When former Vice President Dick Cheney endorsed my reelection campaign, he said that the War on Terror is more than a contest of arms and more than a test of will; it’s also a battle of ideas.

Mike Lee is on the wrong side of that battle.

After the Soviet Union left Afghanistan, the West essentially abandoned the country. Afghanistan became a failed state, allowing the tyrants of the Taliban to take over. They, in turn, invited al Qaeda in, resulting in the creation of the training camps that bred the terror and violence that culminated in the 9/11 attacks in America and in other nations that claimed thousands of lives.

We must learn from history to protect Americans from another attack.

In case there was any doubt in anyone’s mind, Mike Lee’s social media director, Connor Boyack, made Mike’s position crystal clear in a Facebook post written on March 22, 2010, at 1:51 PM when he wrote:

“[Mike Lee] does not support the war on terror.”

Mike Lee’s campaign sees this as a positive thing, but in my mind, it is irresponsible; indeed, unconscionable. I have been to Afghanistan and spoken directly to those who are prosecuting the war and also to the soldiers who are on the front lines of the battle. I know their commitment to freedom and security for this nation. They would be shocked to hear their mission described as nothing more than “delivering meals on wheels.”

The world changed on 9/11. Mike Lee, unfortunately, did not.

We simply cannot abandon our efforts in Afghanistan and in the larger War on Terror, nor can we entrust someone with high office who so flippantly dismisses a dangerous threat.

Americans are tired of the so-called “change” our country has taken under the Obama administration. People across the country are angry and frustrated with the trillion dollar stimulus plan; the $2.5 trillion government takeover of health care; the creation of new government programs; and the spending that continues to add to our unsustainable national debt. Americans are strapped with new, burdensome taxes to pay for government programs that can be better carried out on a state level and through market forces. We need less government in our lives, not more.

I am working to repeal and replace Obamacare. Obama’s health care plan is the first step to a single-payer health care system and it will burden Americans with even more taxes. I have joined with Senator Jim DeMint and other colleagues to repeal this monstrous government takeover of health care.

During this challenging time in our country, we need leaders with solutions to our problems. I have those solutions. I have introduced legislation to rein in government spending and help pull us back from the brink of a fiscal catastrophe. My bill will cap mandatory spending; limit non-defense discretionary spending, and prevent the creation of any new entitlement programs. I also have a plan to fix Social Security, an entitlement program that Americans pay into without any assurances that they will receive benefits when they retire. My bill will save $4.3 trillion and ensure that your children and grandchildren will receive the same level of benefits that retirees do today without raising any taxes.

Americans are frustrated with the way Washington has been adding to the national debt, increasing taxes and expanding the size and scope of the government. I share in those frustrations. The Tea Party movement has played an important role in helping to shed a light on the direction the Obama administration wants to take this country, and I applaud their efforts.

Today marks the 145th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator who freed the slaves and held this nation together during its darkest hours. He also holds the distinction of being the first Republican President of the United States. As our party and our nation struggle to find their way, it’s appropriate to turn to Lincoln to help guide us through the significant challenges we face together.

Better than anyone, Lincoln understood that the United States of America is the only nation in the history of the world built on the foundation of an idea.

Other nations were born as accommodations to geography or ethnicity, but America began as the first colony to break away from its mother country and chart its own course. Our common heritage does not depend on bloodlines or titles, but rather on a shared set of core principles that define who we are as Americans.

And where do we find those principles? Well, the Declaration of Independence is a good place to start.

Jefferson identified certain “self-evident” truths: that our rights come from our Creator and not from our government, that government exists to solely protect those rights, and, most importantly, that all of us are equal before the law.

During the Civil War, we lost sight of that which is self-evident. To ensure that equality was more than just words on parchment, hundreds of thousands of Americans were slaughtered in the deadliest war we have ever fought. It was Lincoln’s Herculean task to turn that fractious and violent populace into “one nation, under God.”

So he went back to basics.

In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln reminded this nation of those first principles. This is a nation “conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Consequently, he reminded America that it is for “us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work” of reviving America with a “new birth of freedom.”

Lincoln’s tragic and untimely passing did not diminish the power or the prescience of his ideas. Today, with significant challenges both foreign and domestic, we need a “new birth of freedom” like never before.

Lincoln’s adherence to core American principles ensured that “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” did not “perish from the earth.” Like Lincoln, I remain an optimist. I don’t mean to trivialize the very real problems we face. But I believe that if we remember our past and our principles, we can then face the future “with malice toward none; with charity for all,” and ensure that America’s brightest days still lie ahead.

The Club for Growth recently sent out a new mailer with the title “ObamaCare vs. BennettCare.” With the exception of a new cover on the front, it’s virtually identical to a flyer they’ve been passing out at county conventions and Lincoln Day Dinners. There’s nothing new in this hit piece – they just keep recycling the same tired accusations that are misleading, manipulative, or patently false.

With regard to health care, I recommend that you read the nonpartisan, independent analysis of their claims at factcheck.org. They conclude that the claims against my health care proposal are “wrong” and “misleading.”

The Club for Growth repeats a number of their inflammatory claims that are based on half-truths or out-of-context statements. You can read my specific responses to them here.

They’re doing everything they can to distort my record; just last month, they spent $120,000 attacking me on every front. They don’t particularly care who the senator from Utah is; they just want to be able to prove that they can manipulate an election so they can raise more money nationally.

Utah voters are smarter than that.

To read more about the Club for Growth and the damage they have done to the GOP, I recommend that you read this thoughtful piece from conservative pundit David Frum, who published this piece in the most recent edition of Time Magazine.

I’m in the fight to repeal Obamacare and advance conservative principles in the United States Senate. I refuse to back down, despite the efforts of out-of-state special interest groups who play fast and loose with the facts.

The fight is now.

As I move around the state of Utah, the one constant I always hear from every corner is concern about federal spending and the national debt. People are angry about the out-of-control spending, and they have every right to be. We’re spending money that will have to be paid back by children who haven’t been born yet.

Are we facing a disaster? The answer is yes, unless we get federal spending under control.

The problem is that two thirds of our budget is spent on mandatory spending programs that are on autopilot – money for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and interest on the national debt is spent before Congress ever holds a single vote.

This year, all of the money we collect in tax revenue will go out the door to pay for these mandatory spending programs. That means all the functions of government – including 100% of our defense budget – will be paid for with borrowed money.

That’s completely unsustainable, and it has to stop.

I have a plan that I’ve presented to Congress. In fact, I’m the only candidate in this race who’s offering solutions to this problem instead of just slogans.

I’m in the fight to stop out-of-control federal spending, and I want to continue fighting for you in the United States Senate.

Because the fight is now.

I’ve prepared a short video message that explains my position on No Child Left Behind.

In 2001, when George W. Bush proposed his No Child Left Behind educational reform bill, it was wildly popular. Here in Utah, a congressional candidate by the name of Tim Bridgewater campaigned enthusiastically in support of it. In fact, only ten U.S. Senators were willing to vote against the bill.

I was one of them.

I opposed No Child Left Behind because it’s filled with federal mandates that burden Utah schools with the weight of Washington DC bureaucracy. The Obama administration doesn’t recognize that education is a state issue, not a federal one. Their decision to sneak a provision into Obamacare that would federalize all student loans is reflective of their warped educational priorities.

We need to fight to keep educational decisions in the hands of Utah educators, not Washington bureaucrats.

And the fight is now.

In a recent letter, the National Rifle Association officially endorsed my reelection efforts.

I’ve received the National Rifle Association’s endorsement in all of my previous reelection races, and I’m very grateful to have their support again this time around. The NRA is an important part of our national debate, and they reflect the principles and positions of millions of Americans throughout Utah and the nation.

The Second Amendment protects our individual right to keep and bear arms, and it needs to be protected. If you doubt that, just look at Great Britain.

It’s been over ten years since Great Britain completely banned handguns altogether. Since then, gun crimes in Britain have skyrocketed, rising 4.3% in 2008 alone.

There’s a cold and terrible logic to this.

People willing to use guns to commit crimes aren’t concerned at all about violating the ban. In fact, they’re reassured that their law-abiding victims will be forced to face them unarmed.

Recent deadly shootings throughout our country have renewed calls for stricter gun control laws. That ignores the fact that these tragedies have largely taken place in so-called “gun-free zones,” where nobody has the power to shoot back.

The Founding Fathers knew what they were doing. I will continue to support Second Amendment rights, and I am grateful that the National Rifle Association has recognized my efforts in this regard. If you would like to read the letter from the National Rifle Association, please follow this link.

With your help, I hope to continue my efforts to protect your Second Amendment rights in the United States Senate.

Today is the day you can make a difference.

Tonight, at 7:00 PM, your neighbors will be gathering in Precinct Caucus Meetings to choose delegates to the State Republican Convention. In anticipation of tonight’s caucus, I’ve prepared a short video message to encourage you to participate in your caucus meeting and express my appreciation for your support.

Out-of-state interest groups are trying to influence Utahns by distorting my conservative record. Click here for more information on my candidacy for the Senate. You can also learn more by watching video messages I have prepared about my position on a host of topics that may be discussed at your meetings tonight.

Click on the video below to learn more about my position on:

AFGHANISTAN

CAP AND TRADE

THE CLUB FOR GROWTH

EARMARKS

THE ECONOMY

FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC

HEALTH CARE – WHAT I’M FOR

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

OBAMACARE

SOCIAL SECURITY

SPENDING

TARP

TERM LIMITS

I urge you to attend your meeting and vote for state delegates who will be willing to support my reelection efforts. Click here to find your precinct location, or call my campaign office at (801) 328-4889 with any questions you may have.

We can get America back on track, but we need to work together to make that happen.

The fight is now.

An out-of-state group has been spending a lot of money to convince Utah that Bob Bennett is someone other than the man you know.

Their claims against Senator Bennett have been refuted by independent groups like the nonpartisan watchdog site FactCheck.org.

So let’s set the record straight.

You can follow this link to learn the truth about Senator Bennett’s record in the U.S. Senate, but here are the key facts:

Does Bob Bennett support Obamacare?

No! Bob has led the fight against Obamacare and opposes any big-government takeover of our health care system.

Does Bob Bennett support Obama’s spending?

No! Bob voted against Obama’s stimulus, against Obama’s auto bailout, and against all of Obama’s reckless spending bills.

Will Bob Bennett provide conservative solutions?

Yes! Bob is working to take control of runaway spending. He is fighting for free-market solutions that will get America back on track.

Don’t let out-of-state special interest groups from Washington, D.C. tell Utah what to think. Join Mitt Romney, Dick Cheney, Rob Bishop, Newt Gingrich, the National Rifle Association, and hundreds of mayors and county leaders throughout Utah and support Bob Bennett.

Support Senator Bennett as a delegate at the upcoming caucus meetings on March 23.

Sincerely,

The Bennett Election Committee

Let’s talk about earmarks.

Listening to some of my opponents, you would think that earmarks are the root of all that is evil in Washington D.C. But once you get past the rhetoric, you discover that those who mindlessly reject all earmarks would unwittingly forfeit Congress’s constitutional authority and give more power to the president.

In Utah, this has had devastating real-world consequences.

President Obama’s budget has removed the funding for the Ares and Constellation solid rocket programs. These programs, beyond providing thousands of jobs to people here in our state, are also vital to our space exploration plans and missile defense. By cutting funding for these programs, the president is compromising our national security.

To set it right, Congress must insist that the money now spent on other wasteful programs be redirected to Ares and Constellation instead.

In reality, that’s all an earmark is. It is a budget designation, not an addition. Eliminating earmarks would not decrease the federal budget by a single dime.  Instead, it would allow President Obama to decide how all taxpayer money is spent, not the Congress.

For my part, I am not willing to grant this president, or any president, more authority than the Constitution allows.

I’ve prepared a petition that outlines where I would cut the money out of the current budget – eliminating billions being spent on climate change studies, for instance – to restore the funding for these vital programs. Over the weekend, I proposed the petition at the Cache County Lincoln Day Dinner.

At that event, the petition garnered over 100 signatures, including Governor Gary Herbert and Cherilyn Eagar, one of my opponents. My other three opponents – Tim Bridgewater, Merrill Cook, and Mike Lee – refused to sign. Apparently, they are interested in scoring political points than they are in defending constitutional principles, protecting our national security, and preserving Utah jobs.

I invite you to join with me, along with Governor Herbert, Senator Orrin Hatch, Representative Rob Bishop, and others, in signing the petition to restore the funding for these vital programs.

We can’t afford to wait. The fight is now.