Madame Speaker, check your phone, hypocrisy is calling...

As you may have read, the CIA briefed four Congressional leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, on the controversial practice of waterboarding over five years ago. Pelosi did not object. Pelosi also knew about the CIA dentention centers, the "black sites" used to interrogate terrorists.

So, Madame Speaker, for four years you failed to mention the fact that you knew and had been briefed on waterboarding and our "secret prisons."

What could she have done you ask? Maybe what Jane Harman did. Harman replaced Pelosi as the committee's top Democrat in Jan. 2003. She filed a classified letter in Feb. 2003 in official protest of the program. But when Pelosi became Speaker of the House in 2006, Harman was quickly kicked out by Pelosi.

I wonder why?

Oprah says "Barack Obama is the one"

If you didn't watch her speech to introduce Obama in Iowa, you missed one hell of a speech. Oprah became a star because she knows what to say and how to say it. Her speech was inspiring and heartfelt. Women love Oprah because she is sincere and funny and down to earth. She even has the guts to say that she had voted for as many Republicans as she had Democrats. She believes in Obama, there is no doubt about that.

I'm not a fan of Oprah for many reasons, but I understand why millions of women love her. She's good. And she probably did more good for Obama in that one speech than in all the other campaigning he has done.

But then Obama spoke.

As you have seen here, I root for Obama for the Democratic nomination. Not because I want him to be President, I surely do not. He may be charismatic and smart, but he is as wrong on the issues as anyone can be.

But, a part of me is proud to see a black man being looked at seriously for President. I watched my parent's and my generation (both white and black) change everything for the black community. I watched the black community go from not being able to drink at the same water fountain as their fellow white Americans to this. To see a black American running for President and being a real contender, is heartwarming to me. I can't help it. And on top of that, he is running against the most corrupt political machine to ever grace the Democratic party, the Clintons. He may be wrong on the issues, but he is honest.

I admit it. I want him to win this nomination. Not only because it may make the Clintons go away for good, but because it is time for black Americans to understand that they have a stake in Presidential politics. Unlike Andrew Young, I dont believe Bill Clinton is as black as Obama. And I don't think most blacks believe that.

I wish Obama saw the real threat of terrorism. I wish he could see the good we have done in the Middle East. I wish he could understand the burden of being overtaxed. I wish he could care for the most vulnerable of our society, the unborn. I wish he could see the disaster universal healthcare would be.

I wish he was Republican.

No, Oprah, Obama is not the one to be President, but he may be the one to stop the Clintons.

And that may be the higher purpose he was born for.

Bill Clinton is every bit as black as Obama

This. Is. Appalling.

Andrew Young wants Obama to be President...in 2016. Why? Well, he says Bill Clinton is every bit as black as Obama, and if I hear him correctly on this tape, he says that Bill has "had more black women than Obama." Then he says "I'm just clowning." Riiight. How is Bill just as black? He suggested a "soul train" dance once and moonwalked while Hillary hiked up her skirt above her knees and boogied too. (I'm so sure) But the last bit in the clip is probably what is most disgusting. He thinks Hillary will be the one who stands up for black folk because look what she did with Bill. When all the bimbo eruptions were happening with Bill, she had her staff stifle them. Now that is standing by your man, according to Young. And if she can stand by her lying cheating husband, then how much more will she stand by the black folk?

Good grief.

via HotAir

The Mormon Question.

Politico suggests that although Mitt Romney's speech may be playing well on the news, not so much in Iowa:

"Romney takes risk with talk on faith," read the headline above David Lightman's syndicated story. The piece included significant skepticism about the political impact of Romney's speech. But worse for Mitt's camp, it included this key right under the story ended on page one:

"Learn more about Mormonism" (yes, it was in bold). On the back of the front section was a list of bullet points under "Beliefs of the Mormon Church." Naturally, included were all the key differences between the LDS church and mainline Christianity.

This is the problem I feared. Look, Mormons have strange beliefs to mainstream Christians. Romney would never have stated specific beliefs of the Mormon faith because he knows the impact. When Romney starting running for President I did research on Mormonism. I had known a bit about it because I had a babysitter for years that was a Mormon. Just to give you an idea of some of the beliefs that don't line up with mainline Christianity here are some I took from a site I won't link to:

To the Mormons, Jesus is the firstborn son of an exalted "man" who became the god of this world. The man-god of Mormonism was made the god of this world because of his good works on another planet somewhere out in the universe. He "earned" godhood, and was thus appointed by a counsel of gods in the heavens to his high position as the god of planet Earth. The Mormon god of this world was a man, like all men, who became a god. This is what the celestial marriage and the temple vows are all about. LDS men, by doing their temple work, are striving for exaltation by which they, too, shall one day become gods. Their wives will be the mother goddesses of "their" world and with their husband will produce the population of their world. This is the Mormon doctrine of "eternal progression."

For most of us we might say to ourselves, "Hmm.. that is strange," but evangelicals don't have the same vague sense of anti-Mormonism prejudice that some do. For them it's doctrinal. It is based on very specific theological disputes that can't be overcome by shared values or positions on social issues. To many evangelicals, Mormonism isn't just another religion. It's a cult.

I asked my babysitter about several things. I was told that elements of their worship were for worthy members only. In other words you have to share the faith to be given the opportunity to learn some of it, because you will not understand it otherwise. Mormons believe that they are the fully realized strain of Christianity--hence the "latter-day saints." They have extra-biblical works of scripture (such as the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants), that follow a series of prophets who claim to have received divine revelations. Beginning with Joseph Smith's vision of God and Jesus in 1820 in the woods near his home in western New York when he was 14 years old.

Maybe you can see why Mitt can't really talk specifics, but it gets a bit stranger. From Wikipedia about the Golden Plates:

The golden plates, also called the gold plates or the golden bible (an antiquated reference),[1] were a set of engraved plates, bound into a book, that Joseph Smith, Jr. said was his source material for the Book of Mormon, a scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement. Smith, the founder of that movement, said he obtained the plates on September 22, 1827 on Cumorah hill in Manchester, New York, where they were hidden in a buried box and protected by an angel named Moroni. After dictating a translation and obtaining signed statements by eleven other witnesses, he said he returned the plates to the angel in 1829.

According to the Book of Mormon, the golden plates were engraved by a pre-Columbian prophet-historian, from an early American civilization, named Mormon and his son Moroni (who after death protected the buried plates as the angel Moroni) in about the year 400 AD. These men said they had abridged earlier historical records from other sets of metal plates in a language they called "reformed Egyptian".[2] Part of the plates were said to have been sealed, and thus could not be translated. The golden plates are the most significant of a number of metallic plates important to Latter Day Saint history and theology.

Too bad he had to return the plates, it would be rather useful to see them now.

I'm not trying to make light of this. I am trying to illustrate why so many Christians will not vote for Romney no matter what.

Do I think these things are strange? Sure. But I have also been on the receiving end of strange. I've had friends and co-workers question my Catholic beliefs. For example, the belief of the real body and blood present in the Eucharist. I can see why some would find that strange.

So, for me, it isn't about what he believes doctrinally. I am not electing a priest or a pastor. As I have said before, Christ said "You will know a tree by it's fruit." Romney has proven to be a good man and a good leader. The strangeness of his faith does not detract from that for me.

But my opinion is not what matters. What I am trying to point here is that evangelicals make a large portion of our voting bloc. I think Mitt has been able to rise above it, so to speak, and get most in Iowa to see him for himself. But all it would take are more articles like the one mentioned above or a focus on the beliefs spelled out as I have, to make that all turn around rather quickly. Which is where Huckabee comes in. In Huckabee they see someone who shares their beliefs.

I think Huckabee might win Iowa. But he won't win the nomination. Romney will have to surge ahead in states that aren't so driven by evangelicals. Can he?

We shall see.

I'd be shocked....

..with kids these days, but nothing shocks me anymore, except Americans apathy to it all:

Some members of the Virginia Tech community were outraged on Thursday night after some pictures of a controversial Halloween costume were posted on the Internet. The pictures displayed on the social networking site Facebook showed two Penn State students dressed as the Virginia Tech shooting victims.

In the photos, the students are wearing Virginia Tech T-shirts, have bullet holes in their clothes and are wearing elaborate makeup.

God Bless the Candidate

Allah and the rest over at HotAir are horrified at Huckabee's recent talk of giving prayer and God credit for his recent rise in the polls.

Huckabee can credit God, but I blame libertarian type Republicans. The Southpark Republicans. It was Rudy all the way with them. They kept Rudy up in the polls and sang his praises every chance they got. The truth was that Rudy was as liberal as Hillary on social issues and that was unacceptable to religious conservatives. But since when did Southpark Republicans care about religious conservatives?

How did they expect the evangelical community to react? Rudy was as far left to them as Huckabee is as far religious right to the Southpark Republicans. Do you feel uncomfortable with Huckabee's talk of God and prayer? Well welcome to our world. This is how we felt every time Rudy opened his mouth.

Huckabee is, in my opinion, the religious right's way of saying "You try and push onto us a cheater, pro-gay rights, pro-abortion liberal and we will give you back what you don't feel comfortable with either, a praying, praising, evangelical Baptist minister. How does it feel to be on the receiving end guys???"

So it's time for us to stop bickering and fighting. It's time to forget the liberal Rudy and the evangelical Huckabee, and agree on someone who please us both in most ways. We are lucky to have three candidates that both sides of the Republican party can vote for in good conscience. Romney, McCain, and Thompson. None of them are perfect. No one ever will be. But they can bring us together. So let's decide. There is a storm coming named Hillary and we need our back up and our candidate strong with all of us behind him.

Let's get to it.

Mitt's Speech

NRO has excerpts.

"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adam's words: 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people.'

"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."
…
"When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A President must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."

The excerpts are nice. As a person of faith, I agree with everything I read. Perhaps we do need to be reminded of our common heritage. Perhaps we do need to be reminded that although we are free to reject faith, we are also free to embrace it and it is right and good for faith to be a part of our public life.

A thought...

I'm thinking Zombie should do a coffee table book of pictures called "Leftwing Loonies and How They Protest."

No one has a better collection.

via Ace

Prejudice is a problem

People in politics are well aware of "whispering" campaigns. They are things said under the radar that opponents hope will gain traction and ruin a candidate's chance at the nomination.

In a sense, there is a "whispering" campaign going on with Obama and Romney, but not by political opponents. I have longed been concerned about bias against Romney because of his Mormonism. I was shocked when asking many people I knew if they liked Romney, and they stated that they could never vote for a Mormon.

Likewise, I was surprised by the Democrats I knew who said that they supported Hillary over Obama, not because they liked her better, but because they did not believe that a black man could win the Presidency and they wanted to win.

So we are here in 2007 still letting prejudice, instead of character define who we want to lead this country.

Candidates Update

Huckabee doesn't know what NIE is or it's update on Iran.

Good Morning America will have a story on Huckabee freeing a murderer.

Romney still strong in New Hampshire, but he forgot to fire the company who hired illegals from last year. Here is what Hugh Hewitt has to say about that:

The illegal immigrant yard worker story is of zero consequence to voters. Romney's 60 and on the road running for president. Ann Romney's on the campaign trail as well.. The kids are grown and gone. Romney ordered the company not to employ illegals. It did so anyway and he fired the company when informed of it. Trying to make that a big story is simply laughable, and the fact that the Globe staked out the Romney home for three months tells a lot of center-right voters just how invested in beating Romney the left wing agenda journalists at the Globe --and elsewhere-- are.

That isn't his biggest problem. It seems there is more political bias against Mormons than blacks or women.

Fred Thompson doesn't have confidence in our intelligence capabilities.

1st attack ad on Hillary from the left

This is an attack ad? Please.

They need some help from the Koskids I think.

via HotAir

War Funding

Senators McCain & Lieberman today in the Union Leader:

...make no mistake. Despite the progress we have achieved this year, there is no cause for complacency. Just as we have managed to turn failure into success in 2007, we can likewise turn success back into failure in 2008, if we are not careful.

As Brig. Gen. Joe Fil, the commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, recently put it, al-Qaida in Iraq is now off balance, but they will come swinging back at us, if we give them the chance.

That is why Congress' failure to fund our troops is so profoundly reckless.

Amid all the buzz about the primaries, we cannot forget the important work of our military.

It's time for the Democrats to stop playing politics and send a war funding bill that Pres. Bush will sign.

via NRO

McCain on MTV

I just finished watching it. These forums are being held on college campuses. They are presented in real time with questions from the audience and from online.

The questions were surprisingly thoughtful and didn't seem the kind that just want to "get" a candidate. I think McCain did really well and so did the kids. He got a pretty good rating from them.

I think these kinds of different forums are good. But honestly, most of those in the MTV audience will not be voting so it may just be a waste of time.

MaryKatharine has some pics and was there.

This just in from the Clinton Campaign...

The Clinton campaign has discovered a disturbing past in Obama. It seems 2 little girls from 2nd grade have confirmed that Obama pushed them off the swings during recess in the summer of 1968.

Unlike the bruising and tears, the girl's (now women, of course) mental anguish have not disappeared.

This blow comes hours after the revelation from the Clinton staff that Obama's kindergarten essay was titled: "I want to be President" which obviously proves he has planned this journey to the White House about 2 years before Hillary did:

Asked if Obama has a character problem, she said, "It's beginning to look a lot like that. You know, it really is."

That last quote IS an actual quote and the part about the kindergarten essay is true as well. Sometime you really can't make this stuff up.

Clinton says Obama has a character problem? How can they seriously say things like that with straight faces?

BREAKING! This just in, The Clinton Campaign has also discovered the rough draft of a book Obama wrote in 6th grade called "The Audacity of Junior High."

The Gay Police

The young man above is Ben Johnson, the state chairman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans. The Gay Police decided that their gaydar caught him speeding in the stereotype lane and proceeded to issue tickets.

Got to love the gay humor over at Wonkette.

All this tolerance being thrown around on the left side of the web caused Ben to write a letter to college Republicans to set the record straight (so to speak). He's not gay and he is much to young to realize how venomous the left side is, seeing how he is taking it in stride. I don't think he realizes that they are probably going through his garbage as I write, looking for ManLove magazine. He just leaves this little dig:

On a small side note, I find it strange that the ever so tolerant and accepting-of-all-lifestyles-Left have no problems calling me every gay-bashing offensive name in the book. Guess it just goes to prove that nothing is offensive or intolerant so long as your insulting a Republican. But none of it bothers me. If I am not hated by the Democrats, I am not doing my job.

Maybe he does understand the mentality over there.

Good News all around...

Michael Totten says things in Iraq are looking good.

Ohio State and LSU will play in the BCS game.

GUEAX TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obama!

Yes, I know it's advice from Karl Rove, but he does have a track record for winning, so listen up! (It's subscription, so I will copy heavily)

First, stop acting like a vitamin-deficient Adlai Stevenson. Striking a pose of being high-minded and too pure will not work. Americans want to see you scrapping and fighting for the job, not in a mean or ugly way but in a forceful and straightforward way.

Hillary may come over as calculating and shifty but she looks in control. You, on the other hand, often come over as weak and ineffectual. In some debates, you do not even look at her when disagreeing with her, making it look as if you are afraid of her. She offers you openings time and again but you do not take advantage of them. Sharpen your attacks and make them more precise.

Take the exchange in the Philadelphia debate about Bill and Hillary keeping documents hidden about her role as first lady in his White House. She was evasive. You spoke next. You would have won a big victory if you had turned to her and said: “Senator, with all due respect, you and your husband could release those documents right now if you wanted to. Your failure to do so raises questions among a lot of Americans about what you’re hiding and those questions would hurt our party if you were our nominee.” But your response was weak as dirty dishwater. Do not let other great opportunities pass by.

Second, focus on the fact that many Democrats have real doubts about Hillary. They worry she cannot win, will be a drag on the ticket and that if she got to the White House it would be a disaster. You know better than most what they are worried about; they have told you their fears. It is why you have done so well raising money from Bill’s backers and gaining support from Clinton administration officials. Talk about those doubts. Put them in a bigger context than just the two of you. Remind primary voters that these shortcomings will hurt Democratic chances.

The third is to not pick fights where she has the upper hand, like foreign policy.

The fourth was to not give garbled responses, like you did on drivers license for illegals. Don't look as calculating as she does.

The fifth is to explain fully what kind of change you represent.

The sixth is not let her get away with complaining about being picked on. To be President one has to be tough. People don't like her sense of entitlement. Bring her down a notch with humor.

He ends with this:

Hillary comes across as cold, distant and conspiracy-minded, more like Richard Nixon than her sunny, charming husband. During the Clinton presidency she oversaw a disaster (the effort to sell Hillarycare) and argued hard against welfare reform, one of the promises on which he had campaigned. She is a hard-nosed competitor with a tough and seasoned staff.

But her record is weak, her personality off-putting and her support thin. If she wins the nomination it will be because her rivals – namely you – were weak when you confronted her and could not look her in the eye when you did. She is beatable but you have to raise your game. Iowa is your great chance for a breakthrough. Win it convincingly and you can build on it in the contests that follow. Lose it and victory becomes much more difficult.

Must. Banish. Mental. Image.

Eloise Harper reports: Sen. Hillary Clinton, speaking at Bettendorf, Iowa, trying to Iowans to caucus for her, explained to the crowd that she wants to be with them so that she can win Iowa in November 2008.
"I want a long term relationship," she said. "I don't want to just have a one night stand with all of you."

Also, in a very telling statement about Hillary: (emphasis mine)

"I have been for months on the receiving end of rather consistent attacks -- but now the fun part starts," Clinton said.

The fun part?? She just can't wait to attack. She lives for it.

"We're into the last month and we're going to start drawing blood (ok, I made the blood part up, she said "the contrast," but we all know that's what she meant) because I want every Iowan to have accurate information when they make their decisions."

Obama didn't let the fun part go either:

"This presidential campaign isn't about attacking people for fun," Obama's statement said, "it's about solving people's problems, like ending this war and creating a universal health care system. Washington insiders might think throwing mud is fun, but the American people are looking for leadership that can unite this country around a common purpose, and that's what I'll continue to offer in this campaign."

I think Obama is finally understanding what he is up against.

Romney will address the Mormon issue

From the AP:

Romney will deliver a speech called "Faith in America" at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, on Thursday, outlining his religious beliefs and how they might impact his administration.

The thing that ticks me off is that journalists feel free to ask personal religious questions to candidates like Romney, Huckabee, or McCain, but never seem to find that same curiosity when questioning the Democratic candidates. Even though Obama and Hillary regularly speak at Churches touting their faith.

I can guarentee you that if Romney gets the nomination reporters will ask all kinds of questions about Mormonism, but Obama or Hillary will never be asked questions about their faith.

I don't think Romney needs to explain anything about his faith. I don't think most people care one way or another, and the ones who have decided that it's a "cult," will not have their minds changed. But there is a difference between explaining his faith and discussing his faith. It's always nice for someone to talk about his beliefs and what they mean to him. I hope Romney will be discussing and not explaining.

The only thing that bothers me about candidates is when they claim faith, but live in a such a way that is hypocritical to that faith (see Rudy and the Clintons). But that is clearly not the case with Romney. He lives his faith.

I noticed in the YouTube debate that he didn't seem comfortable discussing religion. My feeling is that comes from a northeast mentality where faith is very personal and not discussed in a political forum.

In the South, people and candidates tend to embrace their faith as a big part of who they are. They freely discuss it. Romney needs to understand this a bit more before South Carolina.

Is a Vote For Huckabee a Vote for Rudy?

I think so.

From The Telegraph:

Rudolph Giuliani, the Republican frontrunner, and Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor now surging up the party’s rankings, are pursuing an unofficial non-aggression pact as they try to knock rivals out of the race for the presidential nomination.

More:

Advisors to Mr Giuliani told The Sunday Telegraph that they were deliberately refraining from public criticism of Mr Huckabee, despite his increasing popularity, in the hope that he can derail their mutual rivals, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson.

I can see why Rudy is refraining from public criticism, but why would Huckabee refrain from bashing Rudy? Could it be a V.P spot that is mentioned in the article?

If it is, then that makes me sick. It would show me that Huckabee is more interested in power than in doing what is right.

Do they think that Huckabee on a Giuliani ticket would "religion" it up? Would Huckabee make the Rudy nomination easier to swallow for religious conservatives?

Uhhh...no.

It would only make me lose all respect for Huckabee.

The Difference Between Michelle Malkin and Most of Us

Yes, she is young and beautiful, but that isn't what I am talking about.

I was watching Michelle on Fox News yesterday discussing the CNN/YouTube debate and the questioners that were plants and it occurred to me that the one word to describe her is tenacious.

Whereas most of us get angry/disgusted/frustrated over the MSM's bias and sometimes outright lies to the American people, we don't do much about it.

Michelle does.

She has a pit bill mentality when it comes to lies. She will not let go until Cable news at least acknowledges the error.

Sometimes I watch her on the news and just smile. She sits there all petite and pretty but just simmering with indignation.

How many stories over these past few years has she hammered and hammered until finally, the news network picked them? Too many to count.

I think of Michelle as our watchdog. No one is getting past her. Don't even try. She never backs down. She will dig and dig into a story until the truth is finally uncovered.

I realized that I feel better about politics with Michelle out there. I can rest in the knowledge that the left can no longer get away with lies, spin, and subterfuge.

Cheers to our beautiful watchdog.

The McCain Endorsement

Here is it is from The Union Leader:

On Jan. 8, New Hampshire Republicans will make one of the most important choices for their party and nation in the history of our presidential primary. Their choice ought to be John McCain.

We don't agree with him on every issue. We disagree with him strongly on campaign finance reform. What is most compelling about McCain, however, is that his record, his character, and his courage show him to be the most trustworthy, competent, and conservative of all those seeking the nomination. Simply put, McCain can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water.

Competence, courage, and conviction are enormously important for our next President to possess. No one has a better understanding of U.S. interests and dangers right now than does McCain. He was right on the mistakes made by the Bush administration in prosecuting the Islamic terrorist war in Iraq and he is being proved right on the way forward both there and worldwide.

McCain is pro-life. Always has been. He fights against special-interest and pork-barrel spending, and high spending in general, which ticks off liberals and many in the GOP who have wallowed at the public trough. Yet he also has the proven ability, unique among the contenders, to work across the political divide that has led our government into petty bickering when important problems need to be solved.

We have known John McCain for many years. We will write more about him in the days ahead. For now, we leave you with this to ponder:

When McCain was shot down and taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese, he was repeatedly beaten. When his captors discovered that his father was a top U.S. admiral, they ordered him released for propaganda purposes. But McCain refused, insisting that longer-held prisoners be released before him. So they beat him some more. He never gave in then, and he won't give in to our enemies now.

John McCain is the man to lead America.

In case you missed it, why I think he is the only one who can beat Hillary.

Another good argument.

Here's an idea....

“If the Republican Party really wanted to hold on to the White House in 2009, it's pretty clear what it would do. It would grit its teeth, swallow its doubts and nominate a ticket of John McCain for president and Mike Huckabee for vice president -- and president-in-waiting.”

UPDATE: Drudge doesn't have a link yet, but he is reporting this:

SOURCE: New Hampshire UNION LEADER Endorsing McCain tomorrow... Developing...

Could McCain be the comeback kid? I get all tingly just thinking about it.

Seriously, McCain needs a big time speech on immigration reform. One where he assures us that border control will be a high priority, along with strict enforcement of laws on the books.

Rudy's scandals. This is just the beginning

A report posted on Politico.com Wednesday said that at the time when Giuliani was beginning an extramarital relationship with Judith Nathan, who eventually became his third wife, he billed obscure city agencies thousands of dollars for his police security detail covering trips to visit Nathan.

But Giuliani insists that everything was done in the open, “honestly, honorably, above board.”

At the link Giuliani sits down with Kati Couric to discuss the issue. First let me ask, is anyone else bothered by that first sentence? I mean when a story about a Presidential candidate begins with an "extramarital relationship" and that's not even the scandal, you have to wonder what so many Republicans are thinking supporting this man.

Katie asks Rudy if this story, which broke right before the last debate, threw him a bit during the debate. But the important part of this interview is the last sentence:

Couric: Did it throw you at all during the debate?

Giuliani: No, I don’t think so; go look at the debate.

Couric: Well some have said they didn’t think it was your best debate.

Giuliani: I think it was a good debate. I think I did a really good job.

Couric: You didn’t really answer the question. You think it won’t matter in terms of the election itself - this story?

Giuliani: Of course not. I mean there’ll be 100 more stories … and we’ll see.

And that is the problem my friends, there will be 100 more "stories." Even Rudy knows that.

Economic Prosperity

Yeah, we got it.

via Redstate

The embryonic stem cell debate is over?

That's what Charles Krauthammer says:

A decade ago, Thomson was the first to isolate human embryonic stem cells. Last week, he (and Japan's Shinya Yamanaka) announced one of the great scientific breakthroughs since the discovery of DNA: an embryo-free way to produce genetically matched stem cells.
Even a scientist who cares not a whit about the morality of embryo destruction will adopt this technique because it is so simple and powerful. The embryonic stem cell debate is over.

Which allows a bit of reflection on the storm that has raged ever since the August 2001 announcement of President Bush's stem cell policy. The verdict is clear: Rarely has a president -- so vilified for a moral stance -- been so thoroughly vindicated.

More:

History will look at Bush's 2001 speech and be surprised how balanced and measured it was, how much respect it gave to the other side. Read it.

And finally:

That Holy Grail has now been achieved. Largely because of the genius of Thomson and Yamanaka. And also because of the astonishing good fortune that nature requires only four injected genes to turn an ordinary adult skin cell into a magical stem cell that can become bone or brain or heart or liver.

But for one more reason as well. Because the moral disquiet that James Thomson always felt -- and that George Bush forced the country to confront -- helped lead him and others to find some ethically neutral way to produce stem cells. Providence then saw to it that the technique be so elegant and beautiful that scientific reasons alone will now incline even the most willful researchers to leave the human embryo alone.

The Helen Thomas Show

In case you missed this White House briefing: (Q is Helen Thomas)

Q Why should we depend on him?

MS. PERINO: Because he is the commander on the ground, Helen. He's the one who is making sure that the situation is moving —

Q You mean how many more people we kill?

MS. PERINO: Helen, I find it really unfortunate that you use your front row position, bestowed upon you by your colleagues, to make such statements. This is a — it is an honor and a privilege to be in the briefing room, and to suggest that we, at the United States, are killing innocent people is just absurd and very offensive.

Q Do you know how many we have since the start of this war?

MS. PERINO: How many — we are going after the enemy, Helen. To the extent that any innocent Iraqis have been killed, we have expressed regret for it.

Q Oh, regret. It doesn't bring back a life.

MS. PERINO: Helen, we are in a war zone, and our military works extremely hard to make sure that everyone has the opportunity for liberty and freedom and democracy, and that is exactly what they are doing.
I'm going to move on.

The latest poll from New Hampshire

via Powerline.

I just have this feeling that a different candidate is going to be winning a different state for the first four states. It wouldn't surprise me if Huckabee won Iowa, Romney or McCain won New Hampshire and Rudy wins Florida. Crazy. It will be interesting to watch.

In other hopeful news, Obama moves into first in Iowa.

"Workers Held Hostage At Clinton Office In N.H."

(WBZ) ROCHESTER, N.H. A man is holding at least two people hostage at the presidential campaign office for Sen. Hillary Clinton in Rochester, New Hampshire. A woman was released just a short time ago.

WBZ has learned he walked into the office with some sort of device strapped to him, claiming it was a bomb.

State Police said the man released a mother and a child from the office, but is holding others.

A young woman carrying an infant ran into a nearby store in tears, saying she had been in the campaign office when a man walked in, opened his coat and showed them a what looked like a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape. She said the man let her and her child go.

There are reports from the scene that the hostage taker is demanding to speak with Senator Clinton.

They have evacuated Edwards and Obama's offices as well since they are nearby.

Hillary is not there, she is in Washington. Her campaign is keeping an eye on the situation.

Crazy people in this world. Let's send up some prayers for those in the office.

The Amazing Race of Mike Huckabee

Check out this latest Iowa poll:

The average of all the polls have Romney at 26.8. It has Huckabee at 24.2. And Giuliani at 12.8.

Considering how much money Romney has poured into Iowa, this is astonishing.

How is this happening? It's pretty simple really. When it comes to his Christianity, Huckabee is the real deal. Naturally being a minister helps, but Huckabee is not afraid to talk the language of faith. As he did here in the YouTube debate:

Sure. I believe the Bible is exactly what it is. It's the word of revelation to us from God himself.

And the fact is that when people ask do we believe all of it, you either believe it or you don't believe it. But in the greater sense, I think what the question tried to make us feel like was that, well, if you believe the part that says "Go and pluck out your eye," well, none of us believe that we ought to go pluck out our eye. That obviously is allegorical.

But the Bible has some messages that nobody really can confuse and really not left up to interpretation. "Love your neighbor as yourself."
And 'as much as you've done it to the least of these brethren, you've done it unto Me.' Until we get those simple, real easy things right, I'm not sure we ought to spend a whole lot of time fighting over the other parts that are a little bit complicated.

And as the only person here on the stage with a theology degree, there are parts of it I don't fully comprehend and understand, because the Bible is a revelation of an infinite God, and no finite person is ever going to fully understand it. If they do, their god is too small.

Compared to Romney's uncomfortable answer and Giuliani's convoluted answer, Huckabee's answer was flawless. It was exactly what most of us Christians believe.

While we don't want a theocracy by any stretch of the imagination, we do want a President of faith. Mainly because we who are Christians understand how important that is in our own lives. We understand how it guides us to be moral and good. It stengthens us when we are weak. It comforts us when we are in despair. It teaches us love, honesty, compassion, and forgiveness. We know all these things would help a President who needs these qualities to lead this country.

For example, if Nixon or Clinton had leaned on faith, they may not have committed the immoral acts they did during their Presidency. If we are a prayerful person we tend to avoid lying and cheating. So you can see why Christians would want a Christian in the White House. Not to impose our beliefs, but to live our beliefs.

Huckabee seems to be taking away Christian support from Romney in Iowa. I think the more independent minded will split between Giuliani and McCain.

If Huckabee wins Iowa, and that is a possibility now, then this will be the most interesting primary in recent history.

It will be an amazing race.

Imagine This

Imagine if the Democratic YouTube debate had had a planted Republican conservative questioner. Peggy Noonan paints us a picture.

I will never forget that breathtaking moment when, in the CNN/YouTube debate earlier this fall, the woman from Ohio held up a picture and said, "Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama, Mr. Edwards, this is a human fetus. Given a few more months, it will be a baby you could hold in your arms. You all say you're 'for the children.' I would ask you to look America in the eye and tell us how you can support laws to end this life. Thank you."
They were momentarily nonplussed, then awkwardly struggled to answer, to regain lost high ground. One of them, John Edwards I think, finally criticizing the woman for being "manipulative," using "hot images" and indulging in "the politics of personal destruction." The woman then stood in the audience for her follow up. "I beg your pardon, but the literal politics of personal destruction--of destroying a person--is what you stand for."

Imagine the Democrat candidate's faces! No one ever confronts them this way on what is a serious issue in today's world. How can we stand for children if we allow them to be destroyed at a rate of 4000 a day? They support laws that takes the lives of our most precious gift, our children and no one in the media ever calls them on it. Ever.

Maybe it's time someone did.

Did you know...

...that many are praying for Hollywood?

Hillary polled Streisand's support first

That's right. They polled Democratic voters to see if Streisand's support would help. Polling said yes.

It is clear that Hillary will be polling her way to the Presidency just as her husband polled his way to popularity during his tenure as President.

You just have to love their dedication to their beliefs and values. If it polls well, they are for it. If it doesn't, then they are not.

Good grief.

Preach it brother!

Jason Whitlock at FoxSports asks how long will black men allow the culture of death among them? Whose to blame? The same people who can solve it, themselves.

Excellent.

via LST

I just want to give all of you a hug....

Just felt like it. I love this video.

More evidence that Bill Clinton lied

It feels like old times, doesn't it?

A former senior aide to then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice disputed Bill Clinton's statement this week that he "opposed Iraq from the beginning," saying that the former president was privately briefed by top White House officials about war planning in 2003 and that he told them he supported the invasion.

More:

Hillary Mann Leverett, at the time the White House director of Persian Gulf affairs, said that Rice and Elliott Abrams, then National Security Council senior director for Near East and North African affairs, met with Clinton several times in the months before the March 2003 invasion to answer any questions he might have. She said she was "shocked" and "astonished" by Clinton's remarks this week, made to voters in Iowa, because she has distinct memories of Abrams "coming back from those meetings literally glowing and boasting that 'we have Clinton's support.' "

The slow demise of the New York Times

The information age allowed people to read and hear different sides to every story, not just the liberal spin The New York Times wanted us to read.

Maybe they should try some real journalistic integrity by allowing both sides of an issue or story and maybe they won't have to keep laying people off.

Just a taste of what's to come....

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Rudy's Ties to a Terror Sheikh
Giuliani's business contracts tie him to the man who let 9/11's mastermind escape the FBI

It's a hit piece against Rudy at the Village Voice, but this is what we will face if we nominate Rudy.

Not good. Not good at all.

The Republican Debate

It was a pretty entertaining and informative debate as far as these things go. I suppose the big story is all the plants from other Democratic campaigns asking questions.

I think all the candidates did well. Huckabee was the funniest. Rudy was the most combative. McCain slapped Ron Paul around pretty good, which was enjoyable. Mitt held his own. Fred was ok, which is his problem. He can't get beyond being ok.

The YouTube questions turned out pretty well. Although I might suggest to future questioners that you might want to wear something other than a t-shirt to ask a question on national TV.

He was for it before he was against it...

I wonder how many times we are going to be able to use that line? Heh.

Bill Clinton told a crowd in Iowa on Tuesday that he opposed the Iraq war from the start and criticized Bush for cutting taxes even as he paid for the war.

“Even though I approved Afghanistan and opposed Iraq – from the beginning – I still resent that I was not asked or given the opportunity to support the soldiers.”

But Mark Halperin of Time cited two 2003 quotes which seem to show Pres. Clinton to be lying. (I'm shocked, aren't you?)

April 14, 2003: “In his first speech in Minnesota since leaving office, former President Bill Clinton on Sunday praised President Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq. But he criticized Bush’s domestic priorities…” Minneapolis Star Tribune

May 13, 2003: “Former President Bill Clinton accused President Bush of spending more time fighting the war on terrorism than on domestic issues. ’I supported the president when he asked for authority to stand up against weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but we can’t be forever strong abroad if we don’t keep getting better at home.”

As you can see in this 2004 interview Clinton makes it clear he did support the war: (emphasis mine)

Noting that Bush had to be "reeling" in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, Clinton said Bush's first priority was to keep al Qaeda and other terrorist networks from obtaining "chemical and biological weapons or small amounts of fissile material."
"That's why I supported the Iraq thing. There was a lot of stuff unaccounted for," Clinton said in reference to Iraq and the fact that U.N. weapons inspectors left the country in 1998.

Obama threw another punch:

ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., scoffed Wednesday at former President Bill Clinton's recent claim that he opposed the Iraq war from the very beginning.

"Well if he did," Obama said on a conference call with reporters, "I don't think most of us have heard about it."

"My understanding is that Senator Clinton and him were talking frequently. So you'll have to talk to them about whether they discussed this issued at all," he said.

I just LOVE the reference to them talking frequently. Maybe Obama does have what it takes to beat this woman.

This does seem to be a strange mistake for Bill Clinton to make though.

The difference between CNN and Fox News

A former CNN golden boy, Bill Hemmer discusses the difference at the New York Observer:

“People ask me all the time what the difference is between CNN and Fox,” said Mr. Hemmer. “It’s day and night. We’re a business. Viewers count. Ratings count. The store has got to stay open. We need customers.”

More:

Mr. Hemmer took another sip of his coffee and launched into a story about flying to Louisiana with a lean four-person team to cover Hurricane Katrina on his first assignment for Fox. There, on the sweltering streets of Baton Rouge, he came face to face with a 15-member CNN crew, who were busy eating pizza.
Mr. Hemmer shook his head. A pizza party in a disaster zone? He said the story was telling of an organization that had grown plump and was no longer hungry. “At Fox we do more with less,” he said.

If you want to read some of the most snobby elitist comments about Bill, who they just assume is Republican and gay, check out the comment section.

via mediabistro

"God and Country"

The anti-war and anti-troop films of the Hollywood left have tanked. They wanted to portray our boys as murderers and rapists because that is how they see them. But it isn't how our nation sees them. We see them for the heros that they are.

A Soldier's Mind has the scoop on a new movie coming out Dec. 15th that we will all want to see, "God and Country."

I was recently contacted about a new movie that is in the works about our Troops and the fantastic humanitarian work that they do in other countries. Things we don’t hear about in the media. Things like handing out toys, clothing and candy to the children, providing medical care to the citizens of the country, rebuilding vital resources for cities and towns, and the list could go on and on. These types of things, that are accomplished on a daily basis by our Troops are ignored by the media, but one film producer/director hopes to change that. He hopes to highlight the long-standing tradition of humanitarian service, that our military has, in the soon to be released movie God And Country. The types of things highlighted in this movie, are the things that we’ve been telling our readers about, the accomplishments of our Troops, that help to enable the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan, to stand on their own and take charge of their country. The acts of kindness, go a long way in establishing a trusting relationship with the citizens and it’s a task that our Troops gladly tackle.

American troops have a long and noble tradition of humanitarian service. From handing out candy bars and care packages to street children, to offering medical and dental care to the poor, to building churches and orphanages in third world countries… these American men and women commit thousands of hours to the service of others around the world, without expectation of gratitude or praise. GOD AND COUNTRY examines these heroes and their missions, and reveals a side of the military rarely mentioned in the mainstream media.

Producer/Director Scott Mactavish is a former Hollywood insider and US Navy veteran, who left LA to make films that counterpunch the typical liberal media agenda.

GOD AND COUNTRY is a direct rebuttal to the films put out by Brian DePalma, Mark Cuban and the other Hollywood ‘elite’. The film is due to be released on December 15th. You can pre-purchase a copy of the movie, by going to the God And Country website.

Sweet.

Politically Correct? no si son españoles

This sign is from a Home Depot in Houston. Heaven forbid they should call them "Christmas Trees," but if you look at the Spanish version on the sign, it says "Arboles de Navidad”– “Nativity Trees." They don't have to be PC for Latinos? Interesting.

via LST

We Need Experience.

Ben Shapiro at Townhall makes an excellent point. This week Obama told us how Hillary's experience as First Lady in no way gives her the experience she needs to be President and Hillary snarks back that someone who was a just a state Senator 3 yrs ago shouldn't be talking.

Here's the difference between the Republican field and the Democratic field: The frontrunners in the Democratic Party argue over who is less experienced, while the frontrunners in the GOP argue over who is more experienced.

I have never stepped back and looked at the big picture here. This is very true. Hillary has 7 yrs in the Senate. That's it. Obama has spent 3 yrs in the Senate. John Edwards spent one term in the Senate. This hardly the kind of background we need for a President.

In contrast, Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York City for eight years, reducing crime and making NYC livable again. He showed extreme leadership for the city through the worst crisis in its history on September 11 (as he always reminds us).

Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts, balancing the budget, eliminating waste, providing healthcare insurance without raising taxes, and turning around the 2002 Olympics. Before that he was a highly successful businessman (I think it's important that a President understand running a business) He founded one of the nation's most successful venture capital and investment companies.

John McCain has represented Arizona as a Senator since 1986. He was a distinguished war hero receiving the Silver Star, a Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, and a Distinguished Flying Cross.

Fred Thompson served nine years in the Senate, representing Tennessee. He has worked as a lobbyist and an actor. (Maybe he could "act" excited sometimes?)

If you look more closely at the background of each candidate it is clear that the Republicans have the field of experience we need. As Shapiro points out:

In a time of war, Americans want someone who has real ideas -- and someone who has done more than chat with President Clinton over breakfast, or deliver a keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, or win personal injury suits. The more the Democrats attack each other over their inexperience, the more Republicans seem better qualified to fill the Oval Office.

I almost forgot...

I've got a NewsBuster post up.

Targeting the Ederly

It just occurred to me that Hillary's campaign is like watching a play. The entire thing is scripted.

Remember a couple of weeks ago in the Democratic debate where Hillary ended with a touching story about the elderly women she meets? She said that she has shaken hands with 95 year old women who tell her: “When I was born women were not able to vote. I want to live to see a woman in the White House.”

According to The New York Times, this charming story came from Ruth Smith, 87. (not 95?):

She drove 160 miles to Des Moines from Buffalo Center to attend Mrs. Clinton’s first rally in Iowa as a presidential candidate and went up to her afterward.

“I told her that my grandmother was the first person in town to vote, and my mother was the second,” said Mrs. Smith, who was born three months before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. “And I told her I was born before women could vote, and I want to live long enough to see a woman in the White House.”

Gee, that almost seems...scripted.

It gets worse:

In August, on the 87th anniversary of women’s suffrage, the campaign sent a letter from Mrs. Clinton thanking hundreds of female supporters who were born before ratification of the 19th Amendment. Mrs. Clinton’s weekly “Hillgram” e-mail newsletter is sometimes aimed at older women.

This reminds me of when I used to deliver Meals On Wheels. These elderly women were always getting phone calls and letters from solicitors wanting money from them. Scam after scam. I sat down with them and explained that if there wasn't a real stamp on the envelope, then it was just a mass mailing to thousands of people. It was the easiest way to explain it. I told them that if someone on the phone didn't pronounce their name right, then just hang up.

It's easy to take advantage of the elderly, it doesn't surprise me that Hillary would see them as her ace in the hole.

Obama Throws a Punch

And it's a good one:

"I think the fact of the matter is that Senator Clinton is claiming basically the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency as her own, except for the stuff that didn't work out, in which case she says she has nothing to do with it," Obama said. "There is no doubt that Bill Clinton had faith in her and consulted with her on issues, in the same way that I would consult with Michelle if there were issues," Obama said. "On the other hand, I don't think Michelle would claim that she is the best qualified person to be a United States senator by virtue of me talking to her on occasion about the work I've done."

I'm so glad someone finally said this. Just keep saying it, Obama. Say it a hundred different ways, but keep saying it.

I think Oprah coming to Iowa for Obama is just too sweet. It takes away the star power from Bill. I love it! But if I were Oprah, I'd double check the plane engine, if you know what I mean......

The New McCain Ad

Good grief. Even Andrew Sullivan likes it.

See what I mean by McCain getting the moderate and even some of the left vote?

UPDATE: I'm not the only one saying this stuff you know.

Thank God!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton trails five top Republican presidential contenders in general election match-ups, a drop in support from this summer, according to a poll released on Monday.

Clinton, a New York senator who has been at the top of the Democratic pack in national polls in the 2008 race, trails Republican candidates Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain and Mike Huckabee by three to five percentage points in the direct matches.

Homophobia or the breakdown of civility?

A gay guy "comes out" while playing Halo 3 online. He records the comments. They are disgusting and sick. No doubt about that. (Seriously NSFW or decent people)

It's clear to me that it's young men. Teenagers. I have been around teenagers for years. I was an assistant youth minister, a substitute teacher and have had 3 teens of my own. I was the only mom who visited the threads on my son's (unofficial)public high school message board. To say I was shocked by what I read would be an understatement.

What you hear on this audio is common. But not just against gays. There is no one that escapes the ranting and insults that teens find common talk today. Jews (the holocaust jokes would make you seriously ill) and women are the most maligned and degraded.

We have been raising what I call "The American Pie" generation that sees no boundary that cannot be crossed. TV and movies and the Internet have desensitized them to the point where they see everyone and everything as a target of a joke and nothing is sacred. They were raised on MTV, Dave Chapelle, and teen sex movies, what do we expect?

No, this isn't homophobia. It is just a small window into the sickness we have bred into the young. We should all take responsibility for allowing this to happen.

via Towelroad

Bush Welcomes Gore To The White House

Scrappleface says it was a "low carbon ceremony." Heh.

(2007-11-26) — President George Bush today demonstrated that he can be gracious to his defeated opponents by welcoming former presidential rival Al Gore to the White House with a low-carbon ceremony to celebrate Mr. Gore’s Nobel Peace Prize for publicizing man-made global warming.

The day’s events began when the White House sent an ox cart to pick up Mr. Gore at his hotel, where he had arrived by S.U.V. motorcade last night following a charter jet flight to Washington D.C.

All lights had been extinguished at the White House, and the thermostats set to zero, in preparation for the former vice president’s arrival. The fireplaces were cool and devoid of logs. A Bush aide gave Mr. Gore a pair of official White House ear muffs, and guided him to the Oval Office, through the darkened hallways, with the help of a hand-cranked flashlight.

The president invited Mr. Gore to sit in his own chair, where Mr. Bush said, “You would have sat as you signed the Kyoto protocols.”

It goes on. But you get the idea.

In reality, Bush was his usual generous and kind self:

Bush personally invited Gore. The White House changed its original date to accommodate Gore. And then there was the private Bush-Gore meeting, too.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

Gore was respectful as well:

"He was very gracious in setting up the meeting and it was a very good and substantive conversation," Gore said. "And that's all I want to say about it."

"The John and Hillary Show"

Pretty cute and more importantly, true.

via Conservative Belle

Calling All New York Conservatives!

A Kos Diarist is calling all KosKids to protest Sean Hannity.

Hannity/Levin Book Signing Plans December 1st
by davefromqueens
Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 04:27:53 AM PST
I'm asking (admittedly selfishly) that thousands of leftists, progressives, centrists, liberals, and non right wing conservatives show up at Bookends (232 East Ridgewood Avenue) in Ridgewood, New Jersey (about 15 minutes from George Washington Bridge) on Saturday December 1st way before 1 p.m. for an opportunity to observe what the Republican Party's de facto main media propagandist Sean Hannity and his friends and audience are truly like. I am going by myself and perhaps a few other people will either accompany me directly or be there at my request. I'm not going as part of any known group so if other groups show up, they show up on their own volition.
I will go over the details and my "brilliant" plan for the day. And yes I know that every single word I typed here is being "broadcasted" back over to Heil Hannity Insanity and The Detestable One Mark Levin. No big deal. Sunlight is the one thing these cowards fear the most.

Read his rules. Too funny.

So, if you are conservative and live in the area, go by and give some support to Hannity and Levin. If sunlight is what conservatives fear most, (And I don't get that. I think promoting your beliefs pretty much puts them out there in the sunlight), then free speech is what people like davefromqueens fear most.

via NRO

Novak says Huckabee is a False Conservative

Is he?

Huckabee is campaigning as a conservative, but serious Republicans know that he is a high-tax, protectionist advocate of big government and a strong hand in the Oval Office directing the lives of Americans. Until now, they did not bother to expose the former governor of Arkansas as a false conservative because he seemed an underfunded, unknown nuisance candidate. Now that he has pulled even with Mitt Romney for the Iowa caucuses and might make more progress, the beleaguered Republican Party has a frightening problem.

More:

There is no doubt about Huckabee's record during a decade in Little Rock. He was regarded by fellow Republican governors as a compulsive tax-and-spender. He increased the Arkansas tax burden 47 percent, boosting the levies on gasoline and cigarettes.

via NRO

The New York Times Declares a Victory for Bush?

I know. I couldn't believe it either:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 — Syria announced Sunday that it would attend the Middle East peace meeting beginning here Monday night, joining Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab League participants in a turnabout that represented a victory for the Bush administration.

Trent Lott to retire?

It looks that way.

Invested in Defeat?

The Boston Globe:

With the media at last paying attention to the progress in Iraq, shouldn't leading Democrats think about doing the same? Perhaps this would be a good time for Hillary Clinton to express regret for telling Petraeus that his recent progress report on Iraq required "a willing suspension of disbelief" - in effect, calling him a liar. Perhaps Senate majority leader Harry Reid should admit that he may have been wrong to declare so emphatically: "This war is lost, and the surge is not accomplishing anything."

All of the Democratic presidential candidates have been running on a platform of abandoning Iraq. At the recent debate in Las Vegas, they refused to relax their embrace of defeat even when asked about the striking evidence of improvement. They continued to insist that "the surge is not working" (Bill Richardson), that "the occupation is fueling the insurgency" (Dennis Kucinich), and that the "strategy is failed" and we must "get our troops out" (Barack Obama).

Blind opposition to war that seems lost is understandable. But can Democrats be so invested in defeat that they would abandon even a war that may be winnable? With developments in Iraq looking so hopeful, this is no time to cling to a counsel of despair.

Hillary yesterday:

"I think the American military, if you put enough forces anywhere, is going to score successes,” Clinton said. “That’s not really the question. The question is whether there is a military solution, engineered by the American military, for the problems in Iraq, and I don’t believe there is a military solution."

McCain spends Thanksgiving in Iraq

Which doesn't surprise me in the least.

Thank you America...

..for thoroughly rejecting the piece of filth that is "Redacted."

Never doubt....

Love changes everything.....

via Patterico