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Campaign Issues, News

(VOA News) Congress raises concerns about Russian democracy: A Congressional hearing on Russia last Thursday reverberated with concerns over the deteriorating state of democracy in the world's largest country. Meanwhile, the U.S. government says it will continue cooperating with the Kremlin wherever possible, but, at the same time, will continue to criticize Russia and defend U.S. principles, when necessary. ... Republican Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas says Russia's behavior in the international arena has been equally troubling. In a written statement, Brownback contends Moscow is seeking to intimidate its neighbors, particularly those that choose to pursue closer ties to the West. A U.S. presidential candidate, Brownback says he is alarmed by Russia's use of energy as a means to exert political pressure on its neighbors and worried about the political implications of European states being overly dependent on Russia's energy.

(McClatchy Newspapers) Brownback shifts gears on immigration legislation: A year ago, when Sen. Sam Brownback, the conservative Kansas Republican, co-sponsored legislation that would have allowed millions of illegal immigrants to seek U.S. citizenship, he was attacked as a liberal. This year he's running for president, and now liberals are attacking him for flip-flopping on immigration. ... Brownback and another of this year's Republican presidential candidates, Arizona Sen. John McCain, teamed last year with Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts to sponsor legislation to provide better border security and create a guest-worker program for 12 million illegal immigrants. Kennedy, who made his lone presidential bid 27 years ago, is among the sponsors of this year's bill. Brownback and McCain aren't. ... In a speech Wednesday on the Senate floor, he lamented the growing number of illegal immigrants in the nation, saying it's tripled to 12 million from 4 million in 1987. "Some people think that the solution is to grant undocumented immigrants amnesty : but that won't work," Brownback said.

(Des Moines Register) Brownback: Nominee must uphold party beliefs: Any Republican hoping to claim the party's presidential nomination and win the White House must satisfy both economic and social conservatives with a platform that matches the party's long-held beliefs, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback said Friday. "We can't win with only one," the Kansas Republican told about 50 supporters who crowded into his Iowa presidential campaign headquarters in West Des Moines. When the party abandons its traditional principles, he said, "we lose the country; we get fired." While not mentioning him by name, Brownback's comment appeared to be a jab at former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has endured criticism from within the party about his stand on abortion. Giuliani, one of the best-known candidates in the presidential field, has said he personally abhors abortion but believes the medical procedure should remain legal, with the decision of whether to undergo an abortion being left to individuals.

(Kansas City Star) Campaigning Brownback misses votes: The news Thursday was that three of four senators from Missouri and Kansas voted for the Iraq war funding bill. The fourth didn't vote against the bill. He didn't vote at all. The culprit? That's Sen.Sam Brownback, who was out campaigning in Iowa and missed one of the year's most significant votes. Turns out that the senator has skipped a whole lot of roll calls: In a Washington Post tabulation, he has missed just a mite short of a third of the votes this year. Of the 100 U.S. senators, Brownback has opted out of more votes than all but two. And one of those, Sen.Tim Johnson, a South Dakota Democrat, has been out because he suffered a brain hemorrhage last year and has not returned to the Senate. In all, Brownback has not made 58 of 101 votes. Not counting Johnson, the top four senators who missed votes have one thing in common - they're all running for president.

(All American Patriots) Brownback wins county straw poll: U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback secured a first-place straw poll win Tuesday night in Grundy County, Iowa, taking over 20 percent of the vote with 9 candidates on the ballot. Grundy County is in the 3rd Congressional District in Iowa and the straw poll was commissioned by the Grundy County Republican Central Committee.

_The Brownback Report will appear Monday through Friday. If you've seen a news story or other blog entry about the GOP presidential hopeful that we've missed, do let us know._