FRI—-DAY!  Congratulations for getting another week under your belt!

If this is your first time visiting The Western Word the “Caught My Eye” column is posted every Friday morning right here!  It’s where I take a quick look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week – and I often throw in a touch of sarcasm just to make you smile.  So, get ready to head into your weekend armed with knowledge and a smile.

Today I talk about the elite heading to Tampa, Fox News screwing up, Daines speaking, signing a bus, the 2016 presidential race, polls, Lance, Mariani, plus I peek inside my political inbox and share.  There’s a lot more so read on…

The Elite of the Elite:

According to this story, the Montana Republican Party is sending 46 people to the Republican National Convention in Tampa next week.  These people are the crème de la crème of the Montana GOP.

I wonder if reviewing campaign donation records of those attending was part of the selection process – you know – to ensure these people are not Republicans In Name Only (RINOs)…

Fox News:

The so-called “patriots” at Fox News should be ashamed.  CBS News reported yesterday, “One of the Navy SEALs involved in the killing of Osama bin Laden was compromised Thursday when his identity was revealed by a television network.”  The SEAL has written a book about the killing of Osama bin Laden.  He used a pseudonym, but CBS reported that the SEAL’s true name was disclosed by Fox News.

Shameful…

Daines Speaks:

The Associated Press reports, “Republican congressional candidate Steve Daines of Bozeman says he has a speaking role at the Republican National Convention next week.”

Daines’ announcement that he is speaking has gained him a lot of free publicity.  Congratulations.

Sign the Bus:

The Daily Caller reports, “On Monday, Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester unwittingly signed his name on the side of a diesel-fueled bus used by the American Energy Alliance (AEA), a free market energy group” which has ties to conservative groups.

OMG!  Now everyone will be nervous about signing a bus…

2016 Contenders:

According to the Des Moines Register, “Iowa’s national convention delegates often get a preview of the next cycle’s caucus campaign in the form of national party leaders who drop by for a visit.  Because of that, the Iowa Democratic Party’s list of expected speakers for the upcoming convention in Charlotte is bound to be of interest.”

And, guess who is scheduled to drop by?  Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer.  Schweitzer is scheduled to speak the same day as Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.  Gillibrand was listed as one of The Hill’s most beautiful people (top 10) in 2010.

I don’t think Schweitzer made any lists like that…

Jack’s Political Inbox:

Each week I receive hundreds of e-mails from candidates, elected officials, and/or groups (from all political parties) promoting a cause, many just hoping they get mentioned (in a kind and gentle way) on The Western Word website!  So I select a few that “Caught My Eye” and share them with my readers.  This week I picked four that I think you will enjoy…

-The Montana Republican Party sent me an e-mail with the subject, “Convention Watching Parties” in which they wrote, “Can’t make it to Tampa for the Republican National Convention?  Come join Romney/Ryan supporters in your area to watch Mitt accept the Republican nomination for President.  We have Convention Watching Parties all across the state!  Please join us at the Rehberg Victory Office nearest you!”  To entice me, they added, “The first ten people in the door at each party will receive a free Romney bumper sticker!”

To continue with the excitement after the Romney “Watching Parties” I heard they are going to let those attending watch some paint dry…

–Sandra Fluke, writing for the Obama Campaign, sent me an e-mail with the subject, “Legitimate rape” in which she writes, “There is a clear choice for women in this election: Stand with President Obama.”  She continues with “I entered this national debate on women’s rights in February, when, as a Georgetown Law student, I testified before members of Congress on the issue of contraception.  Without knowing me or my story, Rush Limbaugh called me a ‘slut’ and a ‘prostitute’ on his radio show.”

Name calling is not nice…

-The Montana Democrats sent me an e-mail with the subject, “Akin and Hill” in which they said, “You probably heard the news about Missouri Congressman Todd Akin’s disturbing comments about rape.  What you probably didn’t know is that Congressman Rick Hill shares some of Akin’s ideas about women’s health.”  They share a link to a video of Hill talking about abortion.  You can watch the video HERE.

Everyone is trying to align Akin to other Republicans and it may be working…

-The Rehberg for Senate campaign manager, Erik Iverson, sent an e-mail with the subject, “Vision” in which he writes, “Senator Tester sides with President Obama 95% of the time in Washington, and he says Obama ‘brings the kind of vision for this country that we need.’  But like most Montanans, you and I know that Obama and Tester’s ‘vision’ for America is too liberal, too dangerous, and they’ve got our country on the wrong track.”  You can watch the Rehberg campaign’s “Vision” commercial HERE.

The “sides with President Obama 95% of the time” is starting to get old.  Yawn…

Male/Female Voters:

According to Gallup, “Male voters currently prefer Mitt Romney over Barack Obama by an eight-percentage-point margin, while female voters prefer Obama over Romney by an identical eight points. These gender-gap figures, based on Gallup Daily tracking conducted July 30-Aug. 19, are virtually identical to what they were four months ago.”

I guess we won’t need to see Mitt Romney dressed up in hunting apparel this fall toting a shotgun and trying to make people believe he’s hunting pheasants in Iowa…

Lance Armstrong: “finished with this nonsense”

I don’t blame Lance Armstrong for giving up the fight – it would get old defending oneself when you never failed a drug test.  To me and millions of other people he will always be the seven-time Tour de France winner.  The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency personnel are simpletons.  Armstrong last won the Tour de France back in 2005 – it is now 2012 – and Armstrong is retired from competitive cycling.

Yesterday, Lance Armstrong issued a statement.  Here’s the opening paragraph:

There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, “Enough is enough.” For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999.  Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart’s unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense.

Did I mention that he’s never failed a drug test…

Marc Mariani:

My thoughts and prayers are with Montana native and former Montana Grizzly Marc Mariani who suffered a broken leg in an NFL preseason game last night.  It’s a big loss for the Tennessee Titans.

Get well soon!

One More Thing:

Don’t forget to stretch…