Gary Polland's Texas Conservative Review
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Volume I Number 8 - September 1, 2002


It's Time - Vice President Cheney &
Congressman DeLay Make the Case
To Take Out Saddam Hussein

Also this Week – A Look at Key Local Races / A State Budget Shortfall of $12 billion?


If you have been following the ongoing debate about whether or not to take out Saddam Hussein you may be wondering what America should do.

I, for one believe that the Administration, President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary Rumsfeld have made the case.

Vice President Cheney clearly made the case in two strong speeches recently. Here are some highlights:

"I am familiar with the arguments against taking action in the case of Saddam Hussein. Some concede that Saddam is evil, power hungry and a menace - but - until he crosses the threshold of actually possessing nuclear weapons, we should rule out any preemptive action. That logic seems to me to be deeply flawed. The argument comes down to this: Yes, Saddam is as dangerous as we say he is, we just need to let him get stronger before we do anything about it."

Tom DeLay - A Visionary Leader in Congress Also Made the Case

Tom DeLay in a recent speech called The Imperative for Action made a strong case for action against Saddam also.

"Many observers act as if threats from Saddam's regime are sudden, but his terrorist pedigree is long and fully documented."

"Under Saddam, Iraq is a terror state. In wars of aggression, Iraq used chemical weapons against its neighbors. Iraq invaded Kuwait, brutalized its people, sacked its cities and unleashed an ecological apocalypse as Saddam's army was driven out."

"He agreed to drop Iraq's entire nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons programs. He agreed to drop his long-range missile program. And he agreed to unconditional inspections under the Gulf War cease-fire agreement. But Saddam broke every promise."

"He didn't disarm. He harassed and denied access to UN inspectors whenever they approached the truth. He manufactured Anthrax. He made VX nerve gas."

"Over the past 30 years, Saddam's militarism has been a constant danger to Middle East Peace."

"And unless America stops him, Saddam will soon have weapons of mass destruction. Failure would immensely strengthen a vicious predator and would make the costs of overturning his regime far too high."

Saddam is aggressively marshaling Iraq's financial and technical resources to develop a nuclear weapon. What more do we need to know?

It's quite clear the case has been made. Every day we wait is another day that we are threatened. There is no reason to risk an attack on the U.S. - let's roll. America, the world and freedom will all be better off.

Georgia Gets it Right - Ousts Racist Democratic Representative Cynthia McKinney

Last week the Georgia Democratic primary had a wonderful result - the defeat of Cynthia McKinney for Congress. This big-time incumbent was probably one of the most racist, hostile leftist Democrats in Congress.

Just for fun, let's review some of her most outrageous statements - like suggesting President Bush withheld prior knowledge of the 9/11 terror attacks so his friend could profit, or that the U.S. today is a racist country.

One last outrage - she took $5500 in donations from donors affiliated with groups whose offices were recently searched for information about terrorist groups.

Consider how she was beaten - Georgia, like Texas, allows cross-over voting in primaries and Republicans felt in a strong Democratic district the best way to get rid of this "problem" was to beat her in the primary and they did.

An Update on Some Key Local Races

Reiser (R) v. Bell (D) - 25th CD - Tom Reiser is working hard in this "swing" district. If you've seen him lately you know his walking has an impact not only on voters but on his physique. This is a weird district. Chris Bell has not been seen too much which means he is assuming he can follow Ken Bentsen to an easy victory. Tom needs our money and help with a strong GOP turnout. Tom's tenacious campaigning makes this race winnable. Remember the easiest time to win a seat is when there is no incumbent. Contact the campaign at (713) 665-4280.

Wong (R) v. Danburg (D) - 134th HD - This race has become the battle of signs and spin. Danburg is throwing misinformation about Martha Wong's record and touting her seniority is irreplaceable. Martha will win this race if Republicans stand together and vote. Remember, Martha will cast the most important vote of the session - a vote for a GOP Speaker. Her campaign can be reached at (713) 965-9664.

Isbell (R) v. Garcia (D) - County Commissioner - Pct. 2. The race will test the HCRP theory that redistricting should have put more of a GOP tilt to this District. This is a barn burner of a race and Johnny Isbell's campaign has undergone some turnover among the professionals. A strong push by Tony Sanchez among Hispanics in the District could be a problem. This race will probably go down to the wire! Contact the Isbell campaign at (281) 487-5400 x 14.

Stafford (R) v. Whitehead (D) - County Attorney - After a strong primary victory and leadership on getting our speed limit back to 65 mph - Mike Stafford has taken over and is leading the county attorney's office into the 21st century. His opponent can personally finance his campaign but so far is not spending. Mike should be re-elected but one has to wonder how the turn out for state-wide Democratic candidates (if it works) will affect this race. Call the Mike Stafford campaign at (713) 227-2583.


Coming Soon: An Exclusive Interview with GOP U.S. Senate Candidate John Cornyn

The Latest Texas Polls Out 09/03/02

        From a survey ending 08/27/02:
  • Perry over Sanchez 42% to 25%
  • Cornyn over Kirk 37% to 32%
  • Dewhurst over Sharp 30% to 25%
  • Abbott over Watson 30% to 25%
  • Rylander over Akins 45% to 22%

Also just released, the Texas Medical Association Poll that has Perry over Sanchez 46% to 41%. The message of the polls is clear - we have a lot of work ahead of us between now & November.

One GOP State Senator Says $12 Billion Shortfall Coming to Texas - Could It Be True?

Remember back in the 1970s, Ronald Reagan said that one well-known GOP U.S. Senator was the tax collector for the welfare state. Now we have a version in Texas - Sen. Chris Harris (R) Arlington who recently said the 2003 legislature may face a $12 billion budget shortfall.

Fortunately, there are a few people in Austin who get it--beginning with Gov. Rick Perry and local State Representative Talmadge Heflin. They explained the shortfall as a "hoped-for" budget for our state bureaucracy, and not necessary spending.

As Governor Perry said, "I've done this before and I know that with the right type of leadership, the right type of focus, and the right type of budget planning, you don't need to raise taxes.

Representative Heflin also made it crystal clear: "There is no shortfall. There is no deficit. There will be a gap between what's requested and what's available to appropriate but it's always that way. The new money will be tighter this time unless the economy was to really pick up." Rep. Heflin closed with what I've often preached, "we will have to exercise some priorities."

One thing is clear, there are Republicans who share our common sense conservative philosophy and those who don't. Educate yourself so you know the difference.

About Your Editor

Gary Polland is a long time Republican spokesman, fund raiser, leader who just completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chair. During his time as Chairman, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events. For six years, Gary put out a bi-weekly newsletter which he has continued due to requests from many Republican activists.

The Texas Conservative Review is published as a public service by Gary Polland
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