Friday, September 30, 2005
New York Times reporter Judith Miller released from jail
Click here to read more from the New York Times.
Click here to read Congressman Pence's statement on her release.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Pence speech: 'Another Time for Choosing'
Congressman Pence addressed the Young America's Foundation this week, calling on conservatives to reassert their advocacy of limited government and traditional values. You can read the full text of his speech on townhall.com.
Ft. Wayne News Sentinel endorses Operation Offset
Click here to read their editorial.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Human Events: ‘Small Government Conservative’ is Redundant
Click here to read the full story.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Pence to appear on The Sean Hannity Show today
Congressman Pence will appear on The Sean Hannity Show at 3:30 p.m. EDT to discuss the need for Congress to be fiscally responsible in providing funding for hurricane relief efforts.
Airtime information for The Sean Hannity Show follows:
Washington, D.C.: 3-6 p.m. EDT, AM 630 WMAL
Indianapolis: 3-6 p.m. Indiana Time, AM 1430 WXNT
Fort Wayne: 6-9 p.m. Indiana Time, AM 1190 WOWO
Richmond Pal-Item: 'Pence shows fiscal restraint'
Click here to read today's editorial in the Richmond Palladium Item.
Dick Armey endorses Operation Offset
Click here to read his op-ed in today's Washington Times.
Monday, September 26, 2005
The Weekly Standard covers Operation Offset
The current issue of The Weekly Standard has two pieces on Congressman Pence's call for fiscal responsibility in Hurricane relief funding. Click here and here to read them.
Pence article running in Human Events
Congressman Pence has a front-page article outlining his call for fiscal responsibility in hurricane relief funding in the current edition of the national conservative political weekly Human Events. Click here to read it.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Indianapolis and Anderson papers editorialize on 'Operation Offset'
Click on the following links to read the full editorials:
Indianapolis Star
Anderson Herald Bulletin
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: Find a Way to Pay for Katrina
Click here to read the editorial from today's paper.
House Conservatives Launch 'Operation Offset'
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
House Conservatives continue push for fiscal responsibility in Katrina relief
Monday, September 19, 2005
House conservatives to launch 'Operation Offset' this week
House conservatives this week will offer plans to pay for Hurricane Katrina relief and reconstruction efforts by finding savings in other areas of the federal budget. You can read more in today's Washington Times.
Stephen Moore looks at the GOP's Katrina response plan
Click here to read his op-ed running in today's Wall Street Journal.
Associated Press: House conservatives seek to offset Katrina spending
Washington Times: 'Hate-crime add-on to child-safety bill irks House GOP'
Click here to read the story.
Sylvia Smith examines Katrina's fallout
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette columnist Sylvia Smith analyzes the aftermath of Katrina.
Indy Star editorial: Pence 'pegged it right' on Katrina relief
Click here to read Saturday's editorial.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Pence to appear on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos
Congressman Pence will appear on This Week with George Stephanopoulos to discuss federal funding of Gulf Coast reconstruction. The program airs at the following times:
Sunday, September 18, 2005
9 AM - Washington
11 AM - Indianapolis
9:30 AM - South Bend
10:30 AM - Ft. Wayne
Pence Says Katrina Broke Hearts, But Must Not Break Bank
Congressman Pence expects Congress to meet the needs of the Gulf Coast, but also knows we must not pass the bill of reconstruction to our children and grandchildren.
Read more in today's New York Times.
Pence Calls for Offsets to Rebuild New Orleans
Following the President's speech in which he pledged unprecedented federal assistance to rebuild the Gulf Coast, many conservatives demanded fiscal discipline.
Read more in today's Wall Street Journal.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Pence to appear on Fox News' Big Story with John Gibson
Congressman Pence will appear on Fox News’ Big Story with John Gibson today at 5 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. Indiana Time) to discuss Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
Pence calls for Inspector General for hurricane relief effort
Read more in today's USA Today.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Pence Introduces Legislation to Crack Down on 'Home Pornographers'
You can read more from Family News In Focus.
Media Shield Law Update
The Washington Times and Miami Herald (subscription required) are both running op-eds today addressing Congressman Pence's proposed Free Flow of Information Act, or media shield law.
Monday, September 12, 2005
House Conservatives: Congress must find ways to pay for hurricane relief
Friday, September 09, 2005
Pence to Guest-Host 'The Greg Garrison Show' This Morning
Congressman Pence will be guest-hosting The Greg Garrison Show today from 9 a.m. to Noon Indiana Time on AM 1070 WIBC in Indianapolis. You can also listen live on WIBC's website.
Pence Calls for Fiscal Discipline in Hurricane Relief
Congressman Pence spoke on the House Floor yesterday, calling on Congress to exercise fiscal discipline in providing Hurrican relief aid. Click on the following links to read more:
Indianapolis Star
New York Times
Boston Globe
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Pence to Appear on World News Tonight
Congressman Pence will appear on ABC World News Tonight at 6:30 p.m. EDT (World News Tonight airs at 6:30 p.m. Indiana Time as well) to discuss emergency funding for the Hurricane relief effort.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Roll Call Endorses Media Shield Law
You can read today's editorial by clicking here (subscription required).
Pence Returns from Iraq
Congressman Pence returned yesterday from leading a Congressional Delegation trip to the Middle East and Iraq. Click here to view pictures from his trip. To read more about the trip, click on the following links:
Indianapolis Star
Muncie Star Press
Anderson Herald Bulletin
WISH TV Channel 8
Columbus Republic (subscription required)
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Two Days In Iraq
Our two days in Iraq began with a prayer and a brief reading from Psalm 91. After a short delay caused by an engine failure, we lifted off in the cargo hold of a C-130 aircraft filled with soldiers and materials returning to Operation Iraqi Freedom. On the faces of the soldiers we met aboard the aircraft, most of whom were returning from leave, was the evident anxiety of men returning to battle and sober determination. I overheard one soldier tell a colleague, “I’m here for my family, my kids and my grandkids…so they don’t have to deal with these guys.”
Upon arriving at Baghdad airport, we donned the helmets and body armor that would be our wardrobe for the duration of our stay and climbed aboard a Blackhawk helicopter, destination Phoenix Base, Green Zone, Baghdad.
The copters moved fast and low across the landscape of this city of several million. Different from my visit to Baghdad in 2004 when the streets were barren, the city sweeping past me below our helicopter was filled with people bustling about and large roads filled with traffic. The city of Baghdad is no longer the deserted war zone I saw before. Despite the violence of insurgents, Baghdad is alive again.
We landed at Phoenix Base in the Green Zone and attended meetings with the American Commander and the American Ambassador for situation reports. In our previous meetings in Qatar, the diplomatic and military authorities spoke of steady progress and a determined enemy, but there was no hint of defeatism or pessimism. As we learned of over 100 Iraqi Battalions deployed with American forces, schools, basic services, agriculture, one is left with the sense that our folks in Baghdad have a plan and are working the plan 24/7. As one soldier told me, “defeat the enemy, rebuild the country and give it back to the Iraqis.”
From our meetings with American leaders, we boarded our motorcade for meetings with the Prime Minister of Iraq and the Ministers of Defense and Interior, three of the most important leaders to the present and future of Iraq.
Prime Minister Jaafari greeted us in a formal setting and spent the first 15 minutes expressing the heartfelt condolences of the people of Iraq for the loss of life in Hurricane Katrina. He seemed most determined to convey that the insurgents engaged in violence do not represent the feelings of the people of Iraq. I asked him, “Who is the enemy?” and he replied with a litany referring to Beirut in 1983, 9-11, Sharm El Sheik, as all the work of “the terrorists.” He actually seemed slightly indignant about the question…as though anyone, with any common sense, would see that the enemy in Iraq is simply “terrorists.”
In our meetings with two government leaders, two moments stood out. The Minister of Interior, a studious, bearded man, said the greatest challenge he faced was “changing the culture of authoritarianism” that followed the repressive history of Iraq. As we walked out, he and I spoke further about this point and I was moved by his ambition for his people to live under a just system of law and not of men.
The other moment came when another Congressman asked the Minister of Defense, “what neighboring nation represents the greatest challenge to peace within Iraq” to which he replied, “all of them” then added, “Kuwait is ok.” It was an illuminating moment. I will never forget that this new Iraq is, with one exception, floating in a sea of authoritarian regimes with long histories of association with terror among their people and their governments.
Our helicopters set us down at ground zero for American forces in Baghdad: Camp Liberty-home of the legendary 3rd Infantry Division under the Command of General Mark O’Neill. As we learned earlier, most of the terrorist violence in Iraq is taking place in 4 of the 18 provinces...all 4 are in the area under the control of the 3rd ID. But Gen. O’Neill, a thick-necked warrior with the mind of a CEO, said, “Hey, it’s what we do sir and we’re glad to do it…we gotta stop these guys right here.”
After getting an update on action and progress, we headed to dinner with the troops including Evansville native Sgt. Dave Newland. Dave is part of force protection for the 3rd ID and is approaching 20 years and retirement but, from what he told me, there is no place he’d rather be. When I asked about the mission, he replied with a smile, “We need to be here sir.” We spoke of home, of his plans to move to Washington, Indiana and work for Crane. We spoke of the White Steamer, a diner in Washington, which turned out to be his Dad’s favorite stop and one of mine. For that time we were not what we are doing (soldier/congressman), we were just a couple of Hoosiers swappin’ stories from home. I told him everybody back home was praying and was proud and he said quietly, “I know that, sir.”
As our C-130 took off from Baghdad airport, I thought of the men of the 3rd ID. I thought of the mission. And I thought of Sgt. Dave Newland. By God’s grace does this nation still produce men like that.
Day two began at 3:30 a.m. as we headed for a day that would take us to four American bases in some of the most violent sectors of the “Sunni Triangle.” First stop, Camp Caldwell, near the Iranian border which is home to the 278th of Tennessee. We were the first delegation of elected officials to ever visit this base and the soldiers seemed delighted to see us…especially Tennessee Congressman Lincoln Davis. When Lincoln presented the command group with a coin bearing the US Capitol and spoke of the time when these Tennessee Vols would “be a’comin home,” there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
It being Labor Day, the base had a picnic going on for soldiers off duty, so we made our way over to throw horseshoes and listen to blue grass music. I asked one soldier after another, “What would Labor Day be without havin’ a bunch of politicians show up to spoil your picnic?!” While the atmosphere was festive, when I would ask “How ya doin?” or “How’s everybody back home holdin’ up?” one soldier after another would pause and get that far away look that you would expect from any soldier on a distant frontier. This unit has lost 12 men but defeated the enemy in every engagement. Their effort in training Iraqis has been so successful that their unit actually will not be replaced by American forces when they head home in a few months. Iraqis will take over Camp Caldwell. Mission Accomplished Tennessee.
Our Blackhawk helicopters and their Apache helicopter gunship escorts lifted off from Camp Caldwell at midday for the American airbase at Balad, another region of recent and intense insurgent activity. As we approached the base by air, I took note of a large column of black smoke billowing from the far end of the base. As we learned upon our arrival, at approximately 6 a.m. the base came under mortar attack by insurgents. While some equipment was damaged, as we learned later in the command center from a videotape replay, the enemy fared much worse.
Using our battlefield technology and real time intelligence, our forces identified where the mortar was fired and tracked 10 insurgents evacuating the area. With incredible precision, a hellfire missile scored a direct hit on the enemy as the eerie infrared video replay showed. The professionalism of these forces, young men and women who had to make split second decisions to save American lives, left most of us speechless.
We spent lunch with American soldiers in Balad at a huge mess hall while our colleague from Hawaii, Rep. Ed Case, held his own town hall meeting with the 29th National Guard out of Hawaii.
Our last stop of the day was Ramadi, the new home of the Anderson, Indiana based 138th Signal Battalion under the command of Captain Keith Paris of Marion, Indiana. Capt. Paris and Sgt. Matt Wright of Muncie met us at the landing zone and escorted us to the long, sand colored two story building that these Hoosiers will call home for the next year. Capt. Paris is a determined professional whose patriotism, love of family and God exude from every pore of his body. In a short briefing in his modest 12x12 headquarters office, he explained how A Company was actually supplying all the real time communications for the ongoing battle in Ramadi, a city of some 500,000, that is the provincial capital of the west and a Sunni elite dominated area. Their sandbag reinforced and camouflaged operations are smack dab in the middle of a bustling base filled with moving tanks, armored vehicles and soldiers…and they all depend with confidence on the 138th.
Sgt. Matt Wright of Muncie was an impressive young married man who actually told me that his wedding was to have occurred the day before I arrived, but when word came of his deployment to Iraq, he and his fiancée decided to move it up nine months to accommodate their devotion to each other and our nation.
As we moved throughout the area, I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and warmth of the men and women of the 138th. When I would ask, “Where’s home?” it made me proud to hear names of the places I represent…Muncie, Elwood, Anderson. After days of meeting soldiers from across our state and nation, it just felt good to be among the men and women that I serve as our journey came to a close.
I met Sgt. James Davis of Muncie at his duty station manning a critical communications node in a plywood shack. As I walked in, Sgt. Davis stood and greeted me with a hearty handshake. A powerful soldier, Sgt. Davis was a recruiter in Muncie when he was active duty and now is serving with the 138th in the war zone of Iraq. On his simple table, I saw a photograph of his beautiful wife and 3 children, all under the age of six, seated on the grass in the sunshine. It looked for all the world like a dozen pictures I have taken with my wife and 3 small children. The difference is, by the time you read this, I will be back with my family and Sgt. Davis will be on the frontier of the war on terror for yet another year. As I started to leave, Sgt. Davis said, “When I get home, I’m gonna tell everybody that Mike Pence leads from the front!” Sgt. Davis got that one wrong. Mike Pence only has the privilege of serving leaders...and one of them is named Sgt. James Davis.
On the way to the mess hall, we encountered a Marine unit of armored vehicles headed out for maneuvers. As we reached up and shook hands with one soldier after another, I heard a voice from atop a tank yell, “Hey, aren’t you gonna say hi to a fellow Hoosier?!” I looked up to see the broad smile of redheaded Cpl. Ty Cotton of Anderson, Indiana. He reached down and shook my hand as a voice cried out, “5 minutes!”… the time the unit would roll to its duties in Ramadi. I climbed up the side of the vehicle so we could talk over the din of engines and troop movements. He told me to say hello to his mom, Marla, back in Anderson and I told him I’d look in on her and tell her how good he looked. As the commanding officer yelled, “2 minutes!” I told him the folks back home were praying for him, proud and grateful for his service. As I climbed down the side of the combat vehicle, Ty smiled and said modestly, “Glad to do it, sir.”
Next we stopped by the base chapel, a tent surrounded by 12 feet of sandbags and modestly appointed with folding chairs and a few podiums. Capt. Paris, a man of faith, happily took us in and explained how “this place is always open.” May it ever be so. Wars are won in quiet places like this just as much as in the sound and fury of the battlefield.
On our way to the mess hall and dinner with the 138th, I spotted the real evidence of the presence of Hoosiers in Ramadi, Iraq…a heavily worn basketball goal tacked to the outside wall of the headquarters building. If that military HQ had been a barn, it would’ve almost been like home.
In the mess hall, the young men and women of the 138th joined me for dinner. I don’t know what I expected to find among these troops but what I did find was good spirits, high morale, fitness and a matter of fact attitude about the work ahead. I asked about the war and many spoke of steady progress, even in Ramadi. One soldier who had already seen a year in theatre said, “It’s gotten way better here in Ramadi from a year ago.” They were confident Americans doing a hard job in a hard place, but no complaints.
Mostly they wanted to ask about home. We talked about Indiana’s response to Hurricane Katrina. They were concerned about how the country was holding up after such a tragedy. In a war zone, working in 110-degree heat, sleeping behind sandbags and 8,000 miles from Mom, Dad, Wife and kids…and they were worried about us. Where do we get men and women like these?
As our Blackhawk helicopters lifted off from Ramadi, I watched the sun set over this desert encampment on the front lines of the war on terror and I felt humbled by the men and women I saw, especially the Hoosiers of the 138th. I scribbled the names of the men and women I met and purposed to pray for them and their families until they return home…victorious, safe and sound.
And I felt more confident than ever that this war is just, the battle against terror is vital and the enemy can and will be defeated here and now. I believe that not because of the armor, the firepower or the technology that swept beneath me as we passed over one base after another. I believe that because I have looked into the eyes of the men and women fighting this war at every level and their faith and courage has never and will never be defeated.
Rep. Mike Pence
Returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom
Saturday, September 03, 2005
A Visit to CENTCOM
CENTCOM: Doha, Qatar
After a five-hour flight in the belly of a military C-130, our delegation landed with a thump on the runway of Camp Al Sayliya, Doha, Qatar. This is the home of CENTCOM, General John Abizaid and thousands of American forces.
With temperatures in the early morning of 100 degrees, we made our way to the morning briefing and a private meeting with Gen. Abizaid, the Combatant Commander of U.S. Central Command in the 27 countries that comprise our military activities in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is the commanding officer of more than 200, 000 U.S. forces throughout the region and, with so many questions being raised back home about the war in Iraq, hearing from him is (as we say in Indiana) "getting it from the horses mouth."
In two consecutive and lengthy briefings, I found Gen. Abizaid professional and intense. He is also a man deeply committed to winning the war in Iraq and said, without hesitation or qualification, "we are winning the war." He noted that in four years of war, we have never lost a tactical battle and never lost so much as a platoon to this enemy.
While much of the information we gleaned was sensitive, I was able to confirm that in the past year more than 100 Iraqi Battalions have been trained and deployed in defense of their own country and, assuming we stay on schedule, nearly 100 more Iraqi Battalions of roughly 1,000 uniformed soldiers each will be deployed.
While some in the states call for solutions in Iraq ranging from withdrawal to a significant increase in troops, Gen. Abizaid was adamant that (1) he has all the troops he needs and if he needs more he will ask for them and (2) more U.S. forces in the region is not the answer anyway. This general explained that our strategy is to have Iraqi forces trained and deployed under the authority of a legitimate constitutional government.
The balance of our time in Qatar was spent with soldiers from our home states. I had the pleasure of dining with several MP's from Indiana, including Master Sergeant Mark Daulton of Anderson, Indiana, and Captain Chuck Yeager of Nashville, Indiana.
One after another expressed the pride and determination that Hoosiers would expect of our soldiers even as they spoke of the difficulty of time away from wives and children.
I told them how people back home would stop me on the street after they heard I was headed for the Middle East and make me promise to "tell our soldiers we are praying for 'em and we appreciate 'em." With those words, some pretty tough MP's and one politician needed a minute to regroup. In four years of traveling to visit our troops, I never fail to leave such occasions humbled by the sacrifice of these brave men and women and deeply grateful to serve such people in Washington.
It's 110 degrees and we are heading east on another C-130..
Rep. Mike Pence
CENTCOM
Doha, Qatar
Friday, September 02, 2005
Impressions of Egypt
EGYPT: As we fly on a C-130 out of Cairo, Egypt, my mind is filled with the sights and sounds of this ancient nation by the Nile River. Our day began with the sound of morning prayers that echoed off the river from which the baby Moses was drawn and resounded through the endless, sand-colored high-rise buildings that dominate this landscape.
But for the 4,500 year-old pyramids that stand sentry at the edge of the city, Cairo is a modern metropolis set in the harsh climate and realities of life on the fertile crescent.
Our official visit took us to meetings with a variety of ministers and generals associated with the government of President Mubarak. The president himself was not available to receive us since next Wednesday Egypt will hold the first national election in its history.
As many with whom we spoke insisted, the progress of democratic reforms in this one-ruler, one-party nation are in large measure due to the leadership the United States has provided in recent years.
We began our formal meetings by being received by the new ambassador to Egypt for Israel, Ambassador Shalom Cohen. While there is much work to be done and expected from Egypt in its relationship with Israel, the ambassador assured us that new and meaningful changes were occurring in the relationship between the two nations.
At present, Egypt receives more U.S. foreign aid than any other nation except Israel. Many of the military leaders with whom we met were well aware of my efforts in Congress to shift a portion of our military aid for Egypt to the much more urgent area of economic development and they made their case for continued aid with respectful candor.
For our part, in meetings with Egyptian leaders, I emphasized the critical role that Egypt will play in achieving long-term peace in the Middle East and the acceptance of constitutional governance in Iraq.
Since time immemorial, Egypt has been the leading nation in the Arab world and times have not changed. I said, again and again, if Egypt wants an even stronger relationship with the American people, it can achieve that by supporting peace in the Middle East, condemning terrorism and promoting democratic and economic reforms for its own people.
As we now make our way to CENTCOM in Qatar to begin a whirlwind tour of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I leave Egypt with a sense of the profound privilege of being able to represent the United States of America in meetings with the leaders of foreign nations and to be a voice for the values of the people of our country to a wider world. I also am left with the humbling gratitude of a small-town guy who grew up on Haw Creek, having the privilege of carrying that message to the banks of the Nile River.
Rep. Mike Pence
Katrina Update
President Bush is headed to the Gulf Coast region today to survey the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Click here to read more.
Scripps Howard Columnist: Media Shield Law Needed
Click here to read Dan K. Thomasson's argument for the passage of a federal media shield law.
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