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.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Romney will address the Mormon issue
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
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.
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.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, November 30, 2007
"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.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
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
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.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
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.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
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......
Monday, November 26, 2007
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
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.
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.
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."
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Some people get what they deserve....
..on this earth.
"Girls Gone Wild" founder claims to have been abused in jail.
Vanity Fair magazine gets sued.
"Enchanted" is Enchanting
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.
Sometimes real life stories end just the way you want them to....
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."
A Democrat who Gets It
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
And you thought lead paint in toys was bad...
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...
Let's Talk About Iraq
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
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Remember when...
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?
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
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.
"Mind of a Warrior, Heart of a Peacemaker"
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
Deer Crossing
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?????!!!"
AP Press photographer may be "terrorist media operative"
The Pentagon says additional evidence has come to light proving Bilal Hussein is a "terrorist media operative" who infiltrated the news agency.
Go Obama!
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.
Monday, November 19, 2007
MTV In The Middle East??
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.
Republicans Should Campaign For The Votes of Minorities
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.
Politics of Personal Silliness
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.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Democratic Denial
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
The Case Against Hillary
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.
