Hunter rejects pleas for last-minute primary run
Saturday, December 11th, 2021
Vice President Jack Hunter (R-MN) again ruled out his candidacy for the Republican nomination after several establishment conservative commentators called on him to run as a candidate who could unite the party against divisive frontrunner Alan Duke (R-OH).
"I am flattered to be sought-after, but I will under no circumstances be a candidate for President of the United States next year." Hunter told reporters after he and Second Lady Amy Hunter welcomed elementary schoolers on a tour of the vice president's official residence at Number One Observatory Circle in Washington.
The rapid implosion of Governor Ben Laurion (R-MI)'s campaign has left party leaders struggling to find a standard-bearer from among the seven other declared candidates for president who can unite the party against Duke. Following Laurion's withdrawal, only senators Ruth Norton-Stewart (R-OH) and Jasper Irving (R-IL) have been presumed to have a shot at the party's nomination: Norton-Stewart herself was once the frontrunner but was eclipsed by Duke after months of lackluster campaigning and careful outmaneuvering by the former Oklahoma senator, while Irving's shift towards the political center has caused him to be viewed as an apostate of sorts by the hardcore conservative base that provides the energy in campaigns and turns out in primaries.
Hunter, as the highest-ranking Republican official in the nation, and one who has studiously stayed out of party politics in recent years, appears to fit the bill in the minds of establishment Republicans and Republicans who fear the effects of a Duke nomination.
Hunter had publicly pledged not to seek the presidency after winning the vice presidency in a contingent election in 2019 after Democratic electors rebelled against President Sam Seaborn's running mate, Inksoft founder Franklin Hollis. He and Seaborn have had a "tense, but cordial" working relationship according to current and former White House staffers, but Hunter has repeatedly told political allies he would not consider running for the presidency until "at least 2026" when Seaborn will not be on the ballot.
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Saturday, December 11 2021
Former aide-de-camp: Barrie ordered falsified paperwork submitted to get medal
Gaffney, SC — A former aide-de-camp to Kentucky Governor Ed Barrie (R) alleges that the former Army Chief of Staff ordered him to falsify paperwork that would get him the Distinguished Combat Service Medal (DCSM) while he was serving under Barrie.
Retired lieutenant colonel Mark Wilkes, who has been given a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer, told reporters for ACN and the Charleston-based The Post and Courier that in 1991, then-brigadier general Barrie ordered Wilkes, at the time a first lieutenant, to submit falsified paperwork that would qualify him for the DCSM. Wilkes was told to submit a document that claimed to have been a "recently re-discovered" copy of an after-action report written in 1970 that depicted Barrie as having distinguished himself in combat aboard the U.S.S Brooke, a Navy frigate Barrie had been assigned during part of his service in the Vietnam War.
"The Brooke never saw any combat, never fired its guns," Wilkes said. "But it had been patrolling off the coast of Vietnam, and [Barrie] was a rising star in the Pentagon at the time. Nobody was going to look too closely to see if what was on paper matched up with the rest of [the Department of Defense]'s records."
Wilkes, who retired from the military in 2008 after a distinguished career including service in Bosnia and Equatorial Kundu, said he regretted what he did but kept quiet out of loyalty to Barrie. What changed his mind was the Department of Justice alleging that Operation Healing Honor, a veteran's charity Barrie co-founded in 2007, had been defrauding veterans and its donors out of thousands, if not millions of dollars. While Barrie himself has not been named in the investigation, his son Ed Jr., an executive with the organization, was arrested Wednesday on counts of fraud, embezzlement, and obstruction of justice. Four other employees of the organization have been charged with similar crimes.
"I'll go to my grave wondering if I could have done something to prevent his organization from stealing from all the poor men and women who needed help," Wilkes said. "It's the thing that keeps me up at night the most."
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Sunday, 12 December 2021
Indian PM Advani resigns to end political crisis
Indian Prime Minister Bijan Advani announced this morning that he would leave office after a decade in power, ending the political crisis within the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition.
Speaking to reporters, Advani said that the time had come for him to retire from "an active political role" and that he would seek a "less strenuous" role that would allow him to concentrate on "more spiritual matters."
"It is with great sadness that I will depart this role, and assume that of a political elder," Advani said. "It is my firm hope that my departure will end the current turmoil within the government, and allow it to continue in its constitutional duties."
The 71 year-old, who led his right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) back to power in 2011 had suffered a spell of political misfortune in his final year in office. The botched government response to a cholera outbreak in northern India shortly before the spring general elections led to his party being forced to rely on other members of the NDA for the first time since returning to power, a move that quickly chafed against Advani's autocratic management style.
The final straw came after BJP MPs and government ministers were caught attempting to cover up or downplay Advani's health problems after a series of high-profile incidents, including an emergency trip to hospital in October. The junior coalition members soon began openly speaking of leaving the government, potentially depriving the NDA of a majority and sparking the possibility of an opposition coalition coming to power. The prime minister himself became the main point of contention, with a sizable number of BJP members reportedly urging the prime minister to step aside to prevent the government's collapse and a roughly equal contingent came out strongly against such a move.
Advani's resignation will take effect once the party chooses his successor, expected to be sometime in the next week. Former prime minister Reva Achari Dharashiokar, the only living former prime minister of India and leader of the main faction within the BJP opposed to Advani, is expected to make a play for the party leadership as is Home Minister Prakash Goyal, who is widely seen as Advani's preferred successor.
