V24, N28 Thursday, March 28, 2019 Hoosiers & their profiles in courage In today’s uncertain times, a look back at what bold leadership in Indiana looks like By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – The pass- ing of U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh earlier this month has prompted wide scrutiny of his com- pelling General Assembly and congressional ca- reers. The latter included controversial stances on several issues, prompting thoughts about politi- cal courage, which is in U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh with Sen. Walter Mondale surveys the shooting scene at extremely short supply in Jackson State University during the height of the Vietnam War unrest. Gov. Oliver Washington, D.C., these P. Morton led Indiana during the Civil War. days. for President Lyndon Johnson’s combat buildup. In June of There was a chapter in Bayh’s career where he that year, Bayh had a phone call with President Johnson in had to reverse course on the Vietnam War. Bayh had voted for the Tonkin Gulf Resolution in 1964 that set the stage Continued on page 3 The Mueller report By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS – President Trump hasn’t read the report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Neither has Vice President Pence, U.S. Sen. Todd Young, nor anyone in the Indiana congressional delegation, or Congress for that “We have five weeks left to be matter. No one on “Fox & persuasive about what we prefer. Friends,” “Morning Joe,” Wolf Blitzer, Sean Hannity, the Wall This is not a one-day scenario.” Street Journal or the Washing- - Gov. Eric Holcomb, who ton Post or any member of the vast right/left wing conspiracies signed off on SB198 that have read the report. And no cleared the House, but says he one reading this has read it. We don’t know if Mueller’s will still seek a ‘list’ in a bias report is 50 pages or a thou- crime bill he would sign. sand-plus (Judge Andrew Napol- itano said on Fox News it’s more Page 2 than 700 pages). We don’t know the (husband of presidential adviser Kel- thrust of what Mueller gleaned from lyanne Conway and a frequent Trump what Wired has reported included: A critic) notes in a Washington Post team of 19 lawyers; 40 FBI agents, op-ed, “That’s a stunning thing for analysts, forensic accountants, and a prosecutor to say. Mueller didn’t other staff; more than 2,800 subpoe- have to say that. If his report doesn’t nas; nearly 500 search warrants; 230 exonerate the president, there must sets of communication records; details be something pretty damning in it from nearly 50 pen registers used to about him, even if it might not suffice track telephone calls; 13 requests of to prove a crime beyond a reasonable Howey Politics Indiana foreign governments and law enforce- doubt.” Once again, more speculation WWHowey Media, LLC ment agencies for additional evidence emanating from the tip of this legal 405 Massachusetts Ave., and interviews; along with around 500 iceberg. Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN witnesses. “In the 700 page summary of Beyond Mueller’s team the 2 million pages of raw evidence 46204 and Attorney General Robert Barr, there is undoubtedly some evidence www.howeypolitics.com Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein and DOJ of a conspiracy and some evidence staffers, no one knows what’s in the of obstruction of justice,” Napolitano Brian A. Howey, Publisher report, beyond Barr’s four-page memo told Fox Business’ Neil Cavuto. “Just Mark Schoeff Jr., Washington released on Sunday. The investigation not enough evidence.” took a little less than 22 months, and Here’s what we do know, Cam Carter, copy editor on Sunday all this was boiled down to which was succinctly stated by Colum- Joel Weyrauch, copy editor four-pages. bia University Prof. David J. Rothkopf: Mary Lou Howey, Editor What we do know is that “Trump publicly welcomed the sup- Jacob Curry, Statehouse Mueller determined that President port of an enemy, one with whom he Jack Howey, editor emeritus Trump, his family and the Trump had hidden financial ties, that enemy campaign did not collude with Russia worked to help get him elected and he to impact the 2016 presidential elec- rewarded them with a defense of their Subscriptions tion. For this snippet of HPI, HPI Daily Wire $599 knowledge, all Americans should be grateful. HPI Weekly, $350 Had Mueller Ray Volpe, Account Manager determined that the 317.602.3620 president was a knowing email: [email protected] asset of any government, let alone the Russians, it would have been the Contact HPI crime of the century, if [email protected] not the Millennium. The Howey’s cell: 317.506.0883 fact that anyone would ever have to entertain Washington: 202.256.5822 such a dire thought is a sad chapter in attacks on our democracy and with Business Office: 317.602.3620 our republic’s history. policy benefits no U.S. president had But declarations of “ex- offered before.” © 2019, Howey Politics oneration” by President Trump and Everything in that statement Indiana. All rights reserved. his team and supporters, and the we know to be true, from nominee hand-wringing of Trump enemies are Trump’s “Russia, are you listening?” Photocopying, Internet forward- all premature. The classic cliché here press conference in Florida back in ing, faxing or reproducing in would be the notion that the “devil is July 2016, to the determination of any form, whole or part, is a in the details.” U.S. intelligence agencies that the violation of federal law without Barr’s memo did touch on the Kremlin assaulted our election pro- permission from the publisher. obstruction issue, with Mueller saying cess, to Trump’s assertions in Helsinki his “report does not conclude that the that he believed President Putin over President committed a crime” but that authorities such as National Intelli- “it also does not exonerate him.” gence Director Dan Coats, the now-re- What does this mean? New vealed Trump quest to build a tower in York attorney George Conway III Moscow while seeking the presidency Page 3 which he had repeatedly denied during the campaign, ensure that it doesn’t happen again. to Trump’s unprecedented antagonistic behavior toward In an inert and gridlocked Washington, that really NATO, the European Union and our traditional best friends, should be the top priority between now and November Germany and the United Kingdom, all beyond Vladimir 2020. Putin’s wildest outcome dreams. So Americans now await the report, with DOJ On Monday, Sen. Young released a statement say- and Attorney General Barr saying it will be submitted to ing, “I have always said that Robert Mueller’s investigation Congress and the public within “weeks.” should run its course. With the investigation now com- Every American patriot should yearn for this report plete, it’s time to accept his findings and move on.” The to see the light of day. Like our understanding of the problem there is we don’t know what we are “moving on” universe, God and the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, from. the facts and analysis of what we don’t know are vastly Young adds, “There has clearly been Russian greater than what we do know. Once we have a much interference in our democratic process, and the Senate greater understanding of what happened in 2016 and Select Committee on Intelligence will continue its work to 2017, the better we will be prepared to act to ensure it better understand these threats.” That sentence presents a doesn’t repeat. vivid contrast with President Trump, who has downplayed Simply “moving on” without much greater knowl- Russian interference and has taken virtually no steps to edge would be reckless and irresponsible. v book with Ted Sorensen titled “Profiles In Courage” which Courage, from page 1 won a Pulitzer Prize. It was about eight senators who made daring decisions, sometimes with an unpopular vote which Bayh asked whether getting the support of Indiana or a reversal of a stance or policy. It featured John Quincy Gov. Roger Branigin would give LBJ some political cover. In Adams for breaking with the Federalist Party; Daniel Web- Johnson’s view, he wanted to wear down North Vietnam in ster’s endorsement of the Compromise of 1850; Missouri’s order to bring them to the bargaining table. In those early Thomas Hart Benson for sticking with the Democratic Party days, few realized it would be a futile effort that would despite his opposition to slavery; Sam Houston for speak- cost 58,000 American and millions of Vietnamese lives. ing against the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854; Edmund G. Three years later, Bayh visited the war zone and Ross of Kansas for voting for the impeachment acquittal found U.S. generals unable to describe how of President Andrew Johnson in 1865; Mississippi’s a “victory” could be achieved, and Bayh Lucius Lamar for eulogizing abolitionist Charles reversed course, joining Oregon Sen. Wayne Sumner; Nebraska’s George Norris for challenging Morse and Indiana Sen. Vance Hartke in op- the power of autocratic Speaker Joseph Gurney posing the war. This was just before the 1968 Cannon; and Ohio’s Robert A. Taft for criticizing Tet Offensive that invoked the word “quag- the Nuremburg Trials and the use of ex post facto mire.” laws. “I came to think we should never What would be Indiana examples of politi- have gotten involved in that war in the first cal courage? Here are a few raised by our contribu- place,” Bayh told Politico in 2009, saying of tors and readers: Johnson and Defense Sec.