Good Grief.

I can no longer tell spoof from the real thing with Obama. When I read that Obama had said that "this moment was when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal," I thought it was a spoof, but no, Obama really said it.

Then I see this "Presidential Seal" and think that it is a photoshop. But no, he really used it.

Imagine any other candidate trying to get away with saying such grandiose things and using symbols in such a narcissistic way? Where is the media?

Oh wait. I know where the media is. They are laying on their beds like a school girl swooning at the poster of obama over their head.

Obama is the Zak Efron of the media's adoration.

Good grief.

A Fair Look at Cindy McCain

Newsweek.

She is a beautiful classy lady who didn't let being a spoiled rich kid keep her from caring for others or understanding the importance of family. She isn't perfect. None of us are, but I greatly admire her.

I haven't posted on Michelle Obama and "The View" thing because I really don't think that spouses should be the story. If they say something unusual or problematic, then I can understand. When Michelle said that about not being proud of her country until now, that was a legitimate issue. But she explained her comments and we either believe her or we don't, but it doesn't really matter as far as who we want for our next President.

I get alot of comments from people on the left about the mistakes that both John McCain and Cindy have made. But to me it isn't about being perfect. Of course we all make mistakes. It's about what we do about those mistakes and how we move forward that tell me what kind of person we are. McCain and Cindy both moved forward and did wonderfully positive things. I'll say the same about Obama. He admittedly did drugs when he was younger and he put that away and went on in a positive way. There are great lessons there. Many let their mistakes overcome them and use them as excuses to make more mistakes. It takes a great vision and a great heart to move on and become better despite the things we did that were wrong.
The problem I have always had with people like Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy is that they never learned from their mistakes. They only kept making them. That shows immaturity at best and a grave and dangerous character flaw at worst.

In life we all fall. We either pick ourselves up and become better or we just keep falling. Cindy McCain picked herself up and became one whom we can all admire.

We can talk all day about this war and whether we are for it or against it, but in Cindy's case, she knows what it is to have a child in Iraq. She bears the cost. Her loyalty isn't political. She may have lived a life of privilege that most of us will never know, but she has also lived a life of grief, pain, heartache, worry, and loneliness that all of us do know.

Will Pres. Obama behave whiter than white?

Someone needs to inform Mu’ammar Al-Qadhafi that Obama is not a Muslim. It seems they haven't gotten the memo. But as you read on, you see that he is critical of Obama. Al-Qadhafi hopes that Obama is just playing election politics to win.

Which is exactly what we are afraid of.

There are elections in America now. Along came a black citizen of Kenyan African origins, a Muslim, who had studied in an Islamic school in Indonesia. His name is Obama. All the people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa applauded this man. They welcomed him and prayed for him and for his success, and they may have even been involved in legitimate contribution campaigns to enable him to win the American presidency. But we were taken by surprise when our African Kenyan brother, who is an American national, made statements that shocked all his supporters in the Arab world, in Africa, and in the Islamic world. We hope that this is merely an elections “clearance sale,” as they say in Egypt – in other words, merely an elections lie. As you know, this is the farce of elections – a person lies and lies to people, just so that they will vote for him, and afterwards, when they say to him: :“You promised this and that,” he says: “No, this was just elections propaganda.” This is the farce of democracy for you. He says: “This was propaganda, and you thought I was being serious. I was fooling you to get your votes.”Allah willing, it will turn out that this was merely elections propaganda. Obama said he would turn Jerusalem into the eternal capital of the Israelis. This indicates that our brother Obama is ignorant of international politics, and is not familiar with the Middle East conflict.

Well, he does have Obama there. Obama is not familiar with the Middle East conflict, but then he really goes in for the jugular:

The thing we fear most is that the black man suffers from an inferiority complex. This is dangerous. If our brother Obama feels that because he is black he doesn’t have the right to rule America, this would be a disaster, because such a feeling would make him behave whiter than the white, and go to an extreme in his persecution and degradation of the blacks.

Behave whiter than white?

Just a look at the craziness that surrounds Obama in this world.

Some Linky Love

If Obama is elected, New Orleans won't be the only "chocolate city"anymore.

I guess Hillary is finally getting ready to "campaign her heart out for Obama." Opening June 27th.

Why Iraqis back McCain.

American troops making a difference in the lives of every day Iraqis.

Typical Politician

Broken promises.

Tough Talk

From McCain:

Senator Obama is obviously confused about what the United States Supreme Court decided and what he is calling for. After enthusiastically embracing the Supreme Court decision granting habeas in U.S. civilian courts to dangerous terrorist detainees, he is now running away from the consequences of that decision and what it would mean if Osama bin Laden were captured. Senator Obama refuses to clarify whether he believes habeas should be granted to Osama bin Laden, and instead cites the precedent of the Nuremburg war trials. Unfortunately, it is clear Senator Obama does not understand what happened at the Nuremburg trials and what procedures were followed. There was no habeas at Nuremburg and there should be no habeas for Osama bin Laden. Senator Obama cannot have it both ways. In one breath he endorses habeas for terrorists like 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and in the next he denies its logical conclusion of habeas for Osama bin Laden. By citing a historical precedent that does not include habeas, he sends a signal of confusion and indecision to our allies and adversaries and the American people.

Let me be clear, under my administration Osama bin Laden will either be killed on the battlefield or executed. Senator Obama's failure to comprehend the implication of the Supreme Court decision he embraced and the historical precedent of Nuremberg raise serious questions about judgment and experience and whether Senator Obama is ready to assume the awesome responsibilities of commander in chief.

Drill Here

Race Baiter/Tax Evader

New York Post:

The probe into the Rev. Al Sharpton’s finances intensified this week, with the IRS sending out a flurry of subpoenas to his most generous corporate donors, The Post has learned.

Anheuser-Busch, the brewer of Budweiser and Michelob, confirmed yesterday that it received a federal subpoena in connection to its charitable giving to Sharpton’s National Action Network. …

As of 2006, the most recent year that financial documents for the group are publicly available, it owed $1.9 million in payroll taxes and penalties. … Personally, Sharpton owes $931,397 in federal taxes and $365,558 in New York City taxes, according to an IRS lien.

Ok, now can the media stop giving this camera hog airtime and any respectability? He never deserved it.

*note: I couldn't resist the picture with Obama.....;-)

via HotAir

Remember Haditha

Of course the left in this country does not want to remember the "Haditha massacre." They would rather forget Democrat Rep. Murtha's smear on our Marines saying they were "cold blooded killers" 2 years ago. The New York Times and so many other newspapers went on and on about it.

All the Marines have been cleared so far in the Haditha incident with one trial left to go. Seven tried. Seven cleared. And the newspapers aren't quite giving the headlines to this story that they did when they thought the Marines were guilty.

Michelle Malkin at NRO has a list of the bloody headlines of newspapers that will issue no apology to the families now. But this part of Michelle's article says why the attitude of so many on the left leaves me with little respect for them:

Murtha and company applied Queen of Hearts ("Off with their heads!") treatment to our own men and women in uniform while giving more benefit of the doubt to foreign terror suspects at Gitmo.

Our boys deserved the benefit of the doubt, but the left and the media in this country refused to give it to them. I'll never understand that as long as I live.

The Carbon Footprint of Hypocrisy

After the bold courageous move of Al Gore backing Obama now after he doesn't need the endorsement, there is even more news of Gore and his continued hypocrisy in the world of carbon footprints.

We all heard the story last year of Al Gore using more energy at his lavish mansion in one month than most people use in a year. Then Gore's office told ThinkProgress (a far left website) that Gore was going to bring that usage down:

Gore’s family has taken numerous steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their private residence, including signing up for 100 percent green power through Green Power Switch, installing solar panels, and using compact fluorescent bulbs and other energy saving technology.

All that work. So, a year later we look at his energy consumption. Is is down? Is his carbon footprint lessened? Uhhhh...no. It's up 10%.

The new report shows Gore actually increased his energy use despite all the supposed efforts to make that ol' carbon footprint equal "zero."
In the year since Al Gore took steps to make his home more energy-efficient, the former Vice President’s home energy use surged more than 10%, according to the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.
In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month.

Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Don't just two people live there???

Good grief.

via NewsBusters

Obama's America

It's always interesting to see how those across the pond see our elections and our candidates. Apparently the Brits are just gaga over Obama. But this article in The Telegraph sees Obama as he really is:

He wants to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), and if Canada and Mexico refuse the terms he will offer, threatens to cancel the entire trade-opening deal.

He has pledged to turn down new trade deals, on the general theory that free trade has cost America jobs, and, more important, antagonised his trade union patrons.

There's worse. Obama is eager to shed America's role as keeper of world order. Troops are to be brought back from Iraq regardless of what generals tell him, a position far more extreme than Gordon Brown's. The PM courageously decided to slow troop withdrawals when his generals advised they are still needed in Basra.
......

Nor can Europeans be happy with Obama's promise to meet with the world's bad guys, no pre-conditions required. He is apparently unaware that his willingness to meet the leaders of North Korea and Iran (Castro the younger is also on his list, but fear of a backlash among Florida's Cuban expatriate community has muted this plan) undermines the multilateral efforts of the groups that are dealing with those regimes.

But here is the interesting part:

My guess is that British voters would really prefer a dual presidency, with Obama handling domestic policy and McCain in charge of foreign policy. Obama could make America more like Britain with universal, government-managed health care; higher taxes on the "rich" and on capital gains; expanded social services; trade unions made more powerful; continued preferences for blacks seeking university places and government jobs; gay marriage or some variant thereof; abortion on demand.

He goes on to describe what McCain would do in foreign policy, but has anyone in America ever described so well Obama's domestic policy????

Simple, brief, and completely scary.

h/t BigDog

McCain event!

I volunteered at another McCain fundraiser at River Oaks last night. The home of Paige and Tilman Fertitta. The home is so freakin gorgeous I can't describe it (see staircase above). It's my kind of decorating taste (which is awesome) but on a very expensive budget. It's classic and not overly ostentatious. That may be because The Fertitta's have 4 kids and kids tend to ground you even on a decorating basis. Tilman Fertitta owns the Landry's restaurants in Houston and I'm telling you, this was the best food I have had in ages. Delicious.

But enough about that. McCain spoke for about 20 minutes to the crowd. It was nothing that we didn't already know, so nothing to report there. He spoke about the stark differences between himself and Obama. I am still amazed at his energy. We were outside and it was Texas hot and it didn't seem to bother him in the least. I did get to shake his hand and say hello, although I didn't get a chance for a picture with him this time (I whispered "drill in ANWR," but I'm not sure he heard....;-) I also stood right next to our Governor Rick Perry.

The last time I volunteered at a McCain event at a River Oaks home I was deeply concerned about lack of security. I didn't blog about that at the time because I certainly didn't want to draw attention to the fact that no one did a background check on me and no one checked my purse. I or anyone could have brought anything (like a gun!) in there. I got to go right up to McCain and have my picture made with him. It really bothered me. I could have easily been a crazy person (as some say I am). So I was very happy that this time he had full security and they checked everyone's bag and we went through a metal detector.

You might recall why McCain refused Secret Service for long:


McCain Vows To Replace Secret Service With His Own Bare Fists

I miss Hillary

Don't you? Be honest. It was fun while it lasted.

But fun stuff can still happen. Just mention her name at an Obama rally:

The AP reported:

Obama and Gore were introduced by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who backed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primary. She held up a navy blue pump and said, on behalf of women everywhere, that she was proud to say she's supporting Obama. She was loudly booed at the mention of Clinton's name, and Obama chastised the crowd for that when he spoke. He said he's a better candidate for having run against Clinton.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm even has to say "Come on now..." to the crowd.

As the McCain site makes clear, we welcome former Clinton supporters. You won't be booed at our rallies. Come on over. You know you want to.

via Gateway Pundit

Google this

I was watching C-span last night and they had a panel sponsered by Google, Youtube, and the National Journal discussing the internet and it's affect on politics.

I have to say that I have a whole new respect for The Onion. I have always enjoyed the site and thought it very funny, but after listening to Baratunde Thurston, The Onion editor, I will enjoy it more. Why? Because he is obviously dedicated to the funny and not to a political agenda.

Lizz Winstead, co-creator of the Jon Daily show and former head writer, was completely obnoxious. I thought the moderator, Tammy Haddard, former producer of "Hardball with Chris Matthews," was going to slap her a few times and if she had I would have welcomed it. Winstead was rude, loud, and with a obvious political bias.

It's like this. Not only do I not mind shows or the Internet making fun of my candidate or my party, but if it's done well, I laugh too. All I ask for is equal opportunity satire. If you only focus on my side then it ceases to be funny and only seems to be propaganda.

The Onion is by far the fairest of the lot. They showed a clip they had made of a "news story" about McCain refusing secret service and it was hilarious. The guy who produced the "Obama girl" was also there and he seem totally unbiased as well. He just thought a girl having a crush on Obama would be funny and it made fun of the fact that so many were swooning over Obama.

And last but not least, was Christopher Hitchens. I hate the fact that I like him. Really. He has written and said so many things that offend me, but it comes from his honest disbelief. But I have to give him credit. He calls bull**** when he sees it, whether it be on the right or the left. He brought up the Obama line of this moment being the moment "when the rise of the oceans begin to slow" and how absurd and ridiculous it was.

When Winstead gushed over how Obama's race speech got millions of hits, Hitchens asked the audience or panel to repeat two words from the speech. He said it was totally forgettable. Hitchens is the only one who seems to have the courage to speak the truth about the emptiness of Obama and the only one who can get away with it. Not one person on the panel argued with him. Winstead seemed more interested in flirting with Hitchens, so that might explain her silence on the matter.

Anyway, it was an interesting discussion, but it really didn't answer the question on how the funny side of the politcal spectrum on the net affects Presidential politics.

I'll be gone the rest of the day. I've going to another fundraiser for McCain! Hopefully I can get another picture to replace the terrible one I took with him before!! Heh.

Welcome immigrants on sacred ground

Here is a feel good story we can all enjoy. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, who has presided over naturalization ceremonies each month at the U.S. courthouse in Alexandria. He himself is an immigrant, born in Bogota, Colombia.

Ellis had the idea to swear in immigrants from over 30 countries at the Arlington National Cemetery, which had never been done before. The story states, "He wanted to impress upon the new citizens the sacrifices made for their freedom."

"This is truly a wonderful day," said Ellis, his voice cracking, as he gave an emotional tribute to the virtues of citizenship, U.S. history and the warriors buried around him. Speaking in a white-columned amphitheater dating to 1864, in front of a stone marker bearing the Latin phrase "e pluribus unum" from the Great Seal of the United States, he told the immigrants and their families: "It is a wonderful day for each of you, because today you will join the land of the free and the home of the brave."
..........

"I did it to honor our country's warriors and to give the new citizens a sense for what makes this country great," Ellis said.

I heard the Judge on the news say that the soldiers who sacrificed everything for us, gave us "all of their tomorrows."

Beautiful. I am so grateful to live in this country.

John Adams and Gitmo

I watched "John Adams" last night. I love historical movies. I love history. I love looking at old photographs and wondering what it was like to live "back then." I find the founding of this country a remarkable and miraculous event. I love this country with all my heart. All my heart.When I was in Washington D.C. recently I went to see the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The words are so faded one can hardly read it and it made me tear up. It did. Something so precious and we are letting it disappear. I went and bought copies in the gift shop so I could read it and my children could read it.

There are so many things I hate that we allow in our country, but I understand that freedom is what must be first. God will judge us each on how we used this freedom, but whether I like what we choose or not, I believe in the freedom to choose it (unless it infringes upon the rights of others, and that is always up for debate, isn't it?).

The argument we have been having over the recent Supreme Court decision on Guantanamo was brought to mind as I watched "John Adam." No doubt many of you would argue that Adams defended the very rule of law that you see abandoned at Guantanamo. I only wish lawyers now were as noble as Adams was then.

Let me preface the rest with saying that I come from a family of lawyers. I used to watch my father in trial when I was little. But what I learned was, that although my father was a good man, most lawyers were not. Justice has become a game where justice doesn't necessarily win. It has become a game where only winning matters. We all know that.

I suppose with many of my commenters our worldview differs in how and who we trust. I have known many lawyers and I have known many military men and women. It is the military that I trust. Lawyers don't risk much in becoming lawyers. But our military risk everything. It's not that I don't feel the military is perfect and that they don't ever make mistakes (see Abu Ghraib), but for the most part, I see it as the noblest of professions.

I listened to the talk shows this Sunday and I will honestly say that I understand where many of you are coming from. You, like John Adams, believe in a rule of law that must be followed, even in the cases of enemy combatants. And trust me, if I thought the rule of law would be, I would be with you. But it isn't about the rule of law anymore. I don't see much honor in being a lawyer, especially one that represents sensational figures, such as suspected terrorists at Gitmo (yes, I know with some lawyers there are exceptions). Many of you say that these lawyers take these cases pro bono, but we all know that many lawyers take sensational cases pro bono because they know that it will bring them more money down the line. I wish I believed differently.

Those held at Guantanamo have been determined to be a danger to the United States. The only difference many of us have is that you wish it to be determined, not by a military tribunal, but by lawyers and courts in the United States by the rights given to American citizens.

I saw a conservative (I can't remember who) who said that this ruling might be a good thing because the American people would get to see first hand how horrible and evil these men are.

Perhaps. Certainly we learned that with the first World Trade Center bomber. I would feel even more on your side if I thought your feelings weren't political in nature. In other words, if this were a Democratic administration , would you be feeling this way? It's like the waterboarding issue. Many Democratic Senators were well aware of waterboarding and we never heard a peep about it until it become politically expedient to condemn this administration for it.

In the end, we have gone further and further from the rule of law that John Adams so righteously defended. We use the law to our own end.

In the trial at the beginning of "John Adams" he depends on the honesty of men to win an unpopular trial against British soldiers.

This is the problem I have. I no longer believe in the honesty of men.

Not lawyers anyway.

Do I think we abandon the rule of law? No , of course not. I still believe in the rule of law. I only wish for the hearts of men to care about it as well.

Do I believe that enemy combatants of the United States deserve the same rights as U.S. citizens? No, you haven't convinced me. But I do understand why you feel the way you do. I wish we were all noble enough for us to agree.

Update: For a brief conservative view of why this Supreme Court decision is a disaster, go here.

Update II: The editors at NRO have more.