Skip-Links For This Issue:
#1--Gen. Petraeus Report
#2--Schumer: Iraq success "despite the surge"
#3--Fred Thompson's first week
#4--Inside look at new "Where's The Fence?" ad
#5--Fair Tax Rising with Huckabee?
#6--Ramos, Compean update

#1--Gen. Petraeus' Report
Gen. Petraeus has just made his long-awaited presentation to Congress on progress on the war in Iraq. As the Gen. stated in his letter to the troops, “we have achieved tactical momentum and wrested the initiative from our enemies in a number of areas of Iraq.” However, “we are … a long way from the goal line.” The picture he paints is not bleak but it is not rosy either. Clearly, there is much to sort through for members of Congress and the American people. Unfortunately, many liberals have taken to harsh, personal attacks on Petraeus. For example, MoveOn.org is calling him Gen. “Betray Us.”

Read Petraeus' letter to the military (.pdf)

#2--Schumer says Iraq success "despite the surge"
Last week, Sen. Schumer said the violence in Iraq went down “despite the surge,” and elaborated by saying it was “the inability of American soldiers” that caused warlords to take matters into their own hands. Of course, these comments were not covered by the mainstream media. No mention in New York Times. Go here to listen to Schumer's outrageous comments.

Also, Grassfire.org co-signed a letter from leading non-profit organizations condemning the ad-hominen attacks on Gen. Petraeus and our troops. We are inviting our team members to co-sign the letter. Go here to co-sign the letter.

#3--Fred Thompson's First Week
As I noted last week, Grassfire’s August Straw Poll indicated that conservatives favor Fred Thompson by a 2-to-1 margin over his nearest challenger. That means neither Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee or any other candidate was able to become the clear conservative choice during the first eight months of this year.

It is important to point out that the support indicated in the Grassfire poll was for the “potential” candidate Thompson. Now that Sen. Thompson is officially in the race, that potential support will either galvanize or quickly move to one of the longer running options. I like much of what I hear from Sen. Thompson, but he has much work to do to establish himself as the choice for conservatives. (Read more of my thoughts on Fred's first 24 hours on my blog.)

#4-- Inside look at new "Where's The Fence?"(tm) TV ad
Our staff is finalizing a new “Where’s The Fence?” TV ad which continues the powerful theme we launched at the height of the amnesty debate and reached ens of millions of people. This new ad calls out the President for only building 18 miles of fencing of the 843 miles promised in the Secure Fence Act. I believe it is the most powerful ad we have produced.

Here is the script along with a few screen captures. We will be releasing the ad first to our team members in a few days, targeting a full media campaign before the end of the month.

Grassfire.org
Where’s The Fence?(tm) Ad #3 -- Promises, Promises

Script:
(VO) Last year Congress authorized 854 miles of double-layer fencing along our southern border. But so far just a few miles have been built and it’s the wrong kind of fence.

(Lydia) They’re never gonna build that fence.

(VO) Now, border agents are being asked to volunteer to build the fence.

(Cherie) It’s certainly not a very good fence.

(VO) While Congress pushes more amnesty. Go to wheresthefence.com. Tell our leaders to stop playing games with our nation’s security.

(Lydia) Where’s the fence!

#5--Fair Tax making headway?
After listening to presentations from economists supporting the Fair Tax, Gov. Mike Huckabee decided to make the Fair Tax a key component of his platform. This is a significant step for the supporters of the Fair Tax. Huckabee is quickly becoming the dark horse candidate in the Republican presidential race. If his profile continues to rise, the Fair Tax as an issue could rise with him.

#6--Ramos, Compean video tribute
Finally, Patty Compean, wife of imprisoned border patrol agent Jose Compean, shared with us a video tribute created by her younger sister for the "Texas 4" who have been targeted by Johnny Sutton and others in the battle to stop illegal immigraiton. We continue to support these families and work toward the release of these agents. Go here to view the tribute, posted on Patty's FireSociety blog.

A--If you already have ITunes on your computers, click here.
B--Or, go here for complete instructions.

Thank you so much for the stand you are taking.