Republicans in Indiana have grown increasingly disenchanted with Sen. Richard Lugar's aloofness and growing distance to voters in the Hoosier state in recent years. Partisans have been particularly peeved as he has allowed himself to be used by the inexperienced presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, to bolster his foreign policy credentials. When Obama announced that the Senate's biggest pathological liar, Sen. Joe Biden, was going to be his running mate, Sen. Lugar applauded the choice. When Sen. John McCain announced that Gov. Sarah Palin was his choice for a running mate, Sen. Lugar said nothing. As I've stated before, Sen. Lugar has become very bitter towards his GOP colleagues in the Senate and his party in general. He has been past over by his colleagues for a leadership position in the Senate no fewer than three times. Lugar was said to have been very angry when President George H.W. Bush picked Indiana's junior senator at the time, Dan Quayle, as his running mate over him. So I guess it should come as no surprise that Obama's campaign would want to place news ahead of Tuesday's election that Lugar is a serious possibility for Secretary of State in an Obama administration in hopes of boosting Obama's chances in Indiana. And you can bet Lugar wholeheartedly approves of this, even though he will never admit so publicly.
The IBJ's Peter Schnitzler picks up on the prospect of Lugar being named as Secretary of State in an Obama administration today. For someone who has staked out a career in the Senate on his reputation on foreign policy, it is nothing short of bizarre that Sen. Lugar would so openly court and flaunt a relationship with the Senate's most extreme liberal who has long-time associations with the "blame America for everything" crowd. Sen. Lugar has denied he is advising Obama on foreign policy, and I would certainly hope so given the naivete that Obama has demonstrated on any number of foreign policy issues during this campaign. Although come to think of it, didn't Sen. Lugar join Sen. Obama in first opposing the surge in Iraq as proposed by Sen. McCain? Here's some news for Obama's people. Dick Lugar ain't all that anymore to average Hoosiers on the street. They could give a rat's ass whether you would have him in your administration. And if Sen. Lugar cares what his fellow Republicans think of him, he'll end this slow dance with Obama before Tuesday's election. We'll be watching to see if Sen. Lugar joins Sen. McCain on stage at Monday's rally at the airport.
12 comments:
Luger is another example why I think all poiticians should be term-limited.
Lugar is not a conservative in any way.
He's Mr Ethanol, which is a just a big-government scam.
He's for the SALT treaty, which will diminish the sovereignty of our nation.
He gave Obama credibility thru the Lugar-Obama disarmament thing.
There's much to be said for that, downtown indy. Whenever politicians hang around the State House or the nation's Capitol for too long of a period, they become too consumed with satisfying establishment thinking that they lose sight of what they set out to accomplish when they first entered politics.
I don't believe Mitch Daniels has appeared at any McCain-Palin events, either, has he? I would prefer him not serve in an Obama administration if only because I get sick by the thought of Mike Pence in the Senate.
I believe Mitch Daniels did appear with McCain at an earlier event this year in Indianapolis. There have been three appearances in recent weeks by Gov. Palin. Daniels did not appear at those events; however, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman was there and introduced Palin at some of those events. Some believe that this was done to appeal to female voters and help introduce Skillman to voters for her future aspirations since she has had a pretty low profile to date. I suspect Daniels will take in the Monday appearance, but I could be wrong.
Dick Lugar is a good man and has done more for Indiana then all of us combined ever will. So if anyone reaches across the aisle to accomplish something in your view they are a sell out?
Mitch has avoided Palin up until this week when the heat got turned up and I understand was involved down south. As far as Skillman having a future I presume you are kidding. I was at the Palin Rally in Noblesville and she was pretty lame.
And if Lugar did leave the Senate to join the administration good for him. Mike Pence would be a good replacement but I hear our man Mitch has his eye on that seat.
Peace
Dick Lugar = ethanol = starving people in Mexico.
Good man my foot.
You seem to forget that Sen. Lugar represents his constituents not all of which are conservatives. No representative of the people should be one way all the time, they should espouse the beliefs of all in their area of responsibility.
Let me say that I'm all for bipartisanship in foreign policy. Unfortunately, Sen. Obama and his fellow Democrats have been anything but bipartisan in their approach to foreign policy. My problem with Lugar and Obama is this obvious dance that has played out between them. Obama mentions Lugar in his announcement speech last year. He takes a trip with him. Brian Howey, Lugar's favorite mouthpiece, yacks about the Obama-Lugar ties non-stop for the past year and throws in entirely with Obama's campaign, to the point of damaging his credibility as an objective political analyst, leaving Ed Feigenbaum alone to do that. Lugar shows up in Obama ads. At every turn, Lugar takes action that can only be viewed as an attempt to give Obama foreign policy credibility he doesn't have. Now I hear this Howey crap about this sincere, professional relationship the two of them have developed. If Lugar claims to really know Obama, he's simply not telling the truth. I know people who worked with him for 8 years when he was in the Illinois legislature who still don't really understand the guy. The fact is that Lugar has spent relatively little time with Obama and doesn't have a clue what the man is really all about. Add to that the fact that Obama has spent more time campaigning for the presidency these past four years than conducting business as a senator. Lugar has not been afraid to speak out and criticize the Bush administration when he differs with it. That's good. McCain has done the same thing. I like that. The problem is that Lugar has never once objected to any of Obama's radical associations or reckless foreign policy pronouncements. Hell, even Biden and Hillary Clinton didn't shy away from that when they opposed him. This entire Obama-Lugar thing is entirely contrived and Lugar is obviously complict if not an explicit partner in it. I'm really curious what Rex Early thinks of all of this. I know his good friend reads this blog and keeps him updated on what I'm writing about. I hope he can hear some feedback from him.
Although a loyal Dem, I would welcome a Lugar appointment to the Obama cabinet...he has integrity and experience and is intelligent...
Let us make this simple.... Even the media don't think much about Luger... They wrote him off years ago as talking points no longer matched up with the real world and what was happening in it.
Hay people the Lugar-Obama bill was only a spending bill for $48 million. It took then a year to get it to the floor. Was passed on a voice vote. Then Lugar had to fight for six months to get the money released. Not what one would call a heavy weight bill. Also it included no mention and no money for nuclear warheads.
Even though I dislike Obama a great deal for having no character, lack of being open about his history, and throwing people under the bus when they no longer serve his need he has many around him who could as Sec. of State to a much better level.
You're overlooking the Bush Administration snubs of Lugar in the past 8 years. Maybe that's why he likes Obama, as Barack actually attempts to work with him. By the way, Obama's cynical use of Dick Lugar is brilliant hardball politics to win Indiana's 11 electoral votes. By the way, I think that's one reason why Obama inspires such dislike among conservatives: his campaign is very well run.
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