Blog @ MoreWhat.com

On your very first sentence, Florida Democratic Representative Ron Klein, you are wrong. War comes with a built in path to the end. It’s called victory. Of course there is one more but only Democrat surrender monkeys think about that one. Yes, it is called surrender. So why don’t you at least call it by what it is? Surrender is the name, not ‘a path to end this war’.

Either you put your political career ahead of the troops for a few fringe left votes, like 30 pieces of silver, or you are too intellectually challenged to understand the concept of war, or both. And to show your ignorance for the world to see, you post a statement displaying your lack of support for the troops, preference for surrender and, worst of all, continue to give aid and comfort to the enemy.

Some time this week you should repeat the following phrase to yourself until you fall asleep. And maybe by the next morning you can grow a pair. The phrase is ‘ We Win, They Lose ‘. Or you could try or add, ‘In war there is no substitute for victory.’ Your assignment for the week is to determine the source of these quotes.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

It’s Congress’s Duty to Support a Change in War Policy

May 31st, 2007
By Fla. Dem. Rep. Ron Klein
I voted against the Iraq Supplemental last week because it does not provide the American people with a path to end this war. Without a real plan for accountability in Iraq, there is no telling how long this war will continue.

Trackposted to Right Pundits, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Azamatterofact, guerrilla radio, DeMediacratic Nation, Webloggin, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, The Florida Masochist, Colloquium, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, Pet’s Garden Blog, Blue Collar Muse, stikNstein… has no mercy, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Either Senator John McCain is an idiot or he thinks the American people are. And if we don’t succeed in defeating S.1348, he may be right. Some statements McCain made in an interview with Bill O’Reilly certainly can argue the case that McCain has lost it. He would have a better chance of being elected President in Mexico. He also pulled out the race card when asked by O’Reilly. There you go Senator, if any white American speaks the truth about anyone with a different racial or ethnic background, it must be racism. Ok, we’re back to you being an idiot. Playing into the fringe left spin to push your corporate and Latino lobby position.

On deportation Senator, you are again, wrong. There’s a long list of people who know that severely penalizing employers who hire illegals and drying up the illegal job market will go a long way toward deportation. If they have no job, they have no reason to stay. For those who don’t leave, we have ICE, the Minute Men, federal, state and local law enforcement to aid in deportation as well as the military. Keep your fence, your amnesty and all your other useless facades for border and immigration control.

President Bush had you on a leash before and he still does. Anyone who votes for you might as well vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton. Regardless of the fate of S. 1348, this anger at Washington is not going away. Americans are just about maxxed on their ability to tolerate the arrogance of politicians, corporations and lobbyists. This will be your undoing. Count on it.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

GOP Presidential Hopeful John McCain Sits Down With Bill O’Reilly

Thursday, May 31, 2007
BILL O’REILLY, HOST: “Unresolved problem” segment tonight, the proposed immigration bill has divided Americans and caused great anger, as you know. And one of those getting pounded is Senator John McCain, a sponsor of the bill and a presidential candidate.

MCCAIN:You’ve got two choices here, Bill. You either round up and deport 12 million people, and I know of no one who thinks that’s a good idea nor practicable.

MCCAIN: Well, they have every reason to be legitimately skeptical and in fact angry, because we did promise them that we would secure the borders and we didn’t.

MCCAIN: We passed an amendment that it’s automatic jail if they cross our borders illegally.

links in the sidebar

1. 
   

   Maggie’s Notebook

   Says:
   May 30th, 2007 at 2:49 pm Venezuelans Fight the Loss of Free Press…

   As Glover attempts to add legitimacy to dictatorships, Chavez controls the military, the legislature, the courts, most private industry, including our American oil companies - he also controls former U.S. President Jimmy Carter….

2. 
   

   DeMediacratic Nation

   Says:
   May 30th, 2007 at 3:05 pm Iranian Nukes and Hostages for Peaceful Purposes…

   Iran has a unique way of dealing with th ……

3. 
   

   The Florida Masochist

   Says:
   May 30th, 2007 at 3:13 pm RubbeNECKing South Florida style…

   Hangings by the side of the road that cause a traffic jam, A whale necropsy on a Florida Keys beach. Isn’t this a great state or what?(Sarcastic laughter time)…

4. 
   

   Right Voices

   Says:
   May 30th, 2007 at 3:54 pm Today’s Opinion And Open Trackbacks…

   Some really good links:
   Michael Medved: Should Mormonism Disqualify a Candidate?
   Mitt Romney?s increasingly credible Presidential campaign raises urgent but uncomfortable questions about his Mormon faith. Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter D…

5. 
   

   stikNstein….has no mercy

   Says:
   May 30th, 2007 at 5:13 pm The Presidents Immigration Speech Translated…CONGRESS SHOULD HAVE THE COURAGE TO LIE…

   Full Text of His speech is here
   The Official White House SPANISH TRANSLATION IS HERE
   It’s clear the president is putting a lot of energy into getting his Amnesty without Apology bill past the American people. As you can understand this requires …

6. 
   

   Diary of the Mad Pigeon

   Says:
   May 31st, 2007 at 12:04 am Reality Television: The Pigeon’s Response…

   If you want true reality TV for the masses, how about combat footage, or an uncut tour through Darfur, or the day in the life of an EMT?…

7. 
   

   Mark My Words

   Says:
   May 31st, 2007 at 1:27 am Cool and disturbing at the same time…

   Google, once again expanding its reach over all information, you might be surprised at what can be seen on the new Google Street View available at Google maps……

8. 
   

   Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker

   Says:
   May 31st, 2007 at 2:07 am Tropical Deression TWO-E could become Hurricane Ba…

   UPDATE: Tropical Storm Barbara is now here - and may become the first hurricane of 2007 by the weekend. The really interesting aspect of this development is how the predicted storm track has moved. At the bottom of this post I have the original p ……..

9. 
   

   Colloquium

   Says:
   May 31st, 2007 at 3:12 am Thursday Thirteen: Edition #19…

   Thirteen Words or Phrases I Never Want to Hear Uttered in a Meeting Again: 1. “Let’s think outside the box, people!”…

10. 
    

    Adam’s Blog

    Says:
    May 31st, 2007 at 3:27 am All That’s Left Is The Name Calling…

    First up is the disgraceful attacks by many Republicans have been engaging in name-calling to get their way, including Senator Lindsey Graham and Linda Chavez. For shame, it’s a game of trying to cast your opponents as bigots to get your way and will….

11. 
    

    Here’s looking at . . . me!

    Says:
    May 31st, 2007 at 4:34 am What are you willing to do?…

    Really, it’s a very simple question, isn’t it?

    What are you willing to do in order to improve the quality of your life? Notice that I did not say “lose weight.”…

12. 
    

    third world county

    Says:
    May 31st, 2007 at 5:01 am T-13, 1.30: Thirteen (Good) Things About Summer…

    Well, the “official” start of Summer is three weeks away, but it pretty much feels like it’s here already, so here goes.

16. 
    

    Woman Honor Thyself

    Says:
    May 31st, 2007 at 5:13 am eUK Boycotts Israel…Hmmm……

    OK. I move to ban British professors from the U.S. due to their obvious anti semitism.

    ……

17. 
    

    Conservative Cat

    Says:
    May 31st, 2007 at 5:20 am eFighting Back at Drug-Resistant Diseases…

    Bacterial drug resistance is in the news today, thanks to a man infected with a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis who chose to expose hundreds of people to his condition. The problem of drug resistance is due to a characteristic of……

crossposted at:
Maggie’s Notebook | Conservative Blog
FaultlineUSA
Screw the UN

The following is certainly an oversimplified appraisal. But the order of the news reports lent itself to an almost automatic response. The events themselves may have played out somewhat differently. At least as far as timing is concerned. But nevertheless there chronological publishing times may be in proper order. The point is this.

We all know that Iran was on President Bush’s ‘D’ list. They were not likely to get invited to any parties. And if you are old enough to remember the dagger in the heart of Jimmy Carter’s Administration or had some history classes in school, you are familiar with 444 days worth of agony suffered by Americans at the hands of Iranian hospitality.

Then there was the Reagan Administration basking in the glory of the return of the American hostages and later the Iran-Contra scandal and I’m getting crazy just thinking about it. That is over twenty-five years ago and the process has not improved. It appears more complicated than the simple explanation that every country is looking out for their own agenda and benefit.

With the Memorial Day concluding earlier this week, thoughts of WWII and the greatest generation did not escape most Americans. Citizens of many other countries are sure to have been reminded also. When I think of our country’s contribution to winning that war alongside so many other allied nations, another striking reminder enters my thoughts.

At the end of WWII the League of Nations was replaced by the United Nations whose stated mission was to intervene in conflicts between nations and avoid future wars. It almost seems as though human beings were finally getting it right. Instead of a period of time of peaceful activity followed by the totally impractical practice of armed conflict, we would solve our differences in an organized group to eliminate the need for death and destruction in enormous quantities.

Let’s review the latest success of this noble endeavor. As stated earlier, the sequence of the following reports is assumed to be relatively chronological.

Iraq’s Sadr blasts US-Iranian meeting

BAGHDAD, May 30 (UPI) — Among those who blasted the meeting is Iranian-backed Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, who said in a statement Wednesday that the U.S.-Iranian talks in Baghdad Monday constituted “interference in Iraqi affairs.”

So the first thing that happens is the cleric known as Sadr throws his two cents worth in ‘dissin’ the meeting. One man who has done everything he can to cause more bloodshed in Iraq is complaining about a meeting between the US and Iran. Could be so simple as he doesn’t want anything solved for it ups his value as a ’somebody’ in Iraq.

Talking With Our Enemies Is Smart Policy

The Moderate Voice -
By Jeb Koogler. The recent meeting between American and Iranian officials in Baghdad effectively brings to an end the Bush administration’s use of ‘enforced …

Then we have another opinion apparently applauding an approach that differs from the typical ‘cowboy George’ routine that one could characterize as shoot now, ask questions later or the old Teddy Roosevelt adage of walk softly and carry a big stick. This second philosophy has a tendency of provoking more attitude from hostile foes and delay the desired victory outcome.

Iran official rules out halting enrichment ahead of nuclear talks …

International Herald Tribune, France -
In another sign of defiance, hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boasted that Iran has become so strong that no adversary can defeat it. …

Which of course prompted the response above from the Iranians as well as another one bragging about no one would be crazy enough to challenge the great and powerful Iranian military. Ok, where did we here that Mother of all wars speech before. Yo, yo, Prez AJ, over powering the Iraqi forces was not a problem. Keeping the nutcases contained has presented a problem, but foreign armies, not a big deal. Does he have that little man syndrome?

Diplomats: West rejected Iran nuke concession

MSNBC -
In another sign of defiance, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boasted that his country’s military has become so strong that no adversary would risk an …

And the tennis ball lands in the other court and we have renewed talk about regime change. So the long delayed question is where the hell is the United Nations, again, and why does it even exist anymore. Not like their weren’t plenty of reasons to ask for it to be dissolved before.

Getting Serious About Iran: For Regime Change

Commentary, NY -
To the contrary, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the recently elected president, announced that the Islamic Republic was reneging on its suspension agreement and …

Afghanistan, Iraq, maybe Iran, Russia and new nukes, India talking more nukes, US shielding EU and the circus just keeps coming to town. Is no other country the least bit interested in taking one more shot at using the UN for what it was designed for? I am sure anyone reading this may feel compelled to complain about my suggestions. Consider that the UN is useless and it probably needs to be dissolved. But now would be a great time to give that ‘body’ one last chance to actually do something useful. There are major players involved in dealing with the current generation of conflict and resolution. There is no better time to get everyone involved and in a position to make the UN work before it is entirely abandoned. Even a loser is worth one more try. As long as the cards are on the table and every one knows how to play.

In the words of Larry the Cable Guy, ‘get her done’. If it flops, get rid of it.

Thompson on the Run

Town Hall, DC -
At an event for the Electronic Data Systems Corp. on April 27, he said he supported helping Iranians overthrow President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government. …

Heading into the 2008 elections, it would be nice to resolve some of the world’s issues since no one knows who will be in the White House and the example above is not ready for nonsense by his statements. That may apply to one or more other candidates but some would be a definite disadvantage in that regard.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Until his renewed effort to jumpstart his campaign shows significant results, we can only cross our fingers that Tom Tancredo’s presence has and will provide more strength for border security and immigration control. As the title of the report below indicates, Tancredo is far behind in the race.

It is an expectation here that his campaign will grow as more people understand the grave danger lurking in the Senate and possibly later in the House as S. 1348 and its chances of passage improve. To the unfamiliar, S. 1348 is the amnesty bill currently in the Senate. If it passes, millions of illegal immigrants will get a pass on violating federal law. That is exactly the problem Tom Tancredo has been fighting for years.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Long-shot Tancredo hits Iowa target

Campaign to expel illegal immigrants resonates in nervous, early-caucus state
By Antonio Olivo
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 31, 2007

ONAWA, Iowa — Driving along an empty ribbon of State Highway 29, the AM radio signal fades between a lonely Mexican ballad and a conservative talk show host’s morning rant. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) feels right at home.

Tancredo is greeted with cheerful backslaps inside a crowded truck-stop diner that is minutes from an Indian reservation casino outside Sioux City. He has come to discuss what many in this rapidly changing corner of northwestern Iowa have waited for: his bid to become U.S. president.

Howard Dean should get credit for being the first to use the internet to a political advantage. Or more correctly, the person on his campaign staff who orchestrated it should be given credit. Certainly more credit than the old joke that Al Gore invented the internet. But the real power of the internet for political purposes has still been overlooked. Just because the candidates play ‘me too’ and hop on social networking sites to push their campaigns does not allow one to conclude they have harnessed the power of the net.

It would be helpful to have some metrics to digest in drawing any conclusions on the net’s benefit to candidates. From simple traffic reports on their net presence to demographic and response data for their efforts. A guess would be they are merely trying to tap into younger voters. Some however may be under voting age except it seems unlikely they would be interested although they may be the larger portion of the population at these sites.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

MySpace race — who’s the coolest candidate?

Neva Chonin, Chronicle Critic at Large
Thursday, May 31, 2007

The kids are doing it. Rock bands and rappers are doing it. Even the birds and bees are doing it. And now, bringing up the rear, the politicians are doing it. The 2008 presidential election has, inevitably, infested MySpace.

Took them long enough. Consider: If Al Gore had figured out how to make the information superhighway work for him in 2000, and if the superhighway had half the clout it does today, that presidential election might have turned out differently. If Howard Dean hadn’t cut loose with an ill-timed war whoop in 2004, and if the Net had reached the mainstream audience it has now, he might have ridden his unprecedented online success to the White House.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is what Hillary Rodham Clinton has done. Much of the discussion in the piece at The American Spectator by Jennifer Rubin magnifies that fact. At the time, it was almost perplexing that Carl Levin made some noise about being seen as not supporting the troops. He then voted in favor of the Iraq funding bill. Clinton and the other Democratic candidates voted against. For a moment, Levin’s stock almost rose except the move was mostly political.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is so detestable it is helpful someone like Rubin can offer a brief, calm, analytical appraisal of her that anger will not allow me to do. Yet one can be more angry at the mindless or those who stand to gain personally by her political success have the audacity to be co-conspirators.

I would like to think that the two bios out next month would cause Hillary Rodham Clinton enough distress as to sabotage her campaign. With what she has chosen as a life it is unlikely that small detail will challenge her concentration.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Hillary’s Die Is Cast

By Jennifer Rubin
Published 5/29/2007 12:08:37 AM

Hillary Clinton may have sealed her fate last week. Revealing the depth of her desperation on Iraq and her innate distrust of the free markets she seems only to have picked up the baggage, but no useful political lessons, from her husband’s administration.

CAGW Names Rep. John Murtha Porker of the Month

WASHINGTON, May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Citizens Against
Government Waste (CAGW) today named Representative John Murtha (D-Pa.) the
May Porker of the Month for throwing a temper tantrum and threatening his
colleagues over a challenge to a $23 million pet project in the
Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008.
Rep. Murtha became infuriated by Rep. Mike Rogers’ (R-Mich.) motion to
challenge his earmark for the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) in
Johnstown, Pa. According to The Politico, Rep. Murtha, who is not on the
Intelligence Committee but does chair the Defense Appropriations
Subcommittee, confronted Rep. Rogers on the floor of the House and
threatened to remove both any of his earmark requests in the defense
appropriations bill and any other earmark “now and forever.” Rep. Rogers
responded, “This is not the way we do things here — and is that supposed
to make me afraid of you?” To which Rep. Murtha arrogantly replied, “That’s
the way I do it!”
Rep. Murtha also assailed Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) for voting with
Rep. Rogers against the NDIC during the Intelligence Committee markup of
the bill. Rep. Murtha threatened a Boeing project in Rep. Tiahrt’s
district.
Rep. Rogers submitted a resolution charging that Rep. Murtha violated a
House rule which forbids members from blocking earmarks based on how a
colleague votes. The resolution seeks a formal reprimand from the House.
Rep. Rogers said, “This is exactly why Americans are disgusted with out of
control federal spending. In order to restore the faith of the American
people in Congress, we must do better. We can’t allow members to be
threatened and intimidated when they stand up for hard-working taxpayers’
money.”
The Hill reported that Rep. Murtha also skirted the rules by submitting
his required earmark certification late. The deadline was March 23, but
Rep. Murtha’s letter was only sent on May 1, the day before the bill mark
up.
The Murtha outburst exemplifies how earmarks corrupt the legislative
process. The NDIC, which is funded through the Drug Enforcement
Administration, was cited last year by the House Government Reform
Committee as “an expensive and duplicative use of scarce federal drug
enforcement resources.” CAGW’s 2007 Prime Cuts and the President’s budget
both recommended that the NDIC should be eliminated. But it will probably
be funded, not based on merit, but out of fear of Rep. Murtha’s power as an
appropriations cardinal.
Rep. Murtha sees Congress as a place where threats and power plays
control spending decisions. While pushing the pork-filled 2006 defense
appropriations bill through the House last year, Rep. Murtha unleashed his
money-hungry wrath upon his colleagues, “If you vote against this bill, you
won’t have any input at all the next time.” The congressman barrels through
legislation while inserting whatever he can to serve himself and his
district. Since 2005, Rep. Murtha has obtained a total of $26,877,250 in
pork.
Rep. Murtha claims that when submitting an earmark he asks, “Is this
worthwhile not only to your district but to the country?” However, it is
difficult to ascertain what the country gets out of pork projects such as
the $194,000 he secured for the construction of a new community center in
Green County, Pa. in 2005.
For filling important intelligence and defense bills with pork and
threatening anyone that challenges his authority and arrogance, CAGW names
Rep. John Murtha its May 2007 Porker of the Month.
Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and
mismanagement in government. Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given
to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown
a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.

SOURCE Citizens Against Government Waste

Tancredo praises Cuesta’s book exposing hispanic autonomy arising from immigration
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO May 28, 2007 US Hispanic News

(PRLEAP.COM) Congressman Tom Tancredo, 2008 Republican presidential candidate, calls the book “Great read!” in a handwritten note to its author, Lee Cuesta. As the rising tide of “illegal immigrants” in the United States demands amnesty, Cuesta’s book relates the self-autonomy movement in the Mexican state of Chiapas, to a similar movement occurring in the American Southwest.

As a speaker and journalist who lived and worked throughout Mexico (and Guatemala) for eight years, Cuesta has met both with leaders in Chiapas, and also with members of Estudiantes Contemporáneos Del Norte (ECDN), at the University of New Mexico, including Dr. Charles Truxillo. Many experts are now predicting that the Southwest shall secede from the US, unite with the northern tier of Mexican states, and create the autonomous “República del Norte.” A professor of Chicano Studies, Dr. Truxillo envisions this new, sovereign nation within this century. He has stated: “I may not live to see the Hispanic homeland, but by the end of the century my students’ kids will live in it, sovereign and free.” As Cuesta’s book predicted, Truxillo also said: “Its creation will be accomplished by the electoral pressure of the future majority Hispanic population in the region.”

Furthermore, Cuesta’s book points out that there is an historic precedent to this current trend. He writes that the document known as “The Plan of San Diego, Texas,” was signed on January 6, 1915, and envisioned an armed uprising against the government and country of the United States on February 20, 1915. The original Plan endeavored to reclaim the territory comprising Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and California. The uprising failed to materialize, but two years later, in 1917, the German influence in the Plan led to the United States’ entrance into World War I.

Likewise, some modern observers believe that there is a silent conspiracy behind the overwhelming immigration from Mexico. They call it “La Reconquista.” One analyst concluded: “Just as their national plan clearly dictates, the Mexican government is preparing for an attack on America – an attack perpetrated through ideology and assimilation rather than with bullets and blood.” For this reason, an international newspaper based in Manitoba, Canada, described Cuesta’s book, “Like a story lifted off the page of today’s newspaper.”

Cuesta discovered that ECDN’s purpose statement reads: “Dedicated to the Chicanos del Norte in the hope of recovering their lost sovereignty and assuming their place among the independent nations of the world.” Many of the members express their views in an online newsletter called El Norte. A link to this newsletter is provided at www.leecuesta.com. One of them writes in El Norte: “Since 1848 Mexican people have been engaged in a slow process of regaining lands that they lost to the United States as a result of war.” Another one writes: “We seek to re-ignite the embers of self-determination and nationalistic thought and stand in solidarity with all indigenous people of the world in their struggle for sovereignty.”

Besides a link to their newsletter, El Norte, the ECDN website also contains links to essays associated with maps that detail the evolution of the American Southwest (or El Norte) in sequential order from 1000 A.D. through 2080, when it will be known as La República del Norte. The essay for the map of “North America circa 2080 A.D.” is written by Truxillo himself. A link is also provided to Dr. Truxillo’s paper entitled, “The Inevitability of a Mexicano Nation in the American Southwest and Northern Mexico.” In it, Truxillo states: “A new age of nationalism is sweeping the planet. Norteños are like Palestinians, Quebecois and Sri Lanka Tamils – new nationalities.” In fact, when Cuesta visited the campus in Albuquerque, and mentioned his experience in Chiapas, the ECDN members immediately identified the Zapatista movement as a similar phenomenon.

Just to be clear, this report/interview from Iowa provokes a few questions about the candidate this blog sees as the current best choice. With all the positives about Mitt Romney, his take on illegal immigration could be more aggressive than indicated here.

He could elaborate on the ’steadfastly in favor’ part and explain if illegals applying for residency or citizenship alongside of others would be on this side of the border or the other side? If Romney only opposes amnesty as an automatic path to citizenship and would allow illegals to remain and apply, we have a problem. Perhaps he will clear this up soon.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Romney says he won’t support ‘amnesty’ for illegals

1:45 PM
By Charlotte Eby
Lee Newspapers

DES MOINES - During a visit to Iowa Wednesday, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney criticized the proposal before Congress that could give legal status to millions of immigrants currently in the country illegally.

In an interview with Lee Enterprises, the former Massachusetts governor said illegal immigrants should not be given a “special pathway” to citizenship or permanent residency like the bill being considered.

“It is a substantial advantage that is given to those that are here illegally, and it is a form of amnesty, in my view,” Romney said.

Romney said he remains “steadfastly in favor” of allowing illegal immigrants to apply for residency and citizenship but said they should apply alongside others in the world rather than having an advantage.

The massive competition among the states to alter primary election politics is bothersome. Not unlike redistricting, moving primary election dates may have unintended consequences beyond the obvious. In the obvious category would be allowing candidates an advantage they may not have had in the previous order.

For instance, if a candidate is polling well in states offering the first several primary/caucus tests of the campaign, moving other elections to the front could negatively alter their chances to win. One unintended consequence may be discouraging already infrequent or new voters from participating. If it is seen as a ploy to gain unfair advantage like redistricting, that may be just what happens. Perhaps that is not an unintended consequence. With all the unethical activities in politics, it certainly would not be a surprise.

If for no other reason, it would be better to leave the election schedule alone. Even if it was imperfect for various reasons, at least keeping it the same would avoid compounding the problem by changing it every election cycle.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

With primary moved ahead, GOP’s top 3 focus on Fla.

By Brian E. Crowley
Palm Beach Post Political Editor
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

WEST PALM BEACH — Rudy Giuliani continues to trail in recent New Hampshire and Iowa polls, but it may not matter to the former New York mayor.

His presidential campaign appears to be counting more and more on Florida, with its new Jan. 29 presidential primary, than on the three small states with earlier primaries.

It is becoming a matter of numbers - delegate numbers, to be exact.

With 113, Florida has more than the 110 combined of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

It might be early to make such a prediction, but to forecast Mitt Romney as the GOP nominee at least shows people are thinking more and more about the former governor as President. Sure, Bennett represents Utah, and perhaps it is the only place where the Mormon faith part of the Romney resume’ would never be an issue. Bennett mentions some other campaign and legislative points worth considering.

Could Fred Thompson be nothing more than a spoiler and torpedo the GOP’s best chances? If the Senate passes S. 1348 in some form, would the House be able to kill it? After HR 4437 passed in late 2005, there should still be enough votes to defeat S. 1348. Or it may prove the vote on HR 4437 was a smoke screen to protect Congressman from amnesty opponents by looking serious.

Romney is against amnesty and everyone else should be also. How many times do people have to be reminded that amnesty for millions of law breakers is simply not right. Encouraging people to continue entering the country illegally is the exact opposite of what is needed to correct the problem.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Bennett says Romney can win presidency

Also, he doubts that Utah will get a 4th House seat
By Bob Bernick Jr.
Deseret Morning News
Mitt Romney has a real path to the presidency, Sen. Bob Bennett said.
But it will not be an easy path, and Romney could still be waylaid by several issues or personalities, Bennett, R-Utah, told the Deseret Morning News editorial board Tuesday.
“More and more of the thoughtful observers have come to the same conclusion that I have — (Romney) will likely be the Republican nominee,” Bennett said.

The good news is Fred Thompson is ahead of Democratic party candidates in Iowa. The bad news might be the longer he stays out, the higher the chance of missing a primary or caucus with all the state competition to be first. They say he is trailing Romney, Giuliani and McCain in Iowa. That would probably change if he decides to officially enter the Presidential race. The question is, which GOP candidate would he hurt the most? I’m thinking McCain. Not like McCain can afford any more bad news. If he would rethink his immigration stand he might do better.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Fred Thompson reaches out to Iowa GOP

THOMAS BEAUMONT
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
May 30, 2007
Iowa Republican Party officials today said they had heard from aides to former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, whom they said would likely form an Iowa caucus campaign, should he continue taking steps toward a 2008 presidential campaign.

While it could be argued that Bill O’Reilly is more about ratings and appealing to some form of sensationalism not unlike the shock jocks, he sometimes serves a purpose above that. Just using the title ‘John Edwards and Rosie O’Donnell’ could make the point. But the two do share some common characteristics. They are both promoting themselves as peaceniks. Peaceniks to the point of being un-American. Just raising controversy by virtue of their celebrity is enough to convict them of at least depraved bad taste. But the real sin is not supporting the troops. Anyway you slice it, publicly opposing the war in such a manner cannot include a valid claim of supporting the troops. And that requires the absence of conscience.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

John Edwards and Rosie O’Donnell

Wednesday, May 30, 2007
By Bill O’Reilly
While Rosie O’Donnell is a poster girl for far left propaganda, far more serious is the conduct of John Edwards. The former vice presidential candidate has sold his soul to far left interests and is now telling the world the war on terror is a “bumper sticker.” — Imagine losing a loved one on 9/11 hearing that.

Edwards is running a preposterous campaign. He lives like a sultan in a 30,000 foot North Carolina house. Look at that! Yet he decries economic unfairness in America. He runs around telling Americans the system is rigged, while paying $400 for a haircut. This guy is a one-man sitcom.

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