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Last November I wrote to you about the evidence that this Congress is the Least Productive Congress…ever. My argument continues to sustain itself.

Amidst a myriad of national issues, House Democrats have actively refused to bring anything substantive to the attention of the House of Representatives.

Gas prices are teetering at $4 per gallon, there are food shortages both at home and abroad, House Democrats have left our intelligence professionals without the ability to quickly intercept communications from foreign terrorists, and Democrats are still trying to compromise on a clean farm bill free from extraneous additions.

This week some of the most important legislation that reached the House floor included: Promoting the safe operation of 15-passenger vans, expressing support for designation of March 11, 2008, as "National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day,” and Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a National Watermelon Month.

Passenger vans, funeral director day, and watermelon month, I take it back….this is the do less than nothing Congress.

United States Congress

U.S. Capitol

Washington, DC 20002

May 2, 2008

Dear Senate Finance Committee Member:

We write respectfully to let you know of our concerns about the Senate Finance Committee’s investigation into the finances of several churches, all of which share the same branch of evangelicalism, and all of which promote socially conservative public policy positions such as support for the traditional definition of marriage.

While we recognize that some evangelical teachings and socially conservative policy positions are controversial, and that these churches have been the subject of sensational investigative journalism, we are nonetheless concerned that this would possibly justify an investigation outside the normal confines of the Internal Revenue Service and established administrative and judicial procedures.
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Our free-market economy is built on profit. Higher profits mean more jobs, higher incomes, more investment in equipment and people, higher standards of living. Yes, profits are the engine for all of this — and that includes the profits of "Big Oil."

By signaling that supply is scarce, higher profits encourage more production. Except, that is, when Congress through its inept lawmaking stands in the way. And that's the case now with the oil industry.

What's more:

Truth is, oil industry profits are in line with the rest of American industry. In 2007, a record year, they earned 8.3 cents per dollar of sales. Beverage companies and cigarette makers, by contrast, earned 19.1 cents. Drug makers, 18.4 cents. Indeed, all manufacturers, 8.9 cents on average, made more than "Big Oil."

Besides, we've tried windfall profits taxes before, in the early 1980s, and they were an utter failure.  . . .

Remember: Oil companies don't really pay "windfall profit" taxes, anyway. You do.

There's much more.  The whole thing is a must-read.

A national defense story with the potential to arouse the same level of angst we saw during the Dubai Port’s scandal has gone largely unnoticed. 

The Defense Department’s has awarded a $35 billion contract to build America’s newest fleet of air tankers to the French owned European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS). 

While Boeing (who stands to lose billions), obviously objects to the deal, several conservative leaders and organizations are also expressing concern about the national security issues at play.   

While the Defense Department changed its own rules to accommodate this deal, the more salient issue is one of national security:  specifically, whether or not we should be outsourcing our national defense.  Many of the European countries controlling and subsidizing EADS were knee deep in the Oil for Food Scandal and working with the Iraqi regime.  Then there are also concerns about the strategic partnerships some of these nations like France have with Iran as well.  

Just as was the case with the Dubai story, conservative opinion is split.  Some conservatives argue outsourcing is a good thing that will save taxpayer dollars, and get the equipment in the hands of our soldiers more quickly.  A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed even portrayed the desire to build America’s airplanes in the U.S. as a liberal or “protectionist” argument. 

But several other leading conservatives, including Frank Gaffney, Phyllis Schlafley, and Paul Weyrich – just to name a few – have organized a lobbying campaign aimed at encouraging Members of Congress to provide oversight through the Congressional budget office to stop this deal from proceeding.   

This is a story I’ll be keeping an eye on …

It’s 16 years old and Kantor plays a nominal advisor role in the Hillary ‘08 campaign. But hey, whomever’s behind it and however old it is, it’s an always welcome reminder that both Democrat presidential candidates’ camps share cynical contempt for the bitter, clingy, God-fearing, gun-toting voters in flyover country. Not news to the rest of us.

This isn’t quite as bad as Obama’s comments in San Francisco in a couple of respects. Hillary isn’t saying this, and it was 16 years ago, not six weeks ago. However, the disgust for the white working class comes through much more clearly in this video, and the fact that it comes from a former Clinton Cabinet official and current adviser makes it all the more compelling.

Oh, and before anyone says this was a long time ago, it was only a few years before Obama went to Ayers' home - same decade - so it's just as relevant. Also, imagine had an Obama adviser made these comments? It would be a media firestorm. This is also relevant since Hillary continues to associate with this man for 13 years following his offensive remarks. What's that say about her character? (Personally, I'd have left that church a long time ago.) Not to mention, I'm not sure what the statute of limitations in politics is for using the N-word. The Indiana primary is Tuesday.

I just spoke to D.A. Pennebaker, the director of "The War Room," who said his film had been doctored to produce a widely-viewed YouTube clip.

In a clip from his film on the 1992 Clinton campaign, posted to YouTube today, Clinton advisor Mickey Kantor is -- according to subtitles -- seen referring to Indianans with an expletive and to his colleague George Stephanopolous with a racial slur.

"He does not say that. He does not say that," said Pennebaker, after viewing the clip.

He said the initial expletive referred to the anticipated reaction in the Bush White House to the fact that Ross Perot's polling numbers were holding strong.

"What he says is he’s surprised Perot’s numbers are holding," said Pennebaker in a brief phone interview. "He says they must be shi**ing in the White House."

The second expletive, he said, appeared to have been entirely fabricated, with new audio dubbed onto the original movie.

The director of War Room says this is a fabrication, and that makes sense; even in 1993, this would have made headlines if it came off like this. Take another listen to the audio in the clip that started going around yesterday:

Parrish signed in as a Huffington Post contributor and was taking pictures at the town hall meeting.

McCain: Now, now. You don't want to... Um, you know that's the great thing about town hall meetings, sir, but we really don't, there's people here who don't respect that kind of language. So I'll move on to the next questioner in the back.