2012

She's singing!

Throw in the towel.

Stick a fork in it.

No Mas!

Global Warming (er, cooling?) Update

In what must come as a shock to Al Gore and all the rest of the Global Warming Crowd, Alaska's glaciers grew this winter due to large amounts of winter snow and chilly temperatures over the summer.  (Link to story.)

Warner Brothers hiding McCain Interview

Warner Brothers studios is set to release a DVD version of the 1987 drama, Hanoi Hilton.  Republican presidential candidate John McCain was, of course, a prisoner in the real Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War.  Back in May, the movie's writer/director, Lionel Chetwynd, interviewed McCain as part of a promotion for the film's DVD release.  Chetwynd planned to show the McCain interview at screenings for veterans' groups and on the internet but Warner Brothers has blocked him from doing so because, the studio claims, they're "trying to be cautious and not affect the election in one way or the other."  (Link to story.)

Yeah, right.

Refusing to allow the showing of something positive about McCain fits quite well with Hollywood's m.o.  It is simply the flip-side of the coin that allows Lions Gate Entertainment to release W this friday or Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004.  If the project paints a Republican in a bad light, by all means, release it before an election.  On the other hand, if it shines a positive light on a Republican, well, we wouldn't want to affect the election.

As Lionel Chetwynd put it, "finding someone in Hollywood who says they don't want to affect the election is like finding a virgin in a brothel."  Take both claims with a grain (or ton) of salt.

A Sad Story at the St. Louis City Courthouse

Not one to be overly emotional, I did see a sight today that deeply saddened me.  It happened at the courthouse in downtown St. Louis.  While I was walking through the corridor, the elevator doors opened and sheriff's deputies escorted four prisoners in orange jumpsuits out and toward one of the courtrooms.  Waiting for one of these prisoners was a little girl, I guess about two years old, in the arms of her grandmother.  She was excited to see "Daddy" and he was excited to see her, waving and calling out as he was ushered along with all the other prisoners.

The scene started me thinking.  What must it be like for a two-year-old to be separated from an incarcerated parent?  How wonderful it must be to see "Daddy" at any time but how horrible that the best opportunity to do so comes when he's being escorted from jail to a court hearing.

While I feel genuinely sorry for the parent in this situation, thinking of the child truly breaks my heart.  If your heart breaks at stories like this one too, check out Project Angel Tree this holiday season.

Obama Plans to Redistribute Wealth

Barack Obama was recently overheard being uncharacteristically honest about he implications of his tax programs.  See the video here of Obama talking with a skeptical plumber yesterday.  Obama can be overheard claiming that while he does not "want to punish your success" he does admit that he "thinks that when you spread the wealth around it's good for everybody."

His goal is spreading the wealth around.  

That's socialism folks!  Communism!  Isn't Obama really just paraphrasing Karl Marx's famous "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need"?

Can't America see the wool coming off this Marxist in sheep's clothing?

Obama Supporter Calls Americans Racist

Yesterday, a high profile supporter of Barack Obama's bid for the presidency lashed out at the American electorate saying that "profound racism" will stop millions of Americans from voting for the Democratic nominee.  White Americans, this supporter says, simply "cannot reconcile themselves to the idea that a black person . . . could occupy the White House, which is called just that:  white."  Furthermore, this guy claims that it's "a miracle" that Obama hasn't been assassinated because of his "dreams of equality and justice."  (Link to AP story here.)

Just who is this Obama supporter . . . Fidel Castro.

(The picture kind of gives it away, doesn't it.)

I know that the octogenarian Cuban dictator is a blow hard communist and I could not really care less what he has to say about American politics but it is interesting to note who the communists worldwide are supporting in November.  In addition, Castro's comments aren't that far from the comments of prominent Americans.  See, for example, Congressman John Lewis (D-Gerorgia), Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-Florida), Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean, Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kansas) or Jack Cafferty of CNN.

Enough of the racist nonsense already.  It is possible to be anti-Obama and not anti-black.  I think that his election could prove to be the worst thing to happen to the country in my lifetime but it is because of Obama's extreme liberalism, not because of his race.

Flawed Assumption at Fox News

"Which candidate do you trust more to get us out of the current economic crisis?

Today at lunch I noticed that question posed by the folks at Fox News.  Tonight I found that question was today's "Question of the Day" on The Live Desk With Martha and Trace.

The answer to any question asking me who I "trust more" between Barack Obama and John McCain should be pretty obvious.  Though I don't have much trust in McCain, I would certainly trust him more on anything than I would Obama.

But the question is flawed and symptomatic of something wrong with modern America . . . it implies that the president can fix our economy.  The simple fact is that he can't - no matter who he is.  We live in a market economy and market forces are too powerful to be controlled by the government.  While government policies can have some effect - often negative - no president can fix the problem or "get us out of the current economic crisis."

Martha MacCallum and Trace Gallagher appear to have typical American attitude . . . child-like, wanting to be taken care of by the nanny state.  And naively believing that government is up to the task.

Click on the link above and let Martha and Trace know your thoughts.

Hope or Hype

Pollster John Zogby claims that despite what Democrats are saying (and what this blogger is saying) the presidential election is not a foregone conclusion.  "I don't think Obama has closed the deal yet," Zogby told the Boston Herald.  His polls have the race in a statistical dead heat and reminds him of the 1980 election, "when voters didn't embrace Ronald Reagan over then-President Jimmy Carter until just days before the election."

For the sake of the country, I hope that Zogby is right and not simply hyping up interest so that people still notice his polls for the next month.

ACORN Voter Fraud Reaches Missouri

Not without historical precedent, Pro-Democrat voter fraud is again running rampant in Kansas City.  Tom Pendergast would be proud.

According to this Associate Press story, among the voter-registration forms submitted by ACORN, the Jackson County election board has so far "identified about 100 duplicates, and probably 280 addresses that don't exist, people who have driver's license numbers that won't verify or Social Security numbers that won't verify.  Some have no address at all."

How does ACORN do it?  Christopher Barkley, a Domino's Pizza employee in Cleveland came clean to the New York Post.  In their story today, Barkley estimated that he had registered 10 or 15 times after being hounded by ACORN's community organizers.  He says that he "kept getting approached by folks who asked me to register.  They'd ask me if I was registered.  I'd say yes, and they'd ask me to do it again.  Some of them were getting paid to collect names.  That was their sob story and I bought it."

If an election is close, will it be legitimate votes that sway the result?  Or will frauds and fakes decide who becomes the next president?  Governor?

Economic Collapse has a Silver Lining - at least according to the global warming kooks

The world's recent economic woes, which seem to border on total collapse, are bringing smiles to the global warming crowd.  While recognizing "it's a cruel thing to say," Nobel Prize winning atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen goes ahead and says, "if we are looking at a slowdown in the economy, there will be less fossil fuels burning, so for the climate it could be an advantage."  

(Link to Reuters article here.)

So there you have it.  Even if the global economy collapses into depression, things aren't all bad . . .

Bush's "sins" against "abortion rights"

George W. Bush will not go down in history as a great conservative president.  He's made some serious mistakes in office and his party is set to pay the price in November.  But as my friend The Tim Man has lamented . . . soon we will be looking back on the Bush presidency as the good old days.

In a recent column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (a excellent column advocating single issue, Pro-Life voting), Colleen Carroll Campbell, lists President Bush's "sins against the abortion lobby" as gleaned from NARAL Pro-Choice America's website.  Those "sins" include:  banning the use of taxpayer money to support abortions overseas, signing the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act (which Barack Obama famously opposed), signing the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, and appointing John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thank you President Bush for your efforts on behalf of unborn children.

"Don't throw in the towel."

Just now, on the way to lunch, I heard Rush Limbaugh imploring us not to throw in the towel.  Too late Rush, I threw it in last night.

Limbaugh, gallantly, is asking his audience to "drag McCain over the finish line."  But the lifeless corpse of his candidacy is getting heavier and heavier.  And we're getting tired of pulling that weight around.

And what would be our reward if we do get McCain elected?  A McCain presidency.  Oh boy.

Rush is advocating a one-step-at-a-time approach.  I'm paraphrasing now (writing it down while driving would have been dangerous) but he's asking us to save the country from Barack Obama and then save it from the inevitable liberalism (a.k.a. "reaching across the aisle" or "working with Democrats") of a McCain administration.  Isn't it sad that electing a guy that we'll have to save the country from is the best choice?

I truly hope that I'm wrong but I think a Democrat romp in November is now very likely.

The Republican Party can respond to this defeat in one of two ways . . . it can become a true conservative alternative to the Democrats or it can fade into obsolescence.

Knockout in Nashville

It's over.  The 2008 presidential election ended tonight, in Nashville, Tennessee, when John McCain met Barack Obama for their second debate and utterly failed to deliver.  

Obama delivered.  His presentation was smooth and confident.  He stuck - roughly - to the topics presented and made his case.  

McCain's presentation was choppy and erratic.  Whatever momentum Sarah Palin gave the McCain campaign is spent.  I don't believe that he said anything different tonight than we've heard a dozen times before - and he didn't even say it in a different way.  It was the same old John McCain tonight.  The same old McCain who is BEHIND in the polls already and fading.  But he doesn't seem to realize it.

Reality is setting in at Saint Louis Conservative.  Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States.  That fact has significant implications and should prompt the conservative movement into action.  The sooner the better.

We have to put an end to conservative complacency.  Conservatives haven't had a leader emerge since Ronald Reagan.  In a previous post I asked if the appointment of Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court was the worst mistake that Ronald Reagan ever made.  Allow me to answer that question now . . . it wasn't.  Ronald Reagan's worst mistake was the selection of George H.W. Bush as his running mate instead of a true conservative.  Picking Bush as his V.P. resulted in turning over the keys to the Republican party to a moderate after eight years of Reagan's leadership.  Bush 41 begot Clinton who begot Bush 43 . . . next comes Obama.  How would history have changed if Reagan had nominated Jack Kemp instead of Bush?  We need leadership.  Will it be coming from Alaska?  Louisiana?

Maybe the next great conservative doesn't even hold an elected office yet.  But it is time to focus on the grassroots levels of politics to develop such a leader (or leaders).  We need conservative mayors and council members, state representatives and senators.  Get to know who is running.  Support the conservatives.  Run yourself even.

We also have to retake the GOP or leave it.  For years, the Republican Party has tried to be a "big tent" party where folks were welcomed in no matter what they believed in.  Party membership these days requires only a preference for elephants over donkeys.  You don't have to believe in lower taxes, smaller government, military strength, the right to life, or anything else for that matter.  Just agree to vote with "our" block come election day and you're in.  The party will support you.  That must change.  If the party doesn't stand for something, it shouldn't stand at all.

As long as conservatives remain in the GOP, we must prepare ourselves to be an opposition party once again.  Historically, we're good at it.  Principled opposition stopped the Hillary Clinton socialized medicine plan.  Conservative opposition stopped the amnesty for illegal immigrants bill.  We can't stop every bad thing the Democrats will propose but if attention is focused in Congress when it really matters, Republicans can remain a force to be reckoned with.

As pro-lifers, conservatives must realize that for our generation, we've lost the Supreme Court.  With an Obama presidency, we cannot expect in our lifetimes to gain the votes to overturn Roe v. Wade.  That "simple" solution is impossible.  So the time is now to focus our energies in other venues . . . public opinion and potentially a constitutional amendment to protect the rights of unborn children.  It is either that or give up the fight altogether.  I'm not willing to do that.  And the conservative movement can't be either.

Watch your wallet, endure the pain and prepare for midterm elections in 2010 and our next chance to regain the presidency . . . 2012.

Obama Youth

If you haven't seen the video of ten teenagers at a Kansas City charter school teacher-sanctioned event, click here, you should see it.  The video is downright scary.

These boys in their military-style uniforms are choreographed to march around and chant praises to Barack Obama.  Their "leader" has inspired them.  Granted, this little video is no Leni Riefenstahl production, but the only thing missing is cinematic quality.  

This "Obama Youth" event comes fast on the heels of the sickeningly sweet (on one level but just sickening on another) video release of little children singing about their wonderful beloved Obama.  That video can and should be seen here.

This is absolute indoctrination at a base level.  A cult of personality has developed around Barack Obama and is growing day by day.  No man should be worshiped this way.

Does this scare anyone else?

Unexpected Absence

My apologies for my unexpected absence from the blog yesterday.  I wasn't feeling well.  And despite rumors to the contrary, my ill health had nothing to do with my fantasy football team reaching new depths at 0-5.  But liberals beware . . . I'm baaack.

Game On!

Yesterday, I wrote that in tonight's debate voters would be watching Sarah Palin to see if she was up to the job of vice president - if she was knowledgeable -if she was intelligent, steady, and tough.  The debate answered each of those questions with a resounding "YES!"

With much less experience on a national stage, Palin more than held her own with Joe Biden.  She was on-point, confident, charismatic, and, generally, a breath of fresh air into politics as usual.  She is by no means the incompetent buffoon as Katie Couric and the rest of Big Media was trying to imply.  And that is all that she needed to prove.

This debate should give John McCain another bounce in the polls.  Let's hope that McCain is smart enough to ride the bounce this time.

Fair and Impartial

I doubted that she could do it but having just finished watching the vice presidential debate, Gwen Ifill deserves credit for work.  She was professional, impartial, balanced, and fair.  Whether because of the pre-debate attention she drew or because she is a true professional in a "profession" where that is rare, Ifill did a good job tonight.  Thank you Ms. Ifill for keeping your pro-Obama feelings out of the debate.

Obama signs sport Red Star of Communism. Coincidence?

Driving in St. Louis County this week, I noticed a Barack Obama yard sign like the one shown here (which is available at democratnationalcommittee.com) that I hadn't seen before.  Instead of the usual circle logo this sign showed a big red star.  

What's a red star the symbol of?  

Dramatic pause . . . that's right . . . COMMUNISM.

I'm not making this up.  Click here for the Wickipedia entry on the red star.

Does anyone think it is merely a coincidence that Barack Obama's yard signs feature a well known symbol of communism?  Or does this show us who Obama really is?

McCain Wishes for Unbiased Moderator

John McCain agrees with the obvious.  Today he told Fox & Friends, "Frankly, I wish they had picked a moderator [for tonight's vice presidential debate] that isn't writing a book favorable to Barack Obama.  Let's face it.  But I have to have confidence that Gwen Ifill will handle this as the professional journalist that she is.  . . . Life isn't fair."

No Senator McCain, life isn't fair.  And this debate is unlikely to be fair.  It is even less likely that the Big Media spin following the debate will be fair.  But, hopefully, with everyone aware that Ifill is in the tank for Obama, she'll be on her best behavior.  And, hopefully, American voters will watch the debate itself and decide for themselves whether or not to support Sarah Palin rather than waiting for the press to tell them what to think.

I found McCain's comments reported on Politico.com (which I linked through Drudge Report) in a piece by Mike Allen.  In the piece, Allen says that Ifill "is viewed as one of Washington's fairest journalists."  So what?!  Isn't being one of Washington's fairest journalists something like being one of al-Qaeda's nicest terrorists?

VP Debate Likely to Decide Election

All eyes will be on St. Louis tomorrow night as Sarah Palin debates Joe Biden.  And, quite frankly, Governor Palin's performance will probably decide whether John McCain or Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.

McCain languished in the polls and Obama's election seemed certain until Palin joined the ticket.  The buzz created by her nomination and the speeches that she gave when McCain introduced her on August 29 and at the Republican National Convention have been the only highlights of the campaign so far.  Palin gave conservatives a charismatic national voice (for a change) and energized the party.  Her no-nonsense style and outsider status has even appealed to moderates and across party lines.  

Despite the positive Palin-effect, McCain has pushed his running mate into the background over the last few weeks.  The most celebrated appearances that she has made lately have been in "gotcha" attack interviews by liberal Big Media stars that were edited to paint Palin in a bad light.  But tomorrow is her chance - live television - and an expected audience much larger than Katie Couric could ever dream of.

Barack Obama is a charismatic and accomplished speaker (though about all he has to say is fluff or socialism).  Obama's got plenty of campaign money and the media on his side.  The deck is stacked in his favor and momentum seems to be swinging his way.

John McCain has two things going for him . . . he's not Barack Obama, and Sarah Palin.

Voters will be watching her tomorrow night to see if she's up to the job of vice president.  Is she knowledgeable?  Is she intelligent?  Is she steady and tough?

If Palin can show that she is all of those things, the Republican party will bounce back and you'll see a surge in the polls that McCain could ride all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue.  If he's smart enough and humble enough to do so.

VP Debate Moderator is Pro-Obama Shill

PBS's Gwen Ifill is hosting Thursday's vice presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.  She's, of course, an esteemed member of the Fourth Estate.  As a journalist, of course, she wouldn't have any personal stake in the election that would cloud her ability to fairly and impartially discharge her duties as an independent moderator.  Right?

Wrong.  She's writing a book about Barack Obama called "The Breakthrough."  The book is about how the "black political structure" is changing with new leaders emerging like Obama.

Does it surprise anyone anymore that a reporter is aligned with the Democrats?  It shouldn't.  But it galls me how in the tank Big Media is for Obama this year.  This is just the latest example.  Enough already!

Global Warming Nuts Call for Worldwide Meat Rationing

They're at it again.  The global warming acolytes at the Food Climate Research Network have issued a new report saying that everyone everywhere "will have to be rationed to four modest portions of meat and one litre of milk a week if the world is to avoid run-away climate change."  (Story from The Guardian.)

What's worse, the report's author warned that voluntary efforts to change the world's eating habits would fail so he "urged the government to use caps on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon pricing to ensure changes were made."  In other words, he's calling for food police to force you, me, and everybody else to eat what he and his pals think we should eat . . . all to save the planet from myth of global warming.

Back when he hosted a nightly talk show on KMOX, local legend Jim White used to say, "save me from the good people."  Right now I say . . . save me from the crazy, vegetarian, would-be do-gooder, socialist, global warming nuts.  

And bring me a t-bone, medium-rare.

00 Joe

Last week Joe Biden's tall tale about his helicopter being "forced down" in Afghanistan was in the news.  (The helicopter actually landed safely in a field because of inclement weather.)

But that wasn't the first time Biden had exaggerated his "dangerous" foreign exploits.  Last year during a debate, when he was still running for the Democrats' presidential nomination, Biden claimed that he had been "shot at" while in the Green Zone in Iraq.  He wasn't.  In reality, "some sort of projectile 'landed' outside a building where he and another senator had spent the night."  (Link to Fox News story here.)

Apparently Joe Biden wants to paint himself as an action hero - James Bond on a fact-finding mission.  Should we call him Double Oh Joe?  

House Rejects Bailout

The big news of the day (besides our town's football team firing Scott Linehan - to which I must say . . . it's about time!) was the U.S. House of Representatives rejecting the Wall Street bailout plan pushed by President Bush and Democrats in Congress.  (Local representatives' votes.)

The issue is incredibly complex and most of us simply don't have the facts or economic expertise to know what must be done and when to salvage the American economy.  I won't pretend here - or anywhere else - that I know the right answer to this apparent crisis . . . but taxpayers bailing out lenders who made bad decisions and lent money to folks who can't pay it back certainly has a stench about it.  Why shouldn't bad businesses be allowed to go under?

And just as important, where are we going to get a fresh $700 billion or so to pay for this?  I don't believe that the government's got the money.  Are they just going to borrow it from the Chinese or print more of it, devaluing the currency?  Or are you and I going to be asked to buck up and pay higher and higher taxes since Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and their friends were irresponsible?

A friend of mine at lunch today made a good analogy to this situation . . . it is like a child asking a parent to take him to Disneyworld.  "Sorry," says the responsible parent, "we just can't afford to go right now."  "That's okay," says the child, "just write a check."

Are most of our national leaders as naive as the child in the story?  Or do the rest of us just not understand?

The job of leaders is to lead.  That hasn't happened yet.  If this bailout is really necessary then George Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, and the rest of its supporters need to make a stronger case and convince America.  Make your case for this bailout or come up with a new, responsible plan.

Hastings Apologizes

Last week Florida Democrat Alcee Hastings ranted (or should I say rambled?) against Sarah Palin calling her a gun-toting moose-stripper who "don't care too much about what [she does] with Jews and blacks."

Today he apologized.  He added that his comments "were not smart and certainly not relevant to hunters or sportsmen."

For a change Congressman Hastings, I agree with you.

Debate Dud

It took me most of the weekend to watch most of Friday's debate on my DVR.  Not surprisingly, it ran over the allotted time so I suppose it is possible that something exciting happened after my recording cut off . . . but I doubt it.

Neither John McCain nor Barack Obama excelled.  Neither looked presidential.  And neither explained a single position with more detail or insight than a typical stump speech or talking point.  On the other hand, neither candidate made a huge gaffe, so likely both are claiming victory.

The format flopped.  Despite Jim Lehrer's efforts to get the candidates to address each other directly, they didn't.  Neither seemed to have been briefed on or okayed the plan.  Certainly neither was ready to interact directly with the other.  And, most galling to me, neither McCain nor Obama answered a single question directly.

Maybe it is naive to expect more from these guys in this context - but I did.  

I do wish that there was another viable choice in November.

Chavez's Advice to America and Saint Louis Conservative's Advice to Chavez

Saint Louis Conservative's favorite* lunatic dictator, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, is at it again.  Now, he's chimed in with advice to America on how to deal with the current financial crisis.  He's "helpfully" suggested that we drop our Constitution because it is "capitalism that caused the ruin."

Capitalism and the freedoms guaranteed by our current Constitution, Mr. Chavez, form the foundation of what has made the United States of America the greatest nation on the planet.

So, here's my free advice to you . . . "shut the ____ up."

*Two other contenders for "favorite lunatic dictator" come to mind but both were disqualified.  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran is certainly a lunatic but he answers to "Supreme Leader" Ali Khamenei and, therefore, doesn't qualify as a dictator.  And nobody's really sure that North Korea's Kim Jong-il is still alive.

Ethical Stem Cell Breakthrough!

Amidst all the troubling news out there today comes this story of triumph and hope . . . stem cell researchers at Harvard University have reported discovery of "a safe way to coax adult cells to regress into an embryonic state."  These cells are "indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells and could be transformed into any type of tissue."

Last year, scientists made a similar breakthrough but concerns were raised that the technique used left traces of potentially harmful retroviruses in the cells.  Those concerns have now been eliminated.

Also eliminated with those concerns are any arguments in favor of harvesting stem cells from aborted babies for use in research.

Jibberish

ABC News reports that Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-Florida), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, participating in a panel discussion sponsored by the National Jewish Democratic Council said, "If Sarah Palin isn't enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention . . . Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks.  So you just think this through."

Leadership or Overreaction? . . . Rationality or Selfishness?

Today, John McCain suspended his presidential campaign to return to Washington and lend a hand at hammering out a government bailout plan to, hopefully, help the current economic crisis from snowballing.  He has called on Barack Obama to join him, but Obama declined.  He will return to Washington tomorrow to meet with McCain and President George W. Bush about the issue but he's planning on debating McCain or an empty chair Friday . . . whether or not a debate would be a distraction.  (Link to Associated Press story here.)

Both of these candidates (and Joe Biden for that matter) are elected representatives serving in the U.S. Senate.  Since they haven't resigned to run for president, shouldn't they be continuing to do their jobs as senators as the race proceeds?  Especially when crisis seems to be looming? 

McCain going back to Washington to focus on the task at hand shows character and leadership.  What is most important to him right now is working toward fixing the current economic mess - not running for president.  That says something about him.  At first blush, I thought that this move was overreaction, but I think that it might actually be a sign of leadership.  

If historical issues are being considered in the U.S. Congress, U.S. senators should be devoting their attention to those issues instead of cramming for a debate like it was history test.

But Obama said no.  He'll keep on cramming and plans to show up for the debate even if McCain won't be coming.  Is this the rational move?  I mean, Obama's priority is winning the White House and falling in line behind McCain's bold move wouldn't look very presidential.  And taking time to study will probably help his presentation.

But on the other hand, Obama is a senator.  His refusal could simply be selfishness.

How this all plays out should be interesting.

Democrats Defeated - Drill, Drill, Drill

David Obey, the Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, admitted defeat today and said that the provision continuing a ban on offshore oil drilling will will be dropped and the ban will be allowed to expire.

I suppose that the Democrats finally realized that utilization of American resources in the face of a global energy crisis might make sense after all.

Kudos to the Republicans in the House of Representatives for keeping the issue alive  . . . and winning the fight!

Now, what about ANWR?

Economics, This Blog, and Leadership

The elephant in the room for the past several days has been the nation's financial situation.  You haven't read much about it here.  Here's why - I'm not sure what to make of it.

The situation seems dire but bailing out bad investments certainly seems like "financial socialism" and a very bad idea.   But I don't have enough information to know whether or not we're so deep in the doo-doo that we have no choice.

It is times like this that we should all realize that we elect leaders to lead our nation through crises.  Real leaders aren't worried about poll numbers or legacy building.  Instead they analyze situations (where they have more information than we do) and guide us down the chosen course.

And that's why character and integrity matter in the upcoming presidential election.  Which of the two candidates do you want steering the ship through troubling times?  And who do you think has the ability, courage, wherewithal, and fortitude to face up to this and whatever future crisis might arise?

The answer is clear.  The man for the job is John McCain.

Hulshof Gaining Steam

A poll released today by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch showed Republican Kenny Hulshof gaining on Democrat Jay Nixon in the race for governor.  In the previous P-D poll taken in July (while the family squabble with Sarah Steelman still raged on) Nixon had a seventeen point lead.  Now it is only seven points, 50%-43%.  And there's a 3.5% margin for error.

Tuesday is six weeks before election day.  There's still time for Hulshof to salvage the race.

Farther down the ballot, there's a mixed bag for the GOP.  Peter Kinder has a big lead for reelection as lieutenant governor and Brad Lager has an 8 point lead in the race for treasurer.  But Benedict Arnold (a.k.a. Chris Koster) leads Mike Gibbons 46% to 40% in the attorney general's race and Robin Carnahan leads Brad Lager by eleven.

Again, Tuesday - tomorrow - is six weeks before election day.  With the presidential ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin energizing the Republican base, November 4, 2008, could be a good day for Missouri after all . . . but we're a long way and a lot of hard work away from victory right now.

Biden learning from Hillary

Back in March, Hillary Clinton told her whopper about her harrowing trip to Bosnia, "landing under sniper fire."  And we all know what that did for her political career.

Now, it seems, that the Democrats' V.P. candidate, Joe Biden, is learning the art of exaggeration from Hillary.  He's apparently out on the campaign trail talking about searching for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan "where [his] helicopter was forced down." 

Joe Topper blogging at abcnews.com checked out Biden's tall tale - or, should I say, subtle stretching of the truth.  There was a helicopter carrying Biden, John Kerry, and Chuck Hagel.  It did make an emergency landing in Afghanistan.  But it wasn't forced down by terrorists, as Biden certainly is implying, but by a snowstorm.

Seriouser and Seriouser

The And Now Things Get Serious Department has, unfortunately, become a daily feature.  Today's feature . . . Russia is sending a squadron headed by the nuclear-powered cruiser, Peter the Great (and its 20 nuclear cruise missiles and 500 surface-to-air missiles) to participate in joint naval exercises with Venezuela in the Caribbean.  A little close to home, don't you think?

And, does anybody really think that Barack Obama is more ready to deal with situations like this than John McCain?

The Palin Effect

Personally, I know that John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate energized and gave me hope for the November election.  When once I was debating the merits of staying home and looking forward to the hopeful rebirth of a conservative GOP after the seemingly-assured, resounding defeat of "moderate," now I'll be in line at the polls bright and early, with bells on.  

But things have changed . . . 

In July, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll, McCain trailed Barack Obama in Missouri 48% to 43%.  Since then, McCain has climbed 6 points and taken the lead over Obama, 49% to 45%.

Palin is now drawing Obama-esque crowds, 60, 000 people turned out to see her in Florida today.

And, though it is almost certainly too good to be true, the San Francisco Chronicle hints that California might be back in play since Palin's nomination with a headline stating that her effect on the race "sparks fear among Dems."  (Wow, wouldn't those 55 electoral votes change things?)

The upcoming debates will, I think, be the deciding factor in what seems to be shaping itself into another close election race.  And, for the first time in many years, the debate between the Vice Presidential candidates (October 2, 2008, at Washington University in our town) is likely to matter as much or more than any of the three Presidential debates.

Updates

Again from the Big Fat Who Cares Department, Britain's Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, has denounced Sarah Palin's politics as "horrendous."  Memo to Secretary Blears . . . Americans stopped giving a _________ about British opinion in 1776.

And from the And Now Things Get Serious Department, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez has announce plans to purchase combat aircraft from China.

And now things get serious . . .

the Russians are planning to sell missile defense systems to Iran and Venezuela.  (Story here).

An argument for guns . . . and Darwinism

Today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported today on an attempted armed robbery of a City bar foiled by a gun-wielding bartender Monday.  When the criminals walked into the bar, pulled a handgun, and ordered everyone to hit the floor, the bartender pulled his own gun and fired, hitting one of the robbers, Demetric Harbin, twice in the rear.  Harbin was arrested, but his compatriot escaped (you can't win them all).

Criminals shouldn't be the only armed people in the world.  If gun control advocates had succeeded in eviscerating the Second Amendment, this robbery would likely have succeeded and who knows what else might have happened.

It is also fortunate that neither Harbin nor his fellow robber was smart enough to determine what kind of bar they intended to victimize . . . the bar, Pooh's Corner, just happens to be a hangout for off-duty and retired police officers, like the unnamed bartender hero.

Hillary Clinton . . . Fashionista

I found this photo on the web.  It is a cheap shot, I know, but I simply couldn't resist.  

If SHE's coming to your party, I'm not!

In a page taken right out of high school, Hillary Clinton has reneged on her promise to appear at a September 22 protest of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's appearance at the United Nations.  Why?  Because the protest's organizers also invited Sarah Palin to appear.

Hillary's stated reasons seem shallow.  As her spokesman put it, Palin's "attendance was news to us, and this was never billed to us as a partisan political event . . . Senator Clinton will therefore not be attending."

Partisan?!  How is it partisan if it features Democrat Clinton and Republican Palin?  In reality, of course, the event isn't partisan at all.  But to the Clintons, apparently, any appearance by a Republican in an election year is, by definition, partisan.

Ahmadinejad should be something Republicans and Democrats can agree on.  But Clinton is so upset by the mere presence of Palin - the new girl - that she's decided to stay home and pout.

Very mature, Hillary.

Presidential Polls are Close - Liberals Blame Racism Instead of Liberalism

The race card has been thrown.  Barack Obama has failed to put away John McCain and the race for the presidency is close.

Could it be because Americans like McCain?

Could it be that they approve of his choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate?

Could it be that Obama's qualifications have been weighed by the American people and found wanting?

Could it be because Americans are not ready for socialized medicine or the tax increases that promise to come with an Obama presidency?

Could it be because Obama's position on the war in Iraq and opposition to the troop surge has proven wrong?

Could it be that America does not want a true-blue liberal as President of the United States?

Heck no.  That has nothing to do with it say the liberals themselves.  Kansas Governor Katheen Sebelius is one example and CNN's Jack Cafferty is another case in point, who writes today on his blog that the tightness of the polls "doesn't make sense . . . unless its race."

Sorry Jack, it makes a whole lot of sense unless you're a liberal yourself . . . and race has nothing to do with it.  Many of us out here across America do not want a liberal to be president, black, white, or green.  

Just because we're backing McCain-Palin does not mean that we wear white robes and hoods or support the KKK.  Accusations otherwise are offensive.

Post-Dispatch Editorial is Bass Ackward

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch cut into Sarah Palin with an editorial yesterday.  No surprise really and not worth much commentary here - their take on Palin's interview with Charlie Gibson certainly differs from mine.  But what more would you expect from the liberal P-D?

But the editorial described the McCain-Palin campaign as one that is "built around image and distortion, not the reality of the candidates' qualifications or ideas."  That sentence caused me to do a double-take.  

If there has ever been a candidate "built around image" it is Barack Obama.  A man without qualifications who has no executive experience at all and just two years in the U.S. Senate.

For Obama . . . image is everything.  He has nothing else.

Born Alive Truth

A new advocacy group has begun running commercials critical of Barack Obama's refusal to support the Illinois Born Alive Infants Protection Act.

The ad features the testimony of abortion survivor Gianna Jensen who, in her own words, "wouldn't be here" if "Obama had his way."

The advocacy group is BornAliveTruth.org and the ad can be viewed at their website, here.

Obama tried to delay troop withdrawal . . . to keep campaign issue

The New York Post reported today that while Barack Obama is telling American voters that he wants American troops to come home from Iraq as soon as possible, he really wants them to stay in place - and be a campaign issue - until after the November elections.  In fact, Obama "demanded" the delay in his discussions with Iraqi officials on his overseas trip this past summer.

Thankfully, the Iraqis refused and, even now, are working with American officials on details of a withdrawal.

If the job is finished and the Iraqis want us out, it is time to get out of Iraq.

If the report is true (and I suspect it is, since the key source is an interview with the Iraqi Foreign Minister - not Matt Damon), it shows a despicable selfishness on Obama's part.  But that shouldn't be a surprise, after all, he's a liberal and a politician.  By my reckoning that puts him behind in the count 0-2 right off the bat.

Eat meat or risk brain shrinkage

Vegetarians are "six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage" than people who eat meat.  This according to an Oxford University study reported today in The Times of India.

Amazing isn't it . . . how research proves what ought to be obvious?  Human beings are designed as omnivores.  We have teeth (canines) designed to rip flesh.  And now it turns out that doing that is good for us.  Shocker!

But I guess brain shrinkage could explain Dr. Rajendra Pachauri.