A Bluestem Prairie

Friday MPR Midday: Walz argues for a broader view of foreign policy

MPR's Midday broadcast yesterday's speech at the Humphrey Institute:

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., says America's foreign policy has become so focused on the goal of security that it has given short shrift to other important goals like human rights.

Walz argued for a broader view of foreign policy and a departure from the "dichotomies" of American politics in a speech Thursday at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute.

Thursday digest: things heat up in the First

It's quite literally heating up in Minnesota's Fighting First. We enjoyed an afternoon of birding in the Minnesota River Valley and the Swan Lake area yesterday.  Thousands of red-winged blackbirds were flocking near the north public water access on the lake; a pair of bald eagles sat in the high cottonwoods above a massive, miles-long ice jam on the Minnesota River between Courtland and Judson.

A friendly farmer on a four-wheeler stopped to chat while we were surveying the eagles and ice jam. Apparently, that bend of the river hadn't had an ice jam for at least twenty years.

Later, we enjoyed a chat with a great horned owl as dusk fell across the flood plain. 

Watching ice pile up and hooting it up: activities we find far more rewarding than being a conduit for Chuck Schumer's DSCC.  Those who don't understand why Tim Walz wants to stay U. S. Representative for the First should consider coming out to Southern Minnesota for the spring warbler migration and an introduction to the politics of service and humility. Some damn fine birding.

Mankato Free Press: Mankato officials return from D.C. trip
The gravel roads lining the Minnesota River Valley were muddy going yesterday as the frost goes out.  That's natural--but the district's major roads need attention.  The Free Press reports on a trip to DC by city official to lobby for transportation needs:

City Manager Pat Hentges and four city councilmen met with Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Tim Walz as well as staff from Rep. Jim Oberstar’s office during the National League of Cities trip.

Highway 14 was front and center.

“The biggest need of the region right now is just a better maintained and operating transportation system,” Council President Mike Laven said. . . .

. . .Also at issue are needed upgrades to the city’s rail line, Hentges said. Namely, those are the rail crossings that interrupt traffic flow and the lack of crossing improvements. Those improvements would allow trains to go through town without blowing their whistles.

“Even if the project doesn’t go ahead,” Hentges said, referring to the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad’s expansion plans, “we still have a railroad problem.”

Walz is a political newcomer, but he sits on the transportation committee, which Oberstar chairs.

Rochester Post Bulletin: US Reps Walz, Kline explain views on upcoming Iraq vote.
The PB  reports on the contrasting views of two area congressmen in US Reps. Walz, Kline explain views on upcoming Iraq vote.  It's a fair contrast:

Reps. Tim Walz and John Kline represent adjoining southern Minnesota Congressional districts, and both served in the military, but on the issue of troop withdrawals from Iraq, they are far apart as the House moves toward a vote next week. . . .

. . .Their differences offer a preview of the upcoming debate over the bill, which will be the Democrats' strongest push against the war since last month, when a nonbinding resolution opposing a surge in troops was passed.

Read the whole thing at the PB.

Bloomberg: Democrats' New Military Veterans Lead House Charge on Iraq War
Bloomberg News take a look at  Walz's role in Democrats' New Military Veterans Lead House Charge on Iraq War.  Walz section:

`Very Comfortable'         

Walz also backs the troop-withdrawal timeline. ``As a soldier I'm very comfortable with it,'' he said.         

When House Democrats passed a nonbinding resolution expressing disapproval of Bush's plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq, Walz and Murphy were invited to join Pelosi and other House leaders at a press conference after the vote.         

Walz said that House members often come up to him and ask what he ``as a soldier'' thinks of war policy. He keeps a military e-mail account and gets about a half-dozen messages each week from soldiers with whom he served. His unit is currently deployed near Baghdad and this year has had its deployment extended until as late as September as part of Bush's plan to secure the city.         

`End the War'         

``Our goal needs to be an end to the war,'' Walz said. ``I've always thought this thing is going to be taken care of by Iraqis on the ground.''         

Dodge County Independent: Local rural leaders attend leadership program in D.C.
More on the 2007 Minnesota Agricultural and Rural Leadership class trip to Washington in the Dodge County  Independent.  A large group of MARL members from Southern Minnesota meet with their representative, who merited his own paragraph:

Another member of Minnesota's Congressional delegation heavily involved in Farm Bill debate is freshman member Tim Walz of the 1st District. Walz also sits on the House Committee on Agriculture. A large delegation of participants from his district met with Walz.

The Winona Daily News reports on the trip, too, but fails to note the visit to Walz's office by members from the district.

Waseca County News: Deteriorating track may have led to derailment, DM&E says
The paper reports that a very minor derailment of a train hauling ethanol took place near Janesville, and Kevin Schieffer uses the incident to explain why he needs money to fix his track and that it's more than just about hauling coal. Coleman, Klobuchar and Walz have said that rail needs for ag in the First are important.  Update: We just learned of another DM & E derailment in South Dakota via KELOLAND TV: Train Derails Near Pierre.

HyVee Saturday Store Stop in Owatonna
Phoenix Woman asks Does Tim Walz EVER Have An Off Day? in writing about his Saturday morning visit to Owatonna's Hyvee.  Great day to visit Owatonna: there's also a big farm show on as well.

Sunday morning digest: Kosovo Guard pay, I-90, Dem Iraq War plan

Albert Lea Tribune editorials: Thumbs down to I-90; treatment of veterans

DOWN — To the shoddy condition of Interstate 90.
Fans of Albert Lea sports teams find themselves driving to Rochester for games and tournaments. The stretch of I-90 between the Rochester exit and Austin is bumpy and neglected, particularly on the westbound lanes. We know the state’s metrocentric leaders have let the state’s rural roads go, but to let an interstate freeway get this bad shows just little St. Paul cares about southern Minnesota.

This might be a job for the First district's congressman to work on, since he sits on the transportation committee. The paper joins others in the district in decrying the Pentagon's plan to reclassify the military mission in Kosovo:

DOWN — To cutting pay for troops.
Just as area members of the Minnesota National Guard are about to be shipped to Kosovo to support the Kosovo International Security Force, the Pentagon declares its intentions to remove Kosovo’s designation as a combat zone. There remains unrest in Kosovo, and sure it’s not like Iraq or Afghanistan, but if America weren’t fighting two wars, the Pentagon would clearly keep Kosovo’s combat designation. It would be the most dangerous location in U.S. military service. The soldiers — who, by the way, already don’t get paid well enough — deserve the combat pay.

We have friends whose kids have served in Kosovo and even before the pay cut was announced, they lamented how easy forgotten their service in the Balkans was.

Washington Post: House Democrats build support for war plan
The WaPo's article, House Democrats Build Support for War Plan, notes what Congressman Walz wanted in order to sign on with the democratic strategy on Iraq:

Through closed-door meetings, pep rallies, private phone conversations and horse trading, Democratic leaders are moving outward from the 180 solid votes in the party's political center to win the votes on the party's left and right that will be needed to pass the bill later this month.

For Nadler's vote, it meant a provision for enforcement. For the backing of Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), it was language prohibiting an attack on Iran without congressional authorization. For the support of Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), a National Guardsman who trained troops for Iraq, it was the inclusion of a waiver that the president could invoke to get around strict standards of troop readiness.

We're hoping to get into the Cities for the Darfur Town Forum today at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis from 2- 4 p.m.

Saturday news digest: combat edition

Strib: Walz backs Democrats pullout plan
by 11:30 p.m. last night, the Star Tribune figured out what the Mankato Free Press already knew:

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said Friday that he would vote for the House Democratic leadership's proposal to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq if the measure stays in its current form. . . .

. . ."It would sure be easier, and I think a lot of people think it would be easier if you didn't have to cast this vote," Walz said. "Well, you do. You're in charge, and you got to prove that you can govern. I'm totally comfortable casting that vote."

The withdrawal proposal would be attached to legislation providing nearly $100 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and for some other programs. Walz said he preferred a cleaner bill with funding only for the war and veterans' affairs.

Preston-Fillmore County Journal: It's time for Cheney to resign
Editor John Torgrimson writes in his weekly column that It's time for Cheney to resign. Torgrimson concludes:

Some will argue that Cheney is a patriot by doing whatever it takes to defeat those who would harm us.

I would argue otherwise. Cheney is a thug in the Slobodan Milosivic mold - willing to use his power to serve his own views and biases, believing that the end justifies the means, even if it means trying to smear another American in an effort to alter the truth.

Dick Cheney's actions have discredited the office of the vice president. It is time for him to step down.

Owatonna People's Press: Keep Combat Pay
The Owatonna People's Press keeps its copy behind a subscription firewall and demands permission for all quoted material, so we'll paraphrase yesterday's editorial here. Basically, the paper's editors concur with the consensus that troops being deployed to Kosovo receive combat pay and benefits.

One claim in the final paragraph of the editorial does stick out, however.  The editorial praises members of Minnesota's congressional delegation for speaking out against Defense Department plans to downgrade the mission status in Kosovo.  The paper notes that the protests are bipartisan. 

For the Republican voices in Minnesota's delegation, the editors must be thinking of Senator Coleman, as we could find no record of Representatives Kline, Ramstad and Bachmann speaking to this issue, either in a Google News search (which yielded press accounts of Klobuchar, Coleman and Walz speaking up), or their web sites, or in Lexis Nexis's Acaddemic or Congressional database.  We'll continue to look, but are surprised that they have been silent about this issue.

Representatives McCollum, Ellison, Oberstar and Peterson signed the letter Representative Walz sent to Secretary Gates about the matter.

Rochester Post Bulletin: Coleman to talk DM&E Saturday in Rochester
We weren't able to attend this event but will share reports from our friends in Rochester as they come in:

Sen. Norm Coleman is scheduled to join representatives of the Rochester Coalition in downtown Rochester on Saturday for what is billed as an open forum to discuss the future of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern railroad expansion project.

. . .Friedrich said the event is not intended for Coleman to claim credit for the recent rejection of the $2.3 billion federal construction loan sought by the DM&E. Rather, the Senator planned a southeastern Minnesota schedule this weekend and sought to meet with the coalition and the public on the project, which could still go forward if the railroad can raise funds privately.

Was Representative Walz invited to this open forum, coordinated by the Rochester Coalition and its public relations firm with Coleman's office?

Thursday morning combat pay blues edition

Last night, we looked at Representative Walz's push to keep combat status for the U.S. military in Kosovo. Should the Department of Defense follow through on its plan, Minnesota Guard members would lose $225 per month and other combat benefits.

This morning's Strib reports that U.S. may cut pay of troops in Kosovo.  Sgt. Douglas Weigel  of Albert Lea,  who was deployed to Kosovo in 2004, uses incidents from that earlier deployment to explain why combat status is warranted.

Minnesota's elected leaders, including Tim Walz, are concerned:

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who spent 24 years in the National Guard, pledged to organize congressional support for maintaining combat pay for soldiers in Kosovo.

"Remember, these are soldiers that have already been in Afghanistan or Iraq. They're going again," he said. "Now they're telling them that a grenade attack, a rocket attack, a few land mines or ethnic unrest doesn't warrant a little extra pay."

The article gets picked up by the AP; various versions are online at the Pioneer Press and the Fargo  Forum.

The Owatonna People's Press reports that as many as 40 soldiers from Owatonna may be part of the deployment in Guardsmen among those slated to be sent to Kosovo this autumn. The paper notes Representative Walz's efforts to maintain combat status for the mission. 1,500  Minnesota National Guard soldiers are currently serving in Kosovo.

Election 2008: Keep Your Day Job
The Hill notes that two candidates have filed with the FEC as Republican challengers to freshman Tim Walz.  A wag among our friends suggested that the GOP will need two contenders to keep up with Walz.

Walz cosponsors PROGESS Act
Our email has been acting up a bit; we just received this March 6 press release:

Rep. Tim Walz announced today that he is cosponsoring the Program for Real Energy Security or PROGRESS Act, which would initiate a major national effort - in the spirit of the famed "Manhattan Project" - to make our nation energy independent and advance our economic, national and environmental security. 

"The PROGRESS Act is the next logical step in reforming the way we generate and use energy resources.  During the 100 hour agenda, we began to address the need for clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency by passing H.R. 6.  We can give our children a safer nation, stronger economy, and healthier environment if we commit ourselves to the goals outlined in the PROGRESS Act," said Rep. Walz.

"Throughout history, America has always risen to the challenge and found a way to address its more pressing problems," added Rep. Walz.  "Our dependence on foreign sources of oil is a threat to our national security.  In addition, it is clear that the continued use of energy sources that emit greenhouse gases is damaging our environment.  The so-called Manhattan Center created by this bill will fast track American research into renewable fuels and renew our commitment to building vehicles that use technologies to dramatically improve fuel efficiency."

"We cannot put this challenge off until tomorrow. The time to act is now - for our national security, for our children, for our economy, and for our environment," added Rep. Walz.

The PROGRESS Act would launch a national effort to make substantial gains in technology, conservation, vehicle efficiency, and the use of alternative fuels. The proposals in this legislation are designed to complement the House Democrats' Rural Working Group's Biofuels Plan.  Rep. Walz is a member of the Rural Working Group. [click here to read the RWG's Biofuels Plan]       

The PROGRESS Act has five major components:

·  Establish a National Energy Security Commission that would bring together government, industry and academic leaders to develop national goals that respect regional energy solutions and develop recommendations that Congress would have to act upon under expedited rules.  Right now there is no entity that brings such experts together in common cause.

·  Establish a New Manhattan Center for High Efficiency Vehicles that would result in the widespread availability of technologies to double the current average vehicle efficiency, diversify types of fuels, and continue to develop the future of fuel cells and hydrogen. The Center would ensure that Americans drive more efficient cars and have a choice of fuels and energy sources.

·  Establish a National Biofuels Infrastructure Development Program that would promote development of wholesale and retail biofuels pumps, tanks, and other related distribution equipment.  Vehicles that run on ethanol and biodiesel are being produced.  But we must develop biofuel infrastructure to make them practical and widespread.

·  Promote Transit Use & Develop a Rail Infrastructure Program that would create a stimulus package to promote public transit and infrastructure investment that upgrades the "pipeline" for biofuels - the freight rail system - in order to get an affordable and reliable supply of biofuels to market.

·  Ensure Federal Government Leadership in the Use of the Alternatives to Oil by increasing the use of alternative fuels in federal and state fleets, developing biofuel plants in every region of the country, and speeding development of standards that are needed to promote alternative fuels use.  The federal government is one of the leading owners of vehicle fleets and consumers of petroleum products.  The government must lead by example.

The PROGRESS Act focuses on transportation and its contribution to our dependence on foreign oil and damage to the environment.  More than 65 percent of the oil our nation consumes goes toward transportation.

Supporting the Troops: Funding the Guard and Reserves, funding vets' care

A couple of items related to funding the Guards & the Reserves and veterans' care just came to our attention.

Recently, a friend had shown us pictures from her tour of duty in Iraq; her National Guard unit had fitted her Hummer with "Hillbilly" up-armor.  A distressing sight: too many of the soldiers in the unit ended up going through Walter Reed for treatment of injuries. 

Thus, when we read something like the Associated Press report  below, it's not entirely surprising, though no less outrageous.  In Reserves Need Better Resources and Planning Role, Panel Says , we read:

The National Guard and Reserves do not get enough money or equipment and are left out of important planning for national emergencies, an independent panel concluded Thursday, long after the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina exposed serious stresses on the services.

The report, from the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, reinforces earlier criticism of the Bush administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005. The 151-page report found a significant lack of communication between reserve officials and other military leaders, the Homeland Security Department and United States Northern Command, which is responsible for the military’s national defense.

Guard and reserve troops have been under increasing strain since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, serving in Afghanistan and Iraq while also patrolling the border with Mexico and responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters. At times in 2005, the part-time soldiers made up nearly half of the American forces in Iraq, with some facing repeated deployments.

At the same time, Guard units have struggled to get the equipment and training needed to go to war, often swapping armored trucks, radios and other equipment between the states to meet battle and disaster requirements. The report said 88 percent of the Army National Guard units in the United States are considered poorly equipped. . . .

In its print edition, the Mankato Free Press has published an interesting comparison of Representative Walz and Senator Coleman's views on veterans' care. 

Download the article here:   Download vetscaremfp.pdf

Gray Matter: Mr. Cheney, you and the President are the ones aiding the enemy

While busy assembling a morning news digest, we came across an editor's column in the Spring Grove Herald,  a weekly newspaper in Southeastern Minnesota, that we think warrants its own separate post for its passion.

Managing Editor Heather M. Gray writes in Gray Matter that Mr. Cheney, you and the President are the ones aiding the enemy.

Strong words, indeed.

Gray begins:

I had scheduled myself to write an editorial on education, in particular on some of the ideas being floated by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. But after sitting down to relax for a half-hour on Friday night and catching up on events with the world news, I had to change my focus when my blood pressure went up.

For those of you who know me personally, you know I have been against the war in Iraq since the day we entered. Most of the time I keep my mouth shut about it, but enough is enough.

Our vice president is running off at the mouth again how Democrats are aiding the enemy and being unpatriotic by questioning the latest drivel coming out of his and President Bush's mouth - the value of the troop surge.

Whether you agree with the politics presented by the Republicans or the Democrats I think most citizens are intelligent enough to realize what we are doing isn't working in Iraq and a new path must be explored wherever that leads us. The election spelled that out.

As a person too young to remember Vietnam, I had prayed that when we started down this misguided road that we would not end up in another unwinnable war.

To find out how, go read the rest.

We hear a lot from Twin Cities Republicans about what the people of the First District believe, but we often conclude that they do not read the same First District newspapers that we follow. To be sure, there is a range of opinion, from support of the Bush administration to Gray's perspective, but there's no monolith of belief and values among the opinion leaders in the district.

Our news digest will be posted as soon as it's done

Mid-afternoon digest: Forbes on DM & E; Walz at the Hyvee

The Rochester Post-Bulletin is an afternoon daily.  A couple of items in the new edition caught our interest.

Steve Forbes: DM&E loan reeks of pork politics
The Post Bulletin reprints an op-ed piece that appeared in the February issue of the eponymous magazine Forbes. The lead:

The routine abuse in the congressional appropriations process is highlighted by an ongoing effort to force the federal government into granting a multibillion-dollar giveaway to a small, private railroad, the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern. The owners want to expand the line to carry coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin to the Midwest.

Editorial: Forbes enters DM&E debate
The Post-Bulletin's own editorial reflects on Forbes' entry into the DM & E fray.  The editorial's conclusion gives a fair sense of its tenor:

All Americans ought to be outraged. Experts have predicted that the proposed DM&E loan, if approved, would likely not be paid back. Taxpayers would be stuck with the bill.

There are strong arguments that the DM&E proposal, which would run right through the middle of Rochester, is unsafe. Yet, while strong, the safety argument loses energy the farther away from Rochester it is made.

What does unite all Americans against this loan is the way it came into being and high possibility that taxpayers will have to cover the tab.

This reality has angered money man Steve Forbes, and it should outrage each and every American.

Walz talks policy among the produce at Hy-Vee Barlow
The Post Bulletin's Matt Stolle reports on the latest Saturday shopping stop:

A day after voting in support of a nonbinding resolution opposing President Bush's planned deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops to Iraq, U.S. Rep. Tim Walz was in Rochester on Saturday, standing in the fresh produce area of the Barlow Hy-Vee Food store talking with shoppers about the significance of the vote.

Walz, a Democrat from Mankato, said the resolution does two things: It expresses disapproval of a military escalation that "the experts, both political and military, do not believe will solve" the problem. And the language of the resolution shows unequivocal support for the troops. He was in Rochester as part of a weekly program where the congressman meets with people in grocery stores or out shopping.

"It sends a strong message to the president that we're asking him to change his policies," Walz said.

David Shaver: War without diplomacy won't work
In Stolle's article, Walz mentions the need for robust diplomacy and involvement of area countries in Iraq.  The Post Bulletin's oped page carries a column by retired U.S. Army officer and former tenured Army War College faculty member David Shaver.

Tomorrow's Hospice Platform Discussion
Even as remarkable a place as the Mayo Clinic cannot prevent our final hours. In the 1960s and 1970s, the hospice care movement grew out of a growing recognition of the very human desire to die with dignity.

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, this common sense approach  faces federal budget cuts.   Bush's FY 2008 budget proposal included a .65% rate reduction in the amount of reimbursement through Medicare for hospice funding.  T

Nationally, that reduction translates to a $1.14 billion cut nationally. For Minnesotans, it means over $14 million in cuts to hospice Medicare funding over the next five years beginning in 2008.

Heartland Home Health Care & Hospice, Mayo Hospice and Seasons Hospice of Rochester will come together with Tim Walz  for a platform discussion tomorrow from 1:00 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. in Conference Room 104 at the Rochester City Hall Building.

PoliticsTV YouTube: Congressman Tim Walz --Against the Surge

We just found this You Tube video clip of Tim Walz at the VoteVets press conference about the surge earlier in the week. The Star Tribune mentioned the presser in its Friday edition.

WCCO: Historic House Vote Sends Message About Iraq

On last night's 10 p.m. broadcast, WCCO looked at the Iraq resolution vote, in a clip featuring  Representative Walz several times. Video available here.

Minnesota Stories: Video of Tim Walz 2/15 Iraq resolution remarks

There's a QuickTime video of Rep. Tim Walz on the Iraq Resolution over at Minnesota Stories.

And here's the YouTube:

Washington Post: House Passes Measure Opposing Troop Surge

The Washington Post reports that House Passes Measure Opposing Troop Surge:

Capping four days of passionate, often angry debate, the House delivered President Bush its first rebuke since the Iraq war was launched nearly four years ago, voting 246 to 182 to oppose the administration's planned deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops to Iraq.Seventeen Republicans joined 229 Democrats to approve a resolution that expresses support for U.S. combat forces but opposes the additional deployments. Two Democrats opposed the measure.

In Minnesota's delegation, Jim Ramstad voted with all five Democrats in support of the resolution.

Roll call here. 

KEYC: Walz Weighs in on Iraq Debate

Mankato's local television station reports in print and video on Walz's part in the Iraq resolution debate:

First district congressman Tim Walz was among those who weighed in on a spirited debate over the Iraq war. During the three day debate elected officials voiced concerns of President Bush's plan to send more troops overseas. Walz and other war critics say the resolution will send a message to the white house that a new direction is needed in Iraq while opponents say it sends the wrong message to the Troops and the enemy.

[Walz said:]  Even as foreign policy experts, military experts, congress, and the American public show an overwhelming desire to change course and oppose this escalation, this administration ignores all evidence and stumbles on.

Be sure to stay with [N]ews 12 for the very latest on [Congress's] vote on this non binding resolution.

Friday morning digest: "I didn't come to sit on the back bench of Congress"

Winona Daily News: Not sitting on the back bench
The Winona Daily News' Brian Voerding reports that Walz looks for Iraq answers:

Rep. Tim Walz has no illusions that a simple resolution could end the Iraq war, a conflict nearing the start of its fifth year.

Still, he says, it’s a long overdue and necessary first step toward Congress asserting its power in governing the conflict, and toward allowing soldiers to return home.

The freshman Democrat who represents southern Minnesota is one of hundreds of House members backing a resolution that opposes President George W. Bush’s choice to send additional troops to Iraq. The House began debating the resolution this week and is scheduled to vote on it sometime today. . . .

The article notes Walz's leadership in Washington:

. . . Walz, a former command sergeant major in the National Guard, used the war in Iraq as a defining wedge issue in last year’s campaign in which he defeated six-term Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht. He delivered three speeches on the House floor this week and has been a leading Democrat in pushing the resolution.

“I didn’t come to sit on the back bench of Congress,” he said in a conference call Thursday. “I came to speak where I saw it necessary. Minnesota doesn’t want a follower or a sheep; they want a leader.”

Still, he said, he hasn’t spent much time calculating the politics or possible risks of publicity. Instead, he went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center Wednesday to visit two soldiers from his former unit who were injured in Iraq and are getting fitted for prosthetic limbs.

“I don’t know and I don’t care about their political ideology, and I only care that this nation honors its commitment by providing everything possible for these brave Americans,” Walz said of them in his Thursday floor speech. “Today is the day we tell Tony and John that we will always support you and we will provide this nation true security.“ . . .

Voerding notes Walz's response to questions about Al Franken's U.S. Senate bid:

. . .“I’ve seen him in the unguarded moments, and I see that Al cares about the things that Minnesotans care about,” Walz said, referring to early opposition that has described Franken as a media darling who isn’t tuned into voter concerns. “You’ll see a very energetic, caring guy who really wants this job for the right reasons.”

Franken was a valuable part of Walz’s Congressional bid, appearing several times in Winona and other cities last year for fundraisers and stump speeches and donating more than $18,000 to the campaign.

“He was there many, many times at the time when no one else believed,” Walz said.

Walz stopped short of endorsing Franken; he said he would hedge his decision until the Democratic primary and let “people of my district make up their mind.”  . . .

Ollie Ox Update: Minnesota Max's diary about the article at Minnesota Campaign Report.  Max is a college student from Winona. [/update]

Star Tribune: Minnesota's 3 newcomers speak up
The Strib's Brady Averill looks at yesterday's speeches by Ellison, Bachmann, and Walz.  Excerpt from Walz's speech:

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said he has taken two oaths in his life -- one as a 17-year-old when he joined the Army National Guard and one as a 42-year-old when he became a congressman. "I swore only to uphold the laws of this great land and protect with my life if necessary the liberties and freedoms we so dearly cherish," he said. "This debate today is exactly about that."

Minnesota's three newcomers spoke on the House floor Thursday to argue their positions on the Iraq resolution, which expresses disapproval with President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq.

The resolution is expected to pass the House today with support from some Republicans, including Minnesota Rep. Jim Ramstad.

Averill notes' Walz's response to those who fret about sending the wrong message to America's enemies:

Walz said he agrees with some lawmakers who have said the debate sends a message to enemies: "The message our enemy is hearing this week is that this nation is able and willing to adjust its tactics to focus on the true threats of our security, which come from Al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and by securing our ports and borders."

Walz also appeared Thursday at a news conference with like-minded lawmakers and VoteVets.org, a political action committee whose goal is to elect to Congress war veterans who are critical of the war in Iraq.

New York Times' The Caucus: The Senate Set for War on Saturday
Tim Walz is quoted in the House side of the entry about the Senate vote scheduled for Saturday:

In addition, at another news conference today — yes, yes, it’s all war all the time — the VoteVets.org contingent, a largely Democrat-based group of veterans, joined with several lawmakers to talk about the House resolution.

Representative Tim Walz hailed the measure’s “historical significance.” It would be the “most important vote in the House since the vote for use of force,” said Jon Soltz, the cofounder and chairman of VoteVets, which has been working with MoveOn and the Center for American Progress.

O.K., so it’s a big deal. But would it actually make a difference?

“We expect from this vote a change in the policy,” declared Representative Tom Lantos, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the only non-veteran at the presser. He bristled at a question referring to the “nonbinding resolution.”

“Nothing could be more binding than the solemn vote of the entire House of Representatives,” Mr. Lantos said. “I am tired of this adjective.”

Mr. Walz and Representative Patrick Murphy, a Democrat and a veteran elected in November, would not say whether they supported some of Mr. Murtha’s possible conditions, such as attaching to spending bills requirements for requiring certain armor and equipment for the troops.

They said they were focusing on the next day’s vote and that other questions were a distraction.

“I believe they will be conditions that the majority of the House will support,” Mr. Lantos said. But, “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He said he would hold a full day of hearings about other Iraq-related measures during the first week of March.

City Pages Blotter: Walz raises concerns about funding for VA medical care
Corey Anderson takes a look at Walz's testimon about veterans' issues before the Budget Committee in Congressman Walz raises concerns about funding for VA medical care:

Freshman Congressman Tim Walz from the First District yesterday delivered testimony in front of the House Budget Committee regarding the Bush Administration's budget proposals on veterans' programs. The 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard and son of a Korean War veteran, Walz raised numerous concerns about the shortfalls he sees in the funding of VA clinics and hospitals and the proposed enrollment fees that would affect those most in need of care. . . .

The text of the testimony is included in the article.

CQPolitics: DCCC Announces Its 'Frontline' Seats for 2008
CQPolitics' Marie Horrigan examines the list in DCCC Announces Its 'Frontline' Seats for 2008:

Given the frantic pace at which presidential and congressional campaigning has taken off in the earliest weeks of the 2007-08 cycle, it comes as no surprise that Democratic strategists are front-loading their program as well.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Thursday — just a little less than 21 months from Election Day in November 2008 — announced the names of the first 29 House Democrats who will benefit from the program, which steers additional financial and logistical resources to incumbents viewed as potentially vulnerable to serious Republican challenges.

The group of 29 includes 24 freshman members of the Democrats’ sizable House Class of 2006. Second-term Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, a rising star in House Democratic ranks who is chairing the

program for this election cycle, referred to the beneficiaries as “majority-makers” — a reference to their contribution to the 30-seat gain that gave the party control of the House after a dozen years in the minority. Wasserman-Schultz said the program would provide “the money, message and strategy they need to successfully position themselves for re-election in 2008.”

The candidates include 18 freshmen members of Congress who unseated Republicans (including two former House members making comebacks after losing their seats under differing circumstances in 2004); six Democrats who won open-seat races in districts formerly covered by Republicans (including two more returning members who bounced back from 2004 losses); and five Democratic incumbents who won re-election last year by varying margins. . . .               

Go read the rest. Tim Walz is included in the group.

Netroots response at the Swing State Project, Jonathan Singer at MyDD, and KTatActBlue at DailyKos. Act Blue has set up a DCCC Frontline Democrats 2008 page for contributions that will go directly to the candidates of the contributor's choice. We will add the link to our ActBlue section in the menu on the right.  The DCCC's Stakeholder writeup here.

Chris Cillizza discusses the program at the WaPo's The Fix in House Democrats Reveal Their "Frontline":

In the 2006 election, Democrats didn't lose a single House member to defeat, an unblemished record that was credited to a program aimed at funneling funds to endangered incumbents early and often.

Known as "Frontline," the program was so effective at helping otherwise endangered incumbents that is allowed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to play offense in a number of GOP-held seats that wound up turning over. Pennsylvania's 4th District, New Hampshire's 2nd District and Minnesota's 1st District jump to mind.

Given the successes of Frontline in 2006, it's not surprising that Democrats are quickly reviving the program for 2008. Today the DCCC released the names of the 29 lawmakers who are on the Frontline list -- a first glance at the lawmakers considered by their own party to be most at-risk of losing next year. . . .

 

Tim Walz's February 15, 2007 statement

As part of the ongoing floor debate on the Iraq War resolution, Rep. Tim Walz delivered the following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives:

"No debate in this house has been longer overdue.  This debate has been going on for nearly four years in homes, work places, grocery stores, and houses of worship all over America.  No greater responsibility rests with us, the people's representatives, than debating the decisions involved in waging a war. The decision to send our brave women and men into combat is not the end of our responsibility, but rather the beginning of it. This body has a sacred duty to protect this nation, our citizens, and especially those we send into combat in our name.  Constant vigilance, questioning, and adjustments to courses of action are our number one priority and this newly elected Congress intends to do just that.

Some have said that this debate "sends a message to our enemies", and I would agree.  The message they are hearing this week is that democracy in America is alive and well.  The message they are hearing is that this nation will not live in fear of its own shadow and blindly give away those precious liberties that make this the greatest nation the world has ever known.  The message they are hearing is that this nation is able and willing to adjust its tactics to focus on the true threats to our security which come from al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and by securing our ports and borders.  The message they are hearing is that this nation is no longer willing to wage war based on ideology and failed policy, but will now wage it based on facts and reality.

Many of my colleagues have spoken of the need to support our troops.  On this point you will get no debate from me or any other American citizen.  By implying that some don't support the troops based on nothing more than political posturing is cynical and divisive.  For more than two decades I served in our Armed Forces and worked with soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines from all walks of life.  Not once did I see these brave men and women as anything but patriots.  Not once did I view them as Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, or any other political name nor did they view me as anything other than a soldier. 

The issue we are debating this week is the execution of this war and the failure of this administration to provide a realistic plan for success.  From the start of this war up to this recent plan to send more Americans into Baghdad this administration has miscalculated, poorly planned, shifted blame, and failed to couple our military policies with diplomatic, economic, and the long range strategic planning that would have given our brave soldiers a plan for success. Had the previous Congress done its constitutional duty of oversight and accountability there is a strong likelihood we would be in much better position than we are today.  Even as foreign policy experts, military experts, Congress, and the American public show an overwhelming desire to change course and oppose this escalation, this administration ignores all evidence and stumbles on.  This debate marks the beginning of this new Congresses acceptance of our duty to provide that oversight and bring about policy changes based in reality, facts, and long range security needs of this nation.

I have taken two oaths in my life.  The first was as a 17 year old young man and that was the oath taken as I joined the Army National Guard.  The second was as a 42 year older man and that was when I became a United States Congressman.  In both cases I solemnly swore my allegiance to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution.  I swore no allegiance to any man.  I swore no allegiance to any political ideology.  I swore only to uphold the laws of this great land and protect with my life the liberties and freedoms we so dearly cherish. This debate today is about exactly that oath.  Previous congresses gave the president the authority to conduct this war in Iraq, not the authority to disregard expert advice, not the authority to take civil liberties from American citizens, not the authority to disregard our constitutional right as a co-equal branch of government.  I, like all Americans, wish that this president had made good decisions and that the situation in Iraq was better.  Unfortunately, wishful thinking does not make good foreign policy.  Fortunately the genius of our founders is once again on display in this debate.  This congress, by taking this first step of oversight and accountability and passing this resolution, will begin to right the ship and take this country on a path that will lead to greater security and begin to return our brave men and women back to their families.

Yesterday I visited with two soldiers from my old unit, The 34^th Red Bull Division.  These two young men are at Walter Reed Army Hospital.  Both John and Tony are being fitted with prosthetic limbs for those that they left behind in Iraq.  We spoke of everything from how they were injured, to football, and their desire to ski again.  I don't know and I don't care about their political ideology and I only care that this nation honors its commitment by providing everything possible for these brave Americans.  Today is the day we tell Tony and John that we will always support you and we will provide this nation true security."

C-Span Washington Journal 2/14/2007: Tim Walz on Iraq resolution

C-Span has posted the video from Tim Walz's appearance on its Washington Journal this morning

The caption:

This freshman member is a 24-year member of the Army National Guard, the highest-ranking Guard member in Congress. He was deployed in support of U.S. Afghanistan efforts in 2003. He opposes sending more troops.

Late afternoon digest: from Hardball to Rochester's Hyvee

The transcript is up for Tim Walz's appearance on Hardball yesterday.

Tim Walz will return to Minnesota this weekend.  On Saturday morning, he'll be at the Rochester Hyvee on 6th Street:

In order to be more accessible to constituents, Rep. Tim Walz will continue his "Saturday Store Stop" tour this Saturday with a stop in Rochester.  Rep. Walz will be at Hy-Vee's 6th Street location from 9-11 am.

HyVee is located at:
1315 6th Street NW
Rochester, MN 55901

By [visiting] local grocery stores during peak shopping hours, Walz hopes to hear from constituents who might not otherwise request a meeting or submit their opinion on policy topics. 

"I hope that people will take a few minutes Saturday morning to stop by and express their thoughts and concerns.  My staff and I will have voter registration forms available, as well as information on how we can assist constituents who are having difficulty with a branch of the federal government," said Walz.

Constituents can find Rep. Walz and his staff at a table near the front of the store.

Walz began his tour on Feb. 10^th in Mankato and plans to continue it throughout the spring.  Since being elected, Walz has conducted hundreds of meetings with individual constituents and representative organizations around southern Minnesota and in his Washington D.C. office.  Constituents can also contact Congressman Walz through his website at www.house.gov/walz or by calling his Rochester office at 507-206-0643.

After meeting with constituents in Rochester, Walz will give the keynote speech to the annual conference of Education Minnesota chapter presidents:

. . . Education Minnesota has roughly 400 chapter presidents throughout the state of Minnesota.

Walz will deliver the speech during the noon luncheon on Saturday, Feb. 17 at approximately 12:30 p. m. The conference will take place at the Marriott Airport Hotel in Bloomington, located at 2020 American Boulevard East.

Walz will speak about his experience going from the classroom to the halls of Congress.

C-SPAN Clip of Tim Walz's statement

The C-Span clip of Tim Walz speaking to the Iraq War resolution is available here.
 

UPDATE:  The C-Span page is back, or you  could just watch this YouTube clip created from it:

AP Wire: Walz speaks in favor of Democrats' Iraq resolution

Tim Walz's three-minute floor statement is making news.  The San Jose Mercury News has picked up an AP article:

Rep. Tim Walz, a National Guard veteran, spoke on the House floor Tuesday in favor of a Democratic resolution against President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

Walz, a Minnesota Democrat, said that Congress can't stand on the sideline in the face of Bush's escalation plan. He stressed that the resolution had the troops' well-being in mind.

"First and foremost, we support them, and we support them by saying, 'enough is enough' with the bad planning," Walz said. "The president should not send more troops to Iraq for the simple reason that it will not make any difference on a deteriorating situation on the ground."

Walz said that his former National Guard unit is now in Iraq.

"Many of these soldiers are kids that I taught in my high school classroom and coached on our school football team," he said. "They joined my Guard unit and I trained them. We deployed together in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and now they are deployed again to Iraq."

Walz said that when he returns home to Minnesota during a congressional recess next week, "I will go home and look into the eyes of the families of these soldiers. These are the same families and the men and women who learned on cable TV that they would be extended in their tour of duty."

Walz was one of several freshmen who served in the military that Democrats called on early in the debate. The resolution is expected to pass the House by the end of the week.

Audio: "We can and must do better by our soldiers"

Audio File:
Download 3minute2-13.mp3

And the text:

Statement of Rep. Tim Walz in favor of the Iraq Resolution being considered today by the U.S. House of Representatives

February 13, 2007

Mr. Speaker, today we begin a long overdue debate on the President's troop escalation plans and the Iraq war in general.  I spoke earlier this morning, and I had the opportunity to address some of the conflicts between the testimony of experts and the Administration's wishful thinking in regard to the escalation. 

What is said here on this floor of Congress, what is said by our experts and what is said by this Administration matters. It matters because our troops will be asked to fulfill the mission that comes out of these discussions.  Our debate on this resolution is about far more than expressing our disapproval of the President.  We offer this debate in the hopes that it will shape the mission that our soldiers are asked to carry out, one that is based on facts and reality not blind ideology.

I retired for the National Guard in 2005 and the unit I served with is now in Iraq.  Many of these soldiers are kids that I taught in my high school class room and coached on our school football team.  They joined my Guard unit and I trained them.  We deployed together in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and now they are deployed again to Iraq.

As a 24 year veteran of the Army National Guard, I know that our soldiers are trained to fulfill the mission they are given.  But having a mission that is achievable is the key to any military success.  The previous Republican Congress failed to hold the administration accountable for providing a mission that could succeed and in doing so they failed to support our troops.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak with a Field Commander of the Minnesota National Guard who is serving in Iraq.  He told me that our soldiers are performing magnificently, every minute of every hour of every day, that's not the issue that's at hand here.  The issue at hand is providing a mission that can succeed.

Mr. Speaker, when we recess for our district work period next week, I will go home and look in to the eyes of the families of these soldiers.  These are the same families and the men and women who learned on cable TV that they would be extended in their tour of duty.  These are the same men and women who will face financial loss because many of them had planned to return to their jobs after an 18 month deployment to work in the agricultural and construction businesses and now they will be delayed in their return.  They'll miss the critical seasons.  They have been deployed for two and a half of the last four years. 

Mr. Speaker, we can and must do better by our soldiers.  The resolution that we will debate today, and I am in support of is meant as a first step in giving our troops an achievable mission and a chance to return.  Our soldiers are trained to fulfill their mission without question.  We as civilian leaders have a duty to question it on their behalf.  For the past four years this Republican-led Congress has failed in their duty. 

This resolution is about this Congress standing up and saying, "we will achieve our duty to the same level of excellence as our soldiers have."

Thank you.

Walz uses his National Guard experience to illustrate how the war is affecting families in his district.  The emphasis is echoed in remarks in a recent National Journal article, Keeping Up The Fight:

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., echoed [Joe Sestak's] sentiments. "I was not running on just my military background, it was just one part of my character," he stressed. "I never claimed that it gave me any type of exclusive privilege to speak on issues of national defense, because that's pretty obnoxious, I think. And it's quite honestly not true." But Walz did suggest that his experience as a National Guardsman gives him an "insight" into what those soldiers are "going through."

While we were at work, Walz was on Hardball paired with Bill Shuster, so we missed it, but will to transcripts and video clips as they are made available. Walz will also be on Washington Journal tomorrow morning on C-SPAN at 8:15am.