Bush To Replace Cheney With Rice - Breaking

Sources are telling me:

President Bush will "clean house" as the Dems have demanded after the "worst spy cover" story of all time. Well it looks like they will get what they want.

Bush will replace Cheney with Condi Rice as Vice President. For the next three years Condi will be gaining second in command experience and shaping the policy of the US and the world. Now that's a winning resume for the 2008 Presidential elections..................................

Some say that Miers was a set-up for the "hard right" to dump Cheney and put Condi in. Looks like it worked........................

Man, Rove is a genius..............................

Alito Gives Dem Dagger To Fall On

The left is already falling apart and all over themselves over the Alito nomination per CNN:

Left Cracking

It would appear that Bush has given them their dagger to either put into their sheath or fall on. Based on Alito's qualifications, he is Roberts like, of if you will "Roberts Lite". A hard attack against such a qualified candidate will push the Democrats below the relevant line in politics and will take them off the map as a viable party I think..............

Stay tune, I think that the Dems last stand is about to start and end if their early position continues..................................

Alito Very Qualified - Roberts Like - Roberts Lite

A good conversation is going on via the STL Post online political fix on Alito Post

Here is my comment regarding the Alito nomination:


Everyone who focuses on "abortion" and that issue only regarding SCOTUS candidates, is very short sighted an agenda based in my opinion. I happen to be a conservative who does not think that Roe vs. Wade should be overturned. It's not that I think having abortions is a good thing, I don't. That said however, I think it is simply too personal of a decision to have government regulate whether its legal or not.

I would have supported a moderate like O'Connor who held the same belief as I do on Roe, but I could also support a solid candidate who does not support Roe. The most important thing is do they rule according to the written law, are they a strong constitutionalist, and will they not legislate from the bench based on their own political views. That is what every judge is suppose to do, but its even more important that a SCOTUS Justice do so. The job of a SCOTUS Justice is much bigger and more important than one single issue. Those from either side of the spectrum who only care about abortion, don't give the position the true standing that it has and understand that bearing it can have on everyone's life.

Judges are not legislators, they don't make law rather they ensure that actions conform to law. Likewise, Legislators do not enforce the law, rather they vote on and pass the laws.

Alito was unanimously approved by the Senate in 1990 to the US Court of Appeals, the same body that will decide whether he becomes our next SCOTUS Justice. He is a very qualified candidate that it will be very hard for any Senator to oppose with any true justification, and if they do, it will be very damaging to those who try to do so. Take a look at this guys qualifications, they are Roberts like Alito

I think anyone regardless of political position who focuses on only one issue is setting themselves up for disappointment from the SCOTUS regardless of its make-up. Do you think that any of the Justices are single issue Justices? Please...................................................

Volunteers & Materials Flow-In for Katrina Victims

I just came back from a trip to the Gulf Coast and saw some telling and positive signs that recovery is happening there. I flew into Mobile on business this past Thursday, and then traveled to Panama City on Friday, Tallahassee on Saturday, and then back to Mobile on Sunday. What I saw was fleet after fleet of recovery coming into the Mississippi and New Orleans region.

Trucks with loads of hurricane supplies made up about 2/3 of the traffic I saw on I-10 those four days. Building material, machinery, temporary housing, supplies and equipment that was familiar and some that was strange and very different. Most had the disaster recovery stickers on them and those that did not were still recognizable as being the same. A huge and steady convoy flowing west towards the region with help and assistance. Then an equal flow of trucks heading back each empty to reload. I'm sure that those traveling west in Louisiana and Texas saw the same thing, as well as those traveling north through Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. Money and help is flowing in and that is a good thing. That said I certainly hope that someone is watching the purse strings and making sure that all the money is being spent as it should be. The trucks started looking like Brinks trucks after several hours of seeing the steady flow of "millions and millions of dollars" passing me via the I-10 black-top river of relief..................................

The other thing I saw was a steady flow of volunteers flowing in from various church groups. The plane down had two groups that I identified being from religious organizations that were going to the region to help. They numbered probably around fifty total of the two hundred travelers. There were two denominations that I confirmed, one Catholic and one Baptist. On the flight home tonight there were probably seventy-five to one hundred volunteers and were represented by the Catholic Church, Baptist Church, and Methodist Church from my conversations with them. There we lots of retired to close to retired age volunteers but also some younger people as well. I will say that the 50 year plus volunteers seemed to out number all others by a 3 to 1 margin. Good for them, there was a steadiness that I saw in them, and a purpose that was clear.

Aside from the plane, the Airport in Atlanta was full of people with T-Shirts identifying themselves a volunteers for hurricane effected people, and they were everywhere. I can't even begin to count the number but there were thousands over the course of the four day trip, and 90% had a religious affiliation. Makes one clearer on who to donate money to on such events I think, or it did for me. To see the resources in process of making their way, both human and material was uplifting to me........................

The other thing I saw was convoy after convoy of utility trucks that I had seen in Mobile on Thursday and Friday, heading east on Saturday and Sunday. I have to believe that they were going to make a right turn at I-75 and then head south to Broward - Dade county to help those folks out next. It was an impressive display organization resources being dispatch to the place they are needed next I'd say from my observations......................................................

Samuel Alito is the Nominee or Maybe Luttig

President Bush will announce his new candidate for the SCOTUS tomorrow and per the AP it will be a "solid conservative":

nomination

The web is alive with the prediction that it will be 1) federal appeals judge Samuel Alito and 2) federal appeals court judges J. Michael Luttig running second. Seems that most think that Alito is the one who will be named tomorrow AM:

confirm them spectator

Hugh Hewitt and the Powerline guys like Luttig:

Hugh

I think the follow is of interest and note:

A judge on the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Alito has been dubbed "Scalito" or "Scalia-lite" by some lawyers because his judicial philosophy invites comparisons to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's.........................

Sounds like Alito is a strong constituionalist, and that I like. However it sounds like his nomination will bring about he war that we thought was coming prior to the Miers nomination:

"That is not one of the names that I've suggested to the president," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told "Late Edition" on CNN. "In fact, I've done the opposite. I think it would create a lot of problems.".......................

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., refused to rule out a Senate filibuster. The selection of someone with extreme views will not bode well "for the nomination, for the Supreme Court or for his presidency," he told CBS' "Face the Nation." ...................................

It will be an interesting couple months as the "war" begins.............And it will be a war.........

Welcome Back Tedy Bruschi

Good news for professional football tonight when Tedy Bruschi returned to the starting line-up tonight for the Patriots:

Tedy Bruschi

I wrote after the Patriots won last year that Bruschi was my kind of player, someone who played the game the way it should be played. Then tragedy struck three days after the Patriots Super Bowl win:

Bruschi, 32, hasn't played since suffering a minor stroke three days after the Pro Bowl in February and 10 days after helping the Patriots win their third Super Bowl in four years..........

Although I'm not a Patriot fan but I am a Bruschi fan, and I posted that I admired Bruschi for the workman like way he played and the results it brought his team. I think the performance on the field we saw back then provided a window into the character of the man we learned about tonight:

He continued to attend team meetings and his recovery went well enough for him to come back early. Doctors cleared him, he returned practice Oct. 19 and was activated Saturday.........

A deafening cheer greeted his pregame introduction, which was last for dramatic effect. The applause and foot-stomping shook the cameras, but not so much that fans watching the video board couldn't see Bruschi acknowledge them with a two-handed wave.........................

Bruschi joined the Patriots captains at midfield for the coin toss, getting a hug from former teammate Lawyer Milloy. When Bruschi came onto the field after the opening kickoff, the crowd chanted "Brew!" and he immediately took his place behind the line, pointing and shouting out calls.................

Sounds like the kind of guy I'd want on my Team, a guy who puts substance and character above personal gratification. Substance not superficial self centered bull shit..............................................................

John Danforth Sees Republican Christians As A Danger

Former Senator and fellow St. Louisian John Danforth visited the students at the Bill Clinton School of Public Service today and had some advise about religion and politics for the students:

Danforth

Per John Danforth:

"I think that the Republican Party fairly recently has been taken over by the Christian conservatives, by the Christian right," he said in an interview after his talks. "I don't think that this is a permanent condition but I think this has happened, and that it's divisive for the country."

Danforth is an Episcopal Priest, who is slightly left of center overall in his political views. He met with the Episcopalian National Conference on October 14th and talked of the danger of the right of center Christians:

Republican Christian Danger

Danforth coached the political left that he is based in by saying:

“While the real problem has come from the Religious Right… it’s not impossible that the Religious Left becomes the mirror image of the Religious Right,” said Danforth, who addressed an audience of about 150 in the cathedral Nave. “It’s possible that people on the left can become as equally sure of themselves as people on the right.”

“When people believe that they’re fighting a religious battle, nothing is more energizing then ‘I’m on God’s side,’ ” he said. “But there’s also nothing more divisive than that. Because once you believe that you’re on God’s side, therefore people who disagree with you are not on God’s side, or are even enemies of God. Then there’s no room for the… stuff of politics. And there’s a lot of room for real hatred and animosity and bitterness.”

Who was Danforth's audience, well take a look at the comments from Cindy Marcillas of San Francisco:

“It’s appalling how far right this administration has gone,” said Marcillas. “It’s downright frightening.”

I do not agree with lots of what Danforth said in his speech and I think he has a left of center political base. I move from right to slightly left on some issues, but Danforth is usually left of center on most political issues. I also don't agree with the single issue Republicans who seem to have hijacked the Miers nomination because they only care about Roe vs. Wade, but Danforth's views on the right of center Christians is over the top:

"They’re concerned with respect to the institutions of marriage and the family -- that we have lost our bearings. And when you look at the divorce rate and the out-of-wedlock births, they’ve got a point. “You may disagree with everything they say and every position they take and every candidate they support, but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they too read the Bible, and they too try to be faithful.”

So Republican Christians, Danforth recognizes that you are trying to be good Christians, but he also understands that you are just not "secular" enough.

Danforth is the poster guy for the liberal press in terms of presenting him as a "Republican" and a "Priest". They love to present his left of center views as inter party criticism, even though Danforth is much more of a Democrat than a Republican in regards to his politics. Don't get me wrong I think faith is the most personal and private matter there is and no one has a right to criticize someone else's views. That is not what I am doing with this post. What I am pointing out is that John Danforth is more of an Old Testament vs. a New Testament Christian from his own statements ( not that there is anything wrong with that if it works for you ):

“The thrust of what the (Old Testament) prophets were talking about was to rail against idolatry… against the false gods, against Baal, against the worship of something other than the holy… God,” said Danforth. “And when we create a political system that we represent as being ‘God’s’ political system, we are Baal worshipers.”

John Danforth is a good man who has a strong faith and seeks good no doubt. He is however more of a left of center secular - humanitarian in terms of his self confessed religious groundings. Having a humanitarian religious base is a good thing, but that is only half of the equation for most Christians.

The MSM does a spins and wink when they promote Danforth as a moderate Republican. He is in fact a left of center Democrat who ventures to the right on occasion and happens to also be a Priest. Nothing wrong with that or him, but he is certainly left of center politically and religiously and to promote him as a mainstream moderate is in my opinion incorrect. I think that he and I could have some good constructive and positive conversations. That said, don't try to sell me a left of center perspective on these matters and tell me it is actually right of center.....................

USA Today Runs Doctored Condi Rice Photo

USA Today’s online photo editor got busted playing a little politics with a picture of Condi Rice. Michelle Malkin has the pictures up on her original post:

Malkin

USA admitted that the pictures were doctored and replaced it with the original and an editor’s note per P&E:

P&E

Per USA Today spokesman Steve Anderson:

"It came up today," Anderson said. "Someone called me this afternoon and that's when I personally heard about it." USA Today also placed an editor's note at the top of the story explaining the changes.

"The photo of Condoleezza Rice that originally accompanied this story was altered in a manner that did not meet USA TODAY's editorial standards," the note concedes. "The photo has been replaced by a properly adjusted copy. Photos published online are routinely cropped for size and adjusted for brightness and sharpness to optimize their appearance. In this case, after sharpening the photo for clarity, the editor brightened a portion of Rice's face, giving her eyes an unnatural appearance. This resulted in a distortion of the original not in keeping with our editorial standards."

Take a look at the doctored photo and the liberty that USA Today took with the doctored picture. It’s amazing that they would even consider doing such a thing, simply amazing………………………………………………..

Indictment Wednesday? Will Anyone Care?

The buzz is a buzzing that the Plame investigation will conclude tomorrow and indictments if they are coming will be announced. Should be an interesting day..........

WaPo is stating that the WH is "bracing" for indictments and ABC tried to bluff the WH into saying that indictments were in fact about to happen:

Indictments?

The MSM and lots of the New Media think indictments will occur and they very well could. However, I would not be betting the house on it "yet". The leading man to be indicted is Lewis Libby, who is VP Cheney's chief of staff. With second best odds is Karl Rove, however his odds have become unfavorable over the past few days that make him a less attractive bet. Some even think Cheney could be the one, but I think that is very unlikely. If anyone gets indicted then I think it will probably be Libby.

The investigation however is still digging and doing so in an area that leads me to believe that a indictment is far from a done deal. They are talking to Plame's neighbors per ABC and although ABC reported the one neighbor who did not know Plame was in the CIA, most of her neighbors did know she worked for the CIA

Neighbor's Knew CIA Plame

I don't know but the question of whether Plame's identify was a well kept secrete is like asking if the secrete that the WWF is fake is a well kept secrete. Even if there are indictments I don't think there will be big fall out over it. An unbelievable statement to make? I don't think so, I've talked to lots of people who have not really kept up with the Plame investigation who tell me "what's the big deal"?

We will see tomorrow if there are big deal indictments and then if the resonate with the voters. Given the Vanity Fair magazine cover of Plame and Wilson and the parallel opinion of the public, I just don't think that voters will get "real" excited about it, and will probably continue to ask: "what's the big deal"?

We will see tomorrow and then in the coming days...........................

Update:

Nothing yet but WaPo is painting a dark picture for the WH :

WaPo

However, the grand jury adjourned today without any announced action:

Jury

Stay tuned maybe tomorrow and if not then Friday for the results of Plame Game and the ending of hearings on about the worst covert cover of all time.....

Voice of Jolly Green Giant Dead

News today that the vocie of the "Jolly Green Giant" who told everyone to eat their vegtables and sang that "Ho, Ho, Ho" jingle, has passed away:

Green Giant

The voice of the Jolly Green Giant:

Elmer "Len" Dresslar Jr., who extolled generations of TV watchers to eat their vegetables as the booming voice of the Jolly Green Giant, has died. He was 80. Dresslar was an entertainer and singer for nearly six decades. But his voice rang through millions of households when he sang the simple refrain, "Ho, Ho, Ho," in an ad jingle for Green Giant foods.

Did it pay well to be the Jolly Green Giant? Well per Dresslar's daughter, "If nothing else, it put my sister and I through college."

No small potatoes in any era..............

Libby Tells NYT Cheney Gave Him Plame's Name

The NYT is set to report tomorrow that Lewis Libby and his attorney have told the Times that Cheney gave Libby, Valerie Plame's name. What that means we don't know but what ever the Wilson - Plame story ends up being, it has just racketed up a notch. Patrick Fitzgerald is set to act and disclose charges prior to Friday if any are coming.

Stay tuned this week should clarify a great deal on the Wilson-Plame matter........................

Update:

The NYT turning on Miller hard, Bush saying earlier today that the "leaks were serious", and Libby telling the NYT that Cheney gave him Plame's name do not point toward a certain and negative outcome for the White House I'm guessing. Just the opposite, seems that something of the opposite might be brewing. Just guessing based on the weird story that it is, but don't the above three factors lead one to believe that this could very possibly be taking a very negative Wilson & NYT angle...............

Vinny Testaverde It's Time To Retire

Vinny Testaverde is 41 years old and too old to effectively playing QB in the NFL I'd say. Man does he look old and slow on Monday Night Football tonight and man does Vick and Dunn look young and fast.

Vinny you had a great career, but old timer your getting really long in the tooth and its time to let the young men play the young man's game......................

ATL 20 vs NYJ 0 2nd quarter 6:58 remaining

Hugh Hewitt On The Damage By The Anti-Miers Block

Hugh Hewitt has a post up on the Miers nomination and how the hard right portion of the party might just be doing excessive damage:

Hugh

I agree, and have to say if the President is not conservative enough for the extreme right in the party than neither am I. Without conservatives like me that also have positions in the moderate to even at times left of center markers, the RNC can't win. The extremist right had better think this one over again, and if they don't then they better not ask why I'm not calling people from the phone banks, donating money or walking the neighborhood to get out votes for the next election........................

Indian Coca Farmer Leads Bolivian Race for President

Per the AP an Indian coca farmer is the front running candidate for President in Bolivia:

Coca Farmer

Not only is Evo Morales a coca farmer, but also a "close friend" of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, so you get two for the price of one in Morales. You get a producer and advocate for the raw product that becomes cocaine and a socialist. What an unappealing prospect.............................

Seems we have a bit of a "Red Movement" in South America right now. Lots of hard left to outright socialist governments currently in power in Latin America: Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. I'm more concerned with what's going on way south of the border verses at the Mexican border to tell you the truth. I certainly hope we have a good handle on what's going on down there......................

There is no doubt that the world cocaine supply would explode if Morales were elected, via a new standard of "farm subsidies" that would redefine what exactly those are. Listen to these statements by Morales:

"Thanks to coca, we've made it through the endless suffering caused by the white man's infamous war on drugs," he wrote on his Web site. "We're not going to let up. We'll keep fighting no matter what the consequences, because there's no other product that sustains us like coca," said Asunta farmer Juan Condori. "It's the only crop that supports the whole family."

Huh, well perhaps that is a rational perspective for a coca farmer in Bolivia, but every where else in the world coca is one of only a handful of crops that "destroys" entire families..........................

Kofi & UN Sex Down the Mehlis Report

So we pour our blood and huge amounts of money into the middle east to bring about change and democracy, and the UN is sexing down the "Mehlis" report because they are afraid of creating "instability" in Syria? The Jerusalem Post is reporting that UN Secretary Kofi Annan requested that the connection to the Bashar Assad family be removed from the report:

J Post

As incredible as is sounds, here is what Kofi and the UN did:

A diplomatic source reported that Annan had an interest in removing the name of Syrian President Bashar Assad's brother and brother-in-law, along with other important Syrian officials, from the list of suspects in the Hariri killing.

Annan, according to speculations, was concerned that the harsh report could cause political instability in Syria, perhaps even leading to an overthrow of the Assad regime, and thus preferred a watered-down version of the report.

Well, is not instability that causes the removal of the terrorist Assad regime exactly what we want? This is beyond belief and for me another crystal clear example that the UN does not want real change in the middle east. Seems that their position is that keeping things status quo gives them job security, and provides limited incentive for the UN to help really bring about change in the middle east.

Makes you wonder just how much "faster & quicker" democracy and real changes would occur in the middle east if the UN did not exist........................

Somalia Asking for International Military Assistance

Color me skeptical but Somalia's current request for international help in combating the criminal organizations that are now stealing UN food aid from them, will probably not cause a stamped of volunteers:

Somalian Pirates

Obviously peace keeping efforts in the past have not received a great deal of support from the criminal gangs that rule the country and have had tragic results for those countries who tried to help. Somalia has stripped itself of everything from its infrastructure to its military and law enforcement organizations.

Somalia is now being "eaten from within"..........................................

Ryan Ferguson Guilty of Killing Kent Heitholt

The murder trial of an accused killer of a Sports Editor of a newspaper Editor in Columbia, MO. with testimony that the killer did not read the newspaper here:

Newspaper Killer

An interesting newspaper circulation point from the trial is this:

Crane pointed out that Ferguson’s sister had testified earlier that her brother rarely read the newspaper and that records showed the Ferguson family didn’t have a local daily newspaper delivered.....

So the sister says "we didn't even get the paper", the co-killer told the jury that he "read about in the newspaper":

On cross-examination, Crane asked him about the New Year’s Eve party. "You said he asked if he had been involved with the crime with Mr. Heitholt," Crane said. "How did you know what in the world he was talking about?" "I read the newspaper," Ferguson said.

Sounds like he reads the Columbia Tribune On-line (it does have a great web-based product), or bought it out of the paper box. That has to rate as one of the worst arguments of having the information in question. It also sounds like a killer is going to jail for murder to me.......................


Update:

In from the AP, Ryan Ferguson is guilty and will be going to the "Big House" for his participation in the murder of a "man" who happened to be a newspaper editor:

sentencing tba

House of Commons War Veto Defeated

Interesting............Even in Britain where public support for the war in Iraq is lower than here in America, a bill launched by an anti-war House of Commons member to give British Parliament veto power over military action ordered by the Prime Minister has been defeated:

No Veto for MP's

Per the AP, the bill would have given Parliament veto power to recall military forces that had already been deployed and activated by the PM if Parliament was not convinced about the need or merit:

Under her proposal, both chambers of parliament would have had to be shown the case for war and its legal justification before voting on committing British troops. A prime minister would still be allowed to take urgent action without approval, but would be forced to withdraw troops if parliament then rejected the move.

The anti-war activist parliament member who introduced the bill was Clare Scott:

The accountability of the executive to parliament is a very important democratic principle which should surely be extended to the making of war," said Short, who resigned from her post as international development secretary following the U.S.-led invasion.

The bill was voted in favor of by a margin of 92-12, but required a 100 or greater vote tally to pass. There are currently 646 House of Common MP's per the H of C website H of C so it would appear that it had no chance of passing and a huge majority of MP's did not support the bill, and did not even vote or attend. Almost looks like a extremist anti-war moonbat protest bill that the House knew would not pass so they let the loonies march their bill to defeat with only 92 of the 646 MP's attending the protest event. The AP story angle on the vote does not seem to bear that out however, does it? The AP story makes it look like it "just missed"........More accurately the AP story "missed big time"..................................

I find it reassuring that Britain is not allowing the anti-war nuts within their government to do something as extreme and damaging to their protection as giving veto power to Parliament to reverse the PM's decision to protect the country via military action. Americans should take notice and realize the rational of such positions. Regardless of the political party of a national leader, President or PM, they should not have the threat of a veto and the requirement of a political campaigning over such actions hanging over their head to protect their constituency via military action. The next election vote is the right validation.

I have to believe that somewhere Churchill and Roosevelt are throwing down a scotch & soda, having a good cigar, and agreeing that the current generation has not completely lost their perspective and just might be up to the task that we face in protecting democracy in this 'war against terrorism"..........................

Counter Attack On ACLU Christmas Attack

When the "extremist" ACLU attacks and attempt to block our right to celebrate our historical Christmas season in the coming days, and they will attack, I have a suggestion, counter attack! Here is an idea, practice "free speech" and have those who support our rights to express our Christmas traditions in public places including government property simply "dress in character". If citizens showed up dressed as Mary, Joseph, Shepards, and Kings, and congregate for awhile they would be completely within their rights. No one could do anything about that, there is no law that regulates dress and expression in this matter. It's time to use the law to protect our rights and rational expectations on this matter just as the ACLU has been using the law to marginalize our rights. Those who disagree with the ACLU on this matter, simply need to act and act under the law that protects and guarantees their rights to do so.

The ACLU even wants to outlaw "Christmas Colors" (red & green) Christmas trees and Santa Claus Christmas Colors None are near or close to "religious" but they do put one's focus on Christmas which makes the ACLU break-out in hives.

So if your kid's school prohibits Santa Claus and Christmas Parties this year, get about 20 dads together and take turns while taking the kids to school to dress in a red suit with a red hat, a white fake beard and laugh with a jolly tune in a Ho-Ho key. Every event leading up to Christmas should have parents dressed "head" to "toe" in the Christmas message. You don't need the school to promote the celebrations, you and the other parents can do it and do it much more effectively....................

Time For Nasty Tariffs For China?

Is it time to tell China to get North Korea in line and to decrease their military build-up, or we will slap some "hard ass" tariffs on all products from China?

So I ask this: what are you doing for me Red China on the big picture issues?

I think the time to slap some tariffs on the Red Dragon is drawing near............................................

Protest Good - Honoring Veterans Bad Per Democrats

How "Out of Touch" is Berkeley which is the epicenter of the left of center party? Just read this from Little Green Footballs:

LGF

Hey DNC candidate, here is what your base has to say about Veteran's Day:

“If you want to have an anti-war rally, count me in,” said Linda Perry, an aide to City Councilman Laurie Capitelli. “But not on Veteran’s Day. It’s neither the time nor the place.”

Just how "sick" is that rational and fakeness...................................................................

Oh well, that's the democrat base and they want to be fed the anti-military message that they crave and in big healthy potions..................................

Time for a 2005 Abortion Discussion

With the Miers discussion focused on the "abortion" question, I think that this article in WaPo by Patricia Bauer is a must read that gets to the heart of the Roe vs. Wade debate for me:

WaPo

Mrs. Bauer makes a very effective argument from a very personal grounding on why "the decision" is too personal and too complicated to have "any" government decided this matter. How could a government agency or bureau decided such a deeply personal question? It's insane to think that they could. We have seen how ineffective all forms of government were after the hurricanes (local, state, and federal and equally ineffective). Government simply is not very effective in the least personal matters that are process driven and logistically based. My goodness, why would we allow organizations that can't simply delivery 100,000 bottles of water for a couple days, take over control of who can have an abortion? Think about that.................................

Mrs. Bauer gives notice to those aborting children that don't fit their "custom child profile" that they could be making a huge mistake. I agree totally with her point. It's not a scold but a "have your considered"...............She does not tell us if she had "the test" but we do understand from her article that knowing what she knows now she would not have had an abortion. That is a personal choice that I feel was made by the right people. Mrs. Bauer also addresses the question of whether the Roe vs. Wade debate needs to be "upgraded" from a debate perspective when considering the technology that is available today vs. the 70's and the results that this new technology is having in our society because of technology options.

Sounds like it's time to have a 2005 discussion on "the" most personal decision out there, but for me it will still be a personal decision. I can't image validation otherwise.

I'm a very strong Republican and contrary to the MSM coverage, a large percentage of the moderate to middle right feel the same way that I do. It's time for a new perspective and debate on this matter...........................

Bill Clinton Pitches Hillary's 2008 Platform

Former President Clinton seems to have the role of testing the platform and agenda for his wife's coming run for the Presidency in 2008. Per the AP he was testing her platform in Canada today:

Bill Pitches

The Hillary platform today per Bill:

Former President Clinton asked an audience of Canadian business executives to help end child poverty and terrorism by embracing the outside world and its many religions. Clinton named global warming as another looming threat to the planet and called on the audience to demand that their government explore more alternative energy sources.

So look for "child poverty", "global warming" and a delusional "terrorism policy" to take center stage as of now. Child Poverty is a good issue to pursue, however a socialist left doctrine has already failed repeatedly on this matter so I doubt the left can come up with an effective plan. Global warming, is a winner and safe issue for those left of center and has lots of new focus now due to the "hurricane season" of 2005.

The policy Clinton pitched our Canadian neighbors on terrorism is a slightly more focused plan than he had himself will in office. Clinton ignored the growing threat for eight years while it grew into the beast that attacked America on 911 and killed 3,000+ Americans. At least the "Hillary Platform" he pitched today identifies it and states that "something" has to be done. It is however eerily similar to his own policy and is a call for more "reaching out" than hunting down and killing of terrorist:

"We have no excuse now for not building a world with more partners and fewer terrorists," he said. "We cannot kill, jail or occupy all of our enemies." He said: "We have to find a way to reach that other half of people in the world who don't know we care about them."

Clinton did not get it when he was in office and it resulted in 911 and he does not get it now. I hope Hillary will make the "embrace them" not "kill them" policy that Bill pitched today, because his "pacifist terrorism policy" is a loser today in a Hillary platform just like it was in Bill's platform in the 90's..........

Republican Coalition Crack-Up?

Are things falling apart for the Republican coalition? John @ Powerline provides a great post analizing a Howard "the duck" Fineman's article saying the "Duck" is wrong and it's not so:

Powerline

Summary at the end of the post:

Objectively, the evidence for a "conservative crack-up" is thin, at best. The reality is that the Republican base is holding remarkably firm, in the face of a media onslaught against the Bush administration that has no parallel in modern history, and following months of little but bad news: gas prices, hurricanes, and casualties in Iraq (the only news most people hear from that part of the world). Things could change, of course, but my guess is that the next year's news will be better for the administration and for Republicans than the past year's. The price of gas has likely peaked; Iraq will continue to stabilize, and troops will come home; absent more natural disasters, the economy will resume its steady growth; Harriet Miers will be confirmed and start voting with conservative majorities on the Court. Most likely, liberal dreams of the end of the conservative era will have to be deferred again.

There is "active" debate currently within the Republican party, but its just that, an active debate. It's not the type of things we see on the left that Hugh captured on this post:

Hugh



Hugh's point: But it is an important debate among friends, not an occasion for the sort of vows of eternal enmity that mark the left in its melt-downs.

I agree, and that is the real difference when one compares what is happening in the Democrat camp vs. the Republican camp. It's just very different, and discussion and debate is still just that, discussion and debate with the Republican camp. We can differ on opinion and do often, and that's healthy. I'm not in favor of overturning Roe vs. Wade, but my President is. I still have voted and campaigned for him twice because aside from that issue, I agree with him and my Republican party about 99% of the time.

Fineman's party is quite simply "dysfunctional" with no message and no ideas. Those they have are not bought or embraced by the majority. There is no crack-up, no matter how hard dems like Fineman wish it were so. It's a fantasy hope, that has no logic or factual basis, but that is what what you wish for when your a dem because you have nothing else going for you these days................

High Heating Costs But Warmer Winter Predicted

Given this report on the extremely high heating cost estimate for this winter:

Heating Costs

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that heating bills for all fuel types will cost Americans about one-third more this winter on average, assuming typical weather.

It’s good to hear that government forecasts are predicting a warmer than normal winter:

Forecast

The National Weather Service said there is a 60 percent chance of warmer than normal weather in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, north Texas, northern New Mexico and southern and eastern Colorado.

The CNN article made mention of a slightly cooler temperature prediction, but the official forecast is calling for above normal temperatures. Let’s hope the prediction for a warmer winter is accurate, because natural gas prices are going to be nasty this year……………….

Miers Best Option After Others Withdrew?

Drudge has up a post that claims that other candidates for the SCOTUS turned the WH down prior to the Miers selection:

Drudge

The story outlines that other candidates who the hard right might have found more appealing of a choice said they did not want to go through the vicious confirmation process.

Over on the NRO Corner blog, K-Lo has a post up that is stating that the claim is not so, at least for one of the candidates. Per a K-Lo sources, “Priscilla Owens did not withdraw her name from consideration to the Court”……………..


NRO

K-Lo is surmising that if this is inaccurate spin then the WH is in deep desperation on the Miers nomination……………………………….

Is Miers the Republican Jacksonian Nominee

Hugh Hewitt has a post up that includes an email from a reader with analysis on the current completion of the "elite" Supreme Court academic make up titled "This E-mail's Handy Chart" at the bottom of the post:

Hugh

The summary would be:

Eight of the ten earned a total of fifteen degrees from Stanford, Harvard or Yale. The other two held degrees from very good private universities.

Not that there is anything wrong with Stanford, Harvard or Yale. To borrow from Jerry Steinfeld, "not that there is any thing wrong with that if that is what you are". They are the best and most "elite" law schools in the country. It's good and important to have heavy thinkers on the court with such "elite pedigrees" that have a deep understanding of constitutional law. That said we have a few too many I think that have that "elite" pedigree with a singular qualification of constitutional law and who have never lived in the "Real" world or did live in it long ago but also left long ago.

If Meirs is a conservative like the President assures she is, and he is willing to put his "Legacy" on the line that she will not legislated from the bench, that's good enough for me. I trust the President, I don't trust the self appointed elitist conservative talking heads and the one issue anti-abortionist pundits on this matter.

I won't let the fact that she comes from just a good College of Law within the walls of a Texas Methodist University better know for producing "great" running back of the past, diminish that she is the right person per the President. A degree opens doors to your discipline, what you do after you walk through the door is what qualifies you within that discipline. She obviously does not have the typical SCOTUS Justices pedigree, but she seems to bring something to the party that is not in place currently. That would be a "real world" perspective of practicing law and making it to the top in the then world of a male business. It's only important to note that it was a male dominated business to show she had the ability and drive to make it to the top. And even after doing so, she is still a person of conservative values because obviously she has a strong compass guided by strong values.

After making it to the top she has done so much more practical real world law work for top of the real world companies and on real world issues that we common people understand and can relate to. Seriously, talking head elitist conservatives, I don't need you to decide my opinion on this, trust me I don't. I also believe that she will not make her fellow Justices feel incompetent about their short comings in the real legal world that they really have no knowledge of and no experience in.

Miers seems to be a Republican Jacksonian Justice, a candidate who is a common person who has risen to the top of her profession because of her inner drive, determination and ability. Me as a common man who has done much the same as Ms. Miers professionally, would take Ms. Miers over all the other options on the current SCOTUS as my personal attorney. I'd prefer to have her in my real person legal world than the "elitists" who never lived here or moved away a very long time ago.............

Is it not time for a Jacksonian Republican Revolution, where the American people regain control of what is happening from a legal perspective in Washington? I think that it is time and I think that logic is a big part of the nomination strategy that will grow stronger and stronger. I'm sure I'm late to the party on this but look for the President to promote his Republican Jacksonisan Justice to the people as one of the people and I think it will be a "Huge" hit. I also think the next nominee if Bush gets one will also be a Republican Jacksonian type nominee.....................

The "Elitist" have done their part to pave the road for the Jacksonian Justice Mires and they have set things up very well for the coming strategy I think...............

Healthy Discussion or Split In Republican Party?

Over the weekend we continued to watch about half of the hard right and self defined intellectual elite of the Republican party stay out on the ledge after the Miers nomination. Some jumped but most are simply hanging on by a toe. I'm no constitutional law guy for sure but reading many different blogs and articles, it appears that the resentment and opposition falls into a couple main categories:

1) One Issue Anti-Abortion Conservatives: in the party only to pressure for the reversal of Roe vs. Wade. Don't care really about any other issue, they are all in on Roe vs. Wade and that issue only.

2) The Intellectual Elite: lots of lawyer bloggers and conservative establishment types have been saying, how could you choose her? We told you the best candidates and given our masterful understanding on this matter you should have listen to us and done as we bid you Mr. President.

3) Hard Core Wanting A Fight: those who wanted Armageddon and not caring that the politics of the day dictate that now is not the best time for that battle.

4) Concerned About Christian Beliefs: those concerned that Miers Christianity is a liability. Could almost fall under #2 as a sub item I'd say.

5) Unhappy Conservatives Following the Herd: conservatives who are not happy with the spending in Washington by the party that is suppose to be fiscally responsible, and are joining the herd with Miers as the sounding board. I count myself as unhappy about separation from some of the core conservative values, but not Miers.

6) Sexists: I give this little to no credibility. Those so up in arms I don't think are angry that the nominee is a woman, rather they are angry that she is not "their" woman.

I think the order above is the correct order as well for those who have been most vocally against the Miers nomination. Each is stating their case for being "owed" more respect, consultation, and influence on the nomination. Their candidate was not selected and they are mad, disappointed, and threatening to quit in some cases. Well as I've said before, go ahead and quit.

News flash to each group represented above, you have no special standing within the party that qualifies you to direct the selection of President Bush's nominees. If your pissed about it and your a One Issue Anti-Abortion pundit, then elect a candidate for President who has the same one issue in their platform and that issue only. If your an Intellectual Elite, then elect a like qualified Intellectual Elite in the primary in 2008. If your a sexist then just get lost. If your leery of a Born Again Christian, then elect someone in the 2008 primary who is not a Born Again Christian, or perhaps an atheist. Those who just wanted a fight, go fight with each other.................

If your an unhappy conservative following the herd, then gain some perspective and do something about what your unhappy about and influence policy. I'm not happy about the deficit and the Pork-Fest like all true conservatives. We should make our displeasure crystal clear to our officials and see to it that it gets the appropriate focus. If your unhappy about a drift in Washington away from conservative principles, then do something real about it. Following the Miers malcontents because its in fashion on the hard right for the moment is hollow and void of rational. Beside that, where are you going to go?

George Bush nor any Republican I have ever voted for President represented me 100% on all issues. However everyone has represented me by a margin no lower than 80% I'd say. I've never voted for a Democrat for President and that is because none has represented my views by more than probably 25%. It's easy math for me. No one will represent everyone 100%, but the alternative is not even close to an alternative.

All this would be troubling if we did not have a DNC bought and controlled by Howard Dean, MoveOn.org, and George Sorros as the opposition party. Thank God for that gang of dysfunctional misfits. When you have an opposition party as far away from the American mainstream as the Democrats, it certainly puts the debate within the Republican party into a healthy perspective......

You would not know that the current Republican conflict pales in comparison to the table the DNC has set from reading articles like this one from WaPo:

WaPo

I'm not saying all is rosy in the RNC today it isn't. However that said compared to the Dean-MoveOn-Sorros camp, the RNC is much more appealing even with the current Miers debate.....

DARE Program for Old Hippies

The LA Times has an article that reports that the overdose rate among 40+ year olds is rising dramatically:

LATimes

The overdose death rate in California was up 73% over 1990 in the total population, while it declined in younger population. So what is driving the increase:

Remarkably, the rate of deadly overdoses among younger users over that period has slightly declined, while the rate among those 40 and older has jumped from 8.6 to 17.3 per hundred thousand people.

The counter culture sixties & seventies that brought drug use into the mainstream and made it almost a passage of youth for a time, seems to have a lasting legacy:

Some experts suggest, however, that California is merely reflecting a national trend in which Americans increasingly are using illicit drugs long past the days of youthful resilience. According to the U.S. Substance and Mental Health Services Administration, more than a third of drug users today are older than 35, compared with 12% in 1979.

"Baby boomers are the first generation that is facing a drug and overdose epidemic in their middle age," said John Newmeyer, epidemiologist and drug researcher at the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinics in San Francisco. "They started using drugs recreationally or regularly over 20 years ago, and they aren't really slowing down."

Old hippies who maintained drugs as part of their ongoing culture, are leaving us at a much faster rate compared to the balance of the boomers, and only slowing down when it all fades to black………..

Time For The One Issue Republicans To Leave

I've said here that I'm fine with the Miers nomination because:

A) I trust that Bush knows Miers better personally than probably about any nominee that has been made in 100+ years. I believe that she is right of center politically and that she will not "legislate" from the bench. Sounds good to me........

B) I have no obsession to reverse Roe vs. Wade, because I actually don't think it should be. That is one of about three things that make me a "moderate" republican. I'm a neo-con on other issues (ie: War on Terror & Defense) so it all washes out as a moderate-republican I think. That said I think birth control via abortion is a hideous practice but when all is said and done, I think its too personal of a decision to have it legislated by government. If we disagree then fine, I don't need or want to agree with everyone politically, including people within my own Republican Party. I'm not a fan of laws that regulate adherence to faith issues, that is a very scary proposition. To me that is what free will and faith is all about. "For our actions we will all answer on our last day here and our first day there" and I see faith as a personal thing that we all answer individually and none of us need "laws" that keep us on track related to that matter.................

All this said, the Miers nomination appears to be in "deep" doubt because of mostly right of center opposition. Per Mystery Pollster, the CBS poll has very bad news for the Miers nomination:

CBS

Summary: Miers looks much more like Robert Bork than Clarence Thomas in the polling numbers. She is not even in the same country let alone the same zip code as Roberts. Here are the numbers:

Should The Senate Approve

Candidate Yes No Can't Say NA
Miers: 14% 13% 70% 3%
Bork: 14% 13% 66% 7%
Thomas: 24% 11% 59% 6%
Roberts: 35% 10% 49% 6%

I don't think it will happen but Miers could be Borked by Republicans..........................What would that mean? God only knows but the "extreme" right single issue anti-abortion crowd is starting to do more than cause static within the party. It sounds like they are considering dropping out. I'm thinking that it might be a good idea for them to be pushed out to an island of their own. They could win a seat here or there as an independent party, more in some states than others, but they would be a very minor party free to engage in their own singular cause that defines their reason for being in politics. I think the "single issue republicans" might like that better also. If that is their "only" issue then let them be in a party that has only that issue in their platform. That is a single issue party that can't win........

The "single" issue anti-abortion Republicans can not be allowed to make the Republican party an extremist party like the current Democratic party. The current Extremism of the democrats is the margin that allows the shedding of the hard core anit-abortion republicans, and I say its time to do just that. The core party of the Republicans would survive and do so in a very healthy fashion I think.

The election success of the next two cycles will be about who is closest to the middle - moderate positions, while preserving their core values. The DNC is so far left that you can only see half of their face, sometimes a quarter.

Republican "core" values are what American's want, embrace, are willing to die for and believe in. The one issue that is not embraced by the core of Americans is the extremist anti-abortion activism. I say it's time to rid the Republican Party of the anti-abortion hard right fanatics. Lets "purge" and refocused on the issues and matters that make the Republican Party the heart and soul of America..............................

Carnival of College Football Predictions

This weeks "Carnival of College Football Predictions" is as follows for 10/8:

#1 USC beats Arizona big......................
#2 Texas beats Oklahoma who is down this year...........could be closer than most think however
#3 Va. Tech beats Marshall
#4 FSU beats Wake Forest
#5 Georgia loses to #8 Tennessee at Tennessee ( upset ) in best game of the day
#6 Ohio State beats #16 Penn State...........Penn State is better than I thought but I think Ohio State is better......Second best game of the day
#9 Miami beats Duke big unless they play with the round ball.....................
#10 Cal beats #20 UCLA in a what is probably the third best game of the day
#11 LSU beats Vandy after the loss to Middle Tennessee last week we know Vandy is still Vandy............
#13 Florida beats Miss State and gets right after the Bama bounding
#14 Wisconsin beats Northwestern in what could be a very entertaining game.........I would not be shocked if Northwestern pulled the upset
#15 Texas Tech beats Trev Albert's Nebraska
#17 ASU beats Oregon in another entertaining game
#18 BC beats UV in a low scoring game of defense
#21 Michigan beats Minnesota in a good game
#23 Louisville beats NC in what could be an entertaining game as well.

Lots of ranked teams playing unranked teams. Actually only three match-ups where "both" teams are ranked. A couple really good games but not a great weekend and a week stacked towards the favored ranked teams I think. Best bets for me are in order:

Georgia @ Tenn
Ohio State @ Penn State
Cal @ UCLA
Michigan vs Minn
Wisc @ Northwestern
ASU vs Oregon
Texas Tech @ Nebraska
Louisville vs UN

The Texas vs Oklahoma game should have been a "burner" but it does not look like it will end up being the case.......................................

Miers Voted For Regan In 1984 - Like Everyone Else

Drudge has a post up that says Miers voted for Regan in 1984, and that was the start of her political evolution.

Drudge

For those Republicans who are not impressed with Miers, I'm not thinking the Regan vote in 1984 is going to do a lot to turn their opinion around much. I think just about everyone voted for Regan in 1984 including lots of democrats didn't they?

Regan 1984

Yet the campaign of 1984 developed no clear issues. Mondale charged that Reagan would cut social security benefits and raise taxes after reelection and criticized the huge federal deficits. Reagan, who said little of his program for a second term (except that he would not raise taxes), spoke of America "standing tall" again. The president's radiant optimism, plus the continued economic recovery, produced a stunning victory. Reagan won 59% of the vote and carried 49 states.

In fact the only state Mondale won was his home state of Minnesota...............................

Ayman al-Zawahri Says Stop Bombing Mosques And Begs For Money

We intercepted a letter from Al Qaeda #2 Ayman al-Zawahri to Al Qaeda #3 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi where #2 tells #3 to stop killing fellow muslims at mosques because it has too much of a Taliban feel to it:

Fox

Per #2:

According to the Pentagon, Zawahri writes that Iraqi insurgents should avoid attacking mosques or killing hostages to avoid alienating the masses like the Taliban rebels did in Afghanistan where the Islamofascist movement has resigned itself to defeat.

Well of course you don't want people to realize that your a terrorist organization that will kill muslims as quickly as crusaders do you? Come on #3 get a grip.......

Also in the report, sounds like #3 might actually be on his way to becoming #1. The current #2 Zawahri is begging for money from #3:

it also reveals that Al Qaeda has lost many of its key leaders and that its lines of finance and communications have been disrupted so much that Zawahri is said to ask for money from Zarqawi.

Al Qaeda is reverting to sending children to the front as Hitler did in the closing days of the Third Reich as posted here. They are also begging for money, and their structure is collapsing. My question is how could you not support the War On Terror as we continue to win this war? As the President said, we will see this through to victory........................................

Heartland To New York City Terror Threats?

There is some very strange stuff going on related to possible terrorist attacks which are not getting much coverage in the MSM. The bloggers however are covering it. The Oklahoma Bomber and the NYC Subway threats are a strange happening and these two bloggers have the best coverage I think:

confederate yankee

malkin

Summary:

- A college student in Oklahoma blew himself up outside the stadium in Norman during the football game last Saturday. Today news that he was also trying to buy a large amount of ammonium nitrate fertilizer which is what was used to blow up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, but the retailer decided not to sell it to him when he could not produce a good reason for purchasing it.

- The NYC subways are on heightened alert due to what appears to be a credible threat about bombing threats. An ABC report initially said that the threats came from the recent capture of Iraqi insurgents, which would lead one to believe that they were captured in Iraq. Now ABC is reporting that the threat centered around pharmacists coming to New York for a chemical attack targeting subways. Three insurgents one or more being a pharmacist were arrested by military and intelligence teams. One suspect disclosed the NYC threat. So were these suspect caught in Iraq or here? The ABC report does not say that and they could have been captured in Iraq, but it seems like a really important story at this point. Seems these two stories need more coverage in the MSM.

On a related note the President gave a great speech last night at the National Endowment for Democracy, that I think was extremely good and really outlined the struggle that we are in. My favorite part of the speech was this:

In this new century, freedom is once again assaulted by enemies determined to roll back generations of democratic progress. Once again, we’re responding to a global campaign of fear with a global campaign of freedom, and once again, we will see freedom’s victory........................

We will not tire or rest until the War on Terror is won....................................

the militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia. With greater economic and military and political power, the terrorists would be able to advance their stated agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to assault the American people, and to blackmail our government into isolation....................................

If you have not read the whole speech you should and can here Bush Speech

UF Gators Not Tops In The Swamp Any Longer

It has been a bad couple days for the University of Florida Gators. They got an old fashioned SEC whipping from Alabama on Saturday and now this. What is this? Well now we understand that the Gators are not the dominate force in the swamp and are being eaten by snakes:

Big Snake Eats Gator

A 13 foot snake kills a 6 foot gator and eats it whole, and then exploded is one hell of a story an interesting story, especially considering it is in South Florida. I imagine that lots of 20 foot snakes are eating lots of gators in the swamp, and that could become an environmental issue. Right now it makes the gators the second predator in the swamp..................

I think that the gators will get right this Saturday against Miss St. and even Big Snakes that eat gators like to eat Bull Dogs, so if the Big Snakes don't get the dogs then maybe the gators will...........................................That said get ready for the Snake posters to start appearing in the swamp from the visiting team to remind the gators that there is a bigger and more powerful predator in the swamp now. Gators are getting eaten by a superiors foe.........................

Iraqi Insurgency Relying On Children Now

From the World Tribune, the Iraqi insurgents are getting younger and younger:

WT

Per the Tribune:

The U.S. military has encountered a new type of Sunni insurgent — a largely untrained teenage foreigner. Many such insurgents come from Saudi Arabia and Yemen as well as from such North African states as Algeria and Libya

"The very interesting thing is that the younger foreign fighter that we're seeing now — very poorly trained," said Col. Robert Brown, commander of the U.S. Army 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division.

The first thing that came to mind for me was the Hitler Youth in Berlin heading to the front as both fronts closed in on Hitler because that was all he had left. It appears that the insurgents in Iraq now have to resort to children, just as Hitler had to in the closing days before the defeat of the Third Reich…………………..

Paul Krugman Corrections, Corrections, And Corrections

Corrections, Corrections, Corrections, Corrections again, Corrections, Corrections, Corrections, Corrections again; Corrections, Corrections, Corrections Again.........

Krugman has no credibility, what a sad political hack voice that gets way too much exposure these days. Oh that's right he is a Times Select offering and gets much less exposure now and far less readers.

I doubt however that a smaller viewership will result in less Corrections, Corrections, Corrections, Corrections again................

When you lie your just a liar no matter your audience.........................

I'm Not A One Issue Republican Focused On Roe vs. Wade

Some on the ultra right have eased themselves off the ledge back inside the window after the announcement earlier this morning that President Bush had nominated Harriet Miers. A larger portion are still out on the ledge, but I'm ok with that, maybe they will jump............................

The statements on the web today by the ultra-right-lawyer-pundits for the repeal of Roe vs. Wade is tired and worn for me. I'm tired of listening to the bloviation from said pundits that the nominee had to be an outspoken "anti-abortion" on the record candidate. Bottom line over and over as you read their posts was that they were behind Bush only to get a committed anti-abortion Justice. Several actually said that was the one reason they supported Bush, and now they don't. Like I said maybe they will jump, because if that is the only issue that matters to them, then we don't have a whole lot in common. The most important thing politically for me is not the overturning of Roe vs. Wade and I'm on no mission to do so. As a matter of fact I don't think it should be overturned.

The hard right folks who's only political focus is overturning Roe vs. Wade are not the heart and soul of the Republican party regardless of what they think. They have been the most vocal recently, and without a doubt the most vocal today. That however does not make them the heart and soul of the party. If they were the heart and soul of the party then tell me why Rudy is in the lead on every straw poll conducted thus far? Rudy Gilliani is pro-choice so if your disappointed in this latest Supreme Court nominee and abortion is the only reason your in the Grand Old Party then better to jump now and go form the "Anti Abortion Bull Moose Party" for 2006 & 2008...........................

The end game of repealing Roe vs. Wade is an out of touch agenda that a majority of Americans simply don't support. Don't get me wrong I do not promote abortion or think its a "good" thing. Abortion as birth control is deeply disturbing to me. It's a very difficult and devisive issue that is too personal to have government regulate and decide in the end I think. If you feel differently then fine, we can agree to disagree. A lot of moderate Republicans feel the same way as I do on this issue.

The anti-abortion caucus better understand that the moderates on this issue are not hitching up to their wagon. They can say what they want about who brought out the votes in 2004, but without the moderate middle of the party, there is no party. They better gain some perspective on this and quick. I don't support the priority of overturning Roe vs. Wade like a majority of Americans. I have much broader interests and priorities than that one issue and I'm not a "One Issue Republican".......

Bush & His Pick Miers Not Conservative Enough?

There is no shortage of gnashing of the teeth out there today by the most conservative on the right of the Republican Party over the Miers nomination. They are very unhappy and I’d say angry. I’m not a constitutional law guy, but it seems bizarre for any Bush supporter to believe that he would pick someone who does not share his values and political philosophy.

An interesting point that I came across in the buzz of conversations today that isn’t getting as much discussion as I think is merited on the Miers nomination is that she has personally worked for George W. Bush since the early nineties both in Texas and now in the White House. She has worked for Bush the past ten years. She had a big role in putting together the latest Supreme Court candidate process that resulted in the Roberts nominee. She was Bush’s lead counsel for the process to pick the nominee for the first vacancy.

That said, can there be a candidate out there who Bush knows better and on a deeper level? Can there be a candidate out there that President Bush knows shares a greater degree of his own ideology and political beliefs of what makes a Bush Justice than Miers? Only Albert Gonzales perhaps, but Bush has known and worked with Miers even longer.

Bush 41 did not know David Souter, Bush 43 knows Harriet Miers very well and much more so than any of the other names that have been offered up for consideration.
On considering only the question of what political base and beliefs Miers has (and that is the hot questions today), it would seem that she “should be” a mirror of the President and the candidate that he should know with most certainty.

If that is the case then I wonder if those on the extreme right of the Republican Party are in fact not all that comfortable with President Bush’s degree of conservatism and whether the President is not conservative enough for them. By appointing someone he is comfortable with has he fallen out of favor with the most conservative of Republicans as a President............

Big College Football Upset Weekend 10/1/2005

Lets compare the "Carnival of College Football Predictions" against the actual results for 10/1/2005. Here were the predictions from Thursday.

Well I was right about lots of upsets, but it ended up being a Big Upset weekend not a HUGE upset weekend but is was very close to HUGE......................

On my 5 upsets I got 2 of 5 right:

* #15 Alabama destroyed #5 Florida 31-3, it was never close and total domination by Bama. Florida did not score a touchdown, the first time since 1992! The big stat for me was 286 passing yards for Bama with 3 TD's vs. 187 passing yards for Florida and zero TD's. Bama showed the rest of the SEC how to beat a WAC offense which is not good news for Florida. Chris Leak looks like an average QB and is now a liability for the Gators. An old fashion whipping it was, total physical domination by Bama as they did what ever they wanted when every they wanted to. Bama has a tough road to get to the SEC championship game however with remaining games against Tennessee, LSU and Auburn. That said they look like the class of the SEC right now and if they get to the SEC Championship and win, they should be playing for the National Championship. In the weaker Eastern conference of the SEC you still have Georgia, Tennessee and Florida still all very much alive. At this point I think it will be Georgia or Tennessee vs. Bama in the championship. That said if Florida beats Georgia, they are still in the mix and that would be a fun rematch.........................

* Unranked Michigan beat #11 Michigan State in OT by 3 points, after Michigan had a big 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. An unranked Michigan beating the #11 team at Michigan State was an even bigger upset than Bama over Florida. Michigan State was one of my very over-rated Teams going into this weekends games.

* #14 Arizona State lost to #1 USC by 10 points after ASU lead 21-3 at half time. ASU had "FIVE" interceptions and still almost pulled off the HUGE upset and should have won this game. Close but no cigar..............................Those Devils.......................

* Unranked Missouri lost to #2 Texas big after being close in the first half. Missouri had "THREE" turn-overs in the first half which you can't do if you are going to beat the number two team in the land. I really thought Brad Smith was a better QB and Missouri has no defense with Texas rolling up 585 total yards of offense................................

* #22 Purdue got whacked by #13 Notre Dame. Notre Dame is for real with QB Quinn passing for 443 yards and ND is probably the best bet of all teams at this point who have a decent chance against USC in the regular season. It happens in two weeks........................

On my top three upsets that I predicted most probable of happening I went a respectable 2-1: Bama over Florida & Michigan over Michigan State were right, and Purdue over Notre Dame was very wrong........

There were other upsets which made the week a Big Upset Weekend:

* Unranked Penn State beat #18 Minnesota. I was wrong about Penn State and Joe Pa being over-rated, looks like he has a decent team this year. I'm not sold its a really good team but they are decent......................

* Unranked Maryland beat #19 Virginia. The Turtles win at home against the Cav after putting up 21 points in the fourth quarter. Nice close Turtles......

* Trev Albert's Big Red win in overtime over #23 Iowa State. I still say Nebraska is a weak undefeated team. Isn't everyone glad Trev Albert is not still on ESPN with the Big Red going undefeated so far? He would be baying like the ass he is over a weak team...............................

Overall for all picks on the "Carnival of College Football Predictions" my record for the week was: 11-5 even with the prediction of #1 & #2 losing, so it was a very good weekend for the "Carnival of College Football Predictions". We will be back next week with the best predictions you can find on college football anywhere and its all free...............................

(UCLA is losing 10-7 so I could go 11-6 but still a great weekend of predictions given the Bama and Michigan great calls and the insight to see the Big Upset Weekend................)