Today’s Washington Post tells the latest tale of Congressman Dennis Rehberg ever-growing resume of embarrassments:

That dog don’t hunt.
Rehberg’s wiggling and waffling, pandering and pontificating on CHIP

It seems like some folks have really worked themselves into fit over the attention Dennis Rehberg’s position(s) on health care for kids is getting...I think it might have something to do with getting out-fundraised by a political newcomer who only had half the time to do so...

Anyways, there seems to be a lot of spin in the GOP blogosphere about where Dennis really is on health care for kids...to get around some of the spin being spun, stories being told, and Congressman Rehberg’s election year shuffle to the center, I wanted to give a brief history of where our favorite sub-divider (worth $57 million dollars) has been on the issue:

Cross posted at Calitics

So as we've established by now, Darrell Issa thinks very little of 9/11 rescue workers and would prefer that the federal government not concern itself with their welfare.  Cause according to him, 9/11 is not and presumably was not a national issue.  We've also established that he has no qualms about throwing federal money around on local pork as long as it benefits him directly.  So the next logical question for me is "oh hey, are there any familiar names that don't mind taking Darrell Issa's money?"  As you may or may not know, Darrell Issa is filthy rich.  So he's spread a lot of money around on Republicans and conservative causes.  So as it turns out, there are quite a lot of Republicans currently running around the Capitol funded in part by Darrell Issa (partial list):

A couple of weeks ago, the Montana Dem's challenger for Republican Denny Rehberg's House seat, Bill Kennedy, dropped out of the race for health reasons. The party has been busy recruiting another candidate, and have lit upon an excellent choice, Steve Doherty, former minorty leader in the state senate, and current chairman of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission.

Matt at Left in the West gives his impressions:

Steve's name has surfaced for the race repeatedly. It's not shocking. He's got the energy and know-how to run a real race. He's got connections in the base county of Missoula and the increasingly swing county of Cascade. He's got street cred on reservations and with the hook and bullet crowd.

So will it be a competitive race? Who knows. But if anyone can make it in to one, I'd guess Steve Doherty can.

Doherty is currently practicing law, specializing in American Indian Law. This is where he gets that reservation street cred Matt refers to. Because of his position on the Montana FWP, he has a better grasp on environmental issues that concern hunters and anglers than just about anybody in the state. And his progressive credentials and politically savvy can't be questioned.

For one thing, he was instrumental in pushing his old friend Jon Tester to run for the Senate. For another, he's co-chair of the Progressive States Network, which he talks about here:

Where'd the motivation to start the Progressive States Network come from?

The realization that we were getting beat and we didn't have an effective tool to combat the wrongs that were being done and we didn't have an effective tool to press our own agenda. We were just damn tired of getting kicked around.
....

What are the biggest opportunities for progressives on the political landscape right now?

I think economic justice issues and issues as they affect families at a level where they live. How much people get paid for the work they do; who's able to take care of their kids when the kids get sick; and what kind of schools those kids are going to have. And overall, what kind of world we are going to live in. Where that fits with people's everyday lives is where progressives need to go and talk about what it's like to be working three jobs, to have no health insurance, to have no security in a pension plan, to be subject to predatory lending. Those are bread-and-butter issues. And I think Americans are beginning to understand that political ideology -- kind of a hard-core rightwing rabid ideology -- doesn't solve problems that they have on a daily basis. That's where we have to clearly speak to people.

Doherty would be a strong challenger to Rehberg. He's known around the state and supported by key constituencies. And Rehberg needs a good challenge. He's the strongest Montana Republican, and is almost certain to challenge Tester in five years if he's not weakened significantly now.

The latest financial release of Montana Republican congressman Dennis Rehberg and Democratic challenger Bill Kennedy shows that Rehberg is out raising Kennedy by a margin of 2 to 1.

Rehberg reported raising $205,721 in the most recent quarter, compared with Kennedy's $63,742. Rehberg said he has raised $401,258 so far this election cycle, while Kennedy reported a total of $178,418.

There is no denying that Dennis Rehberg is a money machine, garnering up almost 40% of last cycle's contributions from PAC's and special interest groups, a point that doesn't sell very well in Montana. Additionally, while Kennedy has already raised nearly half the funds that Rehberg's last challenger raised in the entire cycle. While we like to pretend that it is all about substance, elections in Montana often come down to money. You can see this attitude on conservative blogs around Montana:

My hunch is that MT-01 is Denny's for as long as he wants it, unless he gets caught eating babies or something like that.

It doesn't have to be that way though.

Yesterday I highlighted the names of Republican troop haters who voted (unanimously) in the Appropriations committee last week to continue to send troops to Iraq before they're combat ready and fully equipped.

Their shameless and, frankly, traitorous opposition to key provisions of the Defense of the American Soldier Act ought to have their constituents seeing red. And apparently, it does.

Blue Jersey, on Rodney Frelinghuysen

So in a nutshell, Rodney Frelinghuysen is another GOP poodle whose party line is simple:  pin an American flag to your lapel, say you support the troops, and then vote to kill them.

Red State Rebels, on Mike Simpson

It's time someone started asking Mike Simpson who deserves his loyalty: the troops he's ordered into harm's way or his political party's failed policy.

Michigan Liberal, on Joe Knollenberg

Guess who recently voted against an amendment that would require our troops heading to Iraq to be equipped with the new body armor and certified combat ready?

If you answered Joe Knollenberg, the same Joe Knollenberg who organized a Support the Troops rally the other day, you'd be correct.

Vote NO on JOE, also on Knollenberg

We have contacted votevets.org to see what we need to do to modify this so it can be run here so voters know see just how Knollenberg "supports" the troops.

The Albany Project, on Jim Walsh

At best, Jim Walsh (R-Bushland) doesn't believe that sending our troops into battle in Iraq without being properly equipped, properly trained and without being properly rested will get many of those troops killed. At worst, he simply doesn't care.

Montana Netroots, on Dennis Rehrberg

Dennis was told to vote for it on the party line and he did so. This was a party line vote in committee and Rehberg voted his party 100%. Could this be it? Could it be that Dennis Rehberg is a party tool? The alternative, as I see it, is that he doesn’t give a damn about the troops safety. In either case, he is putting the troops last.

Intelligent Disconnect, also on Rehrberg

Remember step three of the Dennis Rehberg action plan for Iraq, to vote against the interests of the American military? well, he's back at it again.

The Flypaper Theory, on Zach Wamp

In East Tennessee, in the town of West Gomp, there lived a mad Gooper called Zachary Wamp. He loved to kill soldiers, he thought it was fun to send them to war with an unloaded gun.

More Flypaper Theory, on Wamp

Q: What sound does an undertrained, ill-equipped American soldier make when he's gunned down in Iraq?

A: Zach! Wamp!

Down With Tyranny! on Jerry Lewis and John Doolittle

[O]n the 15 votes regarding the well-being of our fighting men and women, the only time Doolittle didn't vote against them was on October 30, 2003 when he was absent-- and Jerry Lewis-- 3 absences but an otherwise perfect record of undermining the well-being of our fighting men and women.

There are no elected members of either house of Congress as dangerous to our country's safety and security as John Doolittle and Jerry Lewis.

UPDATE: ArchPundit on Mark Kirk

Don’t worry, troops. As soon as you get home, you’ll be a veteran, and then Mark Kirk will love you. I’m hoping and praying that you come home safe and sound. Too bad Mark Kirk doesn’t care.

The Daily Gotham, on Jim Walsh

James Walsh believes that American soldiers should be sent into combat unready, unarmored, unfit to fight. James Walsh does not realize, or does not care, that his ass-kissing of his White House overlord will cost American lives.

James Walsh, ladies and gentlemen, is a pig.

UPDATE: Seems John Doolittle (R-CA) and John Peterson (R-PA) mysteriously "missed" the vote last week. Particularly mysterious because Doolittle was apparently at the markup, but just didn't vote. Hmm. Local bloggers, have any of you been able to learn why Doolittle or Peterson ducked their chance to Defend our American Soldiers?

OK, this comes straight from Slashdot:

Some Republican tried to hire hackers to doctor his academic record to make himself look better:

http://politics.slashdot.org/...

More here

http://www.networkworld.com/...

Todd Shriber, 28-year-old press aide to U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont. Is the moron who did this.

This is for people who may have seen the post about aide Todd Shriber to U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) over at TPM but can’t access the server with the emails. The server is slammed and will probably get worse but I managed to get in early.

Here's part of the TPM post:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/...

According to Network World’s Paul McNamara, the communications director for U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Todd Shriber, hired two ‘hackers’ to break into the computer of his alma mater, Texas Christian University, and change his college grades.

[...]

But the correspondence is just too good in comedy terms and shows that not only does Shriber probably lack the ethical fiber to serve in Congress (I guess that can mean more than one thing) but may also be the stupidest person on the planet.

The complete correspondence follows after the jump.

Again... I'm only doing this because many people will have difficulty accessing the server.

Before reading this diary, please read my last one on Max Baucus -- who is the GOP's number one target to enable Dick Cheney to cast a tie-breaking vote in the senate.

Simple question, have you ever read a quote that sums up so perfectly everything that is wrong with the Democratic Party?

As a former Baucus campaign coordinator said, "You can't have a thought until you've taken a poll."

To put that in context, check out what came before in the article:

Monica Lindeen is running for Congress in Montana against incumbent Dennis Rehberg.

Rehberg is one of the wealthiest men in Congress and he has one of the most pathetic voting records.

The Lindeen Campaign's new spot kicks ass. Please watch it, link to it, embed it, and spread the word!

Click on the picture of the sinister-looking millionaire goat rancher to view the ad.

Forward, link, and embed freely!

Visit www.lindeen.net to find out more about the Lindeen campaign and how you can help out.

There's a great story in the Albany Times Union today about John Sweeney (NY-20) and his work to help Jack Abramoff and his sweatshop owning patrons on the Mariana Islands.

There is a lot in the story, but this was my favorite part:

Sweeney was quoted in the Saipan Tribune on Jan. 15 [2001] as saying reports of poor working conditions in the CNMI were overblown, and that he had seen worse sweatshops back home in New York. Carlson said Sweeney was "absolutely not" aware of any severe mistreatment of workers or forced prostitution before he made these comments.

U.S. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., a longtime champion of legislation to change CNMI wage and immigration laws, traveled to the islands in 1998 [snip].

Problems were obvious "unless you choose not to look at the facts on the ground," Miller said, adding: "A blind pig could run into the human rights violations and the exploitation of workers on the islands."

That sums up the modern Republican Party: Blind Pigs.

And we have three weeks to take them out.

To the jump...

We're excited about our new ad over here at the Lindeen campaign, which we're about to start running state-wide. My friend Dave, who's the John Ford of political spots, put it together. Governor Schweitzer is a charisma machine on camera and off.

Please have a look at our latest spot.

If you like what you see, please drop by our website at www.lindeen.net and see what you can do to help us out in the home stretch.

For peace,
GWB

We're in the final stretch here in the race for Montana's single at-large congressional seat.

Monica Lindeen's opponent, Dennis "rubber stamp" Rehberg, voted for the war, for torture, and for the suspension of habeas corpus. He has the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis and thousands of our own brave soldiers on his hands.

Help us throw this remorseless sycophant out of Washington and send him back to his Billings goat farm where he belongs.

View Lindeen's latest ad with the Governor of Montana on Youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/...

Forward it and embed it in your pages.

http://www.lindeen.net

For peace and change, GWB

From the subscription-only Roll Call:

Over the last four years, Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) has earmarked more than $8 million for a project ostensibly designed to make Montana a center for space-related research and industry. But despite the millions of dollars in federal funding, it appears to have produced few tangible results while spawning several state and federal investigations. It has also earned lobbyists and companies connected to Burns hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts and lobbying fees as well as more than $80,000 in campaign contributions for Burns and Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.).

The story of the program -- the Inland Northwest Space Alliance -- illustrates not only the opaque manner in which federal earmarks are doled out, but also the often-interconnected and complex roles lawmakers, their family members and former staff play in the procurement and use of these spending initiatives.

It is unclear how much of the $8 million in earmarks Burns sought to steer to INSA either directly or through the University of Montana has been allocated to the group. However, INSA's tax records, federal lobbying reports and an audit by Montana's legislative auditor of earmarks funneled to the group through the university show that between 2003 and 2005, more than $761,000 has been spent on salaries and benefits. Additionally, more than $320,000 has gone to former Burns Chief of Staff Leo Giacometto and a company associated with him.

They don't mind government spending as long as it's lining their pockets and those of their cronies. Good thing Tester will soon be around to help clean up this disaster in DC.

 

I recently read articles in the NYTimes and The Nation lamenting the decision by the house and the senate to pass a bill legalizing torture and the suspension of habeas corpus for enemy combatants.

Both articles completely missed the point. Everyone in america should sit down and read S.3930. Right now. Why? Because S.3930 boldly goes where no law has gone since the founding of this country: it explicitly suspends habeas corpus for and countenances torture of american citizens.

It is a big news day, so it is the perfect day for the White House to release another snippet of their endless contacts with Jack Abramoff and support for his clients, whims and wishes.

Now there are quite a few Diaries out about this story, but I want to focus on how to use the Abramoff scandal to WIN in November.

The key is to use this moment to reframe the Abramoff Scandal narrative.

It has been about a gang of scamps ripping off casinos. Sort of an Oceans Eleven staring Jack, George, Karl, Grover, Ralph, Ed and the gang.

When that is the scandal narrative the Republicans win. The scandal gets no tractions because nobody cares if a casino is ripped off.

We need to change the narrative.

The Abramoff scandal is about forced sex, human trafficking and selling out ones values and principles for money and power

The framing that drives this home is Abramoff's work on the Commonwealth of North Mariana Islands (CNMI).

It was a proven strategy in Georgia. And now Charlie Brown is showing how this is a winning issue for Democrats this fall.

Learn how on the jump...

In an interview on Yellowstone Public Radio Monday, Montana's Republican Representative Denny Rehberg said the blogs should be controlled because "you can write or say anything."

Hail Caesars!

Tomorrow night, Dennis Rehberg makes an rare public appearance, live, well sort of, on Yellowstone Public Radio. You can support Monica Lindeen's run for congress by emailing the hosts the tough questions Rehberg's been carefully avoiding in this campaign.