COMANCHE COUNTY DEMOCRAT

THE DEBATE BEGINS - Obama and Edwards Start Slugging It Out

Editor: Shamelessly stolen from Daily Kos blogs:

Blue Hampshire is my shared baby, but since both MyDD and Political Wire have linked this story by Mike, and since it is a particularly sharp analysis of John Edwards' campaign, I don't feel like I'm engaging in too much favoritism doing the same:

You want to know what a preemptive strike on the Obama candidacy looks like? Here is it is, textbook perfect, from John Edwards himself. Today, standing in front of a sign asserting "Tomorrow Begins Today" he stated:

"Identifying the problem and talking about hope is waiting for tomorrow."

And in perhaps the most brilliant framing I've seen in this campaign so far, he began to weave a theme into the rest of the remarks: There's hope, and there's action. I'm action.

THE PATH OUT THAT MUST BE TAKEN

Link: Pelosi and Conyers-- Smarter than Impeachment-.

EDITOR: This is my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinions or positions of other persons or organizations.

FEC IMPOSES RECORD $6.2M IN FINES

Link: FEC imposes record $6.2M in fines - Yahoo! News.

NEW JOHN EDWARDS WEB SITE

Link: John Edwards for President.

EDWARDS ANNOUNCES PRESIDENTIAL BID

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/27/AR2006122701197.html

MERRY CHRISTMAS

OBAMA WEB SITE

Link: Welcome | BarackObama.com.

A Way Forward in Iraq

"...A few Tuesdays ago, the American people embraced this seriousness with regards to America’s policy in Iraq. Americans were originally persuaded by the President to go to war in part because of the threat of weapons of mass destruction, and in part because they were told that it would help reduce the threat of international terrorism.

"Neither turned out to be true. And now, after three long years of watching the same back and forth in Washington, the American people have sent a clear message that the days of using the war on terror as a political football are over. That policy-by-slogan will no longer pass as an acceptable form of debate in this country. “Mission Accomplished,” “cut and run,” “stay the course” – the American people have determined that all these phrases have become meaningless in the face of a conflict that grows more deadly and chaotic with each passing day – a conflict that has only increased the terrorist threat it was supposed to help contain. "

OPEN DOOR POLICY by Rep. Joe Dorman

Merry Christmas!  I hope everyone has big plans for the holidays.  I'm hoping to see one of my nephews this next week who just finished up basic training.  He and his brother joined the Army this summer and both are getting ready for their assignments.  They are hoping to make it down this way for Christmas and catch a basketball game or two before being shipped out.  One will definitely get to make it back to Oklahoma and their mother is waiting to hear from the second son.  Please keep Justin and Jaycee Guffey in your prayers for safety, as well as all the rest of the troops serving.

      I received some good news from the Capitol last week.  My committee assignments changed slightly for the better.  I was asked to step off the Education Committee and in turn serve on the Appropriations and Budget Committee.  Those that are familiar with the process will know most of what goes on at the State Capitol revolves around sending dollars to various entities for funding.  This committee helps craft where the dollars will go, how much will be spent in those areas and allows for the opportunity to cut out some of the wasteful spending by reviewing the different agencies.  The more we can cut out of some programs, the more we can put into programs that need the upgrade in the budget to implement innovative programs to modernize the state. 

      This past week has been pretty hectic with the holidays.  Besides trying to get language into bill requests, I've had the chance to attend several holiday functions.  I enjoyed spending time with both the Elgin faculty and the Comanche County Retired Teachers Association, which it was great catching  up with so many friends right before the holiday.  The Grady County Volunteer Fire Departments had a fantastic gathering last Friday night and celebrated new volunteers being able to serve their areas.  I also got great news that Jerry Scoggins of Cyril got clear results from his PET scan, which is certainly a blessing to be winning his fight against cancer.

     Great news for the area was also announced this past week.  We got the final results from the School Land Commission in regards to selling off about 150 acres to develop a business and industry park near the turnpike.  This will allow for the necessary growth to occur from BRAC and businesses moving to Oklahoma and provide space for those businesses to be located in a central area.  This growth will benefit every single community in District 65.  I've been working on this project for over a year now with local, state, county and federal officials.  This bipartisan, team effort for the betterment of Southwest Oklahoma will pay huge dividends in the long run and will provide some great high paying jobs for our residents and give many the chance to stay close to home.

     It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. I can be reached locally at (580) 476-2626, my e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work.

ECONOMIC POLICY WEEKLY

Number 2006-47

Beware the API
December 4, 2006

The Oklahoma State Department of Education recently released the latest Academic Performance Index (API) scores for every Oklahoma public school. While these scores help shed light on school performance, they are not as illuminating as one might think.

Officials compute the scores, which are available at the State Department of Education website (www.sde.state.ok.us), mainly from student results on the standardized tests that schools administer each year. However, minor weights are also given to factors such as attendance, graduation rates, and ACT scores. API scores are available for every school district, every school within a district, and for various student subgroups.

As any educator (myself included) will tell you, test scores are powerful tools in assessing student performance. They can also be powerful tools in assessing the educator’s performance as well. The difficulty, though, lies in properly interpreting the results and making sure those results convey the information they are intended to convey.

Likewise, the API scores have some important uses…and some important limitations. They are most informative when charting trends in school performance. For example in 2001-2002 the state average API was 1000 (out of a possible 1500). Since then the average score has steadily improved to the 1180 average found this year. This indicates that Oklahoma’s public school students are performing better on the standardized tests than they were just four years ago—an important piece of information. This is consistent with the idea that students are learning more, although there might be other explanations as well.

The most significant drawback, though, is that the API scores are a measure of student performance in a school…and not necessarily a measure of the school’s performance on its students. It is clear that API scores vary widely across school districts. In 2006 the Edmond Public School District earned an API score of 1414, one of the highest of any school district in the state. The nearby Deer Creek school district scored an even higher 1448. However, the Oklahoma City school district earned a much lower score of 1008. It is clear that students in the Edmond and Deer Creek school districts outperform their Oklahoma City counterparts. But there are many reasons for this.

Over the last two decades economists have studied the determinants of test score variation across school districts. The findings indicate that some of the most important factors have little to do with the efforts of the school. For example, children of highly educated parents tend to score highly on standardized tests. This could be simply a function of genetics, but likely is also partially due to the fact that highly educated parents are more likely to place a greater value on their children’s education. Parents with higher education levels are also likely to have higher income levels with which to support their local school district. The effects are quite dramatic. On Oklahoma’s End of Instruction exams, students from economically disadvantaged households are two to three times more likely to receive an “Unsatisfactory” score!

In other words, high API scores have as much to do with the caliber of students as with the caliber of the education those students receive. 

There are two reasons why this is a concern. First, a high API may give some high-performing schools a false sense of achievement. Educators admit that it is much easier to teach students when the parents are partners in the educational process. Some schools, because they are flush with these special parents, should have high API scores—even higher than they currently earn.

Second, a low API score may give some low-performing schools a false sense of failure. A school whose educators lack the same parental support will find it more difficult to educate their students. They will find it more difficult to achieve the high test scores of the high-performing schools. They may be just as effective in the classroom (or even more effective) but still receive lower API scores through no fault of their own.

Our children deserve the best public schools we can provide. This means we must continuously assess the performance of our schools so that we can determine the most effective teaching methods. But to do this we need to ensure that we are truly assessing school performance, and not simply capturing differences in student abilities. Currently, Oklahoma’s Academic Performance Index does not satisfy this criteria. So the next time you hear someone discussing their school’s score, you should tell them to “beware the API”.

Mickey A. Hepner, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Director of UCO Policy Institute

University of Central Oklahoma

Department of Economics

100 N. University Dr.

Thatcher Hall, Room 222

Edmond, OK 73034-5209

Phone: 405.974.2829

Fax: 405.974.3853

www.busn.ucok.edu/mhepner

BAYH BOWS

Editor: Too bad.  I thought he  was the best prepared, best organized and best qualified.  He would have made a great head of the Democratic ticket here in Oklahoma, attracting a lot of the voters to our side. Right now it looks like a beauty contest.

Link: Hotline On Call: On The Download: He's Got Such A Pretty Facebook.

SENATE REVIEW by Senator Randy Bass

If any of you are like me and my wife Kelley, you're always trying hard to come up with creative ideas for the friends and family members you exchange gifts with at Christmas. For those of you who enjoy shopping and ordering gifts on the Internet, I would like to suggest a website that can help fill the need for creative gifts while helping support Oklahoma businesses, including businesses right here in Comanche County.

The website is "Made in Oklahoma" at www.madeinoklahoma.net. sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture. All of the products available through this website are items that are made and sold right here in Oklahoma, by Oklahomans.

The variety of foods and products available is really amazing. Through the Made in Oklahoma website, you can do searches any number of ways. There are literally hundreds of delicious foods you can order as gifts, including everything from chocolate covered potato chips, to mouth-watering pecan pies. There are several different companies selling Oklahoma-made cheeses, jerky, steaks, nuts, sauces and salsa and so -much more. If you are looking for something a little more exotic, you can even order hot pepper jams or gourmet Emu meat.

You can order products ranging equine first aid kits and trail bags to soaps, candles, pottery and more. There are individual products for sale as well as gift baskets, including samplers with a variety of Made in Oklahoma products.

In addition, you can search for Made in Oklahoma products by city or county. There are several of these companies in our area and I would invite you to go online and see what kind of products they have to help with your gift list—it is a great way to help support local businesses and to promote Oklahoma. Just go to the homepage at www.madeinoklahoma.net and select the link on the right side of the page for the "Online Shopping Mall." There are also links to help you shop by product or other categories.

When we support our own businesses and products, we're helping grow Oklahoma's economy—and that's a gift that will keep on giving for years to come.

As always if you have a question about a legislative matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (405) 521-5567 or by email at bass@oksenate.gov.

ECONOMIC POLICY WEEKLY

Number 2006-48

How Many Lives is Iraq Worth?
December 11, 2006

“If the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, the consequences could be severe for Iraq, the United States, the region, and the world.”

“Current U.S. Policy is not working…Nearly 100 Americans are dying every month. The United States is spending $2 billion per week. Our ability to respond to other international crises is constrained.”—Final Report of the Iraq Study Group

In its purest form, economics is the study of how to make optimal decisions. One can apply its lessons to a variety of subjects--even to help us to find the optimal Iraq war policy.

The debate over the Iraq war stokes the passions of the American populace like no other issue today. This fight divides families, communities, and our nation. The divide is so sharp, the chasm so wide, that perhaps the only point the warring sides can agree upon is that there is so little agreed upon. And the fact that all too often the arguments (on both sides) are based on faulty reasoning, serves to only exacerbate the problem.

On one hand, there are those on the left who believe that we never should have invaded Iraq in the first place, and therefore should begin to withdraw all American troops immediately. I must admit that I too believe the Iraq war was a mistake—I have previously called the Iraq war a “colossal blunder”. After all, Iraq was not responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Iraq posed no imminent threat to our security, and by manufacturing a threat in Iraq we lost sight of the real threat—al-Qaeda.

On the other hand, there are those on the right who believe that because we have already committed ourselves to occupying Iraq, we must stay the course until the bullets stop flying. Admittedly, this steadfast approach emotes a sense of machismo that is in some ways very appealing.

Unfortunately, both arguments are faulty. They are faulty because they both derive from past actions.  The optimal strategy, though, is the one with the best future outcome—the strategy must be future-focused. In other words, the fact that we invaded Iraq (rightly or wrongly) is irrelevant to choosing the optimal strategy now. Now, I want to stress that the issue of whether we should have invaded Iraq is an important one…one that should be the centerpiece of elections for years to come. But since we cannot change the past, that past decision should not shape our future Iraq strategy. 

Instead, our policymakers should be discussing and debating what would happen in the future if we withdraw from Iraq. Likewise, they should be considering what would happen in the future if we choose to stay the course. In all cases our policymakers need to weigh the future benefits and future costs of each proposal.

This week, a group of distinguished former government officials known as the Iraq Study Group (comprised of five Republicans and five Democrats) sought to provide policymakers with this kind of information. For example, the Group’s report argues that an immediate withdrawal will save many American lives but will likely increase violence and raise the prospect of a regional war in the Middle East—an outcome that clearly threatens U.S. national interest. The report also notes though, that a stay-the-course strategy is also troublesome as it would likely mean another 1000 American deaths over the next year but may increase the likelihood that a stable Iraq will result.

One can argue about the conclusions of the Iraq Study Group report—about whether we should invite Iran and Syria to negotiate a final solution, about whether we should wait another year to withdraw all combat forces, or whether the prospects for stability in Iraq are worth the likely 1000 American lives that will be lost over the next year. At least, though, the Iraq Study Group was asking the right question…where do we go from here?

We have already lost over 2900 American lives in Iraq. If we stay the course for another year we will likely lose 1000 more—1000 more sons and daughters, 1000 more mothers and fathers, 1000 more brothers and sisters—who will be taken from us. We need to be debating whether the outcome we hope to see in Iraq is worth this inevitable loss of life. I certainly do not have all the answers…but at least now I have hope that we can focus on the right questions.

Mickey A. Hepner, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Director of UCO Policy Institute

University of Central Oklahoma

Department of Economics

100 N. University Dr.

Thatcher Hall, Room 222

Edmond, OK 73034-5209

Phone: 405.974.2829

Fax: 405.974.3853

www.busn.ucok.edu/mhepner

NUMBER OF TROOPS IN IRAQ WAS GENERAL HALFTRACKS CALL

Link: United Press International - Security & Terrorism - Rumsfeld: Troop levels were Franks' call.

SENATE REVIEW by Senator Randy Bass

Nationwide, for every 100 ninth graders who enter high school, only 18 finish college within six years. That's according to a recently-released study by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The study, created by their bi-partisan Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education stated that there is a higher education crisis in the country, and that the U.S. no longer has the best system in the world. That same study also found mat it would be up to state legislators to turn this problem around.

The statistics are daunting— two out of three American college students about with an average debt of $17,250. Compared to ten years ago, the report says when you adjust for inflation, the average debt was only $8,000. Clearly more needs to be done to ensure American students are not forced to mortgage their future in order to pay for a college education.

One huge difference;, in Oklahoma is OHLAB—the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program. Created by the State Legislature, this program is helping thousands of young people, including students right here in Comanche County, with scholarships to help them achieve their dream of earning a college degree.

Currently students of families earning a maximum of $50,000 a year are eligible for these scholarships, which also require teens to maintain good grades, stay out of trouble, and complete a rigorous curriculum as mandated by the OHLAP program.

Last year, the Senate approved legislation that would have made OHLAP available to even more Oklahoma families by raising the income limits. Unfortunately, that bill was not approved by the House of Representatives. I hope they will reconsider their stance on this issue in the upcoming session.

The NCSL report agreed with a .position I have long
asserted—that there is a direct correlation between cities and states with the highest per capita incomes and those with the highest per capita number of college graduates. Clearly, this is an investment that will ultimately benefit our entire state. It requires careful consideration and prioritization of our dollars that we dedicate to this end, but it is one of the single best economic development efforts we can promote—for Comanche County, for Oklahoma and-for our entire country.

If you would like to learn more about our legislative calendar, or read bills that will be filed in the coming weeks, go to www.oksenate.gov and follow the links for schedules, legislation, or any other area that may interest you.

As always if you have a question about a legislative matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (405) 521-5567 or by email at bass@oksenate.gov.

SENATOR STRANGELOVE EXPLAINS STRANGE BEHAVIOUR

Link: .: United States Senator Tom Coburn :: Welcome :..

AARP BULLITIN: Eight Things to Know About 50 Voters

EDITOR: Pay attention you young candidates!

Link: AARP Bulletin: Eight Things to Know About 50 Voters.

People over 50 played a critical role in the last election. Here are a few facts that drove their choices.

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS REPLACES BILL CLINTON AS GOAT FOR REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP FAILURES

EDITORIAL

The Daily Oklahoman had an interesting headline on its front page this morning. It says that Oklahoma had lost federal funding for some projects by the adjournment of Congress without passing appropriation bills. Here are some of the projects not funded:

1 million for Metro Transit to replace buses
1.1 million in work on Interstate 40 between I-240 and Choctaw Road
Nearly 6 million for a power substation at Tinker Air Force Base
$400000 for the American Indian Cultural Center
$ 300,000 for the bombing memorial
$ 400,000 for Integris Health to equip rural hospitals
$ 750,000 for Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation facilities and equipment
$ 4 million for McClelland-Kerr Navigation System work.
Dozens more projects were not mentioned.

The bills were supposed to be passed by October 1 before the elections.

The article blames the failure of incoming Democratic controlled congress to include the appropriations in its agenda. The bills were introduced earlier in the year. Congress passed the defense and homeland security bills but could not find the time or support to do its job this year as they are supposed to do. The only thing that they could do is pass a resolution extending the money for the government to operate on until February of next year.

Congress only worked three days a week overall this last year with large periods for vacation and home visiting.

The disturbing part of the article is that it attempts to blame the incoming Democratic Congress for the leadership failures of the current Republican controlled Congress. And this is before the next Congress is even convened.

What gall! What irony.!

What a way to run a country!

OPEN DOOR POLICY - Rep. Joe Dorman

  The committee assignments have been posted by the leadership and I am very pleased with how things were arranged.  I was asked to exchange my assignment on the Veterans and Military Affairs committee to another as to allow a Viet Nam Veteran to take my place.  Because of this, I removed my name from the preference list.  I enjoyed the four years I served on this committee and plan to author several bills in this area, but Rep. Jerry Ellis will be a key member with his experience and background.  In exchange for this committee assignment, I was placed as one of the members of the Rules Committee.  Under the new House structure, this will be the most powerful committee in the State House of Representatives.  All controversial bills will go to this committee and any floor amendments assigned to bills will be reviewed by this committee.  I appreciate Democratic Leader Morgan and Speaker Cargill's faith in me to serve in this capacity. 
     I am also returning to Revenue and Taxation as the senior member of the committee and I will serve on the main Education Committee, which oversees common education, higher education and career technology centers.  I was also granted a fourth position, which very few members were allowed that many spots.  This will be on the Energy Committee, which will review all legislation dealing with energy opportunities in Oklahoma.
     Over the next few weeks, I will highlight several of the bills I will author and will also touch on some of the major issues we will face this session.  I also was granted a full time legislative assistant who will be with me for the remainder of my term in office if she so chooses.  Her name is Pam King and she is a wonderful person.  I look forward to working with her and I think she will be great for each of you to work with as need arises with issues from the district.  She comes from a great background in health care and previous experience at the Capitol.
     It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. I can be reached locally at (580) 476-2626, my e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work.       

OBAMA T SHIRTS AVAILABLE HERE

Link: Obama T-Shirts and Gifts : CafePress.com : Shop Over 35 Million Unique Products.

Be the first to wear one in the Atlanta Bread Company!

OBAMA BOFFO IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

McClatchy Newspapers reports that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., “shook up the embryonic 2008 presidential campaign Sunday, igniting a tumultuous response” in his first visit to New Hampshire. Local organizers called the turnout of more than 1,500 Democrats at a celebration of the party’s November election victories unprecedented. The crowd “roared its approval when Gov. John Lynch speculated that Obama might run, and they interrupted the senator’s half-hour speech several times with ovations

GADDIE ARTICLE ON ELECTIONS

Link: Tailgate Politics.

Editor: Best summary I have seen. Couldn't said better myself.

CHANNEL FLIPPER - General Halftrack Cooks His First Political Waffle

Tommy Franks appeared on Fox Channel 28 here in Lawton Sunday. He was on one of Fox's talk shows. The host was tossing softball questions and Tommy was doing his best to respond. One of the questions had to do with the Iraq war and they way it has turned out. Tommy gave  a bifurcated answer which I think we will see a lot of in the next election cycle. He reaffirmed his support for the war saying that "if we didn't fight them over there, we would have to fight them over here". However, he said the post combat phase had been handled badly. He said that the high unemployment rate  and poor training of security forces were the reasons that the effort was failing. 

It looks like the coming Republican Strategy is: Praise the reason and the war, praise the combat phase,  criticize the the recovery plan.

GENERAL HALFTRACK INVADES OKLAHOMA - Victory will be declared at a Ceremony in Bricktown

HOBART, Okla. Retired U-S Army General Tommy Franks is planning to build a 15 (m) million dollar leadership institute and museum in the southwest Oklahoma town of Hobart.

Franks' wife is from Hobart while he is from Wynnewood. Franks spokesman Michael Hayes says the leadership institute would be like a think tank. He says the museum will focus on Franks' childhood through the time he commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to his days as a White House adviser. Franks developed and carried out the initial invasion of Iraq and oversaw combat operations in Afghanistan after the Nine-Eleven terrorist attacks. I

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes

SENATE REVIEW by Senator Randy Bass

Even though the 2007 Legislative session will not formally begin for several more weeks, preparation is well underway and in fact has been going on for the past several months.

Once the regular session ends at the end of May, many lawmakers turn their attention to issues that are on the horizon for the next year's session. Many of these issues can be complicated and require in-depth studies. For that reason, members may request interim studies on a particular topic. Generally, meetings examining these issues begin anywhere from the summer to the early fall and generally conclude before the end of the year. Often, the interim study committee will prepare a final report summarizing what has been learned in those meetings and what recommendations they may have for changes to existing law or for a new law to address the problems they've identified.

The first hard deadline Senators must meet in the legislative process is December 8, 2006. When members want to write a bill proposing a new law or a change one already on the books, they work with staff members to put that proposal into bill form and determine which part of state statutes that measure would deal with. December 8 is our deadline for making such requests.

Our next important date will be January 2,2007. In sessions that follow an election cycle, the State Constitution gives us one organizational day in January to elect the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and to adopt the rules by which we will operate for the rest of the session. That will occur on January 2.

The next import date is January 18, 2007. That is the deadline for filing all the bills a member has previously requested. Any bills that are not filed by that deadline will not be heard during the upcoming session.

Finally, the actual 2007 Legislative session will formally begin on February 5,2007. For the next several weeks, we will then meet a series of deadlines for moving bills through the committee* process, onto the floor for full consideration by our chamber, and then face additional deadlines to move those same measures through an identical process in the House of Representatives. By law, we must conclude the 2007 session by no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, May 25th.

If you would like to learn more about our legislative calendar, or read bills that will be filed in the coming weeks, go to www.oksenate.gov and follow the links for schedules, legislation, or any other area that may interest you.

As always if you have a question about a legislative matter, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (405) 521-5567 or by email at bass@oksenate.gov.

POLL RESULTS - Robo Calls

The poll on what should be done about robo calls showed the following results:

Regulated                  20%

Allowed                      20%

Not Allowed                20%

Added to No Call List   40%

It would appear some kind of action is indicated. Only 20% voted to allow them.

OPEN DOOR POLICY - Rep. Joe Dorman

The organizational day for the House of Representatives went well as the new members were sworn into office and freshment orientation was smooth, even though it came during the ice storm last week which hit the state.  There are 28 new members that were sworn into office this term and I was honored to be one of the four senior members to assist with their classes on the current legislative system.
     Bill request deadlines come this week and I am outlining several policy ideas which I will attempt to pass into law.  There has been discussion of revamping the funding for the teachers retirement system and several members are looking at new ways to build up the solvency of the account.  I will also purse legislation to create requirements that prisoners released upon completion of their sentence be required to go through programs to teach about balancing a checkbook and allow for greater scope of ministerial involvement in their day-to-day activities. 
     This is the first step in the process, so many members will file ideas for bills, then narrow the scope as the deadline for actual bills comes in January.  House members are limited to 8 bills to be filed, but we will request several more so as not to be limited in case a good idea arises over the holiday season.
     This week I had the chance to attend meetings with our federal delegation to discuss new policy changes with the shift in power at the Congressional level.  I visited with staff members in the offices of Congressman Cole, Boren, Sullivan and Lucas.  I also had the chance to sit down with several of Senator Inhofe's committee staff members to look at further changes that can be anticipated.  I'm optimistic about the sessions at both the state and federal levels in that we have a strong bipartisan relationship and have been able to get much accomplished as a team.
     It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. I can be reached locally at (580) 476-2626, my e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work.

OBAMA AND IRAQ

Link: Obama and Iraq: Setting the Record Straight | TPMCafe.

Better save this one to your file.