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Monday, June 30, 2008
Mahoney: Honoring Soviet veterans?
Republicans are having a field day over a flier sent out by U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney that shows an elderly gentleman bedecked with what appear to be Soviet medals.
The picture is on the cover of a Mahoney flier labeled: “Honoring Those Who Defend Our Freedom.” The flier touts Mahoney’s record on veterans’ issues.
“Is Tim Mahoney’s commitment to our veterans so shallow and superficial that he can’t even tell the difference between an American veteran and one who fought for Communism in Joseph Stalin’s Red Army?? said Ken Spain, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
“This is a stunning indictment of Mahoney’s utter lack of knowledge concerning veterans’ issues. We knew he had Socialist tendencies when it came to his record, but this takes it to a whole new laughable level,” Spain said.
In an enlargement of the photo, the hammer and sickle logo of the former Soviet Union is clearly visible on the top medal on the man’s left breast pocket.
Asked about the picture, Mahoney spokeswoman Leslie Pollner-Levey said: “We’d like more time to respond. We’re looking into it.”
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911 records cited breathing problem for John Linder
Newly released emergency 911 records describe Rep. John Linder as suffering from “difficulty breathing” or “allergic reaction” May 15 after being helped outside a Capitol Hill bar and restaurant, although the Georgia congressman continued to assert that his problem was an injured knee.
District of Columbia officials, in compliance with open records laws, disclosed a recording of the emergency dispatch exchanges and a written chronology of the incident, which drew national press coverage last month.
Asked in an interview about the official account, the Republican congressman said, “This is a knee that was injured in February, and I re-injured by slipping on something” while dining with his grown son. He added, “It could have been allergic reaction or trouble breathing. All I know is that I was hurt badly. I was helped out of the place.”
Linder said he told a U.S. Capitol Police officer, who found him sitting outside of the restaurant/bar Bullfeathers, that he was waiting to regain the strength in his knee to walk home.
The official chronology cites the Capitol Police as reporting a code “02C02”—allergic reaction or difficulty breathing or swallowing—at 6:55 p.m. In recorded two-way radio exchanges, an ambulance driver cited the same condition when announcing he was “responding to 431 First St., SE,” which is next door to Bullfeathers.
Minutes later a voice from a fire engine, which was dispatched to the scene along with the ambulance, reported: “Per Capitol Police, the patient got up and walked away—refused treatment.”
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Will Wes Clark hurt Rick Noriega?
On paper, an association with retired Gen. Wesley Clark is probably a plus for Texas Democratic state Rep. Rick Noriega as he seeks to unseat Republican John Cornyn from the U.S. Senate.
But don’t be surprised if Republicans try to use Clark against Noriega after Clark’s controversial appearance Sunday on “Face the Nation” on CBS.
Clark was there to talk about Barack Obama and get in some shots on John McCain, as Joe Lieberman had just done on McCain’s behalf in the prior segment. But the conversation moved toward McCain’s military service (Naval aviator, Vietnam, POW) and that’s where the controversy began. Clark praised McCain’s military service, but then said McCain did not have the kind of executive experience that forced him to make major military decisions.
Then, after a followup question, came the money quote:
“I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president,” Clark said.
So how does this relate to Noriega? Clark is scheduled to host a fundraiser for Noriega on July 16 in Dallas. And Noriega has made his own military service, first in the Army and then the Texas Army National Guard, key to his campaign. Clark’s Sunday comments probably won’t make much of an impact, but they can’t help Noriega’s message.
Here’s a fuller video of the Clark interview:
