BREAKING: McCain/Palin

Terrific news out of Dayton, Ohio this morning – Fox News is confirming that Senator McCain has chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate!

Governor Palin:

• Has more Executive experience than either of the Democrats on their team (and more than McCain for that matter);
• is staunchly pro-life, with a compelling life story to tell, and impeccable pro-Second Amendment credentials, cementing the Republican base;
• is the perfect foil against “Beltway” Biden;
• is the younger looking person we needed to offset McCain’s age;
• is a self-proclaimed “hockey mom” (of 5 kids) who will play well in the battleground states of the upper Midwest;
• is the perfect response to Obama’s inability or unwillingness to choose Hillary Clinton – and the perfect way to reach out to women swing voters;
• has a great reputation as a reformer – someone who has cleaned up corruption and stands up against the lobbyist corruption; and
• has a tremendous grasp of the energy issue as it relates to oil and gasoline (the one Obama stupidly pooh-poohed last night during his speech).

My Grade: A. She’s a slight touch soft on the global warming issue for me, but other than that, she’s an absolutely dynamite pick.

This is the pick I had hoped for, and it cements my vote for McCain/Palin in the fall. I had been holding out to commit, waiting for this pick to make my own decision, and hoping he would pick a pro-lifer. After his stellar performance at Saddleback, and with this great pick, now I can proudly say – Vote McCain/Palin!

Next week is going to be a lot of fun – and I’ll be there, laptop in hand, to post a few blogs along the way. I’ll have a cam with me, so hopefully we can get some good video as well!

Best Olympic Commercials: Nike

The first features USA Basketball to the sounds of Marvin Gaye. (or as my sister referred to it "The Most Fly National Anthem Ever."



The second ad is just a celebration of sport (utilizing Nike athletes, to be sure) but it's a visual stunner...

The Games of the XXIX Olympiad

As the glow of the Olympic flame dies away, here are the thoughts from a 16 day Couch Potato…

The Highs:

Michael Phelps, Most Decorated Olympian Ever

His 8 gold medals in Beijing give Phelps a whopping 14 career golds (to go with the two other bronzes he received in Athens) while passing Mark Spitz’s record for gold medals in one Games. Many of the performances were dominating, two were squeaked out by a fingernail (including that unbelievable finish in the 100 Fly). But any way you cut it, the performance by Phelps was the headline of these Games, one for the history books. It’s also one for Frosted Flakes, which will be featuring Phelps on its boxes after the latest endorsement deal was struck.

Brian Clay Wins the Decathlon

An American winning the title “World’s Greatest Athlete”? Awesome. Clay did it in style, winning 7 of the ten events outright. Notable: Clay’s coach at Azusa Pacific was former US Olympian Dan O’Brien, who you may remember from the 1992 “Dan and Dave” Reebok ad campaign.


USA Volleyball Dominates – Indoor and on the Beach, and in Prime Time

In the not-so-long history of Olympic Beach Volleyball, no nation had ever taken the gold in the men’s and women’s events – until the US did it this year with the double duos of Misty May and Kerri Walsh along with “Professor” Rogers and “Thin Beast” Dalhausser. Walsh and Dalhausser were especially dominant at the net. May and Walsh provided one of the indelible images of the Athens Games four years ago, and their celebration was notable again this year, mostly for their irrepressible joy on the court.

Indoors, the US Women were led to the silver medal by outside hitter Logan Tom, whose booming spikes from all over the floor proved too much for the rest of the field to compete with.

But the US Men became one of the feel good stories of the Olympics. Coach Hugh McCutcheon’s father-in-law was tragically murdered in Beijing, and his mother-in-law was also stabbed and critically injured. The Men’s team rallied around their coach, pushing their way into a gold medal win over Brazil.

USA Gymnastics Women Weather Controversy, Bring Home Gold

Nastia Liukin (more on her shortly) wins the all-around gold over Shawn Johnson, while Johnson takes home the gold in the Balance Beam. They combine for a team silver as well (for now - more on that later). Liukin’s grace and Russian-style elegance contrasts with Johnson’s power and athletic execution – yet both are uniquely American, and both very successful. Watch for Johnson to return as the overall favorite in London in four years.

USA Womens Soccer Loses Star, Wins Gold

Despite the loss of superstar striker Abby Wambach in the last pre-Olympic warmup game (the Brazilians broke her leg - not kidding…), and losing its opening match with Norway, the US rallied behind stellar goalkeeping by Hope Solo and a well rounded attack to take the Gold in an overtime final match against Brazil (ironically enough). Best Medal Ceremony of the Games: All of the US Women singing along with the National Anthem.

China Produces Most Beautiful Opening Ceremonies Ever

OK, so with a reported budget of $300M, this wasn’t the highest hurdle to cross. Still, the Opening Ceremonies were truly memorable, a blend of Chinese philosophy, art, and culture (without the ugly Communist brown and grey). It was the largest LED screen ever, the largest fireworks display ever, and the largest cultural display – all at once. Fitting ceremony from the world’s largest populace, though not without controversy (more later).

The Forgotten Olympic Swimming Champion? Natalie Coughlin wins 6 medals

Coughlin takes home the gold in the 100 Back, plus two silvers and three bronzes, bringing her remarkable career total to 11 Olympic medals. I guess that was too few to get the press’ attention compared to Phelps, but Coughlin’s accomplishment is still extraordinary, and she wears it well.


The American Dream is Alive and Well

Nastia Liukin’s father? A Russian immigrant who won gold in Seoul, then came to America for a better life. Shawn Johnson’s Coach? A Chinese gymnast who came to America for a better life. USA Wrestler Henry Cejudo? Son of a single mom who was once an illegal immigrant. Cejudo’s father died in prison last year. Cejudo used his wrestling to get out of South Central LA and start a better life – and now he’s the “future of USA Wrestling.” Awesome.

The Redeem Team saves USA Basketball

Remember all of the bad buzz around the last Dream Team? Celebrity behavior, non-team gangsters out for personal glory, and no gold medal? (I have to admit – I haven’t been an NBA fan since Doctor J retired. Too many gangster thugs running around in too many tattoos now. But I digress). All is forgiven for this year. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were stellar team players and leaders, not to mention good American envoys. Kobe even took the time to tick off the American Left by talking up his patriotism and love of country (which even took Cris Collinsworth aback). In the end, the USA waltzed away with the Gold, and with the hearts of many of the Chinese fans.

USA Equestrians Jump to Gold

OK, so you’re surprised that I like the horses? Long story. Still, Team USA looked fantastic in winning the gold medal in the Team Jumping event. Beezie Madden and McClain Ward led the USA over Canada in a jumpoff for Gold – and in the process, legendary 61 year old, 9-time Olympic veteran Ian Millar won his first Olympic medal (the silver.)



The Bittersweet Hurdles

Liu Xiang was the defending Olympic champion, but a bad Achilles tendon made starting his race impossible. Yet, through the pain, Xiang lined up and at least tried to race. After another competitor false-started, however, the pain was too much and he limped off the track to the horrified gasps of the home crowd.

American champion Lolo Jones was leading the final after 8 hurdles, but tripped over the top of the ninth hurdle, somehow managed to clear the 10th hurdle, but finished 7th.

Lolo Jones and Liu Xiang are still champion athletes that can hold their heads high. They both conducted themselves with grace, even as they mourned their lost Olympic chance.


The Lows:

Russia’s Olympic Truce Aggression

Vladimir Putin shows his contempt for the international community, his neighbors, and the Olympic tradition by rolling troops and tanks into Georgia during the Opening Ceremonies, murdering civilians and bombing pipelines along the way. If the IOC had any guts, they would have kicked the Russians out, sent them home, and revoked the Sochi 2014 games. No such luck so far.

A Murdered American

As mentioned above, the in-laws of USA Volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon were attacked by a crazed Chinese man at a tourist spot in Beijing. Todd Bachmann died, and his wife Barbara was seriously injured.

Lipsynched Anthem during Opening Ceremony

So, what would your reaction be if you participated in a national singing contest for the right to sing your national anthem on live global television, you won that contest, and then were replaced at the last minute by “someone cuter.” Too much image consciousness led to a travesty for an 8-year old girl. Only the ChiComs would’ve even considered this blunder.

Gymnastics scoring and age questions

The Chinese also were involved in a scandal involving allegedly underage gymnasts (“fetal medalists” as the Jawas called them). But those questions were frankly overshadowed by the awful execution of a judging system that caused more questions than it answered, and led to some very questionable results – including women’s vault medalists who fell and landed out of bounds.

Boxing scoring debacle

As bad as the gymnastic scoring was, it couldn’t hold a candle to how awful the boxing venue was. There were rounds of Olympic boxing where dozens of punches were thrown and landed – and scored 0-0. The US team is alleging that there was misconduct of a political nature, pointing to the near systematic elimination of US and Russian boxers. I’m not so sure – I’d point to the comical ineptitude of a hopelessly broken system being run by hopelessly incompetent judges and officials. Olympic boxing is dead.

The end of Olympic Baseball and Softball

Now, the elimination of baseball and softball from the Olympic program can definitely be tied to the political anti-Americanism of IOC delegates. Jacques Rogge admitted as much in his final interview with Bob Costas. Most moving protest of the games – the USA softball players taking a page from the wrestling mat and placing their cleats on home plate to signify the ends of their careers after the gold medal match loss to Japan.

USA Track and Field Disappoints

OK, so USA Track and Field won more medals than any other nation. They were still a letdown from the dominance they were expected to achieve. No finalists in the men’s long, high, or triple jumps; or the javelin or 800m finals. Jamaica sweeping all six medal sprints. Two dropped batons in the 4x100 relays, preventing US teams from even reaching the finals. The injuries to Tyson Gay, Terrence Trammell, and Bernard Lagat. At least the 4x400 relays salvaged the day with impressive and exciting victories on the last night of competition.

Cuban athlete attacks judge

The video of a Cuban taekwondo guy kicking the judge in the head is surely going to become a youtube classis, but not for any good reason. It's good to see the athlete barred for life...

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Olympic “Sports” that need to go away
Synchronized Swimming, Synchronized Diving, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline, BMX, Taekwondo, Judo, and (saddest to me) Boxing.

Sports to replace these with: Rugby, Golf, Softball.

Favorite athletes at these games: Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Hope Solo, Kobe Bryant, Allyson Felix, Lolo Jones, Jason Lezak, Dara Torres, Beezie Madden, Logan Tom, Kerri Walsh, Phil Dalhausser, Brian Clay, Kristin Armstrong, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Mariel Zagunis, Jonathan Horton, Henry Cejudo, Dmitri Klokov, Kosuke Kitajima.

Obama picks... Biden?

The text messages are out this morning - Obama’s dithering on a Vice Presidential choice has left him with the unappealing choice of Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.

On behalf of Republicans everywhere, I’d just like to say

WAY TO GO, BARACK!!!

First off, let’s see how Biden competes for the news cycle with the continued Russian invasion of Georgia and the end of the Olympic Games tonight. Delaying the timing past Tuesday the 5th was already a mistake (you simply don’t want to have your VP choice have to compete with Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin, Kerri Walsh, or any other members of the USA Olympic Team’s Gold Medal winners… more on them over the weekend). But anyone who has ever watched the West Wing (much less actually worked communications) knows that you “take out the trash” on Friday – not announce some major new initiative, like, say, who your new running mate is going to be. (Hot Air is calling it “burying the pick”) Overnight Friday night? Even worse. So, this is a great way to diss your own running mate pick, while having the rest of the world not pay attention. It’s almost like he doesn’t want anyone to notice who he picked. There may be good reasons for that.

As a conservative, it’s just great to see Mr. Audacity of Hope and Change pick a Washington Beltway hack. Biden’s presence on the ticket undermines the “Change” raison d’etre of the Obama campaign, instantly transforming the Democrat ticket to yet another combination of failed liberal ideas espoused by two Washington insider Senators.

Further, it’s not like Biden helps nail anything down. Does he bring a battleground state? Delaware has been pretty solidly blue for some time now. A constituency? Nothing other than Beltway Insider. I suppose he does bring more Senatorial experience than Obama does, helping McCain make that attack (“Hey, at least his VP choice is more experienced than he is…”) He has less foreign policy experience than Bill Richardson, who should have been his ideal choice, and a domestic policy record that helps Republicans continue to pin down the Dems as hopelessly liberal on bread and butter issues. And he's never been an executive.

Choosing Biden does not help the far-left Obama reach out to the center of the political spectrum, which is exactly what he needed to do with sagging poll numbers and McCain’s much more solid performance at the Saddleback proto-debate. (Irony of these choices – both McCain and Obama need to choose running mates to their right.)

Then again, I’m sure they’ll be able to work well together. They certainly have one thing in common: plagiarism. Biden famously plagiarized speeches and law school work; Obama just stole speech material.

Overall Grade, for timing and selection: F+ The plus is only there because Biden is a solid enough debater when he's not committing gaffes.

Memo to John McCain: Learn from this. Don’t pick a Senator, pick a Governor from outside the Amtrak Corridor; one whose experience outshines Obama’s, but whose youth can serve as a complement to your experience. Oh, and make sure they’re pro-life. Here’s to hoping yesterday's NY Times reporting is correct…

UPDATE: Reaction coming in:

Chris Cilizza lays out "The Case against Joe Biden":

Over the course of his presidential bid, Biden cemented his reputation as -- how to put this nicely? -- less than disciplined on the campaign trail.

In the summer of 2006, as he was publicly mulling the race, Biden set off a controversy over comments he made about Indian Americans.

"I've had a great relationship [with Indian Americans]," Biden said. "In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking."

On the day he formally announced his candidacy, a New York Observer story that quoted Biden as calling Obama "articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy" came out, and the resultant uproar effectively undercut any momentum Biden was hoping to build.

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Amanda Carpenter at TownHall:

Obama announced his VP in the dead of night AFTER CNN broke the story through a text message system that didn't work properly. FAIL.

My message didn't come through till 4:59 am. I see other people got theirs around 3:20. The text messages were not "instant" it was the same ol' master list dump every other politician uses that takes two or three hours to cycle through. Maybe the Obama team thought we wouldn't notice because we were all sleeping.

This guy can't even announce his VP smoothly (you know what I am going to say next) How can he run a country?

***

Politico headline: A stateman known for slips of his tongue


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Jawa Report adds: "This is going to be more fun than Carter/Mondale '80."

Beach Volleyball Gold Medalists Thank President Bush

Trip to Beijing: $1300

Years of work preparing: 4

Thanking the President of the United States after you win the Gold Medal: Priceless.

Pro-Life VP or Bust

Cross-posted at SC Conservative

There has been a ton of speculation that John McCain may be considering a pro-abortion Vice Presidential nominee (bringing responses and pontifications at Politico, Hot Air, Rush, just to name a few).

I'm with the Hot Air folks on this one. A pro-abortion nominee like Lieberman (or Guiliani, or Ridge) would be an unmitigated disaster for McCain, perhaps the one last way he could derail his own campaign and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. As a strategy, it would lead to the wholesale departure of the Republican base, (more than making up for any gains he would make with independents) and the resulting low-base turnout could lead to a filibuster-proof majority in the US Senate - for the Democrats.

With those specters looming, do not expect the delegates at the Convention to go quietly on this point. I've been talking to some of my fellow delegates and alternates from around the state and around the country, and they do indeed have the stomach to fight their own nominee on this one. Remember: the delegates hold the power at the convention - and we can nominate someone of our own choosing to go up against a pro-abortion VP nominee. Alert pro-life Republican delegates are already organizing for a possible convention uprising if the need arises. Speculation centers around the same list of pro-life Governors that McCain has been said to be considering - Palin, Jindal, Romney, Pawlenty, and yes, Mark Sanford.

Hopefully, Senator McCain won't make the pro-abortion VP mistake, and will instead choose a running mate who can secure his base while he tacks to the middle in the general election campaign (which he does without really trying, frankly). With a 5 point lead (according to Zogby this morning), Senator McCain would be wise to secure his base and consolidate the lead with less than 3 months to go.

Revoke Sochi

It appears that someone has found a push point in the Russian/Georgian conflict. Someone has a new website up petitioning the International Olympic Committee to revoke awarding the 2014 Winter Olympics to Sochi, Russia. Representatives Allyson Schwartz and Bill Shuster of PA have sponsored a bipartisan resolution asking the IOC to find a new venue for the 2014 Games.

This is the first real pressure point I've seen (not too many people calling for Russia to be removed from the G-8 yet, though that would be a strong step as well) that has a chance to succeed. When you consider the national pride and success that Beijing has seen as a result of their Olympic experience (certainly not without downside, but overall a very positive impact for China so far...), removing the chance for the Russians to have a similar experience when they thought they would have such a moment would be a strong deterrent from a domestic political standpoint.

Until that kind of serious and strong isolative pressure is brought, we will continue to see video of Russian "peacekeepers" rolling tanks over police cars while "withdrawing" during a "ceasefire". The Bad Old Days are back.

Lessons from South Ossetia

Ceasefire or not, the Georgian/Russian conflict has already taught us some important (and unfortunate) things.

Vladimir Putin is the New Tyrant on the Block.

Call him Tsar Putin I or Vlad the Invader (or NTOTB), but Putin is now certainly the biggest baddest dude on the foreign policy block. This is yet another blow to Russia's democratic reformers, including former chess champion Garry Kasparov, who might have held out hopes that a change in Russia's Presidency would allow for an opportunity for reform. Instead, it is now blatantly clear that Putin is Prime Minister in name and President in function. (Russian "President" Dmitry Medvedev was on a boat cruise down the Volga while the invasion occurred; Putin was at the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, with all the other heads of state.)

The historical role of Russia as an authoritarian state with expansionist tendencies is back, and more dangerous than ever.

Historians will surely point to South Ossetia as the Sudetenland of the early 21st Century, with Putin now using the same "reunification" and "protection" as cover for blatant and open aggression, just as Hitler did in 1938. Combine that with Tsar Putin's assertion that the Soviet demise was the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th Century", and you have a recipe for disaster - a Russian nationalist dictator with Hitler's tendencies (including a top notch internal propaganda machine) and a lust for Stalin's brutality. Oh - and nukes. Let's not forget those.

The Cold War just reheated up, and America's prestige and international reputation is at stake, as is the promise of continued post-Soviet Eastern European democracy.

Only now, a new set of strategies will need to be employed. The old Cold War doctrine of containment may not be possible in the same ways as it was used in the last century. Georgia was applying for NATO membership, and was the third largest contributor of troops to the Iraq coalition. Yet it only had 30,000 troops at its disposal - absolutely no match for the Russians. If the Russians remain obstinate, and if, as now appears probable, Ukraine is next in line for Russian aggression, multiple democracies could get gobbled up into the new Russian empire without the West doing anything substantive to stop it. Would the US act militarily to protect one of Russia's neighbors? Doubtful - direct military conflict with the Russians is far too likely to go nuclear. Knowing this, Putin is free to act with impugnity, knowing that the old rules of Mutual Assured Destruction prevent us from stopping him. This is a tremendous challenge for NATO in a post-Soviet Cold War, now that most of Eastern Europe has gone the pro-US democracy route.

So, the leaders of the World (especially those of the free world) are going to have to figure out how best to punish Putin in a way that makes him think twice about future murderous land grabs. Ironically, any steps taken to destabilize Russia's economy would play directly into Putin's domestic political needs, making isolation very difficult. Also - we may be at a point where we need Russian oil more than Russia needs whatever the West is selling.

This will be the single greatest challenge the next President faces. Combine that with an ongoing civizational conflict with fundamentalist Islam, and the foreign policy outlook becomes rather grim. We are in for a long rough century, (or at least the next couple of decades) and it is going to take bold leadership and monumental strength of will for America to succeed.

As a postscript, I hold out zero hope that Barack Obama has either that will or that leadership.

Barack Obama gets Rickrolled?

Whomever did this gets a Gold Medal for Video Editing...

Laugh on...

Random thoughts on this that and the other...

Now that the Olympics are well under way (and consuming my television viewing habits for the nexxt two weeks - I'm a total Olympic junkie...), I thought I'd post a few thoughts...

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Do you remember the long-held "Olympic Truce"? The idea was that nations competing in the Olympic Games would stop fighting long enough to enjoy the sporting events, and maybe even sit down long enough to work out their differences. (Hey, we were dealing with civilised nations at the time - Islamist countries need not apply...)

Well, it seems someone needed to remind President Vladimir Putin of that one. Putin's aggression against the former Soviet state of Georgia was possibly the most ill-timed invasion of all time - the tanks rolled over the border just as the Opening ceremonies were getting underway. Definitely the PR blunder of the year - Moscow rolls tanks as Beijing highlights new Century with best artistic opening ceremonies ever.

Oh - and kudos to President Bush for pulling Putin aside at those ceremonies to voice his displeasure. Bush has had one of the better weeks of his Presidency with these ceremonies - a deft diplomatic touch previously unseen, massaging the Chinese while speaking out against them openly. Definitely one of the highlights of his Presidency, when it's all said and done.

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On the domestic front, what's this we hear about John McCain considering Joe Lieberman for his Veep nominee? How many Republicans with older vehicles would be scrambling to scrape "Sore Loserman" bumper stickers off from the Florida debacle?

Seriously - this is the single biggest mistake McCain could make right now. He has ALL of the momentum at present - Obama has botched his own Veep pick by failing to make it before the Olympics dominated the news cycle (whomever Obama picks cannot compete with Michael Phelps). McCain is his own best asset and ally to reach out to the middle, but his VP choice needs to shore up the base. If he sticks with the Palin/Pawlenty/Jindal/Sanford/Romney/Huckabee list, he's safe (and I'm still rooting for Palin...). But if he picks someone not provably pro-life, or worse, provably pro-choice (Lieberman or Ridge), he alienates the base entirely.

Hopefully, he'll do the smart thing and allow his VP choice to tack right while he remains in the middle.

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Did anyone else stay up last night to watch that Olympic swimming relay (pic above)? Absolutely fabulous stuff. Favorite moments (other than when Lezak touched out the French at the wall, or the sheet brute force of the celebration pictured above): when in the interview segment, one of the swimmers referred to their loudmouthed, trash talking competitors as "those Frenchies." Awesome.

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Anyone who has watched the last two golf majors (the PGA and the Open Championship) will be hard pressed to believe in global warming. That hoax must surely be winding down now...

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Lastly, RIP to Shaft and Bernie Mac, both of whom passed away over the weekend. Two entertainers who will surely be missed...

Why I'm a Conservative Republican

I have no idea who this is, but I endorse what he's saying - wholeheartedly.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

In case you missed it, Alexander Solzhenitsyn died over the weekend. For those who don't know, Solzhenitsyn was the anti-Soviet dissident whose writings (including One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and the The Gulag Archipelago) had a seminal impact on the conservative movement in the United States, especially on modern conservative foreign policy.

Ronald Reagan read Solzhenitsyn's work and redoubled his commitment to ending the Communist/Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union. Solzhenitsyn's work provided the West with a window into the horrors of Soviet despotism, and provided Reagan with a treasure trove of examples to put steel into the American spine and keep us focused on the inherent danger and evil of the Soviet state.

But Solzhenitsyn's impact remains today. His work inspired a generation of fellow Soviet dissidents, including Andrei Sakharov, the Russian nuclear scientist turned dissident who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 and died in 1989. It was Sakharov's young protege, Natan Sharansky, whose book The Case for Democracy is a "must read" within the current Bush Administration, and President Bush quoted it in his second inaugural address. Sharansky has since moved to Israel and is now a sitting member of the Knesset in the Likud Party.

Those of you who ever saw my first office at Club for Growth may recall that I had a "quote wall" of "deep thoughts" (for those of you who didn't see it, think Jack Handey, only inspiring conservatism instead of cheap laughs). Solzhenitsyn and Sharansky were both on that wall for these quotes:

If one is forever cautious, can one remain a human being? (Solzhenitsyn).

The drug of freedom is universally potent. (Sharansky)

May we not forget Solzhenitsyn's wisdom, and may he rest in peace.


Also Blogging: Earl Capps, Dan Cassidy

News, Notes, and Editorial Thoughts

Satan-worshipping Democrats charged with rape, kidnapping, and assault

Johnson, who was third vice-chair of the Durham County Democratic Party and vice-chair for the Young Democrats, was charged with two counts of aiding and abetting. Prosecutors said she knew her husband planned the crime and watched as they were committed.

Y'know, I don't think we Republicans needed an excuse to start referring to the opposition party as "Satan-worshipping Democrats", but in case we did, warm and special thanks to the Durham County (NC) Democrat Party for handing us this little gem in July of an election year.

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RELATED? Obama rejects proposed CA Gay Marriage ban
Strange tactic for Obama to tack left in a general election cycle...

Oh, and the post-gay-marriage-lightning-strike-caused-wildfire count is now over 1400 in NorCal alone. Does make one wonder...

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THEN AGAIN - NYTimes: Obama cannot win the South
So, if McCain can capitalize on the gun issue and the gay marriage issue with an overarching theme of conservative judges (with the announcement last week of Fred Thompson's involvement in his judicial selection process), he can put even California into play, and Obama's tacking left to stop it? I don't know, still doesn't sound right to me...

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My (R) VP Frontrunner short list:
Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska
Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana
Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina.


If I had to put money on this one, I'm taking the slightly longer odds and betting on Palin. Just a hunch. She's a rock star for the pro-life community, a proven reformer, and fabulous on energy policy...

*****

The Shot has closed it's doors? Wasn't the same after Tim Cameron left anyways, just became a collection of YouTubes shilling for a single consulting firm. Vaya con Dios, Tim, and stay in touch...

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Also departing last month (though apparently only temporarily): notverybright. I guess shilling for Obama the flip-flopping, America-hating liberal became too difficult a task, even for nvb...

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Around the rest of the SC 'sphere:

tammy at Seeding Spartanburg starts a post with:

Ok. Let me start this post by saying I’m no economist.

...and then proceeds to prove that, most certainly, she's no economist. Might be time to rename that blog "Socialist Spartanburg"...

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sic willie got married?
Hope springs eternal... (Congratulations!)

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Anthony Palmer continues to crank out well-written, well thought out commentary on the political scene over at the 7-10. I have to give him credit for probably being the most most insightful objective commentator in SC at the moment. (I'm not objective - I'm a conservative commentator...)

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New to the SC 'sphere: Carolina Truth Coalition, Palmetto Politico, and Bill McAfee's Stewardship Journal. All interesting reads...

Thoughts on a long month

OK, so... it's been a very long month. A few too many long days, and the blog has suffered for it - apologies.

Let's catch up, shall we?
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California judges institute gay marriage; thousands of lightning strikes follow, causing hundreds of brush fires; Bay Area choked in smoke
Surely somebody should have seen this one coming...

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McCain comes out for CA Marriage Amendment
A play for California? This issue plus the gun issue could put Obama in trouble in a lot of places. If only he'd flip on ANWR drilling (and at $4/gallon, how can you not?) and get tough on immigration, he'd be a shoo-in. As it is, we're headed for another tight red-blue election season.

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DC Gun ban overturned as Supreme Court reaffirms constitutionality of Second Amendment in 5-4 ruling
...you mean we have four Supreme Court justices who don't think that rights enumerated in the constitution are "individual" rights? Yikes.

Still, this is a great victory for those of us who believe the Constitution means what it says and what the Founders meant it to say.

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McCain says Fred Thompson will help pick judges in his administration
See previous headline - or do you think Barack "bitter gun clinger" Obama will pick constitutionalist judges? Whatever else you think of McCain (more to follow...), this is surely the reason conservatives will wind up rallying to his side. Scalia is going to need reinforcements - and Ginsburg and Stevens are getting neither younger nor healthier...

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Supreme Court strikes down "millionaires amendment" portion of McCain-Feingold
The more times that awful law is challenged on constitutional grounds, the more it loses... Chalk up another one for Freedom of Speech.

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Supreme Court strikes down death penalty for raping children
A defeat for Jessica's Law, to be sure. Louisiana responds by mandating chemical castration for pedophiles - Any Senators here want to take up that challenge?

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Released Guantanamo detainee joins Iraqi suicide attack
Those of you pushing to close Gitmo - seven dead Iraqis for you to explain...

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Goose Creek Two update: Mohamed pleads guilty to terrorism charge, faces 15 years in prison
Fireworks... uh huh...

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South Carolina teachers experiment with "new math"
Y'know, because we needed for our educational system to look even more stupid than it already does. Is it any wonder we can't graduate literate high school graduates if "a-tooty-ta" is how we're teaching math to kindergartners?

Then again, I was doing algebra as I skipped kindergarten, so what do I know...

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House and Senate overturn abstinence education funding veto
(and thank you all for the kind notes...) I do still wish more of those other budget vetoes would've been upheld - we're still one bad breakfast away from a deadly prison riot, and the Dept of Corrections Boys also need reinforcements, and body armor equipment, and increased detainee space, and maybe another Supermax...

*****

Knotts beats Shealy in Senate 23 runoff
Come to think of it, I may need body armor, too...

*****

Bright beats Talley in Senate 10 runoff
Way to go, Somer!!

*****

I'd also be remiss if I didn't note with sadness the passing of some legendary broadcasters who shaped so many of us in the television age. Tim Russert, Jim McKay, and Charlie Jones - Gentlemen, all. Russert was the greatest political interviewer and TV personality of his generation - and taken far too soon. McKay was the voice of the Olympics - who can forget his coverage of the Munich tragedy, or the joy of the Miracle on Ice. Al Michaels may have had the memorable call, but when he was done, it was McKay who was with the celebrating fans in the Olympic Village summing it all up. Jones was the voice of the NFL and many Olympic sports for decades. The Beijing Games simply won't be the same this year.

Rest in Peace, you will not soon be forgotten.

Going to MN!

It's official - I've been elected as a statewide alternate to the Republican National Convention!!

I'd like to thank each and every one of my readers and fellow delegates who chose me for this position - you know who you are, and I am grateful to you for your support. We will need to stand strong for our across-the-board conservative principles if we are to reclaim the leadership of our country, in the Congress and the Executive branches.

Again - thank you.

On Budget Vetoes

Those of you who have known me for a while know that I consider myself an "across-the-board" conservative - Fiscal, Social, and Security (both border and defense). This is one of the reasons I'm running for National Delegate on Saturday - we need across-the-board conservatives to represent our Party in Minneapolis.

As evidence of my fiscal conservatism, last year, during Governor Sanford's budget veto process, I put together a "Lard List" for the South Carolina Club for Growth (where I was Executive Director at the time) of a dozen or so items (or types of items) that we thought should be excised from the budget. I'm grateful that the Governor agreed with a number of them, and fifty of his vetoes become the "Lard List" that we fought to keep out of the state budget.

Of course, showing my true prowess as a short-lived lobbyist, the Legislature responded by making a focused effort to overturn those particular fifty votes, called me out on the House floor, and literally turned to wave goodbye after the fiftieth vote went down. And now, I'm gainfully employed elsewhere...

All of which to say, I think I have a pretty solid history as a fiscal conservative.

This year's budget vetoes came out yesterday, and again, I agree with most of them. Governor Sanford has done great work trying to cut the fat from state government without cutting muscle - and his stated intention of funneling the money to the Prisons Department is absolutely correct - as I've written before, that budget has been cut too hard, too often, and now places our law enforcement folks at risk as a result. Jon Ozmint has been right about that for years now, and whatever paltry help we can get him as a result of the budget veto process will be worth it.

But, there are two vetoes that I disagree with this year, and would urge my friends in the House, even my fellow fiscal conservatives, to override these two particular vetoes.

The first involves funding for I-73. There is a move underfoot to increase the gas tax (which B.R. Skelton proposed unsuccessfully last year) to pay for infrastructure. The best alternative to this approach is to cut wasteful spending (hence the other budget vetoes) and spend general fund money on roads and bridges (like I-73). Is $1M going to build the freeway? No, but it's a start, and with our broken budgeting system, that's how we have to fund roads like this one - in fits and starts. Funding the road from the general fund is a great example of why we do NOT need the tax hike.

Make no mistake - I-73 is necessary, as anyone who has ever tried to drive to Myrtle Beach can attest. This will be a boon to the tourism industry in our state (an industry which we unfortunately over-rely on) and an economic advantage in the long run. And, road construction is certainly a legitimate function of state government (unlike the piggie festivals in the "Competitive Grants" monstrosities). Hopefully the House and Senate will restore those funds when they vote on the vetoes.

The other issue is one of abstinence education, where $1.2 million in funding for abstinence education and teen pregnancy prevention was cut. These programs, especially abstinence education, have effectively cut the teen pregnancy rate in South Carolina by 35% over the last ten years.

Last month, our friends over at the Palmetto Family Council noted a nationwide study that broke down the financial impact of teen pregnancy and divorce in South Carolina. This state spends $469 million a year in social programs, incarcerations, and lost tax revenue because of fragmented families. Of that, $227 million was for the Justice System alone. Next to that, a preventive investment of $1.2 million seems like a very wise choice.

The parents of our school children agree - 80% of parents surveyed by a USC research team stated that schools should emphasize abstinence in their sex education classes.

That seems like one of the “priorities of South Carolinians” to me. It’s also one of the only conservative social education programs out there, a drop in the bucket next to the billions lost to the bureaucratic abyss of the Department of Education.

I do hope that the House and Senate will make the wise choice by restoring this funding.

Out of State Groups in District 23 backing... Knotts?

Very interesting post card hitting in Senate 23 today - the NRA's ILA (also known as the Incumbent Legislator Award) is endorsing Senator Jake Knotts from the safety of their offices in Fairfax, Virginia. The card (seen here) was mailed out from "Suburban, MD".

Four items of note for irony or newsworthiness with this piece.

First, this comes on the heels of his last campaign mailer, which included dead people (Louis Shealy), convicted felons (Charlie Sharpe), and a whole array of people who have since told the Knotts campaign they never gave their permission. That probably warrants it's own story, but I know the local newsies are working on it, so I'll leave it at that for now.

Second, Senator Knotts cannot open his mouth or send a mail piece without screaming about "out-of-state special interests", "Wall Street Billionaires", "Walmart-style Schools" and the like. One wonders if he'll denounce the out-of-state intrusion on his behalf. (/sarc)

Third, the out of state group in question kinda got his name wrong on the headline. If you look close at the image's second line (I zoomed in on the back half) you'll notice they asked the voters of District 23 to "Vote for Judy Boyle". Now, as everyone in Lexington County surely knows, Judy Boyle is running for District 9 in the Idaho House. That happens to be only 2472 miles away from downtown Lexington, according to Yahoo Maps. Here's to hoping Jakie's voters write her in on June 10...

Finally, the mailer specifically references Knotts' support for concealed weapons reciprocity. This is interesting, since Knotts spent all of his debate time on Monday night (a debate Shealy won handily, according to the audience who cast straw poll ballots) bashing reciprocity for CWP holders, and likened reciprocity supporters to the "ACLU". No, I don't know what he was blathering about, but it's still entertaining to figure out how he was against it Monday, but for it Thursday afternoon. (this is the inverse of last week, when he claimed to be for mandatory "e-Verify" on Monday night before voting against it on Thursday afternoon).

It will be interesting to see if Jakie keeps trying to play the "out of state" card now that these are running around the district, and it will be interesting to see what else Knotts flip-flops about over the next 3 weeks.

Congradulations, Earl Capps

So in the midst of a hectic work schedule (hey, with 4 weeks to the election, did you expect any less?) I did find some time this weekend to head down the highway to Moncks Corner yesterday to attend the Masters party for fellow right-side blogger Earl Capps.

The food was great, the company terrific, and future 6th District Congressman Mike Reino did an excellent job of roasting Earl (as did a number of other friends). Remind me to block off cell phone time if Earl calls... :-)

Seriously, Earl, congrats! I know that you worked hard to obtain that degree, and how hard it must've been to do that while working and providing for two children as a single dad. You have much to be proud of, and much to be grateful for.

I'm sure we'll talk again soon...

Senate Republican Caucus on Immigration Reform: Thank you Jim Ritchie

Just noted a press release/blog post from the folks at the Senate Republican Caucus: Thank you Jim Ritchie. The thrust of the Thank You Note is for his leadership on tax issues and immigration reform. The Caucus also notes that they've put up a new website: ThankYouJim.com.

Now, I have to admit I like Senator Ritchie, who I regard as one of the brightest policy minds in the Senate. We don't always agree on issues, but Jim's intellect on policy matters is unquestionable. I happen to give him tons of credit for trying to advance the illegal immigration bill for the past two years - I know others have faulted him for some of the steps taken along that process, but on balance, Ritchie's work has been invaluable to the debate. Without fear of contradiction, I can say that without Senator Ritchie's efforts and leadership, we would not have a state immigration bill to discuss right now. Hence the new website.

That being said - since when is the Caucus putting up websites? And, does this mean there's a "ThankYouJakie".com in the works? If so, what would they thank him for - obstruction of every major Republican reform and tax cut in the past four years?

Let's see, he's the major Senate force undermining concealed carry, he's the major force trying to stop e-Verify in the Senate, he single-handedly delayed DUI reform by a year and a half with his DUI trial lawyer buddy Brad Hutto, he was a thorn in the side of anyone trying for meaningful workers comp reform, he voted against income tax cuts, the hits just keep on coming...

At the end of the day in Ritchie's case, he's getting criticized for trying to push the agenda forward (and defended by the Caucus for trying to do the right things). That's far from true in Knotts case. I hope we don't see the Caucus try that one on for size.

Random Thoughts

Just a few notes on this and that...

***

For those of you who listen to the weekly Andy Thomas Show hits, you'll know we talked this morning about Obama's poll numbers. Here's the latest from Rasmussen: Hillary is up ten points on Obama nationwide in the three days since the Rev. Wright press conference.

Maybe, just maybe, Wright's linking the United States Marine Corps to Christ's crucifixion was a bit of a stretch.

Sooner or later, the twenty-year relationship with Jeremiah Wright finishes Barry O. The only question now is who gains, Clinton (in time for the convention) or McCain in the General. Even "throwing Wright under the bus" won't help now - that time was two months ago.

***

I don't know who this Indiana "Republican" Congressional candidate jokeris kidding, but the sooner he disappears from the political scene, the better. We've never been the "Hitler Party", and we aren't about to start now. His anti-Semitic hatred is not welcome in our party.

Illinois Nazis? Well, we can't stand Indiana Nazis either.

The Indiana Nazis have no more place in the modern political dialogue than Jeremiah Wright/Louis Farrakhan should. Both forms of bigotry are equally obnoxious.

***

Global Warming on Hold for another Decade, due to "natural variations in ocean currents". Ummm... don't you think maybe it was those same variations that might've contributed to some temporary warming ten years ago? (since we already know that the Earth cooled more than a Fahrenheit degree last year alone.)

Memo to John McCain: Jump off the Global Warming Bandwagon while you still have the chance. The sooner you do it, the bigger the long-term gain will be when we have climate alarmists in fur coats explaining that man-made warming will be coming around any old day now...

Oh, and don't forget the solar pattern/cosmic ray/cloud seeding theories from our Danish friend, Henrik Svensmark. When in climate doubt, never underestimate the power of the Big Ball of Fire in the Sky...

***

Dueling Headlines:
Senate passes Immigration bill that includes fines for businesses who hire illegals vs. SC has fastest growing Hispanic population

Just a guess, but I'd say those two are related, and the first headline will significantly alter the longterm impacts of the second one. One of the key reasons for the growth in SC is the GA law that passed last year to crack down on illegal immigration there. I strongly suspect that will change once our Legislature finally comes to agreement and passes a strong bill.

I will also note that the second story studiously avoids mentioning the number of illegal immigrants included in that statistic.

***

Thomas Ravenel goes to prison in GA in May.

I haven't blogged my thoughts about the Ravenel case yet. I still think it's one of the saddest stories I know - a friend who we didn't know was going through a struggle with drugs, a friend with a brilliant mind and a bright future, all thrown away because of the power of cocaine. I hope he uses this time to reflect on his own mortality, on his need for repentance and forgiveness, and come out a changed man. He may not have a future in public political life, but he can still have a future, and I pray he realizes that and reacts accordingly.