At a time of national crisis, what type of experience is most important in our leaders?
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| Author: |
John Kline |
| Dated: |
Tuesday, August 10 2004 @ 06:40 PM Central Time |
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364 times |
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I returned to Washington this week to participate in four House Armed Services Committee Hearings on the recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States (9/11 Commission).
The Star Tribune has written up a summary of the first day of hearings, which is certainly worth a read.
Our hearings have included, or will include, testimony from: Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz; Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Cambone; General Peter Pace, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command; Director of the National Security Agency; Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency; 9/11 Commission Chairman Kean; 9/11 Commission Chairman Hamilton.
Excerpt from the Star Tribune Article:
The hearing was the first chance for top Pentagon officials to testify extensively on recommendations by the Sept. 11 commission.
Wolfowitz, Brown and Gen. Peter Pace, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said their caution did not mean they opposed commission proposals for the new office and a central depository for intelligence.
Some committee members were just as skeptical.
Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., asked whether the new intelligence chief would solve the problems of what he called the "entrenched bureaucracy."
He pointed out that in 1998 George Tenet, then the director of Central Intelligence, could not get his own department to take his concerns about Al-Qaida seriously.
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| Author: |
John Kline |
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Monday, August 09 2004 @ 09:00 AM Central Time |
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396 times |
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Wired News has written up a nice story on our current foray into the blog-world. Read full article here.
Excerpt:
The first two candidates on Red State's slate were in primary races for the U.S. Senate: former Rep. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and three-term Rep. Jim DeMint of South Carolina. As of Aug. 2, Red State raised $1,000 for Coburn and will soon begin fund raising for DeMint. "Now that the primaries that we're most interested in have passed, we're going to focus on general election contests," Krempasky said. "DeMint is at the top of our list."
More recently, the site threw its support behind Rep. John Kline, who is running for re-election in Minnesota's second district. By Election Day, Krempasky would like Red State to back 10 candidates. Red State is considering helping California Secretary of State Bill Jones in his race against Sen. Barbara Boxer.
"What we don't want to do is waste our money on sure things or long shots," Krempasky said. "Our resources are limited, so we have to focus our effort on what it will help most."
As always, our donations page is up and running! - Just Click Here
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| Author: |
John Kline |
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Monday, July 26 2004 @ 10:08 AM Central Time |
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401 times |
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This afternoon I am leaving to spend several days visiting our Minnesota National Guard troops in Kosovo. As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn first-hand how operations in this area are progressing.
Last October I had a similar opportunity, when I was joined by several of my colleagues from the Armed Services Committee for a Congressional delegation tour of the Middle East. The most rewarding part of this trip was the time spent talking with our troops. There is no better way to analyze a policy than to hear from those who are tasked with carrying it out.
I look forward to hearing from the 800+ Minnesotans - many of whom are my 2nd district constituents based out of Rosemount - and all those serving bravely in this region.
As you may know, there are many ways to show your support to our troops. A group of St. Paul restaurants and businesses are currently organizing an effort to simultaneously serve a special meal to our troops in the field and their families at home on August 8 (via satellite at the Xcel Center).
How to Help
Organizers are seeking cash donations to help pay for transit to and from Kosovo, and are looking for restaurants to donate meals for the August 8 event.
For more information or to volunteer, please call 651-690-0657 or e-mail servetroops@visi.com.
Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to:
St. Paul to Kosovo/Minnesota National Guard Foundation
c/o American Bank
1578 W. University Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55104
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| Author: |
John Kline |
| Dated: |
Friday, July 23 2004 @ 03:35 PM Central Time |
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590 times |
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Today I received the weekly War on Terror Update, which always provides a refreshing look at the most important issue of the day. This week it focuses on President Bush’s signing into law of Project BioShield, which provides new tools to improve medical countermeasures protecting Americans against a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) attack.
This week’s Fact Sheet also includes a “Three Year Progress Report” that outlines all of the major initiatives that we have undertaken since September 11, 2001. As you’ll see, we have made great progress since that tragic day, but there is still much progress to be made.
The Fact Sheet is particularly relevant today, in light of yesterday’s publishing of the 9-11 Commission’s report. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to look it over. However, for those of you who are short on time, I cut out a few important points that everyone should read.
Click here to read the full report.
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| Author: |
John Kline |
| Dated: |
Friday, July 23 2004 @ 02:58 PM Central Time |
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408 times |
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There is an interesting story in the Star Tribune today about the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.
Click here to read the full story.
Exerpt:
House members from Minnesota reflected the political divisions surrounding the 9/11 commission.
Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, said selecting a national intelligence director is potentially the most significant of the commission's reforms.
"We are not rearranging the deck chairs like they did with the creation of the Homeland Security Department," Peterson said. "We're putting someone in charge who is right below the president who has the authority to allocate resources and set priorities.
"The problem we have now," Peterson continued, "is that too many of these responsibilities are scattered all over the place. Nobody is really accountable."
Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., a member of the Armed Services Committee, echoed the skepticism of many in the Bush administration and the Defense Department, where much of the U.S. intelligence establishment is currently centered.
"I hate it that we rush out and create new bureaucracies as a solution to everything that comes up," said Kline, a retired Marine colonel. "If you make this change, how would you do it? Would this guy then be directing military personnel moves? We don't know, and we need to know before we jump on this as a solution."
Kline, arguing that some of the commission's recommendations have been tainted by "partisan posturing," said that intelligence-gathering is already centralized under the CIA director.
But Peterson noted that the CIA controls only 15 percent of the total U.S. intelligence budget, with much of the rest falling under the purview of other agencies inside the Pentagon.
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| Author: |
John Kline |
| Dated: |
Monday, July 19 2004 @ 05:48 PM Central Time |
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583 times |
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I found the following Washington Post article particularly interesting. It’s a long read, but it represents a stark contrast between the “Iraq intelligence report” coverage given to Prime Minister Blair and the coverage of a very similar report as it related to President Bush.
For example, the day after the Senate Intelligence Committee released their report, which came to the same basic conclusions as the Blair report, New York Times editorialist Andrew Rosenthal had the following to say; “The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on American intelligence failures in Iraq has produced a rare and curious thing — agreement between left and right. For opposite reasons, both are pushing the absurd notion that the report told us that President Bush was not to blame for giving Americans false information about Iraq.”
You be the judge.
Britain's Iraq Data Deemed 'Flawed'
Blair Didn't Distort Facts, Inquiry Finds
By Glenn Frankel
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| Author: |
John Kline |
| Dated: |
Friday, July 16 2004 @ 02:29 PM Central Time |
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437 times |
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Welcome to the Kline Blog!
I am pleased to announce the launch of my campaign web-log, the Kline Blog. As political campaigns respond to 21st Century technology, web-communication has become increasingly important. Kline for Congress is staying ahead of the curve with the Kline Blog.
The Kline Blog is an innovative web-tool designed streamline campaign communication and organization efforts that were previously only possible through hours of phone-calling, letter-stamping and door-knocking. The Blog also is a great way for activists and anyone else who is interested to receive up-to-the-minute details directly from me on campaign activities and the issues of the day.
Many of my previously published op-ed articles, a calendar of up-coming campaign events, great links to political web-sites, and much more are available on the Kline blog. I plan on updating the blog regularly, so check back often to stay in the loop.
All the best,
John Kline
Member of Congress
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| Author: |
John Kline |
| Dated: |
Thursday, June 10 2004 @ 12:00 PM Central Time |
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779 times |
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The following Opinion-Editorial appeared in the June 10, 2004 edition of The Hill.
Ronald Reagan
By Congressman John Kline
The life and legacy of Ronald Reagan so shifted the paradigm of the American Presidency and the character of our nation that it becomes easy to overlook some of the smaller, more personal changes he brought to his office. As an aide to the former President, I had the unique opportunity to be part of one such change – albeit in a way that has proved to be a bit embarrassing.
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| Author: |
John Kline |
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Friday, March 05 2004 @ 12:01 PM Central Time |
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747 times |
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The following Op-Ed appeared in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on March 5, 2004
Glimmer of Hope
Author Frank Wright recently spoke of a “glimmer of hope” in the ongoing quest for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After a recent trip to Israel I am also optimistic about the opportunity for Israel and Palestine to establish a precedent of peace and stability for their neighbors throughout the Middle East.
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| Author: |
John Kline |
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Tuesday, May 27 2003 @ 12:18 PM Central Time |
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902 times |
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The following Op-Ed appeared in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on May 27, 2003
Rumsfeld Plan for Senior Officers Blurred Separation of Powers
Sixty-six years ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sent to Congress a bill to reorganize the federal judiciary. He wanted to appoint an additional justice to the Supreme Court for every sitting member over the age of 70 years… a total of six new justices in addition to the nine provided for by our Constitution.
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