Susan Collins Give GOP Address

Sen. Susan Collins from Maine gave the Republican weekly address, in which she excoriates the Obama administration for coddling the Christmas Day Bomber. As weekly addresses go, this one is exceptionally well-written and takes on added punch because it comes from a moderate Republican.

First Collins blasts the Obama administration for failing to connect the dots -- allowing Abdulmutallab to board the plane even after his own father tried to turn him in to the authorities:

The government’s security system, a front line in the war against terrorists, failed long before Abdulmutallab boarded his flight to the United States.

It failed when his visa wasn’t revoked, even though his father had warned our embassy in Nigeria about his son’s ties to Islamic extremists.

It failed when the intelligence community was unable to connect the dots that would have placed Abdulmutallab on the terrorist watchlist.

It failed when this terrorist stepped on to the plane in Amsterdam with the same explosive used by the ‘Shoe Bomber,’ Richard Reid, more than 8 years ago.

Then Collins takes on the administration's bizarre decision to Mirandize Abdulmutallab and let him lawyer-up after just 50 minutes of questioning -- 20 minutes less than Obama's State of the Union speech:

When the Obama administration decided to treat Abdulmutallab as an ordinary criminal, it did so without the input of our nation’s top intelligence officials.The Director of National Intelligence was not consulted.

The Secretary of Defense was not consulted.

The Secretary of Homeland Security was not consulted.

The Director of the National Counterterrorism Center was not consulted.

They would have explained the importance of gathering all possible intelligence about Yemen, where there is a serious threat from terrorists whose sights are trained on this nation. They would have explained the critical nature of learning all we could from Abdulmutallab. But they were never asked.

President Obama recently used the phrase that ‘we are at war’ with terrorists. But unfortunately his rhetoric does not match the actions of his administration.The Obama administration appears to have a blind spot when it comes to the War on Terrorism.

And, because of that blindness, this administration cannot see a foreign terrorist even when he stands right in front of them, fresh from an attempt to blow a plane out of the sky on Christmas Day.

Two points jump out. First, Collins sometimes votes with the Democrats on domestic issues. Nonetheless, she is no liberal squish on the issue of Islamofacism. Second, by noting who the administration failed to consult before it decided to treat the Christmas Day Bomber like a common criminal, Collins makes clear that Attorney General Eric Holder is endangering the lives of all of us. He should be sacked.

Senator Collins Draws The Line At $800 Billion

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell may have Senator Susan Collins back in the Republican fold, at least until the Democrats pare the pork a bit. According to the New York Times:

. . . [I]n a sign of tough negotiations ahead, Senator Susan Collins, a Republican who helped broker the initial compromise, said she could not again vote for the measure if it stayed at the current size.
"I'm not saying what's in, what's out. I'm just saying the bottom line must be under $800 billion," she told reporters after the Senate vote.

Unbelievable. Only $800 billion added to the federal deficit apparently passes for fiscal restraint in the Obama era.
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.

Lobster Burgoo, Anyone?

The Miami Herald reports today that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's power to lead Republican Senators in the new Congress may hinge on coming up with policy recipes to entice three particular members of his caucus -- Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania:

The three Northeastern senators were supporters of some Democratic-backed social policy issues in the past, hail from a region of the country where the GOP's legislative ranks have significantly thinned and represent many left- to moderate-leaning voters.
Democrats have a 57-41 Senate majority, with seats in Illinois and Minnesota still being contested.

''Compared to having 49 senators, [McConnell] is in a much worse position. If he didn't have 41, he would have no power at all,'' said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

"Collins, Snowe and Specter will stick with Republicans on procedural and business and labor votes, so on some issues he will be able to hold the caucus together -- especially if Democrats ride roughshod over them. But on social issues, they have to survive an environment that has killed off Republicans in the Northeastern area.''

This puts the three Northeastern lawmakers in a prime position to negotiate with McConnell and Republican leadership, said former Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who became an independent after losing his 2006 reelection bid to represent Rhode Island.

''He'll appeal to make sure they don't abandon the entire Republican caucus,'' Chafee said.
Please note: The postings of "G. Morris", written by John K. Bush and which end in 2016, stated his views as of the dates of posting and should not be understood as current assertions of his views. The postings, which have not been altered since they came to an end, remain on this blog to preserve the historical record. In 2017, Mr. Bush took a position that precludes further public political comments or endorsements. He will no longer be contributing to this blog.