Shielding Congress From the People

On shootings and politics, Palin has her own rules
WASHINGTON (AP) — With her video defending herself against critics — in which she accused them of “blood Libel” — Sarah Palin again showed she is weighing a presidential bid in unprecedented and even daring ways. The former Alaska Governor commands nationwide attention with her selective use of Facebook and Twitter, choosing provocative words when others testing the presidential waters prefer a lighter touch. Some political pros say her tactics, which protect her fr...

On shootings and politics, Palin has her own rules (AP)
WASHINGTON – With her video defending herself against critics — in which she accused them of "blood Libel" — Sarah Palin again showed she is weighing a presidential bid in unprecedented and even daring ways. The former Alaska Governor commands nationwide attention with her selective use of Facebook and Twitter, choosing provocative words when others testing the presidential waters prefer a lighter touch. Some political pros say her tactics, which protect her from mainstream r...

On shootings and politics, Palin has her own rules
FILE - In a Nov. 30, 2010 file photo, Sarah Palin signs copies of her new book, "America By Heart," in Little Rock, Ark. Palin has posted a nearly eight-minute video on her Facebook page condemning those who blame political Rhetoric for the Arizona shooting that gravely wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. In the video posted Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2010, the 2008 GOP vice Presidential Candidate said vigorous debates are a cherished tradition. But she said after the election, both sides find commo ...

Obama leads memorial for Tucson shooting (AFP)
Tucson, Arizona (AFP) – President Barack Obama led a national outpouring of grief while calling for unity at an emotional memorial after a shooting that unleashed fierce debate about inflammatory political Rhetoric. In a Speech repeatedly interrupted by applause for those who tackled the gunman -- and the announcement that a US lawmaker who was shot in the head had opened her eyes -- Obama said the attack must not lead to new divisions. "At a time when our discourse has become so sh...

FULL TEXT: President Obama's remarks at memorial for victims of the shooting in Tucson, Arizona
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Please, please be seated. To the families of those we've lost; to all who called them friends; to the Students of this university, the public servants who are gathered here, the people of Tucson and the people of Arizona:  I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today and will stand by you tomorrow. There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your h

Healing Words; Text Of President Barack Obama's Speech In Tucson Arizona
"On Saturday morning, Gabby, her staff, and many of her constituents gathered outside a Supermarket to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and free Speech. They were fulfilling a central tenet of the Democracy envisioned by our founders -- representatives of the people answering to their constituents, so as to carry their concerns to our nation's capital. Gabby called it "Congress on Your Corner" -- just an updated version of government of and by and for the people. "That is the quintess...

Arizona Shootings Unlikely to Change Gun Culture
Now is the time for mourning the Victims of Saturday’s mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, but it’s not the time for new gun-control laws aimed at preventing such tragedies in the future. That’s the political consensus in the wake of the attack on Representative Gabrielle Giffords at a “Congress on Your Corner” event at a Safeway Supermarket. A deranged gunman killed six of Giffords’ constituents, including a Federal Judge and a 9-year-old girl, with a Glock 19 ...

Santorum: Left needs lesson in civility
While in New Hampshire yesterday, Rick Santorum responded to a question about the Arizona shootings and political Rhetoric. "Do we need civility in our political discourse? Absolutely. But if there's any group of people who are not civil in their discourse, it's the Left. It's not the Right. The Right is out there, talking about how we need to restore American first principles. The Left is out there saying that if you take a different point of view on a particular issue, you're a Racist or a b...

Rick Santorum Ramps it Up
Last month I published a column at Pajamas Media on the rather obvious efforts of former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum to ready himself for a 2012 presidential run. Nothing has slowed down in the Santorum camp, and he’s on his way back to South Carolina to grease the skids. Washington (CNN) - Fresh off his eighth trip to New Hampshire as a likely presidential contender, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is adding a few South Carolina stops to his itinerary. An aide to Santo...

Pete King: We Need to Stop the Fear
Rep. Pete King thinks cops need the power to stop people carrying guns within 1,000 feet of federal officials because Americans are becoming afraid of listening to lawmakers in public. The powerful Long Island Republican who chairs the Homeland Security Committee thinks the Arizona shootings that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) with a bullet hole in her head have deeply chilled regular Americans. "I’ve gotten people saying, 'Hey, you’re a good guy -- do...

So who will? Someone has to...
PHOENIX (AP) -- All Federal Judges in Arizona have recused themselves from hearing the case against the man accused of shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and four other federal employees. An order issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver says the impartiality of the Arizona judges could be questioned given that one of people killed in the shooting was U.S. District Judge John Roll of Tucson. Roll was the chief federal judge for Arizona. Alex Kozinski, chief judge for the 9th U.S. C...

At Arizona memorial, Obama urges a discussion that 'heals'
TUCSON, Ariz. — President Barack Obama played the part of "healer in chief" Wednesday night, honoring the Victims of Saturday's Mass Shooting while seeking to calm an increasingly angry political debate, urging all Americans to stop pointing fingers and "make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.'' "I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand b...

Rhetoric as comfort food: The mac-and-cheese instinct
If only we could go back to Monday. Discussions about Saturday's shootings in Tucson, which killed six and wounded 13, including Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, were so much simpler then: inflamed, righteous and deliciously partisan in a comfort-food kind of way. The fallout from the tragedy took a neat and predictable course: the left blaming the right for its association with incendiary Rhetoric, and the right mounting a tough defense against such accusations, arguing that liberal elites f...

Palin comes out swinging, and misses
Sarah Palin wasn't responsible for the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) last weekend — not directly, not indirectly. She's not even responsible for the ugly Rhetoric used by others on the right who try to turn ordinary policy debates into clashes between Americanism and socialism. She hasn't tried very hard to curb the excesses of her allies, and that's a serious failing, but it's far from unique. Still, the Arizona shootings and their aftermath will probably be remembered as ...

Mike Huckabee with big lead over Mitt Romney in Iowa
Public Policy Polling surveyed Iowa voters on potential Republican 2012 Presidential Candidates and found former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with a 12-point lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Huckabee leads with 30 percent, Romney gets 18 percent, Sarah Palin nets 15 percent, Newt Gingrich has 15 percent, Ron Paul has 6 percent, and Tim Pawlenty, John Thune and Mitch Daniels all get less than five percent. Romney visited the state early and frequently in 2008 and lost by nine point...

Man arrested over threats to kill McDermott
A Palm Springs, Calif., man was arrested Wednesday on a charge that he threatened to kill U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott and his family in expletive-laden phone messages in December. Charles Turner Habermann, 32, is charged with one count of threatening a federal official for two voice messages authorities say he left at McDermott's office the night of Dec. 9. Habermann's arrest comes amid a national furor over violent political Rhetoric following last week's shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords,...

Read the Text of Obama's Speech in Tucson
Following is a text of President Obama's prepared address on Wednesday to honor those killed and wounded in a shooting on Jan. 8, as released by the White House. To the families of those we've lost; to all who called them friends; to the Students of this university, the public servants gathered tonight, and the people of Tucson and Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow. There is nothing I can say th...

Tucson Memorial: Obamas Speech Based On The Premise That Attack Was Political
I’ve posted the full transcript of Obama’s memorial Speech below. Here are some of my reactions. First, the crowd was awful. The cheering, the cat calls and the shouting was downright charring and entirely inappropriate. At times it was clear that many in attendance, up to and including the President himself, was uncomfortable with it. Second, I thought Obama’s Speech was a mixture of good and bad. He did well in memorializing the Victims, but his Speech still seemed based on t...

Text of Obamas Tucson memorial service speech
To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the Students of this university, the public servants who are gathered here, the people of Tucson and the people of Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today and will stand by you tomorrow. There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts. But know this: The hopes of a nation are here tonight. We mourn with you for the fallen. We ...

Text of Obama's Tucson memorial service speech
To the families of those we've lost; to all who called them friends; to the Students of this university, the public servants who are gathered here, the people of Tucson and the people of Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today and will stand by you tomorrow. There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts. But know this: The hopes of a nation are here tonight. We mourn with you for the fallen. We join y...

The Tuscon Memorial Service Open Thread
To the families of those we’ve lost; to all who called them friends; to the students of this university, the public servants gathered tonight, and the people of Tucson and Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow. There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in your hearts. But know this: the hopes of a nation are here tonight. We mourn with you for the fallen. We join you in yo...

Obama's Tucson Memorial speech: Simply human
For my money it was the best Speech he's given as president ---simple, human and uplifting in a difficult moment. As the father of two little girls himself his evocation of Christina Green was particularly poignant. He's not known for sentimentality, but he showed heart and it was good. I unfortunately have a sinking feeling about it, regardless: Republicans have proven themselves remorseless and relentless in their hatred of all things Obama. Personally, I'm waiting for them to "Wellstone" thi...

Obama at Tucson memorial: "Gabby opened her eyes" Speech transcript
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Please, please be seated. (Applause.) To the families of those we've lost; to all who called them friends; to the Students of this university, the public servants who are gathered here, the people of Tucson and the people of Arizona: I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today and will stand by you tomorrow. (Applause.) There is nothing I can say that will fill the sudden hole torn in yo...

Santorum heads back to South Carolina
Washington (CNN) - Fresh off his eighth trip to New Hampshire as a likely presidential contender, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is adding a few South Carolina stops to his itinerary. An aide to Santorum told CNN that the Dark Horse Candidate will keynote the Aiken County GOP lunch next Monday. CNN previously reported that Santorum is participating in Saturday's "Stand up for Life" march in Columbia, which will culminate in a rally on the steps of the South Carolina state house. That eve...

Santorum to South Carolina next week
CNN's Peter Hamby: Fresh off his eighth trip to New Hampshire as a likely presidential contender, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is adding a few South Carolina stops to his itinerary. An aide to Santorum told CNN that the Dark Horse Candidate will keynote the Aiken County GOP lunch in Newberry next Monday. ...