McCain losing ground?

Dick Morris is reporting that "the polls now make it clear that McCain lost the first debate, and has lost ground during the entire gambit of suspending his campaign, going off the trail, going to Washington, and working on the bailout. He was tied, or 1 to 2 percent behind when he made the suspension announcement, and he is now 5 to 6 percent behind.

The fallout in the electoral map does not make for a pretty picture. Core Republican states like Louisiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Arizona, and North Carolina are now really toss ups, and even states like South Carolina and Georgia are in play."

Libertarian point of view

If you're interested in the Libertarian point of view with respect to yesterday's failed vote on the bailout, here's an email that they are circulating via email. God bless the people!

"Dear friend of Liberty,

The US House Of Representatives has voted down the bailout bill. The vote was 205 for and 228 against.

141 Democrats voted for the bailout, while 94 voted against it. 67 Republicans voted for it, while 132 opposed it. The defeat was bipartisan.

Speaker of The House Nancy Peolsi (D-CA) took to the well to claim that the bill's defeat was the fault of the Republicans (even though 40% of her own party voted nay).

With all due respect, Madam Speaker is wrong. The reason the bill went down to defeat is that YOU responded to our email action alerts last week. YOU called your US Congressman to say you wanted them to vote NO. YOU called your US Senators, who are supposed to get their own whack at the bill later this week.

All lovers of freedom owe you a debt of gratitude. It was your phone calls and emails that turned the tide. You convinced your Representative that he might lose his job in November if he did not oppose the bill. You saved capitalism, the private ownership of our financial system, with your calls. You prevented the nationalization of our banking system, despite the naked desire of our elected officials to subvert our economic system to socialism. YOU have saved America.

The roll call has not been published yet, so I can't tell you if your Congressman obeyed your instructions or if they need to be taught a lesson on November 4th. Please make the effort to learn how your Representative voted. It might be nice to send a "thank you" card if he voted against the bailout.

We are not children; we all have learned that the enemies of individual freedom never sleep. The Libertarian Party of Georgia will alert you when the danger presents itself again -- as it most surely will. Many heroes of American liberty have expressed this thought, but we go with President Andrew Jackson in his farewell address in 1837: "...Eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty..."

Thank you for exercising that vigilance".

McCain dead?

Obviously Senator John McCain's efforts last week to suspend his campaign and work on the bailout failed. In addition, his failure to articulate what he stands for has also hurt him him in the polls. Yesterday, the House Republicans and 95 Democrats gave McCain an inroad to get his campaign back on track if he is willing to attack Obama. As Dick Morris suggests, "he (McCain) needs to say that our system is starving for capital. Raising capital gains taxes, much less doubling it as Obama proposed during the primaries (but now is trying to backtrack), is like taxing water in the desert. McCain has to talk about Obama's spending proposals and mock the idea that he can spend a trillion and still give "95% of Americans" a tax increase. McCain should take a page out of the playbook of the endgame of the Bush 1992 campaign. With Bill Clinton holding a solid lead, Bush was reluctant to attack him for his record of tax increases, especially given his violation of his 1988"read my lips" pledge not to raise taxes. So the campaign sent Vice President Dan Quayle out to attack Clinton, day after day, for raising taxes. And the results were clear in the polls. Bush gained each day and, four days before Election Day, Bush took a lead over Clinton in the tracking polls". Painting Obama as a big tax and spend liberal in these uncertain economic times may just get McCain back in the race, but he has to act quickly...Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday questioned House Republican's patriotism and trashed the economic policies of the Bush administration after the House voted down the bailout package. She then turned around and said Republicans and Democrats need to come together. Is it any wonder why nothing gets done in Washington?...House member Barney Frank continues to assail Republicans for voting against the bailout. What Representative Frank, Senators Chris Dodd, Chuck Schumer, and Barack Obama fail to recall back in 2003-2005 is that they all advocated that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were "fundamentally sound" institutions and blocked any legislation to tighten oversight of the failing GSEs (Government Sponsored Enterprises). Two questions: 1. do they all feel that way today; and 2. why isn't any one in the old media reporting this fact? By the way, Frank, Schumer, Obama, and Dodd all received huge amounts of money from Mae and Mac...If all of the current bank mergers go through, Citi, Bank of America, and Chase will hold $1 for every $3 deposited in this country. That's a rather scary thought and an enormous power grab.

There are 35 days until the presidential election. There are 111 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,773 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

House sends message, President weak

According to AP "The House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue for the nation's financial system, ignoring urgent warnings from President Bush and congressional leaders of both parties that the economy could nosedive into recession without it. Stocks plummeted on Wall Street even before the 228-205 vote to reject the bill was announced on the House floor. Bush and a host of leading congressional figures had implored the lawmakers to pass the legislation despite howls of protest from their constituents back home. Despite pressure from supporters, not enough members were willing to take the political risk just five weeks before an election.
Ample no votes came from both the Democratic and Republican sides of the aisle. More than two-thirds of Republicans and 40 percent of Democrats opposed the bill." President Bush will meet with his economic team to determine what to do next. The biggest obstacle of the bailout is the enormous amount of taxpayer money that will be given to Wall Street, instead of loans that would be repayed over time. In addition, such a bailout gives the government extraordinary power, power it is likely never to give back.

There are 36 days until the presidential election. There are 112 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,772 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Spend, spend, spend

Congress reached a deal with the White House agreeing in principle to a $700 billion bailout of taxpayer money to buy bad assets. The House will vote on the measure early Monday. The AP reported that "A breakthrough came when Democrats agreed to incorporate a GOP demand — letting the government insure some bad home loans rather than buy them. That would limit the amount of federal money used in the rescue. Another important bargain, vital to attracting support from centrist Democrats, would require that the government, after five years, submit a plan to Congress on how to recoup any losses from the companies that got help". President Bush said it will be a tough vote, but it should pass. Both Senators Obama and McCain support the bailout. The Senate also passed, on Saturday, a $634 billion bill keeping the government afloat. As part of that $634 billion, $25 billion are subsidized loans for the auto industry. In toto, that's over $1.3 trillion in spending alone this weekend...On Friday, Obama and Mccain debated at Ole' Miss. In essence, there were two debates: the first debate on the economic woes of the country lasted roughly 40 minutes; the remainder of the debate focused on national security issues. McCain stumbled early on with respect to the economy, though he did hit a nerve with respect to spending (see above). Obama remained cool, spoke directly into the camera, and spoke eloquently about how this current crisis hurts the middle class and Main Street Americans. McCain could not seem to get untracked early. However, when the debate shifted to national security, McCain clearly hit his stride. He was a walking, talking encyclopedia of names, places, facts, etc. The more McCain spoke of his foreign policy experience, the more Obama agreed with McCain. Clearly, McCain outperformed Obama during the remainder of the debate. However, even though McCain won going away on foreign policy, Obama battled Mccain to a draw since the most important aspect of the night was the economy. Since McCain did not score a "knockout", in essence, Obama won. Why? As Dick Morris points out "We're left wondering why McCain acted as he did - and suspecting him of just being impulsive, desperate and quirky. So the taller, younger, better-looking, more articulate man won last night. Obama showed a level of concern for the average American that McCain - who undoubtedly feels that concern - failed to project...advantage Obama"...The new Zogby poll shows that "44% believed Obama won the debate, while 41% said McCain did. Another 16% said they watched the debate but were unsure who came out on top". According to "Politico" some important members of the GOP are quietly raising the question, "should VP hopeful Sarah Palin step aside"? While there's been an uptick in volunteers, and she draws huge crowds, she's made a number of gaffes and appears unknowledgeable and awkward on camera, almost naif like. McCain has thus far stood by her, but one has to wonder what kind of performance she will give next Thursday at the VP debate. Stay tuned.

There are 37 days until the presidential election. There are 113 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,771 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

"The Audacity of Dopes"

So read a sign a women was holding outside on Wall Street. AP is reporting that "just 30 percent say they support Bush's package, according to an Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll released as White House and congressional leaders struggled to rescue the plan after House Republicans rebelled against it. Despite the president's pleas that the package is urgently needed to prevent an economic meltdown, 45 percent say they oppose Bush's proposal while 25 percent said they are undecided"...Though many Republicans are skeptical of McCain's move to suspend his campaign this week, Dick Morris called the move "brilliant". Here's why. "Knowing how unpopular the bailout is with the American people, the Democrats are not about to pass anything without broad Republican support even though their majorities permit them to act alone. Instead of signing on with the Democratic/Bush package, the House Republicans are insisting on replacing the purchase of corporate debt with loans to companies and insurance paid for by the companies, not by the taxpayers. That, of course, is a popular position. McCain would be comfortable to debate this issue division all day. And, if the Dems don’t cave into the Republican position, that’s probably exactly what he’ll do on Friday night’s scheduled debate in Mississippi... By Monday, at the latest, the Democrats have to cave in and pass the Republican version. They don’t dare pass their own without GOP support, so they will have to cave in to the Republican version. Then McCain comes out of the process as the hero who made it happen when the president couldn’t and Obama wouldn’t. He becomes the bailout expert". Go to www.dickmorris.com for more...Joe Biden met today with the President of Georgia behind closed doors. Perhaps they discussed no new "coal plants" in the embattled former Soviet republic...John McCain will be at tonight's debate. The first and most important rule in a debate is to "do no harm". We'll see who blinks first...An estimated 45 million Americans will watch tonight's debate...If you want to see what you will pay in taxes under an Obama or McCain administration, go to www.electiontaxes.com. You will be surprised by the results.

House Republicans revolt

Last night House Democrats had enough votes in the House to pass the bailout. However, before moving forward Speaker Pelosi wanted most of the House Republicans to sign on before voting. Now it seems she's changed her mind and is ready to hold a vote with or without House Republican support. There appears to be enough votes in the Senate though rumors are circulating that McCain may lead a filibuster to halt the bill before it goes to President Bush for his signature...Calls into Congress are 100 to 1 AGAINST passing the $700 billion bailout. The support of the people is what's driving House Republicans to hold out for a better, more thoughtful, less government laiden package...Speaking of government, if the bailout passes in its current form the Secretary of the Treasury becomes "Finance Czar" and is not held accountable by any one in the government. Furthermore, the decisions he makes would be "beyond" judicial review. Anti-federalists must be spinning in their graves! Tonight's debate is still "up in the air' but Ole' Miss officials are now saying that if McCain does not show up Barack Obama will hold a 90 minute town hall meeting in front of 40 million Americans.

There are 39 days until the presidential election. There are 115 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,769 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Doom and gloom?

After painting a "doom and gloom" scenario during his speech last night about the economy, it appeared that Democrats and Republicans reached a deal in principle on a bailout package. However, later in the day House Republicans failed to support the President's $700 billion bailout leaving the deal on hold. AP reports that "a Republican revolt stalled urgent efforts to lash together a national economic rescue plan Thursday, a chaotic turnaround on a day that had seemed headed for a success that President Bush, both political parties and their presidential candidates could celebrate at an extraordinary White House meeting. Weary congressional negotiators worked into the night, joined by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in an effort to revive or rework the $700 billion proposal that President Bush said must be quickly approved by Congress to stave off potentially "a long and deep recession."' In other words, House Republicans are opposed to social engineering on the economy. President Bush and lawmakers will meet again late Friday morning to try to work out their differences...Washington Mutual, the country's largest Savings and Loan was taken over by the FDIC and will have its assets sold to JP Morgan Chase. It's the largest bank failure in US history...Friday's first presidential debate at Ole' Miss is still up in the air though Nader, Barr, and McKinney agreed to step in for McCain...It's not clear how successful McCain's strategy has been to suspend his campaign to return to Washington to work on a solution. While Gallup's daily tracking poll has the race even at 46%, the circus atmosphere in Washington have Republicans calling McCain's actions a "political stunt"...House member Barney Frank (D, MA) said back in 2005 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were financially sound, solvent, and that the rules need not be re-written to stop giving loans to folks who could not afford them. Brilliant!

There are 40 days until the presidential election. There are 116 days left in the Bush presidency. And, it's been 2,768 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

McCain in trouble

Dick Morris is reporting on www.dickmorris.com that "The Sarah Palin effect has run its course and the election, driven by the economy and the recent financial crisis, has moved back to its pre-convention pattern with a slight Obama lead, averaging 2 points in the popular vote. Because small changes in the popular vote cause huge swings in the electoral vote, a number of key states have moved into Obama's column. Florida may now be said to be leaning for Obama while Ohio, Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, Colorado, and Nevada have become toss ups." This news makes this Thursday's meeting at the White House between the President, Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, and congressional leaders, all the more important for the McCain campaign if he wants to win the White House.

Wow

While Connecticut Democrats will delay censuring Senator Joe Lieberman for speaking at the RNC in MN, today has been a whirlwind of events...Earlier today news broke that the government's bailout plan was in trouble on Capitol Hill. Senator Obama, seizing the moment, contacted the McCain camp concerning issuing a joint statement on principles they could agree on about the troubled economy. Not responding immediately or directly to the Obama camp, Senator McCain came out a little after 3:00 p.m. and declared that he is suspending his campaign and going back to Washington, DC to work on a solution to the current economic crisis. Of course McCain, putting "country first" above partisan politics, asked Obama to join him, thus in effect, postponing or even canceling Friday's first presidential debate at Ole' Miss. The Obama camp rejected the idea outright and made it clear that as president, McCain would need to multitask in effect saying, "we can work on the problem and still debate about the economy." Advantage: Obama. Several hours later President Bush announced the reason behind the economic fallout, what needed to be done, and how the government would do it. Bush also said that he invited BOTH McCain and Obama to the White House, along with leaders of Congress from both parties, to flesh out the details of the rescue. Obama accepted the President's invitation and will now head to Washington for this meeting. Advantage: McCain. Now, if the bill is worked out and passed, there's no reason for the candidates not to debate. However, McCain is "banking" on the fact that the bill won't be ready by Friday which everyone agrees is a must or the stock market will drop some more. Subsequently, McCain would stay behind in Washington to work on a solution while Obama heads to Oxford, MS for the debate. It's a risky strategy but one that could give McCain the edge over Obama on the economy and leadership...Having said all that, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich came out on Hannity and Colmes and said that the President's plan is unsound and needs to be rejected by the Congress. Gingrich acknowleges that something needs to be done, but allowing the government to buy back "bad paper" is a bad idea. The Bush administration hopes this "bad debt" will increase in value over time. What the President failed to explain is how the country will earn revenue or break even. Many people believe that they'll get a bill in the mail from the government outlining what they'll need to pay in taxes in order to cover the bailout. The $700 billion price tag is estimated to cost every American $3000.00.

More musings

President Bush will address this eveing about the government bailout program and why it is necessary...North Korea has ordered nuclear inspectors out of the country. The North Koreans are restarting their nuclear program. Speaking of North Korea, its leader, Kim Jung Il, is supposedly recovering from a mild stroke and that the finance minister is in charge...Russian warship "Peter the Great" is making its way to Venezuela for a joint military exercise...John McCain is meeting with Mitt Romney and other CEOs to discuss the state of the economy and the bailout...Congress will not renew the ban on offshore drilling...Laura Bush remarked to CNN that Sarah Palin lacks foreign policy experience but was quick to point out that Palin is a quick study...Senator Biden has commented that John McCain is "often wrong" on matters of national security.

Change subject of debate

Both Senators Obama and McCain should insist that Friday's first presidential debate from Mississippi focus on the current economic crisis and how they would each deal with it rather than on national security, which is the scheduled topic...Obama had much "smaller than anticipated" turnout at event in Green Bay, Wisconsin...Joe Biden continues to be Joe Biden, fueling more rabid speculation that his gaffes are intentional to get him dropped from the ticket in favor of Senator Clinton. Yesterday he said "no new coal plants" in the US. Before that he called the latest ad of John McCain and the Internet, "disgusitng"...Eighteen percent of registered voters are still "undecided" as the presidential campaigns enter the final six weeks...CNN anchor, Campbell Brown, continues to "assualt" Sarah Palin. Last night she decried the McCain camp to "free Sarah Palin" from the perceived media blackout. Perhaps Palin is being shielded from the like of Ms. Brown because of bias? A new Washington Post/ABC poll out today has Obama with a 52%-43% lead over McCain which is quite a turnaround from McCain's 49%-47% lead after the GOP convention. Again, it will come down to the states and who can win 270 electoral votes. However, getting over 50% of the vote bodes well for Obama.

There are 41 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,767 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Obama rising?

Quinnipiac University is reporting that Senator Barack Obama is ahead in four key battleground states. "With a lousy economy, an unpopular war and an even less popular Republican president, it's difficult to find voters who don't want change," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac's University's Polling Institute. In Colorado, Obama leads McCain by 49 to 45 percent. Last month, McCain was ahead one percentage point in Colorado, 47-46 percent. In Michigan, Obama leads McCain 48 to 44 percent, compared to 46-42 percent on July 24. In Minnesota, Obama is holding on to a two percentage point lead of 47 to 45 percent, compared to 46 to 44 percent in late July. In Wisconsin, Obama leads by 49 to 42 percent, although his advantage has narrowed from 50 to 39 percent in July." While it would be nice for McCain to pick off Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan, since they all voted for Kerry in 2004, the only concern here is Colorado, which Bush won in 2000 and 2004...Obama yesterday called himself a fiscal conservative...Should Obama be elected, most of his new spending programs will be on hold as a result of the $700 billion bailout proposed by the government...Speaking of the bailout, does any one wonder what happends next IF the bailout does not work? Committing 5% of the GDP to such a venture makes a lot of people nervous but there are no guarantees. Common Sense would like to know, "What's Plan B?"

There are 42 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,766 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Third parties

Third party candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr are on nearly all of the state ballots. Nader is on the ballot in 45 states plus DC, Barr in 44 states, Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party is on 37 state ballots, and Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate, is on 32 states plus DC. Combined, they are polling about 3.3% nationally. Democrats to this day still blame Nader for costing Al Gore the White House back in 2000 when he polled 2.7% that year...In Israel, Tzipi Livni's narrow victory in a party primary Wednesday to replace corruption-tainted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as Kadima's chairman means she can become prime minister if she can put together a coalition government of her own. Livni, now the foreign minister, has said she would like to keep the current four-party coalition intact...John McCain raised $47.5 million in August and promptly spent nearly $41 million, his best showing to date. Barack Obama spent nearly $55 million in August and is not constrained by fundraising caps becuase he opted out of the federal mathcing funds. In fact, it's being reported that Obama has raised in excess of $66 million in August. According to AP, "overall, Obama has raised more than $440 million for his presidential campaign, an unprecedented amount. The campaign said it has more than 2.5 million donors. McCain has raised $210 million"...Dick Morris is reporting that the presidential (sic) "contest is transitioning from post-convention issues to a race dominated by the economy. The key to that for Barack Obama is to stress the liability of the incumbent party for the mess that we're in economically. For McCain, it will be stressing that Obama's tax proposals will make the situation worse. There has been a huge change among unmarried women, particularly, due in part to the hostile reaction of the Democrats to Palin. There are indications that the momentum of the race may be reversing itself again, however, as a result of the economy". Go to www.dickmorris.com for more election updates.

There are 43 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,765 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Crazy Talk?

Where's Mel Gibson when you need him! Conspiracy theorists will love this one. Apparently reports are circulating, namely Seah Hannity on his radio show on Friday, that Senator Joe Biden will bow out after the VP debate on Thursday, 2 October citing health concerns. Of course this means that Senator Obama will need a new running mate. Enter Hillary Clinton which will all but clinch the election for the Democrats. Biden was picked when rumors were circulated that McCain would choose a conventional pick like Romney or Huckabee or Pawlenty. Such a pick proved no threat Obama and it wouldn't force him to have to select, and subsequently live, with Hillary Clinton, should Obama win. But since McCain picked Palin the race has been a toss-up since the end of the RNC and there's a chance that McCain could win. Now, in order to hedge his bet, and win an election the Democrats should have won in walk, Obama may ask Biden to step aside because of health concerns, namely an aneurysm Biden suffered years ago in order for the Dems to win the White House. Crazy talk I know, but truth is stranger than fiction.

There are 44 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,764 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Is Buchanan correct? Ron Paul vindicated!

As stocks continue to gain on Friday as the result of the government's bailout of failed banks to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, former speechwriter and presidential candidate Pat Buchanan had this to say in "Human Events": "The Crash of 2008, which is now wiping out trillions of dollars of our people's wealth, is, like the Crash of 1929, likely to mark the end of one era and the onset of another. The new era will see a more sober and much diminished America. The "Omnipower" and "Indispensable Nation" we heard about in all the hubris and braggadocio following our Cold War victory is history." Ouch! It appears that Congreeman Ron Paul, who has been railing against our monetary system for years, is correct...Are there enough Americans to write-in Congressman Paul's name on the presidential ballot?...In a poll released today, more voters would prefer to have a beer and watch football with Obama than McCain. These are probably the same folks who also wanted to have a beer with President Bush. Perhaps we need to elect the other guy since the last 8years have not been so great.

There are 46 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,762 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

You won't understand

Yankee Stadium will close for the final time on Sunday, 21 September. For those of you not familiar with the "Stadium" let me share some history with you. Yankee Stadium housed the likes of Ruth, Mantle, Maris, and Dimaggio, it has hosted 37 World Series, the 1958 NFL championship game between the Colts and Giants that catapulted the NFL into the national spotlight, 4 All Star games, three Popes who said mass to thousands of Catholics, and a memorial for 9/11. I grew up a Yankees fan. I saw first-hand Reggie Jackson's three homers in Game #6 of the 1977 World Series against the Dodgers and Dave Righetti's and Jim Abbott's no-hitters at Yankee Stadium. The "new" Yankee opens next year and the old one will be torn down. The new Yankee Stadium will be state-of-the-art and cost a billion dollars. The old stadium will soon be reduced to rubble. As I say good-bye to the old stadium I am reminded, yet again of how the place of my youth has changed irrevocably; first when the mighty towers came down on 9/11, then a couple of years later when the city demolished the apartment building where I grew up on the basement level, and now the closing of the place of some of my fondest childhood memories. Yankee Stadium will soon be a memory, but a memory I will always cherish. The world, for me, will be a little sadder on Sunday when Yankee Stadium goes silent for the last time.

Obama regains lead, country going to hell

As the economy continues to swoon the latest polls show Barack Obama again out in front of John McCain 47%-45% in CNN's "Poll of Polls". With the economy on a "bridge to nowhere" and Senator Joe Biden asking folks making $250K or more to pay more taxes as an act of "patriotism" so we can put more money in the pockets of the middle class, the Democrats have regained their footing and the post-convention bounce the McCain once enjoyed has leveled off. Interestingly however, pollster John Zogby has the electoral race tightening up with Obama leading McCain 234-226 with 78 electoral votes up for grabs. Zogby has "colored purple" New Mexico, Colorado, Indiana, North Carolina, and Virgina, five states McCain can carry to win the presidency. However, when you say things like "I'd fire the SEC chairman" as how you'd handle the economic crisis or endorse a plan that has the federal government creating an "identity" to house all of the "bad" debt that's circulating in the economy, Common Sense is not sure if you should be in the White House...Stocks were up more than 400 points today as the federal goverment infused billions into the economy and announced its new "economic" plan late today...Our good friend Jeff Scott, host of the "Jeff Scott Show" from 12:30-3:00 p.m. on WNNG 1350 am gives us a great website from CNN to help us understand the high price of gasoline even though a barrel of oil reached a low of $92.00 today. Check out http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/27/explainer.pump.price/index.html...As violence escalates in Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says "we need a new plan". Really? Is this the best we can do?

There are 47 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,761 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Obama's trap

Senator John McCain "blinked" yesterday by first stating that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. He then went back out on the stump after his statement to explain what he meant. He then concluded by stating that we needed to appoint a 9/11like commission to study the economic crisis. Of course, Senator Obama was quick to seize the moment by deriding McCain's commission idea as just another typical and tired Washington ploy. Obama asserted that what we need is "leadership", not commissions. Depending on how this plays out, this may be the issue that helps the Obama campaign regain traction after a brutal 8 weeks for the campaign starting with the Russian invasion of Georgia while Obama was on vacation in Hawaii, the announcement of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate, Hurricane Gustav, and Palin's acceptance speech, which all limited Obama's bounce...Rasmussen and Zogby have some interesting poll results. Both show John McCain leading or tied in Pennsylvania. Rasmussen has McCain tied in Michigan as well. Both have McCain tied or leading Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. Both agree that the series of upcoming debates will be crucial for both campaigns...The Fed has bailed out troubled AIG with $85 billion in taxpayer money...There was a terrorist attack on the US Embassy in Yemen. It appears to have been the work of Al Qaeda. There were no American casualties.

There are 48 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,760 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Fingers crossed

More fallout from world markets today as the financial sector tries to come to grips with the turmoil facing Lehman Brothers, Merril Lynch,, and AIG. Some 26,000 employees are set to loose their jobs as a result of Lehman Brothers declaring bankruptcy. President Bush and Senator John McCain continue to insist that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Republicans and Democrats continue to blame each other for the crisis...With oil refineries shut down in the Gulf, the average cost of regular gas is $4.16. The price of a barrel of oil opening today is $92.00...Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isaakson are "leading the charge" to promote limited offshore drilling...A new Rasmussen poll has John McCain only down 3% in New Jersey and 5% in New York. McCain has open up a sizeable lead in Florida and now leads in Ohio and Colorado. It is still too close to call in Virginia. It has become apparent that Governor Palin has had a tangible impact of the election. Democrats have yet to figure out how to respond but sources close to the Obama campaign are saying that Obama will try to focus on the issues and not the Governor saying it has become a "distration"...Only 44% surveyed believe Obama is ready to be President. Fifty percent beleive McCain is, and fifty percent believe Biden is ready...General Patraeus is set to leave Iraq after 20 months...Five former Secretaries of State including Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, Madeline Albright, James Baker III, and Warren Christopher all agree that the US must open lines of communication and diplomacy in dealing with Iran...The Atlantic magazine published some "doctored" photographs of Senator McCain. The "rogue" photographer was admonished by the editor of the magazine for portraying McCain as a "war-monger"...The House of Representatives today is set to vote on a $50 billion stimulus package. President Bush insists that he will veto the bill if it comes to his desk...Lynne Cheney "We the People" and Meaghan McCain "My Dad, John McCain" have published children's books this week.

There are 49 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,759 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Electoral shakeup

Here's the latest from Chuck Todd and his colleagues at MSNBC.com with respect to the last 50 days before the election and the "new" electoral college map. Remember, McCain need only win the same 31 states President Bush did in 2004 save Iowa or Colorado or New Mexico or lose any combination of the two.

"From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann
*** The map 50 days out: The Palin bounce has erased Obama's lead in the national polls, and it has now cut into his electoral-vote advantage, according to NBC’s latest map. Obama holds a 233-227 edge here, down from his 228-200 advantage from last week. The biggest changes: We moved Florida -- with its 27 electoral votes -- from Toss-up to Lean McCain, and New Mexico from Toss-up to Lean Obama. We also shifted Oregon and Washington from Likely Obama to Lean Obama, as well as Alaska, Georgia, North Dakota and South Dakota from Lean McCain to Likely McCain. The good news for McCain is that the map looks better for him than at any point so far in this race, and many of those red states that looked like opportunities for Obama (AK, GA, IN) look to be longer shots for him. The bad news for McCain is that given the wave his campaign has been riding from the Palin bounce, is this as good as it gets? If he isn’t leading in some states now, he might not ever lead in them. Bottom line: You'll know the map is starting to move in one direction or the other if either Pennsylvania or Florida moves back into Toss-up before Election Day."

Economic collapse?

AP is reporting today that "Stocks posted big losses in markets across much of the globe as investors absorbed bankruptcy plans at Lehman and Merrill Lynch's forced sale to Bank of America for $50 billion in stock. And perhaps most ominously, American International Group Inc. is asking the Federal Reserve for emergency funding. The world's largest insurance company plans to announce a major restructuring Monday". Perhaps the federal government will come to the aid of yet another failed institution. Apparently, we are still feeling the effects of the subprime crisis...Luke Russert, Tim's son, interviewed both Senators McCain and Obama. It appears the young BC grad is following in his Dad's footsteps...Tina Fey portrayed Governor Sarah Palin on the season opener SNL. The skit was hillarious...Senator John McCain went on The View last week and was torched...Sixty nine percent of Americans think that the media is biased and is trying to elect one candidate, Obama, over the other, McCain...Because of Hurrican Ike, refineries in the Guld shut down production. As a result, a gallon of regular gasoline spiked almost one dollar a barrel...Interestingly though, because of the volatile nature of the stock market today, oil is near $93 a barrel.

In an article by Mark Vanderhoek on Mercer University's homepage www.mercer.edu about evangelicals and their opinions about torture "...show that while evangelicals are more likely to hold a more extreme view than the general public, the results also show that when reminded of the teachings of Jesus, in particular the Golden Rule, their views can be changed. The new poll, released today at the National Summit on Torture at Mercer University’s Atlanta campus, was commissioned by Faith in Public Life and Mercer University and conducted by Public Religion Research base on polling from white evangelical Christians in the South."

"Among the findings of the poll: close to six-in-ten white evangelicals in the South say that torture can be often (20 percent) or sometimes (37 percent) justified in order to gain important information. This compares to roughly half (48 percent) of the general public who believe that torture can be justified, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll (February 2008)."

There are 50 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,758 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Presidential forum on service

Senators John McCain and Barack took a day off from the camapign trail yesterday to participate in the Presidnetial Forum on Service. Each candidate outlined their respective positions on volunteer service to the country. It became abundtantly clear early on that while both men support the idea of service Senator McCain would prefer a free-market approach of rewards and incentives, Obama favors governmental involvement to promote said service...Barack Obama proposes $1 billion in new spending if elected President though he cannot say how he would raise the money...Governor Sarah Palin was interviewed by ABC's Charles Gibson. Gibson has a mostly fair reputation among journalists in the old media but his questions were definitely designed to push the envelpe on Palin's position on religion, abortion, national security, economics, climate change, etc. Of course, the Democrat talking heads were quick to spin all of the Governor's answers on the various cable news programs in a way that was less than flattering...In a new USA/Gallup Poll, generic Republican congressional candidates, who once trailed their generic Democrat congressional opponents by double digits, now trail the Democrats by only 3%...Former Lt. Colonel Bob Russell is challenging Representative John Murtha is Pennsylvania. Russell's latest ad challenges Murtha's claims that US military personal slaughthered innocents and civilians in Iraq...The Obama campaign is still in free fall. Rather than challenging McCain on the issues, Obama is directly challenging Palin's exerience and fitness to be commander-in-chief. Traditionally, it is the VP candidate who works over the opposing VP nominee, not the Presidental nominee himself. Obsessing over Palin is not going to win Obama the election. If anything, Joe Biden should be attacking both McCain and Palin, not Obama...Crude remains steady at $102.00 a barrel, but no meaningful legislation is pending to open up the US to more drilling. Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid continue to harp on the fact that we "Can't drill our way out of this problem". We get it. However, that's akin to saying "we can't plant seeds in order to battle our way out of a food shortage". It just doesn't make sense. Congress and the President have stood idly by as gas has jumped from $40 to $60 a barrel, and then again from $60 to $100 and higher. Why would either do anything if crude jumps to $200 a barrel?

There are 53 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,755 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Never forget

BREAKING NEWS: MSNBC.com is reporting that "Officials tell wire services of a 'serious incident' in tunnel between U.K. and France"...Today marks the seventh anniversary of the attacks of 9/11...Uber liberal Rachel Maddow now has a show on MSNBC right after Keith Olbermann's "Countdown". Now there are two hours of uninterrupted ultra-liberalism on MSNBC...Wall Street analysts are questioning if Lehman Brothers bank can survive despite a massive liquidation today of some of its assests. Shares dropped some 40%. Perhaps the federal governemnt will once again step in and bail out yet another institution. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have suspended campaign activities today to be in New York City for memorial services...Democrats have sent some 35-45 operatives and lawyers to Alaska to dig up dirt on Governor Sarah Palin...The Obama campaign has been on the defensive since Palin's announcement as McCain's running mate. Obama has been losing support across the board particularly among women. In addition, Palin's selection has helped McCain solidify North Dakota, Montana, Missouri, and perhaps even Virginia.

There are 54 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,755 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. RIP JPD Jr. It's been eight years and the void remains. Good day and God bless!

Pigs and lipstick

Despite Senator Obama's pledge not to attack, or come after Governor Sarah Palin, Obama remarked yesterday that a pig with lipstick is still a pig. So much for civility...Human Events reports today that "The announcement that the federal government is taking over the two largest mortgage companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, should alarm every American. If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are too big to fail they are too big to continue as they are. For years, conservative analyst Peter Wallison and others have been warning that these institutions were a threat because they were too big. It's now clear they were right. Congress should only accept Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's power grab as a temporary expedient leading to the breaking up of these giants into market-sized institutions that can survive or go bankrupt without threatening the economy at large"...Governor Palin's addition to the McCain ticket has apparently cut into Obama's fundraising as McCain continues to make gains in this area. It will be interesting to see the comparisons at the end of the month...Reports coming out of McCain/Palin campaign events are reporting recond crowds and a great deal of enthusiasm. These joint events have a "rock star" quality to them, similar to what Obama has enjoyed. However, Governor Palin returns home to Alaska this week. Will Senator McCain be able to sustain his post-convention bounce without Palin on the scene for a few days?

There are 55 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,754 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Why McCain is surging

According to Dick Morris, John McCain needs to focus on three issues to keep the Obama campaign on the defensive: taxes, terrorism, and energy. McCain has made huge inroads with likely voters on the issue of energy. Michael Steele's line at the RNC last week in St. Paul, "drill, baby drill" has become McCain's mantra...Why has John McCain surged in the polls? First off, his selection of Sarah Palin to be his VP running mate was a stroke of brilliance. Palin is new, she's fresh, and she excites the base. In fact, McCain has been able to raise quite a bit of money since the campaign announced Palin. Second, the McCain campaign has put the Obama campaign on the defensive. Former San Francisco Mayor, Willie Brown, summarized it best: "if you're playing defense, you're not playing offense". As long as the Obama campaign has to explain its positions, it will remain on the defensive. Finally, Obama himself over the last six weeks has been a problem. Granted, he gave a dynamic and uplifting acceptance sppech at the DNC in Denver, but he continues to flail on the stump, especially when he doesn't have a teleprompter in front of him...Oprah Winfrey has stated she will not have Sarah Palin on her show. Even though Winfrey publicly supports Obama, she said it would be inappropriate to have any politician on her show before the election. Winfrey's stance has obviously alienated some of her viewers, especially in Florida, who are already petitioning the show to have Palin on...A New York Times report back in the summer of 1984 hailed Walter Mondale's selection of three-term Congresswoman, Geraldine Ferraro, as his running mate as a step in the right direction and a breath of fresh air. Fast forward twenty four years and the same New York Times criticized McCain's choice of Sarah Palin...The old media continues to criticize Sarah Palin. The latest digs are about Palin's church and her view of "God's plan". It is becoming quite obvious that neither the Obama campaign or the old media knows how to deal with the "Palin phenomenon".

There are 56 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,753 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Monday's musings

The federal government announced today it was taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. While Wall Street responded favorably to this take over, such action is just one more instance of our government intruding into our lives and asking folks who are fiscally responsible to yet again, bail out a failed institution. When are we going to wake up?...Did anyone notice that the province of Anbar was turned over to the Iraqis last week? The Iraqi government,overall, has met 15 of 18 political benchmarks. Why isn't anyone in the mainstream meadia talking about this or any other success in Iraq as a result of the surge. McCain was correct about the surge and should be given full credit...McCain's ability to restore his image as a Maverick at last week's RNC could potentially hurt the Obama campaign which is trying to paint the McCain/Palin ticket as a third term for George W. Bush... USA Today/Gallup survey showed McCain ahead of Obama 50 percent to 46 percent among registered voters, a turnaround from a previous poll taken by the newspaper just before last week's Republican National Convention... Reports from AP today state that "MSNBC is replacing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as co-anchors of political night coverage with David Gregory, and will use the two newsmen as commentators. The change reflects tensions between the freewheeling, opinionated MSNBC and the impartial newsgatherers at NBC News. Throughout the primaries and summer, MSNBC argued that Olbermann and Matthews could serve as dispassionate anchors on political news nights and that viewers would accept them in that role, but things fell apart during the conventions." It's about time!

There are 57 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,752 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

What does McCain do next?

Not that anyone from the McCain camp is asking Common Sense for advice, but here's what we think. First off, have McCain and Palin campaign separately. Even though McCain is a pretty good campaigner, there's the risk that Palin may overshadow him. Second, spend your money wisely. Obama is a fund-raising machine and can potentially spend McCain into oblivion. McCain can counter this disadvantage by spending funds wisely and only in battleground states like Ohio, Virginia, Colorado. Remember, McCain needs only to win the same 31 states that Bush did in 2004less Iowa, or Colorado, or New Mexixo, but not all three. If McCain spends money in any "solid" blue statwes, he'll lose. Third, have Palin be the attack dog similar to the role Bob Dole played back in 1976 for Gerald Ford. Ford came back from a 33 point deficit to almost beat Carter because Dole was the hatchet man. Palin can play the role of "pit bull", with a smile. McCain can stay above the fray and talk issues. Lastly, use President Bush behind the scenes to fund-raise. Bush has raised almost $1 billion since he took office in 2001. He's still popular with the base and can be an enormous asset.

There are 59 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,750 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

GI John and Superwoman

Senator John McCain accepted the Republican's presidential nomination last at the Xcel Center in St. Paul to thunderous applause. While McCain is no great orator, though he did surpass Lindsey Graham, Tom Ridge, and Tim Pawlenty, his speech was about substance over style. McCain's speech was part Adam Smith, part Edmund Burke, part Milton Friedman, and part Russell Kirk. The speech emphasized free markets and lower taxes, national security and energy independence, choice and personal responsibility, and a conservative framework to unite the party. And make no mistake, the Republicans are united and McCain is leading the charge! "Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first-country-second Washington crowd: Change is coming." The Republicans have not been this united since 1984 when Ronald Reagan defeated Walter Mondale. It will be interesting to see what kind of bounce McCain gets from the convention. Overall, the Republicans put on an effective convention championing John McCain while attacking Obama led by Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Guiliani, and VP nominee, Sarah Palin.

Check out below what Dick Morris had to say about the Republican convention. You can check out more of Morris' stuff at www.dickmorris.com.

"First, the GOP convention managed to disprove the central premise of the Democratic assault on McCain: that he is a clone of President Bush. The Republicans wisely marginalized Bush to a non-prime-time videotaped speech, and sprinkled disappearing dust on Dick Cheney.

The speeches, and the very fact of the Palin designation, repudiated Washington and focused on how McCain is an agent of change - this ticket is populist, reformist, anti-establishment, grass-roots and anti-corruption.

And McCain last night made the point plain: "Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first-country-second Washington crowd: Change is coming."

If Bush were the nominee, this campaign wouldn't suffice to push voters away from Obama. But now that McCain has moved decisively away from the administration, Obama's lost much (at least) of his advantage on the issue of reform. Now other doubts about Obama could elect McCain.

The turning point was the designation of Palin and the personal attacks on her. By stirring up a storm, Democrats assured that Palin would speak to 37 million Americans - just a million fewer than watched Obama's acceptance speech.

Anecdotal evidence already suggests that women may have a gut reaction to the establishment's sexist assault on a woman candidate - and flock to McCain. They've seen him stake everything on this one big move of turning toward a woman - in direct contrast to Obama's deliberate decision not to name a woman.

They've seen the media and Democrats gang up on her and do their worst. And they've seen Palin stand up and stuff the challenge right back down the establishment's throat. All this may have created an entirely new dynamic in the race.

Now the Republicans must battle to underscore the threats this country faces, economically and internationally, and that we can't let an ingenue take over. They must capitalize on McCain's aggressive determination to bring reform to Washington and to emphasize Obama's inexperience and failure to grasp how to change Washington.

But it was McCain's gutsy selection of Palin that opened the door to victory."

There are 61 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,748 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Palin delivers

After the three fairly strong speeches by former Governors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, and former NYC Mayor, Rudy Guiliani, VP hopeful Sarah Palin, took center stage and not only delivered the goods, but exceeded expectations. Her no nonsense approach won over delegates last night during her acceptance speech at the RNC. Palin delivered a perfect populist message, conservative style, if such a thing exists. Championing low taxes, fiscal and personal responsibility, national security, and energy independence, Palin gave conservatives something they haven't had in a long time: hope. Ann Coulter described her this way: "Palin was chosen because she's pro-life, pro-gun, pro-drilling and pro-tax cuts. She's fought both Republicans and Democrats on public corruption and does not have hair plugs like some other vice presidential candidate anyone could mention. In other words, she's a 'Republican.'" One delegate called her the "new" Goldwater. Another delegate called her the "new" Reagan. Still another delegate summarized it this way: "she's part Goldwater, part Reagan, and all conservative"...CNN senior political sized up Palin this way: "How can anyone be chosen VP who has never appeared on 'Meet the Press'...All of the top CNN political analysts, save Paul Begala, gave Palin an "A" for her speech last night.

Country comes before party

In a carefully orchestrated night, the Republicans pounded home the message of "country first" as the convention got underway last night. Speaker after speaker stayed on theme. As the night progressed, President Bush, former Senator Fred Thompson, and Senator Joe Lieberman touted John McCain's character, his ability to lead, and his service to the country above his own interests. All of the speakers were well received including Senator Lieberman who articulated why, as a Democrat, he is backing John McCain. "Now you may be thinking why a Democrat like me is doing at a Republican convention like this. It's because country comes before party and John McCain is ready to lead the US". In addition, all three speakers subtly, and not so subtly, attacked the Obama/Biden ticket within the framework of the night's theme, country first. Thompson, in particular, showed a passion that was seriously lacking in his own presidential bid leaving conservatives to wonder where this Fred Thompson was on the stump during the primaries. It was an effective opening night and the Republicans can build on their momentum with appearances from Rudy Guiliani and vice-presidential hopeful, Governor Sarah Palin...Apparently, Sarah Palin's addition to the ticket has helped McCain's fundraising effort. McCain raised $47 million in August, $4 million the day he picked Palin. It's obvious that the social conservatives of the party are ethusiastic about the pick...Palin has been mercilessly atatcked by the mainstream media not only because of her "inexperience", but because of her 17 year-old daughter's pregnancy. Not since Dan Quayle was announced by George H.W. Bush, has a vice presidential nominee been so savaged. Fortunately for Palin, the Republicans are on the attack to counter all of the criticisms...Speaking of Bush the elder, he and Barbara Bush appeared at the convention last night to thunderous ovation. Obviously, both 41 and 43 are still beloved by the party.

Republican preview

Human Events online reports the following about the RNC thus far:

"Palin: Derided by Democrats as "desperate" and "bizarre," and celebrated by conservative activists as redemption for McCain, the Palin pick is certainly a high-risk/high-reward decision.
Conservative enthusiasm for McCain's choice cannot be overstated. The mood in Minneapolis over the weekend was giddy, and the talk among delegates and conservative activists focused almost exclusively on Palin. Support for her was nearly unanimous. McCain needed to energize the base, and he had no time to waste. He did it.

Picking a brand-new governor whose previous job was small-town mayor in a far-off state has serious potential downsides. For one, it somewhat de-fangs the attack that Obama is not ready to lead—which was the entire message of the GOP counter-convention operation in Denver last week. On the other hand, if Republicans drop that attack, the worries about Obama's inexperience will probably persist in voters' minds, and a running mate's inexperience won't be as important.

Palin not only plucks the pro-life and conservative strings in the GOP base, but she also hits the reform note that has gotten louder among GOP dissidents following the party's spending binge in Washington and crushing defeat in 2006. McCain's reform message, criticism of ethanol and sugar subsidies, and crusades against pork and waste were his strong points in the eyes of the base. Palin multiplies those virtues, standing in rebuke to the old guard of the GOP.

Her sex introduces many important dynamics to this race. First, however, it is important to understand that she will have very limited reach into the pool of former supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton. Some female Clinton voters—not likely a significant number—were already considering a vote for McCain, and this pick could solidify their leanings. Will conservative female turnout increase? If McCain can get 49% of the female vote, he will win, but there are no early signs that Palin will have such an impact."

Yesterday, the Republican convention was muted at best save the appearances of Mrs. Bush and Mrs. McCain which brought the convention hall to their feet for 5 minute ovations. The Republicans stayed above partisan politics and advocated their message of "country first" by
asking delegates and guests to keep the denizens of the Gulf Coast in our thoughts and prayers. Mrs. Bush and McCain asked the audience to take off their Republican hats and put on their American hats in light of what was happening with Gustav and the Gulf Coast states. Their were also video messages from Governors Perry (TX), Barber (MS), Riley (AL), and Crist (FL). Folks interested in giving $5 to the Red Cross can text the message "Give" to 2HELP. You'll receive a confirmation message that you will need to respond to in kind. Overall, though it was a truncated first day, it was an affective way to begin the convention considering the circumstances.

Tonight, the Republicans will feature Senator Fred Thompson, President Bush (via satellite), and Senator Joe Lieberman. The tone, again, is expected to be above partisan politics before the real fireworks begin on Wednesday and Thursday.

There are 64 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,745 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!

Country first

With all eyes on Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf Coast, John McCain yesterday announced that the RNC has been amended to only conduct the official business of the convention. McCain asked the RNC to take off its "Republican hat" for its "American hat" in order to put the intesests of the country ahead of partisan politics.The limited session will cover the opening gavel, rules, and any other offical business for the Republicans to offically begin the process of nominating John McCain and Sarah Palin. Depending on the severity of Gustav, the RNC hopes to resume normal operations on Tuesday...Suspending operations today may be a silver lining since neither President Bush or Vice President Cheney will address the convention. As you know, the Obama campaign is trying to associate McCain/Palin as four more years of George W. Bush...What's uncertain is who will speak at the convention when/if its resumes and when...A new CNN poll this weekend reveals that Senator Obama leads Senator McCain 49% to 48%. This latest poll does take into account the Obama speech and the Palin announcement. Apparently, Obama received only a marginal bounce out of the Democrat's convention which was muted by the announcement of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate as well as the build up to Gustav...In another poll conducted by CNN, 75% of respondents thought McCain scaled back the RNC for "political purposes"...McCain and Palin will campaign as reformers as they try to change the face and direction of the Republican party...Remember, it was 44 years ago almost to the day the Republicans nominated another maverick Senator from the state of Arizona in Barry Goldwater. It was Goldwater, first, followed by Ronald Reagan, that changed the direction of the Republican party to its more conservative foundation.

There are 65 days until the presidential election. And, it's been 2,746 days since there's been a terrorist attack on US soil. Good day and God bless!