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
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.
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.
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......
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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."
..on this earth.
"Girls Gone Wild" founder claims to have been abused in jail.
Vanity Fair magazine gets sued.
Fredica Matthew Greens from NRO agrees with me. It's funny and sweet. It makes a bit of fun of the syrupy goodness of Disney but in a respectful humorous manner. The actress who plays Giselle is perfect. Naive and sweet like Forest Gump. She makes us wish for more innocence in our world. There is a slight feminist twist toward the end, but it didn't bother me at all because it is the type of feminism that we can all agree upon and that is that women can be powerful too.
I don't like movies in general. But this is one that you must take your kids too, because you will enjoy it as well. I promise.
From Mark Steyn via The Chicago Tribune:
Earlier this year, Abul Abed, a disgruntled Sunni insurgent leader, began secret talks with the Americans about ending Al Qaeda's reign of terror in this run-down, formerly middle-class Baghdad neighborhood, renowned as one of the city's most dangerous. He had been gathering intelligence on the group for months.
One day in late May, he said, he decided it was time to act.
He hailed the car carrying the feared leader of Al Qaeda in the neighborhood, a man known as the White Lion, on one of Amariyah's main streets. "We want you to stop destroying our neighborhood," he told the man.
"Do you know who you are talking to?" said the White Lion, getting out of his car. "I am Al Qaeda. I will destroy even your own houses!
"He pulled out his pistol and shot at Abul Abed. The gun jammed. He reloaded and fired again. Again, the gun jammed.
By this time, Abul Abed said, he had pulled his own gun. He fired once, killing the White Lion."
I walked over to him, stepped on his hand and took his gun."
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) issued the following statement on his Thanksgiving visit with the troops in Iraq:
"I had the privilege of spending Thanksgiving this year in Iraq with some of our brave men and women in uniform from Connecticut.
It is thanks to the service and sacrifice of these American heroes that the extraordinary progress we have seen over the past months in Iraq has been possible — progress for which all Americans should be grateful.
Over the last several months, our troops have dramatically transformed the security situation in Iraq by rolling back Al Qaeda and Iranian supported extremists. As a result of their courageous efforts, violence is sharply down, and our enemies are off balance and on the run.
My trip reinforced my belief that we must support the mission in Iraq and ensure that our troops receive the resources from Congress they need and deserve. Our troops are bravely carrying out their mission - and we have an obligation not to let them down at this critical moment."
via NRO
From Powerline:
Wire services and some newspapers have reported that China, at the last possible minute, denied USS Kitty Hawk and her battle group access to Hong Kong for a pre-planned Thanksgiving port visit. What hasn't been widely reported yet is that several hundred families of the Kitty Hawk crew, who live here in Yokosuka, Japan, had flown to Hong Kong to spend the holiday with their spouses. I personally know three wives who made the trip, taking their small children with them. Ever spent $2500 on airfare to fly 10 hours round trip by yourself with two kids under age 4, then found out it was for nothing? PRC's cancellation of the post visit basically destroyed Thanksgiving for thousands of U.S. military personnel and family members. Apart from actually inflicting casualties, there is not much more China could do to hurt military-to-military relations with the US than a stunt like this...
Victor Davis Hanson, once again, paints us a picture the MSM refuses to. This war has been fraught with mistakes (is there a perfect war?) But the results are turning out to have unexpected but important consequences.
The post-war occupation was supposed to be difficult, but few envisioned a bloody four-year struggle. Instead, after the fall of Saddam, al Qaeda chose to escalate its war against the West by sending thousands of jihadists into the new battleground of Iraq — in part, to aid the Sunni and ex-Baathist insurgencies in their wars against the U.S., and the Shiites. The violence that ensued left tens of thousands dead, and resulted in nearly 4,000 American battle fatalities. We spent nearly a trillion dollars, as public support dropped from a 70-percent approval of the war to less than 40-percent. Yet it was not the American military that was ruined fighting an unpopular war in the heart of the ancient caliphate, but most likely al Qaeda who has lost thousands, (and, far more importantly, completely destroyed its Pan-Arabic mystique of religious purity). The more the jihadists fought, the more they were killed by the U.S. military — while kidnapping, murdering, stealing, mutilating, raping, and outraging Iraqi civilians. Nothing is worse in the Arab world than to be seen as weak and cruel, and al Qaeda proved, eventually, to be both on Al-Jazeera.
This is an issue of enormous importance that the media has not mentioned much less focused on. The Arab world, the Arab people have seen al Qaeda for what they really are...cruel monsters, not holy warriors. Do you see how this changes everything for us? By fighting al Qaeda as we did, focusing on trying to protect the Iraq, we changed how they felt about Americans. While the media and the left paint Americans as intruders, the Arabs are seeing close up what our military is really about. Changing things for the better for Iraqi's.
Hanson explains how the Sunni insurgents were defeated and had to be. And how that all has changed.
So there is a sort of tragic irony here too. It may well be that the Sunni tribes have learned, only through their failed insurgency, that they cannot defeat the U.S. military; that their Sunni al Qaeda allies were far worse than we are; that the Shiite government is not going away; and that the United States is an honest broker of sorts that is advancing their interests with the Shiite majority. The unexpected result of all this is that it is only now — after the Sunnis have fought, lost, and learned the futility of continued resistance — that there a better chance for a lasting stability.
This war is far from over. Mistakes were made, but for now we are seeing a promising and wonderful ending to the war. For most of us, this is the ending we wanted. A page of history turned in our favor. A country that was a sworn enemy becomes a friend. An Arab world that views us differently. A western world that understands more about what we need to do in the Middle East. It has come with a high price, a precious price. Which why it is so important that we not give in or give up. We will make a better world, not only for ourselves, but especially for all the men and women who gave all for us to do so.
Nothing is for certain in any war — as the savage ironies of Iraq have shown the last four years. Few envisioned the initial brilliant three-week war, and the utter and rapid defeat of Saddam. Fewer foresaw the ensuing bloody four-year occupation. And the fewest of all anticipated that out of that mess, the present chance at stability and a real reconciliation under a constitutional framework could come.
The lessons are only the eternal ones: that wars won’t be fought as believed and won’t end as planned, but that adaptability, self-critique, and persistence, in an effort believed to be both right and necessary, will eventually prevail.
h/t BigDog
This all started with that smoking post below. I told my kids that when I was in Jr. High there was big tree on school property where students could go and smoke during breaks. My kids accused me of lying. They can't imagine a school allowing a cigarette on campus much less letting Jr. High students smoke on campus.
So I freaked them out some more. I remember in college my friend giving me her airline ticket because she couldn't go. So I flew under her name. They never asked for I.D. then, much less going through security. I got to wear shoes and had BIG shampoo and conditioner bottles in my bag. Imagine!
I told them that even as young as 5, my brothers and I would wander around the neighborhood until dark. No one had their backyard fenced so all our backyards were like one big playground. There was even a forest across the street I used to go play in by myself.
My brothers and their friends kept their rifle on full display in the back of their trucks as they drove to High School. I suppose it never occurred to anyone that a student would use it against anything but a deer or quail.
When I was 18 it was common to stop and get a beer at the store on your way home from work and drink it until you got home.
In elementary school at Christmas time you could draw the Nativity scene and have it taped to the wall. The teacher would play Christmas music that was.......wait for it.........about the birth of Christ!
I remember in 3rd grade my Mom calling the school because I needed to go home for something in the middle of the day and they just let me walk home.
Is there anything you remember about your childhood that our kids today wouldn't believe?
Fausta's blog brings us this:
The NY Times reports that:
According to an earnest warning on Volumes 1 and 2, "Sesame Street: Old School" is adults-only: "These early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child."...I asked Carol-Lynn Parente, the executive producer of "Sesame Street," how exactly the first episodes were unsuitable for toddlers in 2007. She told me about Alistair Cookie and the parody "Monsterpiece Theater." Alistair Cookie, played by Cookie Monster, used to appear with a pipe, which he later gobbled. According to Parente, "That modeled the wrong behavior" "smoking, eating pipes " so we reshot those scenes without the pipe, and then we dropped the parody altogether."
I was just thinking when I wrote the piece about MTV below that the only "sin" that MTV acknowledges is smoking. Have you seen their smug self righteous commercials on it? And now Sesame Street figures the Cookie Monster appearing with a pipe is appalling!
Look, I hate smoking. I have never touched a cigarette. Having parents who smoked their whole lives turned me off even trying it...ever. But I find it ridiculous that that seems to be the only thing those leftwing idiots who control PBS and MTV think harms our children. I would suggest that MTV programing contributes more mental and physical harm to our kids by their encouragement of sexual activity (including explicit condom commercials) than any smoking could ever do.
Once Sesame Street let the likes of Phil Donahue and Whoopi Goldberg host the show, I never let my kids watch it.
If only these producers thought about the content of their shows more than defeating the tobacco companies, we might actually reach our kids to the real dangers of society..and it ain't smoking.
HADITHA, Iraq – With the number of enemy attacks at an all time low in Al Anbar Province, today’s Marines are able to conduct peaceful operations while rebuilding communities, advising security forces and establishing democracies.
This is heartwarming. This isn't about politics, it's about our warriors making a difference. There is good news out of Iraq, as I have mentioned before, but we have a long road ahead. It's not over yet. Keep praying.
Also, Mosul airport to open in December.
via Mudville
Have you seen this video on the news? It's a video of a cop car cam where the car barely misses hitting a deer that jumps out in front of it.
This exact thing happened to me a few years ago. I was driving in the car with my 17 yr old son. I saw the deer out of the corner of my eye as it jumped in front of the car. I was doing about 60 mph (I tend to drive fast) I shut my eyes for the impact, but somehow the deer bounced off. I turned to my son and said "How did we miss it??!" He said, "It barely made it, didn't you see it?" I said, "I closed my eyes." He paused. "Wait, you closed you eyes?????!!!"
I'm rooting for you!!!
I cannot tell you how good it would be to see the Democrats reject the corrupt, money hungry, power hungry political machine for something at least honest and refreshing.
This should be interesting. MTV debuted over the weekend in the Arab world. It will be a sanitized version, otherwise I think there would be rioting and kidnappings accompanying it. I mean, if there is anything nastier on regular cable for our kids to watch than MTV, I am not aware of it.
But MTV, which is known for airing provocative videos featuring scantily clad women, says the Arab version of the pop-culture channel will show less bare skin and profanity.
I figure they won't be showing the afternoon show "Next" where they regularly show gay young people lining up to prove to a date who is raunchier. Or the bisexual MySpace trollup Tila Tequila's horror show, laced with all that is sexual. "The Real World" and all it's slutty young won't be shown either. I'm also guessing they won't be showing the promo for Alica Key's music where she catches a woman pleasuring a big stuffed rabbit. (Don't ask, I don't get it either)
I'm so glad that MTV decided to tone things down for the sensibilities of the Middle East. If we could only get them to do that here.
In Newsweek, Rove advises the Republican nominee how to beat Hillary. Rove understands that she will be tough to beat. Read the article for his own personal story that just so aptly illustrates who Hillary is. He advises on many things. He makes excellent points, but this one part struck me:
Go after people who aren't traditional Republicans. Aggressively campaign for the votes of America's minorities. Go to their communities, listen and learn, demonstrate your engagement and emphasize how your message can provide hope and access to the American Dream for all. The GOP candidate must ask for the vote in every part of the electorate. He needs to do better among minorities, and be seen as trying.
I could not agree more. I am long tired of Republicans shrugging their shoulders at the black community figuring they will vote Democrat no matter what. I cannot abide that attitude! No one will come to your side if you don't go to them and explain why your position is best for them as well. If I was a Republican candidate there is not a minority invitation that I would reject.
I believe in our message. I believe that our vision and our hopes for America are the same as the black community, the Latino community, the Asian community and all communities in between. Everyone benefits from lower taxes, less regulation on small business, less government intervention, strong leadership on the war on terror, strong border control, strong support of our military, and a belief in the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of marriage.
These beliefs are for all Americans and are not bound by color or religion. I don't care if the nominee's campaign feels they are wasting time with people that won't vote for them anyway. They are not. Reaching out to people is the first step. Convincing them, the second. Bringing them into the fold, the third and final. We will never do this if we do not try.
Whenever I see someone who dresses differently than I do, who worships differently than I do, who lives differently than I do, I remind myself that in so many things we are all alike. We all care about our children, we all want the best for society, we all have the same kinds of problems. We cook and clean. We work and play. We yell and get angry. We love and are frustrated by our children. What binds us are the same. I don't feel it would be very difficult to convince others, who are not on our side now, why our ideals and ideas would benefit them as well.
When I first saw this Huckabee ad with Chuck Norris over at HotAir, I couldn't believe it was a real ad, but it is.
I know it's suppose to be lighthearted, but I find it ridiculous. Running for President isn't a joke. Political ads should not be either.
Charles Krauthammer has an excellent piece on how the Democrats are denying our victory in Iraq and for what? Politics, of course. The Democrats also insist that the world hates us, but Krauthammer says not so fast:
(The President of France) "Nicolas Sarkozy’s trip last week to the United States was marked by a highly successful White House visit and a rousing speech to Congress in which he not only called America “the greatest nation in the world” (how many leaders of any country say that about another?) but pledged solidarity with the U.S. on Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, the Middle East, and nuclear nonproliferation."
Then there is the pro-American leader of Germany, Angela Merkel. And what about the rest?
"British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who in an interview with Sky News on Sunday noted “the great change that is taking place,” namely “that France and Germany and the European Union are also moving more closely with America.”
As for our other traditional alliances, relations with Australia are very close, and Canada has shown remarkable steadfastness in taking disproportionate casualties in supporting the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Eastern European nations, traditionally friendly, are taking considerable risks on behalf of their U.S. alliance — for example, cooperating with us on missile defense in the face of enormous Russian pressure. And ties with Japan have never been stronger, with Tokyo increasingly undertaking military and quasi-military obligations that it had forsworn for the last half-century.
So much for the disarray of our alliances.
This really is excellent news for America. Not just Republicans. We have effectively defeated Al Qaeda in Iraq. This is tremendous news that isn't making it's way to the headlines of our biggest newspapers or news shows.
As NRO Rich puts it:
"The United States may be the only country in world history that reverse-propagandizes itself, magnifying its setbacks and ignoring its successes so that nothing can disturb what Sen. Joe Lieberman calls the 'narrative of defeat."
We should all be celebrating. The sooner we clean things up, the sooner our boys come home. The news out of Iraq tells us that troop deaths are down and violence is down. Where there was once Al Qaeda strongholds, we have safe neighborhoods. Christians and Muslims are worshiping to gether in Iraq. The world leaders are praising us.
But, there is this unfortunate timing of a Presidential election. And the Democrats placed all their bets on us losing in Iraq. Hillary has positioned herself to be able to claim she was with us along, and she will get away with it, because she plotted her entire Senate career on it. Which is why our victory will not hurt her.
But while the rest of us who understand what is happening, are feeling really good about it all, what must the Democrats be feeling with all the good news? First the enemy used their talking points against us, and now this.
I'd be in denial too.
h/t BigDog
I watch Obama tell America that Hillary will continue to divide this nation, yet he never says why or describes how it will be. How difficult a task is this? This is what Edwards and Obama should be saying every single day until the primary vote:
No one, not even Bill Clinton, has generated such hatred as Hillary Clinton from the Republicans. If Hillary is elected it will be 4 (or more) years of the same kind of seething disgust that has been a part of the George Bush presidency from the left and from Bill Clinton's presidency from the right.
But it will be worse than those two combined. George Bush may have incurred people's wrath for how he governed with the war or with immigration, but on a personal level, people like him. I've never heard even a Democrat say that Bush is not a warm likable guy. This is certainly not the case with Hillary.
All her scandals (especially those dealing with China), all the rumors of her personal life, all the affairs that Bill Clinton had, and don't forget the infamous list of people who have died mysterious deaths that were involved with the Clintons, all this will be fodder again and again. Bill won't be able to behave himself. Hillary will push through her real agenda and half of America will seethe. No, not just seethe, there will be gnashing of the teeth that hasn't been seen since the Kos Kids realized Karl Rove wouldn't be indicted. But this won't be just the bloggers, this will be middle America. At least half of it. And we will live with that every single day for her entire Presidency.
Are you sick of the terrible division of this country? Are you sick of those who care nothing for the people, but only for the power? Are you sick of those on the opposite side of the political divide trying to destroy the other? Are you sick of the Congressional leaders who do not just disagree with the President, but personally smear the President as well? Will you enjoy the corruption and scandal that follow the Clintons wherever they go? Will you enjoy the weekly insults and mocking of Hillary and Bill on SNL and the late shows? Will you enjoy how much richer Rush Limbaugh will get if Hillary is elected? Are you sick of hearings after hearings that are nothing but witch hunts?
Because all of this and more is exactly what you are going to get with Hillary. The Bush Derangment Syndrome will look like puppy love compared to how so many will feel towards Hillary. The blogosphere will probably explode with the indignation and hate that will spew forth on a daily basis. And it won't be just from the right. Hillary may be many things, but she isn't stupid. She isn't going to pull out our troops immediately. The far left will howl as loud as we do.
Obama and Edwards need to be saying these things every time they open their mouth. They need to paint a visual picture of America under Hillary.
It's not a pretty picture.
President Hillary.
Tell me that doesn't make you cringe. Just thinking of it and I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. But that is where we are heading if we are not careful.
This is the thing. Running for President is an art form. It takes political savvy. It takes will and determination. It's not for the weak. What we have in Mitt, Fred, and even Rudy are novices. They could learn as they go, of course, but we have seen in past elections how any mis-step can be devastating.
Let me tell you the one person who will not be taking any mis-steps whatsoever. Hillary Clinton. We all know that. Name recognition. Fame. Star Power. She has all that as well.
I'll tell you why Hillary would beat Rudy. People have a way of tuning out politics when they think that it is just a partisan crowd going after the politician, be it right or left. The scandals that have followed Hillary have been worked up and down. She has convinced everyone that it was nothing but rightwing attacks. There is nothing in Hillary's past that anyone doesn't know. We heard it all. Even the Hsu fundraising thing will not hurt her. People figure if she hasn't been indicted by now for something, she never will be.
Rudy is another story. I keep hearing people on TV who were involved in New York politics say that things will come out about Rudy that the country hasn't heard and it will be very bad. I believe it. Don't you? When people hear scandal the first time, they listen. But with Rudy they will be listening just as he is trying to convince them to vote for him for President.
The one thing that we love about Rudy, his ruthlessness, is the one thing that will work against him with Hillary. He will look like the bully teasing the class nerd. There isn't any way around it.
Now I will tell you why Hillary would beat Mitt and Fred. They have never attempted to run a campaign as big as this one. They already have made gaffs. No one is watching now. But in the general election, everyone will be watching. This is no time to learn the plays in the game. This is no time for rookies.
Fred has show lackluster performance so far. I just don't see Mitt overcoming his flipflopping on the issues and this whole anti-Morman thing. Have you seen the commercials with his liberal soundbites of the past? He will look like Kerry did in '04.
Yes, this is about McCain. I know you are angry with him for all kinds of reasons. I don't blame you. But I am telling you this again. He is the only one who can beat Hillary.
I have tried to believe that others can beat Hillary. I have tried to get on board with Fred or Mitt. And I do think either one of them would be a fine President. If I thought either one of them could win, I would be looking closer at them and hoping for them. But I don't believe they can.
McCain not only has the name recognition, fame, and star power that Hillary has, he has so much more. He is a war hero. He is a leader. He has dedicated his life to public service. His scandals are old and worn out as well. He has a sense of humor and can be charming. And this is key because those are the things Hillary has none of.... humor and charm.
She may not mis-step, but she simply cannot charm. Does no one else see how important this is? We are more visual than we have ever been in this country. This Presidential election will be a YouTube election. Relentless visual focus on our candidates. Rookies will make mistakes and YouTube will be there to remind us of it over and over. Hillary will make no mistakes.
Think of this too. We are at war. We will still be at war in '08. McCain not only has the obvious experience with war, but he has a personal stake in it. Both of his sons are serving in the military. This speaks volumes about what he believes.
I just want everyone to look at the big picture. Sure we want a conservative like Fred Thompson and a family values candidate like Mitt Romney. But this is not the year to "send a message" to Republicans.
This is the election to make sure that we don't have to sit in front of the evening news every night for years and hear what President Hillary Clinton proposed or vetoed. We won't have to watch her defund the military as her husband did. We won't have to see her add health care to the bloated bureaucracy of government control. We won't have to see her appoint a Ruth Bader Ginsberg clone to the Supreme Court.
The one thing that we all know is that McCain can get the moderate vote. Easy. There is no way we are going to win this election without the moderate vote.
It's more important than our anger at McCain.
It just is.
Michael J. Totten describes Staff Sergeant David Bellavia's "House to House: An Epic Memoir of War" as providing "a gripping and necessary prologue to the to the state of the city today." That, my friends, is putting it mildly if any of these excerpts are an example of his writing.
If war is hell. This was the entryway. David Bellavia paints us a picture of the second battle of Fallujah in November, 2004. A city taken over by insurgents and cleared of citizens. The worst of war was here. Bloody, horrific, and deadly.
U.S. Army soldiers and Marines fought house to house to clear the city. But in many houses they found drugged up monsters willing to die to kill our boys:
In the kitchen, we found drugs and U.S. Army-issue auto injectors. They had been full of atropine and epinephrine. The muj inside the house had shot the drug directly into their hearts. It acted like PCP – angel dust – and kept them going long after my bullets should have killed them.
Totten has excerpts that describes this warrior's struggle with fear and bravery. He and others had stormed a house that is a deathtrap and barely made it out with their lives. He simply can't leave without doing his job. Riveting:
Inside that house, I surrendered my honor and my manhood. Now I have to take both back, or live with the fact that they are right about me. That is unacceptable.
I rant and swear with abandon. Down the street, I see Sergeant Knapp taking care of my men like they are his little brothers. I want to cry I am so proud. I love these kids in a way I will never be able to express.
I see their faces. One by one. John Ruiz, Lucas Abernathy, Piotr Sucholas, Alex Stuckert, Victor Santos, Brett Pulley, Tristan Maxfield – they deserve more from me.
I stop pacing and let out a deep, rattling sigh. Only Ware remains near me on the street. Everyone else has moved away. Perhaps my display has convinced them I've gone mad.
But Ware is still here. The journalist. Our platoon's unofficial intel officer. We stare intently at each other.
“Fuck it,” I say.
“Fuck it,” agrees Ware.
That settles it. I'm going back in.You know things are not right with the world when you share a spiritual moment with a damn journalist. But there it is. Mick Ware and I are standing on the street, digesting the finality of the option we've just chosen.
He goes back in. The following is a bit long, but it is GRIPPING.
Somebody must die now. There is no turning back.
I bring my rifle to the ready up position. The M16 feels right; it is exactly what I need right now. Tucked firmly against my shoulder, I have a perfect eye line over the rifle's sights.
Across the room, I see the young insurgent standing behind the barriers. His head is down, still working on the RPG. The kid's gotta be drugged halfway to Neptune.
I take a step into the room; my feet slosh in the water and send ripples across the flooded floor. The M16's barrel pivots and stops when it is pointed at the insurgent's chest. I have the sight picture. My finger is about to end him.
He looks up. He stares at me with terror in his eyes. I know right then that I have surprised him. He doesn't have a chance, and he knows it, too.
“Jew!” he hisses in fear and spite, as if the word can protect him.
Close-quarters combat is instinctual, fought on the most basic and animalistic level of the human brain. Body language, eye contact, the inflection of a voice can turn a fight in a heartbeat. That is what happens here...
I pull the trigger and hit him right in the chest. He staggers back. I take a step to the left to move out of the doorway. The room's carpet is so waterlogged that my boots make a sucking sound with each step.
After a heartbeat's pause, I shoot him again. This time, my bullet goes into his pelvis. He spins completely around and falls across the barrier. Hands splayed, head draped, he gushes blood across the concrete. The water around him turns a milky crimson.
The last thing he expected was a rush through the doorway. That surprise saved my life and doomed his.
I can win this fight. I can do this.
A red heat forms on my face. The back of my neck tingles.Where's the second guy?There was not only a second guy lurking in the dark. Six well-placed insurgents waited in that house. Bellavia took them all out by himself.
Something slides along the wall on the other side of the doorway. I hear breathing. Somebody is close.
“I will kill you and take your dog collar.”
It is a malevolent, accented voice, low and totally devoid of fear. Its self-assured tone triggers a memory of the Nicholas Berg beheading video we watched at our base so long ago. It took them twenty-six seconds to decapitate him, and it was horrifying to watch. They were self-assured, too.
Now my imagination conjures a scene: my severed head, a grimy hand pulling my bloody dog tags free.
That's never gonna happen. Never—gonna—happen.
He's mind-fucking me, this one behind the door. I can't see him. I start to tremble. I fight it, but I can't control my body's physical reaction to this terror.
I can either go to pieces completely, or mind-fuck him back.
“Okay, listen up. I know you are not going to motherfucking stop. You know I am not going to motherfucking stop. La ta quiome.”
La ta quiome is my broken Arabic for “Do not resist.”
The enemy behind the door sniggers. He spits a curse in his native language. Sometimes it sounds like Arabic and sometimes it sounds totally different. Could that have been Farsi?
Am I fucking fighting Iranians in here?“Mommy will never find your body.”Bellavia shoots him. At least five times.
But there are more in the house. The fight isn't finished.He fingers his last magazine and thinks of his wife and son.
Deanna. Evan. I'm so sorry. I can't leave this fight. This is what I am. A warrior. It is my blood oath. If I turn my back on that again, I will be nothing and I can't face that.
I creep around the mattress, M16 at the ready. When I reach the doorway, I nearly slip. The water here is deeper and cloudy, probably with blood.
Neither corpse is in the doorway. I study the floor. Dark slicks of blood trail off into the stairwell room. It looks like one or both of them crawled into the kitchen.
Do I go finish them off and face the threat of somebody coming down the stairs again? I could get shot in the back as I go into the kitchen. Or do I go upstairs and face the bandolier-wearing Bogeyman from the closet? He's up there, somewhere in the darkness, waiting for me to do just that.
Or do I leave, get the rest of my squad and do this right.
No! I brought this on myself. I have to finish it.
Lawson is wounded. He's wounded because I didn't finish this the first time. I will not risk another man.
Fuck it.
I step through the doorway and onto the stairs. Eyes on the landing, I drop my current magazine out of the M16. I catch it and sling it into my pouch, then search for my last fresh one. I seize it and slam it home. The new mag makes a metallic snick as it slaps into place. I've got twenty-nine rounds in the mag and one in the pipe.
I begin to climb the stairs. There's no turning back now.
The image of my boy in his Halloween costume tumbles through my mind again. I hear his little voice in my head. It is the last thing he said to me on the phone before I left for Fallujah.
“I am going to save you, Daddy.”I'm sorry, buddy. I love you. I'm so sorry.He finds the “bandolier-wearing Bogeyman” upstairs. They're locked into hand-to-hand combat.
He clamped his teeth on the side of my thumb near the knuckle, and now he tears at it, trying to pull meat from bone. As he rages against the side of my right hand, his Adam's apple still in my clutch, I feel one of his hands move under me. Suddenly, a pistol cracks in the room. A puff of gun smoke rolls over us. The bullet hits the wall in front of me.
Where did that come from? Does he have a sidearm?
I cuff him across the face with my torn left hand. He rides the blow and somehow breaks my choke hold on him. I bludgeon his face. He tears at mine.
We share a single question of survival. Which one of us has the stronger will to live?
I gouge his left eye with my right index finger. I am astonished to discover that the human eye is not so much a firm ball as a soft, pliable sack. I try with all my might to send my finger all the way through. He wails like a child. It unnerves me, and I lose the stomach for this dirty trick. I withdraw my finger. Something metallic hits the cold concrete flooring. It is the same hand cannon that almost took my head off. His interest in trying to grab it opens a window of opportunity for me.
As he reaches for the pistol, I slam my left fist as hard as I can down onto his collarbone. He swings wildly at me again. My helmet's gone now. I have no idea where my M16 is. I've nothing but my hands left. And they're not enough. We will struggle and exhaust each other until the stalemate is broken by whoever's friends show up first.
I feel my strength ebbing. I don't have much left. He kicks at me, throwing his whole body into it. I've got to end this. But I don't know how.
“Surrender!”I'm ignored. He fights on, and I can sense he's encouraged. He's close to getting free of me. I swallow hard and gag. My mouth is full of blood, and I don't know whose. Both of us are slick with it; we have been bleeding all over each other. I taste bile through the blood. My body's maxed out. I don't know what to do.He remembers he has a knife on his belt.
I pounce on him. My body splays over his and I drive the knife right under his collarbone. My first thrust hits solid meat. The blade stops, and my hand slips off the handle and slides down the blade, slicing my pinkie finger. I grab the handle and squeeze it hard. The blade sinks into him, and he wails with terror and pain.
The blade finally sinks all the way to the handle.
I push and thrust it, hoping to get it under the collarbone and sever an artery in his neck. He fights, but I can feel he's weakening by the second.
I lunge at him, putting all my weight behind the blade. We're chin to chin now, and his sour breath is on my face. His eyes swim with hatred and terror. They're wide and dark and rimmed with blood. His face is covered with cuts and gouges. His mouth is curled into a grimace. His teeth are bared. It reminds me of the dogs I'd seen the day before.
The knife finally nicks an artery. We both hear a soft liquidy spurting sound. He tries to look down, but I've pinned him with the weight of my own body. My torn left hand has a killer's grip on his forehead. He can't move.
I'm bathed in warmth from neck to chest. I can't see it, but I know it is his blood. His eyes lose their luster. The hate evaporates. His right hand grabs a tuft of my hair. He pulls and yanks at it and tries to get his other hand up, but he is feeble.
“Just stop! Stop...Just stop! Rajahan hudna,” I plead. Please truce. We both know it is just a matter of time.
He gurgles a response drowned in blood...
His eyes show nothing but fear now. He knows he's going to die. His face is inches from mine, and I see him regard me for a split second. At the end, he says, “Please.”
“Surrender!” I cry. I'm almost in tears.
“No...” he manages weakly.
His face goes slack. His right hand slips from my hair. It hangs in the air for a moment, then with one last spasm of strength, he brings it to my cheek. It lingers there, and as I look into his dying eyes, he caresses the side of my face.
His hand runs gently from my cheeks to my jaw, then falls to the floor.
He takes a last ragged breath, and his eyes go dim, still staring into mine...
Tears blur my vision. I can hardly see him now, but he looks peaceful.
Why did he touch me like that at the end?
He was forgiving me...
“Sergeant Bell, Sergeant Bell, where are you?”
It's Lawson.
“Up here,” I manage.
“Sergeant Bell, are you okay? Why didn't you stay downstairs? Are you okay, man?”
“Yeah, I'm good. I'm good.”It's a lie. I wonder if I will ever be good again.
Buy the book from Amazon.com.
Forgive me for leaving in the language I don't usually allow, but if a story is being told by someone such as this, his words do not need to be changed for my sensitivities.
Weren't you just glued to reading that? Such good writing. I felt I was right there. Can you just hear the snake like hiss as he spit out the word "Jew!?"
I for one, do not believe he was forgiving Bellavia. Perhaps he needed one final human touch before he went to meet his virgins. I am sure he was thrilled that he had fought a "Jew." Is it strange that I would be more cynical than this brave warrior?
Compare this to Fallujah today where on Oct. 20, Michael Ledeen, writing for the WSJ, famously quoted a Marine officer friend as saying he has been told by enlisted Marines, "There's nobody to shoot (in Fallujah), sir. If it's just going to be building schools and hospitals, that's what the Army is for, isn't it?"
A horrific battle won. Good God, we should be proud.
h/t BigDog
One more very good thing. Beautiful pictures from Michael Yon. Muslim Iraqi's come to a Catholic Church service to ask those Christian Iraqi's "to come home."
Of course.
From the Boston Globe:
Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, saying the Democratic Party has been persistently hostile to opponents of abortion rights, asserted yesterday that the support of many Catholics for Democratic candidates "borders on scandal."
In his sharpest comments about the political landscape since he was installed as archbishop of Boston four years ago, O'Malley made clear that, despite his differences with the Republican Party over immigration policy, capital punishment, economic issues, and the war in Iraq, he views abortion as the most important moral issue facing policymakers.
"I think the Democratic Party, which has been in many parts of the country traditionally the party which Catholics have supported, has been extremely insensitive to the church's position, on the gospel of life in particular, and on other moral issues," O'Malley said.
Acknowledging that Catholic voters in Massachusetts generally support Democratic candidates who are in favor of abortion rights, O'Malley said, "I think that, at times, it borders on scandal as far as I'm concerned.""However, when I challenge people about this, they say, 'Well, bishop, we're not supporting [abortion rights],' " he said. "I think there's a need for people to very actively dissociate themselves from those unacceptable positions, and I think if they did that, then the party would have to change."
Look, it is a Pope/Bishop/Priest's job to inform those in the faith on moral matters. Even if they are political in nature as well. Abortion was a mortal sin long before it became the law of this land.
The same people who complain that the Catholic Church should stay out of politics are the same ones who accuse the Church of not speaking out enough against Hitler and the Nazis.
You cannot have it both ways. Everything Bishop O'Malley says is true and right. You don't have to listen if you don't wish to. That is freedom.
But this is my faith. I can no more separate my faith from my ideals and standards than I can separate my hand from my arm. My faith is a large part of who I am.
The Church is there to lead us on faith and morals. Sometimes that involves politics. Many issues have gray areas. But not abortion. It's wrong. It's evil. And it is good and right that O'Malley should say so.
via Hugh Hewitt
I'll sum it up for you. Forget free trade, keeping us safe from terrorism isn't worth the life of one soldier, the surge hasn't worked, forget the unborn, Forget Social Security, count on tax increases. Hillary won because she is still pretending to be a hawk to get elected.
For the love of all that is good and holy, let's nominate someone who can beat her.
USA Today:
Democrat who serves in the Louisiana legislature called a black supporter "Buckwheat" just days before the runoff election that will determine whether or not she returns to Baton Rouge.
Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez said "Talk to you later, Buckwheat" at the end of a telephone conversation with a black woman who helped drive voters to the polls on Election Day. (Buckwheat was a character in The Little Rascals who has come to symbolize demeaning racial stereotypes.)
"I've never had no one talk to me that way and I considered it a racial slur," Hazel Boykin tells the Associated Press. "I know the meaning of it, it's just like the N-word."
Boykin is a respected member of the community who played an active role in the civil-rights movement of the 1960s. Her son, Jerome Boykin, runs the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
This is the only story I could find on this. Where are all the news agencies and newspapers?? When Dog The Bounty Hunter used the "N" word in a private conversation with his son, the media went after it like ticks on a wild dog. Let's see if Sharpton, the Captain of the race police, will make as big a deal out of it as he did with Chapman. Will the person being racist being a Democrat make a difference? We shall see.
via national center for public policy
That's right. It only took two weeks (and I'm sure much polling) to make this decision.
First Read has a timeline on Hillary with this issue. Here is a summary:
October 16 editorial meeting with the Nashua Telegraph:
"I hate to see any state being pushed into trying to take this into their own hands because the federal government has failed. So I know exactly what Governor Spitzer is trying to do and it makes a lot of sense, because he's trying to get people out of the shadows, come forward and we'll give you this license
October 30 MSNBC debate:
Well, what Governor Spitzer is trying to do is fill the vacuum left by the failure of this administration to bring about comprehensive immigration reform. We know in New York we have several million at any one time who are in New York illegally. They are undocumented workers. They are driving on our roads. The possibility of them having an accident that harms themselves or others is just a matter of the odds. It's probability. So what Governor Spitzer is trying to do is to fill the vacuum. I believe we need to get back to comprehensive immigration reform because no state, no matter how well intentioned, can fill this gap. There needs to be federal action on immigration reform.
Moments later:
You know, Tim, this is where everybody plays "gotcha." It makes a lot of sense. What is the governor supposed to do? He is dealing with a serious problems. We have failed. And George Bush has failed. Do I think this is the best thing for any governor to do? No. But do I understand the sense of real desperation, trying to get a handle on this? Remember, in New York, we want to know who's in New York. We want people to come out of the shadows.
October 31 statement from the campaign:
“Senator Clinton supports governors like Governor Spitzer who believe they need such a measure to deal with the crisis caused by this administration’s failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”
The New York Times reported on that statement:
“Mrs. Clinton’s aides said her statement Wednesday expressing general support for Mr. Spitzer’s plan was intended to signal that she broadly supported his goal of granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. But they said she had not studied — and was not endorsing — any specific plan.”
Clinton campaigning in Clinton, IA on November 4:
"I wasn't as clear as I should have been the other night. I have had a number of occasions where I have spoken to it and I believe clarified it, but I'd be happy to do it again. I believe in comprehensive immigration reform and I have been in favor of that for years. I have signed onto bills. I have voted for provisions and I think it is the only answer for our country."
"Unfortunately, because the Bush administration has failed and as has the Congress, the federal government as a whole to bring about comprehensive immigration reform, governors are left holding the bag. They're the ones having to deal with the security issues, the safety of their roads and so much else. Therefore, I broadly support what governors like Eliot Spitzer are trying to do. I don't pretend to know the details. That's up to the governor and the legislature to try to work out. But I think that it's understandable that states are trying to fill a vacuum left by the failures of the federal government."
Then in an interview yesterday CNN’s Candy Crowley…:
CROWLEY: If I wrote a story that said: "Absent a broad illegal immigration bill, Hillary Clinton agrees about giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants," is that correct?CLINTON: No. What I have said is that I support what governors are trying to do. And governors are on the front lines because of the failures to get comprehensive immigration reform. There are already eight states that issue driver's licenses without any verification of citizenship. That is a decision that the governors and legislatures and the people of those states have made. I understand…CROWLEY: But you see why people think…CLINTON: Well, but you know, Candy…CROWLEY: … that you are not answering the question.CLINTON: Well, but you know, Candy, well, but I think that if you go back and look at the complexity of this issue, I don’t think a lot of these hard questions lend themselves to raising your hand. And I know that that’s easier in a 30 second context to try to do.
And finally, From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones:
"I support Governor Spitzer's decision today to withdraw his proposal," Clinton said in a statement. "His difficult job is made that much harder by the failure of the Congress and the White House to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
"As President, I will not support drivers' licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration including border security and fixing our broken system."
Obama's campaign finally hit one out of the park:
Obama spokesman Bill Burton writes, “When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration, it’s easier to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them.”
UPDATE: I'm thinking THIS is why Hillary has come against the driver's license for illegals.
From The Hill.com:
Senate Democrats might force Republicans to wage a filibuster if the GOP wants to block the latest Iraq withdrawal bill, aides and senators said Tuesday.
That could set the stage for a dramatic end-of-the-year partisan showdown, which Democrats hope will help them turn voter frustration with Congress and the stalemate over Iraq into anger with the Republican Party.
Whatever. You have to give Sen. Graham a prize for the best line of the day:
“I think that’s a strategy that’s going to backfire on our Democratic colleagues because the surge has clearly worked,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who sits on the Armed Services Committee, referring to the troop buildup Bush announced in January. “You’d have to suspend disbelief to believe it hasn’t worked.”
You have to laugh at the dramatics of Rick Sanchez. I'll have to agree with the rest of my blogger friends that this hardly bothers anyone, it probably helped McCain.
I WISH we could be so offended by the "b" word.
This is about the craziest primary season I have ever seen. People endorsing candidates you might not expect to. It's not that Fred hasn't been a pro-life supporter, he has, but other candidates have been stronger. Fred doesn't endorse the Human Life Amendment, which is in the Republican platform. Usually the NRTL committee endorses based on that candidate's dedication to the unborn child, but as you can see in this conversation with the executive director of NRTL and Hugh Hewitt, electability seems to be the order. Hewitt doesn't pull any punches here. It was a good interview.
While in California I went to the Nixon Presidential library. I learned many things I didn't know about Nixon. I didn't realize that the 1960 election was so close and that there was illegal voting to the point where many encouraged Nixon to ask for a recount. He refused saying for the good of the country, he would let it stand. (Unlike some one in recent memory)
History does seem to repeat itself. We had the communism threat during Nixon's political career and we have the Islamic terrorism threat now. Nixon reached out to communist China, something Bush refuses to do with Iran. And the scandal that defines Nixon was more about the coverup and lying than the crime, as it was with Clinton.
They are just now building a watergate part to Nixon's library. I suppose Nixon never wanted that there while he was alive. I wonder if one day The Clinton Presidential Library will have the blue dress displayed?
Nixon was the first President I remember. Being a good Democrat, my Dad couldn't stand him. I have a vivid memory of my Dad being so appalled at the tapes. He told me he just couldn't believe a President would speak like that. Especially the language. No wonder I detest cussing.
Anyway, you would think Presidential libraries would be boring, but they are not. History is always fascinating to me.
