Wednesday's show: Free speech at the campus

Ruth Malhotra and Orit Sklar wrote Leftist Brown Shirts Shut Down Horowitz Speech at Emory :

"From the beginning of Horowitz’s speech, rowdy protesters continually interrupted him and less than half an hour into the event, the crowd became so disruptive that police were called in and Horowitz had to be escorted off stage."

We will talk about the incident and free speech in our colleges.

Click here for the show!

Blame Bush and then what?

Last night, the Democrats blamed everything on Bush. It's amazing how that happens! On a more humorous note, Korla Pundit has written How Bush Caused It: The Series! In this series, there is something for every anti-Bush impulse, from hurricanes to the death of the Pope:

The San Diego Wildfires
The Death of the Pope
The Rise of Dictators
Florida Hurricanes
Illegal Immigration
Unemployment
Deforestation
The Tsunami

Blame Bush, blame Bush! What else do the Democrats have?

Beware of the Democrat who wants to raise taxes on the rich!

Democrat Charlie Rangel dropped a big bomb yesterday. Rangel and the Dems want to raise your taxes.

Why? Bush's tax cuts have been great for the US economy:

"Tax rate reductions increase tax revenues.

This truth has been proved at both state and federal levels, including by President Bush's 2003 tax cuts on income, capital gains and dividends.

Those reductions have raised federal tax receipts by $785 billion, the largest four-year revenue increase in U.S. history.

In fiscal 2007, which ended last month, the government took in 6.7% more tax revenues than in 2006.

These increases in tax revenue have substantially reduced the federal budget deficits. In 2004 the deficit was $413 billion, or 3.5% of gross domestic product.

It narrowed to $318 billion in 2005, $248 billion in 2006 and $163 billion in 2007.

That last figure is just 1.2% of GDP, which is half of the average of the past 50 years.

Lower tax rates have be so successful in spurring growth that the percentage of federal income taxes paid by the very wealthy has increased.

According to the Treasury Department, the top 1% of income tax filers paid just 19% of income taxes in 1980 (when the top tax rate was 70%), and 36% in 2003, the year the Bush tax cuts took effect (when the top rate became 35%).

The top 5% of income taxpayers went from 37% of taxes paid to 56%, and the top 10% from 49% to 68% of taxes paid.

And the amount of taxes paid by those earning more than $1 million a year rose to $236 billion in 2005 from $132 billion in 2003, a 78% increase." (Inconvenient Tax Truths )

Why do the Dems want to raise taxes in the name of fairness? I don't know and hold on to your wallet!

Raising taxes on the rich usually wrecks the middle class. The rich are the ones who create jobs and invest. We should be encouraging wealth creation rather than taxing success.

The Dems are back and so is talk of raising your taxes!

Happy Halloween (specially to the baby boomers)

Enjoy your trick and treat. You may see my sons out there pretending to "trick and treat". Make sure that you remind my sons that they are too old to ask for candy. Tell them to go back and do their schoolwork. Also, tell my sons that their dad needs a car wash! In the meantime, our friend Allan Wall explains Halloween and Day of the Dead in Mexico! Frankly, Halloween sounds better!

Of course, there is a serious side to the cartoon above. Sooner or later, we will have to deal with our entitlement crisis. Last night, the Democrats demonstrated in their debate that they are not serious about fixing Social Security or entitlements!

Hillary couldn't dance last night!

If I were a Democrat, I would be scared to death of Hillary Clinton's performance in Philadelphia.

Last night, we learned that Hillary Clinton will say anything and prays that you don't remember what she just said. (i.e. drivers' licenses for illegals in NY).

Don't take my word for this. Check out Roger Simon:

"We now know something that we did not know before: When Hillary Clinton has a bad night, she really has a bad night. In a debate against six Democratic opponents at Drexel University here Tuesday, Clinton gave the worst performance of her entire campaign."

TIME gave Hillary Clinton a C minus.

My question is this: Did she really give a bad performance or was she finally forced to take positions?

Hillary Clinton will move on and win the nomination because the oppostion is weak and seeing UFO's. I guess the truth is out about Dennis the K.

Slowly, but surely, the US will see that this woman (and her husband) are corrupt to the bone and will say anything. Bill Clinton got lucky in '92 because Ross Perot distracted the electorate. Hillary Clinton won't have that advantage in 2008.

P.S. Let's take a trip down memory lane and remember what Democrats said of these two after they left Washington and the midnight pardons:

"After the Clintons and their siblings were caught in the 42nd president's last-minute pardon scandal, Jimmy Carter called them "disgraceful."

Robert Reich opined that "Clinton is utterly disgraced."

Al Hunt called Clinton the "albatross" of his party who should "drop dead."

Al Gore's campaign manager, Donna Brazile wrote in the New York Times, "It's time to let Bill Clinton go — go on and live the rest of his life and allow a new generation of Democratic leaders to renew their fight on behalf of working families in America."

New York Times columnist Bob Herbert wrote:

"Bill Clinton has been a disaster for the Democratic Party. Send him packing. It's time for the Democratic Party to wise up. Ostracism would be a good first step. Bill Clinton should be cut completely loose….some of Mr. Clinton's closest associates and supporters are acknowledging what his enemies have argued for years — the man is so thoroughly corrupt it is frightening." (Seven Things About Clinton
BY R. EMMETT TYRRELL, JR.)

This is what their supporters said of them. It won't be long before the entire country understands that Hillary is no different, or perphaps even worse!

Lt. Murphy, a great American hero!

Lone Survivor by Mark Lasswell is a great article about Lt. Michael Murphy, an American hero who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. We know the story of Murphy's heroism because of a fellow Seal, Marcus Luttrell.

In his book, Luttrell relates Murphy's last hours and he saved so many others:

"Lt. Murphy, bleeding from a stomach wound, "groped in his pocket for his mobile phone, the one we had dared not use because it would betray our position," Mr. Luttrell writes.

"And then Lieutenant Murphy walked out into the open ground. He walked until he was more or less in the center, gunfire all around him, and he sat on a small rock and began punching in the numbers to HQ."

Why won't Hollywood make a movie about Lt. Murphy?

On Monday, Pres. Bush presented The Medal of Honor to Lt. Murphy's parents. It was a great tribute for an American hero! See Born to serve: The Michael Murphy story! See In honor of Lt. Michael P. Murphy
By Michelle Malkin!

Guess who is cutting and running?

More good news from Iraq. Al Qaeda is now in disarray as Iraqis are turning away from them:

"Until very recently, recall, the common refrain - at least in Democratic circles - was that America's invasion of Iraq played right into al Qaeda's hands.

Not only did the war divert precious resources from the hunt for bin Laden in Afghanistan, they argued, it also created a theater in which a seemingly endless stream of new jihadists could come humiliate the superpower. Now it's looking increasingly likely that the exact opposite might happen: al Qaeda humiliated, if not seriously compromised operationally - and America, if not victorious, at least well on its way to a win." (AL QAEDA'S QUAGMIRE)

Unfortunately, some people are so invested in defeat that they can't see the truth. I guess that's what happens when you lay down in front of a coming train!

Check out Michael Yon's dispatches from Iraq!

Congratulations to the Red Sox!

What a great weekend in Boston. The Red Sox win the Series, the Patriots are still undefeated and Boston College is riding high!

Baseball's post-season was mediocre because of all of the sweeps. The Boston-Cleveland series is the only that wasn't a sweep. I understand that MLB can't control the length of the series. Yet, it would have been nice to have seen a little more suspense.

Beyond the sweeps, MLB needs to seriously do something about the length of post-season games. I love the fact that baseball does not have a clock but 4-hour 9-inning games are impossible to watch.

We used to play baseball in 3 hours or less. Why can't we do that anymore? MLB is getting as bad as college football!

Monday's show: More on the California fires!

My friend, Jerome from LA, discussed the latest on the California fires.

Click here for the show!

"Corrupt" Hugo!

Hugo Chavez has flooded Venezuela with cash. Naturally, corruption follows cash, specially when the central government is controlling the economy. In a free market economy, a cash torrent usually creates jobs. In a controlled economy, it usually creates corruption:

"Venezuela's economic system is a classic case of state capitalism based on oil -- exactly what made that nation's per-capita income go from representing the equivalent of two-thirds of that of the United States in the 1950s to representing barely 15 percent today." (Wealth and Nations By Alvaro Vargas Llosa)

Huge oil revenues have distorted the Venezuelan economy. They are also corrupting the military and Hugo Chavez's government. It looks like Hugo bit more than he could chew!

I feel sorry for global warming.....

How would you like to be poor global warming? The poor fellow is blamed for everything.

Seriously, the California fires unleashed our ugly partisanship.

No one wants to think about the victims or the fact that natural disasters happen.

See California wildfires fan political conflagration by Bill Whalen:

"If you found yourself mesmerized by California's terrible wildfires last week, you might have overlooked an even uglier conflagration that's engulfed the entire nation: the acid state of political discourse, and the abject failure of the left, the right and a supposedly neutral media to resist their darker natures and juvenile tendencies.

There are notable exceptions to this claim, with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger being the premier example. Throughout the week, he stayed optimistic, talked action and results, and resisted the media's bait to blame someone - anyone - for California's misfortunes. It's exactly what you look for in a leader."

It would be nice if politicians would shut up and let the firefighters and others work in peace. It would be nice if Democrats would stop blaming the Iraq War for everything! (By the way, this is the same party that does not have the courage to stop funding)

Last, but not least, let's leave poor global warming alone. At this pace, global warming is going to get so angry with the left that he will vote Republican so that he can live in peace again! At least, Republicans don't blame global warming for everything under the sun! Republicans understand that forest fires can be caused by arsonists and that cities get flooded because levees don't work!

Is "Holiday" really 40 years old?

Check out the charts. It was 40 years ago that The Bee Gees released their third single, "Holiday":

"Ooh you’re a holiday , such a holiday

Ooh you’re a holiday , such a holiday

It’s something I thinks worthwhile

If the puppet makes you smile

If not then you’re throwing stones

Throwing stones, throwing stones

Ooh it’s a funny game

Don’t believe that it’s all the same

Can’t think what I’ve just said

Put the soft pillow on my head

Millions of eys can see

Yet why am I so blind

When the someone else is meIt’s unkind, it’s unkind

Yet millions of eyes can see

Yet why am I so blind

When the someone else is me

It’s unkind, it’s unkind

Ooh you’re a holiday , ev’ry day , such a holiday

Now it’s my turn to say , and I say you’re a holiday

It’s something I thinks worthwhile

If the puppet makes you smile

If now then you’re throwing stones

Throwing stones , throwing stones"

(Holiday, Barry & Robin Gibb)

Between 1967 to Maurice's death in 2003, the Brothers Gibb wrote and recorded some of our generation's greatest songs. I still love those early tunes like "Holiday" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You"!

The "buy 1 and you get 2" Clintons!

Hillary Clinton's argument is that she sat next to Bill Clinton during the presidency. I guess that she was the "co-president"! Wonder how Al Gore feels about that?

For some of us, the Clinton presidency was one of the least consequential in US history. It was a presidency of missed opportunities, specially in fighting terrorism and doing something about Social Security.

The Clinton presidency was what Charles Krauthammer described as a "vacation of history". It was indecision and an unwillingness to deal with problems:

"Looking the other way was largely a function of the age — our holiday from history, our retreat from seriousness, our Seinfeld decade of obsessive ordinariness. Clinton never could have been elected during the Cold War. The 1990s produced a president perfectly suited to the time — a time of domesticity, triviality and self-absorption."

What decisions did Hillary Clinton support as co-president? What policy memos did she write? I would like to know!

Why won't they release all of those policy memos and e-mails that she wrote to Bill during their shared presidency?

Again, I am not calling for personal matters. Bill and Hillary Clinton are entitled to private husband-wife communications. We are not asking to read their Valentine's Day notes or anniversary cards!

Why won't they do it? This is like a candidate for a key position refusing to release college transcripts that support relevant studies. Most employers would find his refusal a bit strange.

Again, why won't she do it? Dick Pollman writes this:

"Here's the deal, apparently: She gets to tout her First Lady stint as proof of her governmental experience, but we on the receiving end don't get to find out exactly what she did. She gets to travel America extolling the successes of the Bill Clinton administration, and she gets to tell us how much she influenced his thinking, but we don't get the chance to learn exactly what she influenced (much less how and why)." (Pillow talk as public policy, and vice versa )

Let me ask again. Why won't they release all of those documents that earned Hillary Clinton so much executive experience as "co-president"?

Are the Democrats serious about terrorists?

What happens when your party leaders can't get anything done?

What happens when the base was sold a phony bill of goods about getting out of Iraq? It's enough to drive a lot of Democrats crazy! (Frustration with Democratic party over Iraq boiling over)

What happens when your Congress is at 11% approval?

What happens when Majority Leader Reid is in trouble with the folks back in Nevada?

What happens when anti-war activists are parked on Speaker Pelosi's lawn because she does not have the courage to cut the funding?

The answer is that you look for distractions. The so-called "torture" debate is one of those distractions intended to keep the base occupied with a bit more anti-Bushims!

Let's stop the foolishness. The US does not torture.

Every prisoner in the world would love to be in a place like GITMO. I'm sure that most of Castro's prisoners would love to be housed in a cell like GITMO. I'm sure that everyone who spent some time in the Gulag Archipelago would have loved GITMO.

The Democrats are distracting their angry base. It's easier to talk about torture than to admit that you don't have the courage the stand up to Pres. Bush on Iraq.

GITMO is not about torture. It's time to force Democrats to live in the real world rather than left wing fantasies:

"Vice President Cheney has said that the choice between "dunking a terrorist in the water" and missing out on intelligence that will save American lives is a no-brainer.

I'm pretty sure that if the issue is debated, most Americans will see it the same way.

If the Democrats wish to impose a categorical ban on the dunk in the water, then Republicans should force them to defend that stance before the electorate." (A bluff that needs to be called)

The Democrats should tell us how they would get information from some of the world's deadliest terrorists. So far, they haven't! We live in a very dangerous world but the Dems are still counting votes in Florida!

So far, the Dems are a lot of hot air intended to appease the angry left rather than protect the US from people committed to our destruction.

Why have these people lost 7 of the last 10 presidential elections? Just listen to them!

Beware of polls that over-sample Democrats!

What is a poll? It is a supposed to be a scientific study of where people stand on an issue.

Fair enough!

Lately, Bill O'Reilly has been talking about the corruption in the news media. Would you like to see another example? Check out Captain Ed:

"Just as with the CBS polls, the LAT/Bloomberg poll delivers results that favor Democrats -- because the pollsters oversampled them. A sample of 1039 registered voters contained a split of party identity of 46% Democrats, 36% Republicans, and 18% independents. Newsweek's last survey of party identification puts the split at 34%/30%/36%, which gives a much different perspective on the questions." (Questionable Assumptions From A Questionable Poll)

What polls can you believe? I don't know. However, make sure that you check the methodology (usually the last paragraph) before you buy a ticket to the Democrats big bash in Washington DC circa January 2009!

Can the media handle a victory in Iraq?

Did you hear the news? There were no US casualties in Iraq last week. It gets better. The trend is that fewer US soldiers are exposed to violence as Iraqis are getting along and joining forces with us. (HOW ORDINARY IRAQIS ARE TURNING THE TIDE OF WAR)

Believe it or not, Al Qaeda has worn out its welcome. I guess that's what happens when you brutalize the population! (Earth to Media: The 'Failed" Surge is Succeeding)

Again, did you hear the good news? Not likely. The US media is either skeptical or committed to not report success. (What If Violence Fell And No One Reported It?)

My guess is that most of our media editors are a bit shell shocked. They are so invested in a sorry outcome that switching to good news is a bit difficult. Last night, Dick Morris was very blunt on The O'Reilly Factor. Morris thinks that this is a calculated move by the media to downplay anything that makes Pres. Bush look good!

I like what Dean Barnett wrote:

"WHAT'S MOST FRUSTRATING about the press's reporting about Iraq is that you just know the next time something goes wrong, be it a car bomb slipping through or a mishap involving American soldiers, that story will get above-the-fold treatment in America's major dailies." (The Greatest Story Never Told )

Of course! Wait until the next suicide bomber blows up a market and kills 50 civilians. It will be a page one story!

In the meantime, you won't hear any of the good news or lower casualty figures. I guess that Rick Moran is right:

"Telling the truth's a bitch, ain't it?"

So you want multinational operations?

The Democrats have a great sound bite: Bush did not work with our allies! It sounds good. It feeds Bush Derangement Syndrome. It gets a lot of applause at selected sites.

But is it true? Does it make any sense? The answer is no!

In Afghanistan, our allies are wimping out. Again, everyone wants multinational operations as long as the US is carrying all of the weight.

Of course, the Demos are still talking multinational operations.

With who? With who, Senator Obama?

Today, Secretary Gates made it clear:

"The US has tired of NATO waffling on their commitment to Afghanistan. Robert Gates has decided to end the US participation in Kosovo if our European partners refuse to meet their obligations in Afghanistan, transferring over 1100 soldiers from the Balkans to the fight against the Taliban." (The Kosovo Card)

The Canadians and Brits are doing a good job overall. The Eastern Europeans are too. However, too many others want to wimp out. Back to Captain Ed's post:

"America can use its troops elsewhere, especially since our NATO allies don't seem particularly interested in supporting our interests. The British, Canadians, and eastern Europeans have been tremendous partners and deserve more credit, but western Europe has dragged their heels in the one front in the war on terror they supposedly support. If they can't give any more than lip service, then we don't need to participate in their Balkans project, either. Let those governments start spending their own money to secure their backyard if they cannot muster any support to beat the Islamist threat in Afghanistan. Our money and resources can be put to better use elsewhere."

This is the kind of "real world" reality that you don't get at the left wing primaries. However, this is the kind of reality that a Democrat will have to deal with if he (or she) becomes president.

It's so easy to be in favor of multinational operations. It's a lot more difficult to get nations to send troops! By the way, the latest Rasmussen confirms that In Dealing With Iran, Americans Expect Little Support from European Allies! Wonder why?

Your weekend cartoon

We should be proud of our friends in California. They've done a good job in the middle of a terrible crisis. We salute California. Pass me some of that wine! For a little serious note, see The Un-Katrina--A lesson in effective emergency response By Rich Lowry. It's amazing how efficient FEMA looks when a governor is on top of the situation!

Friday's show: Let's talk about Fred Thompson!

Kenneth Emanuelson, a Texas voter who supports Fred Thompson, joined us for a discussion of the campaign. We discussed issues. Also, how electable is Thompson? Can he win? In the latest RCP averages, Thompson is second to Guiliani.

Click here for the show!

It's time for Dems to get serious about Iran!

Let me make a prediction.

If a Democrat wins, he or she will use force against Iran. Why? Because Iran will read a Dem victory as a sign of weakness and will get even more reckless and daring.

I'm not advocating a military option. However, it has to be a credible option on the table. (By the way, I'm happy to read that every major Republican candidate is on board about a potential military action!)

Iran needs to believe that we are ready, willing and capable of using the military option. Otherwise, they will take us as seriously as they take the Europeans!

I like Pres. Sarkozy but is Iran afraid of France?

I like PM Harper but is Iran afraid of Canada?

Not at all. They fear US power, and to some extent, Israel.

Iran knows that Pres. Sarkozy and PM Harper have words. They can play with words until they achieve their nuclear objectives.

Iran also knows that Pres. Bush has B-52, F-16s, aircraft carriers and lots of bunker-buster bombs. They fear that a lot more than another UN resolution!

The Dems are all over each other calling for talks with Iran. The pacifist wing has pushed the Dems to an irrational corner where any military action is bad.

I'm for talks too. However, haven't we been talking directly and indirectly with Iran?

It's time for Dems to get serious about Iran. In the 1990's, Pres. Clinton pushed most of our pressing problems under the rug. We don't have the option anymore.

Power Line has a great summary of the Dems' dilemma:

"It's not easy being a semi-serious person seeking the nomination of a frivolous party."
(A frivolous party has a frivolous debate)

Captain Ed has a great quote:

"The Democrats have become a group of hysterical screamers with nothing positive to add except to throw their hands up at the first sign of difficulty and to declare defeat before all options have been exhausted." (Surrender Democrats Can't Even Abide Sanctions)

It takes two to make peace and negotiate in good faith. So far, I don't believe that Iran is serious about negotiation! Worse than that, I don't think that Democrats are very serious about foreign policy and the challenges the US faces in a very tough world!

The anti-war movement is not moving public opinion!

According to anti-war leaders, everyone hates Bush and the war. Yet, the anti-war movement is having zero influence in our politics. So far, Bush is getting his way in Iraq. Bush is hanging tough and the anti-war movement is just making noise.

Yesterday, some anti-war ladies showed up in Congress and made total fools of themselves. (Fringe Left Protests in Pink) They showed up with blood on their hands and confronted Sec. Rice. Is that childish or what?

The anti-war movement has failed to persuade Clinton, Obama and Edwards:

"Today Mr. Edwards, like Senators Obama and Clinton, concede that in their administration there will still be some troops in Iraq in 2009, probably between 50,000 and 70,000. Also, the Democratic party's professional agitators must know that Mrs. Clinton will sprout wings and talons and screech for the blood of every Iranian terrorist as soon as she receives her party's nomination, faster than you can say, "Sistah Souljah." (End of a Movement BY ELI LAKE)

I would add this. Don't be surprised if Hillary Clinton starts reminding everyone next summer that she voted for the Iraq War.

What's going on? Nothing much! The anti-war movement did not end the Vietnam War either. The war ended when Pres. Nixon gradually withdrew the troops and forced North Vietnam to accept South Vietnam. Later in '75, the Democrats cut the funding and South Vietnam was overrun by a bigger army from the North. Also, 3 million people were slaughtered after we left, a fact that Jane Fonda and the hippies have never been able to reconcile.

Today's anti-war movement has another problem. Its members are so immature. They engage in stupid behavior, such as sitting on Nancy Pelosi's lawn or destroying public property.

Silly. Silly and sillier. That's all you can say about Cindy, and the pink ladies. You can not influence public opinion when you engage in such silly behavior.

Gov. Romney is right on free trade

Gov. Romney is talking like a businessman. Of course, Gov. Romney is a businessman, and a very successful one.

Today, Gov. Romney outlined a free trade vision. You can read it and see some of the graphs on campaign's website.

Frankly, it is brilliant. It is also in sharp contrast with the protectionism coming out of the Democrats. As Gov. Romney said:

"Denying America the ability to negotiate to open markets while our competitors gain advantages is no strategy. Rejecting the Free Trade Agreement with Colombia, one of America's strongest allies in the world, would further show they have no understanding of the new global economy and America's leadership role in our hemisphere and the world." (Romney For President, "The Romney Agenda: A New Vision To Open Markets And Help U.S. Workers To Succeed," Press Release, 10/23/07)"

Everybody is focused on Iraq and Iran. Of course, we must be! Yet, the future is also about trade and we don't need protectionism and more pandering by Democrats who should know better!

McCain has the best TV ad....so far!

During the last debate, Sen. McCain had a great line about Hillary Clinton, Woodstock and his experience as a POW in Vietnam.

Today, Sen. McCain is running the best ad of the campaign so far!

Watch the ad! It is really good!

Stop the blame game in California

Believe it or not, there were fires in California before VP Gore lost Tennessee and Pres. Bush invaded Iraq.

Yes, I'm sorry to break liberal hearts or rain on liberal parades. There have been fires in California since millions moved there after World War II.

The media is determined to turn the 2007 fires into another version of Katrina. The Democrats, the same ones who don't have the courage to cut the funding of the Iraq War, want to blame the response to the fires on the war.

Of course, we remember Katrina. It happened because of a breakdown in local and state leadership. Beyond that, there was massive misreporting from New Orleans. Does anybody remember the 10,000 dead that did not die?

In California, you have a governor on top of the situation. You have state agencies who have reacted quickly and properly. Also, you have brave firefighters and others tackling a difficult job. Furthermore, Californians have a history of dealing with disasters, from earthquakes to fires!

There is no Katrina in California. It's time for the liberal media to investigate something else, such as the economic decline of The New York Times! (Major shareholder bailing out of the New York Times)

Wednesday's show: Baseball, dishwashers and California fires!

The Rockies will play the Red Sox in the 2007 World Series. Let me make the easy call and predict a Boston victory. We will review my decision with our friend Paul Greco. However, let me add that the Rockies as hot as any team in post-season history. I won't be shocked if the Rockies manage to win this series!

Second, our friend Don Surber will give us some insight into the Clinton "dishwashers". Where did the Clintons find so many dishwashers with so much cash and interest in politics? I guess that's the big question!

Last, my friend, Jerome Bailey, will give us a personal report from Los Angeles.

Click here for the show!

Fred Thompson advances an immigration plan

Fred Thompson presented a very complete immigration plan. Thompson's website has a full transcript. TIME has a summary.

On balance, Sen. Thompson is closer to the public opinion than any of the others. The public does not want amnesty. It wants labor laws enforced, employers punished and a secured border.

Thompson's program has two interesting ideas. First, use our immigration laws to attract educated immigrants, such as engineers. Second, encourage English immersion.

Fred Thompson has been looking for an opening. He may have found it with this immigration proposal.

Is Mexico ready for "El Plan"?

Like it or not, the Bush administration is about to get very serious with Mexico. Pres. Bush & the Congress are ready to spend $500 million to help Mexico defend itself against aggressive drug cartels. Mexico is at war and we are about to become their silent partners!

The Americans Have A Plan has a summary:

"The U.S. government is trying to get $500 million from Congress, to help Mexico fight drug traffickers and drug cartels. The money would help "strengthen Mexico's capabilities" to deal with these threats.

The $500 million request is thought to be a first installment, with the US eventually providing $1.4 to $1.5 billion in support.

Mexico wants more helicopters and other aircraft. It also wants more modern communications and intelligence equipment for its police.

It is likely a chunk of the $500 million will also be spent on police training programs"

The Mexican left won't like it. Frankly, does the Mexican left like anything?

Nevertheless, this plan will provide Mexico with the tools to fight cartels and listen to what they are saying to each other.

It sounds like a good plan to me. We are not immune from Mexico's war. In fact, we buy the drugs. Therefore, we must do our part to control the mess that our consumption has created.

Osama is losing and he knows it!

In a previous post, I wrote of the collapse of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Today, we get more confirmation from OBL himself:

"Osama has lost the thread in Iraq, and thanks to the lunacy of his followers, will find it very difficult to build his credibility there again. He's losing, and he knows it, and this tape confirms that he realizes what that means for the overall war on terror." (Imperialist Osama, Losing The War)

The surge, and Gen. Petraeus strategy, was the last nail on Al Qaeda's coffin.

We are winning and Obama is losing.

The Clintons and Chinese money

David A. Lunde has a great sense of humor. I love this picture on his website. Yet, this is not funny. This one gets more interesting by the minute:

"Hillary Clinton's campaign has been raising huge piles of money in Chinatown, but some of it has come from donors who can't be located or who were improperly repaid for their contributions, according to The Post and other reports." (HILL'S CASH EYED AS CHINESE-LAUNDERED)

All of this may be an honest mistake. Or, it may give a new definition to the word "laundry".

The Clintons are corrupt to the bone! When is the FBI, or some other federal agency, going to start looking at some of these contributions and the people behind them?

More on the truth about Che!

Our friends at Babalu Blog have a post on Che. It links to a Glenn Beck's interview with author Humberto Fontova. Enjoy the video and share it with the next idiot who is walking around a Che T-shirt!

For my parents' generation, Che was an assassin, a thug who ordered the execution of hundreds of people who dared to disagree with him. Che is dead and that's a good thing!

Entitlements, and the war on terror, will dominate the next president's agenda

When will someone start asking the presidential candidates about entitlements? I understand that the war on terror matters. I know that Iran is a major foreign policy concern.

Yet, who is asking about Social Security and Medicare? At some point, we need to make drastic changes or the system will go broke.

Monday's show: A chat with Captain Ed about The Latino vote

For some time, I have advocated that Hispanics come in different shapes and colors. In fact, there is nothing "uniform" about us except that someone decided that we should be one group.

On Monday' show, we spoke with Captain Ed about his post: (The Myth Of The Latino Bloc?)

Check out The myth of the Latino voting bloc (The GOP has less to fear from a backlash than many claim) By Steven Malanga. It's too early to jump to conclusions that Hispanics (whatever that means) will line up and vote Democrat!

Click here for the show!

Iraq and the truth

Michael Yon continues to file dispatches from Iraq. He is an independent journalist. This is what he wrote today:

"Anyone who has been in Iraq for longer than a few months, visited a handful of provinces, and spoken with a good number of Iraqis, likely would acknowledge that the reality here is complex and dynamic. But in the last six months it also has been increasingly hopeful, despite what the pessimistic dogma dome allows Americans and British to believe." (Resistance is futile: You will be (mis)informed.)

We live in a world where large segments of the news media are invested in defeat. Why? I don't know the full answer. I do know that the work of the US armed forces will eventually be rewarded:

"The only antidote for this toxic press is a steady dose of detailed stories about the amazing men and women who serve in the United States military. People like Lieutenant Jeffrey Pettee, Iraqi Army Captain Baker, USMC SSG Rakene Lee, and LTC Fred Johnson. Each of these soldiers is a credit to every human being."

Iraq is a war that will have a huge impact on Middle East history and the world. Iraq is also turning in our favor but too many people are counting votes in Florida and unable to see the "victory" about to hit them between the eyes!

Get ready for Hillary Clinton to remind you that she voted for this war. Get ready for a lot of Democrats to jump on the "victory train".

It's coming and you better buy a ticket or it will leave you behind!

Hillary Clinton and the dishwashers!

It's a treat when I come up with a blog post title before The Washington Post. I won't take the credit but I like Dishwashers for Clinton.

Didn't we see this movie before? I did:

"The candidate's unparalleled fundraising success relies largely on the least-affluent residents of New York's Chinatown -- some of whom can't be tracked down." (An unlikely treasure-trove of donors for Clinton)

I love this line from the article:

"Many, on the other hand, said they gave for reasons having more to do with the Chinese community than with Clinton. He Duan Zheng, who gave $1,000, said of the Fujianese community: "They informed us to go, so I went."Everybody was making a donation, so I did too," he said. "Otherwise I would lose face."

That's great! It's also obscene!

John Edwards is blasting Clinton! (Hillary's Chinatown fund-raiser draws Edwards' criticism) I'm surprised that more Dems don't stand up and call on the Clintons to play clean.

I like this from Blogger Flip:

"The unlikely vein of campaign gold Hillary seems to have tapped in Chinatown certainly appears to be of the familiar Clinton scandal genus, but the species isn't quite identifiable yet - are these straw donors being quietly reimbursed behind closed doors, are they hard-working immigrants being pressured by local heavies to dig deep for their Senator, or are might they simply be figmental?" (Mama's Gotta a Brand New Hsu)

To be fair, candidates can not review every donation. Honest mistakes will happen.

However, we are talking about he Clintons. They want to win. As I said before, they will do, or say anything to win!

The Clintons are corrupt in every way. (See The allure of stinking campaign cash)

I agree with Captain Ed:

"Who wants Hillary elected so badly that they keep using Asian-Americans as straw donors to flood her coffers with their cash? Who has this much cash to dump into the presidential election? Perhaps the FBI will start looking for those answers -- and soon." (The Chinatown Dodge)

Let me repeat. The Clintons are corrupt. By next summer, most Democrats will reluctantly agree with me and have a serious case of buyer's remorse!

P.S. On a related point, Zogby has an interesting poll:

"The online survey of 9,718 likely voters nationwide showed that 50% said Clinton would never get their presidential vote."

2006....a year later!

In a couple of weeks, we celebrate the first anniversary of the 2006 Demos' congressional victory.

Who is winning today? It's not the Democrats! (Analysis: Bush still relevant on Hill ) Bush has been getting his way, from Iraq to SCHIP!

Captain Ed wrote Lame Duck? Not So Far.

Morton Kondrocke wrote this:

"Legislatively, Democrats have all but declared defeat in their effort to stop the war. At a luncheon with reporters last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) admitted that "when we said we would end the war, we never said that we had the veto pen or the signature pen. ... I don't disagree with the public evaluation that we have not done well in ending this war."

All of this is driving Demos mad. They want a recall and I don't mean the 2004 elections.

Adriana Huffington has this advice for Democrats:

"So Bush is still relevant. And unless the Democrats make it crystal clear -- in actions as well as words -- that there is no common ground, they risk finding themselves increasingly irrelevant."

Adriana is missing the point. The Democrats are not irrelevant. Instead, they are cowards. They are afraid to implement what they promised their base. Pelosi & Reid won't cut the funding because they are afraid of the consequences.

One year later, I'm happy and the Demos are furious.

What has changed? A lot! See We're Not in 2006 Anymore By Michael Barone.

In 2008, we will get to run against the Pelosi-Reid Congress! I'm looking forward to that! (Epitaph for a Congress (The defining moment of the 110th Congress and the party that led it) by William Kristol)

Debate, part 2: One of these guys plus Huckabee

Mike Huckabee broke into the national ranks when he made a joke about John Edwards' hair. Back then, I thought that it was funny and not more than that!

Today, I can assure that Mike Huckabee will be on the 2008 ticket. Huckabee will be the VP choice because he can close the deal in the South and among the conservative base.

Huckabee will bring down the house at the convention. He is one of the best orators around! He will be a very effective campaigner and connect with the base.

One of the top 4 plus Huckabee....that's the ticket!