All The Beating Drums, The Celebration Guns

By Spencer Ackerman

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 605-08
July 16, 2008
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Vrooman, 28, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died Jul 15 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated while his unit was conducting combat operations in Kn'an, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany.

For more information media may contact the U.S. Army, Europe, public affairs office at 011-49-622.

Few House GOP donate to McCain

Few House GOP donate to McCain
By Alexander Bolton and Michael O’Brien
Posted: 07/16/08 08:01 PM [ET]

Few House Republicans have contributed to Sen. John McCain since he clinched the Republican nomination at the end of February.

McCain, Arizona’s senior senator, has had a far warmer reception in the upper chamber. At least 22 Senate colleagues have contributed to McCain’s campaign, including Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.), an Independent who attends Democratic caucus meetings.

Only 21 House Republicans have given to McCain from their personal campaign accounts since he became the presumptive GOP nominee four and a half months ago, according to an analysis of House fundraising reports made public Wednesday.
In addition, eleven House Republicans who did not give from their personal campaign accounts this year contributed from their leadership political action committees (PACs), according to fundraising reports covering the election cycle through the end of May.

So while nearly half the Senate GOP conference has given to McCain, less than 20 percent of House Republicans have pitched in.

Several of the highest-ranking Republicans in the House have yet to give to McCain. Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (Fla.) have not given anything, according to the most recent fundraising reports.

“Congressman Blunt is focused on retaking the House so John McCain has the Republican majority he needs to lead our nation. To that end, he has been putting his fundraising dollars to use supporting incumbents and strong challengers,” said Blunt spokesman Nick Simpson.

...

The last sentence in the excerpt I posted is hysterical. Taking the House back?