Friday, December 21, 2007
McCain, I always believed....
Just a reminder to all Republican primary voters.
The problem with Huckabee being the Christian Candidate
Growing up in a house that was all about politics, I never confused politics with faith. There are, after all, two completely different animals. In fact, as I was growing up and into the '80's, faith was never even a consideration regarding candidates and politics in my mind. Basically abortion and other social issues being forced upon us, forced Christians into the political process. We felt we couldn't be just voters anymore, we had to be activists.
I remember in the 80's thinking that the pro-life movement was handling the politics of abortion all wrong. They let the media paint them as radical protesters, instead of ones who help women in crisis pregnancies. For example, I bet most of you remember "Operation Rescue," but none of you know that during that time pro-lifers set up 3 times the number of pregnancy crisis centers than there are abortion clinics across the country. Crisis centers that not only provided for women during pregnancy, but after the baby was born as well. The negative is what will always be reported. And politics is ugly business, the pro-lifers were not up for that, the pro-abortionists certainly were, which is why they won the political battle.
This is the problem with Huckabee in my view. It's one thing for a candidate to claim to be a person of faith (as all of them do) and quite another to make it the hallmark of his campaign. We expect politicians to do negative campaigning against their opponents. That is a part of politics, but we don't like to see our "Christian leaders" involve themselves in the ugliness that is politics.
By Huckabee putting his Christianity front and center, he allows himself to be painted as a "Christian leader." Then when he is force to play the ugly political game, it makes us more than uncomfortable. It seems out of place, not right.
Huckabee has gained alot of ground touting his faith. Christians liked hearing the language of faith from a candidate, but I think he overplayed his hand. Once the mudslinging begins, he will look more like a Pharisee, claiming to be on the side of good, while acting in the opposite way.
It's impossible in the midst of the "fight club" that is Presidential politics, to portray yourself as the minister of the people, and on the other hand, be the pit bull candidate one has to be to win a political campaign.
It's like Mother Teresa trying to win a beauty pageant. It just doesn't work.
So Huckabee may shine with the light of Jesus now, but when the mud starts slinging, I'm afraid the light might get covered.
The perfect Christmas gift for your little girl!
And it's at the Dollar Store!
Yesterday, I stopped by the GAMA-GO world headquarters where co-founder Chris Edmundson presented me with this fine holiday gift. It's a set of fake breasts that he purchased, oddly enough, at a dollar store in San Francisco. Each breast is essentially a heavy-duty balloon with a built in compressed air cartridge. Squeezing the cartridge causes the breast to inflate. The back of the breast is outfitted with double-stick tape to secure it to your person. They're available, at least in our fair city, from Daiso, a large Japan-based chain of hyakkin (100 yen shops) with outlets in the United States. via Boing Boing
Does anything surprise us anymore? Btw, why does Japan make such weird things?
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tancredo endorses Romney!
Quite a coup. All that anti-illegal immigration street cred!
The way things are going, I feel like the girl being pursued by the two hottest guys at school. I'm a winner either way.
The McCain Train...
..is blowing past the competition. According to this ARG poll McCain is tied in New Hampshire. Not surprised? Well, how about this? McCain is 2nd in Iowa behind Huckabee,where he has hardly campaigned at all.
via NRO
Update: Even better? McCain is 2nd nationally according to this Fox poll.
via hotair
Don't worry guys, I'll be here to get through your anger issues with McCain.
John McCain's daughter's blog!
Hugh Hewitt asks a good question
"Would it kill Time or Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi or any on the left to say: "Well done, American soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine?" The turnaround in Iraq in 2007 is remarkable. It will be the subject of study and praise a hundred years from now
My one and only Ron Paul Post
I've never known what to say about Ron Paul, but that he seems like a Ross Perot wannabe. But this is just too interesting not to take note of:
Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has received a $500 campaign donation from a white supremacist, and the Texas congressman doesn't plan to return it, an aide said Wednesday.
Don Black, of West Palm Beach, recently made the donation, according to campaign filings. He runs a Web site called Stormfront with the motto, “White Pride World Wide.” The site welcomes postings to the “Stormfront White Nationalist Community.”
This story was broken by LST over almost 2 months ago.
Today they have this interesting post they discovered over at VNN:
The “Commander” of the American National Socialist Workers Party (i.e., the “Nazis”) has posted the following statement over at VNN, another leading White Supremacist hate-site.
Comrades:
I have kept quiet about the Ron Paul campaign for a while, because I didn’t see any need to say anything that would cause any trouble. However, reading the latest release from his campaign spokesman, I am compelled to tell the truth about Ron Paul’s extensive involvement in white nationalism.
Both Congressman Paul and his aides regularly meet with members of the Stormfront set, American Renaissance, the Institute for Historic Review, and others at the Tara Thai restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, usually on Wednesdays. This is part of a dinner that was originally organized by Pat Buchanan, Sam Francis and Joe Sobran, and has since been mostly taken over by the Council of Conservative Citizens.
I have attended these dinners, seen Paul and his aides there, and been invited to his offices in Washington to discuss policy.
For his spokesman to call white racialism a “small ideology” and claim white activists are “wasting their money” trying to influence Paul is ridiculous. Paul is a white nationalist of the Stormfront type who has always kept his racial views and his views about world Judaism quiet because of his political position.
I don’t know that it is necessarily good for Paul to “expose” this. However, he really is someone with extensive ties to white nationalism and for him to deny that in the belief he will be more respectable by denying it is outrageous — and I hate seeing people in the press who denounce racialism merely because they think it is not fashionable.
Yikes.
Rudy admitted to hospital
They say with flu like symptons. The flu? I thought people who had has cancer are always encouraged to get a flu shot. This couldn't have come at a worse time.
Oh, well, prayers and good thoughts go out to him.
via Drudge
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Moving on up...
Nationally. And it ain't Huckabee.
After holding a double-digit advantage over his nearest rivals just six weeks ago, the former New York City mayor now is tied nationally with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 20% among Republicans, just slightly ahead of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 17% and Arizona Sen. John McCain at 14%. Other polls show Mr. Giuliani's lead shrinking in Florida, one of the states he has based his strategy around.
I don't think the Mormon thing matters in the general election. Good to know.
via Ace
A Liberal Christmas
That's right. Buy gifts for everyone with the taxpayers money and act like you are the generous one.
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As Bryan at HotAir says:
If that doesn’t typify liberal thinking, I don’t know what does.
Obama's ad. Much nicer and it even mentions Christmas!
The Experience of Hillary
Magic Johnson came out today to campaign for Hillary. Why?
"Only 30 years of experience right here," Johnson said, signaling to Clinton, who stood by his side in the sit-down eating area of the Hy-Vee. He stayed diligently on-message, repeating the campaign talking points. "I think this country right now needs a leader with experience because this is not going to be an easy job," Johnson said.
30 years of experience. Hillary keeps touting "35 years of experience" on all the news shows, but if counting everything one did since graduation from college is "experience," then who doesn't have experience?
I hardly call 15 years as a corporate lawyer experience to be President. Obama and Edwards were lawyers as well. This "35 years of experience" also includes her three years as a law school professor. (Obama was too) Then there is that oh so important experience as a first lady. First as first lady of Arkansas, then First Lady of the U.S.A. So, according to her biography 11 were spent being a First lady. That's experience for the Presidency? And the one policy issue that she attempted as First Lady was a health care fiasco. Then she has had 7 years in the Senate. Which really is the only experience that counts. Everyone running for President has a college degree or more. They have all worked either in the private sector or in political office to which they were elected.
Obama also claims to have been "fighting" for the little guy too. And he was a community organizer in Chicago after working in the private sector for a short time. He seems to have done as much "fighting" as Hillary did and he was a lecturer of constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1993 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004. And he was a state legislator before that.
Edwards was also a lawyer supposedly 'fighting' for the little guy. Edwards has also been a Senator (for seven years) and if experience for doing anything counts, he was the vice Presidential nominee in 2004.
So how does Hillary have more experience than Obama and Edwards? Because Obama and Edwards haven't been a First Lady?
Looks that way.
Hillary is like Al Gore
Noemie Emery makes the case at NRO.
The similarities are striking. But one thing I cannot understand about Hillary in practical terms is why she insists on continuing this "cackle" that everyone, from the rightwing to the late night comedians, make fun of and makes her look contrived and ridiculous. I was pretty shocked when she cackled away again recently on the morning talk shows. What was she thinking? We all know she wasn't actually amused because the questions didn't warrant it, but surely she was aware of all the fun people made of her? Does she think that any publicity is good publicity?
I think if I were her I would stay away from what makes me look insincere. Al Gore learned from his eye rolling and sighs. He never did it again except to make fun of himself.
Maybe Hillary should take note.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Poor Pelosi
I'd almost feel sorry for her, except she deserves each and every defeat:
After a full year of partisan rancor and insubstantial political votes taken on the House floor, her Congress is crashing on several important deadlines this week as members prepare to leave for Christmas. And Pelosi is about to be owned by the Republican minority. That’s right: By the end of this week, she will likely have lost five major legislative battles, almost simultaneously.
The first and biggest Republican victory was the omnibus spending bill. Bush got the funding levels he wanted and got none of the so called “policy-riders” like the abolition of the government’s Mexico City policy. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't what we Republicans in the heartland would have wanted of course, but considering we are in the minority, it was quite a boon:
This summer, Republicans could not have imagined negotiating Democrats down to this funding level — $933 billion in regular discretionary spending, right at the level of President Bush’s request. “It’s probably better than anything we would have passed, if we were still the majority,” one conservative Republican Senate staffer remarked
It gets better:
The bill currently includes only funding for the Afghanistan war, but by the time it passes it will include full and unconditional Iraq supplemental funding, ending yet another legislative crisis in the Republicans’ favor. The Iraq money will be added by amendment in the Senate. This portion of the amended bill will then pass the House largely on Republican votes. In essence, Democrats are capitulating on the Iraq question for a second time this year...
Sweet.
On the Alternative Minimum Tax, Democrats have already lost this one through inaction. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Senate Democrats, who already agreed to fixing this broken portion of the tax code on Republicans’ terms (without raising taxes to compensate), are watching impatiently as their House colleagues refuse to acknowledge that they lost this issue weeks ago.
Then there was the Energy Bill. It included two environmentalist provisions — "the Renewable Portfolio Standard, which forces utilities to generate or purchase a certain percentage of their electricity from “renewable” sources (not including hydroelectric or nuclear), and tax hikes on domestic oil production. The revenues were expected to pay for promotion of “green” power (more corporate welfare):"
Then last Thursday, the Senate unexpectedly rejected both provisions and passed an energy bill consisting mostly of “non-green” corporate welfare. The bill is expected to pass today containing neither provision. Pelosi played her best cards and lost again.
What about the S-CHIP program we heard so much about earlier this year?
Republicans, who hoped merely to extend the current program beyond the next election, were pummeled rhetorically for their resistance to the change. Yet after last night’s negotiations, sources on the Hill say that they are about to get exactly what they wanted — another extension of the program, as it exists, through March 2009.
........
But the real story of the session of Congress now ending is how pathetic and rudderless the Democratic leadership has been. The last twelve months have been characterized by partisan rancor, endless committee investigations, and several dozen meaningless, symbolic Iraq votes designed only to pander to the Left without actually ending the war. Through it all, Pelosi and other leaders failed to make a serious effort to pass necessary legislation until now.
Why did this happen to Pelosi? Because she chose to make every fight a political issue where she got camera time instead of negotiating in good faith. It ticked off moderates and she lost support.
Democrats got what they asked for in Pelosi, a self absorbed women bent on power and little else.
Will they now elect another one as their nominee?
John Edwards STARS!!!
I actually think this is pretty effective and cute.
via HotAir
Update: Maybe so effective that the Hillary crew could be behind this?
Could someone make Bill Clinton shutup?
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina (CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton said Monday that the first thing his wife Hillary will do when she reaches the White House is dispatch him and his predecessor, President George H.W. Bush, on an around-the-world mission to repair the damage done to America's reputation by the current president — Bush's son, George W. Bush.
"Well, the first thing she intends to do, because you can do this without passing a bill, the first thing she intends to do is to send me and former President Bush and a number of other people around the world to tell them that America is open for business and cooperation again," Clinton said in response to a question from a supporter about what his wife's "number one priority" would be as president.
Yeah, because having a President who was "serviced" by a woman young enough to be his daughter in the oval office,lying about it and making the Presidency a porn joke around the world, didn't hurt our reputation at all.
I'm thinking former President H.W. Bush might not be on board with the whole "dispatch" thing.
Update: Yeah, it's like I thought. Former Pres. Bush isn't too keen on the idea:
...former President Bush’s chief of staff Jean Becker said that he “wholeheartedly supports the President of the United States, including his foreign policy. He has never discussed an ‘around-the-world-mission’ with either former President Bill Clinton or Sen. Clinton, nor does he think such a mission is warranted since he is proud of the role America continues to play around the world as the beacon of hope for freedom and democracy.
"The Unbelievable Tenacity of George W. Bush"
Dinesh D'Souza at Townhall.com sums up well why I am still a supporter of President George Bush.
Huckabee may have helped Romney
With the former Baptist minister prominently running on his Christian faith and with Romney's long held lead in Iowa gone, the Romney camp shrewdly hyped a speech on religious freedom four weeks before the first contest. The speech received prominent national media coverage for a full week, with the quiet insinuation from the campaign that Romney's electoral problems stemmed from anti-Mormon bigotry. This allowed Romney to be viewed sympathetically as a victim of religious intolerance, both by the Republican party and the nation as a whole. The rise of Huckabee (and more importantly the fear of Huckabee as the GOP nominee) coupled with the "Mormon" speech have been the catalysts that have allowed Romney to get a second look from many Republican voters. With Huckabee now solidly on Romney's right flank as the "religious" candidate and the socially liberal Giuliani with a closet full of personal baggage on his left flank, Romney ironically might be in a stronger position coming out of a New Hampshire win to get the nomination than the non-Huckabee scenario of three months ago where he won both Iowa and New Hampshire.
As the article also states, the wild card here is McCain. New Hampshire is full of those pesky independent voters who could make all the difference in the world for McCain and could deflate Romney. I am also interested to see how the anti-Mormon votes go. People won't say that's why they are not voting for Romney, but when it comes to voting, will they let their bias against Mormons keep them from supporting Romney? And don't underestimate Rudy or Fred either.
I find it wonderful and amazing that the field is still wide open. Even on the Democrats side, there is this slight ray of hope that maybe Obama can beat the political machine that is Hillary. Edwards is no quitter either and he may surprise us all.
Let's don't forget Ron Paul, whose supporters obviously have more money than sense.
Monday, December 17, 2007
The Success of Petraeus and the leadership of McCain
How Gen. Petraeus proved all the Democrats wrong.
But you have to cross the pond to read about it in the MSM.
By any measure, the US-led surge has been little short of a triumph. The number of American military fatalities is reduced sharply, as is the carnage of Iraqi civilians, Baghdad as a city is functioning again, oil output is above where it stood in March 2003 but at a far stronger price per barrel and, the acid test, many of those who fled to Syria and Jordan are today returning home.
......
The self-evident success of the surge has obliged the Democrats to start talking about almost anything else and the calls to cut and run have abated. If the US Army remains in Iraq in strength, continuing on its present path, then deals on a constitution and the division of oil revenues between provinces will be realised.
Secondly, the aspiration that Iraq could be some sort of “beacon” in the region is no longer ridiculous. It will never be Sweden with beards, but there has been the development of a vibrant capitalist class and a media of a diversity that is unique in the region. Were Iraq to emerge with a federal political structure, regular local and national elections and an economic dynamism in which the many, not the few, could share, then it would be a model.
And I couldn't let pass how this article ended:
The tragedy is that the approach of General David Petraeus could and should have been adopted four years ago in the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's enforced departure. One prominent American politician alone has spent that time publicly demanding the extra soldiers which, in 2007, have been Iraq's salvation. That statesman is John McCain. Is it too much to hope (let alone predict) that he will reap his reward at the polls in 2008?
No one seems to focus on that fact. McCain was the lone voice in the wilderness demanding extra soldiers when Democrats were demanding defeat and Republicans weren't offering much else.
This is what leadership is all about my friends, just keep that in mind.
via RCP
In case your wondering....
Countdown to Iowa: 17 days
Countdown to New Hampshire: 22 days
Countdown to Michigan: 29 days
Countdown to Nevada and SC GOP primary: 33 days
Countdown to SC Dem primary: 40 days
Countdown to Florida: 43 days
Countdown to Tsunami Tuesday: 50 days
Countdown to Election Day 2008: 323 days
Countdown to Inauguration Day 2009: 400 days
via MSNBC
Hillary on Fox News?
She must be feeling the heat. I saw her early this morning on Fox and Friends and of course, they were perfectly nice to her. I almost felt sorry for her because she was trying so hard. Mike Doocey asked her about the Hill-o-copter and she just laughed and laughed. Which made no sense. And she laughed for too long, not just a "heh, heh," that might have seemed more appropriate for the question. I can't be objective here, but her goodwill seemed so forced. On top of that, her makeup was awful. Someone had put some kind of light blue eye shadow on her (although it might have been that concealer stuff that has a blue tinge) and she had far too much blush on. I admit that sometimes Hillary can look attractive, but not this morning.
I'm not the only one noticing that she is trying so hard to be liked Maybe she shouldn't have used this as an example though:
Taking steps to fix the problem, Clinton has brought her mother and daughter to Iowa and featured them in TV ads. One of Clinton's constituents, Shannon Mallozzi of East Northport, N.Y., was on her way there Sunday as part of the new campaign. Mallozzi has a 6-year-old daughter with an incurable brain disease called hydrocephalus. As she waited to catch a plane to Des Moines for two days of campaigning, she said she spent a half-hour with Clinton several years ago to describe the disease and ask how to encourage federal research.
"She made me feel like it was just two mothers" talking in her car, Mallozzi said, then worked with her to get action on the disease and checked up on her daughter's health.
What a joke!! Hydrocephalus is one of the main reasons for late term abortions, which Hillary heartily supports. So if a mother chooses to have their child destroyed because of hydrocephalus then as far as Hillary is concerned, it's goodbye. But if your mother chooses to have the child, then Hillary suddenly cares about the child?
But only with our taxpayer money of course.
Update: I just noticed that HotAir has the video of Hillary on Fox this morning.
Update 2: If you think I'm harsh, check out the picture of Hillary Drudge is putting front and center.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
McCain on a roll.....
The Des MoinesRegister endorses Clinton and McCain.
The Boston Globe endorses Obama and McCain.
When it's all said and done, we can all come back here to discuss how right I was.
;-)
BIG UPDATE! Lieberman is endorsing McCain! Republicans tend to forget how the independents come out and vote too. This will also create all kinds of buzz and talk about McCain at a time where he needs the buzz.
I want to stop blogging about Huckabee, I really do
Victor David Hanson on Huckabee' forgeign policy:
I don't know much about Mike Huckabee, but found his aw-shucks Foreign Affairs essay strange to say the least (e.g., cf. "The Bush administration's arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad." )
But what he offers inter alia is the rehashed plan of invading the nuclear, nominal ally Pakistan ("I prefer to cut to the chase by going after al Qaeda's safe havens in Pakistan." ) while reaching out to Iran, the de facto non-nuclear enemy, by offering normal diplomatic relations—of course, only after strengthening sanctions and declaring the Revolutionary Guards terrorists. He laments losing the good will once shown by Iran in its 2001 shared goal of defeating the Taliban-almost like lamenting the needless estrangement of the Soviet Union in 1946 after we once had been so close in working to defeat Hitler.
The Romney gets in a good right hook:
"[Huckabee] said the Bush administration is guilty of an 'arrogant bunker mentality' that has been counterproductive here and abroad. I simply can't believe that. I can't believe he'd say that. I'm afraid he's running for the wrong party. The truth of the matter is this president's kept us safe these last six years."
I went to a dinner party last night. All of these people were smart, educated, and interesting. They were not that into politics except in some general way. They know all the names and have general feelings about each of the candidates. Most who knew Huckabee thought he seemed like a real nice guy. They said he didn't seem phony like the rest. A few admitted they would never vote for a Mormon, which I just find so frustrating. They also admit they would never vote for Obama because he used to be Muslim and they think he still is.
I talked to one gentlemen from the Northeast who explained how he felt our soldiers had died for nothing in Iraq. I didn't get angry. I just explained that many of us feel that they did die for freedom and for turning a page in history where Americans and Muslims no longer fear each other, but understand each other, and on top of that we have rid the world of a brutal dictator and killed thousands upon thousands of al-Queda. I said to him that History will tell us which one of us is right, but this is my question to you? "Do hope that I am right?" And He said Yes, he hopes that I am right.
That's the difference to me. If you think this war was wrong. If you think our warrior's dying was for nothing. Fine. You have every right to think that, but if you hope that it was all for naught just to prove George Bush wrong, then I can't abide you. At least this gentlemen wants our victory in the Middle East, he just doesn't believe it will happen. I told him the story about the Catholic Church in Iraq that was rebuilt by Christians and Muslims and how I had a picture of Muslims climbing on the Church to place the cross there. And another picture of them worshipping together in that church, and he got tears in his eyes! He never hears the good stories!
Among the Democrats at the party there was alot of frustration that Joe Biden has not gotten enough recognition. They all agree that he had the most experience and should be a front runner. None of them seemed to thrilled with Obama or Hillary, but would vote for either if nominated.
Anyway, it was a fun party and I enjoyed the back an forth.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Obama is having a very good week
Check out this edited version of the reaction of Iowans immediately after the last debate at Obama's campaign site.
He should really make that into a commercial. These regular people really hit on all of Hillary's weaknesses.
Update: Well, it's about freakin time.
What gives here?
I looked all day the other day for this quote from Obama when Oprah introduced him and could not find it anywhere. I didn't want to mis-quote him, but Charles Krauthammer has it:
Barack Obama opens his speech at his South Carolina Oprah rally with "Giving all praise and honor to God. Look at the day that the Lord has made."
All I have heard from the media are quotes from Huckabee about faith and religion, but Obama says something overtly religious and not a peep out of the mainstream media.
Why do you think that is? I know, but do you?
Hillary will be flying all over Iowa
Huckamessage
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
Remember how I said the higher purpose that Obama may have been born for is to stop Hillary?
Well, maybe the higher purpose Huckabee was born for was to make the Republican party either forgive McCain, or accept Romney, and understand that the people of faith will never vote for Rudy. A divine message to the GOP, so to speak.
Can I get an Amen?
Climate Change
I thought it interesting that in the last Iowa debates of both parties, they used the term "global climate change" instead of "global warming." Maybe because it was colder than a witch's...ummm....nose outside during the debates?
Anyway, in related news, The American Thinker brings us the results of the Kyoto treaty ratified it in 1998:
If we look at that data and compare 2004 (latest year for which data is available) to 1997 (last year before the Kyoto treaty was signed), we find the following.
Emissions worldwide increased 18.0%.
Emissions from countries that signed the treaty increased 21.1%.
Emissions from non-signers increased 10.0%.
Emissions from the U.S. increased 6.6%.
In fact, emissions from the U.S. grew slower than those of over 75% of the countries that signed Kyoto.
As The American Thinker points out:
One would think that countries that committed to the Kyoto treaty are doing a better job of curtailing carbon emissions. One would also think that the United States, the only country that does not even intend to ratify, keeps on emitting carbon dioxide at growth levels much higher than those who signed.
And one would be wrong.
via Powerline
Huckabee, Huckabee, Huckabee
It seems to be all anyone can talk about.
Michael Gerson at the WaPo wonders if Huckabee's acceptance of Gilchrist's (the minutemen founder) endorsement was the biggest mistake he could make.
Ron Paul is paying for trips to Iowa of two former Republican legislators from Mike Huckabee 's home state to criticize Huckabee's record on immigration and taxes.
Iowa Polls Drove Huckabee Surge
Real Clear Politics Stuart Rothenberg says a Huckabee candidacy could be a disaster as far as electability goes. Huckabee has no foreign policy experience. None.
Heading Right with Captain Quarters radio has an interview with Huckabee.
One more: Rich Lowery: Huckacide.
Ok, enough with the "Hucka{insert word} already.
To be honest, I wish all this buzz would go away. I understand why social conservatives like Huckabee, but I agree with Rothenberg, his electability in the general election is zero. We need the best person to be able to win against Hillary, not a newbie. We need someone who can effectively run this war. Huckabee has no experience there either. Also, although I am certainly a person of faith (nothing is more important to me), I am uncomfortable with Huckabee's mixing of faith and politics. Faith should be a part of who you are, not a part of your political campaign. I think that alienates too many Americans who don't share that faith.
There is also that "gut" feeling I have. It's nothing I can explain, but I just don't feel good about Huckabee. I'm sure he is a nice person, a good man, but he isn't what we need right now. We need to focus on someone who can win. We have good candidates. McCain, Romney, and Thompson are who we should be focusing on. Not Huckabee and not Rudy.
Let's get to it.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Obama tells Hillary the way it's going to be...
You go, Obama. Tell that woman who's in charge!
Axelrod (Obama advisor) said that the two senators spoke for about 10 minutes today, during which Clinton apologized for the comments made by her New Hampshire co-chair Billy Shaheen, who told the Washington Post that Obama's past cocaine use would make him vulnerable to GOP attacks. "Senator Obama expressed to Senator Clinton it's important for campaigns to send a signal from the top as to what type of campaign they want to run. If you send a signal that negative campaigning is the fun part of campaigns and treat it as a sport, then you are sending a signal down the line that it's all okay. They have to decide if they want to send a different signal and certainly by asking Mr. Shaheen to leave that would be a different signal," Axelrod said.
And she did just about 20 minutes later.
Clinton's campaign Co-Chair resigns
The first head to roll:
Shaheen announces decision to step down as Clinton campaign Co-Chair
“I would like to reiterate that I deeply regret my comments yesterday and say again that they were in no way authorized by Senator Clinton or the Clinton campaign. Senator Clinton has been running a positive campaign focused on the issues that matter to America’s families. Plus she threatened to kill my cat."
Ok, I made the last sentence up. But with Clinton, you just never know.
via HotAir
In related news, over at Reihl World View, Dan noticed that a progressive blog caught some sock puppets from the Clinton Campaign. It was The Blue Hampshire Blog:
Recently, we admins noticed this comment thread on a recommended diary, and the oddities it posed made us look a little deeper than we normally would.
As the comment thread revealed, users pinballwizard, elf, shley24, MTAY all registered in succession to recommend the diary. A further look by us revealed that:
* they had registered within minutes of each other, including another user a bit later, janbaby, who was not among the recommenders, * the same IP address was used by all of them, and is registered to the Clinton campaign, * two other recommenders, blues and kmeisje, also registered from the same IP address.
The administrators say commenters from campaigns are always welcome as long as they identify themselves as such.
Come on guys, this is just the beginning. Let's just sit back and watch the show. Clinton's team is sure to give us one.
The Sad Life Of Matthew Murray
Matthew Murray is the 24 yr old that killed four people at two New Life Church facilities in Colorado. Murray attended YWAM (for youth) training at Arvada's Faith Bible Chapel. Earlier, the Director explained they let Murray go from a missionary program because of what he called "issues related to his health." Could that "health" issue been that he was gay? One of the things that hasn't been reported on so much in the mainstream media is that Matthew wrote about being bi-sexual:
Last summer, he wrote, "People like us are going to go to hell, according to Christians." He lists several reasons why. Reason number seven is bluntly stated, "I'm bisexual." In other postings, Murray wrote, "... I can never get a female date. I am at least able to get some male action."
On an online website Murray wrote that he told her, "Using drugs, alcohol and having gay sex, I'm just trying to do what any Christian pastor would do. At least I'm not doing meth like Ted Haggard."
He posted about not understanding how Haggard could be forgiven, yet he himself could not:
He posted, "I want to know where was all the love, mercy and compassion for my supposed imperfections?"
What were his imperfections?
He said he had participated in“every sort of sexual perversion”…including bestiality. He says he rebelled from his strict Christian back ground in 2004:
It was in 2004 at age 20 when I rebelled against my parents and their church that I immediately went out and bought Marilyn Manson’s “Smells Like Children” Album. From there I got all of Marilyn Manson’s albums and went on to an assortment of metal and Black Metal groups:
Vital Remains, Slayer, Cradle of Filth, Danzig, Black Sabbath, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Emperor, Slipknot, Tool, Dark Funeral, Marduk, Gorgoroth etc
He also sought refuge in the occult. Here is a posting of some of his online writings. They are deeply sad and disturbing. At one point he yells at his mother and tells her he likes men and would like to do a threesome in front of her and his dad. I don't want to copy and paste that conversation for the obvious reasons it is R-rated.
In many of the writings he refers to being raped. It seems it was by a man since he later says it wasn't consensual and then says that he would like to one day be with a female.
In early 2004, I was still living at home at age 20. I went to a charismatic conference at New Life church with my mother and her church. At the conference I got into a debate with two prayer team staff members. These two staff members watched me throughout the conference to find out who I was with. They found my mother and told her this story that went something along the lines of I “wasn’t walking with the lord and could be planning violence.”
It seems clear that in the rebelling against his strict home life and the strict dictates of the New Life Church combined with his mental state, he blamed everything on Christians such as those at New Life.
In reading through his writings, it is heartbreaking. Matthew was obviously abused and raped. He saw hypocrisy at the church and oppressiveness with his family trying to control him at home. Add on to that the various medications he took for his depression and it all ends the way we saw it end.
Some gay websites are blaming the whole thing on the fact that Matthew was gay and the Church tried to change him. Whatever sexuality Matthew desired or was, it was only a symptom of the inner demons that he stuggled with. This really wasn't about being gay against being Christian imo. It was about never finding the good inside himself.
I'm not making a judgement here on Matthew or his family. I'll let God do that. But for the websites that I surfed through that seem to want to blame the Church, or homophoblia, or his parents, or hypocrisy for what Matthew did, I don't buy it.
I have known people who went through these kinds of things, as horrible as they are, and come out of it as wonderful human beings. Matthew never understood that God wasn't the New Life Church or his parents. He was being forced to find answers there. And then he looked for more answers in all the wrong places.
There is no doubt in my heart and mind that the struggle between good and evil surrounds each of us every day. Matthew had more of a struggle than most of us, but he could not overcome. He was devoured.
May God have mercy on his soul.
I Peter 5:8
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
A Candidate Only a Mother Could Love
Does anyone else find it strange that a new ad put out by the Clinton Campaign starring her mother is only about one thing, Hillary being a "good person." Her mother begins with this: "What I would like people to know about Hillary is what a good person she is."
Wouldn't we know that about Hillary after all these years of knowing her? When you have to get your mom to tell people that you "really are a good person, no, really, A good person. I promise," I find that pretty sad.
I suppose Rudy will be next with his mom telling us he "really is a loyal person. Really. He is."
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Someone explain this to me...
*I go to do some Christmas shopping and get an instalaunch! Welcome and come back and read me everyday! Scroll through while you are here. I'm not like the rest! I'm clean and only allow clean comments. I have as many leftwing commenters as I do rightwing and everything in between. A real debate can be had here. Not just shouting at each other. I have a Catholic/Christian point of view and I try to not mimic what the other blogs are saying. I end up doing that sometimes because I get the story first!
Congressman Steve King reacted this morning to the nine “NO” votes on his resolution to honor Christmas and the Christian faith. The vote shocked Capitol Hill observers because votes on similar resolutions honoring the holidays of Islam and Hinduism passed without any NO votes.
Appearing this morning on the Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends, King said, “The [nine] naysayers didn’t make it to the floor to debate. I would like to know how they could vote Yes on Islam, Yes on the Indian Religions and No on Christianity when the foundation of this nation and our American culture is Christianity…I think there’s an assault on Christianity in America.”
To find out who voted no, follow link. Look, I don't need any stinkin' resolution to honor Christmas or the Christian faith. But someone explain to me why it is ok and good to honor other religions and not this one?
I don't get it. Even from the Democrats, I don't get this.
President Edwards?
The one scenario no one is talking about. Hillary has her venom set on Obama, but what if, in all the fray, Edwards ends up with momentum? Maybe Democrats will see Hillary for what she is, a manipulating corrupt political machine, but honestly feel that Obama cannot win the general election because of lack of experience and past indiscretions?
Edwards is saying all the things the left want to hear. He has been through the process before and he is handsome and charismatic and is from the south.
Don't underestimate this man. I see him getting the nomination before Obama (although I honestly don't see anyone taking this from Hillary)
Imagine Romney and Edwards being the nominees. The hair jokes. The Ken jokes. The two best looking men to ever run for President against each other.
It would be fun.
Hillary's fangs come out.
Remember when Hillary said with Obama it was time for the fun to begin?
It's begun.
Billy Shaheen, the co-chairman of Hillary Clinton's is just bewildered and perplexed:
Among his concerns about Obama as the nominee, he said in an interview here today, is that his background is so relatively unknown and that the Republicans would do their best to unearth negative aspects of it, or concoct mistruths about it. Shaheen, a lawyer and influential state power broker, mentioned as an example Obama's use of cocaine and marijuana as a young man, which Obama has been open about in his memoir and on the trail.
"The Republicans are not going to give up without a fight ... and one of the things they're certainly going to jump on is his drug use," said Shaheen,
....
Shaheen said Obama's candor on the subject would "open the door" to further questions. "It'll be, 'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'" Shaheen said. "There are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. It's hard to overcome."
Gee, he's so concerned. This is so obvious. The Clinton campaign is angry that these questions aren't being asked by the media. They know if they put it out there themselves it will look like a deep personal attack so instead the campaign manager says that these are the questions the Republicans will be asking. He's just so worried about that. It's the Republicans who will play dirty tricks, not us, who just did by saying this.
Remember when Novak said the Clinton campaign had something on Obama and Obama diffused it by saying he wasn't playing that game? The Clinton campaign has something on Obama, but they don't want to be the ones to put it out there and they are just simmering for it to get out.
I think it would be sweet for Romney, McCain, Thompson, Guiliani, and Huckabee's campaigns to all come out and say, "We promise we will not be asking those questions in the general election. We understand Obama's past discretions and considered it done."
Wouldn't that be delicious?
via Ace (who,btw, thinks this makes Hillary done, who is he kidding?)
The Republican Debate
How many of these do we need to have? Good grief.
I watched a bit of it. Nothing new. But I did like it when the moderator asked for a show of hands on certain questions, Thompson said "I'm not doing the show of hands thing." And everyone else agreed. Good on him. It is stupid.
Stuff
Huckabee recieves endorsement of Jim GilChrist, founder of the Minuteman project. This certainly takes the sting out of Huckabee's past illegal immigration stances. Here is Huckabee's immigration and border enforcement plan.
UPDATE: It seems Jim GilChrist asked all the candidates if they would like his suppport and Huckabee is the only one who accepted. After Huckabee's record on illegal immigration, that must have seemed like a Godsend. (no pun intended) via HotAir
GOP Des Moines Register/Iowa Public Television debate today will be a bit more interesting with Alan Keyes there. Keyes is always good for fire and brimstone.
MaryKatharine is wondering where in the world is Fred Thompson?
One last thought. I watched Hillary and Warren Buffet on CNBC discussing the estate tax and how wonderful it is to tax money that has already been taxed:
"The estate tax has been historically part of our very fundamental belief that we should have a meritocracy, that we do not want a system — where we expect people to make it on their own — to be, over time, dominated by inherited wealth," she said. "That we do believe that people should have to get out there and make their way, to a great extent."
She also said the following, but I cannot find it in any transcript. She said that "passing wealth from generation to generation must be stopped."
I almost fell on the floor. So people who have wealth and pass that wealth down to their children should not be allowed to do so in Hillary's opinion! The government should get that money. Good grief. Could that be any more socialistic?
I suppose If Clinton gets elected people who work hard to make a great deal of money need to spend all of it before they die. Because heaven forbid their children receive it.
California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring had this to say:
"Hillary Clinton's death tax is just another tax on assets that have already been taxed," Nehring said. "Under Clinton's plan, family-owned businesses and individuals stand to lose half of everything when the business and/or property pass from one generation to another."
"Andrew Giuliani defends relationship with father"
Oh, really?
Rudy Giuliani’s son, Andrew, defended his relationship with his father during an interview with the campus newspaper last week. The Duke University Junior spoke to the paper after learning that Details Magazine labeled him as the “person who could most easily torpedo” his father’s campaign, ranking him the 19th most powerful man under-45.
Andrew responded:
He added that Details mischaracterized his relationship with his father based on a New York Times article earlier this year that he said twisted his words.
“For them to say I have no relationship with my father is flat out wrong. They took a 20-minute interview and spun it in the direction that they wanted,” Giuliani said. “It’s not anything new to say that The New York Times is not in my father’s corner, and they did a good job of proving that. I wasn’t careful enough in watching my words and gave them too much rope to hang myself with.”
Umm... yeah..wow. Such a rigorous defense! Here is the opportunity to set things straight and all he can say is that the NYT was wrong to say he had "no relationship" with his father?
Oh, he has a relationship with his father alright. It's called "strained."
There is something about leaving your kids, humilating the mother of your children in public, as you are cavorting around town with a mistress while you are mayor of NYC, that might lend itself to a "strained" relationship with those children when they are grown.
I doubt the boy will even vote for his father.
Update: If you want an in depth (and I mean really in depth) look at Rudy's business dealings after 9-11, Vanity Fair has this. Needless to say, VF hates Rudy so view the story through that lens.
The Scientific Way to Love...
Have you ever been somewhere and looked across the room at someone you found attractive and thought, "I wonder if our DNA match?"
No?
Well, get ready. At ScientificMatch.com has found a way to scientically find your true love:
A new dating service that says it's the first to use DNA matching to find that "perfect someone" is scheduled to launch in Boston Tuesday.
ScientificMatch.com promises its technology will use DNA to find a date with "a natural odor you'll love, with whom you'd have healthier children and a more satisfying sex life."
How does it work?
In analyzing DNA, the company said it looks at immune system genes and identifies compatible mates from people with different immune systems.
Could it get any sexier?
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
National Review Endorses Mitt Romney
I think NRO is the best conservative online magazine on the net. I don't think I could get through the day without The Corner. I respect their choice. Mitt is my rebound man, no doubt.
They like McCain, but they say McCain is not as conservative as Romney. They have the usual gripes against McCain, campaign-finance law, voting against the Bush tax cuts, and supporting this year’s amnesty bill.
They like Thompson, but they say he has never run a large and he has not run his campaign well at all.
This is what they like about Romney:
Romney is an intelligent, articulate, and accomplished former businessman and governor. At a time when voters yearn for competence and have soured on Washington because too often the Bush administration has not demonstrated it, Romney offers proven executive skill. He has demonstrated it in everything he has done in his professional life, and his tightly organized, disciplined campaign is no exception. He himself has shown impressive focus and energy.
What about flip flopping?
It is true that he has reversed some of his positions. But we should be careful not to overstate how much he has changed. In 1994, when he tried to unseat Ted Kennedy, he ran against higher taxes and government-run health care, and for school choice, a balanced budget amendment, welfare reform, and “tougher measures to stop illegal immigration.” He was no Rockefeller Republican even then.We believe that Romney is a natural ally of social conservatives. He speaks often about the toll of fatherlessness in this country. He may not have thought deeply about the political dimensions of social issues until, as governor, he was confronted with the cutting edge of social liberalism. No other Republican governor had to deal with both human cloning and court-imposed same-sex marriage. He was on the right side of both issues, and those battles seem to have made him see the stakes of a broad range of public-policy issues more clearly. He will work to put abortion on a path to extinction. Whatever the process by which he got to where he is on marriage, judges, and life, we’re glad he is now on our side — and we trust him to stay there.
All of this is true. The only obstacle I see for Romney is this ridiculous Mormon prejudice. Huckabee is taking votes now based on this prejudice. I don't like it at all.
I'd like to see a McCain/Romney ticket or a Romney/McCain ticket.
But you guys knew that.
via Ace
"Huckabee would lose by double digits"
So says a new CNN/Opinion Poll in head to head matchups.
Who is the only one to beat Hillary, according to the poll?
Say it with me..... McCain.
Hillary Clinton 51%
Rudy Giuliani 45%
Hillary Clinton 54%
Mike Huckabee 44%
Hillary Clinton 54%
Mitt Romney 43%
John McCain 50%
Hillary Clinton 48%
via Ace
The Right To Bear Arms
In light of the Colorado shootings, I thought you might enjoy Ted Nugent's take on the 2nd Amendment.
via Grouchy Old Cripple
Remembering Daniel Pearl
After recently seeing "A Mighty Heart," I realized that Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal Journalist who was kidnapped and beheaded by terrorists, will always serve as a brutal reminder of the horror we fight.
My post, "Because he was a Jew" here.
Last night Pres Bush and Laura Bush welcomed Daniel Pearl's parents, Professor Judea Pearl and Ruth Pearl, to light their family Menorah at the White House reception: (emphasis mine)
The Menorah originally belonged to Professor Pearl's grandparents who brought it with them when they moved from Poland to Israel in 1924, to establish the town of Bnai-Brak.
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino told reporters Mrs. Pearl hopes the Menorah serves as a "visual reminder to all people who are facing darkness, that with hope and perseverance, freedom and goodness will prevail."
A Moral Question....
The WaPo:
A former CIA officer who participated in the capture and questioning of the first al-Qaeda terrorist suspect to be waterboarded said yesterday that the harsh technique provided an intelligence breakthrough that "probably saved lives," but that he now regards the tactic as torture.
John Kiriakou, said the first high-level al-Qaida detainee was defiant for weeks but broke down 35 seconds after the waterboarding started. Although the information he gave "probably saved lives," Kiriakou now says that he considers waterboarding to be torture, and "Americans are better than that. via Slate.
Hmmm.... Everyone here knows how I feel about this, but please discuss.
I remember reading about a women during the Holocaust who slept with a Nazi officer to keep him from sending a Jewish family that worked in the home to the gas chambers.
Was that moral? She committed a grave sin to save the lives of others. Was she "better than that?" Is that right? Was she right? And if she was right, then is waterboarding right?
Monday, December 10, 2007
Huckabee's Fall
Yes, he's up in the polls. He has had a few fantastic weeks, but this week has been a bit of a problem.
Jesus!
Did you see this news video of a Granny who ministered her would be mugger and told him "Jesus is in this car."
According to the women security guard who shot the shooter of the Church in Colorado Springs yesterday, Jesus was in her gun.
Taking care of bad guys, one way or the other.
;-)
How McCain Could Win...
"The reality is, as it's been for many, many months is that the [Republican] candidates all have weaknesses and at the end of the day John McCain is hoping that Republican voters take a deep breath, reassess the candidate and say it's not about a specific position on immigration or campaign finance reform, it's about strength and leadership and toughness in standing up in the war against terror," said Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report.
"If that's how Republicans decide, they may come back to him and decide 'Well, I rejected him six months ago, but he looks like the best of the lot now.'"
This is how they see it happening. Huckabee wins Iowa, McCain wins New Hampshire, breaking Huckabee's surge, and both losses quell Romney's popularity. Then if McCain wins South Carolina or even comes in second, he will be deemed the "comeback kid." Rudy and Fred would be left without a win and the ball would be rolling.
This is how I see it happening. Evangelicals don't want Mitt. Libertarian types don't want Huckabee. True conservatives don't want Rudy. And no one seems to want Fred.
All McCain needs to do is somehow say (without actually saying it) "I'm not a Mormon (unfair I know, but there it is), I'm not an evangelical, and I'm not a liberal."
Look, every single candidate mentioned has disappointed us conservatives, whether it be on taxes, immigration, campaign finance reform, abortion, or gay marriage. So we are going to have to forgive someone here.
Who has the experience? Who has the star power? Who is right on taxes, pork barrel spending, social issues, and most importantly...the war on terror?
The McCain perfect storm. It could happen.
Democrats Cannot Re-write History.....
The RNC has put together a montage of Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Joe Biden, and Sandy Berger, and John Edwards among others, making it clear to the American people that Saddam Hussein was a danger and that he had WMDs.
The Democrats would like to re-write history, but this clip reveals the conviction of their belief in this threat:
It's here.
I must say it is almost surreal to hear them speak about our national defense in such a strong firm way.
via NRO
History Found.
Awesome.
From NRO:
A Recording of U.S. Catholic Protests Against Hitler in November 1938 Turns Up in Catholic University Archives
An archivist at Catholic University stumbles upon a 1938 radio broadcast labeled "handwritten label on the center of the record: “Catholic Protest Against Nazis — Nov. 16, 1938.”
1938 — a year before Germany’s invasion of Poland sparked World War II, and a full three years before the United States would enter the war. The date was much earlier than he would have expected for a stateside protest. So Cullom took a second look.
....
Catholic University was not simply a venue for the event. The university’s chief executive, Monsignor Joseph M. Corrigan (later elevated to bishop), was featured in the broadcast along with three of the school’s then current or former trustees: Archbishop John J. Mitty of San Francisco, Bishop Peter L. Ireton of Richmond, Va., and former governor of New York Al Smith, who in 1928 had been the first Catholic to run for president of the United States as a major-party nominee. Bishop John M. Gannon of Erie, Pa., also spoke on the broadcast.
....
The purpose of this program, Father Sheehy said in his opening address, was to appeal to Christian political leaders in Germany to stop the persecution of the Jews. But it is clear the broadcast was also meant to inspire prayers for the beleaguered Jews and to denounce what Monsignor Corrigan called “a persecution hardly if ever equaled since earlier blood-lusting paganism martyred Christians for their faith in God.”
They decided to look into the newspaper headlines the next day and there it was:
The headlines echoed the broadcast’s impact: “Prominent Churchmen Denounce Oppression of Jews by Germans,” “Catholic Churchmen Join Pleas for Jews,” “Noted Layman, Clerics Voice Nazi Protest.”
http://libraries.cua.edu/achrcua/packets.html.
How many times have I argued with leftist who insisted that the American Catholic Church was silent during the Holocaust. It's nice to have this bit of proof that I knew in my heart must have occurred.
Univision and the Republicans
In case you missed it, the first GOP forum on Hispanic issues, broadcast in Spanish by Univision from the University of Miami was yesterday.
I've said here before that Republicans are alienating a large voting bloc over our battle of illegal immigration. First of all, Republicans are not making it clear the distinction between illegal and legal immigration and are letting the media paint them as being against immigration. We are also allowing racist rhetoric to enter the fray without protesting it.
I think the Republicans were right to do it. I think we should show up at any venue that asks. Our message is for all people. McCain spoke and expressed how I feel:
We have to address this issue with compassion and love, because these are human beings.""I think some of the rhetoric that many Hispanics hear about illegal immigration makes some of them believe that we are not in favor of or seek the support of Hispanic citizens in this country,"
No matter how right we might feel about border control and law enforcement, we are dealing with human beings who are looking for a better life. We need to deal with it in a compassionate manner. We can do that and still proceed to enforce our laws. We are not doing a good job in making it clear that we support the Hispanics that have come here legally.
This is a complicated issue. We allowed illegal immigrants here for decades with a wink and a nod and now we have to deal with the millions here. It's frustrating, I know. But it's time to not merely dismiss those with ideas on how to deal with the problem just because they don't say we should deport them all.
Kids these days.....
An Icelandic teen, MSNBC reports, figured out President Bush’s private phone number, and called it recently, leaving a message saying he was the president of Iceland and wanted Bush to call him back. When police visited the teen, after being alerted by Secret Service, he would not say how he learned the top-secret number. Big Head DC is speculating that he somehow deciphered the code from when Jenna Bush called her parents during a recent taping of the Ellen show.
via Big Head DC
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Madame Speaker, check your phone, hypocrisy is calling...
