delegation

Now if a Democrat did this the Republicans would be calling for a criminal investigation:

A congressional trip to Iraq this weekend was supposed to be a secret.

But the cat’s out of the bag now, thanks to a member of the House Intelligence Committee who broke an embargo via Twitter.

A delegation led by House Minority Leader John A. Boehner , R-Ohio, arrived in Iraq earlier today, and because of Rep. Peter Hoekstra , R-Mich., the entire world — or at least Twitter.com readers—now know they’re there.

“Just landed in Baghdad,” messaged Hoekstra, a former chairman of the Intelligence panel and now the ranking member, who is routinely entrusted to keep some of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets.

Before the delegation left Washington, they were advised to keep the trip to themselves for security reasons. A few media outlets, including Congressional Quarterly, learned about it, but agreed not to disclose anything until the delegation had left Iraq.

Nobody expected, though, that a lawmaker with such an extensive national security background would be the first to break the silence. And in such a big way.

Not only did Hoekstra reveal the existence of the lawmakers’ trip, but included details about their itinerary in updates posted every few hours on his Twitter page, until he suddenly stopped, for some reason, on Friday morning.

Wow – what an idiot. Perhaps it’s time to reexamine his security clearance credentials.

The blogosphere has been talking for days about McCain acting like he is President when it comes to the Georgia conflict. From having press conferences about the conflict, to sending a "delegation" to the embattled country, the media has acted like McCain was just doing the job of a candidate. No more. Today's Washington Post is finally taking note that McCain forgot who he really is - a candidate:

Standing behind a lectern in Michigan this week, with two trusted senators ready to do his bidding, John McCain seemed to forget for a moment that he was only running for president.

Asked about his tough rhetoric on the ongoing conflict in Georgia, McCain began: "If I may be so bold, there was another president . . ."

He caught himself and started again: "At one time, there was a president named Ronald Reagan who spoke very strongly about America's advocacy for democracy and freedom."

This has been another example of the so called "liberal media". When Obama spoke in Berlin, all the media outlets echoed the GOP talking point that "Obama was playing President". When McCain does the same, but in a situation that can have serious ramifications, the media goes silent. Perhaps now we will hear more about this.

Here's John McCain yesterday saying that "in the 21st century, nations don't invade other nations".

Interesting comment. I thought we invaded Iraq and Afghanistan in the 21st century. I guess it could be another senior moment.

Speaking of senior moments, here's a pop quiz. Who is President of the United States? Apparently McCain thinks he is. What the hell is with him sending a "delegation" to Georgia? He does not chair any committees in the Senate, so he is acting on his own. If Obama did this, the Republicans would be screaming that he is trying to undermine the duties of the President.

I agree with Howie, if the Republicans were smart they would dump McCain in St. Paul. This guy has no concept of the world, or even the duties (or lack there of) of being a candidate. He's a danger to this country, a danger that makes Dick Cheney look sane.