In this, his latest battle, Randy “Duke” Cunningham found himself surrounded by MIGs. They were not piloted by a foreign enemy this time, but by federal prosecutors from the nation he had first sworn to protect in the 1960s, and which in Vietnam he had done so with honor, distinction, and courage. In this battle, the United States Government, if not having superior firepower, certainly had overwhelming evidence against him.Randy Cunningham had no choice but to surrender.

I first met Cunningham in the late 1980s, after his retirement from the Navy and Top Gun.He was being touted as a potential candidate, and clearly had the credentials.He was speaking to some now forgotten group of Republicans, but I remember his story.It was the first of many times I heard it in the subsequent years.How, upon landing on an aircraft carrier after he and Willie Driscoll downed an enemy fighter, one of the deck crew ran up to him and exclaimed , “We… Read More

About fifteen minutes ago I got off of the telephone with Governor Schwarzenegger. He is spending some of his day today, in advance of an official 2 p.m. press event, making telephone calls to people about his controversial decision to hire Susan Kennedy as his Chief of Staff. After a collegial minute or two (after all, the Governor is one of the friendliest people EVER), the conversation turned to his appointment. We spoke about his choice for a few minutes – well, I let him do most of the talking. I will paraphrase some of what we talked about so that you get the idea.

I expressed to the Governor my concerns – that while I had never met Ms. Kennedy, I had reviewed her resume. I told him that her resume was more partisan on the Democrat side than mine on the GOP side, which was hard to do,

The… Read More

And with one release, Schwarzenegger is hip deep in GOP alligators, and Kennedy is persona non grata with the Dems….

You’ll find this release here, but Probably not at this site: StopSusanKennedy.com

Governor Schwarzenegger Appoints Susan Kennedy Chief of Staff Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Susan Kennedy as chief of staff. "Susan is a hands-on, action-oriented person who gets things done. She is a leader with incredible institutional knowledge about state government and a deep understanding of the public policy process. We have had incredible accomplishments throughout my administration and I look forward to working with Susan to build upon that foundation and make California once again the golden dream by the sea." "Pat has worked … Read More

John Howard of the Capitol Weekly has posted an article on Kennedy’s appointment, in which he reveals that Kennedy turned the Governor down on an initial ask, and then finally accepted after being given carte blanche authority over the hiring and firing of the senior staff.

The article begins:

Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has hired Susan Kennedy, a top aide to former Gov. Gray Davis, as his new chief of staff, Capitol sources in both major parties said. The chief of staff’s position is considered the most powerful administrative position in state government, with broad authority over policy-making and the sprawling bureaucracy.

The decision was made following two days of intense, closed-door meetings that included negotiating sessions across the street from the Capitol in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where Schwarzenegger stays while in Sacramento. Kennedy’s hiring was the culmination of a five-hour meeting, sources said, at which Kennedy demanded–and got–sole authority over hiring and firing the executive… Read More

I’ve already checked out on Arnold’s re-election bid. Although there is a long election cycle ahead of us, what I have seen since the special election leaves me underwhelmed. $50 billion in proposed bonds, calls for increased spending, a new liberal Democrat chief of staff, and a resounding defeat three weeks ago add up to a colossal recipe for disaster for 2006. Moving to the left depresses an already depressed GOP base and has not ever in recorded history moved a Democrat partisan voter over to the GOP. Just look how much the Dems love our big spending President and his new Medicare drug plan!. Why we keep repeating the same mistakes over again, in the face of a long history of failure, is beyond me. But hey, I just saved 15% on my car insurance by calling………… Read More

ARNOLD’S PICK FOR THE HIGH COURT The single most important decision facing Governor Schwarzenegger between now and the end of the year will be whom he choses to fill the vacancy on the California Supreme Court. Justice Janice Rogers-Brown, whom Schwarzenegger would be replacing, has been a well regarded judge with a reputation for being conservative. Ken Masugi, of the esteemed conservative think-tank, The Claremont Institute, penned an exclusive column for the FlashReport where he talks about what he thinks the Governor should be looking for in an appointee to California’s highest court. Don’t miss that exclusive column here.

BAD NEWS BONDS Yesterday in the FlashReport, Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association penned an exlcusive piece on the… Read More

The rule of six (if I hear at least six credible people tell me something, then as a confirmed rumor, I run with it) has struck again. I previously reported on rumors that Pat Clarey, the Governor’s Chief of Staff (and a loyal Republican) would be stepping aside after the special election. Read that story here.

Well, apparently the Governor has decided to name Susan Kennedy as his Chief of Staff.

I am sure that if this plays out, Kennedy will be vetted by many who know her well. I can only judge her political ideology based on her resume, which includes these highlights (seriously, I am NOT making this up):

Kennedy has spent nearly the last three years as Gray Davis’ appointee… Read More

I trust that had a great Thanksgiving Holiday! This will be a busy week at the FlashReport, so I hope that you will check back to this site each and every day! Today’s featured column was written exclusively for the FlashReport by Jon Coupal, President of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Entitled, Massive Bond Threatens State’s Future, Coupal walks us through the reasons why now is exactly the wrong time for the state to be looking at further leveraging its precarious financial position with a mega-bond (I’ve heard numbers ranging from 50-100 BILLION dollars) deal. From what I have heard so far, one idea being bounced around is to borrow this huge some of money, and use current moneys that are spent on construction and infrastructure to pay off the principle of that loan. Then we would pay the interest of that loan with general fund dollars.… Read More