Following up on Matt Lewis' post about Sen. Sam Brownback's (R.-Kan.) intention to run for President in 2008, I thought I'd take this opportunity to remind our readers of an earlier piece I wrote about Brownback:

Brownback Can Kiss '08 Run Goodbye
by Robert B. Bluey — 03-27-2006 @ 09:46 PM

Don’t take Sen. Sam Brownback (R.-Kan.) seriously when he talks about running for President in 2008. Brownback’s vote today with Senate Democrats on an amnesty bill should put an end to any remote chance he had at the White House.

Brownback joined Republican Senators Arlen Specter (Pa.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Mike DeWine (Ohio) to move a Teddy Kennedy-endorsed immigration reform bill through the Judiciary Committee. I’m being generous by calling it “reform.”

The three other mavericks Brownback joined are no friends of conservatives, but Brownback is known as a strong pro-lifer who generally votes with the conservatives of his party. This vote is by far the most disappointing.

Here's an excerpt from Brownback's press release today:

TOPEKA, Kan. – Senator Sam Brownback today filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission establishing a presidential exploratory committee. Forming an exploratory committee is the first formal step to run for president of the United States.

“I have decided, after much prayerful consideration, to consider a bid for the Republican nomination for the presidency,” said Brownback. “There is a real need in our country to rebuild the family and renew our culture and there is a need for genuine conservatism and real compassion in the national discussion. I look forward to traveling the country to listen to Americans about the ideas and issues facing this great nation. I hope to raise the level of discussion about issues of life at home and abroad; renewed fiscal restraint, tax reform, and economic growth; and a vigorous yet compassionate and consistent foreign policy.”

Sam Brownback is the senior senator from Kansas, having succeeded Bob Dole in 1996 after serving in the House of Representatives. He was previously the youngest Kansas Secretary of Agriculture in Kansas, a White House Fellow, a broadcaster, a teacher, an attorney, and an author. Brownback was born and raised in Parker, Kansas, where his father and brother still farm and lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife Mary and their five children.

Brownback continued, “Ours is an exceptional nation united by our ideals. But we are a great nation because of our goodness. If we ever lose our goodness, we will surely lose our greatness. We have been given so much and should be hopeful for our future and thankful for the many blessings. But so much is required; we need a culture that encourages what is right and discourages what is wrong—and has the wisdom to understand the difference. But we can achieve much if we pick up the torch with courage, generosity, and realism. We must meet and fulfill the job we are called to accomplish and the time to act to insure our future as a nation is now.”