ThinkRight AZ on hiatus 'til November 2008…see you then!

PolitickerAZ & Scarpinato have the details.

Arizona Republic's Matt Benson - Napolitano Defends Bee for DC Trip

AZ Daily Star's Scarpinato: Janet to the rescue

Governor Janet Napolitano sides with Bee; traveling to DC is part of the job.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            

February 26, 2008

Contact: Ryan Ducharme, Executive Vice President of Development

Phone: 480-643-0910

E-mail: Ryan@republicanprofessionals.org

9/11 WTC SURVIVOR TO HEADLINE REPUBLICAN PROFESSIONALS EVENT

(9/11 WTC Survivor Mark Finelli and AZ State Rep. Jonathan Paton to Speak About Their Iraq War Experiences)

SCOTTSDALE, AZ –Republican Professionals (RP) announced today that they will be hosting Mark Finelli, a 9/11 World Trade Center survivor who gave up a 6-figure job with Morgan Stanley to enlist in the Marines and fight in Iraq and AZ State Representative Jonathan Paton, a "rising star" in the Republican Party and Iraq war veteran. Both speakers will appear at the organization's upcoming March 6, 2008 free networking event at 6 Lounge in Scottsdale.

"We are pleased to have Mark Finelli speak at our event. He is a true American hero and the only 9/11 World Trade Center survivor to enlist in the marines and fight in Iraq. His story is an inspiring tale of honor, courage and steely leadership. It will be insightful to learn about his 'in the trenches' account of his experiences in Iraq and his assessment of the current situation," said RP President Charles A. Jensen.   

Mark Finelli has been a featured guest on Fox, CNN and "Hardball with Chris Mathews" on MSNBC. He's also appeared on popular radio programs, such as "The Sean Hannity Show" and been written about in major publications like Newsweek and National Review.
Finelli will also be appearing in a documentary by two-time Oscar winner and trooper supporter John Voight.

Jensen also expressed his enthusiasm for hosting Jonathan Paton, a popular member of the Arizona House of Representatives and Iraq war veteran: "Representative Paton is a gifted public speaker and admired public servant. We look forward to hearing about his background and recent experience in Iraq." (Paton volunteered for active duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from September of '06 until February '07.)

Doors open at 6:00 P.M. at 6 Lounge, a chic and atmospheric Scottsdale nightclub. Given the popularity of past events and limited space available, Republican Professionals highly encourages all interested in attending the March 6th event to RSVP at www.republicanprofessionals.org

Republican Professionals hosts its free networking events the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 P.M. at the Six Lounge in Scottsdale. Between 150 and 270 professionals consistently attend RP events. For more information about Republican Professionals, please contact Charles Jensen at 602-403-5535 or charles@republicanprofessionals.org

The purpose of Republican Professionals is to link like-minded professionals together in a monthly happy hour where they can network, socialize, and hear directly from prominent politicians and successful business leaders. Founded in the fall of 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona, Republican Professionals has already branched off to other cities across the nation.

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2008

Contact: Ann Seiden
(602) 334-8295

Arizona Chamber Suggests Ways to Weather Arizona's Budget Downturn and Avoid Future Storms

Comprehensive plan includes sound budgeting principles and suggested tools to restore the economy

PHOENIX - Today the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry released a comprehensive set of recommendations to address Arizona's current budget downturn. The document presents basic principles for sound state budgeting during times of both economic strength and weakness. It also identifies specific actions that could be taken to reduce the current budget deficit.

This year the Arizona Chamber assembled a fiscal task force to begin understanding and analyzing Arizona's budget. The task force met with fiscal experts from the JLBC and the executive branch to get a clear picture of Arizona's current economic situation. Their final report offers suggested guidance for legislators and the Executive when crafting solutions to eliminate the state deficit.

"We believe it's time to stop the bleeding. We must take action using all reasonable, available fiscal tools to correct Arizona's economic downtown. Having a healthy system of budgeting is critical to the success and growth of business in Arizona. For this reason, the Arizona Chamber feels an obligation to recommend ways to recover from the current situation and ensure we do not arrive here again," said Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

To address the immediate budget crisis, the Arizona Chamber recommends reducing non-essential expenditures. This includes following the Governor's directive to implement hiring freezes within state agencies and to defer non-essential capital projects. The Chamber's budget document suggests that some school capital construction may need to be delayed until fiscal year 2010. It also expresses given the magnitude of the current economic situation the Arizona Chamber believes debt financing for schools that need to be built in 2008 and 2009 is part of the solution. The instruments must be constitutional and designed so repayment occurs as soon as possible to minimize interest costs. Additionally, to close the budget gap the Arizona Chamber recommends distributing money from the Rainy Day Fund over the course of the economic downturn.

In addition to these suggestions, the Arizona Chamber calls for a focus on Arizona's competitiveness by improving the tax and regulatory climate. The Arizona Chamber budget document expressly calls for increasing revenues without raising taxes, which the Arizona Chamber believes would be especially harmful during an economic downturn. Reducing business taxes and providing incentives for new business investment in Arizona are among the specific recommendations.

Finally, the Arizona Chamber suggests a variety of tools to prevent future economic strife. One key recommendation is to require public notice when the legislature increases state expenditures by more than the prior year's budget and the combined percentage increase in the consumer price index and population of the state. Exceeding this spending limit should require approval in a separate resolution by the legislature and Governor. Other Chamber recommendations include reverse budget triggers, initiative reform, further privatization of some state activities, reform of the Students FIRST program, and the establishment of a statewide debt policy.

"Arizona's current budget situation presents an opportunity not only to find solutions for this short-term economic hurdle, but to put in place sound fiscal policies that will carry Arizona into a healthy future. The Arizona Chamber budget concepts document offers a comprehensive roadmap for tackling Arizona's budget and putting us back on sound fiscal footing. We look forward to working constructively with the legislature and Governor to make this happen," said Hamer.

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry budget recommendations document is available at: http://www.azchamber.com/pdfs/Arizona_Chamber_budget_recommendations_FINAL.pdf.   

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is committed to advancing Arizona's competitive position in the global economy by advocating free-market policies that stimulate economic growth and prosperity for all Arizonans.   

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 25, 2008

MEDIA CONTACTS

Andrew Wilder (602) 840-0385
Ryan Patmintra (202) 224-2206

Intelligence Community Unable to Monitor Terrorists

Kyl: "Every day that this law remains expired is ground we cede to our enemy on the battlefield."

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives recently allowed a law governing foreign intelligence surveillance to expire, seriously jeopardizing the nation's ability to monitor terrorist communications.  U.S. Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) released the following statement today:

"America is far less secure now than it was just this time last month.  In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, gaping holes in our ability to monitor terrorist activities were exposed, and Congress acted quickly to modernize our laws to ensure that our intelligence community could keep up with the way terrorists communicate.  Because Democratic House leaders allowed a previous law to lapse, U.S. intelligence agents now lack the authority to effectively monitor the communications of new foreign-terrorist targets, even when those terrorists are located overseas.  So long as a call is routed through a U.S. telecommunications network – which virtually all calls are these days because of changes in technology – U.S. agents now need to obtain a warrant in order to monitor a call between a Taliban chief in Pakistan and an al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan.  This is highly impractical and all but ensures that the bulk of such calls cannot be monitored.  

"U.S. intelligence agencies need to be allowed to monitor calls between foreign terrorists.  And Congress must protect the private companies who cooperate with our intelligence agencies to collect the information.  Allowing litigation against these companies not only will promote highly damaging leaks about terrorist surveillance programs; it also will ensure that U.S. agents will not receive full cooperation from the telecommunications companies they rely on for access to these calls.

"Over the last several years, congressional Democrats repeatedly stated that they want U.S. intelligence agencies to have full authority to monitor al Qaeda communications.  They argue that they simply want such surveillance to be conducted under statutory authority.  That authority is now granted by a bipartisan, Senate-passed bill, which provides statutory authority to monitor terrorists, and also provides ample oversight of U.S. intelligence activities.  House Democratic leaders have refused to even allow a vote on that bill.  The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 68 to 29 on February 12.

"I strongly urge House Democratic leaders to quickly take up consideration of the bipartisan, Senate-passed bill, and allow its members to register their support or opposition to the bill.  Every day that this law remains expired is ground we cede to our enemy on the battlefield.  In our war against radical Islamic terrorists, intelligence collection is our number one weapon against stopping attacks before they occur in the first place."

FISA, which was first enacted in 1978, created a court to oversee collection of foreign intelligence.  The law was amended after 9/11 to tear down the wall between criminal and intelligence investigations, and again in 2007 under the Protect America Act, to conform the legal procedures to the evolving technology of intelligence collection. 

Sen. Jon Kyl is the Senate Republican Whip and serves on the Senate Finance and Judiciary committees. Visit his website at www.kyl.senate.gov.

In case you missed Defense of Democracies' Terrorist surveillance bill ad, here it is.

& the official press release

Press Release

New Ad Urges Congress to Pass Law Needed to Monitor Terrorist Communications

Failure of House of Representatives to Act on Bipartisan Bill Endangers American Lives

Washington, D.C. (February 21, 2008) – Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, is calling on the US House of Representatives to pass a bi-partisan bill that will allow U.S. intelligence agencies to monitor communications between suspected terrorists outside of the United States. This national ad buy will be seen on cable and satellite stations throughout the country and is also seen locally in 17 media markets across the United States.

"Terrorists could be plotting a major attack now, but without this legislation, our intelligence agencies may not be able to listen in," said Clifford D. May, president of Defense of Democracies. "Regrettably, the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives has put our lives in more danger by playing politics with this bill."

Under the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House of Representatives refused to take up a bi-partisan Senate bill to close dangerous gaps in U.S. intelligence law, including critical surveillance authority that was due to lapse February 16. Instead, it left for a recess, leaving America's espionage capabilities severely weakened.

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell – a retired Vice Admiral in the Navy who served as Director of the National Security Agency under President Bill Clinton – says that the country is in "increased danger" as a result, and that the danger will increase "more and more as time goes on." DNI McConnell has further explained that before Congress acted to provide the surveillance authority that lapsed this weekend, the U.S. intelligence community "lost … about two-thirds of our capability" to collect information.

Andrew C. McCarthy, a former Federal terrorism prosecutor and director of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said: "The expiration of the Protect America Act has opened a huge gap in surveillance coverage. Previously, our intelligence agencies were permitted to collect foreign-to-foreign communications without restrictions. As of February 16, they must seek court authorization by proving probable-cause, a standard that is not required by the Constitution and will in many instances be impossible to meet. It is absurd to suggest that this huge drop-off in collection will have no impact on our security."

"Democrats and Republicans in the Senate joined together to pass a sensible intelligence reform bill that preserves essential surveillance authority. President Bush is prepared to sign it," added Cliff May. "Only the House of Representatives stands in the way."

Defense of Democracies is running ads calling on Democratic members of Congress to immediately reverse course and pass the bipartisan Senate bill restoring the full power of our intelligence agents to monitor overseas terrorist communications.

Defense of Democracies is affiliated with the non-profit, non-partisan Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a policy institute focused on defeating terrorism and promoting democratic values.

A transcript of the ad is below:

FINAL DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES TV: 30 – "MIDNIGHT-NATIONAL"

Midnight. February 16th.

The law that lets intelligence agencies intercept Al-Qaeda communications….expires.

Senate Democrats and Republicans vote overwhelmingly to extend terrorist surveillance.

But the House refuses to vote and instead….goes on vacation.

So new surveillance against terrorists … is crippled.

Tell the House of Representatives to do its job and pass the Senate's Terror Surveillance Bill… to keep us all safe.

In case you missed Defense of Democracies' Terrorist surveillance bill add, here it is.

& the official press release

Press Release

New Ad Urges Congress to Pass Law Needed to Monitor Terrorist Communications

Failure of House of Representatives to Act on Bipartisan Bill Endangers American Lives

Washington, D.C. (February 21, 2008) – Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, is calling on the US House of Representatives to pass a bi-partisan bill that will allow U.S. intelligence agencies to monitor communications between suspected terrorists outside of the United States. This national ad buy will be seen on cable and satellite stations throughout the country and is also seen locally in 17 media markets across the United States.

"Terrorists could be plotting a major attack now, but without this legislation, our intelligence agencies may not be able to listen in," said Clifford D. May, president of Defense of Democracies. "Regrettably, the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives has put our lives in more danger by playing politics with this bill."

Under the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House of Representatives refused to take up a bi-partisan Senate bill to close dangerous gaps in U.S. intelligence law, including critical surveillance authority that was due to lapse February 16. Instead, it left for a recess, leaving America's espionage capabilities severely weakened.

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell – a retired Vice Admiral in the Navy who served as Director of the National Security Agency under President Bill Clinton – says that the country is in "increased danger" as a result, and that the danger will increase "more and more as time goes on." DNI McConnell has further explained that before Congress acted to provide the surveillance authority that lapsed this weekend, the U.S. intelligence community "lost … about two-thirds of our capability" to collect information.

Andrew C. McCarthy, a former Federal terrorism prosecutor and director of the Center for Law and Counterterrorism at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said: "The expiration of the Protect America Act has opened a huge gap in surveillance coverage. Previously, our intelligence agencies were permitted to collect foreign-to-foreign communications without restrictions. As of February 16, they must seek court authorization by proving probable-cause, a standard that is not required by the Constitution and will in many instances be impossible to meet. It is absurd to suggest that this huge drop-off in collection will have no impact on our security."

"Democrats and Republicans in the Senate joined together to pass a sensible intelligence reform bill that preserves essential surveillance authority. President Bush is prepared to sign it," added Cliff May. "Only the House of Representatives stands in the way."

Defense of Democracies is running ads calling on Democratic members of Congress to immediately reverse course and pass the bipartisan Senate bill restoring the full power of our intelligence agents to monitor overseas terrorist communications.

Defense of Democracies is affiliated with the non-profit, non-partisan Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a policy institute focused on defeating terrorism and promoting democratic values.

A transcript of the ad is below:

FINAL DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES TV: 30 – "MIDNIGHT-NATIONAL"

Midnight. February 16th.

The law that lets intelligence agencies intercept Al-Qaeda communications….expires.

Senate Democrats and Republicans vote overwhelmingly to extend terrorist surveillance.

But the House refuses to vote and instead….goes on vacation.

So new surveillance against terrorists … is crippled.

Tell the House of Representatives to do its job and pass the Senate's Terror Surveillance Bill… to keep us all safe.

The figure on the left is a digital perspective view of Mount St. Helens as it appeared on September 22, 2003, one year before the start of its latest eruption, showing the 1980-86 lava dome and Crater Glacier. The figure on the right is a digital perspective view of Mount St. Helens on July 5, 2007 showing the new lava dome, 1980-86 lava dome, and deformed Crater Glacier.

More interesting video on the lava dome's growth in Mt. St. Helens…

Animation showing 3 year growth of St. Helens' lava dome

FAQ on St. Helens from the USGA

Bee legislation will ease education challenges for military children

(STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX) – Senate President Tim Bee, R-Tucson, has introduced legislation that will make it easier for military children to transfer and assimilate in a new school after a parent's transfer. Senate Bill 1334 creates an interstate compact on educational opportunity for military children to remove barriers to educational success during frequent moves.

"Most military children will switch schools an average of six to nine times," Bee said. "These transfers can be very stressful academically and psychologically. This compact will provide a comprehensive policy and a sense of consistency that they desperately need."

The interstate compact is an agreement between states to facilitate timely transfer of records, enrollment in classes, participation in extracurricular activities and on-time graduation. It will also provide for the uniform collection and sharing of information among participating states and promote coordination and flexibility between the education system, parents and students to achieve educational success.

The Council of State Governments' National Center for Interstate Compacts worked with the U.S. Department of Defense, educators and organizations that work with military families to draft the compact.

Twelve states that are home to the majority military families impacted have introduced similar legislation this year. The compact needs approval in 10 states before it takes effect.

For more information and background on the compact, go to the Council of State Governments' website: http://www.csg.org/programs/ncic/EducatingMilitaryChildrenCompact.aspx.

Background info: TR lived about 35 miles SW of Mt St Helens when it erupted back in 1980 (14 years old). One of my Tucson friends sent this to me & I'm always a sucker for a St. Helens' photo…

"Here is something not many of us get to see, unless you live near there - Mt. St. Helens at sunrise.

Mt. St.. Helens continues to spew ash, while it is forming a lava dome in the crater and still having minor tremors.

Here in this sunrise shot, she appears to be blowing smoke rings (and anything so benign is welcomed, given recent history).

What forms the "smoke rings" is the air flowing over the mountain getting pushed up higher as it goes up and over the top. The moisture content and initial temperature are just right so that the moisture
condenses from a vapor to small particles at the higher altitude. When the moving air moves past the peak and comes down again, the particles evaporate back to an invisible vapor.

The two "pancakes" describe that there are two layers of air for which this is happening, thus making this awesome picture possible."

Picture by Brent and Jan LeBaron

By KARL ROVE
February 21, 2008; Page A17

In campaigns, there are sometimes moments when candidates shift ground, causing the race to change dramatically. Tuesday night was one of those moments.

Hammered for the 10th contest in a row, Hillary Clinton toughened her attacks on Barack Obama, saying he was unready to be commander in chief and unable to back his inspiring words with a record of action and leadership.

John McCain also took on Mr. Obama, with the Arizona senator declaring he would oppose "eloquent but empty calls for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and a return to the false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy that trusts in government more than people."

Mr. McCain, too, raised questions about Mr. Obama's fitness to be commander in chief. Mr. McCain pointed to Mr. Obama's unnecessary sabre-rattling at an ally (Pakistan) while appeasing our adversaries (Iran and Syria). Mr. McCain also made it clear that reining in spending, which is a McCain strength and an Obama weakness, would be a key issue.

Mr. Obama had not been so effectively criticized before. In the Democratic contest, John Edwards and Mrs. Clinton were unwilling to confront him directly or in a manner that hurt him. Mr. McCain was rightly preoccupied by his own primary. On Tuesday night, things changed.

Perhaps in response to criticisms that have been building in recent days, Mr. Obama pivoted Tuesday from his usual incantations. He dropped the pretense of being a candidate of inspiring but undescribed "post-partisan" change. Until now, Mr. Obama has been making appeals to the center, saying, for example, that we are not red or blue states, but the United States. But in his Houston speech, he used the opportunity of 45 (long) minutes on national TV to advocate a distinctly non-centrist, even proudly left-wing, agenda. By doing so, he opened himself to new and damaging contrasts and lines of criticism.

Mr. McCain can now question Mr. Obama's promise to change Washington by working across party lines. Mr. Obama hasn't worked across party lines since coming to town. Was he a member of the "Gang of 14" that tried to find common ground between the parties on judicial nominations? Was Mr. Obama part of the bipartisan leadership that tackled other thorny issues like energy, immigration or terrorist surveillance legislation? No. Mr. Obama has been one of the most dependably partisan votes in the Senate.

Mrs. Clinton can do much more to draw attention to Mr. Obama's lack of achievements. She can agree with Mr. Obama's statement Tuesday night that change is difficult to achieve on health care, energy, poverty, schools and immigration -- and then question his failure to provide any leadership on these or other major issues since his arrival in the Senate. His failure to act, advocate or lead on what he now claims are his priorities may be her last chance to make a winning argument.

Mr. McCain gets a chance to question Mr. Obama's declaration he won't be beholden to lobbyists and special interests. After Mr. Obama's laundry list of agenda items on Tuesday night, Mr. McCain can ask why, if Mr. Obama rejects the influence of lobbyists, has he not broken with any lobbyists from the left fringe of the Democratic Party? Why is he doing their bidding on a range of issues? Perhaps because he occupies the same liberal territory as they do.

The truth is that Mr. Obama is unwilling to challenge special interests if they represent the financial and political muscle of the Democratic left. He says yes to the lobbyists of the AFL-CIO when they demand card-check legislation to take away the right of workers to have a secret ballot in unionization efforts, or when they oppose trade deals. He won't break with trial lawyers, even when they demand the ability to sue telecom companies that make it possible for intelligence agencies to intercept communications between terrorists abroad. And he is now going out of his way to proclaim fidelity to the educational unions. This is a disappointment since he'd earlier indicated an openness to education reform. Mr. Obama backs their agenda down the line, even calling for an end to testing, which is the only way parents can know with confidence whether their children are learning and their schools working.

These stands represent not just policy vulnerabilities, but also a real danger to Mr. Obama's credibility and authenticity. He cannot proclaim his goal is the end of influence for lobbies if the only influences he seeks to end are lobbies of the center and the right.

Unlike Bill Clinton in 1992, Mr. Obama is completely unwilling to confront the left wing of the Democratic Party, no matter how outrageous its demands, no matter how out of touch it might be with the American people. And Tuesday night, in a key moment in this race, he dropped the pretense that his was a centrist agenda. His agenda is the agenda of the Democratic left.

In recent days, courtesy of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Mr. Obama has invoked the Declaration of Independence, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Franklin Roosevelt to show the power of words. But there is a critical difference between Mr. Obama's rhetoric and that of Jefferson, King and FDR. In each instance, their words were used to advance large, specific purposes -- establishing a new nation based on inalienable rights; achieving equal rights and a color-blind society; giving people confidence to endure a Great Depression. For Mr. Obama, words are merely a means to hide a left-leaning agenda behind the cloak of centrist rhetoric. That garment has now been torn. As voters see what his agenda is, his opponents can now far more effectively question his authenticity, credibility, record and fitness to be leader of the free world.

The road to the presidency just got steeper for Barack Obama, and all because he pivoted on Tuesday night.

Mr. Rove is a former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush. Opinion from the Wall Street Journal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Your Tax Dollars at Work: Gabby's Chief of Staff Talks Impeachment

Gabby's taxpayer-funded staffer featured guest at far left group's impeachment meeting

TUCSON, AZ – Gabby Giffords' Chief of Staff Maura Policelli tonight will be the special guest at a meeting of the Tucson chapter of Democracy for America, a far left-wing activist group bent on seeing that President Bush and Vice President Cheney are impeached.

"There are real problems facing southern Arizona like border security, healthcare and education," Pima County Republican Party Chair Judi White said. "It's hard to believe that Congresswoman Giffords would dispatch her top aide to such a frivolous event."

According to the agenda posted on the group's Web site, Policelli will participate in a discussion over topics relating to impeachment, including H. RES. 799, a resolution calling for the impeachment of the Vice President introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich. [http://www.dfatucson.blogspot.com, http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c110:./temp/~c110ZuF128]

White expressed her dismay that a taxpayer-funded government employee would entertain the views of a group so far outside the mainstream of Congressional District 8.

"I realize that members of Congress and their staffs meet with constituents from all across the ideological spectrum," White said. "But I believe that all members of Congress, including Congresswoman Giffords, have a responsibility to ensure that their employees, whose salaries are paid with our tax dollars, are not meeting with a group like DFA that openly seeks to undermine the foundation of our democracy with its reckless pursuit of impeachment. The congresswoman should do the right thing and cancel Ms. Policelli's appearance."

The World Golf Championships – Match Play Tournament, in Marana, is underway in my backyard. Here are the updated scores.

The AZ Daily Star has an outstanding interactive guide of The Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana.

Wisconsin election results from the state

Washington State primary election results from the state

CQ Politics - Walker Resigning GAO Post To Lead New Public Policy Foundation

By David Clarke, CQ Staff

David M. Walker, the U.S. comptroller general and head of the Government Accountability Office, announced Friday that he will resign in March to lead a new foundation focused on long-term public policy challenges.

GAO serves as Congress' chief investigative and audit arm, probing waste and fraud in government programs and detailing the long-term budget problems facing the government. Walker has headed the agency, which has more than 3,100 employees and a budget of nearly $500 million, since November 1998. His 15 year-term was not set to end until 2013.

Walker, 56, has repeatedly warned that the government faces a long-term fiscal crisis as the baby-boom generation retires, driving up spending on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

He will continue to raise the alarm as president and chief executive of the newly established Peter G. Peterson Foundation, set up by the co-founder and senior chairman of The Blackstone Group, who served as Commerce secretary in the Nixon administration. Peterson has pledged to contribute at least $1 billion to the foundation.

"I have been around a very long time, and I have never seen so many simultaneous challenges that I would describe as undeniable, unsustainable and virtually untouchable politically," Peterson, 81, said in a release announcing the foundation.

Walker said in a news release that he could better address the long-range public policy issues that deeply concern him in his new role than as head of GAO.

"As Comptroller General of the United States and head of the GAO, there are real limitations on what I can do and say in connection with key public policy issues, especially issues that directly relate to GAO's client — the Congress," Walker said. "My new position will provide me with the ability and resources to more aggressively address a range of current and emerging challenges facing our country, including advocating specific policy solutions and courses of action."

The foundation will focus on budget issues such as the growing cost of major entitlement programs, health care, energy and education, as well as the proliferation of "nuclear warfare materials," according to the group's release.

As GAO chief, Walker has warned that the government is ignoring threats to the nation's long-term fiscal security.

"We're headed for unprecedented rough seas that could swamp the ship of state if we don't get serious soon," he told the Senate Budget Committee on Jan. 29.

Walker has been praised by lawmakers from both parties for his efforts to bring attention to the issue of long-term fiscal woes.

"David Walker has proven that one person can make a difference," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad , D-N.D., said in a release. "As Comptroller General for the last decade, he has been a tireless and effective advocate for the need to make our nation's long-term fiscal situation a priority."

Walker has been a regular on "The Fiscal Wake-Up Tour," organized by budget watchdog groups, which travels across the country in an attempt to bring attention to the government's budget woes.

The Concord Coalition will receive one of the foundation's first two grants for helping organize the tour. The other grant will go to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, founded by former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga. (1972-97), which works to prevent the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Walker also is set to make his big-screen debut.

Patrick Creadon, who was behind "Wordplay," the popular documentary on a crossword puzzle competition, has completed work on a documentary — titled I.O.U.S.A. — on debt and the government's long-term fiscal problems. Walker and the tour are featured in the documentary, which was screened last month at the Sundance Film Festival.

Walker is an accountant by training and was an executive at Arthur Andersen LLP before coming to GAO.