Pence predicts EU bailout will cost U.S. an additional $50 billion

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

By Jay Heflin - THE HILL

House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) predicts bailout efforts taking place in Europe could eventually cost U.S. taxpayers an additional $50 billion.

"If the European Union-wide bailout plan goes forward, American taxpayers could be on the hook for an additional $50 billion," he said Wednesday. "At a time of record unemployment in the United States of America, at a time of record deficits and debt, the American people should not be put on the hook to be bailing out the fiscal recklessness in Europe."

The United States is already on tap to pay roughly $7 billion of the $39 billion the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pledged to help bail out Greece. The country will receive a total of $145 billion in loan guarantees from the IMF and the 15 nations that compose the European Union (EU).

Since Greece, other EU countries have come forward needing loan guarantees. The IMF and the EU are now looking at a $1 trillion bailout to handle these claims, an effort in which the United States would be a participant.

Republicans contend Congress will have to borrow the money to pay its share of the bailout.

"We should not be borrowing money from the Chinese to bail out Greece, and if you connect the dots we are precariously close to doing just that," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas). "We can't even afford the bailouts in America, much less the bailouts in Europe. What's next? Intergalactic bailouts?"

House Republicans have devised the European Bailout Protection Act, a bill that prohibits any funds that have been drawn by the IMF from financing a European Union bailout until all EU nations are in compliance with their debt-to-GDP-ration requirement. It also requires the Treasury secretary to oppose any IMF loans until all EU countries abide by that ratio.

Under these requirements, the United States would be prohibited from participating in the bailouts recently proposed by the EU.

Office Space: Popcorn and Mrs. Pence Shape Indiana Office

Roll Call Staff

May 19, 2010, 12 a.m.

Sitting on the desk in Rep. Mike Pence’s Longworth House Office Building space is a bright red mock rotary phone. The object sticks out as it sits beside a regular, run-of-the-mill office phone, and it is the most brightly colored object in the room. It only has one line, and only one person in the world has the phone number.

“Mrs. Pence is the only one who has the number, not anyone on the staff. She occasionally shares it with the kids, but when this phone rings, I answer it,” the Indiana Republican says with a smile.

Former Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) recommended Pence get a separate family phone when he arrived in Congress in 2001.

“He said, ‘After hours when the switchboard is off, you ought to put a separate line in the office.’ This was before everybody was wearing BlackBerrys and cell phones and such,” Pence said.

Pence’s wife purchased the red phone and gave it to him as a Christmas gift during his first term. The couple had the phone installed with a line separate from the main switchboard, and to this day it is Pence’s favorite part of his office. The phone is more necessary now that Pence is chairman of the Republican Conference, a job that keeps him busier than ever.

The phone isn’t the only object in the office that can be traced back to Karen Pence. Her fingerprints are all over the Congressman’s personal office. A watercolor that she painted of a front porch in Indiana decorates one wall, while a photo she gave her husband after he was elected hangs beside it.

The photo is a view of D.C. taken from the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va. The famous bronze statue of the flag-raising at Iwo Jima is in the forefront, while the Washington and Lincoln memorials glow against the backdrop of a purple sky. The Capitol Dome glistens in the distance. The photo is accompanied by the Bible verse, “Be strong and courageous and do the work.”

During his 1988 failed Congressional campaign, Pence read the book “Flags of Our Fathers” and found himself inspired by the bravery and patriotism of the Marines at Iwo Jima. When he first visited Washington during that campaign, he went straight to the memorial.

“I got off the airplane and I jumped in the cab. I told the cabbie, ‘I want you to take me to the Iwo Jima memorial,’” he says. “I wanted to see these Americans.”

The view from that hill in Arlington now holds a special place in Pence’s heart as a reminder that there is more to serving in public office than just what happens in Washington.

“I always said you had to look past men like these to see this city,” Pence says.

The verse that accompanies the photo is not the only trace of religion in Pence’s office. He keeps a tattered Bible on his desk. The pages of the red book are wrinkled with age, and the spine is taped together. Pence purchased the Bible in 1986 when he was studying at the Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington. He tries to read the book every morning, and the text is peppered with his personal notations.

“Somebody once told me that a Bible worn out is a sign of a life that’s not,” Pence says. “It’s been a great source of encouragement for me.”

While Pence looks to the Bible for encouragement, he also takes inspiration from the concise family motto engraved in a gold plaque that sits on his desk: “No Flapping.” The phrase comes from a conversation Pence and his wife had as they struggled to decide whether he should make a third run for Congress in 1999. Pence had already lost two elections, and the couple wasn’t sure whether they were up for another campaign. While mulling over a run, they went horseback riding in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

“We were trying to make a decision as a family about whether to sell our house, move back home and make another run for Congress, and we saw these two red-tailed hawks coming up from the valley floor,” Pence says. He adds that the birds weren’t flapping their wings at all; instead, they were gliding through the air. As they watched the hawks, Pence’s wife told him she was onboard with a third run.

“I said, ‘If we do it, we need to do it like those hawks. We just need to spread our wings and let God lift us up where he wants to take us,’” Pence remembers. “And my wife looked at me and said, ‘That’ll be how we do it, no flapping.’ So I keep that on my desk to remember every time my wings get sore, stop flapping.”

While Pence has made his personal office into a place filled with “things that edify and encourage my sense of what’s important,” he has also tried to make the office a comfortable place for constituents to visit. To start, everyone who walks through the door is offered a bag of popcorn, the smell of which wafts into the building’s hallway.

“I never get sick of popcorn,” Pence says. “Whenever anybody comes into our office we offer them a bag of Indiana popcorn — fresh popped — something cold to drink, and we try to make them comfortable.”

In the end, Pence says there are two values that are important to any Congressional office.

“No. 1 is to practice what you preach about legislation and vote the way you tell people you’re going to vote,” he says. “And the second is hospitality.”

Mike Pence: 'We will not restore this nation with public policy alone'

Posted: May 14th, 2010 06:26 PM ET

From CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

Rep. Pence frequently describes himself as
'a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican – in that order.'

(CNN) – Speaking to a largely conservative audience, a Republican lawmaker said Friday that the country has been experiencing a moral crisis in addition to the economic crisis that began on Wall Street in late 2008.

Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana gave an impassioned address to the National Rifle Association's annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pence, who frequently describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican – in that order," said the GOP has been down on its luck in the wake of President Obama's historic election.

But Pence claimed that, in the last year, his party had experienced a reawakening. As evidence, he cited conservative protests against the president's policies and recent Republican victories in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

Pence said that his party lost its way on the issue of fiscal discipline during the Bush administration. But told the gun rights supporters, "My party – Republicans in Congress – we're back in the fight and we're back in the fight on the right."

Related: Speakers at NRA convention target Washington, midterms

Pence also said that fixing the country's financial problems and retaking the reins of power in Washington would not be enough to fix, what he sees, as the nation's ills.

"…A vision for a better America will also recognize that our present crisis is not merely economic and political but moral in nature.

"At the root of these times, should be a realization that people in positions of authority have walked away from the timeless truths of honesty and integrity, an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, and the simple idea that a person ought to treat the other person the way they want to be treated," Pence said.

And as he claimed that the country is headed in the wrong under the president, Pence talked about putting the country on a different track.

"We will not restore this nation with public policy alone. It will require public virtue and that emanates from our most cherished institutions: family and religion.

"To renew this nation, we must renew the institutions that strengthen her character. We must stand for the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage and the vital importance of religion in our everyday lives."

Pence also used his remarks to question whether Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan would sufficiently adhere to the Constitution. And Pence promised the conservative activists that House Republicans would not rest until they succeeded in repealing the recently enacted health care bill.Mike Pence:

MIKE PENCE: NO EUROPEAN BAILOUTS!

By JONATHAN MARTIN | Politico

Pence introduces legislation halting U.S. involvement in IMF aid. AP

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the third-ranking House Republican and a possible 2012 presidential candidate, will use a speech Friday before the National Rifle Association to highlight his opposition to using American tax dollars to bail out European countries.

Seizing on conservative anger toward the federal government’s financial assistance for U.S. banks and auto companies and the recent headlines about Greece’s economic woes, Pence and a group of other House Republicans have introduced symbolic legislation that would halt American involvement in any International Monetary Fund aid to European Union nations.

“I just don’t believe American taxpayers should be forced to bear the risk of nations that have avoided making tough choices,” Pence said in an interview previewing his remarks to the gun-rights group’s convention in Charlotte.

There is little the U.S., as only one member of the IMF, can do to stop the bail out of Greece.

But by drawing attention to the matter, Pence touches upon two conservative hot-buttons: anger over corporate bailouts and a fear that the U.S. is on a path toward a European-style economy and political system.

The five-term Indiana congressman doesn’t spare his own party, though.

“I think the American people are tired of the borrowing and spending and bailouts that characterized federal policy under both political parties,” Pence said, alluding to the Bush administration’s TARP and Obama’s aid to Wall Street and Detroit.

Not coincidentally, Pence opposed TARP when it came to the House floor in the fall of 2008 —– a stance that could provide some daylight between him and other GOP presidential hopefuls who supported the measure such as Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who also just happens to be speaking at the NRA convention, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Asked why he would discuss fiscal issues before a group of firearms enthusiasts, Pence said NRA members are mostly a conservative bunch who “believe in first principles.”

In an interview with Bloomberg's Al Hunt, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner took issue with the effort by Pence and House Republicans to block the IMF's aid to EU countries.

“We have a big stake in helping Europe manage through these things,” Geithner said. “We’re going to do it in a way that’s sensible for the American economy, the American taxpayer.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37269.html#ixzz0o10LgIhJ

MIKE PENCE ADDRESSES NRA, IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SOUTH CAROLINA

MIKE PENCE SPEAKING AT NATIONAL NRA CONVENTION TODAY

By Reid Wilson

House GOP Conference chair Mike Pence
will urge gun rights activists to
make a strong push to help his party
take back the House while abandoning
Dems who have helped curb gun control
legislation favored by liberals in
Congress.

In a speech he will give today in
Charlotte, at the NRA's annual convention,
Pence said he will encourage the NRA to
back his partyrather than pro-gun Dems.

"The NRA has a history of supporting
candidates in both political parties who
support gun rights, and I respect that,
but I do believe we have a historic
opportunity to elect a conservative
majority to Capitol Hill," Pence told
Hotline OnCall in an interview yesterday.
"I'm going to be challenging people at the
NRA to seize that opportunity, to get
behind men and women across this country
who are committed to constitutional
principles."

The NRA endorsed most of the GOP
Conference during the '08 election, but
they also have a long history of
supporting Dems. The group backed 52 House
Dem incumbents in '08.

Pence, who has made several high-profile
appearances at conservative events across
the country, will also voice his opposition
to Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, thanks
to reports yesterday that Kagan did not
support repealing a DC gun ban. And as some
in conservative circles think Pence is
contemplating a WH'12 bid, he will stoke the
flames by laying out the outline of a platform.

Lately, Pence has led the GOP charge against
allowing US money contributed to the IMF
assist in bailing out Greece. Greece's troubled
economy has caused stock market shudders around
the world, Pence acknowledged, but he said
Greeks should take steps to get their fiscal
house in order.

"I simply believe it's wrong to put Americans
on the hook for billions for dollars of loan
guarantees to countries that have embraced
economic policies and fiscal practices that
have brought them to fiscal crises," Pence said.
"The U.S. isn't asking Europe for help with New
Jersey or California."

Pence would not preview his remarks on gun
rights, but though gun rights advocates have
been nervous about the Obama admin, no significant
legislation has come to the floor. A possible deal
to give DC a vote in the House fell apart when
Dems refused to allow a provision that would
expand gun rights in the nation's capital.

Pence isn't the only potential WH'12 contender
who will address NRA delegates this weekend in
Charlotte. Ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich,
Sen. John Thune (R-SD), MS Gov. Haley Barbour (R)
and ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) are all set to
speak today and tomorrow.

MIKE PENCE INTRODUCES BILL TO PROTECT TAXPAYERS FROM BAILING OUT EURPOEAN COUNTRIES

Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence
today introduced legislation to stop U.S. tax
dollars from being used by the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) for bailouts of European
countries. Rep. Pence released the following
statement as the European Bailout Protection
Act was introduced:

“Hoosiers are fed up with taxpayer-funded
bailouts and deserve to know we are bailing
out Greece and possibly other European
countries.  If the Obama Administration has
its way, the U.S. will contribute to a nearly
trillion dollar bailout of European countries
with economic crises that are a direct result
of wasteful government spending.

“This legislation would require that countries
like Greece cut spending and put their own
fiscal house in order, instead of looking to
the United States for a bailout. We face
record unemployment and a debt crisis of our
own, and taxpayers should not be forced to bear
the risk for nations that have avoided making
tough choices.”

Background:

The European Bailout Protection Act would:

1) Prohibit any funds that have yet to be drawn
by the IMF from being used to
provide financing to any EU countries until all
EU nations are in compliance with the debt to GDP
ratio requirement in their own collective growth
pact.

2) Require the Treasury Secretary to oppose any
IMF loans to EU nations until all EU countries
are in compliance with their debt to GDP ratio
requirement.

The bill does not permanently prohibit the IMF
from lending to these nations; it simply prohibits
the U.S. from participating in the proposed
European bailout.

The Weekly Standard: Mike Pence and Servant Leadership

Congress has a black eye, and it's starting to swell.
As an institution, its approval ratings bounce near
all time lows, creating a crisis in confidence among
voters. Can Americans count on an institution so
anemic in trust to heal the difficult and major
problems confronting the nation?

Many believe the legislative branch is insular,
arrogant, and dominated by special interests -- and
not without cause.

The current Democratic majority's polarizing behavior
has only reinforced these views by passing partisan
and controversial legislation -- like the health care
bill -- opposed by a majority of Americans, according
to the most recent average of polls aggregated at Real
Clear Politics.

The House and Senate will never win popularity contests.
Congress underperforms other institutions when it comes
to stirring good feelings. Analyzing polling data from
the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, political scientists
John R. Hibbing and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse in their
book Congress as Public Enemy: Public Attitudes Toward
American Political Institutions show the legislature
nearly always lags the presidency and the Supreme Court
when it comes to public confidence.

This pattern continues today. President Obama's approval
now hovers around the 48 percent mark, but Congress's is
only half that (23 percent), according to Real Clear
Politics.

Historically, incumbent lawmakers took comfort in the
often cited argument by University of Rochester political
scientist Richard Fenno, who asked in a 1975 article,
"If Congress Is The 'Broken Branch' Why Do Americans Love
their Congressmen So Much?" Fenno demonstrated Americans
support their congressmen more than Congress as an
institution.

But today even this customary love for incumbents is on
the rocks. A recent CNN poll found the percent of
Americans who think their own Congressman deserves
reelection is at an all time low.

Not letting congressional approval sink too low is
critical for the country and our ability to address
future problems. If support falls much further,
faith in the legitimacy of the entire system could
collapse.

Is there an answer?

Some lawmakers propose a novel solution, one that
flies in the face of conventional power perceptions
about Washington politicians. Borrowing from the
tradition of "servant leadership," this approach
holds some promise for boosting Congress's sagging
image.

Throughout the centuries this idea has animated
discussions of how to lead. Many say a 1970 essay
by Robert K. Greenleaf, "The Servant as Leader,"
first applied the idea to the management of large
institutions.

But until recently, the notion of "servant leadership"
seemed foreign to Congress. Politicians are
cold-blooded narcissists, not other-directed
helpers. Candidates promote themselves - not us.
They accumulate power and cut deals. That's how they
get elected.

The perception of Congress as self-seeking, self-
interested, and self-promoting shakes voters'
confidence in the institution.

Some House Republican members want to change that
opinion. Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio
meets with his staff annually to hammer out
a set of goals and objectives for the year. They
produce a detailed vision statement that guides
their work as a team for the legislative session.


This year they added the goal of "servant leadership"
as an objective. Boehner and his staff urged all
House Republicans to adopt this model as an approach
to working with their constituents and colleagues in
Congress. It's an attitudinal shift with major
political consequences.


Dave Schnittger, Boehner's deputy chief of staff for
communications told me this in an email last week:
"Servant leadership is the antithesis of the arrogance
Americans have seen from a Democratic-controlled
Washington that has repeatedly defied the will of the
people on the biggest issues facing our country,"
Schnittger wrote. "It requires humility; a willingness
to listen; and recognition that the American people are
the ones in charge. Americans have a right to expect
their elected leaders to project this kind of attitude.
And this year they're demanding it."

Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, chairman of the House
Republican Conference agrees. Walking into the offices
of the GOP Conference in the Longworth House Office
Building, the words "servant leadership" appear on the
wall as part of the House Republicans' core objectives.

Boehner and Pence are on to something. Voters want a
Congress that works for the people, not just for
political elites. Yet the lexicon of Washington
doesn't put lawmakers in that role. The crafting of
legislation includes powerbrokers, influence peddlers
and self-interested politicians, not servant leaders.

Hearing lawmakers talk about this new vision is
simultaneously jarring, refreshing and healing --
an ice-pack on the inflammation of public discontent.

Dan Coats Wins GOP Senate Nomination

Updated: Tuesday, 04 May 2010, 10:14 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 04 May 2010, 7:14 PM EDT

• Reporter: David Barras
• Editor: Andrew Bonner
• By LIZ SIDOTI and DEANNA MARTIN Associated Press Writers

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH/AP) - Former Indiana senator Dan Coats has won the GOP Senate nomination. Coats shot to an early lead on election night and held on to beat opponents Marlin Stutzman and John Hostettler.

The newly nominated Republican candidate had his son Andrew introduce him as he began the celebration at the downtown Indianapolis Marriott.

Saying, "Thank you, Indiana, for your strong support," Coats stressed his conservatism and his strong Hoosier values. He then began attacking President Obama.

Coats said the choices between himself and representative Brad Ellsworth, the Democratic nominee, are clear. He said it's time to stop the spending in Washington and the hard left the government is taking. He attacked Ellsworth's support of the recently-passed health care bill.

Coats intends to hit the road campaigning immediately. He's heading to Evansville Wednesday morning right into the heart of Brad Ellsworth territory.

Coats has been under fire from conservatives for his years as a Washington lobbyist and for a vote in favor of a gun control law when he was in the Senate.

He only won about 40 percent of the vote with 71 percent of precincts reporting, signaling a divide in the GOP between mainstream Republicans and more conservative tea party voters who split their votes between Hostettler and Stutzman.

That divide could be an issue in November when Coats will Ellsworth, a conservative Democrat who will be formally nominated by the Democratic central committee May 15.

"Ellsworth has enough conservative credentials to cut into some of the Republican base," said Brian Vargus, a political science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.

"It is completely possible that those people who are disaffected from the party -- the so-called tea party voters -- vote Libertarian or stay home."

Coats, backed by national GOP leaders during the primary, hopes to convince tea party voters that he echoes their concerns about where the country is headed under Democratic leadership.

"We're going to be singing off the same song sheet between now and November," said Coats spokesman Pete Seat.

Coats may also portray Ellsworth as a Washington insider, even though Coats himself has plenty of experience inside the beltway.

Coats won a special election in 1990 to serve the remainder of Dan Quayle's term after Quayle became vice president in 1989.

Coats' name was last on an Indiana ballot in 1992, when he made a successful bid for a full Senate term.

But he decided not to run for re-election in 1998, when Bayh made his first run for the seat. Coats has since been an ambassador to Germany under former President George W. Bush and worked as a lobbyist in Washington.

Democrats have been attacking Coats even before he won Tuesday's primary.

The chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party chided Coats for missing a deadline to file a personal financial disclosure report, saying he should know better because of his experience as a former senator. Once Coats filed the form, Democrats criticized him for being an "elite D.C. lobbyist" and questioned whether he would represent Indiana residents or special interest groups.

Mike Pence Jokes About Running For President in 2012

Dave Weigel reports that Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, another favorite of movement conservatives and Tea Partiers, joked about running for president last night:

At last night's Washington Press Club Foundation dinner, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) used his lighthearted, deadpan speaking slot to indulge the speculation that he's looking at a 2012 presidential bid.

"I'm trying to get over that all-important 3 percent mark in the straw polls," said Pence. He recounted a phony conversation with President Obama in which the president questioned whether the country was ready for a "politician from the Midwest ... with so much experience."

"Maybe I'm overqualified," said Pence with a smirk.

I know, I know: it's only 2010. But keep in mind Republicans will begin to declare their candidacies or the creation of "exploratory committees" in a little over six months from now.

Dan Coats Endorsed By Congressman Mike Pence Is "Old" New News

Dan Coats for Indiana
http://dancoatsforindiana.blogspot.com

IN Senate Race: What’s old is “news”

April 21, 2010 - 3:20 PM | by: Steve Brown

What's your definition of news?

Is it information that's 2 1/2 months old?

It was for Dan Coats last night.

In a five-candidate race, Coats is considered a slight favorite in the May 4th Indiana Republican primary for the US Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Evan Bayh. After Tuesday night's televised GOP Senate debate, Coats told reporters he had an announcement to make, before taking questions.

Coats said, "Lemme just pass on some news that I'd like to give you here. I'm really pleased to announce tonight that uh...in fact I just got off the phone with Mike Pence. He's given me his unqualified endorsement and support for this race which I'm thrilled to have. He said some very good things about me when I indicated my intention to run. He's been supportive but uh...to say he's given me now his unqualified support is...is...is very important to me and I'm very appreciative." (You can watch Coats says this for yourself on the video linked to this story.)

The endorsement announcement was bigger than anything that happened in the debate. Congressman Mike Pence is very influential among Indiana Republicans. In the minds of many Hooiser GOP'ers only Governor Mitch Daniels endorsement would be bigger. (And Daniels in not endorsing. He says he'll back the primary winner.)

Wednesday morning, on Coats' campaign FaceBook page, the status trumpeted the Pence endorsement:

Dan Coats for Indiana Big News! Congressman Mike Pence has given Dan his unqualified endorsement for the U.S. Senate!

The thing is...Pence's backing was old news. That's how Pence's chief of staff Bill Smith described it when contacted by Fox News.

In early February, a statement of support for Coats candidacy was issued. This was shortly after Coats' announcement that he intended to join the race. The Pence statement was picked up by some DC media outlets.

Roll Call on February 3rd ran the following quote attributed to Pence:

“I am very excited about the possibility that former Senator Dan Coats may run for the United States Senate in 2010 and I sincerely hope he does it,” Pence said in a statement. “His integrity and conservative record would make him the ideal candidate for Hoosiers. If he runs, I will support him.”

Fifteen days later, Coats filed to run in the Indiana Senate election.

Smith says since that February statement, "The Congressman has not been hesitant" to tell reporters who asked that he was a Coats-backer. Smith made it clear in a telephone interview that while the February statement did not contain the word 'endorsement', it was certainly considered one by Pence.

Still, there was at least some confusion about Pence's backing of Coats. Some supporters had contacted Pence's offices asking who the Representative liked in the primary. Smith says all who inquired were told the same thing, "Coats".

But it shouldn't have been confusing for people who visit Coats campaign website. On a page titled "What They're Saying" a Pence quote sits atop the list:

Congressman Mike Pence: “His integrity and conservative record would make him the ideal candidate for Hoosiers.” (Congressional Quarterly, 2/3/10)

So, did Coats just plain get it the timing wrong with his post-debate "news" announcement?

Apparently.

Kevin Kellems of the Coats campaign sent an e-mail this morning which reads in part:

"Cong. Pence called Dan after the debate. I don't speak for him, but I believe the reason the Congressman reached out to Dan was to make it clear that his statement of support that came very early on was indeed an endorsement."

So, Coats did have Pence's endorsement all along...even before Coats was officially in the race. And certainly a lot of people missed it (including this reporter). But was Coats post-debate announcement last night "news" as he said?

As we says around here at Fox, "You decide."

Mike Pence at SRLC

And today he got the crowd going. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Dan Coats for Indiana

SCOTUS Sam Alito with his lobbyist and friend Senator Dan Coats

The first time I saw U.S. Senator Connie Mack was several years ago at a Catholic Men's Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. Connie witnessed to over 8,000 men how then Senator Dan Coats, a Presbyterian, was holding weekly Bible Studies in the basement of the Senate Building. It was at one of the Bible Studies that Dan Coats led Connie Mack into a “born again” experience and back to his Roman Catholic faith.

A couple years later, when Dan and Marsha Coats left Germany as our American Ambassador, I spoke to Connie on the phone. He told me he had invited Dan to join his law firm and the two of them were lobbying for Pro-Life organizations, saving the lives of America's Pre-Born babies. It came as no surprise to me, then, when Sam Alito hired Dan Coats to be his lobbyist when he made his bid to become a Supreme Court Justice. After all, Justice Alito is one of the most conservative Pro-Life voices on the United States Supreme Court.

You can imagine my dismay when some young Republican's began a smear campaign against Dan Coats by pretending it was somehow filthy to be a lobbyist. If they were my kids, I would wash their mouths out with soap! After all, these young kids today have no idea what it means to be principled men of honesty, integrity, and high moral character like Dan Coats. The way they are running their campaigns prove it. Maybe that's why Congressman Mike Pence, another man of high moral character, endorsed Dan Coats for U.S. Senate and not one of them.

Pax Et Bonum!

T

Mike Pence Number 2 in GOP Presidential Rankings

GOP 2012

Presidential Rankings

-- Updated!

Published Jan 12 2010, 12:15 PM by David S. Bernstein

7

Now, on to the rankings! (Previous ranking in parentheses.)

1) Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota. Since announcing in June that he won’t run for re-election, Pawlenty has visited 17 states and six foreign countries, according to reports. That includes New Hampshire, in December, for the first major visit of the 2012 cycle. He’s also come out for a balanced-budget constitutional amendment, which figures to be popular in the party. Just confirmed to speak at the big, big Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC), in New Orleans in April. (1)

2) Mike Pence, US Representative from Indiana. His Leadership PAC is called “Principles Exalt a Nation PAC.” He seems to be uninterested in lesser opportunities (ie, Senate against Evan Bayh, Governor 2012), and yet according to Politico he has hired serious new national-level campaign staffers, and according to Chris “The Fix” Cillizza he’s gathered a circle of advisors that includes Phil Gramm, Ed Meese, David McIntosh, and Tony Perkins. Hmmmm.... (2)

3) Jim DeMint, US Senator from South Carolina. I dropped him from #2 last time, but I may have been too rash. The conservatives love him, and he’s willing to take up any fight for them. It will be interesting to see whether he uses his PAC to help candidates and GOP committees in key outside-the-South states (like Iowa and New Hampshire).(4)

4) Rick Perry, Governor of Texas. Texas Monthly has just put Perry on the cover under the headline “Perry For President?!?” I’ve said all along that he’s in my top five if he wins re-election, and with the primary less than two months away, it’s starting to look really likely that he will. Oh, and later this month he’s hosting a “blogger summit” with some of the bigwigs of the right-wing blogosphere. (7)

5) John Thune, US Senator from South Dakota. Conservative Matt Lewis and moderate David Brooks have both touted him -- what’s that about? Plus, he got in a high-profile fight with Al Franken, which has got to be good for one’s conservative cred. If he delivers a standout speech at CPAC or SRLC, watch out. (3)

6) Mitt Romney, former Governor from Massachusetts. More evidence of my theory that Romney is pursuing a “blue-state strategy” that surrenders the South: Romney is not scheduled to speak at SRLC. That’s a big, big one to skip. (5)

7) Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi. His Leadership Pac is called “Haley’s PAC,” but his more important one is called the “Republican Governors Association.” (6)

8) Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives. He has yet another new Leadership PAC -- American Solutions PAC -- and a speaking slot at SRLC. Move him up! (11)

9) Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana. He keeps getting talked about, but as far as I can tell he doesn’t have a Leadership PAC. How do you run for President without a Leadership PAC? (8)

10) Eric Cantor, US Representative from Virginia. His Leadership Pac is “Every Republican Is Crucial PAC,” which spells ERIC PAC. Clever, huh? Clever or not, it’s the biggest money-raising Leadership PAC in the country. (12)

11) Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida. He’s becoming more visible and the idea of him running is getting taken more seriously by GOP insiders.(14)

12) Luis Fortuno, Governor of Puerto Rico. With one of those squiggly things over the ‘n’ that I don't know how to make on this blog. And no, I’m not making this up. I keep saying Republicans are dying to support a minority candidate, and apparently they had to go outside the 50 states to find one. (--)

13) Jon Kyl, US Senator from Arizona. He’s been awfully quiet. I have to drop him a few notches. (9)

14) Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana. I’m thinking more and more that he’s angling for VP ’12. (10)

15) Dan Quayle, former Vice President. He just endorsed conservative Ovide Lamontagne against GOP establishement favorite Kelly Ayotte in the New Hampshire US Senate primary. Why would someone insert themselves into New Hampshire Republican politics, I wonder? He’s been running in investment-banking circles, which are great for fundraising. Just 62 years old. (--)

16) Bob Corker, US Senator from Tennessee. His Leadership PAC is “Rock City PAC,” which apparently refers to a place in the Tennessee mountains known as Rock City. More to the point, he’s done little to suggest a 2012 run. (13)

17) Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas. His Leadership PAC is "HUCK PAC," but I don't think it stands for anything, so that's not very clever. On the patented Gore Scale, his waistline is clearly at "not a candidate." But his proxies are reportedly keeping very involved with the RNC primary-scheduling process.(15)

18) Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska. Signing a multi-year deal as a FOX News contributor says no 2012; so does not visiting New Hampshire on her book tour. But headlining SRLC (with no fee!) says maybe. (16)

19) Rick Santorum, former US Senator from Pennsylvania. His Leadership PAC is called America’s Foundation. It’s been very very quiet, and he’s been indiscrete about his 2012 plans -- which leads me to think he’s going the Dean route of declaring for President this summer. That gives him a year to work on winning the Iowa Straw Poll, thus catapulting him to be this cycle’s Huckabee. Huckabee lost, of course -- and that’s Santorum’s best-case scenario.(17)

20) Kay Bailey Hutchison, US Senator from Texas. Brilliantly poised if she comes back to beat Perry in the Texas guv primary. If. (21)

21) Paul Ryan, US Representative from Wisconsin. “Prosperity PAC” -- not bad, huh? Coming to New Hampshire next month, which would normally move him up a few spots, but I think he’s looking at 2016. Recently put out a statement saying “There is a zero percent chance I will be seeking the Republicans’ nomination for president in 2012.” He might even mean it. (18)

22) Marco Rubio, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. The way his stock is rising among the movement conservatives, he might be able to run even if he loses the Florida Senate primary. (24)

23) George Pataki, former governor of New York. In the last Presidential cycle, Pataki was the very first to rent space in Manchester, NH -- terrific space, best available. Then he couldn’t raise any money so he didn’t make it to the starting line. He did a NH visit in November, and reportedly thinks things would go better this time without a better-known New York Republican in the race. I doubt it. (--)

24) Dirk Kempthorne, former Interior Secretary. Still quiet, still rumored. (19)

25) Chuck Grassley, US Senator from Iowa. “Hawkeye PAC.” Generally speaking, I like naming your Leadership PAC for your home state this way. But what if conservatives think it’s Alan Alda’s PAC? (20)

Dropping off the list: Michelle Bachmann, Lindsey Graham, Joe Scarborough

Read more:

http://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/talkingpolitics/archive/2010/01/12/gop-2012-presidential-rankings-updated.aspx#ixzz0keyyhJO0

Mike Pence pushes for a GOP comeback

Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN)

Speaks to 730 people

during state dinner

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind (WANE) - U.S. Rep. Mike Pence revved up about 730 people at the Indiana Republican state dinner Thursday night by urging them to help the party regain control of the U.S. House in November and the presidency in 2012.

The congressman from eastern Indiana, who has been a leading critic of the Obama administration as the third-ranking Republican in the House, said President Barack Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress have put the nation on a course of runaway spending and big government.

"I believe the American people are on the march for freedom," Pence said. "Even Republicans in Congress have returned to fiscal discipline and reform. Americans are back in the fight and back in the fight on the right."

Pence said House Republicans would stay focused on trying to dismantle the health care overhaul legislation enacted last month.

"I know Democrats think that is over," he said. "Democrats may have had their say on the third Sunday in March, but the American people will have their say on the first Tuesday of November. House Republicans will not rest until we repeal the government takeover of health care lock, stock and barrel."

Indiana Republicans have hopes of winning the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Evan Bayh, as well as House seats now held by Democratic Reps. Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth and Baron Hill. But a top priority also is regaining control of the Indiana House, which would allow Republicans to redraw district maps for the chamber in 2011.

Tickets to Thursday's dinner at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Indianapolis cost $200 each, helping the party raise more than $140,000. Arrangements were made so people could text in contributions from their dinner tables.

Pence plans on going to New Orleans in the next couple of days to attend the three-day Southern Republican Leadership Conference, joining several Republicans considering a challenge to Obama in his 2012 re-election bid.

The event that began Thursday features such names as Sarah Palin, Haley Barbour and Newt Gingrich, as well as GOP up-and-comers like Pence and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Pence said Thursday night that one way to revamp the economy would be across-the-board tax cuts, not the stimulus package Obama supported that Pence has called a piecemeal list of projects and boutique tax cuts.

"We must return incentive to the American people and the American economy," he said. "Get government out of the way and Indiana and America will come roaring back."

Indiana Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, who also has been mentioned as a potential 2012 presidential contender, also spoke at the Indianapolis dinner. He said Pence was an "agent of change" whom Indiana residents should be proud of.

"He's everything we want to state of Indiana to be," Daniels said. "He speaks forcefully when bad ideas are afoot."

Among those attending the dinner was Christa Coffey of Lafayette, who said it was exciting to hear Pence speak.

"He's a conservative who has struck to his principles -- conservative values, fiscal responsibility," she said.

Mike Pence to headline GOP pre-Obama rally

Indiana Congressman will appear live via video from Washington, D.C.

By Lynda Waddington 3/24/10 12:13 PM

U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, will serve as the featured speaker Wednesday night in Iowa City when state and college Republicans host a rally on the eve of a scheduled visit by President Barack Obama.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. (LAUREN VICTORIA BUKRE/wdcpix.com)

The rally, dubbed “Stand Up for Freedom,” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the University of Iowa campus and also features the four individuals engaged in a GOP primary for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. While other scheduled guests will appear in person, Pence, considered by many to have 2012 presidential aspirations, will appear via Skype from Washington, D.C.

“I’m proud to have Congressman Pence standing with Iowans tonight and standing up against the continued assault on our personal and economic freedoms from the Obama administration and Iowa’s congressional Democrats,” said Matt Strawn, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa.

On Tuesday, Pence promised that the “fight is not over” and that “House Republicans are determined to take our case on this government takeover of health care to the floor of the Congress and to the American people.”

Pence also promised that, should there be a Republican majority in Congress following the 2010 elections, that he and his colleagues would work to repeal the legislation.

Prior to members of the passage of the health care reform legislation, Pence appeared on FOX News to blast the bill and Obama as pro-abortion.

“It’s disappointing to see member of Congress exchange 30 years of pro-life law for a piece of paper from the most pro-abortion president in American history, but we are going to stay in this fight” Pence said. “We really believe the American public knows now that there is public funding for abortion in this bill.”

Obama and anti-abortion House Democrats, led by Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, struck a deal that included an executive order that would continue the status quo in relation abortion services, which has been historically managed by the Hyde Amendment. According to Pence, however, the executive order is a piece of paper that holds no promise because it can be legally challenged and overturned by the court.

Local Republicans are billing the rally as a preemptive strike to Obama’s scheduled visit to the University of Iowa on Thursday. Dane Nealson, chairman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans, announced Tuesday on Twitter that “President Obama is becoming the biggest recruiting [t]ool” the University of Iowa College Republicans have ever had. The organization has been particularly engaged in promoting and hosting the rally.

In addition to Pence, confirmed speakers at the rally are Strawn, UI College Republican Chairman Natalie Ginty, Iowa attorney general candidate Brenna Findley, and the four 2nd District congressional candidates – Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Steve Rathje, Christopher Reed and Rob Gettemy.

Mike Pence: Path to repeal begins in Iowa

By Lynda Waddington 3/25/10 6:48 AM

U.S. Rep. Mike Pence set a clear task before Republicans Wednesday night in Iowa City: “Give the president and Obamacare the kind of welcome that it is going to deserve across the country.”

The Indiana Republican, who is believed to be a 2012 presidential contender, said that if Iowans fulfill their task that he guarantees that the rest of the nation will follow suit.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind. (LAUREN VICTORIA BUKRE/wdcpix.com)

“I don’t think there is any mistake that the president has chosen Iowa City in your fair state to start making his case for this government take-over of health care to the American people,” said Pence, who spoke via the Internet to roughly 150 people gathered for rally on the campus of the University of Iowa. “Iowa is use to leading the nation. … It is time for the people of Iowa who believe in conservative values, who believe in limited government and who believe we can do better on health care reform to lead this nation again.”

Pence’s remarks came at an event jointly organized by the Republican Party of Iowa and the Federation of Iowa College Republicans on the eve of a visit by President Barack Obama. In May 2007, then-candidate Obama first outlined his plan for reforming the nation’s health care system at a presidential campaign rally in roughly the same location.

In less than 10 minutes of public remarks, Pence referred to recently passed health care reform legislation as Obamacare eight times and as a “government take-over” seven times. He also noted, no less than four times, that he and other Republicans in the U.S. House are determined to repeal the bill and begin the process anew.

“It was in the dead of the night on Sunday that Democrats in Congress and in this administration rammed through a government take-over of health care filled with individual mandates, job-killing taxes and a government-run insurance plan,” he said. “Some say we made history on Sunday night. Well, I said on the House floor that I think we broke history because we broke with our traditions of limited government, personal responsibility and the consent of the governed. The majority that will break these traditions is a majority that should be retired from Capitol Hill.”

Pence promised that if the bill was repealed and Congress — presumably with a Republican majority following the 2010 elections — was allowed to write a new bill that it would cut the cost of health insurance without growing government, provide “real malpractice reform” and use the savings to provide insurance for Americans with pre-existing conditions, and provide the type of reform “necessary to ensure the long-term solvency of our country and all the programs that are vital to those most vulnerable.” He did not indicate why such reforms were not proposed or debated when the Republican Party previously controlled Congress.

Mike Pence Addresses Threats, Vandalism, and Smears of Law Abiding Americans Exercising Their Rights

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

Mike Pence Discusses Earmark Moratorium, Massa on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell

"YOU" Republicans!

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

House Republicans Unilaterally Ban All Earmarks

MIKE PENCE: “OUR NATION IS FACING A FISCAL CRISIS OF EPIC PROPORTIONS”

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

Mike Pence: "It's Time for a Spending Limit Amendment to the Constitution!"

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

"If we fail to act, our children will be less
free, less prosperous, and less secure. It's
time for a Spending Limit Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States."

Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence,
Chairman of the House Republican Conference,
gave the following statement today on the floor
of the U.S. House of Representatives on his
proposed Spending Limit Amendment to the
Constitution:

"Federal spending is out of control, and the
American people know it. Our nation is facing
a fiscal crisis of epic proportions.  In the
past five years, federal spending has climbed
from an historic average of 20 percent of the
American economy to nearly 25 percent today,
and it's rising. According to the Congressional
Budget Office, the first five months of this
fiscal year the federal government ran a
deficit of $655 billion, keeping the country
on track for a record $1.6 trillion deficit
this year.

"After years of trying to rein in federal
spending under Republican and Democrat
administrations, the American people want
fiscal discipline and they want new ideas.
That's why Congressmen Jeb Hensarling, John
Campbell, and myself introduced the Spending
Limit Amendment to the Constitution of the
United States. Under our amendment, absent a
declaration of war and a two-thirds vote in
the Congress, Congress would be required to
adhere to its historic percentage of the
economy.

"For the last 60 years we've only taken 20
cents on the American dollar out of this economy.
It's time we put that limit in the Constitution
of the United States.  If we fail to act, our
children will be less free, less prosperous,
and less secure. It's time for a Spending Limit
Amendment to the Constitution of the United
States."

Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage March Commemorating 45th Anniversary Of Bloody Sunday

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

Congressman Mike Pence participated in the 2010 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage, which took place from March 5—7 with stops in Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. This year marks the 45th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday, one of the most pivotal events of the civil rights movement. Congressman Pence joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) in serving as honorary co-leaders and Congressman Artur Davis (D-AL) and Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) were the honorary co-hosts. Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) served once again as the Pilgrimage Chairman.

Mike Pence: Obama Attack On Prayer Meeting Is Attack On Free Speech

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson
and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

Outraged Conservatives: Barring Critic of Obama’s Gays-in-Military Policy from Air Force Prayer Meeting Is Attack on Free Speech


By Pete Winn and Karen Schuberg

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins (FRC photo)

(CNSNews.com) - Conservative leaders and members of Congress largely expressed outrage Friday that the Air Force had blacklisted Family Research Council President Tony Perkins from speaking at Andrews Air Force Base because of his position on the military policy on homosexuality.

As CNSNews.com reported Friday, the Air Force has admitted the chaplain's office at Andrews retracted an invitation to him to speak at the prayer luncheon held there on Feb. 25 because of the views that Perkins had expressed.

Andrews is the home base for Air Force One, the designation for the airplane that carries the president when he travels.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNSNews.com that he’s “disappointed” the Air Force would “un-invite” Perkins because of his positions.

“These actions are out of line with the caution that the heads of the military branches have expressed with regards to this policy,” Inhofe said.

“Each one of them has indicated that it would be best for the Pentagon to finish its review before addressing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a manner that disrupts readiness and recruitment. I wonder if Tony Perkins would have received the same treatment if his views on repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell had matched those of President Obama.”

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, was outraged.

“I think many members (of Congress) are outraged,” Kingston told CNSNews.com. “The mainstream media hasn’t given this as much coverage as they would if they agreed with Perkins. This is something that I think that people will be asking a lot of questions--a harbinger of what may be out there to come, you know, if on a high-profile captain like Tony Perkins, they reject him. They may (start) doing it to everybody else."

Kingston said he thought the Air Force was "using" the incident to send a message to its own chaplains about what thhey could and could not say from the pulpit.

“(W)hat they were doing is using him to drive a message--that your brand of sermon is no longer welcome in the U.S. military,” he said.

He added: “I think it probably does go beyond the Air Force. They knew there would be a backlash to this, and I think they had a design about that: ‘OK, you know, we want other (chaplains) to understand and pipe down on your personal views on this biblical view, and you believe it, just keep it mellow; we want watered-down messages.’”



Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the chairman of the House Republican Conference, said he would be looking into the incident more deeply.

“I hold Tony Perkins in the highest regard, as do pro-family Americans across this country,” Pence said. “And I would hope that the change in the speaking roster had nothing to do with his stated positions on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. But we’ll be making appropriate inquiries,” Pence said.

Conservative leaders like Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center (the parent organization of CNSNews.com), said it was “truly frightening” that Perkins, a former Marine officer and minister, had been “thrown off a military base, in effect, for expressing his Christian views.”

“This is beyond political correctness,” Bozell told CNSNews.com. “This is flat-out political censorship taking place. And I would wish that the White House would not only condemn it, but flat-out reverse this policy.”

Bozell said Rep. Kingston was correct that Perkins won’t be the only conservative to be censored for his views.

“Today, it’s Tony Perkins. Tomorrow, who is it? Is there someone who says something offensive to the Obama administration and the will of Congress and is told he can’t speak there? Is there somebody who says something that is unacceptable to the Obama administration so he can’t speak at the university?

“My God, this is fascism. This is not America. This is not the country that I grew up in. This is not the kind of ‘change we can believe in.’

Bozell said it is no surprise that the story was not being covered by the mainstream news media.

“This is the kind of story the national news media will love to ignore because it speaks to the ugly underbelly of the Obama machine, of the Chicago mafia,” Bozell said. “This is the Chicago mafia at play. And the national news media will do everything in its power not to report this story. But it will get out through the new media. The American people will learn about it.

Other conservative leaders expressed similar concerns.

Ron Robinson, president of Young Americans for Freedom, told CNSNews.com the exclusion of a major conservative figure like Perkins on the basis of his views was a "sad reflection on the political correctness in today’s military.”

“Perkins’ position is the one that historically was true through almost the 200 years of American military history. It’s said that the Obama administration is trying to censor people that disagree with them," Robinson said.

“We see this administration give lip service to some support of military personnel, but in fact, it just seems to want to push a radical left-wing agenda, and I think that seeps down through the ranks,” he added.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, called it a “chilling indication of how military brass are already operating--pressuring those who agree with the current law on homosexuals in the military to be silent.”

Wright added: “Navy Admiral Mullins told reporters that not a single member of the military has raised the issue since he told Congress that homosexuals should serve openly. This letter provides insight into why the troops may be silent. We are a country directed by the rule of law, not a monarchy. Obama's views do not trump the law. When there is a conflict, the military should follow the law, not Obama's opinion."

Precursor to Zero Tolerance

For conservative publisher Alfred Regnery the incident shows evidence the military is being politicized.

"Tony Perkins is a national leader of considerable stature who rightfully takes positions on such things as ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell,’" Regnery told CnsNews.com. "Since when are people in the military so sensitive that they cannot listen to things they may disagree with? And I'd be surprised if most of them don't agree with Tony anyway."

Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, called the incident a “cautionary tale” – a taste of what will happen if the law is changed to remove the military ban on homosexuality in the armed services.

“What strikes me about this story, is how clearly it demonstrates how the culture of the military can be used by the LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender) left to accomplish its goals,” Donnelly told CNSNews.com.

“In this case, the Air Force chaplain who meant well in sending the letter that he sent to Tony Perkins, was carrying out what he thought was the expectation of the administration--that from here on in we would have sexual minorities accepted in the military. The letter seems to suggest that the law--the LGBT law--has already been passed, legislation to repeal current law regarding homosexuals in the military.

“For (the chaplain) to send a letter like this, though, which is so far ahead of any expectation, is useful to us in the current debate because it shows how the concept of zero tolerance would work."

Donnelly said that any time the military implements a policy “in the name of civil rights,” it also implements a “Zero Tolerance” policy.

“That means that anyone who disagrees would be subject to career penalties, and would thereby be dismissed from the military,” she said. “In this case, when the Air Force chaplain said, ‘Well, we can’t have Tony Perkins come and speak because he does not support the issue of gays in the military,’ that was a demonstration of how it would work if the new law is passed and there are number of chaplains and people of faith who have the same view that Tony Perkins does.

"This kind of deliberate, organized discrimination, and silencing of disagreement is exactly what would happen on a large scale if the LGBT law (eliminating the military ban on homosexuality) is written,” Donnelly added.

Meanwhile, former GOP presidential candidate Gary Bauer--a previous president of the Family Research Council--said he, too, is outraged but he is not surprised at the incident.

“I would have been surprised if I heard that Tony had been invited and actually got to speak,” Bauer, currently president of American Values, told CNSNews.com.

What happened to Perkins sparks feelings of déjà vu for Bauer.

“Back in the ‘90s, when I was heading FRC, I was ‘disinvited’ to a Coast Guard prayer luncheon, for similar reasons,” Bauer said. "I got this invitation, was surprised to get it, accepted and everything was going fine, and then a number, as I recall, of gay rights groups and separation of church and state groups spoke up and--I think--a member of Congress that was on the committee that dealt with Coast Guard appropriations also got involved.

"The theme was the same: that I held ‘unacceptable views.’ ”

At that time, Bauer said, another liberal Democrat was in the White House--Bill Clinton.

“When Washington is in the hands of people who most aggressively accuse others of intolerance, they almost always attempt to limit the free speech of those that disagree with them, on the right,” Bauer said.

The term "political correctness," Bauer said, doesn’t do it justice.

“Even the term is politically correct,” Bauer said. “What it is is a concerted effort to either force people to observe the unwritten liberal rules on what you can and can't believe or to face the prospect of being silenced if you won’t do that.”