Aaron Schock Digs Himself into Even Deeper Hole

Capitolfax has been providing blow-by-blow coverage of Aaron Schock's foreign policy plane crash.

Coverage which, CapitolFax notes, Schock's hometown newspaper, the Peoria Journal Star, is either unwilling or unable to provide.

Whether driven by their obsessive hatred of Schock's predecessor, State Rep. Ricca Slone, or whether they've just been hypnotized by Schock's boyish charms, the PJS has treated the "Boy Wonder" with kid gloves since Day One. And so we wave farewell to a once well-respected mid-size daily that has fallen victim to corporate take-over and tossed its journalistic integrity aside.

Cliff's Notes on Controversy

For those of you who missed it, Schock launched his campaign for Congress by saying he would arm Tiawan with Pershing missiles aimed at mainland China. A move so provocative that most foreign policy experts -- heck, most people with a political science degree -- believe it could trigger WWIII.

At the same time, Schock is on-record as opposing legislation requiring the Illinois Pension Boards to divest from Iran, to place economic pressure on them to halt their nuclear program.

Cornered into offering an explanation for his hawkish bent, Schock offered this weak explanation to the Springfield State Journal Register's Bernie Schoenberg:

"I don't believe that state government ought to be getting involved in foreign policy....With each additional restriction that's placed on a pension fund in Illinois, it further prohibits those pension managers' ability to make wise decisions, to keep those pension systems solvent," Schock said.

As CapitolFax points out, Schock voted for an identical bill that called for divesting from Sudan in response to the genocide in Darfur.

Flip. Flop. Splash.

I hope Bernie Schoenberg calls Schock with a follow-up question.

I'm just old enough to remember the fight in the late 80's and early 90's to divest Illinois pension funds from South Africa, in response to apartheid. Glenn Poshard was in the Illinois Senate at the time, and if my memory serves me correctly, he cast what was then viewed as one of his most courageous votes to do so.

I'd love to know what Aaron Schock would have done.

Whoever wins the three-way GOP primary will face Democrat Dick Versace, former basketball coach at Bradley University.

Please, give us Schock.

P.S. Don't expect Schock's brash plans to go too far too quickly. As ArchPundit points out, the U.S. destroyed our last Pershing Missile in 1991. When Schock was ten. God help us though if he ever figures out which nukes we do have and has his fingers within a hundred miles of the button.