Bush insults loyal supporters

The Washington Examiner

WASHINGTON - President Bush wants Congress to approve an immigration compromise bill that will be supported mainly by Democrats. He’s no longer worried about getting re-elected, so in his pushing for the bill’s passage, Bush has now told millions of voters to get lost. These are the people who have been his most loyal supporters on virtually every other issue.

Why Fred Thompson?

By Bob Novak
Real Clear Politics

WASHINGTON -- Fred Thompson sat at the end of a long table in The Monocle restaurant on Capitol Hill Tuesday night for dinner with some 20 fellow conservatives, mostly journalists. He sent two signals. First, he sounded like a man who has decided to run for president. Second, his candidacy will be something different from other Republicans, in both substance and style.

Audio: Laura Ingraham unleashes on the amnesty bill

From Hot Air:

Radio talker Laura Ingraham uncorked a fine immigration rant on her show today.

Being a loyal Laura Ingraham listener, I know that if you get on her bad side, you're in trouble... President Bush is now on Ingraham's bad side.

A Green Card in Every Pot

By Ann Coulter
TownHall.com

At the precise moment in history when the U.S. has abandoned any attempt to transmit Anglo-Saxon virtues to its own citizens, much less to immigrants, George Bush wants to grant citizenship to hordes of immigrants who are here precisely because they are fleeing cultures that are utterly dysfunctional and ruinous for the humans who live in them.

The Real Hillary's Raw Socialism

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Sen. Hillary Clinton shared on Tuesday her vision of the U.S. economy under her executive stewardship. She should change her party affiliation — or the name of her party.

The Case for Conservatism

By George Will
The Washington Post

Conservatism's recovery of its intellectual equilibrium requires a confident explanation of why America has two parties and why the conservative one is preferable. Today's political argument involves perennial themes that give it more seriousness than many participants understand. The argument, like Western political philosophy generally, is about the meaning of, and the proper adjustment of the tension between, two important political goals -- freedom and equality.

Personal Trainers

(Fox News) - Fat killers and robbers are getting free personal trainers is some British jails — thanks to the taxpayers. The Sun reports prison officials say obese inmates suffer what they call "social exclusion" because they're too fat to exercise with other inmates.

So, at a cost of about $800,000 — personal trainers are now working with prisoners at 25 of Britain's toughest jails.

One outraged Parliament member summed it up by saying — "Why are these people getting personal trainers? If they want to lose weight, give them vegetables instead of pies."

Holy Hit Man?

(Fox News) - An Illinois gun rights group plans to complain to the Catholic Church after a Chicago priest appeared to call for the murder of a suburban gun shop owner.

Cybercast News reports Reverend Michael Pfleger mentioned the owner by name at an anti-gun rally — saying — "We're going to find you and snuff you out... You're going to hide but like a rat we're going to catch you and pull you out...We're going to snuff out John Riggio, we're going to snuff out legislators that are voting (for gun rights)."

The head of the Illinois State Rifle Association called the comments "disgusting and dangerous," and said it was "shocking" to hear a priest advocate murder.

Fine Print

(Fox News) - Even if the House leadership can drum up enough votes to pass the Senate's immigration bill — it might get derailed on procedural grounds.

The Hill newspaper reports House Republicans are poised to exercise what's called a "blue slip" protest. The constitution mandates that revenue-related bills must originate in the House. But the Senate proposal requires illegal immigrants to pay back taxes before becoming citizens — and that makes it a revenue bill.

One House GOP aide tells the paper — "I think it's going to be a matter of who will get there first. A number of people in the House are dying to be fingered as the person who killed the Senate bill."

A House member would introduce the "blue slip" and it would then be debated and voted upon — with a majority vote either killing it or sending the bill back to the Senate.

Does Valerie Plame Still Have Some Explaining to Do?

(Fox News) - The vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee wants former CIA officer Valerie Plame to explain discrepancies in her accounts of how her husband was hired for an intelligence mission to Africa.

Joe Wilson went to Niger in 2002 to investigate reports Iraq was trying to buy uranium. USA Today reports Missouri Republican Senator Kit Bond says Plame has had three different stories. He says she told the CIA's inspector general in 2003 or 2004 that she suggested Wilson, told Intelligence Committee staffers in 2004 she couldn't remember whether she had suggested Wilson, and told a House panel last March that an unidentified CIA officer came up with the idea.

Plame's CIA connection was revealed after Wilson accused the Bush administration of ignoring his findings. The leak of her CIA status led to the conviction of former White House aide "Scooter" Libby on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

U.S. Investigates How Man With TB Got Into Country

Fox News

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government is investigating how a globe-trotting tuberculosis patient drove back into the country after his name was put on the no-fly list and given to U.S. border guards — a major gap in the nation's system to keep the direst of diseases from crossing borders.

Our government can't do anything right...

Testing the Waters

Fred Thompson is running.

By Stephen F. Hayes
The Daily Standard

FRED THOMPSON IS RUNNING for the Republican presidential nomination. In a conference call Monday, Thompson addressed a group of more than 100 supporters and fundraisers whom the campaign has dubbed First Day Founders. He told them that he would be setting up an organization that will allow him to begin raising money and recruiting staff.

Beautiful

Anti-Americanism does Miss Universe.

By Michelle Malkin
National Review Online

The United States government is on the verge of approving a mass amnesty to millions of illegal aliens — a plan pushed aggressively by meddling Mexican officials who reap billions of dollars in remittances (illegal aliens’ earnings sent back to Mexico) without having to lift a finger to clean up their own country.

And the thanks we get? Internationally televised public humiliation.

Wednesday Funnies :-)

David Letterman: “Top Signs Fidel Castro Is Fully Recovered”: Every morning, 45 minutes of torture followed by 45 minutes of cardio; His coat is shiny and his nose is wet; Organized six guerillas to rob Mick Jagger’s apartment; His 1959 Chrysler Imperial was spotted at IHOP; In NFL draft, was picked before Brady Quinn; Recently pimped out his MySpace; Returned to favorite hobbies of his youth, like tennis and kidnapping; He’s put on 30 pounds, he’s wearing fatigues, he’s spewing propaganda—no, that’s Rosie O’Donnell.

Jay Leno: Congratulations to Republican presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani—he celebrated a wedding anniversary today. He also has another one tomorrow, and two on Monday, if I’m not mistaken. ... Giuliani has been paying his wife $10,000 a month to help write his speeches. That’s every wife’s dream, isn’t it? To put words in your husband’s mouth, and get paid for it. ... In a related story, President Bush gives his wife, Laura, $5,000 a month to teach him how to pronounce some of the bigger words in his speeches. ... President Bush was caught driving his truck without a seatbelt on at his ranch, but that’s not even the dangerous part, the dangerous part is Dick Cheney was riding shotgun. ... It’s starting to get nasty out there on the campaign trail. A new book out by veteran Democratic strategist Robert Shrum claims when asked about gay rights, John Edwards said he was “not comfortable around those people.” Do you believe that? How does a guy who spends 400 bucks to get his hair styled not like gay people? ... The third largest company for daily oil production is in Mexico. See, this is how we break this immigration deadlock—make everyone sneaking across the border carry just one barrel of oil. ... Opponents of the immigration bill are asking people to call their congressman and complain. Remember, if you do call, press ‘1’ for English, ‘2’ for Spanish.

The Star Spanglish Banner

Courtesy of RushLimbaugh.com...

Check Please

(Fox News) - A British man who spent more than three years in prison after being falsely accused of rape — may have to pay almost $14,000 in room and board costs to the government.

The Daily Mail reports the money will be deducted from whatever settlement Warren Blackwell can get for being wrongly imprisoned.

Blackwell says he was flabbergasted when he heard the news. He says — "Burglars and murderers who actually did commit a crime and deserve to be in jail don't get charged for being in prison. So why charge me?"

New Rights

(Fox News) - Senate Democrats are backing a bill that would grant new rights to terror suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay.

The proposal approved last week by the Armed Services Committee would give detainees access to counsel even if they are not put on trial. It would also further restrict the use of coerced testimony and hearsay evidence — and tighten the definition of who qualifies as an enemy combatant.

The measure was tucked into the defense budget bill for the upcoming fiscal year.

Then and Now: What Nancy Pelosi Says About Pre-War Intelligence

(Fox News) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last Friday was asked whether President Bush deliberately disregarded the advice of his intelligence community before going to war in Iraq. She said — "Five years ago ... I said the intelligence does not support the threat ... It did indicate there might be chemical or biological but not in any way deliverable or a threat to the United States to justify a preemptive strike on Iraq. There was nothing there. That's why I voted against the war... We saw the intelligence. It simply wasn't there."

But here's what Pelosi said on the House floor in October of 2002 — "He (Saddam Hussein) has chemical weapons. He has biological weapons. He is trying to get nuclear weapons."

And then a month later — "Saddam Hussein certainly has chemical and biological weapons. There's no question about that."

Fred Thompson running for president

(The Politico) - Fred Dalton Thompson is planning to enter the presidential race over the Fourth of July holiday, announcing that week that he has already raised several million dollars and is being backed by insiders from the past three Republican administrations, Thompson advisers told The Politico.

Serious about Ron Paul

At that time, I did not know Ron planned a run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. When I later learned of it, I thought he was being hopelessly Quixotic -- tilting at windmills. I thought Ron's views about limited constitutional government and nonintervention in the affairs of others nations were hopelessly out of step with the vast bulk of Republican primary voters.

On the war, these voters remain solidly in the George W. Bush camp -- willing to defend the war in Iraq to the bitter end and highly intolerant of anyone who raises doubts about its wisdom or continuation. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani exemplified this attitude in the debate two weeks ago when he demanded that Ron apologize for his antiwar position.

Bruce Bartlett

Bartlett is right about Republican primary voters. Isn't it ironic that someone who genuinely embodies the principles of the Republican Party, as founded, would be viewed as hopelessly out of step?

RE: On Patriotism

The American Republic is in remnant status. The stage is set for our country eventually devolving into a military dictatorship, and few seem to care. These precedent-setting changes in the law are extremely dangerous and will change American jurisprudence forever if not revised. The beneficial results of our revolt against the King's abuses are about to be eliminated, and few Members of Congress and few Americans are aware of the seriousness of the situation. Complacency and fear drive our legislation without any serious objection by our elected leaders. Sadly, though, those few who do object to this self-evident trend away from personal liberty and empire-building overseas are portrayed as unpatriotic and uncaring.

This is why I am supporting Dr. Paul. He may be the last, best hope for our republic.

On Patriotism

Who are the true patriots, those who conform or those who protest against wars without purpose? How can it be said that blind support for a war, no matter how misdirected the policy, is the duty of a patriot?

Randolph Bourne said that, "War is the health of the state.'' With war, he argued, the state thrives. Those who believe in the powerful state see war as an opportunity. Those who mistrust the people and the market for solving problems have no trouble promoting a "war psychology'' to justify the expansive role of the state. This includes the role the Federal Government plays in our lives, as well as in our economic transactions.

Certainly, the neoconservative belief that we have a moral obligation to spread American values worldwide through force justifies the conditions of war in order to rally support at home for the heavy hand of government. It is through this policy, it should surprise no one, that our liberties are undermined. The economy becomes overextended, and our involvement worldwide becomes prohibited. Out of fear of being labeled unpatriotic, most of the citizens become compliant and accept the argument that some loss of liberty is required to fight the war in order to remain safe.

In all, a good listen (or read) by Rep. Ron Paul ... simply click on the link above.

Out of What 'Shadows'?

By George Will
Newsweek

Who knew? The nation's fastest-growing metropolitan area is in Southern Utah. The continuing growth of this area is, however, contingent on something that is contingent on Congress. This region around the town of St. George in Washington County (which has grown about 40 percent since 2000) is the destination for a familiar American phenomenon, "internal immigration." A river of Americans, many of them in or near retirement and most of them escaping (as they see it) from California's congestion, taxes, housing costs, crime and other blemishes, are buying houses about as fast as lumber can be sawed and nails driven, and are eager to purchase services. But Utah's Sen. Robert Bennett has been told by representatives of the county's construction industry that if the flow of illegal immigrants comes to an abrupt halt, so will the county's growth.

RE: Bush Attacks Immigration Deal Opponents

"The fundamental question is, will elected officials bow to the interests of corporatists and globalists or will they represent the people and the states and have the courage necessary to put a comprehensive immigration plan in place tell me to get stuffed," Bush said...

There, I fixed that for him.

Bush Attacks Immigration Deal Opponents

GLYNCO, Ga. (AP) - President Bush attacked opponents of an immigration deal Tuesday, suggesting they "don't want to do what's right for America."

"The fundamental question is, will elected officials have the courage necessary to put a comprehensive immigration plan in place," Bush said against a backdrop of a huge American flag.

Possible sale of raw milk debated

RALEIGH (Winston-Salem Journal) - For some people, it’s a creamy, tasty beverage with natural healing powers.

For others, it’s a grave threat to public health.

Both groups are talking about milk - raw, unpasteurized milk that proponents say is best fresh from the cow’s udder.

Under state law, farmers and other people who own cows are free to drink raw milk, and many swear by it. But since 2004, when the state legislature outlawed a practice known as “cow-sharing,” it has been illegal in North Carolina to sell raw milk for human consumption.

A state senator from Greensboro wants to change that. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, filed a bill that would allow people to buy raw milk from local dairy farmers. The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 39-9 last week.

Pasteurized milk, Hagan said, is “for the masses,” but individuals who want to drink it unpasteurized should be able to do so.

Clinton: Shared Prosperity Should Replace 'On Your Own' Society

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a broad economic vision Tuesday, saying it's time to replace an "on your own" society with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity.

Cindy Sheehan's Opus

"Good Riddance Attention Whore"
by CindySheehan
Mon May 28, 2007 at 09:57:01 AM PDT

I have endured a lot of smear and hatred since Casey was killed and especially since I became the so-called "Face" of the American anti-war movement. Especially since I renounced any tie I have remaining with the Democratic Party, I have been further trashed on such "liberal blogs" as the Democratic Underground. Being called an "attention whore" and being told "good riddance" are some of the more milder rebukes.

* CindySheehan's diary :: ::

I have come to some heartbreaking conclusions this Memorial Day Morning. These are not spur of the moment reflections, but things I have been meditating on for about a year now. The conclusions that I have slowly and very reluctantly come to are very heartbreaking to me.

The first conclusion is that I was the darling of the so-called left as long as I limited my protests to George Bush and the Republican Party. Of course, I was slandered and libeled by the right as a "tool" of the Democratic Party. This label was to marginalize me and my message. How could a woman have an original thought, or be working outside of our "two-party" system?

However, when I started to hold the Democratic Party to the same standards that I held the Republican Party, support for my cause started to erode and the "left" started labeling me with the same slurs that the right used. I guess no one paid attention to me when I said that the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of "right or left", but "right and wrong."

It's completely coincidence that she decided to do this on Memorial Day, right?

Right?

We have had several lively Cindy Sheehan threads here on the BP. It's been a while so I think I have gained some perspective on it.

Of course, my biggest problem with Sheehan is the attention whore thing. Her son was killed in Iraq and she used it as an opportunity to stroke her own ego and go on an expense account for a while. She is without any human worth, as far as I am concerned.

From a more objective point of view, though, my problem with her is that she trivializes the whole issue of the war. It is obvious to the most casual observer that her ego is paramount in the entire, sad mess. As well, she abused her position at the center of the media's attention by spouting off all sorts of leftist agit-prop, from feminism to socialism. She is one of the major reasons that anti-war sentiment was associated with the extreme left. Thanks a lot, numbskull. Ordinary Americans quit listening to reasonable anti-war arguments simply because nutcase attention whores like Sheehan declared themselves to be the "face of the anti-war movement." Indeed, just the invocation of a "movement" around anti-war sentiment dredges up memories of the worst of the shrill but trite diatribes by elitist liberals of the late Sixties.

For those of us who oppose the Bush Administration's adventurism abroad, the simple-minded sloganeering and Sunday School sentiments of visualizing world peace and mean people sucking are ideological vampires draining the life out of the rational arguments in support of freedom and liberty. They are the debutante throwing a snit because...well just because. They are empty and mindless and relegate every other attempt at reasonable discussion to the jingoist rubbish pile.

Burr Sells Out

110th Congress / Senate / 1st session / Vote 180

* Question: On the Amendment
* Bill: S 1348
* Vote description: Vitter Amdt. No. 1157; To strike title VI (related to Nonimmigrants in the United States Previously in Unlawful Status).
* Vote type: 1/2 (Help)
A simple majority of those present and voting is required for approval or passage.
* Result: Rejected, 29-66, with 5 not voting.
* Date/time: May 24, 2007, 5:59 p.m.
* Amendment num: S.Amdt. 1157
* Republican majority opinion: No
The position of more than 50 percent of voting Republicans. "None" means an equal split between "Yes" and "No."
* Democrat majority opinion: No

This vote was on an amendment to remove the amnesty provisions from the immigration bill. Richard Burr voted no.

In 2004, Richard told Project Vote Smart that he would never support an amnesty. In 2006, Richard posted a crowing article on his congressional website about his no vote against the amnesty attempt last year. Richard is supporting John McCain for President in 2008. Enough said.

I used to think Richard was principled. I was wrong. Even Elizabeth Dole, long-time power leech and party drone that she is, voted yes. Too bad for North Carolina that their junior Senator is more interested in making the Washington cocktail circuit and finding a nice house in Georgetown to be bothered with representing the best interests of the state. Too bad his ambition to remain on McCain's VP short list have caused him to sell North Carolina down the river.

RE: Selective Memories

Now you're just being mule stubborn, Andy. I've given you rational arguments and you're still wishing on unicorns and rainbows.

Since you appear to be determined to be the last one out of the GOP, please turn out the lights and close the door when you leave.

Rebuilding gets started on Basnight's restaurant

NAGS HEAD (AP) - The rebuilding of the restaurant owned by state Senate leader Marc Basnight has begun, with the lot cleared and graded and some pilings sunk for the foundation.

An investigation into the May 1 fire at Basnight’s Lone Cedar Cafe continues even as the Nags Head Board of Commissioners has approved a site plan for the new building.

The restaurant, soundside on the Nags Head-Manteo causeway, was in its 12th season when it burned to the ground. No one was injured, but about 100 people were left jobless.

Demolition and foundation permits were issued the day after the fire, said Ronnie Ballance, Nags Head’s chief building inspector. The demolition permit was closed May 18.

A sign on the Lone Cedar Cafe site says the restaurant will reopen late summer.

Documentary Will Air

(Fox News) - That PBS documentary about moderate Muslims in the U.S. that was left out of a special series of broadcasts last month — is going to be aired after all.

The makers of "Islam versus Islamists" said their production was the victim of an ideological vendetta because they were conservatives.

But The Washington Times reports the film will soon be made available to the 354 Public Broadcasting Service member stations as a stand-alone program.

Pulling the Plug

(Fox News) - Venezuelans will have to do without their favorite television station come Sunday morning. President Hugo Chavez is refusing to renew the license of RCTV —- calling it a "coup-mongering" broadcaster that does "moral damage" with its programming.

The network runs news, soap operas, comedies and reality shows. Some say this is part of a vendetta Chavez has against the station's sometimes unfavorable coverage.

Bloomberg reports 69 percent of Venezuelans surveyed oppose Chavez's move.

Dozens of armored cars and military vehicles filled the highways of Caracas today — in preparation for what could be violent demonstrations.

Chavez is also being criticized by the European Parliament, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

"Uncontrolled Immigration"

(Fox News) - Newly-elected French president Nicolas Sarkozy promised during his campaign to get a handle on what he called "uncontrolled immigration." Now France is said to be ready to offer legal immigrants cash bonuses to leave.

Spiegel Online says the proposal calls for an $8,000 payment to each family that returns to its country of origin.

A similar scheme in 2005 and 2006 was taken up by about 3,000 families.

Two Books About Hillary Clinton May Spice Up Your Summer Reading

(Fox News) - Two new books about Hillary Clinton will hit the stores next month — both written by long-established writers and marketed by major publishers.

The Washington Post reports Carl Bernstein's 640-page book asserts that Mrs. Clinton was convinced that she would be indicted for perjury or obstruction of justice in the Whitewater investigation.

He also says Mrs. Clinton considered a run for the Arkansas governor's seat in 1989 — out of what Bernstein calls "anger and hurt" over Bill Clinton's infidelity.

And he writes Mrs. Clinton told a friend that Bill Clinton's winning the presidency, "Would be good for the marriage because her husband's sexual compulsions would be tempered by the White House and the ever-present press corps."

The other book — written by Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr. — says the Clintons made a pact in 1992 that Mrs. Clinton would run for the presidency after her husband left office.

It states that Senator Clinton did not read the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq before voting to authorize the war.

The Clinton camp acknowledges several of the points raised in the second book and says both efforts mainly rehash old news.

Mrs. Clinton's fallout with longtime supporter David Geffen was the most covered political story during the first three months of the year — according to a new study. The project for excellence in journalism also says the news media had more than twice as much coverage of Democratic presidential candidates than Republicans in the first three months of this year. The numbers – 61 percent for Democrats – 24 percent for Republicans. Even conservative radio hosts followed this pattern — with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage talking about Democrats by a 75-to-13-percent margin.

Boy Bags Wild Hog Bigger Than 'Hogzilla'

By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Hogzilla is being made into a horror movie. But the sequel may be even bigger: Meet Monster Pig. An 11-year-old Alabama boy used a pistol to kill a wild hog his father says weighed a staggering 1,051 pounds and measured 9-feet-4 from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail. Think hams as big as car tires.

Selective Memories

Steve responds: "As well, your memory appears to be a little selective with regard to the number of times we got our collective butts kicked by the moderates and liberals in a local party organization that is probably an order of magnitude more conservative than the vast majority of the party at large."

We got our butt kicked because we failed to organize on the precinct level. The turnout is so low at these precinct meetings it wouldn't take much to get a good conservative turnout to them.

"And finally, even if you can muster enough movement conservatives to make a difference, it will be almost impossible to get them to agree on enough points to count on them for much. Once again, remember the times that we were sold down the river by the other supposed conservatives in the Stokes County organization."

It's according what those points are... Typically, people will put other differences aside if there is a hot button issue for people to rally around. It seems alliances change from political season to political season.

"It's hard to form an alliance with no one. The libertarians spent an uneasy existence during their tenure in the GOP. They were sold out by their alliance partners, the conservatives. Trust me, they won't be back."

I think they will be back... one day. It will take some new faces in the GOP for it to happen though. But I still think there will be some hot button issue down the road where the GOP & libertarians will unite once again.

"All that work you did was wonderful, but I lost, remember? And more to the point, it wasn't the Democrats who beat me, it was the Republicans. Once again, you don't have the numbers to prevail, even at the local level."

The reason you lost was because you weren't organized in all the precincts... In the precincts where you had people calling other people, knocking on doors, writing letters, etc., you did well... In places where you had nobody, you got beat.

"Joe Lieberman ran as an independent and won."

That's true, but Lieberman had the name recognition where he was able to pull it off. I guess one would need a highly regarded official in a particular state to run as an independent.

RE: BETTER OFF LOSING

If asked to pick the most despicable of the neocons, I would have to think about it for a while, but I suspect that Podhoretz would certainly be a strong finalist.

Nowhere in this article does Podhoretz ponder whether this bill is good for the country. Instead he engages in the lowest forms of Machiavellian speculation and political triangulation. It is utterly disgusting.

Carter confuses Bush administration with his own

The Patriot Post

Jimmy Carter has screwed up again. It happens so often that it makes us wonder if it’s even noteworthy anymore, but his recent gaffe in an interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette begs a response—and a review of the record. In a conversation regarding the war, Carter was asked, “Which president was worse, George W. Bush or Richard Nixon?” America’s 39th President replied, “I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history.” He couldn’t simply say that Bush was worse than Nixon; he had to go the extra mile and say he was the worst ever. Carter backpedaled on NBC’s “Today” show, stating that his remarks “were maybe careless or misinterpreted.” As Jay Leno quipped, “I’m sure the phrase ‘the worst in history’ can be taken any number of ways.”

It’s not a stretch, however, to conclude that Carter himself presided over the worst administration in history in terms of foreign policy. During his four-year reign of error, Carter did nothing to intervene when the Sandinistas introduced a Communist regime in Nicaragua, just a thousand miles south of the U.S. border. He wore sweaters and talked about “malaise” while Islamic fundamentalists overthrew an allied government in Iran; then he allowed 52 Americans to languish in captivity there for 444 days, with only one smallish and ill-fated rescue attempt. He allowed the Soviets to make a mockery of the U.S. by boycotting the 1980 Olympic Summer Games in Moscow and finished off his term with interest rates at 21 percent, inflation at 13 percent, and an approval rating at 21 percent—the lowest in the history of modern polling. You were saying, Jimmy?

In the Senate: Demos continue assault on Justice

The Patriot Post

The manufactured controversy over the firing of eight federal prosecutors has emboldened Democrats in Congress to muscle in on the President’s ability to appoint federal prosecutors. A bill passed by the House and Senate this week will repeal a provision of last year’s renewed Patriot Act that allowed the President to appoint federal prosecutors indefinitely without Senate confirmation. Instead, the Attorney General would appoint new prosecutors for a period of up to 120 days until the Senate acts to confirm them, which was the policy previously in place. The original aim of the Patriot Act was to remove the politicization of prosecutorial appointments during wartime, but Democrats claim that the White House used the provision for political gain to remove prosecutors and replace them with people loyal to the White House.

With the help of the Leftmedia, the Democrats have done a fine job of creating a scandal where one did not exist. Demo leaders in Congress are planning a meaningless “no confidence” vote against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in mid-June after hearing former aide Monica Goodling testify this week. Goodling said she “crossed the line” when taking into account party affiliation when hiring attorneys, though she distanced herself from the firings. She also said Gonzales had sought to get their stories straight before testimony. Gonzales soon may be thrown under the bus in an effort to appease the Demo headhunters.

In the House: The pork tradition continues

The Patriot Post

The new congressional plan to require the identification of earmark sponsors has achieved nothing in curbing their widespread use, as evidenced by a water-projects bill that comfortably passed both the House and Senate last week. The House version contained 692 earmarks, and the Senate version contained 446. Removing their anonymity was supposed to make pork-barrel-spending legislators think twice about having their names tied to frivolous spending amendments that ratchet up federal budgets every year—by $19 billion in fiscal 2005 alone. Yet politics is local, and for congressmen elected locally, bringing home the bacon matters more than any stigma. The 446 earmarks in this year’s Senate bill trump the 272 earmarks contained in last year’s Republican water bill, further exposing the hypocrisy of Demo complaints over GOP pork spending in 2006.

Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) filed a resolution this week for the House to reprimand Demo loudmouth John Murtha (D-PA) for threatening to kill any earmarks Rogers introduced in any defense-appropriations bill. Murtha’s threat came after Rogers unsuccessfully tried to remove an earmark that Murtha added to the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 2082) to authorize $23 million for the National Drug Intelligence Center based in Murtha’s district. Rogers acted in line with President Bush’s desire to close the office, which has been given poor reviews by several federal review boards.

Murtha told Rogers after the vote, “I hope you don’t have any earmarks in the defense appropriations bill because they are gone, and you will not get any earmarks now and forever.” This tirade, complete with finger-pointing, came on the heels of a similar threat Murtha made to Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), after Tiahrt voted to close a program in Murtha’s district. Murtha’s next project is to pass the 2008 intelligence bill—complete with a mandate that the intelligence community report on global warming.

News from the Swamp: Democrats surrender

The Patriot Post

The Surrender Monkeys in Congress finally gave up their fight to set a date for defeat in Iraq, conceding that they could not break unified Republican support for funding our troops. After President Bush vetoed the first war-funding bill that included a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, Democrats still clung to the idea of a timeline, or at least partial funding with a second vote this summer. Facing increasing pressure to fund the troops before Memorial Day, many Demos accepted a GOP plan that includes 18 various “benchmarks” for the Iraqi government and periodic reports from President Bush. The House voted 280-142 to fund the war fully through September (the end of the fiscal year), including a vitally important provision for the war effort: A $2.10 hike in the minimum wage. The Senate voted likewise 80-14.

Undaunted by the prospect of American victory, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) continue to work their sabotage in the halls of Congress. Pelosi declared, “This debate will go on.” So evident are their wanton acts of abandonment that Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi announced efforts this week to draw up plans to “deal with a sudden pullout.”

Earlier in the day, President Bush made a Rose Garden speech and signaled that we would leave Iraq if the Iraqi government asked us to. “We are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government,” he said. “This is a sovereign nation. Twelve million people went to the polls to approve a constitution. It’s their government’s choice. If they were to say, leave, we would leave.” Then he added, “I would hope that they would recognize that the results would be catastrophic.” Now if only Democrats would strive for victory, rather than seek defeat for their own perceived gain.

As a footnote, presidential candidates Hillary “formerly Rodham” Clinton and Barack Obama voted to abandon the troops—a strange way for two would-be commanders in chief to observe Memorial Day.

Step away from the Prozac, Andy

Being an optimist, I don't see why we can't make an effort to get that 11% we need for a majority.

That's not being an optimist, that's being irrational. Remember, I said 40% is best case. As well, your memory appears to be a little selective with regard to the number of times we got our collective butts kicked by the moderates and liberals in a local party organization that is probably an order of magnitude more conservative than the vast majority of the party at large. And finally, even if you can muster enough movement conservatives to make a difference, it will be almost impossible to get them to agree on enough points to count on them for much. Once again, remember the times that we were sold down the river by the other supposed conservatives in the Stokes County organization.

...I don't know what issues will pop up down the road to where forming an alliance will be necessary.

It's hard to form an alliance with no one. The libertarians spent an uneasy existence during their tenure in the GOP. They were sold out by their alliance partners, the conservatives. Trust me, they won't be back.

Since I believe elections are won on the local level, maybe that's where us conservatives should focus our attention...

Once again, your memory is selective. All that work you did was wonderful, but I lost, remember? And more to the point, it wasn't the Democrats who beat me, it was the Republicans. Once again, you don't have the numbers to prevail, even at the local level.

I think it would be easier for conservatives and libertarians to change the GOP than to start a party from scratch.

History says you're wrong about that. Again I say, remember the Whigs. Also, mathematics are against you. If conservatives and libertarians move to a third party and run a viable candidate against the Democrats and the Republicans, that candidate only needs 34% of the vote.

The problem is you have to be a member of a political party to try to advance anything...

That's sheer pragmatism speaking. I hope you aren't forgetting what pragmatism has bought the GOP over the last seven years.

Take Ron Paul for example: If he was running as an independent, people wouldn't be paying any attention to him...

Doesn't follow. Joe Lieberman ran as an independent and won.

BETTER OFF LOSING

By JOHN PODHORETZ
New York Post

PRESIDENT Bush wants this new immigration bill. He wants it badly. He said yesterday that he ran both in 2000 and in 2004 as an immigration reformer and he's fulfilling his campaign promises.

He will take it hard if the bill goes down to defeat. He believes in it.

And yet, as was true of the popular revolt that led to the withdrawal of the name of the clearly unqualified Harriet Miers as a Supreme Court nominee in 2005, he will be far better off if he doesn't get what he wants. And so will his party.

Pretty bad – but not Jimmy Carter bad

America is in a funk, but it needn’t be

By Gerard Baker
Times Online

You know how bad things have got when Jimmy Carter’s critique of your presidency is taken seriously. This week the former US President attacked the current one, saying that, “as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world”, George Bush’s Administration had been “the worst in history”. It’s one thing to have to listen to Bill and Hillary Clinton claim that things were better when they were in the White House, but Jimmy Carter? Being told by Mr Carter that you’re the worst president in history is like being told by William McGonagall that your poetry stinks.

RE: RE: RE: Of dreams and fairy tales

Steve responds: "If we assume Democrats and Republicans evenly split the electorate and that movement conservatives are overwhelmingly Republican (not true, but for the sake of argument...), they only make up 40% of the membership of the GOP."

Being an optimist, I don't see why we can't make an effort to get that 11% we need for a majority.

"The only time the GOP wins is when movement conservatives form a coalition with either the libertarian Republicans or the country-clubbers. The libertarians are pretty much done with the GOP, I doubt they'll ever come back. I also doubt movement conservatives will team up with the country-clubbers again since that resulted in the rise of the neocons."

I agree with your first sentence but I disagree with your last two just for the fact that I don't know what issues will pop up down the road to where forming an alliance will be necessary.

"There is no doubt that conservatives can do things within the GOP on small, local levels. There is also no doubt that local pockets of the GOP still remain very conservative. Unfortunately, the national party in engaged in a swing to the left and there is nothing the few remaining conservative local organizations can do to stop it."

Since I believe elections are won on the local level, maybe that's where us conservatives should focus our attention...

"Why? What is so special about the GOP that makes it the only home for conservatives and libertarians? Remember that the GOP has never remained true to Republican principles. Every single Republican President has run on libertarian principles and then behaved in opposition to those principles once they were elected, from Lincoln to Reagan."

I think it would be easier for conservatives and libertarians to change the GOP than to start a party from scratch.

"The idea that an agenda can only be advanced inside a major political party is a myth. Partisanship is a fraud, designed to keep an oligarchy in power. No more, no less."

The problem is you have to be a member of a political party to try to advance anything... Again, I'm not saying one should drink the political party kool-aid, but the only way I see conservatism advancing is through a political party. Take Ron Paul for example: If he was running as an independent, people wouldn't be paying any attention to him, but with him running as a Republican, look at how much publicity he has received.

Not Guilty

(Fox News) - A former Democratic party official in Colorado has been found not guilty of a misdemeanor charge — after leaving dog excrement on the doorstep of Colorado Republican Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave's local office.

The jury found former District Vice Chairwoman Kathleen Ensz innocent of "criminal use of a noxious substance."

Democratic District Chairman Don Hoff said Ensz's actions were protected free speech — an argument used by her attorneys and apparently accepted by the jury.

Musgrave's aides denounced the act as a political dirty trick.

Diversity Awards

(Fox News) - While Wal-Mart is facing litigation from critics over its workplace policies and alleged discrimination — the company continues to pile up awards for its diversity programs.

Working Mother magazine has just put Wal-Mart on its list of "best companies for multicultural women." The magazine credits Wal-Mart for — "Harnessing the wealth of talents and perspectives that people of different backgrounds have to offer."

Wal-Mart's diversity efforts also have been recognized recently by LATINA Style Magazine, Hispanic Business magazine and the National Association of Women Lawyers.

Support Group

(Fox News) - House Democrats are trying to buck up freshman Tim Mahoney — the man who won the Florida seat formerly held by the disgraced Republican Mark Foley.

The Hill newspaper reports the millionaire businessman doesn't much like his new gig. Mahoney says — "very candidly, this isn't the greatest job I've had." The paper says the congressman has had a tough time dealing with the glacial pace and seniority-driven ways of the House.

Says Mahoney — "There's nothing in my experience in 30 years in business that even comes close to doing what you have to do in Congress. I think there should be a law that says, before you run, you have to do the job for two weeks."

The Mainstream Media Shockingly Reports on Good News in Iraq

(Fox News) - TIME Magazine's Joe Klein — a longtime critic of President Bush and the Iraq war — writes this week — "There is good news from Iraq."

Klein details progress in Anbar province against Al Qaeda — including some days in which there have been zero effective attacks by insurgents.

He credits alliances between U.S. troops and local tribes — and writes that at least two other Sunni-dominated provinces are seeking similar alliances.

Klein says – "It is possible that Al Qaeda is being rejected like a mismatched liver transplant by the body of the Iraqi insurgency."

RE: RE: Of dreams and fairy tales

My point was that the party will be what the majority of its active members want it to be. The problem is us conservatives aren't active like we should.

You don't have the numbers. Movement conservatives, those who mostly follow a conservative ideological line, only make up 17% to 20% of the electorate. If we assume Democrats and Republicans evenly split the electorate and that movement conservatives are overwhelmingly Republican (not true, but for the sake of argument...), they only make up 40% of the membership of the GOP. The only time the GOP wins is when movement conservatives form a coalition with either the libertarian Republicans or the country-clubbers. The libertarians are pretty much done with the GOP, I doubt they'll ever come back. I also doubt movement conservatives will team up with the country-clubbers again since that resulted in the rise of the neocons.

There is no doubt that conservatives can do things within the GOP on small, local levels. There is also no doubt that local pockets of the GOP still remain very conservative. Unfortunately, the national party in engaged in a swing to the left and there is nothing the few remaining conservative local organizations can do to stop it.

I guess my point is why not reform the alliance in the GOP...

Why? What is so special about the GOP that makes it the only home for conservatives and libertarians? Remember that the GOP has never remained true to Republican principles. Every single Republican President has run on libertarian principles and then behaved in opposition to those principles once they were elected, from Lincoln to Reagan.

...but I believe conservatism has a better chance in advancing in one of the major political parties.

The Republicans were once a third party. They are now engaged in behavior that will leave them in the same condition as their predecessor, the Whig Party. George Bush has pulled off one of the biggest bait-and-switch gambits in the history of American politics. The idea that and agenda can only be advanced inside a major political party is a myth. Partisanship is a fraud, designed to keep an oligarchy in power. No more, no less.

Former presidents cost the taxpayers

WASHINGTON (The Washington Post) - So which of the three living former presidents costs taxpayers the most money? Bill Clinton, according to the Congressional Research Service’s latest figures.

The globe-trotting Clinton, with a New York office and a worldwide charitable enterprise, is asking for $1.16 million for fiscal 2008. That is more than double the amount requested by Jimmy Carter and substantially more than that by George H.W. Bush.

American, Sherpa Save Nepalese Woman Left to Die on Mount Everest

(Fox News) - A stricken climber left to die on Mount Everest was saved by an American guide and a sherpa who found her by accident as they returned from the summit.

Bird Poops On President Bush During Press Conference

A Bill That Earned Its Doubters

By George Will
Washington Post

Compromise is incessantly praised, and it has produced the proposed immigration legislation. But compromise is the mother of complexity, which, regarding immigration, virtually guarantees -- as the public understands -- weak enforcement and noncompliance.

RE: Of dreams and fairy tales

Steve responds: "One of the realizations that came to me right before I left the GOP was that the party will be what the majority of its members want it to be. Conservatives who hang around and try to change it are on a fool's errand. Admittedly, if conservatives had moved to make their case when the party was on the brink of its leftward lurch, there was a possibility that change could have occurred. That possibility is long since dead and gone. That's Vox's point: conservatives have lost the battle for the hearts and minds of the GOP faithful. It's past time to move on. Continuing to believe that the party will change is simple masochism."

My point was that the party will be what the majority of its active members want it to be. The problem is us conservatives aren't active like we should. When you ran for re-election for Stokes Co. commissioner, I didn't do much of anything for you in my precinct because I took it for granted you would win. When you ended up in a run-off, I went to people's homes, called people throughout my precinct, etc. to get them to come out and vote for you in the run-off... We ended up with a larger turn-out in my precinct for the run-off than we did in the primary (and you ended up winning handily in my precinct.) I worked my butt off in my precinct in 2002 for the Turpins & Sandy and they ended up winning handily in my precinct too. When I don't do anything, that's when my guys & gals usually get beat in my precinct. With turnout for precinct events being low, it would only take motivation to get conservatives out and organize. That's just my opinion...

"Most of us are intelligent enough to understand that beating your head against a wall will get you nothing but scars on your forehead. Opportunity is everything. Now is the opportunity for conservatives to abandon the rotting corpse of the GOP and re-form the alliance that won Reagan the White House."

I guess my point is why not reform the alliance in the GOP... I'm not saying you have to drink the GOP kool-aid, but I believe conservatism has a better chance of advancing in one of the major political parties.

Message from Iraq :-)

Stokes names interim chief for schools

DANBURY (Winston-Salem Journal) - Stokes County Schools has hired an interim superintendent.

Nelson Jessup will be paid $8,000 a month, County Attorney Fredrick Johnson said yesterday.

The school board unanimously approved Jessup’s appointment on Monday night.

Jessup, who lives in Winston-Salem, previously served as the interim superintendent for Stokes schools in 1999, and he has served as interim superintendent twice for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

Jessup’s contract has not been completed, but the school system has asked him to be prepared to fill in for at least six months, Johnson said.

Lightweight Disappointment

(Fox News) - Veteran Democratic political consultant Bob Shrum is portraying John Edwards as a political lightweight who was a major disappointment to John Kerry when the two of them ran against President Bush and Vice President Cheney in 2004.

Shrum characterizes Edwards in a new book as, "a Clinton who hadn't read the books." He says Kerry — "wished that he'd never picked Edwards, that he should have gone with his gut," and selected Dick Gephardt.

Shrum is a former campaign aide for Edwards — and their relationship soured when Shrum left the Edwards team to work for Kerry in 2003. This is not the first time he has attacked Edwards.

CIA Plan

(Fox News) - Colorado Republican Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo is calling for an investigation into an ABC News report on an alleged CIA operation to destabilize the Iranian government.

The network reported this morning that President Bush has authorized a covert operation using propaganda, disinformation and financial measures.

Both the CIA and the White House refused to discuss the report. Tancredo says he wants the attorney general to look into who leaked the information — and ABC's decision to air it.

Tancredo says — "When foreign governments and terrorist groups can simply watch the news to find out about potential U.S. intelligence operations, we have a problem on our hands. I hope Democrats and the media show as much interest in this as they did over Valerie Plame."

Prostitution Ring

(Fox News) - Law enforcement officials in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area busted a major prostitution ring over the weekend, arresting more than two dozen people — many of them illegal immigrants.

The investigation was coordinated by federal agencies, Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Saint Paul police.

But even though most of the brothels were in Minneapolis — that city's police did not take part in the investigation or arrests — staying outside the buildings and helping only with security.

That's because Minneapolis has a policy forbidding its officers from participating in immigration cases. Mayor R.T. Rybak says he remains, "absolutely committed to our policy of separating our police from immigration."

And he is upset that some federal agents wore shirts saying "Police" during the raids. He has asked them not to do that — but they have refused — saying "police" is a universal term for law enforcement officers.

Crushed Morale

(Fox News) - British military sources say the predicted spring offensive by the Taliban in Afghanistan has stalled because so many middle-ranking commanders have been killed in the past year.

The London Telegraph reports last week's killing of key Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah by American Special Forces crushed morale so much that local commanders are telling their men to "remain professional" despite the loss.

The paper reports more than 1,000 Taliban have been eliminated by British troops in the last year — and that has left few mid-level leaders to coordinate the planned spring offensive.

Of dreams and fairy tales

As conservatives, it would seem to me that it would be easier to work towards reforming the Republican Party.

One of the realizations that came to me right before I left the GOP was that the party will be what the majority of its members want it to be. Conservatives who hang around and try to change it are on a fool's errand. Admittedly, if conservatives had moved to make their case when the party was on the brink of its leftward lurch, there was a possibility that change could have occurred. That possibility is long since dead and gone. That's Vox's point: conservatives have lost the battle for the hearts and minds of the GOP faithful. It's past time to move on. Continuing to believe that the party will change is simple masochism.

It seems like when us conservatives get beat in an election, we give up and quit...

Not at all. Most of us are intelligent enough to understand that beating your head against a wall will get you nothing but scars on your forehead. Opportunity is everything. Now is the opportunity for conservatives to abandon the rotting corpse of the GOP and re-form the alliance that won Reagan the White House.

RE: RE: RE: The (Republican) party's over

Steve responds: "If people stop registering as Republicans, the party will die. If people begin registering as Libertarians or Constitution Party, those parties will gain the mainstream as the GOP withers on the vine."

As conservatives, it would seem to me that it would be easier to work towards reforming the Republican Party. Personally speaking, I have complained about the party, but that's the only thing I have been doing...complaining. I'm no longer involved in party politics, so maybe if I did less complaining and more getting involved, things might change on the party level. It seems like when us conservatives get beat in an election, we give up and quit... I know that's how I've been pretty much since your defeat, Steve, in the spring of 2000.

"And yes, if the GOP insists on nominating Giuliani, Romney, or McCain, Hillary will be the next President. In fact, since the GOP field is so fractured, it is unlikely that anyone, including Fred Thompson, will emerge who can unify those factions. Short of some huge faux pas on her part, the Beast in Pants Suits is all but assured of the Oval Office."

I still don't believe Hillary is electable on the national level. As far as the GOP is concerned, if Fred Thompson enters the race, I can see him winning the nomination and the presidency because he appeals to the southern and Midwestern voters who usually decide presidential elections.

RE: RE: The (Republican) party's over

I think V. Day places too much weight on how one is registered...

In this context, it is warranted. If people stop registering as Republicans, the party will die. If people begin registering as Libertarians or Constitution Party, those parties will gain the mainstream as the GOP withers on the vine. That's what happened at the birth of the Republican Party. People left the Whigs in droves and the party died. The number of people who will remain registered as Republicans but who do not vote that way are a minority.

And yes, if the GOP insists on nominating Giuliani, Romney, or McCain, Hillary will be the next President. In fact, since the GOP field is so fractured, it is unlikely that anyone, including Fred Thompson, will emerge who can unify those factions. Short of some huge faux pas on her part, the Beast in Pants Suits is all but assured of the Oval Office.

The Many Myths of Ethanol

By John Stossel
TownHall.com

"It's no mystery that people who want to be president support the corn ethanol program," (Jerry) Taylor says. "If you're not willing to sacrifice children to the corn god, you will not get out of the Iowa primary with more than one percent of the vote, Right now the closest thing we have to a state religion in the United States isn't Christianity. It's corn."

RE: The (Republican) party's over

Vox Day opines: "Ronald Reagan is dead. There's no longer anything conservative about the Republican Party. It is merely the Democratic Party's away jersey. So stand up for your principles for once in your life and leave the sinking ship to the moderates and pragmatists."

I think V. Day places too much weight on how one is registered...

Steve's Future President :-)

Wednesday Funnies :-)

Conan O’Brien: “Sen. Hillary Clinton has been endorsed by porn star Jenna Jameson. Jameson’s exact quote was, ‘I’m endorsing Hillary so tell Bill to stop bothering me’.”

David Letterman: “Top Surprises in Al Gore’s New Book”: Dedicated to his “soulmate” Lindsay Lohan; 52 chapters... to match his waist size; Chastises Bill Clinton for not sharing the hot intern action; After the 2000 election, shaved his head and checked into rehab; All proceeds go to Paris Hilton’s legal defense fund; The threat that keeps him up at night? A massive Fritos shortage; Besides the Internet, also claims to have invented Keno; Brags that he has now written more books than President Bush has read.

Jay Leno: The price of gas just keeps going up. Gas is so expensive Jimmy Carter and President Bush are carpooling. ... Jimmy Carter actually said that George W. Bush is the worst in history. Then Bush said that’s not true, he said that he was the worst in math and English. He actually got a C- in history. ... President Bush’s approval numbers have dropped as low as 28 percent. That’s the lowest for any president since... Jimmy Carter, so he knows what he’s talking about. ... Now Jimmy Carter is backtracking. He now says that his comments were “misinterpreted.” I’m sure the phrase “the worst in history” can be taken any number of ways. ... This is kind of alarming. A nature watchdog group says that we have five years to fix global warming or face catastrophic consequences. Like the possibility of another Al Gore movie. ... Democrats announced that they are going to have six debates in six different cities all around the country. The good news: Hillary Clinton will use a different accent for each city. ... The White House and key members from both houses of Congress have come to an agreement on an immigration bill. Now people from Mexico can finally come to this country and no longer go through all that red tape. ... The Associated Press says that many of the Mexican people in Mexico are against this new immigration bill. Oh, man. Let’s hope they don’t boycott coming here.

What would Milton Friedman Do?

By Mark Levin
National Review Online

I admire Michael Barone. He joins others, many of whom are pundits on Brit Hume’s news program on FOX, in their support of “comprehensive immigration reform.”

But Barone and most of the others do not address so many of the legitimate issues raised by the Heritage Foundation, security experts, the GAO, and so forth. They seem to repeat the RNC/White House talking points that we all have received.

Immigration Inconsistencies

By Tony Blankley
Real Clear Politics

Admittedly, as Emerson instructs, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." Still, Washington at the moment seems to be suffering from notably "large" and "inconsistent" minds.

The Democrats Blink

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

When Democratic leaders dropped their demand for a withdrawal timeline this week, it was more than being outmaneuvered in negotiations. They left the president in firm possession of the moral high ground.

Hillary Clinton Campaign Memo Proposes Skipping Iowa Caucuses

NEW YORK (Fox News) - Hillary Rodham Clinton's deputy campaign manager wrote a memo this week making the case for the Democratic presidential candidate to bypass the Iowa caucuses and focus on later contests in the nomination fight.

Edwards: Move Past 'War on Terror'

NEW YORK (AP) - Democrat John Edwards Wednesday repudiated the notion that there is a "global war on terror," calling it an ideological doctrine advanced by the Bush administration that has strained American military resources and emboldened terrorists.

In a defense policy speech he planned to deliver at the Council on Foreign Relations, Edwards called the war on terror a "bumper sticker" slogan Bush had used to justify everything from abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison to the invasion of Iraq.

The (Republican) party's over

I'm not particularly interested in rubbing the White House's latest treachery in the faces of the Three Monkey Republicans, who are finally beginning to see and hear a little of the evil that has always been readily apparent in George W. Bush. What's more interesting than the fact that this latest attempt at a Mexican migration amnesty should seal the deal on Hillary Clinton's inauguration is the possibility that we may finally be witnessing the beginning of the end of the Republican Party.

This is far from certain, of course, as politics tend to swing back and forth like a pendulum, if rather less predictably. It's always possible that the Lizard Queen might overstep herself like she did at the beginning of her husband's presidency and revitalize the twitching corpse of the GOP. But although she is tone-deaf, Hillary isn't stupid, and I would be very surprised if she demonstrates a failure to learn from her previous blunders.

Vox Day

Andy, I think Vox is talking to you:

Ronald Reagan is dead. There's no longer anything conservative about the Republican Party. It is merely the Democratic Party's away jersey. So stand up for your principles for once in your life and leave the sinking ship to the moderates and pragmatists.

Crawford Village

Here's an aerial view of the plans for Crawford Village in Danbury, NC.

Stokes appoints interim superintendent

DANBURY (Winston-Salem Journal) - The Stokes County Board of Education appointed Nelson Jessup last night as the school system’s interim superintendent.

After a unanimous vote during closed session of the school board’s meeting, Sonya Cox, the chairwoman of the board, said that the decision was easier than it could have been.

Political Correctness :-)

"Political Correctness is a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical
liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream
media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to
pick up a turd by the clean end."

Author Unknown

60-Year-Old Woman Delivers Twin Boys

(Fox News) - Frieda Birnbaum, 60, gave birth to twin boys Tuesday, becoming the oldest woman to give birth to twins in the United States.

The babies were delivered at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J., by caesarean section.

Amnesty Fraud

If the current immigration bill is as “realistic” as its advocates claim, why is it being rushed through the Senate faster than a local zoning ordinance could be passed?

We are, after all, talking about a major and irreversible change in the American population, the American culture, and the American political balance. Why is there no time to talk about it?

Are its advocates afraid that the voting public might discover what a fraud it is? The biggest fraud is denying that this is an amnesty bill.

Thomas Sowell

The new political strategy in Washington seems to be one of simply denying reality. It is "unrealistic" to deport 12 million illegals, this is not an amnesty bill, so forth and so on.

The Republicrats are setting us up for a sea change in the American political landscape. I doubt they have even considered whether they will survive it. Knee-jerk is ever the order of the day in the Capitol.

Edwards charges $55,000 to speak to UC Davis students about poverty

SFGate.com

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, who as a Democratic presidential candidate recently proposed an educational policy that urged "every financial barrier" be removed for American kids who want to go to college, has been going to college himself -- as a high paid speaker, his financial records show.

Hillary proposes universal baby-sitting...

TownHall.com

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is proposing a $10 billion federal program aimed at providing voluntary pre-kindergarten for all 4-year-old children in America.

Here's just another excuse for liberals to get their hands on your kids sooner... Pretty soon, they will be going after the 3-year-olds.

I'm Jimmy Carter, and I Can't Help Myself

By Paul Beston
The American Spectator

Even though he was a monumental failure as president of the United States, Jimmy Carter just can't resist giving grades to his successors and critiquing U.S. policy, two areas in which he should be disqualified from commenting.

Lying About Taxes

By Bob Novak
TownHall.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In routine party-line votes last week, both houses of Congress completed action on a Democratic-crafted budget containing the biggest tax increase in U.S. history. That this was overlooked attests to the legerdemain of Sen. Kent Conrad of Bismarck, N.D., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.

Conrad, a 59-year-old third-termer, is a monotone orator whose use of statistical charts betrays his dozen years as a North Dakota state tax collector. He seems so straight an arrow that it is hard to accuse him of the big lie. But that is precisely what he has done.

RE: Damning The Jam Down: The GOP Senate's Collective Contempt For Its Base

Let's see. John McCain is running for the GOP nomination for President. While doing that, he is sponsoring a bill to give illegal aliens amnesty and ignoring border security, an issue that something like 80% of Republicans oppose him on. And to top things off, he is in cahoots on this with the number one bogeyman for all Republicans, Ted Kennedy.

Never mind what you think of this guy's positions, he is far too crazy, stupid, or both to be in the White House.

Damning The Jam Down: The GOP Senate's Collective Contempt For Its Base

By Hugh Hewitt
TownHall.com

Here's John McCain's decree, announced yesterday:

This is the first step. We can and must complete this legislation sooner rather than later. We all know that this issue can be caught up in extracurricular politics unless we move forward as quickly as possible. This is a product of a long hard trail of negotiation, and I am sure that there are certain provisions that each of us would not agree with, but this is what the legislative process is all about, this is what bipartisanship is all about when there is a requirement for this nation and its security that transcends party lines. I am proud to have been a small part of it.

Meet the new McCain, just like the old McCain. As with McCain-Feingold, the Gang of 14, McCain-Kennedy 1.0 and his duet with Lindsey Graham of last fall on the treatment and trial of terrorists bill, Senator McCain is back and doing his best impersonation of Al Haig.

The Immigration Bill: Comprehensive or Incomprehensible?

By Fred Thompson
TownHall.com

Most Americans know that we have an illegal immigration problem in this country, with perhaps as many as 20 million people residing here unlawfully. And I think most Americans have a pretty good idea about how to at least start solving the problem – secure our nation’s borders.

But there’s an old saying in Washington that, in dealing with any tough issue, half the politicians hope that citizens don’t understand it while the other half fear that people actually do. This kind of thinking was apparent with the “comprehensive” immigration reform bill that the U.S. Senate and the White House negotiated yesterday.

Remembering the Gipper...

“There seems to be an organized, well-financed lobby determined to preserve the natural habitat and comfort of every species except man. Well, it is time to remember that we are ecology, too.”

Ronald Reagan

Exclusive: Nancy Reagan Misses Husband Now More Than Ever

(ABC News) - Although nearly three years have passed since the death of her husband, former President Ronald Reagan, former first lady Nancy Reagan is still healing emotionally, she told "Good Morning America's" anchor Diane Sawyer.

"I keep thinking of all those people who said time ... it'll be much better in time," Reagan said. "Well, not for me. If anything, -- it's gotten worse. ... I miss him more. I'm remembering more little things that we did together. It's harder."

Carter says comments were ‘careless’

(MSNBC) - Former President Jimmy Carter on Monday said his comments over the weekend about the Bush administration were “careless.”

Carter was quoted Saturday as saying “I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history.”

FAITH STUDY: Immigrants alter religious culture

NEW YORK TIMES — 

The influx of Hispanic immigrants to the United States is transforming the Roman Catholic Church as well as the nation’s religious landscape, according to a study of Hispanics and faith released Wednesday...

According to [the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life] survey, 68 percent of Hispanics are Catholic, 15 percent are born-again or evangelical Protestants, 5 percent are mainline Protestants, 3 percent are identified as “other Christian” and 8 percent are secular (1 percent refused to answer).

Among non-Hispanic Americans, the largest groupings are 20 percent Catholic, 35 percent evangelical Protestant and 24 percent mainline Protestant.

So, according to the Pew survey, any grand transformations going on in the spiritual lives of Hispanics obviously don't involve Islam at any measurable level. If anything, Hispanics living in the United States make it more of a Christian nation.

Growing number of Hispanic Americans converting to Islam in the US

Orlando (Channel NewsAsia) - Muslim leaders in the United States say interest in their religion has increased in the past few years.

More Hispanic Americans are converting to Islam, particularly in New York, California, Texas and Florida, which have the greatest concentration of Hispanic residents.

RE: RE: Evangelicals and the State

Sorry about that. We were busy doing things at the house and never got up the motivation to roll up there.

We'll have to get together another time and solve the world's problems.

RE: Evangelicals and the State

Steve opines: "This is a reasonably good assessment of Christian Libertarianism. Time to start the local chapter. I figure I can count on Robert, but Andy still has too much GOP blood in him. Strother?"

Too bad we can't count on you, Steve... Saturday night at the Ham & Chicken Supper would have been a good time to start your chapter. Robert made two trips up there just to see and speak with you. I told everybody you were at the GOP truck giveaway at South Stokes. Ha! :)

White House Blasts Former President Carter as 'Increasingly Irrelevant'

Fox News

CRAWFORD, Texas — In a biting rebuke, the White House on Sunday dismissed former President Jimmy Carter as "increasingly irrelevant" after his harsh criticism of President Bush.

Evangelicals and the State

Before his fall from grace, the cherubic Beltway operator Ralph Reed was one of the most influential evangelicals in American politics. So it was significant when Reed, a former executive director of Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition, described the religious right as part of an anti-statist “Leave Us Alone Coalition” alongside taxpayers, gun owners, and property rights activists. In his 1996 book Active Faith, Reed wrote that “most of the tension between moralists and libertarians was overstated” and agreed with then–House Majority Leader Dick Armey that social conservatives and free marketeers “are singing the same song” in “freedom’s choir.”

Well, it looks like the choir has broken up. At this point, one of the few things moralists and libertarians seem to agree about is that they don’t like Ralph Reed, whose role in the Jack Abramoff scandal managed to offend both tribes. (When Abramoff’s clients in the casino industry wanted to squash some potential competition, Reed helpfully launched an anti-gambling crusade and directed it at the appropriate target.) Armey has become a pungent critic of James Dobson and other “self-appointed Christian leaders” whom he views as “big government sympathizers who want to impose their version of ‘righteousness’ on others.” The New York Sun’s Ryan Sager published an entire book, The Elephant in the Room, about the conflict between evangelicals and libertarians, charging that the former are turning the Republican Party into a “God and government coalition.” The maverick conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan is given to similar complaints about “big government Christianism.”

W. James Antle III

This is a reasonably good assessment of Christian Libertarianism. Time to start the local chapter. I figure I can count on Robert, but Andy still has too much GOP blood in him. Strother?

Carter attacks Blair for 'blind' support of US in Iraq

Breitbart.com

Former US president Jimmy Carter on Saturday attacked outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair for his "blind" support of the Iraq war, describing it as a "major tragedy for the world".

In an interview with BBC radio, Carter was asked how he would describe Blair's attitude to US President George W. Bush. He replied: "Abominable. Loyal, blind, apparently subservient."

I'm sick of Jimmy Carter... I'm tired of him going overseas bashing this country, and now he's bashing our allies. How would he have felt if Nixon & Ford went all over the world bashing him when he was president??? This is the guy who was helping write speeches for Yassar Arafat... Carter is a piece of work.

But Who Was Right -- Rudy or Ron?

By Pat Buchanan
Human Events

It was the decisive moment of the South Carolina debate.

Hearing Rep. Ron Paul recite the reasons for Arab and Islamic resentment of the United States, including 10 years of bombing and sanctions that brought death to thousands of Iraqis after the Gulf War, Rudy Giuliani broke format and exploded:

"That's really an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of 9-11, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I have ever heard that before, and I have heard some pretty absurd explanations for Sept. 11.

"I would ask the congressman to withdraw that comment and tell us what he really meant by it."

The applause for Rudy's rebuke was thunderous -- the soundbite of the night and best moment of Rudy's campaign.

After the debate, on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes," came one of those delicious moments on live television. As Michael Steele, GOP spokesman, was saying that Paul should probably be cut out of future debates, the running tally of votes by Fox News viewers was showing Ron Paul, with 30 percent, the winner of the debate.

Coming 'Home:' Actress Betty Lynn is 'just one of us,' local resident says

MOUNT AIRY (Winston-Salem Journal) - Betty Lynn, the actress best known as Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show, has come home to a place that until recently existed for her only as a fictional town on a set in Hollywood.

She moved from Los Angeles in January to settle in Mount Airy - Griffith's childhood home where the Mayberry diners and barbershop of the TV show took their names.

Be Nice to Big and Short

(Fox News) - Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill to join Michigan as the only other state banning discrimination based on height and weight.

The proposal stems from complaints such as those from 4'8" Ellen Frankel — who tells the Associated Press that larger coworkers often scoop her up at the office or pat her on the head — and often make remarks about her height.

The bill's sponsor says it's about basic civil rights. But Republican analyst Todd Domke worries the move will scare off business, saying "We might as well add colorblind, left-handed, allergic-to-cashews.... and get it over with."

Obscene and Indecent?

(Fox News) - Officials in Hong Kong have received more than 800 complaints about a book so violent, so sexually explicit, that citizens are demanding it be labeled "indecent." The obscene publication in question? The Bible.

Hong Kong's Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority says it's working to determine whether the holy book violates obscenity laws, after an anonymous Web site called truthbible.net complained that it contains more sexual content than a recently-censored newspaper column on incest.

If the Bible is classified as indecent, only those over 18 would be able to purchase it, and copies would be sealed in a wrapper with a warning label.

Dobson Disses Rudy

(Fox News) - Influential Christian leader James Dobson may not cast a vote in 2008 — if Rudy Giuliani wins the nomination — saying his conscience would prevent him from supporting the former New York mayor. The Focus on the Family founder writes: "I will either cast my ballot for an also-ran — or if worse comes to worst — not vote in a presidential election for the first time in my adult life."

Dobson cited what he called Giuliani's unapologetic support for "abortion on demand," and moral concerns such as his three marriages.

Dobson has also said he would not vote forArizona Senator John McCain "under any circumstances," adding, "I pray that we won't get stuck with him."

John Edwards' 'Convenient' Nonprofit Poverty Center

(Fox News) - A news magazine suggests that Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' nonprofit poverty center at the University of North Carolina may have done more to help his campaign than it did for the poor.

Business Week reports that Edwards' Center for Promise and Opportunity "became a perch for several once and future Edwards staff members," calling that arrangement "convenient."

While top non-profits try to keep administrative costs to about 14 percent, the Edwards center spent 70 percent of the money it raised on administrative costs — including $259,000 dollars out of $1.3 million raised in 2005 just for consultants.

The Edwards campaign defends the center, saying, "John Edwards and everyone involved is proud of the organization's work."

James 'Scotty' Doohan's Ashes Found in New Mexico Mountains

(Fox News) - The payload container carrying experiments and the cremated ashes of some 200 dearly departed people — a cargo that includes remains of the beloved "Scotty" of "Star Trek" fame — has been recovered in the New Mexico mountains.

RE: Ron Paul’s e-mail army

Yep, it's good to have a few things you can count on.

One of them is the fact that York is still a neocon idiot.

(Hey Andy, why are there no comment links on your posts?)

Armed Forces Day 2007

From The Patriot Post:

Armed Forces Day is tomorrow, 19 May. We remain the proud and the free because these Patriots—American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coastguardsmen—have stood bravely in harm’s way and remain on post today. For this, we, the American People, offer our heartfelt thanks and prayers for you and your families.

From the Left: Bloomberg and Edwards

The Patriot Post

Speaking of RINOs, current New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has intimated to friends that he would be willing to sink as much as $1 billion of his own personal wealth into an independent bid for president. Tony Blankley describes Bloomberg as a “nosy, hectoring, busybody, anti-smoking, anti-trans fat, social engineering, lifestyle blue-nosing, freedom-crushing, nanny-state enthusiast.” According to former Federal Election Commission chair Michael Toner, he is Ross Perot on steroids. Word on the street is that Bloomberg has even met with former Perot campaign strategists. That all sounds fine. Bloomberg could split New York’s liberal vote with Hillary and bring about the unthinkable: handing New York’s 31 electoral votes to the GOP candidate (we’ll call him “Fred Thompson”) on a silver platter.

Meanwhile, John Edwards, self-anointed champion of America’s poor, opened mouth and inserted foot when he said he did not know that the hedge fund that hired him as an adviser was becoming heavily involved in the sub-prime-lending market. Edwards took the adviser position with Fortress Investment Group in October 2005 after being assured the fund was not involved in predatory lending practices. Yet while he worked there, Fortress expanded its market share considerably in the sub-prime-lending industry as the declining housing market forced numerous smaller companies to unload their holdings. Apparently, Fortress’ partners and foreign investors also have taken advantage of some of the very offshore tax breaks that Edwards has criticized.

His defense for taking the job is that he wanted to “learn more” about poverty—all while raking in a cool $479,512 salary in 2006. Then there’s the $5.9 million in investment income, including some from Schlumberger, which is the oil services company with ties to the Sudanese dictatorship responsible for genocide in Darfur. What a priceless lesson in poverty.

Interesting quote...

“Nostalgia for Ronald Reagan has become for many conservatives a substitute for thinking. This mental paralysis—gratitude decaying into idolatry—is sterile: Neither the man nor his moment will recur. Conservatives should face the fact that Reaganism cannot define conservatism.”

George Will

Fred Thompson responds to Michael Moore challenge

From Captain America 2006:

As Fred Thompson has criticized Michael Moore for his trip to Cuba and visit with Fidel Castro for his documentary on health care, Moore responded by challenging Thompson to a debate on the topic of health care. Moore also made a reference that Thompson smokes Cuban cigars and is violator of the trade embargo. Thompson responds with cigar in hand. If this is a future glimpse of a Thompson political campaign, it is going to be formidable and really tough to beat with material like this.

McCain, Cornyn Engage in Heated Exchange

By Paul Kane
Washington Post

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) hasn't spent much time in the Capitol this year as he seeks the GOP presidential nomination. But one of his rare appearances this week provided a pretty salty exchange with a fellow Republican.

Ron Paul’s e-mail army

By Byron York
The Hill

I learned an important lesson this week: Do not mess with Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).

The Man Who Wasn't There

Fred Thompson isn't yet running, but he's running a great campaign.

By Peggy Noonan
Wall Street Journal

Having watched the second Republican debate the other night, it's clear to me the subject today is Fred Thompson, the man who wasn't there. While the other candidates bang away earnestly in a frozen format, Thompson continues to sneak up from the creek and steal their underwear--boxers, briefs and temple garments.


He is running a great campaign. It's just not a declared campaign. It's a guerrilla campaign whose informality is meant to obscure his intent. It has been going on for months and is aimed at the major pleasure zones of the Republican brain. In a series of pointed columns, commentaries and podcasts, Mr. Thompson has been talking about things conservatives actually talk about. Shouldn't homeowners have the right to own a gun? Isn't it bad that colleges don't teach military history? How about that Sarkozy--good news, isn't it? Did you see Tenet on Russert? His book sounds shallow, tell-all-y.

These comments and opinions are being read and forwarded in Internet Nation. They are revealing and interesting, but they're not heavy, not homework. They have an air of "This is the sound of a candidate thinking." That's an unusual sound.

Most illustrative was what started this week as a small trading of barbs with provocateur Michael Moore, whose general and iconic dishabille is meant to show identification with the workingman, though in America workingmen bathe. Mr. Moore was back from Cuba, where he made a documentary on the superiority of Castro's health care system. Mr. Thompson suggested Mr. Moore is just another lefty who loves dictators. Mr. Moore challenged Mr. Thompson to a health-care debate and accused him of smoking embargoed cigars. Within hours Mr. Thompson and his supposedly nonexistent staff had produced a spirited video response that flew through YouTube and the conservative blogosphere. Sitting at a desk and puffing on a fat cigar, Mr. Thompson announces to Mr. Moore he can't fit him into his schedule. Then: "The next time you're down in Cuba . . . you might ask them about another documentary maker. His name was Nicolás Guillén. He did something Castro didn't like, and they put him in a mental institution for several years, giving him devastating electroshock treatments. A mental institution, Michael. Might be something you ought to think about."

You couldn't quite tell if Mr. Thompson was telling Mr. Moore he ought to think more about Cuba, or might himself benefit from psychiatric treatment. It seemed almost . . . deliberately unclear.

GOP Sellout

A senseless giveaway on immigration.

By Brian Darling
National Review Online

“Sellout.” It may be harsh, but it’s the most accurate and succinct way to sum up how conservatives feel right now about President Bush and Senate Republicans, who have cut a deal that would grant amnesty to the estimated 12 million illegal aliens living in the U.S. — not to mention the parents, spouses, and children of these illegals.

No Amnesty for McCain

By W. James Antle III
The American Spectator

With the White House's blessing, the Senate has reached a deal on immigration. And Sen. John McCain has handed his opponents for the Republican nomination a mighty club to wield against him -- if they choose to use it...

..."Life is unfair," John F. Kennedy observed. However mistaken this deal, McCain is as much a conviction politician on immigration as Tom Tancredo. Giuliani once sued to block welfare and immigration reform laws he believed were too strict with New York City's illegal aliens. Romney took a position similar in principle to this bill's language as recently as Tuesday's South Carolina debate.

But conservative voters will remember the immigration partnership between John McCain and Ted Kennedy. In a Republican primary, that is dangerous company to keep.

It's OK If Ron Paul Is Right

Quixotic presidential candidate Ron Paul landed himself in a bit of hot water - make that a boiling cauldron - for remarks he made in last week's GOP debate suggesting that America's containment of Saddam Hussein led to 9/11.

Responding to a question about whether Paul was blaming America for the 9/11 attacks, he stated: "They don't come here to attack us because we're rich and we're free. They come and they attack us because we're over there."

Mayor Giuliani interjected in high dudgeon sending the crowd, and later conservative pundits, to their feet. But what Ron Paul said is, in fact, utterly uncontroversial and utterly true. Nowhere did Paul suggest ala Ward Churchill that the U.S. deserved to be attacked, he merely sought to explain the motives of those who attacked us. His explanation was certainly incomplete and a bit ham-handed, but it was not inaccurate or blatantly false.

In fact, if Ron Paul was "blaming the victim" as Mayor Giuliani indignantly implied, then he is in the company of such notorious America-haters as the current President of the United States, the former Assistant Secretary of Defense, the editorial boards of the Weekly Standard and Wall Street Journal, and many, many conservative pundits and intellectuals.

Gregory Scoblete

Good article. Long, but worth the read.

Stokes, Baptist renew their contract

DANBURY (Winston-Salem Journal) - Stokes County and N.C. Baptist Hospital renewed a long-term contract for the hospital to provide health care to county residents, Stokes officials said yesterday.

Graham begins his run for governor's job in '08

DUNN (AP) - Returning to the hometown where he is still known by his middle name, Bill Graham announced yesterday his Republican bid for governor in 2008 and pledged to fight high taxes and to improve roads and schools.

Graham, a Salisbury attorney who raised his profile while fighting higher gasoline taxes and illegal immigration, said that North Carolina citizens want new leadership after a series of political scandals - including the corruption charges that toppled former Democratic House Speaker Jim Black.

Big Endorsement

(Fox News) - Hillary Clinton has received an endorsement you probably won't be reading about on her Web site or seeing in a campaign commercial.

Jenna Jameson — who has been called the world's most famous porn star — tells pr.com: "I love Hillary." And apparently it's all about business. Jameson says: "I look forward to another Democrat being in office. It just makes the climate so much better for us...the Bill Clinton administration was the best years for the adult industry and I wish that Clinton would run again."

Taking Issue

(Fox News) - One of Barack Obama's hometown newspapers — the Chicago Sun-Times — is taking issue with the senator's recent explanation of his involvement with developer Tony Rezko — who was the target of a corruption probe.

Obama told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that he let Rezko help him with a real estate deal because: "We had bought a house for the first time."

Columnist Lynn Sweet writes: "This was not the first time Obama went through the process of buying a residence." She points out Obama had purchased a condominium before buying the house — and says "Obama was not the first-time residential purchaser he portrayed in the interview."

Obama also told Stephanopoulos that he was "famous" as a state senator for "not letting lobbyists even buy me lunch." But Sweet says Obama accepted donations from political action committees representing manufacturers and credit unions, as well as associations for trial lawyers, teachers and hospital workers.

Law License

(Fox News) - Former Clinton National Security Adviser Sandy Berger has agreed to forfeit his law license. Berger was convicted of removing highly classified documents from the national archives in 2005 by hiding them in his pants.

The Washington Times reports Berger's decision means he does not have to be cross-examined by The Board of Bar Counsel — where he risked further disclosure of specific details of the theft.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul Hopes to Garner Support for Presidential Bid with Internet, Debates

HOUSTON (AP) — In most Republican presidential polls, Ron Paul appears well behind the front-runners — a little-known Texas congressman struggling to break free of "Undecided" and "Other" before he could take on the wealth and recognition of Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney.

But on the Web, Paul's supporters see him as a "modern day Cincinnatus" and "the 900-pound gorilla amongst spider monkeys."

Ted Kennedy on Immigration

From Mark Krikorian on National Review Online:

1965: "The bill will not flood our cities with immigrants. It will not upset the ethnic mix of our society. It will not relax the standards of admission. It will not cause American workers to lose their jobs."

1986: "This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this."

2007: "Now it is time for action. 2007 is the year we must fix our broken system."

RE: Ron Paul: Internet Celeb?

...and John Edwards (Obama only recently took the lead by a hair).

Bwahahahahahah!

Good grief, the media (all of it) is so clueless. The only reason it survives is the (frightenly) large number of people who prefer to be told what to think.

There's something going on with this guy, he's touched a nerve out there. We ought to hear more about him.

Indeed, just as Ronald Reagan did in 1979 and 1980. On a side note, although I applaud Jeffrey in writing this article, I seriously doubt the folks at HuffPo are going to like Paul any better when they understand his whole position. He is strongly pro-life, strongly opposed to open borders, and vehemently dislikes the welfare state.

If the 2008 election came down to a race between Clinton and Paul, it would be one of the most stark dichotomies in American political history. It would be a referendum on the future direction of the country. People would be choosing between a business-as-usual, socialist politician, hungry for power, and a constitutionally founded libertarian.

Fortunately for Clinton, the GOP machine will do its level best to make sure that contest never happens.

Post GOP Debate coverage "Fox News Style" - Ron Paul

Damn, this is good:



There's your fair and balanced.