I think that if we as a people are going to discuss the various memorandum about interrogation tactics, we have an obligation to review the memorandum as to what these tactics did or did not accomplish. From what I understand, these tactics prevented the planned attack on Los Angeles. Maybe they did more, maybe they did less. Open the files.

(Thanks to Drudge Report for the following)

CHENEY:

“One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is they put out the legal memos, the memos that the CIA got from the Office of Legal Counsel, but they didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort. And there are reports that show specifically what we gained as a result of this activity. They have not been declassified.”

“I formally asked that they be declassified now. I haven't announced this up until now, I haven't talked about it, but I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country.”

“And I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so… Read More

The following information and attached document with charts is RNC-collected material, derived from Secretary of State data. Accurate info; not yet widely distributed. In fact, it’s likely you may be seeing it here first. Putting Voter Registration Data in Perspective: Recent Trend Benefits Democrats, But Not to the Degree Some Alarmists Claim The recent increase in Democrat voter registration in California reflects a national trend which has seen significant increases in the 29 states with partisan registration. California’s voter registration data reveals the Republican Party is today in a similar position to 1982 and 1994 when George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson were elected Governor.

NATIONAL TREND Harris Interactive reports Republican self-identification nationally at its lowest point in 25 years as 36% of Americans identify with the Democratic Party, 31% identify as Independents, and 26% as Republicans. Independents outnumber Republicans for the first time since 1983.

This trend in self-identification contributes to the recent increase… Read More

OK, a small deviation from my normally produced stable of political blog posts. As I write this, I am sitting in my new "home away from home" — John Wayne Airport in Orange County. I arrived here at 6:45am this morning to catch a flight up to San Francisco. Little did I know that it would turn into the day from hell – literally.

Not disclosed to me and a couple of hundred other bleary-eyed early morning travelers was that we were being placed onto a "lemon" aircraft that he been having trouble the previous two days with its backup system that controls the rear flaps of the plane (I guess, and it makes sense, these plans have backup system for everything they can — no second chances at 30,000 feet!).

To make a long story long, we ended up taxiing out to the runway, and then back to the terminal, and then after an hour of waiting, we repeated the process again. Eventually the flight was canceled and I am on a Southwest flight in just a few minutes into San Jose.… Read More

I am on a flight from “The OC” to San Jose. Lo and behold that I should run into my own office co-habitant John Clarey and a slew of others headed to the South Bay for a day of fundraising for Meg Whitman. It just proves my point that as a well-connected politico, it's hard to fly anywhere without running into someone you know…… Read More

The California Republican Party announced they are launching a new initiative that fundamentally changes the way the Party conducts outreach and coalition building.

For all the years I have been involved in the political and non-profit worlds outreach efforts have focused on forming affinity groups internal to an organization. For example the "Asian Outreach Committee of the Republican Party" or the "Commercial Real Estate Network of the Jewish Federation".

These groups serve a purpose, but generally require someone to sign-up, attend and get involved in a "new" group. It takes them out of their comfort space, away from their core business or interest. While they support the Party or non–profit it can be an imposition to participate in another group.

Last week CA GOP Chairman Ron Nehring announced that he has been working on a very different kind of outreach effort, one that goes to the supporter rather than making them come to the Party. If executed well over time, it will mean that Party leadership and volunteers are integrated into outside organizations of every type throughout the state, on an ongoing and… Read More

Quote of the Day: "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” Sir Winston Churchill.

The budget, taxes, the economy, stimuli and TARPs: It seems this is all we have talked about and all we have done in DC this year. But there have been a few other interesting and important topics under discussion in the nation’s capital. Here are 3 subjects about which you may not have heard much about through the din of the recession, but upon which there has been some movement:

Obama surge: The war in Iraq appears to have largely been won and the troop withdrawals that began under President Bush continue under President Obama. But, somewhat quietly, Obama has agreed to a ‘surge’ of 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are now regrouping in northern Pakistan and southern Afghanistan, and military officials think that this ‘surge’ is probably insufficient to do the job and more troops will be necessary later in the year. The President has said that he will consider sending those additional… Read More

Remember the $3 million that Duf Sundheim’s CRP irregularly borrowed from Larry Dodge to support the anti-tax re-election campaign of Arnold Schwarzenegger?

That saddled the new Chairman with debt. Interest payments were made and then the highly paid Sundheim convinced Dodge to use the loan to try force changes on the CRP.

One of those was to narrow the platform to one message: fiscal responsibility. Sundheim’s effort to use Dodge’s and others people money failed to alter much and the loan was paid off and forgiven. Remember those days?

Unfortunately, last Friday Larry Dodge’s bank American Sterling was seized by the FDIC. It became the 24th bank to be seized in this current environment.

One person told me it Karma for helping to elect the Governor. I kind of doubt that. Bad things would be happening to a lot more people than that.

I do hope that things turn around for Dodge, but I bet Dodge wishes the CRP still owed him the money now.… Read More

If the campaign for the next GOP nominee for Governor of California is going to be won over fairly obscure inside baseball arguments about Silicon Valley business deals, we have already lost the election to the Democrats.

Across the country and especially in California,the Republican Party and its brand desperately need redefinition. Voters need to have their confidence restored in our party, and the most important need right now is for voters to understand there is a difference between the parties, and that our party and its leaders unshakably stand for lower taxes and less government. Thisshould beone of the lessons learned as a result of the recent "Tea Parties" across our state and America, and as Grover Norquist quipped, "it should take only a mildly alert Republican candidate to get in front of that parade."

Steve and Meg: most voters in Republican voter rich southern California have no idea what Skype is, let alone whether their vote will turn on who made money or lost money on anything to do with it. At a time when the flooring is giving way in our party to recall witch-hunts, statesmanship… Read More