VP Stakes?

Here's a list of the most-searched vice presidential possibilities for the month of April for both Democrats and Republicans courtesy of Yahoo's The Buzz Log. There are some interesting possibilities, i.e., Antonin Scalia, as well as some of the same old tired names, i.e., John Edwards. You can read more about this story at: http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/91386

Barack Obama (D) Illinois senator and presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton (D) New York senator and presidential candidate
Condoleezza Rice (R) Secretary of State
Antonin Scalia (R) Supreme Court Justice
Mitt Romney (R) Former Massachusetts governor and recent presidential candidate
Mike Huckabee (R) Former Arkansas governor and recent presidential candidate
John Edwards (D) Former North Carolina senator and recent presidential candidate
Sarah Palin (R) Alaska governor
Bill Richardson (D) New Mexico governor
Lindsey Graham (R) South Carolina senator
Sam Nunn (D) Former Georgia senator
Charlie Crist (R) Florida governor
Jim Webb (D) Virginia senator
Evan Bayh (D) Indiana senator
Bobby Jindal (R) Louisiana governor
Ted Strickland (D) Ohio governor
Tim Kaine (D) Virginia governor
Joe Lieberman (D) Connecticut senator and former vice-presidential candidate
Tim Pawlenty (R) Minnesota governor
Mark Sanford (R) South Carolina governor

Gas prices soar

In an Associated Press piece today "President Bush said that Congress is blocking his proposals to deal with high gas prices and dragging its feet on other issues to address the nation's sagging economy. He said he was open to any idea in terms of energy, including a proposal backed by John McCain and Hillary Clinton to suspend gas and diesel taxes this summer. But, he said, he favored longer-term fixes, such as encouraging new oil production in the United States and the building of new refineries. '"It's a tough time for our economy."' '"Across our country, many Americans are understandably anxious about issues affecting their pocketbook, from gas and food prices to mortgage and tuition bills. They're looking to their elected leaders in Congress for action."' '"Unfortunately, on many of these issues, all they're getting is delay," he said.

Bush was asked about a proposal by Republican presidential contender John McCain, later endorsed by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, to suspend taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel for the summer travel season. The tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents on diesel fuel. '"I'm open to any ideas and we'll analyze anything that comes up,"' he said. But Bush also said he didn't want to inject himself into the ongoing presidential race. Of the three candidates, only Democrat Barack Obama has not backed the gas tax proposal. The average price of a gallon of gas has reached $3.60 nationwide."

Voter ID upheld

In an Associated Press release today the Supreme Court ruled this morning that states can require voters to produce photo identification without violating their constitutional rights, validating Republican-inspired voter ID laws. In a splintered 6-3 ruling, the court upheld Indiana's strict photo ID requirement, which Democrats and civil rights groups said would deter poor, older and minority voters from casting ballots. Its backers said it was needed to deter fraud. It was the most important voting rights case since the Bush v. Gore dispute that sealed the 2000 election for George W. Bush mirrored. The law "is amply justified by the valid interest in protecting 'the integrity and reliability of the electoral process,"' Justice John Paul Stevens said in an opinion that was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy. Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas also agreed with the outcome, but wrote separately. Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter dissented. More than 20 states require some form of identification at the polls. Courts have upheld voter ID laws in Arizona, Georgia and Michigan, but struck down Missouri's.

Democrats now party of the rich?

The Democrat party is now the party of the rich. The simple fact is that a recent Heritage Foundation study of incomes by congressional districts, based on IRS and Census Bureau data, found that Democrats now control the majority of America's wealthiest congressional districts. More than half of the wealthiest households are concentrated in the 18 states where Democrats control both Senate seats. In contrast, the study found that the majority of conservative House members hail from middle-income districts. So, what's it all mean? This new data should inspire strategists from both parties to support a low, fair, simple tax system that taxes income on consumer purchases, not income. This new tax system will benefit all Americans, from the wealthiest Democrats and Republicans to working families who need every penny they earn to make ends meet.

Brazillian oil

Forecasters are now predicting that Brazil's oil discovery two weeks ago off the shores of Sao Paulo, the largest in thirty years, may help ween the Western hemiphere off of oil from the Middle East. It is projected that Brazil, by 2020, will be producing millions of barrels of oil a day, which will lessen US dependence on oil from other parts of the world, including the very unstable Middle East. Unfortunately, the drawback is that the US may reduce its presence in the region which may ratchet up regional hostilities. You can read more about this story at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aBUoYKhu7PWk&s=polyhoo

I never met a tax increase I didn't like

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, if elected, will surely raise our taxes. The Congress, by allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, will result in a tax increase. Moreover, in order to pay for the new entitlement of universal health care, either Obama or Clinton will have to raise taxes in order to pay for this new governmental program. High tax rates reduce economic growth, because they make it less profitable to work, save, or invest. This translates into less work, saving, investment, and capital which results in fewer goods and services. Furthermore, if the government wants to keep Social Security solvent, it can do one of two things: privatize it (which is not popular) or if the Democrats have their way, raise taxes. The percentage of taxes paid that a current 25-year old will get back from Social Security when he reaches the age of 65 will be -0.82%. In 2017, Social Security will begin to spend more for benefits than it takes in from taxes. In other words, today's Social Security benefits are not safe or guaranteed. After 2041, Social Security will have to cut benefits unless Congress approves massive tax increases-tax increases we can ill-afford.

Rediscovering

Since the disastrous elections of 2006, many conservatives have been calling for a great soul-searching about the future of the conservative movement. Who are we? What do we stand for? How shall we lead? These are appropriate questions to ask considering the state of the conservative movement in American politics today. It's a mess! The conservative movement was formed by thinkers who debated what we should stand for and how we should lead. Sixty years of such debate has yielded a broad consensus on the principles that define conservatism. The problem is that some influential conservatives think we need to redefine conservatism.

Redefining conservatism is not the solution. Conservatives are not lacking in ideas or principles. We do not need "redefining". What is lacking is intellectual and political leadership--inspiring and energizing leadership. We need the right people to speak about these principles and to develop strategies to win elections based on those ideas and principles. Where are the Russell Kirks? Bill Buckleys? Milton Friedmans? Barry Goldwaters? Ronald Reagans of our day?

We have people who claim to hold the mantle of these "greats", and yet they also claim that the mantle is not worth holding, and that we have to redefine conservatism because the era is over. If you believe that liberty, national security, free enterprise, faith, and the Constitution are dead, than what are we saying?

We do not need to redefine our conservative principles, we need to rediscover them, for they are the same principles that defined America at its birth and sustained our freedoms for the last 230 years!

"He came, he saw, he Cartered"

The above title comes from the McClatchey report outlining the fact that former President Jimmy Carter's visit with Hamas went no where despite Carter's claim that the Middle East, Hamas in particular, is willing to accept Israel as an independent, viable state. I guess one visit from the former President will end over 50 years of hostility. You can read more about Carter's exploits at http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcb_jerusalem/20080421/wl_mcb_jerusalem/carterdiplomacygoesnowhere

The Pope, the President, and the Prime Minister

As Pope Benedict XVI wraps up his historic visit to the United States, his visit triggers memories of his predecessor, John Paul II, and the role he, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher played in defeating communism and ending the Cold War. This trio of world leaders fundametally rejected the ideas of detente and containment and advocated that the only way to defeat the "evil" that was communism was to roll it back to its origins in the Soviet Union and then ultimately have it collpase. While Reagan and Thatcher provided the political, economic, and military cover to roll back the evil empire, it was the moral authority of John Paul II that provided millions behind the iron curtain with hope, and a belief in liberty, human dignity, and human rights that helped carry the day. While Benedict XVI is not John Paul II, he too, can help play a role in defeating the great evil of our time, Islamofascism, that grows stronger by the day. Hopefully, Benedict XVI will prove to be John Paul II's equal in recognizing the evil that confronts humanity in the 21st century. Only time will tell.

Carter meets Hamas

Bless his heart, but FORMER President Jimmy Carter just does not get that he's not president any more. Carter, despite State Department and Bush disapproval, has met with terrorist organization Hamas for the third time this week "to talk to a group no one in this country is willing to talk to". While Carter was close to achieving peace in the Middle East during his presidency, he seemingly forgets that his time as president has past and that the Middle East of the 1970s is "radically" different from the Middle East of today. Embracing such terrorist organizations by a former President of the United States only legitimizes Hamas and emboldens them to continue to carry out terrorist operations knowing that eventually the US will cave. Carter has done much during his post-presidency to rehabilitate a his image as a failed president, but such acts as meeting with terrorist organizations and rogue leaders only legitimizes their tactics.

Free market in peril

The lessons we relearned in the 1980s namely that lower taxes and greater economic freedom brought boundless economic opportunity and increased wealth are in peril. Politicians on the left, namely Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, talk of tax and spend policies, forgetting that it is our hard earned money they are taxing and spending. Such policies, if enacted as a result of electing either one of them to the White House, create a society of dependency. A liberal dominated White House and Congress are hostile to a free market. What's even more hostile are the leftist organizations and individuals that many members of Congress feel beholden to. Such a majority will raise taxes, increase regulation, and hand over parts of our economy to international bodies. We are in real danger that the politicians we elect next cycle do not understand the lessons we learned back in the 1980s and will take us back to a time of high unemployment, high inflation, and high interest rates.

McCain the "conservative"

Earlier today presidential hopeful John McCain talked about how he plans to stimulate the sagging economy by using some tried and true conservative tools: cut taxes, eliminate pork, and control spending. '`We are in challenging times. We all recognize that,'' the Arizona senator said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. ``You cannot have declining revenues and severe economic difficulties and balance the budget.'' McCain is calling for new tax cuts and spending reductions to spur economic growth. The economy has emerged as the number one issue among likely voters far outdistancing the situation in Iraq. Jobless claims hover around 5% and new housing starts have dropped to 17 year lows. McCain also urged Congress to susupend the federal gasoline tax for three months and to guarantee that student loans will be available for the fall semester. For someone with such a "tin-ear" when it comes to matters of the economy, McCain seems to understand the basic principles of helping it grow.

Pope Benedict XVI in the US

As a Roman Catholic, I am obviously quite proud and elated that the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, is visiting the U.S. this week. You can read more about who the Pope is and why he's important at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24132448/. While he is not as "flashy" as John Paul II, Benedict is his predecessor's equal on orthodoxy, something which we Catholics, including yours truly, have strayed. Unfortunately in today's modern society, the word "orthodoxy" conjours up negative images and stereotypes, especially by secular progressives. Comedians like Bill Maher a noted aetheist, for example, takes Catholics and the Pope to task over our beliefs, customs, and Catholicism itself. However, what Maher and critics like him fail to understand is it is that same orthodoxy he makes fun of that gives the Pope, Bishops, and priests around the world the moral authority it takes to combat the relativism that has crept into our society and is trying to replace faith and religion. Heaven knows many of our politicians abandoned that moral high ground years ago. As a lapsed Catholic myself, these principles guide me in moments of weakness, when relativism is easier and if "it feels good, do it" would be the more popular thing to do. It's not easy being Catholic, just as I am sure it's not easy being Muslim or Protestant. But at the end of day, knowing I still embrace the orthodoxy of Catholicism, gives me a great sense of who I am and where I fit in the world. It's who I am no matter how I try to distance myself from it when I am weak. It makes me proud. Vivat Jesus! Vivat Pope Benedict XVI!

Oil, oil everywhere Part II

Apparently good fortune has smiled on Brazil off the coast of Sao Paulo today where potentially 33 billion barrels of oil were discovered. This discovery will triple Brazil's oil reserves. While it may take some 10 years before the benefits of this discovery may be reaped, the fact that the Brazillian government allows oil exploration off of its shores is the point. Now, if only the US government had the courage to allow oil exploration off of our shores with energy companies simultaneously pursuing alternative energy sources, perhaps we would not be paying $3.40 for a gallon of gas? You can read more about this huge discovery at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080415/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/brazil_oil

Barr polling strongly

Former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr has announced he has established an exploratory committee in an effort to seek the Libertarian Party nomination for President, and is polling at 7 percent in a national poll. Learn more by visiting www.bobbarr2008.com. The Libertarian National Convention will be held May 22-26. Georgia will be sending 40 delegates. It will interesting to see how Barr, if he is the nominee, impacts the McCain campaign in the general election.

"Bitter"

I don't agree much with anything Hillary Clinton has to say, but her remark that Barack Obama is "out of touch" with the voters of Pennsylvania, especially those who live throughout its small towns, is right on the mark. Having "grown up" with relatives who live in these small towns, I know they don't "cling" to their "guns" and their "religion" because they have nothing else to hang onto. These are just some of the things at the core of who these people really are! I know. I was there.

ABC's Jake Tapper gets it:

"As Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his allies have locked into damage control mode and attempted to explain his controversial remarks about small-town Pennsylvanians, they've attempted to focus their pushback away from the most controversial part of his remarks to an elite crowd at a San Francisco fundraiser. ...

While the description of small town Pennsylvanians as "bitter" is certainly impolitic, many political analysts say it's what follows that adjective that is potentially so alienating -- the notion that small town folks "get bitter" after which "they cling to guns or religion, or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment, or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Folks in Pennsylvania are not "bitter", but concerned about security, health care, education, the war in Iraq, the war on terror, the devaluation of the dollar, the loss of jobs, and so on. They're also not looking for a handout either or for the government to solve their problems. Now, it's easy for someone like Obama to go out to San Francisco to schmooze with million dollar limousine liberals who eat bree cheese and drink red wine while deliberating about the ills of our society, but most of these people are out of touch with much of society--just like Obama. So forgive us Senator Obama, if we're not bitter, because many of us are not. We're just looking for someone to deliver on what they promise. Now excuse me while I go down to the basement to clean my gun and read from the Bible while I decry how bad NAFTA has been for this country!

Pork out of control

Good news, taxpayers. The very enlightening and entertaining 2008 Congressional Pig Book (pdf) has been released. Compiled by Citizens Against Government Waste, the book outlines each appropriations bill and lists the pork-barrel projects included in the bills. It's well worth your time to read. Thankfully, CAGW did the math for us, identifying 11,610 projects at a cost of $17.2 billion in the 12 Appropriations Acts for the 2008 fiscal year. That's a lot of pork and yet liberals believe that government can solve our problems.

Why the Left is wrong?

The one very key fundamental that is the heart of the Left is how they view humanity. The Left feels humans are born as blank cultural clay and all behavioral aspects are programmed in by environmental conditioning. This is why the left has no issue with abortion. A person is not really human until they are “programmed” by the environment.

The Left vehemently opposes capital punishment because they do not believe in freewill and thereby a criminal is not guilty of a transgression. Society through its faulty programming is guilty of an individual’s wrongdoing.

The Left wants to create a utopia by creating the “Communist Man” through environmental modifications. This is a person that is afflicted by none of the universals the poets and writers have for generations eloquently communicated about. The Left wants to create people that do not exhibit greed, lust, hate, patriotism or even self interest.

The Left desires to create an all encompassing universal government that modifies people into their Utopians. Free enterprise or even freedom of speech will be repressed because it results in influences that may corrupt the utopian of their desire.

The problem with the Left is it is intellectually bankrupt. Science has proven to a level of undeniability that humans are in a very large extent a product of their genetics. Hereditary induced structure is fundamental to behavior. That environment impacts behavior is an analogous to how the topography influences the actions of your lawn mower; it may changes its speed and route but never its essential behavior.

The professional Left is now an embittered human hating movement that centers its beliefs on radical environmentalism. In their heart they realize humans will never be able to be modified into their Communist Man and they now wish to marginalize the species. The Left wants humans to be controlled as much as possible and optimally segregated in tight urban centers while only the enlightened few romp in the wild countryside with creatures of the wild.

Oil, oil everywhere

The government estimated Thursday that up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil can be recovered from the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota and Montana, using current technology. You can read more about this finding at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24057222/from/ET/. It's bad enough that gas prices will reach almost $4.00 a gallon by June, but the real kicker here is that we have access to oil reserves right here in the United States, namely in ANWR, the four corner states, off of the coasts of California, Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico. What's even more ridiculos is that China drills off of US shores in international waters, but the US cannot. Our government does not possess the political will to repeal the laws that have this country "literally over the barrel". By all means we should actively search for alternative energy sources, but until we can fully develop and implement them, we need to explore sites that have been off limits for 25 years or more. In addition, we need to build more refineries to process any oil that is found. The US currently operates at 110% capacity of the refineries it has in operation. Disrupting any one of them, i.e., off the Gulf Coast as a result of Hurrican Katrina will only lead to shortages in supply. Technology is so advanced at this point that the size of the ecological foot print we would leave in the ANWR or Gulf Coast is minimal and worth the risk. Otherwise, as demad soars and world-supply dwindles consumers in the US continue to pay.

Rice for VP?

Apparently, Condoleeza Rice makes an appealing vice presidential candidate for John McCain, at least in NY. In a recent poll a McCain/Rice ticket leads an Obama/Clinton ticket, 49%-44%, in of all places, New York state! Furthermore, that same McCain/Rice ticket leads a Clinton/Obama ticket, 49%-46%! Polls are only snapshots in time and there's no way the Democrats don't carry New York in November. But, adding Rice to the bottom of the ticket may actually make for a formidable combination in the fall. The one major drawback is that Rice is part of the Bush administration which has an approval rating of 28%. If Rice can somehow disassociate herself from the failings of the Bush administration, she could add quite a bit to the ticket. Can you imagine Rice squaring off against either Obama or Clinton concerning foreign affairs or foreign policy? Talk about your gravitas! Hubba, hubba.

I ain't got time to bleed

Former Governor, wrestler, actor, Navy Seal, announcer of the XFL, and good guy Jesse Ventura has a new book out this week, "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me". "Revolution" is much along the lines of Ventura's previous works where he "pulls no punches" and "tells it like it is" on substantive issues like the corrupt two-party system, the Iraq War, and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Ventura, a maverick like McCain, even talks about being McCain's running mate in 2000 if McCain had left the Republican party. Unfortunately for McCain, Ventura is not available to run this year since the former Minnesota Governor believes McCain has "sold out" since 2000. While Ventura has no ambition to run as a third party candidate this year, because he does not have ballot access in all 50 states and that he's incapable of lying, he likes to tout an unnamed poll that has him beating McCain, Clinton, and Obama. Politics just "ain't" the same since you left it Governor Ventura!

Petraeus on the Hill

General Petraeus was on Capitol Hill today fielding questions about the situation in Iraq. While the situation in the "Green Zone" has deteriorated over the last few weeks, progress is being made both militarily and politically in Iraq. While Congressional Democrats did not attack the General as they did the last time he testified, there appears to be a "hear no progress, see no progress, speak no progress" mantra among most Democrats. In an effort to continue to exploit the situation in Iraq for political gain, some Democrats and their operatives like Ed Schultz, have even accused Senator John McCain of being a "warmonger". Others, like Senator Jay Rockefeller, have accused McCain of "terrorist tactics". Rockefeller claims that McCain dropped "laser guided cruise missiles" from 35,000 feet while fighting in Vietnam before being shot down in 1967. Obviously, laser-guided technology was not available during the Vietnam War, but more importantly, what's troubling here are the direct attacks and smears against John McCain because he will not back down in Iraq. Furthermore, there's a report in a French newspaper suggesting that the "supposed increase in terrorist operatives as a result of military operations in Iraq are exaggerated". While we still have a long way to go in Iraq, progress is being made despite the Democrats "willingness to suspend their disbelief".

Mr. Irrelevant?

While Senator John McCain leads both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in national polls, McCain has become rather irrelevant since he sewed up the Republican nomination. Except for the occassional bad press, most of the media's attention is focused on the battle between Obama and Clinton. This infighting obviously benefits McCain since he does not have to focus on a primary opponent for the Republican nomination, he can continue to raise money for the general election, and he can focus his attacks on both Obama and Clinton. However, in order for McCain to remain "relevant" in the eyes of the electorate at large, he needs to stay in the news. It's too early for McCain to choose a vice presidential running mate at this time, but what he can do is unite the Republicans behind him and pick off Democrats and independent voters by giving speeches once a week around the country on the relevant issues of the campaign, namely, the economy. the housing crisis, the credit crisis, health care, the environment, the situation in Iraq, etc. and how intends to solve these problems. Since McCain is not a gifted orator this strategy allows him time to hone his message before the general election in November while drawing stark contrasts between himself and his opponents. It also keeps him in the news. With so much time on his hands before the election, if McCain does not use this time wisely, he may become "Mr. Irrelevant".

Bob Barr for President?

It sounds strange, but yes, former Georgua Congressman Bob Barr is putting together a presidential exploratory committee for the upcoming general election. Barr, now a Libertarian, was a favorite of conservative Republicans back in the 1990s always at the ready to criticize Bill Clinton. Barr was instrumental in helping balance the budget back in the late 1990s. He also was one of the first members of Congress to call for Clinton's impeachment. Barr left the Repulican party back in 2006 because of the Bush administration's fiscal irresponsibility. Barr was also critical of Bush for violating our civil liberties. You can read more about this story at http://www.macon.com/198/story/314973.html

No "Mitt"

While John McCain announced this week that he has a "short-list" of vice presidential candidates, some 20 overall, Gallup has just released a poll of Republican voters who they think McCain should choose. While there is no clear-cut favorite or consensus, 18% of respondents said Mike Huckabee followed by Mitt Romney at 16%. Others on the list included Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, and even Colin Powell. While it is stil too early in the process for McCain to select a running mate, a small but vocal group of social conservatives have said "no" to Mitt Romney based on his positions concerning abortion, gay rights, etc. While Huckabee does bring executive experience to the ticket and may sew-up the South for McCain, what McCain needs most is money and Romney is a sure thing. As McCain barnstorms the country over the next few months trying to unite the party it will be interesting to see whether social conservatives will get their way.

Fiscal restraint

As Barack Obama ($40 million) and Hillary Clinton ($20 million) continue to raise record amounts of money before the Pennsylvania primary on 22 April, James Burns in an article in the "National Journal" has some saavy advice for the candidates. John McCain may also want to read what Burns has to say. ..."touting their spending and tax cutting proposals to woo the blue-collar voters who could be the key to the state's April 22 Democratic primary. But a new analysis by the Democratic Leadership Council has some advice for the Democratic standard-bearer if he or she wants to win over independents in the general election: Stand for fiscal restraint". Amen! As Americans are paying more for gas, groceries, and everything else, they want to see their government live within their means. Unfortunately, the Bush administration never learned this lesson and has given us record deficits and new entitlements. If the Democrats are unable to articulate such a message, albeit a risky one for tried and true liberals, they will again be labled as "tax and spend" liberals who are still out of touch with mainstream America. Similarly, while John McCain wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent he, too, needs to reestablish his hawkish position on fiscal restraint or he will be labeled as a Bush clone when it comes to spending. If John and Jayne Q. Public have to live within their means, so should the Federal government. None of us has a printing press in our basement we can turn on whenever we need more money.

Edwards won't accept VP nod

Former Democrat presidential hopeful John Edwards has reiterated his claim today that he will not accept the vice presidential nomination, provided either Obama or Clinton would offer it which would be unlikely. Edwards would bring little to the either ticket. Edwards failed to win any southern states for John Kerry in 2004 and is perceived as a lightweight when it comes to policy. He lacks "gravitas". Edwards probable role will be to team up with former Vice President Al Gore, former President Jimmy Carter, Speak of the House Pelosi, and DNC Chairman Howard Dean to finally retire Hillary Clinton after the last Democrat primary on 3 June. It's mathematically unlikely at this point that Clinton can win the nomination without ruining the party by forcing the seating of the Florida and Michigan delegations and lobbying for superdelegates to vote for her despite losing both the delegate count and popular vote to Obama . Edwards would further his image and increase his credibility as a future candidate if he can act as an "honest broker" before the Democrat convention by helping the Clintons realize their quest for a third term in the White House is over.

Iraq is a problem for the Democrats

As we pass the fifth anniversay of the invasion of Iraq, the Democrats have certainly tried to make political hay out of the situation. They certainly benefitted from the issue in 2006 when they took control of both the House and the Senate, but they will have a problem taking back the White House over this issue. There are really three problems the Democrats face. First off, since the surge went into effect, which John McCain pushed for and supported, the situation in Iraq has greatly improved. Voters who recognize the fact that the war was poorly managed from the get go, namely not enough troops on the ground and that we could easily hand off power to the Iraqis, will tend to support the continued success in Iraq and its main driving force, John McCain. Second, since 2005, the Democrats have been boxed into this "narrative of defeat" offering only withdrawal as a solution to the problem without fully appreciating what the long-term implications for US foreign policy will be in the region and the world. Being anti-war is all well and good as long as there is an accompanying strategy that goes with it. Unfortunately for the Democrats, after withdrawal, then what? Withdrawing is not a defensible position. Finally, since the Democrats support the anti-war position, their candidates appear soft. The track record of presidential candidates who were doves, i.e., Humphrey, McGovern, Carter, etc. are not good. While many Americans do not support the current administration, they do support protecting our interests and suppoting our troops. So when the Democrats speak of John McCain wanting to stay in Iraq for 100 years, it's a bit disingenuous. Why? Maintaining a presence is completely different from waging war. McCain rightly points out that 60 years after the defeat of the Axis Powers in WW II, the US still has a presence in Germany, Japan, and South Korea (Korean War). If our presence protects our national interests and saves lives both at home and abroad, then we are fully justified in staying in Iraq for at least 100 years. Each passing day makes the Democrats position on the issue less and less plausible and they may pay for it at the ballot box in November.

April's Fool

Is Hillary Clinton the next Rocky Balboa? Clinton cast herself as the legendary underdog today, saying that when it comes to finishing a fight, "Rocky and I have a lot in common." Would a big Pennsylvania win quiet calls for Clinton to drop out of the race? Of course, but the latest Rassmussen has Obama only down 5 points to Clinton with three weeks to go. Furthermore, Obama is outspending Clinton 3-1 which continues to signal that the Clinton campaign is indeed strapped for cash. Even PA Governor Ed Rendell, a Clinton supporter, is out "lowering expectations" of the size of Clinton's victory, should there be one, in Pennsylvania. All the while, Obama continues to rack up delegates in Mississippi and Texas and superdelegates in Minnesota and North Carolina. At this point the odds of Mrs. Clinton winning the Democrat nomination are 1 in 10. Even Rocky Balboa had better odds against Apollo Creed, and he was heavyweight champion of the world, not some junior Senator from Illinois with nary a bill to his name!