War Is War Mr. Kerry

Frankly, it grows tedious to hear John Kerry talk about the war on terror. A statement I just watched him make on Fox News a moment ago in response to the Osama Bin Laden tape circulating today emphasizes his inability to give a coherent plan to fight terror. He is totally absorbed in the political calculation of his statements.

Under his administration, "we will stop at absolutely nothing to hunt down terrorists wherever they are in the world."

Does this include Iraq? And if not, why? I thought it was the "wrong war, wrong place, wrong time." And what specifically would he have done differently? Merely saying "I would have gone after Osama Bin Laden and not Saddam Hussein" is an answer not only blind to the circumstances but crying out for specifics. And the very fact that OBL is broadcasting this message implies his complicity in all that is happening in Iraq now which means he had a stake there before the war.

No matter how much guys like Andrew Sullivan and Daily Kos want to criticize Bush for the handling of the war, they must as vigorously criticize John Kerry for such a politically calculated statement so inconsistent with his campaign rhetoric and political record.

Enough

Hoosier Review has hit the nail on the head:

"I must be completely alone in harboring the belief that the butchers now beheading Western hostages and blowing apart innocent Iraqis are themselves to blame for their primordial depravity - not 'intelligence failures' on our part or any mistakes made in Iraq's postbellum theatre."

Great point.

Freedom, The Press and This Election

As a conservative who has worked professionally and as a volunteer in Republican politics for the last 20 years, I cannot remember a time when I didn't want to give the liberal press a good kick in the shin on a daily basis. This election year is no different and in many ways underscores those unrelieved frustrations. But there is a much brighter side to the emotions I feel. It's called the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

No, I am not about to go off on some "anybody can say anything about anything in any manner for any purpose under any circumstances with any bad intention providing for any destructive end" sort of defense of free speech. There are reasonable limits like slander, defamation and libel and others which this commentary is not intended to address. (Go here if you want to delve deeper into that subject). But I will say that the limits to free speech should be significantly small--falling within the range of negligible to none. This allows for a media frenzy which is uncomfortable to all of us. I believe that is a good thing. And I don't believe it is unfair to any candidate--whether I like him or not--to endure the scorn of any media outlet whether they are disseminating truth or falsehood. This was difficult for me to accept in the 70's and 80's when the broadcast media were consolidated among clearly liberal choices. But--as far as my concerns needed to be addressed--Reagan won, so their actual effect was more limited than my perception could perceive. And I am sure those with a different perspective than mine can find their own examples of winning their cause despite oppressive media criticism.

So now we come to the election of 2004: the press has deconsolidated into multiple cable outlets; Rush Limbaugh has spawned dozens of radio talk shows (mostly conservative but some liberal); and the moonlighting Blogsphere is uncovering valid stories which traditional advertisement-supported media usually miss. This is much like it was when our country first exercised its free speaking muscles, and as it always does it will sort things out for us again.

It's clear that the New York Times desired an October surprise with its errant article about missing weapons in Al Qaqaa, Iraq. The story is falling apart all around us because they took the first bit of bad information they could use against the candidate they opposed. This is always to be expected in a political season, and it happens on both sides of the issue. It's the nature of the political "game." Great campaigns adjust for these eventualities with excellent long and short term planning as last-minute attacks reveal themselves. The Bush campaign gets a B-, in my opinion, on how it has handled the Al Qaqaa story. They're not out of the woods yet, but when the real information is uncovered in the broadcast media and circles around the blogsphere, our guarantee of a free press will once again play its proper role as the protector of our freedom--even with all the mess necessary to do so.

I still want to kick The New York Times in the shin. But I take solace in the fact that the truth is quickly coming on the heels of artifice. And this is the wonderful, disquieting beauty of our political process.

Long live The Truth!--and the ENTIRE First Amendment.

Vote For Our Dad

Here's some great "inside the Bush campaign" video presented by Jenna and Barbara Bush. Click here for the video to pop up immediately in Windows. Or click the link below to go to the site.

GeorgeWBush.com :: Vote For Our Dad

Voices of Iraq

Confessions Of A Political Junkie directs us to an important film work which documents the conditions in Iraq under Saddam Hussein's regeime in the eyes of Iraqis:

"It is often speculated by members of the left and certain members of the mainstream media that the people of Iraq were better off under Saddam Hussien.

I've often said a great campaign commercial would be for the President or a 527 to have Iraqi citizens tell about the horrors of Saddam's regime. Well, not quite my idea, but a movie is coming out called Voices of Iraq that lets the Iraqis tell their story in their own words."

Kerry and the Kitchen Sink

John Kerry comes out swinging on George Bush's Iraq policy today by saying he is going to use "the Bush Test" to evaluate the President's own performance in the War in Iraq. Using a rhetorical tongue lashing by turning the President's own words back on him, Kerry continues to use the discredited missing explosives story which many news organizations, including FOX News, showed were already gone from the Al Qaqaa facility back in April 2003 (according to archived news reports). Yet Kerry's brash statements against the Iraq policy continue:

"In speeches in Madison and earlier in Toledo, Ohio, Kerry launched a withering attack on Bush over 380 tons of explosives that disappeared from an Iraqi military facility around the time of the U.S.-led invasion last year.

He also chided his rival for invoking the memory of President John Kennedy and drew a contrast between the way Kennedy dealt with the bungled Bay of Pigs operation in Cuba and how Bush has handled Iraq."

Kerry threw the words back at the president during an appearance in Toledo, where he announced he was going "to apply the Bush standard" and declared: "Mr. President, I agree with you."

"George Bush jumped to conclusions about 9/11 and Saddam Hussein," he said. "George Bush jumped to conclusions about weapons of mass destruction ... George Bush jumped to conclusions about how the Iraqi people would receive our troops. He not only jumped to conclusions, he ignored the facts he was given."

These statements can only be accounted for as an attempt to gin up his base and use the media to reduce the gains President Bush has been making in these last weeks. Though the polls are wavering daily, many internal polls are pointing to problems for Kerry in states like Ohio, Michigan and New Jersey where the President is doing much better than expected. By reminding his base of their already strong belief that the President lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs, Kerry encourages stronger turnout within his faltering base. And the media's coverage of Kerry's speeches have been largely biased toward the Massachusetts Senator by ignoring growing evidence that the military did not allow weapons to slip into the hands of terrorists. And the media as well have yet to give substantial coverage of The Washington Times' investigation showing that Russia may have helped Iraq send banned weapons to Syria in the weeks leading up to the war.

Look for the Kerry attacks and media obfuscation to continue. The last-minute mudslinging has only just begun. Kerry hopes for his sake that both camps look like two children fighting in the sandbox. In so doing, a juvenile Kerry brings President Bush down from his mature perception in the eyes of the voters.

It just may work.

Yahoo! News - Kerry Uses Bush's Own Words to Call Him Unfit

. . .On the Clinton UN Watch.

Former President Bill Clinton sat down with Diane Sawyer for a personal interview recently. They discussed many topics abou this personal life and his future ambitions. In true Clinton form, the former President did not fully dispel rumors of his interest in the UN Secretary General position.

"There have been rumors that Clinton would like to be secretary general of the United Nations, or head of the World Bank. Asked about these, the former president said, 'Once you've been president, if you want another job, those are about the only two that you know that might be appealing. They're very important jobs.'

But he added he didn't know where the rumors got started. 'As far as I know there's no campaign under way or support for that,' he said. 'And neither does either one of them have a vacancy right now. And I strongly support the current occupants of both offices."

This comes from a man who has not yet settled his mind on the meaning of "is" and who didn't have "sex with that woman" before he did have "inappropriate relations" with her.

Clinton is a master with the trial balloon. He is clearly interested in becoming Secretary General of the UN or he would flatly deny it here. Quite the opposite, he perceives this position as a step up for him.

Look for this story to develop. And if he continues on this path, watch for Hillary to stay out of the Presidential race in 2008. It will be impossible for the American people to countenance a Clinton running the United States and the United Nations at the same time.

ABC News: Exclusive: Clinton's Plans for the Future

The Effect of the Undecideds

The Kerry Spot on National Review Online has published an analysis of undecideds and their effect on the election state by state.

Go read it here.

It makes for interesting reading and may say something about what is going on out there. I think it says that Bush will win, but I am not sure what I see in the polls at this stage of the game.

Still calling it 300+ EV for the President. It's a gut call. I believe the undecideds will break for him last minute.

Sacrificing Israel

Charles Krauthammer has a good idea why John Kerry cannot point to any foreign policy initiative which will bring our allies back on board with the United States in Iraq. Despite the fact that Kerry relentlessly claims he will bring us back into favor with our allies, "the problem for Kerry is that he cannot explain just how he proposes to do this," says Krauthammer. It seems he is just throwing words out about reversing "our isolation from our allies" to win an election. But is this really the case? Krauthammer makes this assertion.

"He really does want to end America's isolation. And he has an idea how to do it. For understandable reasons, however, he will not explain how on the eve of an election.

Think about it: What do the Europeans and the Arab states endlessly rail about in the Middle East? What (outside of Iraq) is the area of most friction with U.S. policy? What single issue most isolates America from the overwhelming majority of countries at the United Nations?"

Read more by linking to the article herel

Sacrificing Israel

DRUDGE: ABC News Holds Terror Tape

BREAKING NEWS: From the The Drudge Report

Drudge is reporting some information which ABC News has gathered on the terrorism watch.

Drudge says, "In the last week before the election, ABCNEWS is holding a videotaped message from a purported al Qaeda terrorist warning of a new attack on America, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

The terrorist claims on tape the next attack will dwarf 9/11. 'The streets will run with blood,' and 'America will mourn in silence' because they will be unable to count the number of the dead. Further claims: America has brought this on itself for electing George Bush who has made war on Islam by destroying the Taliban and making war on Al Qaeda.

ABCNEWS strongly denies holding the tape back from broadcast over political concerns during the last days of the election.

The CIA is analyzing the tape, a top federal source tells the DRUDGE REPORT."

Here's the complete story.

Mitch Daniels: Indiana Right to Life

Another candidate who deserves our support on the Wictory Wednesday. Mitch Daniels is endorsed by Indiana Right to Life.

Thoughtful and important presentation.

See the Presentation Here

Wictory Wednesday

Newly discovered documents show that the young John Kerry didn’t just meet with the Communist Vietnamese in Paris. He took orders from them. His activities, when he returned home and denounced his country and fellow soldiers, delighted the Vietnamese Communists and gave them hope that they could defeat America and enslave millions of Vietnamese in a genocidal slave state that persists to this day.

Is this the man you want to see in the White House? Do you want to wake up on November 3 and hear that John Kerry, Communist stooge, is the president-elect?

Do something! Join the 72-Hour Project. Vote early. Get your friends to vote early. Make sure that the Communist stooge is sent home in ignominous defeat.

Today is the last Wictory Wednesday in this campaign. Every Wednesday, hundreds of bloggers have asked their readers to donate or volunteer to an important Republican campaign.

Terrorists, Like Dogs, Look for Weakness

Confessions of a Political Junkie has hit the nail on the head.

"It is impolite to say. It is not to be discussed. The terrorists are not hitting us at home like they did in Spain. They are revving up action in Iraq to frustrate us into tossing Bush. If we toss Bush, we may think it is for domestic reasons. The terrorists will see it as a sign of weakness and surrender. Next time they want their way, well, let's work to get Bush re-elected. "

The conclusion: Al Qaeda attacked us on 9/11 because of our weakness. They hope they can extend hostilities by frustrating Bush in Iraq and intimidating the American People into voting the lion away from the foxhole.

You'll want to read this entire article here

CBS Already Knew About Al Qaqaa

Captain's Quarters seems to have found what CBS was unable [read: "unwilling"] to find within its own archives about the supposedly misplaced 380 tons of explosives at the weapons facility in Al Qaqaa, Iraq.

"Alert CQ reader Samuel Silver sent me this article from the archives of CBS News -- the same organization that helped prepped NYTrogate with the New York Times -- which shows that the Third Infantry Division had reached Al Qaqaa and discovered thousands of vials of a mysterious powdered explosive by April 3, 2003 (coincidentally, my birthday):

U.S. troops found thousands of boxes of white powder, nerve agent antidote and Arabic documents on how to engage in chemical warfare at an industrial site south of Baghdad. But a senior U.S. official familiar with initial testing said the materials were believed to be explosives.

Col. John Peabody, engineer brigade commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said the materials were found Friday at the Latifiyah industrial complex just south of Baghdad. ... The facility is part of a larger complex known as the Latifiyah Explosives and Ammunition Plant al Qa Qaa"

Here's the full Story

MSNBC - God on the ballot

I am looking for some comments on this.

I am a believer that the "religious right" is the most potent force in politics still if properly motivated and organized. They are not a group of mad, intolerant, whacky players on the political scene. Many hate the fact that religious conservatives are inflexible on issues like abortion and gay marriage (and civil unions). But on the whole, they bring a balance approach to the issues of the day. And when push comes to shove, they understand and believe in the basic liberties outlines so clearly by our founding fathers.

Are we hurt by their presence on the political scene?

Is Bush's evangelical outlook really bad for American Society?

Weigh in on this. I am curious if you think the Republican Party has gone overboard in courting serious people of faith.

The MSNBC article below (four part series) is instructive in considering the debate on this issue.

Bush’s main political adviser, Karl Rove, has said he was frustrated that as many as 4 million conservative white evangelical voters did not go to the polls four years ago. Those voters, the campaign believes, could make the difference in any of a number of closely divided states. In an election as tight as this one is expected to be, when one state could make the difference, the Republican Party has mounted a sophisticated pitch to what it sees as its base.

Difference of opinion is helpful in religion.
— Thomas Jefferson

The president appeals to such voters across a shared belief that the Bible is the literal Word of God. It is a faith that recognizes a very real Devil. In fundamental terms, in other words, the president’s faith divides the world into two camps: good and evil. There is no gray. There is only right and wrong.

MSNBC - God on the ballot

Abortion Views Good Indicator of Voting Pattern

LifeNews.com gives some good information on the power of the pro-life voter.

Here's the Story:

"The results of a new Gallup survey show that pro-life voters are more focused on electing pro-life candidates than 'pro-choice' voters are on backing candidates who support abortion. They survey shows the abortion issue favors President Bush and Gallup says it could decide the election. According to the poll, 19% of likely voters say the abortion issue directs which candidates they are willing to support."

Pro-Lifers are disliked even by some Republicans as difficult to work with. Fortunately, the RNC didn't think so this year. They have a massive GOTV effort underway in the Christian/Pro-Life community. It will make a big difference in this election.

The prevalence of polls in the margin-of-error in key states gives one pause. But this block of voters in the white, hispanic and black communities will lock those numbers in Bush's favor if the RNC gets them out.

7-Eleven Picks Bush

INDC Journal has an interesting bit of information.

"7-Eleven did an unscientific poll in 2000, which was uncannily accurate.

The poll gives 7-Eleven customers the choice of a Bush, Kerry or undecided cup when purchasing a fountain soft drink. Poll results are based on the number of cups sold for each candidate. Although unscientific, the poll samples millions and millions of Americans from all walks of life across the nation, including those whose primary phone is a cell phone.

This year the vote is:
Bush: 51.17 %
Kerry: 48.83 %"

Adding this to the Scholastic company's poll which has picked the winner every year since 1956. . .THIS IS A LOCK!.

OK.....it's not a lock. But I still call it at 300 EV for Bush with due nervousness about all the state polls within the margin of error.

The Failed October Surprise: President Didn't Bumble

The hopes of John Kerry's most recent October surprise are dashed. The politics of fear Bill Clinton claimed President Bush is using to get elected turns out to be the urgent words of a sentry on guard.

It turns out after all that missing explosives in Iraq were given away to someone by Saddam Hussein's government to someone we don't know of yet. Could the car bombs around Iraq be detonated by these very explosive our "bumbling administration" couldn't guard properly.

"NBCNEWS reported: The 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives were already missing back in April 10, 2003 -- when U.S. troops arrived at the installation south of Baghdad!

An NBCNEWS crew embedded with troops moved in to secure the Al-Qaqaa weapons facility on April 10, 2003, one day after the liberation of Iraq. According to NBCNEWS, the HMX and RDX explosives were already missing when the American troops arrived.

'The U.S. Army was at the site one day after the liberation and the weapons were already gone,' a top Republican blasted from Washington late Monday. "

When I write a story too quickly making confident assertions without complete evidence, that's a mistake. When John Kerry makes a statement like this without investigating the facts:

"This is one of the great blunders of Iraq, one of the great blunders of this administration"

. . . it proves that he does not have the calm resolve and measured response necessary of a Commander in Chief and leader of the Free World.

Here's the Link to the story

The Role of Government : The Emerging Campaign

I receive regularly by email, the "Founders' Quote Daily" from The Federalist Patriot. I find it a great tool for stirring up my strict constructionist tendencies. Today's quote brought a thought to mind:

"One government.... In the formation of treaties...will regard the interest of the whole, and the particular interests of the parts as connected with that of the whole." --John Jay, Federalist No. 4

We find here a reminder that the arguments for the role of government were quite different then than now. The whole mindset of what government does was radically different than that which shows itself in current political debate.

The founders had a very simple role for government which can be enumerated thus:

1) Provide for the common defense of all the states.

2) Negotiate treaties on behalf of the states with other countries.

3) Provide for infrastructure improvements which would not be possible to complete at a local level (at that time this included canals and various national roads designed to enhance the flow of commerce).

4) Regulate commerce between the states and make sure no state has an inherent advantage over the others.

This was all formed using a federal system of separated powers headed by the Legislative branch and supported by the Executive and Judicial branches.

I know, I am boring you with basic Government 101 stuff. But isn't that tendency to turn the brain toward "more relevant problems" the problem itself in our current political discussion? "It's just too boring and confusing to have to deal with it all." "Politicians lie anyway and I just don't want to deal with them." Well, we had better deal with them in our election process because the debate has shifted so far from the Constitution and so much into "pocketbook issues" that we have lost sight of the purpose of our freedoms.

Let's be honest and ask a few questions:

--In the early part of our country's history, did poor people in need really fall through the cracks any more than they do now?

--Do you remember Doc on Gunsmoke? I think I have seen half of the episodes in re-run, and I remember numerous times when he provided medical service with a winking request for pay. How did our country survive back then without health insurance?

--Didn't social security used to mean that families took care of grandparents?

--Would the Cotton Gin have been invented and used under Occupational Health and safety standards as they exist today?

--Did the 16th Amendment really make us a more prosperous nation, or did it just expand government?

--Is disposable income enhanced since we instituted a minimum wage, or does everything else keep getting more expensive?

--Has no-fault divorce enhanced relationships? (OK. I know this is not a federal issue, but it really irks me!)

--Has our educational system done better or worse since we took prayer and Bible reading out of schools?

--Has murder increased or decreased since Roe v. Wade?

Once Bush is elected--and I think that is clearly the result--it's time to address the role of government once again like we did after 1994. This time around it must be more substantive and seek much more fundamental change. I believe this discussion should begin with the 16th Amendment and the implementation of a Fair Tax But we need a spokesman to emerge and lead the charge.

But, alas, no Newt Gingrich has yet appeared. Hopefully Denny Hastert is of a mind to bring someone to the top

Links to discussion of the Fair Tax:

Americans for Fair Taxation
Alan Keyes show, October 1, 1997
Discussion on Free Republic

Other Links

Caption Contest

Backcountry Conservative has a great caption contest. Here's the pic.

Click Here to participate.

Chief Justice in Hospital

Supreme Court Chief Justice William Renquist has entered Bethesda Naval hospital for cancer treatments.

Find the story here

THE SUPREME COURT MATTERS IN THIS ELECTION PEOPLE!

Read more here

John Kerry: "U.S. Troops' Death Only Justified Under UN Banner"

John Kerry, according to this Washington Post article, would only justify the death of U.S. Soldiers if operating under a UN banner.

"'Kerry's belief in working with allies runs so deep that he has maintained that the loss of American life can be better justified if it occurs in the course of a mission with international support. In 1994, discussing the possibility of U.S. troops being killed in Bosnia, he said, 'If you mean dying in the course of the United Nations effort, yes, it is worth that. If you mean dying American troops unilaterally going in with some false presumption that we can affect the outcome, the answer is unequivocally no.'' "

Do we need much more evidence about how John Kerry will operate if he becomes Commander in Chief. Will we use that title anymore if he becomes President?

Truth Detector: The Most Amazing John Kerry Quote

'No Riots If We Win'

Well, I am sure it's all over the internet now. Matt Drudge is reporting it (click on the title above to go to his story), and it is spreading quickly around the blogsphere. Jonathan Edwards' wife is claiming that riots will not occur if the Kerry/Edwards ticket prevails implying that they will happen if he doesn't. (Is Michael Moore making threats at his rallies?)

Here's my take:

Let's be fair. Edwards wife is guilty of making an empathetic comment to a wild statement made by a supporter to which she gave little thought. And she may not have been fully aware of the possibility that the comment would be recorded (remember: her husband has only been in politics for less that 4 years and never on a national scale).

However, the acceptance of the supporter's concerns underscores the shallowness and pomposity of the Kerry campaign. These deficiencies are without equal even to the Clinton Presidency which suffered from the same.

To imply that there will be riots in a free society after elections shows the third world attitude that will pervade any Kerry led administration (the same third world attitude within which the UN operates I might add).

The pundits are correct to show this for the outrage it represents. The Democrat Party should be ashamed it could nominate such a crew to lead their party.

This audio link made available by Matt Drudge will pop open immediatly in your Windows Media Player.

Hillary as Chief Justice?

On Fox News this morning, Bill Kristol predicted that if John Kerry becomes President, look for Hillary Clinton to be appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

This statement brings chills down the spine all by itself, but worse is that there are many like Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) who would support the appointment without question like he did when he wholeheartedly supported Clinton's appointment of Jocelyn Elders.

The Supreme Court is the Least Discussed Campaign Issue

It is striking that so little attention has been given to the fact that the Supreme Court appointments likely to come during the next four years. In the second debate, both Presidential candidates expressed briefly that the winner would have the important responsibility of choosing new Supreme and Federal Court Judges. But neither has made this a premiere issue in the campaign.

In that debate, John Kerry made it clear his criteria for selecting judges (emphasis mine):

. . .in terms of civil rights, what kind of Justice Department you'll have, whether we'll enforce the law. Will we have equal opportunity? Will women's rights be protected? Will we have equal pay for women, which is going backwards? Will a woman's right to choose be protected? These are constitutional rights, and I want to make sure we have judges who interpret the Constitution of the United States according to the law.

The President laid out his criteria in this manner (emphasis mine):

I wouldn't pick a judge who said that the Pledge of Allegiance couldn't be said in a school because it had the words "under God" in it. I think that's an example of a judge allowing personal opinion to enter into the decision-making process as opposed to a strict interpretation of the Constitution. . . .And so, I would pick people that would be strict constructionists. We've got plenty of lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Legislators make law; judges interpret the Constitution.

It seems clear what type of judges will be chosen by the two candidates, and they have put it on the record. We will get what we vote for in this country. But sadly, the American people don't seem to know clearly what each candidate will do with their appointments.

The stakes are high because important cases effecting commerce, civil rights, morality in public life and abortion will certainly be coming before the Court in the next few decades. The composition of the court will be established in the next two years.

The current court is largely favorable to conservative causes, but it produces votes on some key issues which can go 5-4 for or against issues important to both sides of the aisle. One appointment will change that balance one way or the other: to say nothing of the mass of appointments that will be made in the lower courts.

The average age of all the current Justices is 71 years old. Two are in their 80's and two in their 70's.

Justice	Appointed by	Sworn in	Age
Stephen Breyer	Clinton	1994	66
Ruth Bader Ginsburg	Clinton	1993	71
Anthony M. Kennedy	Reagan	1988	68
Sandra Day O'Connor	Reagan	1981	74
William H. Rehnquist	Nixon	1972	80
Antonin Scalia	Reagan	1986	68
David H. Souter	Bush	1990	65
John Paul Stevens	Ford	1975	84
Clarence Thomas	Bush	1991	56

The Electoral Vote Predictor sums up the situation well:

"It is very likely than multiple vacancies will occur on the Court in the next four years. The court will undoubtedly have to rule on cases involving abortion, the Patriot Act, and other divisive issues. If you are an undecided voter, think carefully about which candidate would make better appointments to the Supreme Court. Furthermore, a president makes far more appointment[s] to the appellate courts than to the Supreme Court, and they hear far more cases per year. If you approve of the appointments Bush has made to the appellate courts, surely you want to give him the chance to make more. . . . The next president's appointments could shape the country for decades to come."

Well spoken. The President would do well to make this pitch strongly in the last few days of the campaign as a way to shore up his conservative base and shake loose some undecideds.

Are We Ready for "Tereza"

The Washington Times has an interesting article abou the prospect of Theresa Heinz-Kerry as first Lady.

Compare the comments about her presence in the White House. . .

" 'Put it this way,' said author and Forbes FYI editor Christopher Buckley, 'I think Teresa Heinz would be by far the only thing to enjoy during what I suspect will be four dreary years of the human tree.'
For that reason, social Washington is salivating at the idea of a revitalized White House, with a multilingual, art-collecting, wine-drinking, garden-loving billionairess who calls herself 'cheeky' and 'sexy' running the salon. "

. . .To the impressions some have of Laura Bush in the White House Now.

"What we're hungry for," said former Clinton administration official Ann Pincus, "is someone who's engaged."
The Bushes have been virtually incognito for the last four years. Harpers Bazaar recently referred to the first lady's style as "Marian the Librarian."
"Nobody's been to The White House," added Mrs. Pincus. "You don't know about them. There's no buzz." The president is a teetotaler and Laura Bush "doesn't even do lunches. It's like, 'Hello, is this 1958?' "
"Laura is a gracious person, but she's been relegated to being a pretty picture," noted publishing heiress Marie Ridder. "Whereas John Kerry does listen to Teresa, who has a powerful voice."

Bill Clinton Aims at UN Secretary General Post

Well, I guess we could see this coming. Whenever this kind of story comes out about Bill Clinton, it is usually by design. And the means by which the word is coming out fits the Clinton "trial balloon" method as well.

"WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has set his sights on becoming U.N. secretary-general. A Clinton insider and a senior U.N. source have told United Press International the 56-year-old former president would like to be named leader of the world body when Kofi Annan's term ends early in 2006.

'He definitely wants to do it,' the Clinton insider said this week.

A Clinton candidacy is likely to receive overwhelming support from U.N. member states, particularly the Third World. Diplomats in Washington say Clinton would galvanize the United Nations and give an enormous boost to its prestige. But the former president's hopes hang on a crucial question that will not be addressed until after the presidential elections: can he get the support of the U.S. government -- a prerequisite for nomination?

The political wisdom is that a second George W. Bush presidency would cut him off at the pass. The notion of Clinton looming large in the international arena from 'the glass tower' in New York would be intolerable to the Bush White House. If Democratic candidate, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., wins on Nov. 2 the prospect of Clinton as secretary-general won't exactly be welcome either, but Kerry would find it much harder -- if not impossible -- to go against it."

Bill Clinton turned a blind eye on Iraq (except for some "spare" cruise missles) and Rwanda during his presidency precisely because of his deference to the United Nations. Kosovo and Bosnia were disasters because he handed them over to UN workers (including the one who ordered the murder of Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994).

These are tell-tale signs of a work-in-progress by Clinton. He apparently is talking to UN officials about it as well. We'll keep our eyes out for further confirmation.

Here's the link to the story.


UPDATE:

Confessions of a Political Junkie comments on this as at best a Clinton ruse to stir up political waves for Kerry and at worst an internet hoax. He has some good analysis in his article. I take this a bit more seriously. Whereas it is unlikely that Clinton can obtain the post due to his former position as President of the United States and the precedent of the UN to be lead by people of less prominent countries, the UN is also about to go through its worst crisis period yet. The Iraqi Oil-for-Food scandal has yet to fully break out. And the emerging scandal surrounding the administration of the U.N.D.P. operations in Rwanda are likely to throw the organization into a shambles. There will likely be great pressure to reform an organization which is falling apart. That cannot be easily done without major support from the United States. And with a Congress determined to let it fall of its own weight, someone with Clinton's stature may be the only hope for keeping the UN alive since a French or German representative is unlikely to be allowed with the US being its major benefactor.

I think most people don't understand what is about to break out here. I think the UN is in major trouble and that more scandals will be breaking loose in the months to come.

ANOTHER UPDATE:

I like Wes Roth's Comment.

From around the blogosphere: Bill Clinton is aiming for the UN Secretary-General position and the Opinion Times offers his, um, opinion

Polling Trends

Jay Reding has taken a look at the polling trends and come up with some interesting insights.

Recently, Steven Den Beste took a look at the overall poll trends in this race and spotted an overall trendline running through the data in this race. Den Beste is an engineer by trade, so he knows a thing or two about spotting mathematical trends.




What we see is a trendline in which George W. Bush consistantly leads John Kerry by a few percentage points each time. The Real Clear Politics poll average is a good measure as it smooths out some of the sampling bias in the polls and deals only with aggregate figures. Despite all the jitters in the data, the trendline remains consistant even with the polls that have come out subsequently to Den Beste’s analysis.

I am calling the race at 300-320 electoral votes. I believe that these numbers are beginning to bear this out, especially since the state polling numbers are increasingly favorable to Bush.

Another U.N. Scandal--U.N. Official Accused of Participating in Genocide Awarded Back Pay

A former U.N. official who was accused of participating in genocide in Rwanda was awarded back pay recently after an internal U.N. review panel could not verify the allegations against him. Callixte Mbarushimana, a Rwandan Hutu, headed up the United Nations Development Program (U.N.D.P.) operations in that country. He was accused of ordering the deaths of dozens of Tutsis, a rival tribe to his Hutus.

American RadioWorks reports:

Callixte Mbarushimana filed a complaint saying he was unfairly dismissed by the U.N. after he was detained in 2001 on an international arrest warrant. A U.N. administrative panel agreed and awarded Mbarushimana 12 months' back pay, according to a copy of the July 23, 2004 decision . . . . The decision has not been released publicly.

The decision angered current and former United Nations officials who accused the U.N. of foot-dragging, mishandling evidence, and betraying victims of the genocide by finding in Mbarushimana's favor. They said the failure to prosecute Mbarushimana further undermines the U.N.'s credibility in confronting genocide.

More to the point, we find this statement in the American RadioWorks story:

After Mbarushimana's release, U.N. war crimes investigators uncovered evidence linking him to at least six massacres of ethnic Tutsi civilians in Kigali, the Rwandan capital. . . . The victims included Tutsis working for the U.N. who were hunted down and slaughtered by Hutu extremists. Mbarushimana is a Hutu.

Ms. Florence Ngirumpatse, a Tutsi who worked for the U.N.D.P. mission , was ordered to be killed along with 12 other Tutsis by Mbarushimana. Reports of this killing were not investigated by the U.N. when reported to them.

Tony Greig, a New Zealand attorney who led the U.N. investigation, said he helped draft a genocide indictment against Mbarushimana, drawing on detailed accounts from 24 witnesses. It would have been the first time a U.N. worker was charged with international war crimes. However, the indictment was set aside and the investigation closed by Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte. Del Ponte has refused to explain why Mbarushimana was not indicted.

Shockingly, the U.N. had this to say in its administrative report allowing back pay for Mbarushimana:

although it is understood that the United Nations
was undoubtedly shocked to learn that one of its employees was charged with crimes of genocide, the Administration is always bound to balance its interest to keep the reputation of the Organization at the highest possible level, with the need to respect the dignity of its staff members and indeed see that this dignity is safeguarded until they are found guilty by a Court of Law.

The United Nations ignored the brutal treatment of Hutus and abuse of power within its own ranks in a vain attempt to save its reputation. In the July 2004 administrative opinion it decided to stand for the "dignity" of one of its employees over the dignity of dozens of murded people even with the testimony of dozens of witnesses.

This organization shows rampant corruption and disregard for true human rights. It failed in Kosovo and Bonsia, it ignored Iraq, it does nothing about the problems in The Sudan and now it becomes clear why their mission failed in Rwanda. The U.N.D.P. was being run by officials who had no neutrality. On the contrary, Mbarushimana had every intent to use his position to destroy his sworn enemies.

American RadioWorks Story

Read the transcript from CNN's Lou Dobbs' program from 10/21/04.

Major Athletes and Gold Medal Winners Endorse Bush

[Open letter signed by 24 Olympians and Professional Athletes]

To our fellow Americans:

We have given much thought to the values and characteristics that make a great athlete. Our lives have been spent trying to run farther, push further, and jump higher than the person beside us, or across the field of our chosen sport. With years of training and exhaustive competition beneath our belts, we have identified the values necessary to compete and win--values like personal strength, determination, a sense of fair play and faith.

The same qualities that make a great athlete make a great President--the determination to do what is right, regardless of the latest polls, the personal strength to bear the weight of the nation on your shoulders, and the faith that a higher power will direct the actions of good people.
We see in President Bush these same qualities.
In 2001, our nation was attacked without cause or provocation. The President's values saw us through those dark days after the terrorist attack. The economy was rocked by the dual blows of the terrorists' cowardly action and the reckless disregard of the rules by a few rogue executives. But President Bush's decisive, principled leadership has moved America forward, and today our nation is safer and our economy is strong and getting stronger.
The fight against terrorism takes decisiveness. It takes continued support for our troops and first responders. But most importantly, it takes courage and inspirational leadership in the White House. In these critical times, our President has had the courage to stand up and do what's right.
For that and for his unwavering character, we choose George W. Bush as our President for the next four years. He is a leader we can depend on to make the tough decisions and the right decisions. Please join us in supporting a candidate of courage, President Bush--a leader who backs our troops defending our nation and shares our values.
Sincerely,
 

Keyes v. Obama in the Culture War

There have been many naysayers in conservative ranks about Alan Keyes' Senate race in IL. And, unfortunately, the press has been quite vicious about many of his statements. But those of like mind should not participate in the destruction of this standard-bearer of our foundational principles by sitting this one out either in the grassroots or at the voting booth.

Yes, it looks grim by the polling. But much in the bad numbers can be attributed to conservatives not understanding what the press is doing to make Alan seem on the fringe of issues. To be sure, he has not always spoken in sound-bite fashion as he should. But he has done well in the debates and he never compromises principle. He deserves support against a candidate like Barak Obama who is more left-wing that Carol Moseley-Braun could have hoped to be and will have more influence than she was ever capable of building.

Many like-minded people will think it going over the edge to push Alan in this journal. But, it's a clear choice for Alan Keyes in this race.

Mr. Sullivan--It Ain't That Easy

INDC Journal quotes a letter to Andrew Sullivan about Andrew's consistent attack on President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. It is a bit excessive in this journal's opinion, and we wish it were a bit more well balanced.

Now, by way of explanation, we like Andrew Sullivan's site at Opinion Times even though there are sharp disagreements on some key issues. Andrew does generally show a thoughtful side in his arguments and generally adds positively to the debate. But with his criticism of the President's handling of the war on Iraq, objectivity seems to be giving way to emotional disturbance.

To the point, here is a logical argument to that effect quoted by INDC:

It is an old military maxim that blunders can be forgiven, but a lack of boldness cannot. There will always be blunders. The simple becomes difficult in war. . . .There will always be blunders. But the job has to get done anyway. And to get this kind of job done boldness is essential. A leader who never blunders, but who doesn't take the fight to the enemy is worthless. A leader who sets about to win - win ugly if needs be - is priceless.

Exactly. We agree fully. The full article at INDC Journal is worth reading.

Wictory Wednesday

Republican Congressman Jim DeMint is slightly ahead of his Democrat opponent in the race for South Carolina’s open Senate seat. But he needs one last push to close the deal. If you don’t want to see more Democrats in the Senate, you can help DeMint by donating to his campaign.

Today is Wictory Wednesday. Every Wednesday, hundreds of bloggers ask their readers to donate to an important Republican Senate campaign.

If you’re a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesdays by e-mailing me at wictory@blogsforbush.com. I’ll add you to the Wictory Wednesday blogroll. I’ll also send you a reminder e-mail every Wednesday, explaining which Senate candidate to support that day.

Here’s the list of blogs currently participating in Wictory Wednesdays:

-- PoliPundit


Posted at 6:40 am Link to this post | Comments (0)

Heinz-Kerry Would Make 'Gay Tolerance' Centerpiece of Her Duties as First Lady

Theresa Heinz-Kerry, in an interview with PlanetOut--a gay and lesbian news service--has said that "gay tolerance" will be a centerpiece of her agenda as First Lady.

"(CNSNews.com) - . . .Teresa Heinz Kerry 'pledges to make gay tolerance a centerpiece of her First Lady duties,' an online media company reported. In an exclusive interview with PlanetOut -- which describes itself as a gay media company -- Mrs. Kerry made a distinction between sex and sexuality.

She told PlanetOut's senior political correspondent Chris Bull, 'A lot of people, particularly those of the more fundamentalist view, think of homosexuality as a sex thing rather than a sexuality thing. They are really very different.' "

The battle lines are drawn. It would be bad enough for some states to approve "gay marriage", but for a First Lady to push a gay agenda which would be clearly supported by her husband's administration is a disaster for marriage in this country. It would give gay activists a platform to push a legislative agenda in states which might balk at expanding marriage otherwise. It could also provide more force behind promoting the "full faith and credit" clause of the Constitution and expand the battle to the courts. If the courts maintain their penchant to legislate, traditional marriage could be a thing of the past in the United States.

My Take on Traditional Marriage as a foundation of American Government.

Here is a story about the recent debate in Congress on the Federal Marriage Amendment where Cong. Barney Frank (D-NY) and Cong. Mike Pence (R-IN) duked it out.

Here's a link to the CNSNews.com story.

Kerry said to be excommunicated

In a developing story: John Kerry is said to be excommunicated from the Catholic Church as reported by CWNews.com. Such a move would cause the church to deny communion and other sacraments of the Church to him.

A consultant to the Vatican has said Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has incurred the penalty of excommunication from the Catholic Church.

The consultant made his statement in a highly unusual letter to Marc Balestrieri, a Los Angeles canon lawyer who formally sued John Kerry in ecclesiastical court for heresy.

Balestrieri, who launched his case earlier this year by filing a heresy complaint in Kerry's home archdiocese of Boston, told EWTN's 'World Over' program on Friday that he had received an unusual, indirect communication from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the pro-abortion stance."

Balestreri has asked the church to take a strong stand to oppose those Catholics in government positions who claim to oppose abortion but support legislative and executive agendas which allow abortion to continue.

[Balestreri's heresy complaint] also provided a basis for Balestrieri to broaden his canonical actions and file additional complaints against four more pro-abortion Catholic politicians: Democrat Senators Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Tom Harkin of Iowa; Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine; and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, a Democrat.

This will cause a major battle within the American Catholic Church causing shockwaves in the political community. And it may have a negative effect on Kerry eroding much of his Catholic support nationwide. The Republican National Committee has worked hard generating support in the Catholic community in crucial swing states. In Ohio and Pennsylvania--the two states which have become key states in the race for Electoral College votes-- which have strong Catholic populations, this could help solidify the eleciton for President Bush.
Here's the Link

More Voter Registration Irregularities

Another example of voter registration irregularities reported by Matt Drudge

"The Sheriff�s Office alleges that Staton filled out over 100 voter registration forms that were fictitious. Staton was to be paid for each registration form that he could get citizens to fill out. However, Staton himself filled out the registrations and returned them to the woman who hired him from Toledo, Ohio. Deputies allege that Staton was paid crack cocaine for the falsified registrations. "

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2004

Meet John Hostettler

Now, here's an example of media working FOR a Republican candidates!

Here's the webpage where you can find the video. When you get to the site, click on the link that says, "Hometown Memories: Meet John Hostettler."

John is always in a tight race, and he deserves your support. Please go to and make a contribution to his campaign.

Former POW's Last Vote

I'm touched. I went to Just A Girl In The World's website and saw this touching story. I quote it in full but ask you to visit her site as well.

Thanks for sharing Girl!

I agreed to put in a few hours for Hospice today. They had a new patient that they wanted me to do an intake on. So I spent 3 hours today at the home of G. - a man with lung cancer. He has an approximate 3 month prognosis, and is in extremely good manner about it. He’s a former POW from WWII and an active veteran with his local VFW. He wants to remain active in it as much as possible and for as long as possible.

After I was done answering his questions and then doing his physical assessment and going through his medications - - he looked at me and said, “I don’t care what happens between now and when I die - except for one thing. I am going to stay alive long enough to vote, dammit. If you think for one moment that I’m going to let John Kerry hijack our nation’s military, you’re nuts. I’m not going to let that happen without knowing that at least I voted for the right man, George W. Bush.”

I said, “G. - you’re going to vote on Nov. 2nd if I have to come down here and drive you to your local polling area, myself.”

He says, “Really? You’d do that? Because otherwise I’d have to take a cab”

So, on November 2nd, I have a date 30 miles away. I’ll cast my vote here, first - then head down to Milwaukee and help G. cast his. I think it’s the very least I can do for a former POW who is casting his very last vote in his life.

(PS - oh yea, and before my good friends from the left ask the obvious question, the answer is yes. Yes I would.)

Just A Girl � Special Date

Where's the WMD?

From Cox & Forkum


Evidence is so hard to find! (Click to Enlarge) 

"Uh, Sorry Honey. I Was Just Taking A Nap!"

This is one of the most blatant examples of psychology gone amok!

BBC NEWS | Sleepwalkers who have 'sex sleep'

New Mexico: More on the Voter Fraud Watch

More news on potential voter fraud.

"Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M) says he's worried about voter registration fraud in New Mexico, where people do not have to present identification when they show up at the polls.

Domenici said recent get-out-the-vote efforts by advocacy groups raise the possibility that people who are ineligible to vote will do so anyway. He said that includes people who registered more than once; underage voters; and illegal immigrants.

'You're not going to find out at the voting booth, unless you have identification,' Domenici told Fox & Friends on Friday. 'In New Mexico, the courts have ruled, wrongly in my opinion, that you don't have to have an ID [to vote].'"

Here's the Link

Dichotomies of Political Seasons

After receiving an email froma friend today, I realized that one way for us to evaluate the Kerry rhetoric of the debates and the campaign trail is to investigate the differences in policy between George Bush and Bill Clinton.

I have taken excerpts from that email and added them below:

Clinton awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Yugoslavia - good...
Bush awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Iraq - bad...

Clinton imposes regime change in Serbia - good...
Bush imposes regime change in Iraq - bad...

Clinton bombs Christian Serbs on behalf of Muslim Albanian terrorists- good...
Bush liberates 25 million from a genocidal dictator - bad...

Clinton bombs Chinese embassy - good...
Bush bombs terrorist camps - bad...

Clinton says Saddam has nukes - good...
Bush says Saddam has nukes - bad...

Clinton calls for regime change in Iraq - good...
Bush imposes regime change in Iraq - bad...

Terrorist training in Afghanistan under Clinton - good...
Bush destroys training camps in Afghanistan - bad...

Clinton spends 77 billion on war in Serbia - good...
Bush spends 87 billion in Iraq - bad...(OK 200 million, but you get the point)

Milosevic not yet convicted - good...
Saddam turned over for trial - bad...

South Carolina: More Democrat Campaign Violence

Backcountry Conservative reports from South Carolina another instance of campaign intimidation by Democrats:

S.C. Hotline reports on something that supposedly happened outside a U.S. Senate debate in Greenville earlier this week. "The unreported event that happened at the rally before the debate was that one of the DeMint volunteers was whacked over the head with a sign by an Inez volunteer or staffer."

Just another instance of a violent reaction to Democrats slipping in the polls.

Swift Vets Ad

Here is a QuickTime movie of the latest swift boat ad.

Confessions of a Political Junkie says, "Wow! Both ads will air during Monday Night Football, which will be between Tampa Bay and St. Louis. Can you say Swing States?!"

Very compelling stuff!

Drudge: Democrats Claim Rampant Republican Vote Intimidation

Matt Drudge today is reporting about Democrat efforts to tag Republicans with voter intimidation in key states--even if none is found. Drudge says:

The Kerry/Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee are advising election operatives to declare voter intimidation -- even if none exists, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal.

One top DNC official confirmed the manual's authenticity, but claimed the notion of crying wolf on any voter intimidation is "absurd."

"We all know the Republicans are going to try to steal the election by scaring people and confusing people," the top DNC source explained.

You'll find a sample below of a Democrat manual circulating in Colorado which Drudge posted on his website.

It was reported on this site recently that many states are in the midst of problems with voter fraud. The fight for votes seems to be taking shape as a battle not only to Get Out The Vote, but to change the results by whatever legal means necessary. Clearly Democrats are still very upset with the Florida results in 2000 and want to take the offensive this yearThe Party of Trial Lawyers is gearing up for a Take The Vote effort.

More to come.

Check out Vodka Pundit's take on this issue as well: "To these guys, winning office is more important than the sanctity of elections. Holding power is more important than the Constitution."
---------------------


Colorado manual showing calls of claiming voter intimidation--click to enlarge 

Global Test

Global Test in a Box(click for larger view) 

Kerry Gaffe of the 2004 Elecion Season.

How John Kerry will be defined as a leader. 

Does Kerry Know Why the 2nd Amendment Exists

Chris at Hoosier Parliament hits the nail on the head with this comment about John Kerry's merely verbal acceptance of gun use.

"'I'm a hunter,' came the knee-jerk reply from Senator John Kerry during the debate last night when he was asked about his position on a gun issue.

Kerry always speaks of 'hunting' when talking about gun laws, as if that is the only permissible reason he would allow us to own guns.

The Constitution mentions nothing about hunting. Hunting is mostly irrelevant to the gun issue.

I am not a hunter, have never been a hunter, and never plan to kill an animal with a gun. Frankly, I think hunting wild animals is disgusting.

It is none of John Kerry's business why I own my gun[s?], as long as I abide by the law.

By the way, do you really think John Forbes Kerry eats his kills?"

On the Eschatology Watch

Applied Digital Solutions just received FDA approval of it's VeriChip, a data/tracking device which is the size of a grain of rice and can be implanted under the skin. It has been approved for initial use to transmit medical data to doctors when treating patients--especially those in a comatose state. ADS will provide $650 scanners to 200 trauma centers nationwide to help kick-off the release of this device.

The company currently sells similar devices for use in pets.

"Ultimately, the company hopes patients who suffer from such ailments as diabetes and Alzheimer's or who undergo complex treatments, like chemotherapy, would have chips implanted. If the procedure proves as popular for use in humans as in pets, that could mean up to 1 million chips implanted in people.

The company's chief executive officer, Scott R. Silverman, is one of a half dozen executives who had chips implanted. Silverman said chips implanted for medical uses could also be used for security purposes, like tracking employee movement through nuclear power plants. Such security uses are rare in the United States.

Meanwhile, the chip has been used for pure whimsy: Club hoppers in Barcelona, Spain, now use the microchip to enter a VIP area and, through links to a different database, speed payment much like a smartcard."

This has critical implications for the Christian who studies end times events. Could this be the Mark of the Beast? Time will tell.

Here's a Link to the Article

Government and the Courts: Our New Campaign Mangers?

More good news from the nanny state: the FEC may be regulating political activity on the internet.

"With political fund raising, campaign advertising and organizing taking place in full swing over the Internet, it may just be a matter of time before the Federal Election Commission joins the action. Well, that time may be now.

A recent federal court ruling says the FEC must extend some of the nation's new campaign finance and spending limits to political activity on the Internet.

Long reluctant to step into online political activity, the agency is considering whether to appeal."

Don't you feel much safer now?
Here's the Link

Kerry Dishonorably Discharged?

Reports are coming out with indications that John Kerry was dishonorably discharged. We'll be watching this.

"Today, the New York Sun is reporting that a document has been uncovered shedding some light into that allegation.

The document is a form cover letter in the name of the Carter administration's secretary of the Navy, W. Graham Claytor. It describes Mr. Kerry's discharge as being subsequent to the review of 'a board of officers.' This in it self is unusual. There is nothing about an ordinary honorable discharge action in the Navy that requires a review by a board of officers.

According to the secretary of the Navy's document, the 'authority of reference' this board was using in considering Mr. Kerry's record was 'Title 10, U.S. Code Section 1162 and 1163. 'This section refers to the grounds for involuntary separation from the service. "

Confessions of a Political Junkie


Here's the Link to the Story

Wictory Wednesday

New polls show that the race between Republican US Senate candidate Tom Coburn and Democrat Brad Carlson in Oklahoma is a tossup.

Coburn is the more talented candidate, but Carson is benefiting from a systematic campaign by Oklahoma media to boost his candidacy. Coburn needs our help to tip the scales. A few dollars can go a long way towards buying advertising that highlights Coburn’s conservatism and Carson’s liberalism. You can easily contribute to Coburn’s campaign online.

Voter Fraud Across the US

Allegations of voter fraud have been found in Colorado. A local Denver television station has done an investigation and found specific examples of improper and multiple registrations.

Here's the Link

"With just 21 days left until an election in which every vote will count, the 9News I-Team has uncovered voter registration fraud that could cause chaos on Election Day for hundreds, possibly thousands of Colorado voters. 9News has discovered a record number of fraudulent voter-registrations across the state. Secretary of State Donetta Davidson tells 9News she is concerned about what the I-Team has uncovered and wants those responsible prosecuted. 'It has just gone rampant,' she told reporter Deborah Sherman in an interview Monday afternoon."

This is not the only instance of voter fraud across the country this year. Michelle Malkin has recently documented cases currently under investigation in Tennessee, Cleveland, OH, Michigan, and West Virginia. World Net Daily is reporting the abuse by Democrats of 501(c)(3) laws which allow those organizations to participate in voter registration. In the year 2000, Joseph Farah reported on a letter sent to non-citizen Hispanics in California and Washington State signed by Fmr. Pres. Bill Clinton urging them to vote and including a finalized voter ID card.

In West Virginia in particular, the problem historically turned a Presidential election in 1960 and recently has caused a stir because U.S. Attorney Kasey Warner has been very effective in his investigations of vote buying in the southern part of the state. This has precipitated death threats given to himself and his family and others. Vote buying is a common practice in the southern "coal fields" and played a prominent role in the 1960 election of John F. Kennedy which has been documented in the book "West Virginia Tough Boys." Cleaning up voter fraud in the Mountain State has been a major part of the platform of the Republican Gubernatorial candidate , Monty Warner, who is the brother of the U.S. Attorney.

Voter fraud clearly has much more destructive potential on the veracity of our elections than "mudslinging" political ads. It has not destroyed our representative form of government, but, unchecked, it could have a profound effect on our future stability. Massive fraud, if ever perpetrated and prosecuted could also effect our reputation in the world community more than any disregard for a UN resolution.

Vigilance is critical to our ongoing freedoms. Because of the problems documented this year and the increasing use of electronic means to register and cast votes, this society must have a better understanding of the need for due diligence at the polling place. We cannot take these problems lightly. Because mankind is not innately good, power and influence can easily lead candidates and parties (on both sides) to allow means to justify ends. And voter registration methods have become much less prohibitive for those who would use any means to influence an election. This is a serious matter worthy of our attention. And those guilty of committing this fraud should be given the highest penalties possible and considered traitors to our free system of government.

When a Nobel Laureate Speaks, We Ought to Listen

I wonder if the Royal Swedish Academy is regretting their pick. But, needless to say, it ranks much higher than the Peace Prize winner this year.

"WASHINGTON (AFP) - Edward Prescott, who picked up the Nobel Prize for Economics, said President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s tax rate cuts were 'pretty small' and should have been bigger.

'What Bush has done has been not very big, it's pretty small,' Prescott told CNBC financial news television. 'Tax rates were not cut enough,' he said. Lower tax rates provided an incentive to work, Prescott said."

Link

Racism against the National Security Advisor

Here's an example of why I like to read Andrew Sullivan's commentary daily. Although I have strong disagreements with him on gay marriage and his criticism of the Bush Administration's policies on Iraq, he calls a spade "a spade"--as he sees it--without regard to political affiliation. And in this case, he is right on target.

Look at this despicable editorial cartoon and the racism with which it criticizes Condoleeza Rice.

Here's the Link to Andrew's column.

CNSNews: Kerry Donor Alleged Agent for Iran

If CNS News is correct about this, it could be a dramatic blow for Kerry. We'll keep watching this one.

Here's the Link

'A pro-democracy Iranian group based in the United States accuses a top fund-raiser for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry of aiding radical Iranian clerics.

The Kerry fund-raiser is scheduled to be deposed in a civil lawsuit next week involving accusations that he has served as an agent for the Islamic government of Iran.

A group of Iranian expatriates, the Student Movement Coordinating Committee for Democracy in Iran (SMCCDI), and two American authors plan to hold a press conference this week to discuss the Iranian regime's influence on Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign. The event will take place Thursday at the National Press Club.

SMCCDI has alleged that Kerry presidential campaign fund-raiser Hassan Nemazee, a New York-based investment banker, has used his position to advance the agenda of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

That agenda includes normalizing relations between Iran and the United States and opening trade and investment, according to SMCCDI. The group has called Nemazee one of 'Iran's American propagandists.'

Nemazee has denied charges that he served as an agent for Iran's government, and he has filed a $10-million civil lawsuit in Texas against SMCCDDI's coordinator, Aryo Pirouznia, alleging defamation of character. Pirouznia has counter-sued Nemazee, and Nemazee is scheduled to give a deposition next week.

'Perhaps because [Nemazee] knows the suit would embarrass the Democrat nominee, Nemazee has sought to postpone if not avoid answering questions about his suit in a deposition. Thanks to [SMCCDI's] counter-suit, faith in democracy, and a clear-headed judge in Texas who refused [Nemazee's] delay, SMCCDI is going public with the evidence,' read SMCCDI's press release for Thursday's press conference.

Kerry called for normalizing relations with Iran in December 2003 in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations: "As president, I will be prepared early on to explore areas of mutual interest with Iran, just as I was prepared to normalize relations with Vietnam a decade ago," Kerry said.

The U.S. State Department consistently has labeled Iran as a leading state sponsor of terrorism, and human rights groups have accused the Iranian government of human rights abuses. The Bush administration opposes normalizing relations with Iran and also has denied nuclear fuel to the country.

In the first presidential debate in Miami on September 30, Kerry said, "I think the United States should have offered the opportunity to provide [Iran] nuclear fuel, test them, see whether or not they were actually looking for it for peaceful purposes."

Corsi said Kerry's policy could prove very dangerous to the U.S.

"Trusting the Iranians not to make bombs when they have been funding Hezbollah and Hamas for a quarter century is like thinking [Japan's former Emperor] Tojo was not going to attack the United States when he had a chance," Corsi said.

Ken Timmerman, author of several books on the Middle East, believes that Kerry "has adopted many of the positions that Tehran's lobbyists in America are trying to champion."

"Mr. Kerry has not only adopted the policies that the Islamic government in Tehran would like to see pursued by the U.S., he has accepted money by their lobbyists and has been the featured speaker at prominent fund-raising events," Timmerman told CNSNews.com. '

UN: Iraqi Nuclear-Related Materials Have Vanished

Alarming news from Iraq: the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is reporting that it has reviewed satellite data and found evidence that Iraq's former nuclear testing facilities have been ransacked under the noses of the Coalition forces. No news yet from the Bush administration on whether they believe this is a validation of their claims that Iraq had functional capability to use weapons of mass destruction.

Here's a link to the story

"UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Equipment and materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons are disappearing from Iraq but neither Baghdad nor Washington appears to have noticed, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency reported on Monday."

Satellite imagery shows that entire buildings in Iraq have been dismantled. They once housed high-precision equipment that could help a government or terror group make nuclear bombs, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to the U.N. Security Council.

Equipment and materials helpful in making bombs also have been removed from open storage areas in Iraq and disappeared without a trace, according to the satellite pictures, IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said.

Wasn't El-Baradei sitting with Hans Blix in the UN Security Council chiding the US for believing that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction? Didn't Hans Blix complain that the US and Britain and other governments weren't making intelligence available to them to back the claims that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction? What about the chiding of the international community who blamed the United States and Great Britain of falsifying intelligence reports of Iraq's nuclear weapons capabilities?

I agree with Andrew Sullivan that if these facilities have been looted by the Iraqi insurgents there could be serious problems with nuclear terrorism in Europe and the United States. It could even be envisioned that Al Queda, if they took possession of such materials, could explode one in some more remote area of, say, Africa and attempt to break the resolve of the West and its allies by laying itself out as a nuclear power on par with bona fide nations. This is truly a situation which should alarm the world community.

Sounds like a good reason to use pre-emptive means to thwart the spread of global terrorism.

Drudge: Kerry Pays Less in Taxes Than Average American

When talking about cutting taxes for the rich, Kerry flippantly pointed out on Friday night that the tax increase on the rich would only affect "you, the President and me, Charlie [Gibson]." The dirty little secret is that Kerry knows that the rich have many ways to shield their income from taxation. And John Kerry takes full advantage of this. As reported by Matt Drudge, Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth has calculated the effective tax rate paid by Kerry to be 12.8%.

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2004�

"Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, writes in the WALL STREET JOURNAL on Monday: 'According to the Kerrys' own tax records, and they have not released all of them, the couple had a combined income of $6.8 million in income last year and paid $725,000 in income taxes. That means their effective tax rate was a whopping 12.8%.... 'Under the current tax system the middle class pays far more than the Kerry tax rate. In fact, the average federal tax rate -- combined payroll and income tax -- for a middle-class family is closer to 20% or more. George W. and Laura Bush, who had an income one- tenth of the Kerrys', paid a tax rate of 30%. ... "

Sure, Kerry could use this to say "yes......the rich do pay too little in taxes." The real point here is that the income tax amendment needs to be repealed and we need to go to a "Fair Tax"--a national Sales Tax--which taxes only consumption and not the income of the middle class or the investment of the middle class and the rich.

Andrew Sullivan Preps Tag to Rove

Andrew Sullivan's review of the current polling ends with a set up for claiming Karl Rove is responsible for the round of Swift Boat Veterans ads about to be broadcast in various battleground states (read my article on this subject here).

www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish: "KERRY'S MO: The longer perspective shows you where this race has been heading. CNN/Gallup shows that Bush-Cheney have lost six points since this time a month ago. Kerry-Edwards have gained nine points. That's a huge shift. So Zogby now shows a dead heat with Kerry nominally ahead by three points. WAPO shows a Bush lead - but only back to where he was a week ago and all within the margin of error. Bottom line: the race is dead-even. A month ago, it wasn't close. And the undecideds are leaning Kerry. Of course this is exactly the kind of moment that Kerry, like the Cubs, tends to screw up. And it's also a scenario in which Rove unloads his dirt-bomb. Uh-oh."

This is unfortunate, Andrew. I don't believe there is a direct connection at all except that most of the Swifties are naturally Republican as are most veterans and active duty servicemen.

Swifties Not Done Yet

Erick Erickson told me today about an ad in the Washington Times regarding the swift boat veterans. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth will launch new ads attacking John Kerry's Vietnam war stance "starting Thursday in Pennsylvania and Ohio and in a few heavily military areas of Florida" according to the Times. This will deal a blow to Kerry in states which have strong military and patriotic populations but are teetering between Bush and Kerry. It is likely that these ads will have the same effect of previous Swift Boat ads by casting doubts about Kerry's fitness to be Commander-in-Chief.

The article is found here The Washington Times: Injured, angry, determined, Swiftees unite to fight Kerry -

The Swift Boat Vets were able to gather a large number of Veterans including many former POW's and even Bud Day, one of the most decorated veterans in American military history.

" These Swiftees, at times jocular (breaking into 'Row, row, row your boat') and at other times on the verge of tears, are angry and frustrated. Not only because they say Mr. Kerry has lied about his service and refuses to sign the form that releases his military records to the public, but because 30 years ago, the candidate threw away his medals and called his fellow servicemen murderers, rapists, baby killers and cowards. "

I must say that I am not a fan WWF-style politics: the type that finds personal problems of candidates and exploits them. The Swift Boat ads are, therefore, somewhat troublesome to me in the larger scheme of things. But I learned as a child that you'll reap what you sow. And John Kerry has brought this upon himself. Kerry stirred up the hornets' nest when he came back from Vietnam. And not Bush or any bystander can stop the swarm once the hornets have identified their enemy. Unfortunately, despite substantive debates, this campaign will be remembered less for substance and more for Swift boat claims just like 1998 is remembered for Willie Horton.

Ultimate John Kerry Ad

This is excellent

Disingenuity Reigns in Democrat Ranks

On the Democrat Disingenuity watch:

My Way News

"The Democratic Party and 18 senators are objecting to a broadcasting company's plan to air on 62 TV stations a critical documentary about John Kerry's anti-war activities after he returned home from Vietnam three decades ago.

Sinclair Broadcast Group has asked its television stations - many of them in competitive states in the presidential election - to pre-empt regular programming to run some or all of the documentary as part of an hourlong program two weeks before the Nov. 2 election."

It is fraudulent the way that the Democrat Party wants to play the game with constantly vacillating rules. The American public sees through this. They are generally much more aware than the media or the liberal elites realize. The Democrats are marginalizing themselves because they have not caught up to the present day flow of information. They still believe they can get by with sending out a confusing message through normal media outlets without anyone knowing their duplicity. It will not fly anymore. Good for conservatives who run good campaigns both in the air and on the ground.

Bush: Let Opponent's Duplicity Show

Here is a great article by Jay Heiler in the Arizona Republic today which is a preview of the debate which will take place here on Wednesday.

Here's an excerpt:

"This race has taken on a funny image for me, and I expect to see it again Wednesday. It is two gregarious, hound-dog businessmen, Bush and Cheney, leading the nation in an urgent quest to hunt down and confront Islamic terrorists, and in the midst of that hunt they are accosted by two feline lawyers, caterwauling and scratching violently at their muzzles. "

Very astute comments. I think Bush will rise to the occasion at the level of which he is capable. It will cause us a bit of a nailbiter until November 2, but he will prevail and Kerry will fall flat not on the debate floor but at the kitchen table.

Bush: Let opponent's duplicity show

Kerry's and Edwards' Missed Votes

Bush and Cheney have repeatedly highlighted the missed votes of both Kerry and Edwards in the debates. Cheney most effectively by revealing that Sen. Edwards' hometown newspaper calls him an absent representative. A good case is being made for the fact that Kerry and Edwards essentially neglected their service as Senators for the sole purpose of becoming President. I think this is having an effect on the independent voter who although "wishy-washy" on issues to expect a candidate to be faithful to his or her responsibilities. Bush and Cheney have made an effective argument that Kerry and Edwards will put off their duties of the moment for gain. This does not sit well for the undecideds and I think has been an effective political move.

Kerry: Tax and Spend Health Care Proposal

Senator Kerry pressed hard in the second debate for some form of nationalized health care:

"...I have a plan that will take the catastrophic cases out of the system, off your backs, pay for it out of a federal fund, which lowers the premiums for everybody in America, makes American business more competitive and makes health care more affordable.

This is a first grab of the healthcare system. How will putting the catastrophic component of health care into the hands of government make healthcare costs go down? It requires money, and that usually comes, in the Democrat mind, from the "wealthy." The government has to pay for this sort of coverage just as it does for Medicare and for Medicaid and for every other similar program. Usually, Democrat candidates hide their means for accomplishing big government programs. Kerry didn't:

Now, all of that can happen, but I have to ask you to do one thing: Join me in rolling back the president's unaffordable tax cut for people earning more than $200,000 a year. That's all. Ninety-eight percent of America, I'm giving you a tax cut and I'm giving you health care."

I don't think this comment got past the viewer easily. There has never been a voter backlash against cutting taxes for the highest income earners except in some isolated congressional districts. Class warfare rhetoric has not been substantially effective either in moving votes for Democrats. It has largely been effective in shoring up the liberal base in the Democrat Party. This statement has not moved the independent voter toward Kerry at all. And Bush did an excellent job of pointing out Kerry's proposed Hillaryesque Health Care "Reform."

Kerry Vows to Protect Abortion When Choosing Judges

John Kerry may have made a fatal error tonight in the debate. First, he affirmed that the appointment of judges is one of the most critical factors in choosing a President. Secondly, 1n his attempt to prove that President Bush will have a "conservative" litmus test in choosing judges, he affirmed that he will on choose judges "who will respect a woman's right to choose."

This may be a critical error if conservative organizations can get the message out that Kerry will affirm abortion and possibly expand it through his court appointments. Kerry's choice to affirm Roe v. Wade through his judicial appointments amounts to a litmus test which will bring pro-life and pro-family voters out to the polls.

Pro-life grassroots efforts have always been much more effective because they affect "water cooler" discussion. Democrat grassroots generate angry protests.

JibJab

Many of you have already seen the JibJab movie, It's Good to be in DC.

Here's a link to it.

Enjoy...........too funny.

Teddy's Violent Mob

Hoosier Parliament has more information on the Democrat mobs out there:

"Washington Times columnist John McCaslin reports this quote from Sen. Ted Kennedy on how the polarized atmosphere in the nation today compares to past presidential elections.

'Never in my years in the Senate have I seen my fellow [Democratic] citizens rise to the challenge of defeating the Republicans with such passion and force than in this election,' Kennedy says.

Meanwhile...

Sen. Kennedy's so-called 'passion[ate]' Democrat wingnuts are using mob violence, vandalism, gunfire, harassment and destruction of Republican campaign property to vent their hatred of President Bush.

These people aren't 'rising to the challenge,' they are being lawless thugs."

The Brown Shirts

I reported in a previous article about a string of violence that has been hitting Bush/Cheney campaign offices around the country. Erick Erickson has just written an excellent bit of commentary on the issue an excerpt of which is given below.

"No Democrat can be happy with what happened to Al Gore. He did, after all, win the popular vote. But, that is not the way the game had to be played and he knew it. Now, the left seems intent on breaking all rules necessary to gain power. If, through voter fraud and violence, the left can capture the White House in a close election, it will most likely adopt those tools as a means of keeping power."

Here's a link to his article

Let me comment on the violence that he refers to in Huntington, WV. I was recently in West Virginia doing grassroots consulting for the state party there. Not only the Huntington office but the Morgantown office were ransacked numerous times. I was in that office the day after one incident and saw the window which was broken. Erick's article is a serious one, and we should pay attention to it closely.