As I mentioned in this blog before, the Montana Democratic Party is an offensive machine that attacks and attacks their opponents. You don’t win elections playing defense – you lose. You win by going on the offense and putting the opponent on defense. I kind of admire the way they run their machine.

Recently they went on the offense against Congressman Denny Rehberg for a couple of junkets he’s taking this August recess, one to France and another one to Argentina, Brazil and Chile and all the while, Montana is burning like it does almost every August. The trips are proudly listed on Rehberg’s schedule.

Something that I’d like to point out after reading the article in the Washington Post is Rehberg’s trip to France is being led by two powerful democrats in the House, Rep. John Murtha and Rep. David Obey. Murtha and Obey are both leaders in the House Appropriations Committee, with Obey being the Chairman of the Full Appropriations Committee and Murtha being the Chairman of the House Defense Subcommittee. Rehberg is also a member of the House Appropriations committee – Montana’s only member on an Appropriations Committee. They went to France to take a look at how the money they appropriated for the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial had been spent. Maybe they should have asked for pictures instead?

The other part of Rehberg’s trip to Argentina, Brazil and Chile was said to help bring business to Montana as he took the Montana World Trade Center folks with him on a trade mission. I don’t really have a problem with that. I read where the trade center folks had to pay their own way. I believe if they would have gone with Max Baucus, they would have had to pay their way also. But Max has taken several junkets in his 28 years back there, so he may know some strings to pull.

So there you have it. Junkets are junkets are junkets no matter which political party does them. They approve the money to take the trips and that’s the way it is.