at right), who just happened to be in the green time at the very same time I was there. Next year’s conference should be even better. I’ll be moderating another panel and presenting the Blogger of the Year award on stage.

9. Washington Nationals: This year marked my third as a 20-game ticket holder at RFK Stadium, and while the Nats certainly didn’t do much on field, they did provide for a welcome distraction during the hot and humid summer months. My friend Ehren and I can’t wait for the new stadium to open in April; after enduring RFK for three seasons, we’re definitely ready for a new place and a winning team. To close out the final year of RFK, though, I treated Missy and my friend Dom to a Mets game a few rows from the field. It turned out to be a decisive game in the Mets collapse to close out the season.

8. Mackinac Island: I spent a summer working in Traverse City at the Record-Eagle back in 2000, but I never made the two-hour trip to Mackinac Island. In finally got there in September, and I need to figure out a way to repay Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis for inviting me to speak at the Mackinac Leadership Conference. The conference brought together everyone involved in Michigan politics, and attracted nearly every Republican presidential candidate. I got to see Rudy, Romney, McCain and Fred up close and also sat on two panels about technology and politics. But the best part of the weekend was hanging out at the Mackinac Island bars at night with several new friends.

7. Las Vegas: Missy and I have two very different views of Sin City. I loved it and she hated it. Well, maybe that’s too simplistic. It was our first trip to Vegas, and while I was busy at the Blog World and New Media Expo, she was shopping and checking out the Strip. Even though we didn’t gamble a single penny, we discovered other parts of Vegas far better than than a casino. Our favorite was the Hoover Dam, which was just an amazing structure to see. The drive back as the sun went down was one of those near-perfect settings. If I can get Missy to go again, I would stay at the Venetian. We saw “Phantom” there on our final night in Vegas and had dinner at a restaurant next to the Venetian’s canal, where a young couple got engaged in a gondola.

6. Clarence Thomas: Shortly after I started at Heritage, Thomas’ wife, who works in our government relations department, approached me about helping convene a meeting between the U.S. Supreme Court justice and bloggers when his book was released on Oct. 1. Rather than follow the traditional route of a teleconference or one-on-one interviews, I proposed a dinner with a small group of bloggers. The justice loved the idea, and despite having it on the first day of the court’s session, he was marvelous. The book, “My Grandfather’s Son,” went on to be the No. 1 New York Times’ best-seller and millions of Americans began to recognize the real Clarence Thomas rather than one misrepresented by the media.

5. Boilermaker Weekend: In addition to Cori and Ed’s wedding (see No. 3), the other highlights of this weekend included the famous 15K itself — my father’s 30th consecutive race — and a trip to good-ole Murnane Field to see a game between the Utica Brewmasters and Rome Coppers of the now-defunct New York State League. This was our first trip home for the Boilermaker since 2005 and we certainly made the most of it. The baseball game brought back many memories to my days working for the Utica Blue Sox and the post-Boilermaker party was full of fun memories of friends and family who had just finished the race.

4. Immigration Debate: I know it seems weird to rank work on the most memorable list, but I simply can’t leave off the brouhaha that developed around President Bush’s comprehensive immigration plan. This debate literally consumed my life for the better part of a month. I remember vividly when it started — the Drudge Report linked to my May 15 report breaking news of a deal. I ended up exchanging blog posts on RedState with staffers from the White House (a first for the Bush Administration, I believe) — all part of what seemed like a never-ending stream of blog posts, columns, photos and videos about amnesty.

3. Three Weddings: It’s hard to pick a favorite because all were special. The first one, which took place on Boilermaker Weekend, involved my friend Cori (pictured with husband Ed), whom I’ve known since high school. Another over Labor Day included another long-time friend, Ehren, whom Missy has known since kindergarten; he and wife Erin are two of our closest friends in the D.C. area. The third wedding, which was by far the wildest (complete with bridesmaids dancing on the table), took place at beautiful Look Park in Northampton, Mass., on a gorgeous fall day. It was so perfect, in fact, we used a photo of us on our Christmas card this year.

2. Mount Vernon: Missy and I became Friends of Mount Vernon this year, and we made good use of our membership throughout 2007. We often visited George Washington’s home on weekends for leisurely walks on the grounds. But we also headed to Mount Vernon when friends and family came to visit us; we took both sets of parents and our long-time friends Dom and Adrianne, all on separate occasions. We ventured to the distillery and gristmill near Fort Belvoir for the first time and made our maiden voyage on the boat trip up the Potomac. Of course, Christmastime wouldn’t have been complete without Mount Vernon by Candlelight.

1. Summer Vacation: Our trip through the South in August took us to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and then Charleston, S.C., Savannah, Ga., and Appomattox, Va. I’ll never forget this vacation because of all the driving; we made good use of our time in the car, though, listening to John Berendt’s “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” It’s hard to identify a favorite moment from the trip, but there are few things that better than hanging out on the beach. Chasing crabs at night with my nephew J.P. was a close second.

And so that’s it for 2007. I can only hope 2008 will be just as fun.

A ‘Fair’ Review

Missy and I spent Friday night at the Kennedy Center to see “My Fair Lady,” a Christmas gift that made for an enjoyable evening (except, of course, for the downpour that drenched us afterward). Although we knew little about the show beforehand, we both enjoyed the story, music and actors.

The Washington Post has a review in today’s paper. I generally agree with Peter Marks’ commentary, particularly that the Opera House wasn’t the best location for the musical; it was difficult to see facial expressions from our seats. My bigger complaint, however, was the length. At nearly three hours, it was a tad too long.

It’s always nice watching a show at the Kennedy Center, so as long as you don’t mind long musicals, this one would be worth it.

Is Roger Wicker an Improvement Over Trent Lott?

Sen. Trent Lott’s resignation gave Republicans an opportunity to make a clean break from the big-spending and earmark-loving lawmaker. Unfortunately, I’m not sure things will change all that much with the appointment of Rep. Roger Wicker to fill Lott’s seat.

Wicker deserves to be congratulated on the appointment, the latest step in a congressional career that some might say began when he was a House page in 1967. He’s clearly a talented lawmaker, serving as chairman of the House freshman class in 1995, and a strong social conservative, illustrated by his high marks from Family Research Council.

But he’s also a long-time appropriator who has a penchant for bringing home pork to his Mississippi district. I compared his ratings from taxpayer groups to Lott’s, and I’m not impressed.

• American Conservative Union (lifetime): Wicker = 91.5%; Lott = 92.4%
• Club for Growth (2006): Wicker = 52%; Lott = 71%
• National Taxpayers Union (2006): Wicker = 56% (C+); Lott = 76% (B+)

Believe it or not, Gov. Haley Barbour actually picked the better of the two Republicans who represent Mississippi in the House (from a fiscally conservative standpoint). Rep. Chip Pickering’s scores from taxpayer groups are worse than Wicker’s.

I’d venture to guess that Wicker probably won’t be as obnoxious as Lott, who famously quipped that he was “getting damn tired” of hearing from “so-called porkbusters,” and said recently, “Earmarks are justified and legitimate.” Hopefully, Wicker will recognize their corrupting influence and use his new perch to join with Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint to do something about them. Here’s how Captain Ed put it:

Perhaps Wicker will surprise us and act like a fiscally responsible conservative after taking his new seat in the Senate. If not, then Barbour will have done his party no favors by promoting another porker to higher office in an election where Republicans have a chance to differentiate themselves from the budget-busting antics of the majority.

We can only hope.

Fred’s Final Pitch

Fred Thompson tells Iowans why they should support him in a 17-minute video on YouTube. It probably comes too late to make a difference, but it’s a nice reminder of what could have been.

links for 2007-12-31

• Pearls among swine - Editorial, Boston Globe

  Few earmarks are to be found in the text of the $555 billion omnibus appropriations bill that President Bush signed last week.

  (tags: earmarks pork congress bush omnibus)

• Millions in Earmarks Purchase Little of Use - Robert O’Harrow Jr., Washington Post

  The National Defense Center for Environmental Excellence opened its doors in 1991 with a $5 million earmark from a powerful lawmaker.

  (tags: earmarks pork congress democrats)

• John McCain busts a move - Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

  Hands down, John McCain is the buzz in New Hampshire.

  (tags: mccain 2008 new_hampshire)

• Reflecting on a rough year - Lisa Mascaro, Las Vegas Sun

  Sen. Harry Reid settles into the chair by the fire in his majority leader’s office that is so stately and grand it looks like
  something Las Vegas would create if ever a faux Washington were added to the Strip.

  (tags: harry_reid congress democrats)

• McCain losing votes to Obama in N.H. - Maeve Reston & Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times

  Nonaligned voters in New Hampshire have their pick of parties. This time around, they lean toward a Democrat.

  (tags: mccain obama 2008)

• Nuclear power gets boost from candidates - Judy Pasternak, Los Angeles Times

  Except for Edwards, top contenders in the GOP and Democratic races consider it a possible energy solution.

  (tags: nuclear energy 2008 president)

Mitch McConnell Can’t Fool the Folks Back Home

“Senator McConnell Delivers for Kentucky,” read the headline of a Dec. 19 press release from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. The veteran appropriator wasted little time rolling out the release after passage of the mammoth omnibus spending bill, trumpeting the goodies he brought home with him in the $555 billion bill.

It’s a script that too many big-spending Republicans like McConnell follow every year; it’s so predictable, in fact, that Sen. John McCain called out his colleagues for doing it even before they voted for the pork-laden omnibus.

We’re sending the signal that it is more important for us to be able to issue press releases, and I’m sure hundreds of them will be going out today, about how much pork we’ve been able to get for our states and districts, than we are about good government and fiscal responsibility. How can we, in good conscience, defend this behavior to the American people?

The truth is that politicians can’t defend this behavior any longer. Year after year, taxpayers have heard multitudes from both sides of the aisle talk a good game of fiscal responsibility and then watched as most fled the field at every opportunity to block excessive spending.

McConnell was as guilty as anyone of fleeing the field — perhaps more so because of his leadership role. Now, the folks back home are beginning to notice. Louisville Courier-Journal columnist David Hawpe today contrasts the Heritage Foundation’s grim assessment of the omnibus with McConnell’s.

The Heritage Foundation’s stated mission could double as the Republican Party’s: “formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense.” Just last week, it issued a broadside that differed dramatically from McConnell’s assessment of the first session of the 110th Congress.

He said, “We’ve been pretty successful,” not just at keeping Americans safe and ensuring their basic freedoms but also at “protecting their wallets and spending their money wisely.”

The Heritage Foundation’s view is different:

“Before leaving town for Christmas, Congress went on another budget-busting spending spree and charged all the goodies to the taxpayers.”

I guess that is one way to protect taxpayers’ wallets, at least for a while: Put everything on the federal government’s credit card.

I’m sure glad Hawpe is paying attention. Our team of fiscal watchdogs has been on overdrive for the past couple weeks, first trying to expose the pork projects, policy riders and budget gimmicks in the omnibus, and now trying to convince President Bush he should cancel lawmakers’ earmarks.

If Mitch McConnell is serious about “protecting their wallets and spending their money wisely,” then he’ll quit bragging about the pork he’s delivering for Kentuckians and get serious about ending the corrupting influence of earmarks.

Reconsidering John McCain

Few people disliked John McCain more than I did back in May and June, when immigration dominated the headlines and the senator’s support for comprehensive reform nearly sunk his presidential campaign. It’s strange how a few months and a new issue can change one’s perspective. Today I can’t think of a presidential candidate I admire more than McCain for his principled stand against pork-barrel spending, particularly in the wake of the earmark-filled omnibus spending bill.

I’ve come to accept that I will always have a love-hate relationship with McCain. With the first votes of 2008 about to be cast, I’m surprised shocked to see McCain so competitive considering he was left for dead six months ago. I’ve personally gone from wanting McCain out of the race — gloating over his campaign layoffs and rumors of his demise — to valuing his presence perhaps more than any other candidate.

I’m not endorsing any candidate in either party, but I feel comfortable saying that the Republican race wouldn’t be complete without McCain. Take the issues of fiscal restraint and national security, for example. It’s no surprise Rudy and Romney trumpeted their fiscally conservative credentials after passage of the bloated omnibus; McCain has railed against earmarks for years, long before other candidates uttered a word about them. And on foreign policy, there’s no stronger voice than McCain’s. As events of the last week illustrated, McCain’s knowledge and experience give him an advantage over everyone else in the race. His support of the surge in Iraq was a huge gamble, but his principled stand might turn out to be his biggest asset.

While there are issues in McCain’s past that continue to trouble me — campaign finance reform and his mixed record on taxes being two big hurdles — I cannot help but wonder if he’s learned from such mistakes. I certainly don’t expect him to reverse course entirely from previous policy positions, but his response in the aftermath of the immigration debacle gives me hope. Rather than continuing to tout a failed plan, McCain recognized his mistake and endorsed the idea of an enforcement-first approach. Some may call that flip-flopping, but I call it political reality and an attempt to tackle a serious public policy issue.

Putting policy aside, there’s another reason I’ve grown to like John McCain: He’s made himself accessible. Whether it’s at public town hall meetings or through conversations with bloggers by telephone or on his bus, McCain recognizes the importance of relating to ordinary Americans. (Yes, I consider myself one.) At a time when other candidates talk only to elite reporters or packed auditoriums — heck, Mike Huckabee is charging people to hear him speak — McCain seems genuinely interested in people rather than a political script. He’ll give you straight talk anytime or anywhere.

Realistically, I’m not sure McCain stands a chance, even if he does perform well in Iowa and wins New Hampshire. But there’s no question he’s a battle-tested warrior who is going to fight until the end. For that I give him credit.

UPDATE — 10:32 p.m.: Patrick Ruffini e-mails this post, which features an article from Jonathan Chait of The New Republic that was written in 2002.

links for 2007-12-30

• Dems Still Trumped by Bush in 2007 - Laurie Kellman, AP

  It’s a painful irony for Democrats: In the space of a year, the Iraq war that was the source of party’s resurgence in Congress became the measure of its impotence.

  (tags: democrats bush iraq congress)

• In Bush’s Final Year, The Agenda Gets Greener - Peter Baker, Washington Post

  People find all sorts of ways to lobby President Bush. Sometimes it comes in the form of a handwritten note slipped into his palm during a bill-signing ceremony.

  (tags: environment bush energy congress)

• Bush OKs Child Health Bill - Ben Feller, AP

  President Bush on Saturday signed legislation that extends a popular children’s health insurance program after twice vetoing attempts to expand it.

  (tags: health_care bush democrats congress)

• First Signs of Hope Appear in Iraq - Robert H. Reid, AP

  Former Sunni insurgents are signing up to fight al-Qaida, Shiite militias have toned down attacks, commerce is reviving and monthly casualty counts are falling.

  (tags: iraq military terrorism)

• December on track for least deadly month in Iraq - Peter Graff, Reuters

  U.S. and Iraqi commanders said on Saturday there had been a remarkable improvement in the country’s security over the past year, but the top American general also warned that the gains could be reversed.

  (tags: iraq military)

• Iraq: al-Qaida 75 Percent Gone - Bradley Brooks, AP

  Iraq’s interior ministry spokesman said Saturday that 75 percent of al-Qaida in Iraq’s terrorist network had been destroyed this year, but the top American commander in the country said the terror group remained his chief concern.

  (tags: iraq terrorism)

• Whether panned or praised, Musgrave’s makeover evident - Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

  Her news releases read as if they’re straight out of a Democratic congressional office.

  (tags: congress 2008 republicans)

• Report Live from Your Iowa Precinct Caucus - Patrick Ruffini, Townhall

  On Iowa Caucus night, I’d like to launch a little experiment in citizen journalism.

  (tags: iowa journalism politics 2008 president)

New Year’s Resolution for Republicans: End Earmarks

Earmarks were supposed to be a thing of the past for Republicans after allegations of corruption cost the GOP control of Congress in 2006. Throughout 2007, Republicans acknowledged repeatedly that straying from principles had hurt them dearly. But changing their profligate ways proved difficult: Just 14 Senate Republicans voted against the pork-laden omnibus spending bill this month.

With 2008 on the horizon and President Bush heading into the final year of his presidency, I write on Townhall about the one New Year’s resolution all Republicans ought to make: Shut down the favor factory that churns out earmarks.

links for 2007-12-29

• Pork is pork, even when it’s local - Editorial, Roanoke Times

  The earmark problem will never be solved as long as legislators like Bob Goodlatte continue to make sure their districts get a fair share of pork.

  (tags: pork earmarks congress spending)

• Avoiding a hollow force - Kim Holmes & Mackenzie Eaglen, Washington Times

  Like a foghorn’s deep, loud warning to mariners who can’t see the lighthouse or shoals ahead, the need to spend more on America’s military forces is breaking through Washington’s haze of misguided thinking.

  (tags: military defense spending budget)

• The closing argument: Experience versus management - Soren Dayton, eyeon08.com

  It is clear that in Iowa, the debate is not about experience. It will be a fight between Mitt Romney’s money and Mike Huckabee’s churches.

  (tags: romney huckabee mccain 2008 iowa new_hampshire)

• Washington’s big energy bill - Ben Lieberman, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

  More expensive cars running on more expensive fuels, plus a boost in food prices — believe it or not, that’s Washington’s latest answer to America’s energy woes.

  (tags: energy congress)