Real Clear Politics Poll Average

Republican Presidential Nomination
8/06 to 8/28

Giuliani-27.9%

Thompson-16.9%

Romney-14.1%

McCain-11.1%

Battered Person Syndrome in Liberal Form

Battered person syndrome is a psychological condition resulting from the suffering of abuse at the hands of someone else. This results in the victim having a low self-esteem, believing the abuse is their fault, and seeking out the abuser for comfort. Although this is associated with a physical abuse situation I think some of the same principles can be applied to liberals and their feelings about terrorism. And maybe I would not associate it to all liberals but the far left acolytes of liberalism who seek to blame America first for inviting the terrorists to attack us. It is a mentality that I can not get any grasp of. How someone could blame us for the heinous and evil acts perpetrated by radical Islamists. But we have heard the voices of individuals like a Cindy Sheehan who denounce our actions against the radical Islamic fringe and instead refer to our leaders as war criminals for taking such actions. Even those on the other side of the aisle like Ron Paul want to limit our intervention and instead resort to a policy of stick your head in the sand a.k.a. isolationism. He made the comments during one debate seeming to say that we have brought the wrath of the radicals on ourselves with our policies towards the Middle East. I find it disappointing to say the least that an elected official would claim that we would be to blame for men flying planes into buildings on our shores whatever our foreign policy. I think some of this talk is a result of those on the left who are so concerned with how we as a nation are viewed by the rest of the world. We tell our children early on in life that they should not be concerned with how other people think of them and that they should be their own person. Well the message is not resonating and we end up with individuals who are obsessed with implementing the European model into our country. I think these people need to seek professional help with their infliction. It is not only a disappointing position to take but potentially a dangerous one. That mindset leaves us open to real threats and dangers by simply dismissing them as unreal or even worse our fault.

Nattering Nabobs of Negativism

I think Spiro Agnew had it right when he referred to the media by that alliterative phrase. I think the statement would still apply to today's media which focuses on the negative more than the positive. It might be that the press corps is composed of pessimists or maybe they are unwilling to print the good news because it goes against their biases. It has certainly been hard to find the positive news during this current president's presidency. Two glaring examples of this are the coverage of the war and the economy. To find a news story about Iraq that does not contain doom and gloom is practically impossible. The stories tend to leave out the positive and focus on the negative. We hear about the death and destruction but not the reconstruction and rehabilitation of a country domineered by a tyrant. I do not have to tell you the kind of impact that has on the public back home. Poll after poll seem to suggest that the American support for the war has dwindled over the past five years. The media has done a good job of molding the story to fit their agenda. Even now as we are seeing some improvements with the surge the media is unwilling to give it a chance. You must ask yourself if the media is not vested in our defeat in the middle east from the rhetoric they fill their margins and columns with. The media has also shown a reluctance to report the good news of our economy. The Bush administration's economic policies have brought us out of the Clinton-Gore recession and the devastating effects of 9/11 to our economy. It is those tax cuts which have allowed for the economy to grow and prosper as we have seen in the dramatic rise of the stock market. But all we hear is how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Even the reduction in the unemployment rate to historic lows has not been enough to impress the media enough to report the positives. I think Agnew had it right when he referred to the media as nattering nabobs of negativism but I would include the politicians on the left side of the aisle under that umbrella as well. The Democrats in lock step with their liberal compatriots in the media have had an attitude of negativism since President Bush took office. It seems as if these two groups are opposed to anything with the president's fingerprints on it. This is clearly evident by their reaction to the economy and war in Iraq. The Democrats have made such an issue of denouncing the war in Iraq that with the success of the surge some in their leadership have become worried for their political futures. This would include Representative Clyburn who was worried about what would happen to the Democrat if we were successful in Iraq. And then you have Senator Harry Reid declaring the war lost a couple months ago. They makes these statements from the confines of Capitol Hill. We have seen recently the reports from those that have seen the situation on the ground and have come back with positive news. And not all of them have been conservatives but liberal-minded media and politicians. Maybe the Democrats should try to understand the truth of the situation before decrying the Petraeus report before it is given. I write all of this because I wonder what goes on in the mind of liberals. Those in the media and the politicians of the left have made it clear that negativism is their platform and standard operating procedure. They will continue to try and drive down confidence and support on issues like the economy and the war on terror because it does not fit their agenda. I hope that Americans start to realize this and are not swayed by this propaganda. I think we need more glass half full people in this world. So when you are confronted with these nattering nabobs of negativism confront them back with the truth and positiveness so that we can make them an extinct species.

Bush White House Loses Chief Architect

The man who was described as President Bush's brain has decided to vacate the White House. Karl Rove, one of President Bush's closest advisers and friends, has made the announcement that he is leaving at the end of the month. Rove is the man who is largely credited with helping Bush ascend to the presidency. He has decided that after six and a half years in the White House that he wants to spend more time with his family. It would seem odd that Mr. Rove would not finish out the second term with the president but the long hours and stress that accompany working in the west wing seem to have caught up to him like others before him. Pundits who discussed this on the twenty-four hour news channels felt that Rove could still be an influential voice for the White House and the Republican Party. Rove stated that he did not have a clear plan as to what he would do in the future. A book about his life in the White House is a real possibility. What is known is that the Democrats will not have him to aim their poison arrows at. Rove has been a target of the left and is hated at a level usually reserved for Dick Cheney. He has been a man who has been very successful in his career but liberals would only recognize him as being part of the dark side with some evil grand scheme. The president will now have to leave office is eighteen months with one less ally by his side. The president will now have to survive without his closest political advisor and friend.

Straw Poll Closes With Romney Victory

If you stayed until the end of the Iowa Straw Poll as I did you found out two things. The first being that it took too long to get the results, an hour and a half late, and two the winner was not a surprise. Former Governor Mitt Romney took the victory in yesterday's event with about 31% of the vote. That was not really a surprise as Mr. Romney has been the presumed winner for awhile now and with the lack of participation by the other front runners it was almost an inevitability. One surprise of the day was the second place finish of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Even in a watered down field he was still able to catapult over the other so-called second-tier candidates to a respectable showing in the poll. The question is whether this finish will allow him to increase his fundraising to keep his campaign going. The day may have not had the same feeling though as it did back in 2000. The attendance and vote totals were down from the last Iowa Straw Poll. The overwhelming heat may have had something to do with that or it may be that the event had to compete with the Iowa State Fair going on in Des Moines. Perhaps the reason was that the front runners in the race like Giuliani, McCain, or even a Fred Thompson were no shows and people were not as interested. I was able to make it down to the event and despite the weather I enjoyed the day. I think it gives people a chance to see the candidates up close and personal. I think it goes along with the whole idea of retail politics that defines the process in Iowa. Some may say the the event is not important because it is not a real vote. But it does show the organization of the campaigns and how they are able to mobilize their supporters. It will more than likely have the effect of weeding out some of the candidates like a Duncan Hunter or Tommy Thompson who both did not perform very well in the poll. We will have to see if those who finished near the top will be able gain some momentum and keep their campaigns going into the next couple of months before the caucus.

The Race to the Middle

If you have been keeping up with the politics you know that the campaign season for 2008 has started even earlier than previous election cycles. This year we have a multitude of candidates to choose from on both sides of the political aisle. We have already had a number of debates to find out how the candidates stand on the issues. We are at the point in the campaign cycle where the candidates are focusing their positions towards the primary voters. That means directing your views and comments towards your party's base. The point being to garner as much support from your base to get your party's nomination. So that is why we have the Democrats flying off to the Daily Kos convention to make an appearance. The people that participate on the Daily Kos website are increasingly becoming the base of the Democrat party. These are hard liners of the left that represent the radical views of people like Penn, Sheehan, and Glover. The Democrat's are so afraid of losing the support of these people that they practically let their political lives be dictated by them. I watched the interview between Bill O'Reilly and Senator Chris Dodd and watched as Senator Dodd defended the Daily Kos throughout the entire interview. O'Reilly pointed out the vile picture that had been put on the website but Dodd was unwilling to make even any hint of a remorseful statement about the picture. It revealed all to much to me as I watched the back and forth. That got me thinking about the usual trend in presidential politics. We usually see candidates speak to their base and try to convince them of their credentials but after winning the nomination they run to the middle. This being to attract any individuals in the middle who are undecided about their choice for president. The candidate seems to seek a new tone as they seek to show that they can not just lead the members of their party but the entire country. I wonder during this election cycle if we will see that race to the middle after both parties have chosen their candidates. I would hope that a candidate would stick with what they say along the political trail and not compromise their ideals to reach the masses of independents who ride the fencepost. Otherwise their positions seem somewhat disingenuous. I do hope however that if we do have a race to the middle that the Republicans are first to the finish line to pick up the moderate's vote. Because I fear for what a Democrat president we mean for our country. I think of that old phrase you are judged by the company you keep. One only has to look at the company the Democrats keep to know that they are the wrong choice to lead our country especially at this crucial time.

Pajama Party Politics

I apologize for the lack of updates. I am trying to get through the last couple of days of my online college classes. I did want to make mention of an occurrence that transpired last week. For all of you who paid attention to Congress you witnessed the legislative slumber party initiated by Senator Harry Reid D-Nevada. The futile attempt to try and lead the country towards surrender failed and the Democrats were left with sour faces and an approval rating that reflects their do-nothing agenda so far. It is clear that the Democrats are unable to pull themselves from the radical left that seems to have a strangle hold on their party. For anyone who doubts this you need only to look at the fact that these fringe elements have daily conference calls with the Democrats and their leadership. The exercise last week was simply another attempt by Democrats to show that they were trying to pull us out of Iraq. The Democrats brought in cots to prepare for the long night of politicking. What we know is that even some on the Democrat's side wanted to call it a night and return to the issue in the morning. The whole thing was pointless and a waste of time which would describe the Democrat agenda up until know. These politicians do not even want to give General Petraeus until September to report back the progress on the ground like they agreed to do. I would say that the surge is really in its infancy and will need longer than September to show its full strength. But the Democrats are so anxious to put out of Iraq as they feel we have done enough. They also point out the fact that this war has taken longer than WWII. I would say that the war against Nazism was an easier war not only because it was tied to a country but because we had real support in the world and individuals who understood the threat. We do not enjoy such support in the present except for a few allies namely Great Britain. So the Democrats can hold their all-nighters and dramatic displays of ignorance and stupidity in an attempt to end the war in Iraq. They will not take the means they have to end the war by cutting off the funding. I mean if they were really serious about ending our occupation of Iraq like they tell their frenzied and radical supporters then why not go all the way? The answer is that they are all to comfortable to keep playing politics which is what they are best at. The sad part is that while it may make sense for the support around the world to have diminished considering the changing face of Europe and other countries it is a shame that we cannot turn to many of our fellow citizens for support within our own borders.

The Fourth Necessity?

You check the cupboards and realize that you are out of groceries and badly in need of toilet paper. You wake up to the sound of a buzzing in your ear from the alarm clock you set the night before. You shower, possibly shave, get dressed and head out the door. But what comes next? Well in the world of today you climb into your car and head off to the store or to work. These are tasks that we all participate in on a regular basis. We are constantly traveling from point A to point B within the comfy confines of our vehicles. Vehicles that require gasoline to run and require it too often especially for you drivers of those hated gas guzzlers. But until we have engines that will run off of water or garbage like in Back to the Future, this is just something we have to live with, or is it? We have come to depend on oil, but is it necessary, or better yet is it a necessity? We can all list the basic necessities for human survival. Those would include food, clothing, and shelter. It might be said that oil is our fourth necessity. Our behavior towards oil would certainly suggest as much. We drive to school, work, and sometimes down the street at midnight for a convenience store burrito. We are consumers of energy and the demand keeps growing. The problem is trying to produce enough supply to keep up with demand. And despite what some may say the United States is not the only consumers with India and China producing greater and greater demand themselves. And when we try to create supply we are met with opposition from the left. They fear the impact it will have on the Earth. I understand their sensitivity about protecting the planet. As a Christian I understand the responsibility we have to be good stewards of God's creation. But we must also live in this world and we should use the minds and resources we were given to the fullest extent. This means building more refineries, nuclear plants, and drilling in Alaska and off our coasts. We need to at least explore these options until we come up with better alternatives. And I do not think corn is the answer, and that is coming from someone from Iowa. If we want cheaper energy we need to explore every option. I think of the people who complain about soaring gas prices and how they decry the efforts to build new refineries. I also think about the Kennedy family and their objections to windmills being built in sight of their compound. It is kind of like do it as long as it does not inconvenience me. Or in the minds of liberals, do as I say not as I do. the same statement could be applied to Al Gore. His house consumes great amounts of energy and with his many commitments he has to speak on global warming he flies around on his private jets. Meanwhile he talks about purchasing carbon credits to offset the footprints he is making on our planet. Reducing our dependance on oil would be both beneficial to our national security and to our wallets. But we must come to this rationally and intelligently. Maybe we do treat oil as a necessity. Our lives are built around convenience and driving fits or culture of convenience. It is certainly more convenient to drive a car somewhere then to hitch up the horse and buggy. We must not let the hyperbole about global warming to cloud our judgement. Is oil our fourth necessity? I do not know the answer to that. I think it is as close as it can be and as long as we depend on it to the extent we do we will be asking that question.

Break Down at the Border

Racist, bigot, xenophobe, these are all adjectives to describe Republicans and conservatives. It is the common response of the left to conservatives’ concerns about illegal immigration. This is the same tired response given when concerns are raised on this issue. This is in response to concerns about the immigration bill trying to gain life in the Senate. The main objection is the granting of amnesty to 12 to 20 billion illegal immigrants, and the still unsecured border. These are two common sense concerns that do not seem able to penetrate the nonsensical minds of liberals. The bill failed to garner enough votes in the Senate and looked to be dead but like Lazarus it is being resurrected for another go around. The Democrats are dangling carrots in the faces of Republicans in an effort to boost support. The sad part is we have many on the Republican side of the aisle who are eagerly supporting this bill. There seems to be a divide among the party between those who want comprehensive reform and those who want enforcement of the border first. Unfortunately our president supports the former option. He even went as far, in recent weeks, to question the motives of those who want to secure the border first. Needless to say this had a predictable reaction as congressmen were flooded with calls decrying the move to grant amnesty. To respond to my earlier statement, we are not racists, bigots, or xenophobes, we are concerned citizens. We have a right to be concerned considering amnesty was tried twenty years ago and we now have many times the illegal population residing within our borders. We also sit and wait earnestly for our borders to be secured as promised. How can we expect to curb the flow of illegal immigrants into our country when our door remains wide open? Every day our borders remain wide open we will se an influx of illegal elements crossing into our country, some well-intentioned and some not. I think Congress needs to take advantage of their world-class healthcare and get a prescription to restore their common sense. Instead we are left with a debate going nowhere, as a bridge in Alaska, and two sides unwilling to compromise. It would seem logical to secure the border first and then decide what to do with the people already in our country. Logic, however, seems to elude those in Washington. For all the talk about bipartisanship it would seem likely that both sides would agree that securing our borders would be a first priority. After all they are given this responsibility in the constitution. And we all know how Democrats love to quote and refer to the constitution when they think another right is being taken away from them. Our Congress needs to know our feelings about this and they have begun to hear them. The proof is the lack of a signed bill. This is an issue with great importance like the war against radical Islam. Not only are their national security implications but economic as well. We have all heard the statistics of what the cost will be if we allow the status quo to remain. That cost being left for future generations to pay like social security. The point is this, there are so many things we cannot control but his is one we can solve if we have the right leadership. Unfortunately the halls of Congress are increasingly devoid of such leaders.

The Eighty Mile Struggle

For those of you not from Iowa or most specifically from the Northwestern part of Iowa this post may fall on deaf ears. This is more of a regional story and one that cause my rant level to hit warp factor ten. It involves the completion, or lack thereof, of the four-lane expansion of Highway 20. It is infuriating to know that while the politicians down at the state house argue over meaningless pork projects that the last eighty miles of road remains unfinished. This is not a new story. This battle to complete the expansion of the highway to four-lanes has been languishing for many years and the end is not in sight. That last point is particularly disheartening to someone who makes the journey from Sioux City to Fort Dodge regularly. Not only would the expansion dramatically reduce the travel time from city to city but business expansion is being held back by the hold up. Many a time have I been stuck behind a convoy of big rigs sucking diesel exhaust with little recourse as passing points are as infrequent as a Republican in San Francisco. And the delay in completion is bringing with it more problems as with every passing year the price of the project projects to go up. Right now the figure to complete the undertaking is about five million dollars a mile. I was more than a little amazed at those figures until I saw that the costs will increase if the project is not finished soon. And soon is rapidly becoming a fixture in the rear view mirror as only a fraction of the money needed for the project has been appropriated. I know that in the grand scheme of things this is not a hugely important issue. But if you find yourselves living in the Northwest part of Iowa you will find yourselves drawn to this issue. When you find yourselves behind an endless stream of semis and blue-hairs maybe you will appreciate our plight here in the heartland.

The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself, and Radical Islam

I think that is probably how the statement would go had it been uttered in today's environment. I say this as a proud American who realizes the greatness of our country and its resolve to deal with any adversity and conquer it. But we must realize the threat that radical Islam poses to our country and democracy around the world. I fear our country's resolve to deal with this danger fell drastically as a result of the results of last November's election. The danger is a nation becoming complacent and fall into a false sense of security. This is especially possible when certain political forces play down the threat from radical Islam. I think that attitude comes from the fact that they do not see the risk of terrorists following us to our shores as credible. The fact is when you have people that want to destroy us and an unprotected border you have an equation with disaster on the other side of the equal sign. But we may not have to wait for those to follow us home from Iraq. As the situation at Fort Dix showed us terrorism can be homemade as terror cells populate within our borders. And if a certain political party keeps attacking and wanting to take away all our tactics to fight these terrorists, the peace we have had these past few years since 9/11 may go up in smoke, literally. If we take this attitude as has been adopted by so many then we really will have something to fear. The best strategy we have is to go on offense and take the fight to the enemy. But we must be willing to go all the way in this fight. Right now we have a leader who understands this, but it may change in the next election cycle. War fatigue is frankly not an option. We will not solve this problem in a year or two. With a seemingly growing crop of new radicals being brainwashed and cultivated our commitment is needed now more than ever. We were once a nation that put democracy on a pedestal as a model for other nations to follow. Unfortunately that pedestal has been losing its support as a result of comments and actions of some, and is not as firmly in place as it once was. We are attacked for wanting to give other nations the security, prosperity, and freedom we enjoy. It may be unrealistic to expect every nation to be our duplicate. But if they can escape the violence and persecution of the evil entities that control them is not our campaign a noble and necessary one? Because planting democracy over there might just save ours over here.

Why Do Democrats Hate Minorities?

Why do Democrats hate minorities? I know many of you are saying to yourself that Democrats do not hate minorities, but embrace them into their party. I believe this is the general opinion of most Democrats because they are the big-tent party of minorities.I would agree with that statement. Minorities, especially African-Americans, have voted more for Democrats than Republicans. Another question I could pose is why do they? I would tie both questions together because they relate to each other in a cause and effect or action and consequence way. I pose this question because I think there is some evidence Democrats do hate minorities. The main reason is the policies they set and try to implement. Not only do they not work but they end up doing more harm then good. I fault the Democrats ideology as well-intentioned but misguided. They set up programs like welfare, social programs that create a dependence on the government. These types of social programs rarely are successful and cost the taxpayers millions if not billions over their lifetime. Why would you work any harder if you knew the government was going to take care of you? This nanny-state mentality is absurd and a wrong course of action.Take for example New Orleans which has been Democrat-run for decades. We all saw the conditions of the town when Hurricane Katrina hit. What should have been a panacea turned out to be anything but. What we got was a city crying out for the government to save them as if the government can really be counted on for much of anything. It seems like Democrats want to keep their core constituents under their thumb never wanting them to fully reach their potention for fear of losing their vote. When you are a party that constantly tells your voters that the government is keeping them from succeeding why would they ever try in the first place.Democrats even fail on one of the most important areas, education. Education is the cornerstone of personal success. But when it comes to school vouchers the liberal teachers union vote a resounding no. As a result many minority students fade away in poor schools. Maybe if we were truly focused on education and responsible choices we would not have the degree of minority teenage mothers that we do. We have children who are having children themselves at an alarming rate. As a result we have mothers with no education and very often no husband to help support them. Basically these women are starting life out with two strikes against them.Another smaller point deals with language. Democrats oppose making English the official language. They call it simply rascist and part of a far-right agenda. How successful a nation can we be when entire towns are unable to communicate with us and do not have enough workers who speak English, the language of success? Unfortunately this is a reality is at least one California town.Do I really think Democrats hate minorities? The answer to that is no, but based on their policies I wonder if they are truly concerned about their welfare as opposed to someone who will blindly vote for them. It might be a corny line but a hand up is better then a hand out.

Giuliani Gives Ground

Some may be glad that the election is so far away, and one of those might be Rudy Giuliani. Tonight was the first Republican presidential debate and the former mayor of New York was a little off his game. All the pundits have said that the front runners in these debates want to hold their ground and not do anything to hurt their position, and the under dogs want to use the opportunity to make themselves known. Well, from many perspectives, including mine, Mr. Giuliani might want to prepare a little more for the next debate.It is now known that Giuliani has slipped in the polls; while still maintaining his first place lead, he has drifted closer to the pack. And tonight's performance might cause the gap to close even more. Giuliani probably had the hardest time during the debate because he had the most to answer for. As a politician of varying degrees of conservatism he looked a little out of sync when trying to account for his past stances on topics like abortion. It was pointed out that Giuliani was not able to navigate effectively through the questions, and at times appeared disinterested. It was also clear that considering his views on abortion and certainly knowing that he would be asked about those views, Mr. Giuliani seem to stumble through his answers.In the presence of the Reagan legacy it is Giuliani who probably has the furthest to come to convince the right of his conservative credentials. I will say that for the time being he is not my candidate of choice. I think his leading of New York after 9/11 was courageous and should be applauded, but I hardly think that grants him the keys to the White House. The polls seem to show that Mayor Giuliani would be able to beat both Senators Clinton and Obama in the election. If Giuliani would end up with the Republican nomination I would support him if he could defeat the Democrat opponent. Because, whatever misgivings I may have about Rudy Giuliani, he is supremely better than the alternative. I would feel much more comfortable with a Giuliani in the White House than two Clintons or someone with no real experience. The presidency is not an internship; on the job training is not an option is the times we live in.

The Real Crisis in America

When liberals talk about global warming they tend to present it as fact. More importantly, they portray global warming as an absolute fact not open for discussion or debate. I find this more than infuriating on many levels. First, liberals state there is a consensus on the issue and secondly, they close their minds to any reality that does not fit into their ideology. The truth is there is a significant segment of scientists and weather experts not yet willing to concede to this. Liberals, however, are tuned out to this message because it challenges one of their principle tenets, the environment. The "Blame America First" crowd has declared the Earth is on an ever increasing warming curve and humans are solely to blame. I hate that these are the same people that up until the early nineties thought we would encounter the next ice age. Well I must tell you that there are no polar bears or penguins in my backyard. But now we are to believe these individuals and their weather models. Sorry, but I ain't buying what they are selling.Listen, the earth may be warming but attributing it to humans is ridiculous. I am more than ready to blame the sun than humans for the warming. But I do thank Al Gore for telling our children that polar bears are going to die and the Earth will burn up. I thought the Republicans were the ones who played the fear card. I wish liberals would focus on the real and imminent threats to the planet like cancer. This disease, which takes the life of millions, is a real and present threat to humanity-- much more so than global warming. I do not know of a single person whose cause of death has been global warming, but I know many that have lost their lives as a result of cancer. How about throwing money at a real problem and not on carbon credits which are nothing more than modern day indulgences. Let's wise up, America, to the realities of our world. I fear this will not happen until the radical left stops seeing an SUV driving on a highway as a hate crime against nature.

Don Gets Dumped: The Bitter End of Don Imus

America's original shock jock falls amid an outrage that spawned from his choice of words, directed at the women's basketball team at Rutgers University. MSNBC, which ran Imus' radio simulcast, was the first to act by cancelling their simulcast and was followed days later by CBS radio. The story started off small, but grew in intensity as more and more outlets became involved in the story: namely Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson who called for Don Imus to be fired for his comments. The popular show, which was able to bring many high-profile individuals in the political and journalism domains onto its airwaves, has been known to originate other controversial statements in the past. One of the interesting points to this story is the selective outrage by many of the people who have recently commented on this story, and especially Reverends Sharpton and Jackson. The people who went on the Don Imus show knew what had been said in the past by Imus and his crew, but only now called for him to be fired. Others I have heard claim a kind of ignorance which I find laughable. This attempt at a plausible denial is implausible. I think what Imus said was over the line especially when you look at who he was directing it at. These were young women who had achieved a great deal of success and were caught in Imus' cross-hair. But I also think we should look at how this story gained steam like it did. We had Sharpton and Jackson involved, like they always are in situations like this. These are two men who have not met soapbox they would not stand on to spout their opinions. These self-declared spokesmen for all African-Americans called for the head of Don Imus. This, at the time that the Rutgers' women had met with Imus and accepted his apology. But it was too late for Don Imus as sponsor after sponsor pulled out and the executives got scared and reacted. This reaction of course was not immediate, but after a few days when I guess Imus' words had gotten worse over time. The main point of my diatribe is focused on Sharpton and Jackson. These are two men who hardly have the moral authority to be denouncing anyone's words. I am sick of these two men constantly inserting themselves into every issue or event. I am really sick of the selective moral outrage shown by these two men. They condemn people like Imus but refuse to focus their attention on the music industry where such degrading speech is a constant presence. It seems they are blind to the real crises that the African-American community is confronted with like teenage pregnancy and school drop-outs. But individuals like Sharpton and Jackson have an agenda and instead look for easy prey that they can target and exploit for their own personal gain.

Pelosi Does Damascus: Nancy's Middle East Quest For Peace

Despite being told to keep out of Syria, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi would not be denied the opportunity to speak with the state sponsors of terrorism. In doing so, Mrs. Pelosi may have violated a U.S. law against such actions.The Democrats want us to remember the elections of last fall, but it is they who should remember who was elected president. The constitution provides the House of Representatives with many responsibilites, but setting U.S. foreign policy is not one of them. The president is given this responsibility, and the Democrats seem to want to forget that.In fact, the House has no real foreign responsibility given to them. The Senate is the legislative body that is in charge of foreign treaties. It is bad policy and setting a bad precedent for the Democrats to provide competing foreign policies, especially to nations whose Hezbollah party is a major terrorist organization.Speaker Pelosi has turned herself into a propaganda tool that can be used by these evil actors to claim some right of legitimacy.I know some people have complained about the focus being solely put on Mrs. Pelosi and not on the Republican congressman that accompanied her. In answer: First of all, Mrs. Pelosi is the Speaker of the House, and being of such a high office, should realize the credibility that title carries to nations like Syria. I will concede that these congressman from the right side of the aisle should not have made the trip into Syria either. By meeting with individuals like Syrian President Assad, they condone a country who is a state sponser of terrorism and wants to destroy Israel.How do we rationally talk with people who will not recognize the right to exist of our greatest regional ally? Besides, what has the talking of the past decades gotten us? The answer to that, in my opinion, is nowhere.It seems to me that Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats think they have some grand design to bring about peace in a region marred by war and destruction. I, personally, doubt it. The Democrats appear to have this perspective about the entire Middle East. How can we negotiate with nations like Iran, who have repeatedly denied the Holocaust, or Israel's right to exist? To me that kind of mindset is a deal breaker at the negotiation table. Democrats preach diplomacy. But unless that diplomacy is backed up with the threat of force it has no power.

Dems Defund Threat Continues

I now see the current Democratic leadership as more pathetic creatures then I ever had previously. Recently Senator Harry Reid has ratcheted up the threat to cut off funding to the troops. Not only is this a completely idle threat many Democrats have stated as much recently. One such individual is congressman Charles Rangel who made the comments that the Democrats have no real chance of cutting funding for the troops nor does the majority want to. I mean after all Democrats had to load up the Iraq war supplemental bill with peanut storage and spinach subsidy pork that totalled billions. Never mind that this is an egregious use of taxpayer money but to include it in an emergency war bill to bribe congress members for votes is frankly criminal. Meanwhile the president has clearly stated that he will veto any bill with time lines for retreat that the radical activists who control the Democrat party call for. I guess the Democrats skipped the part of the constitution where it said that the president was commander in chief and not the members of the House and Senate. Where congress does have power is in the purse. Congress does have the power to defund the war and should if they are so opposed to our mission in Iraq. What is it that we constantly confronted with by Democrats? They repeatedly point back to the elections of last fall and Americans displeasure with the war as a reason to cut and run from Iraq. My answer to this is o.k. so defund the war. I am frankly sick of hearing this from Democrats. If they have such a mandate given to them by the American people why do they not cut the funding and bring our troops home now. Democrats are so worried about polls and how they will look if they give up on the military that they are scared and too cowardly to stand up for what they purport to believe. Obviously they fear a backlash from simply cutting the funding as opposed to their slow bleed plan of arbitrary timetables. I point to this as the reason the Democrats will not hold on to their power. They are fine sitting in the backseat calling the shots but when given control of the wheel they either get lost or drive the car into a telephone poll.

Congress Goes Green

Yesterday I happened to come across the congressional hearings on global climate change which aired on C-SPAN. The Democrats now control congress so the view of global warming as an unequivocal fact was made during the proceedings. They paraded out a scientist, Dr. James Hansen, from NASA who stated that global climate change was an absolute certainty and was a threat to our world. I guess the Democrats have not been watching Hannity's America where a running scroll appears detailing the numerous sceptics of the view held by people like Dr. Hansen and others of his persuasion. Liberals like Dr. Hansen who appeared on C-SPAN who referred to the Bush administration by comparing it to Nazi Germany. This of course represents the typical left response when one of their sacraments like global warming is challenged. Unfortunately when Republicans have representatives like Christopher Shays they must look elsewhere for leadership. Shays spoke yesterday during the hearings and made the comment that he weeps because the Bush administration has not carried the global warming banner and made it their issue. Does anyone else find that the least bit pathetic? I would not expect much more though from a Northeastern Republican that if he became any more purple ideologically would resemble a certain PBS dinosaur. My biggest problem with all of this is liberals professing global warming as stated and recognized fact. They routinely seek to place blame on humans for causing this threat to our planet. It does fit the profile of a liberal talking point. Blame everyone else for a problem and make them feel guilty enough so that they will support your issue. Liberals like Dr. Hansen and Al Gore do not even want to recognize the dissenting view because to them the issue of global warming and humans contribution to it is settled. I would compare this to people declaring the world flat and declaring it fact and ignoring the round worlders. Unfortunately the world did not turn out to be flat so we could send liberals on a voyage around the world to search for global warming.

A Return to Arms

Hello to all of you out in cyberspace that have ventured into my virtual landscape and reaped the benefits of my amazing knowledge. I have not contributed as much in recent days to the blog but I am recommitting myself to the cause of defending conservative principles against all enemies both foreign and domestic ( that means you liberals). I hope you will help me with this fight as we find ourselves in the full throws of the presidential campaign season.

Even Though It's Winter It's Flip Flop Weather in New England

I just wonder what it is about New England that causes the politicians to be born without a spine? Of course I am speaking about the Democrat politicians but it seems more and more rinos (Republican In Name Only) then elephants are popping up in the Republican ranks in New England. But I would like to keep my focus on the liberals that define the region of the country famous for fishing and maple syrup. Recently comments have been made by Democrat politicians about the troop surge in Iraq. It just so happens that these individuals have also been linked to presidential runs in 2008. They include the likes of Joe Biden, Christopher Dud, I mean Dodd, and the king flip flopper John Kerry. Each Senator has come out vehemently opposed to sending in more troops into Iraq to quell the violence and bring about a stable democratic regime in the region. You might ask what is the problem after all people are entitled to their opinions? The problem is these individuals had made previous statements quite contrary to their current ones. Each one had on a previous occasion declared the importance of success in Iraq and the need to increase troops in the region. Why Joe Biden not long after we had entered Iraq was declaring the need for more troops to do the job there effectively. I guess I do not understand the abrupt change in these men's thinking. We needed more troops before and now when they state that the region is on the verge of utter collapse we don't need more troops. I guess one could be disgusted by the way these men seem to stick their finger in the air to see where the wind blows to make a decision. I would simply say that this is how Democrats operate. They wait for the opinion polls to tell them how they should vote or what their position should be on an issue. One could almost respect someone even if they had a different opinion from their own if that person had the courage to stand up for what he believed in. President Bush may have his faults but you can't fault him for standing by his convictions. He knows some of his ideas are going to be vilified in the press and he still stands by them because he knows he is doing what is best for our country. These weak-willed cowards that hold elected office are all to willing to sell their souls to please the radicals that run their party. I hope whatever their prize that they covet is worth it be it power or glory because sooner or later someone is going to collect on what is owed them.