South Dakota War College

Sorry if I've been incommunicado over the weekend. I've been in Brookings working on home projects such as cleaning out the garage. While I was doing that, there was lots going on. First and Foremost, South Dakota lost one of the true greats in politics this weekend. Dr. William "Bill" Farber passed away at the age of 96. Bill, who has had many students close to him over the years (typically known as "Farber Boys") reach national heights in politics and government was one of the true deans of South Dakota politics. Go read the article about him by Meagan Meyers at the Argus Leader . The last time I saw him, was at USD during the 2002 campaign. I was present at the dedication of his statue, and the whole ceremony touched me a real reminder of how much one teacher could make a difference in so many lives. Rest in Peace. -- Next, the Argus 16 were released - and the big fluffy puff piece on Herseth's wedding plans was written as expected ( at the Argus...

As was widely reported last month, the associated press notes that the Global Warming committee that Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth to is being considered for re-titling by one fellow democrat as " the committee on world travel and junkets" by a fellow Democrat: "We should probably name it the committee on world travel and junkets," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which overseas the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency . "We're just empowering a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs to go around and make speeches and make commitments that will be very difficult to honor," said Dingell, a champion of the auto industry, which could be required to producing cleaner-burning and more fuel efficient vehicles. Read all of that here at breitbart.com . That could prove to be a troublesome issue for Herseth, as it was one of the few issues that opponents used against ...

Congress Daily is noting that Congresswoman Herseth has been named by Speaker Pelosi to a special global warming panel: House leaders today chose dueling rosters to fill a new global warming and energy independence panel, underscoring skepticism that the panel will serve as little more than a mouthpiece for opposing views in the global warming debate. The Democratic line-up includes two freshmen and members with mostly strong environmental credentials. and... Speaker Pelosi issued a statement saying the panel Democrats "are outstanding for their creativity, diversity of experience, and knowledge of energy and global warming issues." The seven other Democrats on the panel received an average score from the League of Conservation Voters last Congress of roughly 84 percent. The other Democratic panelists are Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Jay Inslee of Washington, John Larson of Connecticut, Hilda Solis of California, Stephanie Hersethof South Dakota and Emanuel Cleaver o...

This weekend in the Rapid City Journal , former State Senator Alan Aker wrote in his column (in reference to her position on Iraq as noted in the constituent correspondence below) that she's not so much a blue dog Democrat as much as a member of a larger crowd: Did Bush stubbornly reject opposition recommendations to replace Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld, increase the number of troops, and implement more aggressive rules of engagement? Did conditions on the ground worsen? Quite the opposite. Bush changed course on Iraq, and early indications are that it might be working. What changed Herseth’s position is that Nancy Pelosi became speaker of the House. I’m not claiming she was explicitly threatened or bribed. Washington politics aren’t that straightforward. And although Herseth won’t tell us what she wants to do about Iraq, we now know that she’s no independent. Read it all here .

-----Original Message----- From: Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth [mailto:sd00ima@mail.house.gov] Sent: To: Subject: Reply from Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth February 21, 2007 Dear xxxx: Thank you for contacting me with regard to the recent House Resolution supporting the United States Armed Forces and disapproving of President Bush's decision to deploy more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq. I appreciate hearing from you about this very important issue. As you know, on February 16th, a bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives approved a resolution containing the following two clauses: 1. Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and 2. Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq. I supported this n...

Congresswoman Herseth is addressing the South Dakota Legislature tomorrow to talk about what's going on in Washington. Do you think she's going to talk about the Pelosi Iraq resolution? (okay, maybe not). Updated - South Dakota's own Senator Thune will also be addressing the legislature tomorrow. (Sorry, I didn't see the release on it yet).

In his Argus Leader column, Dave Kranz pointed out yesterday that congresswoman Stephanie Herseth has had more than one opinion on Iraq. First, she was against direct action. Then, she was in support of it. Recently, she went with the Pelosi measure to try to stop a surge in troop numbers to hasten the end of the war. What's a blue dog to do?: During a debate with Janklow, Herseth said she supported congressional action to eliminate threats to national security. She spoke of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader and long-time villain to the United States government. "I agree wholeheartedly that we need a regime change in Iraq," she said at the time. But an acceptable course of action would come only after exhausting diplomatic options. and... As a new member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, one of her first moves on the job was making a trip to Iraq to meet South Dakota troops and talk with military leaders and citizens of the country. The subject on her mind with local tro...

The Argus Leader is reporting tonight that Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth is planning to vote to denounce the president's decision to send in more troops to stabilize Iraq, after she had earlier voted in favor. Eight months after she voted to support President Bush’s policies on Iraq, Rep. Stephanie Herseth expects to cast a symbolic vote this week denouncing the president’s decision to send in 21,500 more troops. and... Instead, she said, the president should embrace the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which include negotiating with Iraq’s neighbors to bring peace and stability to the area. The House Democratic leaders plan to put it to a vote late Thursday or Friday. They have said they will give all 435 members five minutes to speak to the issue on the House floor. South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune, meanwhile, supports the troop surge into Iraq. Last week he joined nearly all the Republicans in blocking a Senate nonbinding resolution opposing the troo...