Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 25 November 2007

Going back a week you posted about an ad on immigration that you’d like to see. Have you seen Fred Thompson’s “No Amnesty” ad? It’s currently linked on the front page of his campaign web site

http://www.fred08.com/index.aspx

There are links to four ads he’s running, primarily in Iowa and a couple of the other early states, though I’ve seen it here in Tennessee. See if that is close to what you’re looking for. It sounds like it may be. He’s very strong on this issue, IMO, and I think it could lead to an “upset” surprise in Iowa. Not necessarily winning, but doing way better than the low expectations that the drive by media has set up.

from last weeks thread (I'm finishing up the award... I'm WAY behind) you posted this

I never liked Bremer

Bremer was Colin Powell's man and not Rummys. I never liked him either, not least for the way he was thrust on Rumsfeld. Virtually all of the decisions, particularly the strategic ones about a top down rather than a bottom up political reconciliation process, were Bremer's political decisions. The worst military decision that I think can be laid at Rumsfeld's feet is not the number of troops. The 30,000 surge really isn't that big a push. The problem was the strategy of staying in fire bases rather than getting out in the neighberhoods the way they are now. The 30,000 was enough to let them do that and maintain the initial beefed up size of each pocket force and still cover a wide enough area to make a difference. But then, the "central fire bases" strategy may have been forced on Rumsfeld by the central government strategy of Bremer.

That's why I want to read this book. I haven't found it as an ebook and, with my eyes, that's about the only way I read books anymore.

I believe that this is one of several books that are going to point these types of issues out. When an honest history is done of this period and spread widely enough most of the "conventional wisdom" of the press about what happened and why will be shown to be completely wrong or spun so that the truth was turned on it's head.

I also think that we'll find concrete evidence that a good number of the "reporters" were either intentionally or unwittingly working for the terrorists. I'd love to see that special jerk in Baghdad (English, Australian?) for CNN get a nice trip to Club Gitmo, for one! And the guy from the New Yorker, Seymour Hersh, should probably be his roommate along with all of his "Pentagon sources" (if they really exist).

I like it. I’ve seen that one on FNC. It’s a softening up ad. I’d like to see it ramped up slowly to a hard hitting indictment against the front runners, both dem and Republican.

I like it. I’ve seen that one on FNC. It’s a softening up ad. I’d like to see it ramped up slowly to a hard hitting indictment against the front runners, both dem and Republican.

I think starting with an ad like that and then having it "ramped up slowly," as you say, is what Mo1 was driving at in terms of being careful how the issue was approached. You have to not give the enemy (and that's a deliberate choice of words) anything specific that they can twist successfully into a "racist" or "mean attack." They'll try anyway, based on nothing, but if you're not careful you unintentionally give them ammunition.

I'm also one of the "squishy" types on this issue, from the point of view of many. I think I'm closest to Glen Beck of all the pundits I've heard on this issue. I really want to read his new book.

I'm very adament about closing the borders. I feel that's an absolute. I'm less sure about removing all of the illegals who are already here. Some of them are actually folks who I want to have here. Not for "cheap labor," (that smacks too much of the rationale used to try to justify slavery) but because the ones' I'm thinking of came through hell to get here against incredible odds and then have made American's of themselves in all but paperwork. They've learned the language, assimilated, built American lives and, some of them, American companies that employ others. Those immigrants I want to find a way to help to stay and become citizens, after making right the one act of breaking out laws by crossing the border illegally and staying here when they have no legal right to.

I think one of the most persuassive arguments against illegal immigration is made by Michelle Malkin, given her status as the American born child of immigrant parents from the Philippines. Her parents came here legally, but all too many people from her parent's homeland who want to come here and try to become Americans, and from all of the rest of the world, can't be allowed to because of the massive invasion from Mexico and how it is overwhelming our nation.

I am absolutely opposed to anything that would reward the MECHA / La Raza / Reconquista types, who aren't "immigrants" at all. They're racists invaders, intent on dispossessing not only the Anglos but also everyone else. It's not an accident that the Mexican and Black street gangs are at war. This could be the issue that actually breaks the black community's slavish commitment (another deliberate choice of phrasing) to the Dhimmicrats. A strong pro American policy on illegals, sold that way, will have a huge appeal to that community. What effect would a President Fred winning election based on a 50% share of the black vote have on political thinking in this country?

Even if the percentage of Hispanics was lower than what Bush got in 2000 and 2004 (as high as 35% and 44% in some initial estimates, though those have been revised down somewhat... I think in the name of Dhimmicrat interests) if a candidate Fred doesn't "zero out" in that community or exceeds expectations I think that the Dhimmicrat coalition will implode, leaving only the moonbats. If that happens watch for folks from the DLC to split off and form a new party to walk away from Howard, Nancy and Harry's "moonbat loser party."

There would then be years of breathless analysis trying to figure out how Machiavelli Rove set it all up <g>

I give Bush a lot of credit for following through on Iraq over the past 12 months, even when his position was least popular. With the surge and various other adjustments, his message has been one of staying the course. The congress critters would have eaten him up on it now, if they had the chance, but just enough of their local constituents kept them at bay until now the tide seems to be turning some. But we did get creamed in the last election because of Iraq and because, I believe, Bush wasn’t persuasive on the situation—tough as it was—at that time.

There’s a load of media out there that’d die for the right opportunity with the president, so the broadcast networks passing on a news conference or a direct national address may be frustrating, but it shouldn’t be a killer—or an excuse.

I'm finishing up the awards from last weeks thread (I know, I know, but better late than never, and it's not like the info is time sensitive) and came across the above post (does that give you an idea of what type of week I've had? <g>). I disagree with you on one point:

we did get creamed in the last election because of Iraq and because, I believe, Bush wasn’t persuasive on the situation—tough as it was—at that time

That's what the Dhimmicrats and dinosaur media have been selling after the election, but before the election they avoided talking about Iraq bigtime, in order not to provide an issue the way Kerry did in 2004. I don't think the 2006 defeat of Republicans, particularly in the House, had very much, if anything, to do with Iraq. The folks who voted against Republicans because of Iraq were not Bush or Republican voters in 2004 or 2000, by and large. Instead I'm firmly convinced that the 2006 debacle was about RINOs who spent like drunken sailors and the media coverage of the "scandals" (real and manufactured) involving sexual or fiscal improprieties. It was turn out, pure and simple. Our own "100% ers" did us in by walking away in disgust, right or wrong. A disgust for Republican malfeasance played up and, in some cases, manufactured by the old media.

Otherwise I agree with your post.

I attended a rally with George Bush and Dick Cheney here in Memphis during the 2000 election cycle and he was a very compelling speaker. Someone (Rove?) convinced him to speak in a very stilted and uninspiring way when he was going to be on television, I guess to try to avoid some "Texasisms" (nucular) or generic "Southernisms" that whoever it was thought was a political liability. He doesn't seem authentic when he does that because, however much he believes in what he's saying, he doesn't appear to because of that change in style.

Bush is not a good actor.

Fred, on the other hand, has proved his ability as an actor, so presentation and style isn't an issue.

Part of this involves "new media" as well. Is new media as important as we obviously think to the election process or does old media (propaganda merchants that they are) still control? I think this is actually a fight to the death for old media and they'll do anything, say anything, to try to stave off extinction. This may be their last chance to control the events in an election cycle and their determined to do all that they can for "their side."

Couple Fred's proven communication abilities with his actually believing what Conservatives believe and you should have a winning combination, if he can bypass a hostile old media. The test for him in the campaign is the same thing you're counting on with him if he were to become president, an ability to get around the old media and talk directly to the people, as Ronald Reagan often could. That means that this primary process, however screwed up, is actually a fair test for him, much as I hate it. I'm betting that his stand on several issues, not the least of which is immigration, will propel him to a "surprising finish" in Iowa, if not an outright win. If I'm right that immigration is becoming a defining issue in that state, as some local news types are saying, then he could win there, or at least come in with a "stronger than expected finish." Couple that with the recent polls showing Huckabee possibly beating Romney and you know that Romney has to start taking shots at Huck big time. If any Romney "attacks" strike home it will likely serve to move folks from Huck to Fred, more than Mitt. This could be a repeat of the Gephardt/Dean situation in Iowa in 2004, where the two front runners took each other down and someone else benefitted.

The wild card is that Huckabee's support in Iowa seems to be coming primarily from evangelicals who are being driven by a local evangelical radio host who has been pushing Huck big time since before the straw poll. How any revelations about Huck's position on illegals will be met by them is unknown. It's not that the evangelicals are any different than the rest of the population on immigration, but they may see things as "just an attack" or Huckabee's status as "one of them" as more important.

What would the result of a close 1-2 finish in Iowa between Thompson and Huckabee be, whichever came in first? It would probably finish Romney as much as he's spent there, in terms of money, time and effort. I still dream of a Thompson/Romney ticket and having Fred give Mitt the same "reinventing government" charter Clinton supposedly gave Gore.

I'll be watching closely.

We've had Knorr for years. I use their stuff in lots of recipes. Recently either Knorr bought Lipton or vice versa, so the product lines are merging. We regularly use what used to be a Lipton product and is now Knorr, a packaged "beef noodles" product to make a really nice one skillet beef, noodles and corn dish on "quick dinner" nights. The Sandra Lee show on Food Network specializes in taking things like that and using it to make "easy" versions of complex recipes using mostly packaged stuff.

I'm working up to trying a much more interesting Food Network recipe I saw this week that intrigued me, a "lasagna" that used a layer of polenta instead of noodles. It seemed interesting to me.

Polenta Lasagne

Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello, 2007
Show:	Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello
Episode:	Open House

For the spinach/sausage:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves chopped garlic
3 (10-ounce) bags spinach, washed, any large stems removed
Gray salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pound Italian sausage links, cooked and sliced 1/8-inch thick
For the ricotta mixture:

2cups fresh ricotta cheese
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the polenta:

15 cups water
2 tablespoon sea salt, preferable gray salt
3 cups fine grind polenta
2 cups grated Parmesan
4 teaspoons roasted garlic oil, or extra-virgin olive oil

To assemble:

4 cups prepared marinara sauce
Polenta

Spinach/sausage mixture

1 cup jarred roasted, peeled and seeded yellow pepper, cut into 1-inch squares

1 cup jarred roasted, peeled and seeded red pepper, cut into 1-inch squares

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Ricotta mixture
For the spinach/sausage slices:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add half the spinach into the skillet. As soon as it wilts, add the remaining spinach. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Add the sausage slices to marry the flavors together. Remove from heat.
For the ricotta mixture:
In a small bowl combine the ricotta, egg yolks, and nutmeg. Set aside.
For the polenta:
In a large saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil. Gradually whisk in the polenta and cook over low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until the grains are soft. Stir in the Parmesan and olive oil.
To assemble:
Set aside 4 tablespoons of the marinara sauce for the top of the lasagna. In large casserole dish, layer: 6 cups of polenta, 1/2 the spinach / sausage slices, 1/2 the peppers, 1/2 the marinara sauce, 1/2 the Parmesan, and 1/2 the mozzarella slices.
Repeat. Top with the remaining polenta (it may not cover the top completely). Distribute the ricotta mixture over the top in small dollops. Drizzle the reserved marinara sauce on top. At this point the finished lasagna can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to a day.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the pan on a cookie sheet (in case it bubbles over). Bake about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until it is bubbling and hot throughout. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for several minutes before serving.

Not being really familiar with making polenta I was surprised as I watched him do this. Polenta has always been like porridge in my mind. If you lay it down in a caserole and then put marinara on top of this and spread it out I would have expected the marinara to mix with the polenta, but, if done right, they appear to remain as separate layers. That could be really interesting and have lots of implications beyond this specific recipe.

There's lots of ways to play with this idea and I'm trying to figure out the best combo of things I know how to do and those I've never tried. The big one, for me, is that I've eaten polenta, but never made it. I'm a Southerner and haven't even made grits in my life, not even instant grits, so that concerns me some. It'll probably be a breeze, but it does require some thinking about.

From last weeks thread:

Rudy is a sure-fire loser.

If the GOP nominates him, get used to saying Madame President to Hillary.

Are you saying that if it's Rudy vs Hillary you'll vote Hillary?

I presume not.

But (more likely) if you're saying that if it's Rudy vs Hillary you'll not vote then you better understand that it's 100% the same thing and that I'll blame those who feel that way, and all of the other 100% ers out there, for another Clinton presidency and all of the damage that does to our country. I recognize Rudy's faults and he is not "my guy" in this election. However, if he is the Republican nominee I intend to work for him, or Romney or almost any of the other Republican candidates.

The only exception in the Republican field is Ron Paul as he is a racist truther psycho moron.

If anyone in the current field is nominated other than him and you say that you won't support them and work for them then I will know that you are now and forever my enemy.

We can't let these traitors take over all of the reigns of power "for purity's sake." That is our enemy speaking, in code. It's a Moby moment. The human race won't survive that kind of 'Pyhrric victory." That is reason enough to condemn what I think you're implying, however much I agree with the (ill founded) logic behind it.

The “yams” are actually sweet potatoes. I don’t know why they are called yams because they are not true yams, although they are labeled “yams” on the cans, with the words “Sweet Potatoes” in parentheses below “Yams”.

It was a marketing thing many years ago, IIRC. Alton Brown did an episode of Good Eats on Sweet Potatos that delved into the history of this "deception." I think it was that the African slaves who came to the South and saw sweet potatos called them yams from remembering the similar looking tubers they were used to. It stuck. There's probably some deep sociological implications there.

Sweet potatos (or is it potatoes, as Candice Bergen would point out) are much closer to regular spuds than to yams. See this thread on the blog Homesick Texan for more. Isn't it sad? I'm still working on the thread from 11/25 and I took the time to look this up. My life, at this time of year, is really lousy. You don't want to know how much work I'm doing on my "vacation" today and tomorrow. I promise, I will post the awards from 11/25 by tomorrow morning, at the latest. I'm assuming that jmyrlefuller is working on the awards for the posts from the Sunday shows broadcast on 12/2, but I haven't heard back from him to confirm that. For all I know he may have already posted them. It's been that sort of week.

I am what I am.

Doesn't matter if Law and Order was owned by NBC, NBC broadcast it...

(this is from the 11/25 thread) I don't think the issue is when he left the show. I remember back when George Takei ran for the LA city council they had to pull reruns of the old Star Trek show with him on it during the campaign. The underlying issue, unless they've "corrected it" by legislation or regulation, appears to be simple face time on TV. I actually had a conversation on that issue with Takei several years ago. We also went at it (very publicly) over his feelings about Ronald Reagan. I think we both enjoyed it. I obviously think I won the exchange, however <g>

I agree that Fred did the right thing by his employers. I think that the producer of Law and Order is likely paying a price for having employed Fred during this campaign and the fact that he's been supportive about it (not endorsing him, per se) tells me a lot about both him and Fred. I take the producer for a normal Hollywood liberal, but a thoughtfull one. I have the feeling that Fred convinced him of his integrity, even if he didn't convince him that the conservative positions he holds are the correct ones. That impresses the hell out of me.

Ooooo, you misspelled that, bigtime!

I yam what I yam.

Never pass up the obvious cheap pun (though you didn’t really, but you didn’t make it obvious enough for the slow amongst us). It is the hallmark of American and therefore net humor!

Other than that, nicely put. ;^>

Top 10 awards for Sunday, November 25^th, 2007

Maximum mea culpa. I'm nearly a week late in posting this and I'm really sorry. My only excuse is that I'm nearly as far behind in my paying job and had to make a choice. I chose employment <g>

I'm going to do the top 10 with and without text again and the honorable mentions with text only. This is the "with text" version of the top 10

10th Place bray

#209; "Doesn’t NH allow crossover voting, so Dems can infiltrate the vote like they did with InSane in 80?? Watch for Paul/Perot to get those same crossovers."
#216; "Matlin should stick to washing Carviles socks. She is a weak McMann to Carson when they “debate”. The Librarian to the Schoolyard Bully..."
#231; "Shucks, everyone says that Fred is Dumb and Lazy. Sometimes them Southern Lawyers are Dumb like Foxes??? Nice to see him fight back against the elitists. Starting to like his chances once his message gets out..."
#251; "It’s possible that this was the best possible way to win this war. Any way you did it, it was going to attract outside AQ and terrorist attacks. Until you wore them down you were not going to beat them. 30K troops is hardly the 500K that McCain was calling for or going to happen with the TraitorcRats around... Actually, 4000 casualties to free a Country is astounding success..." (Note: reply to chiller's post #238)
#294; "Just got done talking to my neighbor who just returned as a Marine from Ramhadi. They are walking around on patrol w/o body armor or helmets. The place is completely safe and the people are returning. Amazing story..."
#328; "You know there are plenty of Clinton Chinese Mafia War Room Plants here. They would be stupid not to..." (Note: reply to Alas Babylon!'s post #326)
#404; "Did you see the interview w/carl levin? He asks him about the militray progress of the Surge and levin wouldn’t even answer the question. Goes immediately to the political and ignores the question completely and Wallace never calls him on it. He should have stopped him and said, what about the military improvement. Irritating..."

altura

#112; "Lots of people, the wise and learned Physspok among them, think Fox is in the tank or Guilianni... I wonder why? ... Another person in the tank for the Rudy is Lucianne Goldberg. Well, she is a New Yorker, but I’m getting really tired of her constant dissing of Fred Thompson... He is the candidate we should all get behind, IMO... Romney is okay, but he seems too bland to properly kick the ample butt of the Missus."
#358; "'But Fred’s our strongest national candidate by far, and I have confidence in the wisdom of the Pubbie primary voters to see and act on it in time.' ... Agree, but I’m very wary of the odd and cumbmersome primary system that has evolved. I’d rather go back to a smoke-filled room almost... Except that no one would be allowed to smoke in the room, so ..." (Note: reply to 9YearLurker's post #172)
#359; "'Fred is now the clearest about his economic plan, point by point, and it’ll work in the primary, if not the general.' ... Fred is also clearest on illegal aliens and social security. He’s one of the very few with actual plans and not just vague promises." (Note: reply to chiller's post #187)
#362; "about stem cell research... It is amazing what some people will believe... My liberal nephew-in-law told me that if we could ever get that idiot out of the White House, we could .... it got a bit vague here, but he seemed to think that embryonic stem cell research would magically cure his wife who has an incurable neurological condition... I understand wanting her cured. I want that too, but why be an idiot?"
#369; "I dunno, Mo. I see the immigration issue as being the one issue that can bring old-time democrats and independents into the Republican fold... I know it is just personal experience and I haven’t polled a thousand people, but we have a lot of dem friends who are dems because they’ve always been and don’t pay a lot of attention and they are all militant about the immigration thing! ... I think the Republicans should hit this hard and force the dems into taking a position. They’ll have to alienate a lot of their lunatic fringe base or alienate the rest of us... And I think Fred is one of the few who can and will do it... Of course, there is Duncan Hunter. I wish the Duncan Hunter people would give up and throw in with Fred... I use the domestic partner as a gauge. He is very conservative but not a wonk... So when he tells me he’s never heard of Mike Huckabee or Duncan Hunter, that tells me sumpin’." (Note: reply to Mo1's post #286)

9th Place Bahbah

#18; "Just heard Ellen RATner on F&F. She says Iraq is still a failure because there are refugees (Ellen, they are coming back in huge convoys) and we must bring our troops home (Ellen, they are coming home, 5,000 of them, just for starters)... What do you do with people who have no regard for facts or the truth? They can say whatever they want."
#27; "Here’s some bad news. Mary Matlin is beginning to resemble her husband, rather than the other way around."
#30; "Carville says Clinton is running an excellent campaign with only that one stumble... This is true in the sense that her campaign has shielded her from having to actually perform. Can they keep that up."
#34; "'Before too long they’ll declare it a failure because the Iraqi postal service is failing to deliver all it’s overnight packages by 3:00PM the following day' ... LOL. Ratner pretty much did go there, complaining about the lack of water and electricity." (Note: reply to mainepatsfan's post #33)
#37; "Timmy has twice, I believe, referred to the RNC as the 'Republican attack machine.' ... I have not heard him refer to the DNC like that."
#60; "Well, now I am really looking forward to seeing Fred Thompson on FNS... It will obviously be better than this horse race dreck they are shoveling up on Timmy’s lame program."
#81; "Shrum (0 for 9) opines that Republicans have really hurt themselves with Hispanics (simply because they want to enforce the law, I guess) who will now vote for Dems in droves (who don’t want to enforce the law and in fact what to create a whole bag of goodies for illegals, to the detriment of their own citizens)."
#88; "Starting off with Fred on taxes. I am liking it... Lower rates and repeal the AMT."
#89; "I see that Fred has read kabar’s comments on Social Security from last week :)"
#92; "Wallace (what is it I don’t like about his mouth) tries to trap FDT with an abortion question... Excellent answer. Let’s direct our energy to things that can actually get done."
#97; "Fred is taking a hammer to Chris Wallace on this Fox mantra about how he can’t win."
#101; "'Watch how flustered Chris get after Fred disembowels him.' ... That was so much fun that I may watch the replay later today." (Note: reply to dusttoyou's post #100)
#117; "Lindseed does a pretty good job this morning... No, Carl, Republicans refusing to start adding strings to war funding does not send the wrong message. It sends the right message to the people of Iraq, that the United States will not abandon them."
#184; "Richardson again says “progress shouldn’t be measured by body counts.” You all know how laughable that is. They like to count them when they’re up, but not when they’re down... He cites the old poll on the number of Iraqis who say it’s okay to shoot an American soldier... He is, however, basically incoherent, as he has been before."
#202; "Steffie just played a clip of Marlo Thomas who says that, while we are off shopping and having a good time, there are families in distress... You see, you are never supposed to enjoy yourself. You are always to feel guilty."
#219; "Cokie says that, if we had done Iraq right from the start, we could have had a completely different picture. She blames it on lack of enough troops from the outset... I’m not so sure about that and I think it will be studied for a long time. I think it is possible that we had to get to a tipping point with the populace that changes the whole dynamic of the situation."
#385; "'The Dems accuse Dubyah of being stupid. Well Hillary is 10 times stupider.They won't let her out to play without a supervisor or a script.' ... Absolutely right. She is the most controlled, controlling and scripted candidate ever, and the reason is because she HAS to be. She cannot be allowed to wing it, not ever." (Note: reply to Candor7 post #376)

7th Place jmyrlefuller

#11; "... Fox News Sunday has Fred Thompson making another appearance. Wallace has been tough yet fair on the candidates thus far and so I would expect some fireworks. They follow that up with two Sunday regulars, Sens. Graham and Levin, presumably to discuss foreign and defense affairs, i.e. Iraq, the war nobody in the MSM wants to admit we’re winning. (I still hate Sen. Graham for amnesty but on this one he’s right.)... Meet the Press has the grand roundtable of poobahs with America’s favorite husband-and-wife pundit team, Matalin and “The Crazy Alien/Grinch-lookalike Clinton Hack” Carville. Assisting Matalin will be Mike Murphy and assisting Carville will be Bob “0-for-9” Shrum... Face the Nation devotes an entire hour to Anthony Zinni, a retired general who orchestrated Mogadishu, and you know what that means. In the words of Hee Haw, Iraq “Gloom, despair and agony on me! Deep dark depression, excessive misery...” Heaven forbid we actually win this thing. Keep in mind, folks: Zinni has never served in Iraq... This Week has McCain and Richardson continuing to make their rounds. I was astounded, even for a Democrat, of Bill Richardson’s utter incompetence in the field that is supposed to be his strong point, foreign policy. As for McCain, hey, the MSM still likes him... And finally, Late Edition hosts Huckabee as he continues the rounds, as well as former Iraq PM Ayad Allawi. I think his opinions on Iraq are worth noting... No ratings this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday (I do, however, have the preliminary replay numbers available.)"
#13; "As a Hunter supporter (as some would say on this board, supporter of the ultimate “lost cause,”) let me share some advice: Iowa and New Hampshire are important but there are plenty of early states out there. Wyoming, Nevada, Florida, Michigan, South Carolina. They may not be as important as they used to be but they still carry delegates... Iowa is moneyball and New Hampshire hates Thompson because he won’t capitulate to them. It’s a gamble but it’s not doom."
#36; "Quick update with Fred on FNS: He’s coming out swinging on Huckabee with an accusation that both Huckabee and Thompson held the same position prior to Huckabee’s announcement to run for President... He has also come out in favor of personal savings accounts for Social(ist) Security... Personally, I love it when people like Wallace bring up some government study and Thompson says, “Well, they said the same thing about (something else) but they were wrong.” This week they were talking about his tax reform plans."
#53; "Ah, yes, the “Republican attack machine.” A slightly more PC and less nutty variation of the 'vast right wing conspiracy.'"
#59; "'I notice again that Wallace did not raise the immigration issue, which really sets Fred apart from the other top tier candidates.' ... Good point. All the other frontrunners are pro-amnesty. Giuliani is open borders. Huckabee is open borders. Romney is open borders but says he isn't. McCain created the amnesty program. Thompson's the only real believable frontrunning candidate that is pushing the immigration platform, and he seems to be the one who has been taking up the torch from the Hunters and the Tancredos on this issue." *(Note: reply to kabar's post #51)
#168; "What makes that situation worse is this: ... Ron Paul SAYS right now that he won’t consider a 3rd-party run. That being said, he already said he wouldn’t support the GOP nominee, and if it’s Giuliani/Huckabee, he just may see that “breakfast cereal” coalition of fruits, nuts and flakes and think he’s got a better shot at a 3rd-party run than he did 20 years ago, and give it another go as the Libertarian and/or Constitution Party candidate... So we’ll have Clinton/Richardson (probably) as the Democrat ticket, Giuliani/Huckabee as the Republican, and Paul as the third party. It’s a no-win situation for conservatives."

6th Place Laverne

#110; "AND, the old Brit is back — slapping Juan on his ignorance with the 'OH PLEASE!' comment. Good FNS this morning; even Lindsey was terrific talking about how the surge has been historic in its success and how the democrats are NOT supporting the troops... Old Levin was interesting, got quite defensive at the end saying they DO support the troops, yada yada yada blah blah blah... Truth be known, the tide is turning and just watch how the dems will try to take responsibility for the success of the surge. When the democrat NYTimes and the liberal media understand they can no longer hide the true facts on the ground, the dem politicians will have to come around also. We will soon know who are the poodles and who are the masters between the DNC and the MSM... Reliable sources has been boring as all get out so far with Brokaw and Kurtz, imho"
#132; "Coming up next on Reliable Sources will be a discussion on the Novak story about Clinton holding onto the Obama dirt... Kurtz talking about how the media is finally talking about the good news coming out of Iraq, even highlights the idiot (I love terrorists and they send me their videos directly)Ware. Also highlight the Charlie Gibson question to Bush: Do you want to crow now because of the success??? ... LOL, Walsh of salon.com says the media is not showing the good news in a “grudging fashion”, and has to admit that the news is good finally... Holmes (pubbie commentator) says that conservatives are falling out of the chairs because the NYTimes is finally claiming the surge is a success... Kornblut (NYtimes and Boston Globe) talks about how the democrats are not really talking about the surge success without caveats. She claims that it is the politicians not the media who is failing to give credit to the President for the successes ...Change topic to the Novak dirt story: ... Holmes: Novak is good at getting DC buzzing; she finds it most interesting that the Clinton camp immediately blamed the Repbulicans for the dirt story and that is where the media tried to lead the story. OH so typical of the media, blaming the republican attack machine rather than the clinton attack machine... Walsh: It was a dumb story and never should have been reported. HA! Funny how the dems always use anonymous sources to their pleasure, but when Novak does it its a big nono... Kornblut: Agrees with Walsh except she understands it was a democrat pushed story rather than a republican pushed story."
#137; "Zinni on HTN...talks about how the Arab countries are worried about Iran and an attack on Iran, both. (I tuned in late so didn’t hear the beginning of this discussion). Robin Wright discusses that the key issue in the ME is indeed Tehran; Iran support Hamas calling this a “new cold war” with Iran... Pretty boring panel on HTN; Bob Scheiffer is really a boring character."
#141; "Mary M is a Fred supporter (I guess I didn’t know that prior to hearing her today). The only way to stay united is to get behind a solid conservative, and Fred is that (as per Mary)... Tim asks Carville to assess “objectively” the status of the republican party. What a wasted question and an idiotic answer from Carville."
#142; "LOL; Carville’s assessment concluded by saying that Ron Pual is going to be the deciding factor. Agrees he won’t win, but he will impact the race. ... Schrum says all the republicans have problems... How stupid is it of fat dim to ask the dems these questions."
#280;"I’m watching the last word with woffie; egads, what an awful panel. Woffie brings up the quote from McClellan and stating its about Val Plame. Woofie conveniently leaves out the beginning of the quote where he talks about WMD. ... These people are idiots; talking about Val and never mentioning Richard Armitage as the leaker."
#319; "CNN is doing a story on the Haditha marines and the fact that the marine was cleared and the media has ignored it. No mention of Murtha just yet, but I’m STUNNED. A TRUE story about Haditha. Story is about Justin Sherrit(sp)."
#322; "They just showed Murtha saying these marines killed innocents in cold blood. Showing how Mattis praised Sharratt. Talking about how 5 have now been cleared. No mention on the slander suit against Murtha."

5th Place STARWISE

#260; "That’s what Rush thinks will be their strategy: that in a couple of months, Iraq won’t be an election issue, that their focus will be different, and they’ll “act” like they were troop supporters all along... I can visualize that happening in a NY minute .. the liars, connivers and obfuscators... ~~~~~ ... On another note, I think Donna Brazile hits a bullseye with this Clinton appraisal .. she’s a brave soul: ... 'Bill Clinton’s shadow over the 2008 nominating race creates potential pitfalls for his wife and for her opponents. Hillary Clinton risks being seen as something other than her own candidate, while her opponents risk offending Iowa Democrats who revere the former president. *** 'I think it’s going to come down to: Do you really want Bill Clinton back in the White House?' said Donna Brazile, who ran Democrat Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign. *** Held at arm’s length by Gore in 2000 and embraced by the Democratic field in 2004, Bill Clinton’s record is the subject of both credit and critique in the 2008 campaign... He plans to make his fourth Iowa campaign trip for his wife this week, in eastern Iowa... On his third trip to Iowa this year, the former president tied his wife’s vision with his own, while alluding to his administration’s successes... 'We share one thing in common,' he told an audience in Onawa, during a solo swing through western Iowa last week... 'The only thing that really matters is whether people are better off when you stop your labors than when you started, whether your country is moving in the right direction, whether children have a better chance to live their dreams, whether the world is more peaceful, prosperous and cooperative.' ~~~~~ Double-talking, empty-suited spin .." (Note: reply to Laverne post #110)
#269; "Levin ~~ Democrat: Michigan ~~~~~~~~ http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009209483 Detroit, MI (AHN) - Detroit reclaimed it’s position as the nation’s most dangerous city, according to the FBI’s annual look at national crime statistics... The 14th annual “City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America” was released Sunday by CQ Press, a division of Congressional Quarterly. It compares the per-capita homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and auto theft rates in nearly 400 of the largest cities across the country. CQ researchers reached their conclusions by considering each crime separately and weighing it based on its seriousness... St. Louis, Missouri, ranked number two, followed by Flint, Michigan; Oakland California; Camden, New Jersey and Birmingham, Alabama... The study excluded Chicago, Minneapolis, among other cities in Illinois and Minnesota, due to 'incomplete data.'"
#274; "Interestingly, the ever chagrined LOU DOBBS might be calculating enough to drive illegal immigration into a 3rd party platform. I never would’ve given a thought to him as a candidate or even instrumental in a candidacy, but he’s so cocky ... maybe he’s roiling for more than his CNN job.. ~~~~~ Excerpt: Perot voters still looking for a candidate ... By: Ben Smith ... Nov 24, 2007 07:48 AM EST ... Ross Perot ... Though Ross Perot has been off the political stage for a decade, strategists in both parties recognize that his supporters remain a key bloc. ... Last week, CNN’s Lou Dobbs stirred speculation that he might be the next Ross Perot — and reminded the political world that Perot’s potent constituency is still looking for a presidential candidate to back... 'I believe the person elected a year from now will be an independent populist, a man or woman who understands the genius of this country lies in the hearts and minds of its people and not in the prerogatives and power of its elites,” he wrote in an online column, neatly encapsulating what appears to be his view of himself. He also added that this person would be “a candidate who has not yet entered the race.' ... After letting the speculation roil for several days, Dobbs denied that he himself plans a run... But his hints — not to mention the high ratings for his opinionated CNN show — served as a reminder that while the Texas billionaire may have vanished from the political scene, his ideas, and his appeal, are rattling around this year as loudly as ever."
#364; "Another infuriating obstruction for US from the 9th Circus .. they’re obsessed with making us a 60’s hippy, socialist, crime-ridden nation. I N F U R I A T I N G !!! ~~~~~~~ Government Revising Plan on Illegals ... WASHINGTON — The government says it will rewrite rules for penalizing employers of illegal immigrants to try to satisfy a federal judge in San Francisco who put the crackdown on hold... U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer stopped the Bush administration last month from going ahead with enforcement of regulations requiring employers to fire workers if their Social Security numbers did not match records and the discrepancies could not be addressed in 90 days. In issuing the temporary injunction, the judge said the Social Security database contained errors that could have cost many legal workers their jobs, and the government did not properly study the effect of the rules on business... Late Friday, Breyer agreed to a request from the administration to put the case on hold while it reworks the regulations _ a process bound to put off enforcement until the spring. The judge stayed proceedings until March 24, when the government thought it could have new rules ready on how to enforce immigration laws in the workplace."
#372; "'After 41 and 43 I think we’ve forgotten what a difference it makes to have one of our guys in office who is capable of taking his message directly to the people.' ~~~~ You have to have network and cable coverage. President Bush speaks to the American people, quite a bit I think. But if they won’t cover him on newsworthy speeches ... as some of the major networks won’t .. what’s he supposed to do?" (Note: reply to 9YearLurker's post #349

4th Place MNJohnnie

#218; "The funny things is the Dims should just drop Iraq as an issue totally. According to all the polling data National Security is the only issue Democrats lose on. As unbelievable as this is to thinking people, Democrats even score higher on the Economy then Republicans... Yet like the arrogant, whiny children they are, the Democrat Leadership simply cannot bear to admit they are completely wrong on Iraq so they keep going back to this issue hoping THIS time the result of their petulant grandstanding will turn out different. Every time the Dems have tried arguing on the WOT, and Iraq is part of the WOT despite their lies to the contrary, they lose the argument... They lost it in 2002, they lost it in 2004 and they ran away from it in 2006. Iraq is not one of their 6 for 06 agenda items. When ever Republican candidates found the guts to call them on their Iraq rhetoric the Dems ran away from the issue. It is only AFTER the 2006 elections that we got the junk media mythology spewed that 2006 was all about Iraq... As we keep telling the Dims. 1st you get security, then you get economic progress then you will get political progress... Every time the Dims try to move the goal posts on Iraq, it drops right smack on their heads. They would be better off playing Emily Lattelia and saying “Never mind” whenever Iraq comes up from now on."
#222; "'Timmy has twice, I believe, referred to the RNC as the 'Republican attack machine.'' ... Timmy is trying to kiss and make up with Clinton Inc. That is the slogan they are trying to use to deflect any criticism of Mrs Bill Clinton's unfitness to serve as President. Any criticism of her is dismissed as a 'product of the Republican Attack Machine'."
#250; "Well as usual, stand a Democrat Party mouthpiece works on their head to get the truth... Dems HAVE to spin hard on Illegals. The fact of the matter is Illegal Immigration is a HUGE wedge issue in the Democrat base. Democrats have to try and scare the Republicans away from it because if it is an issue they lose... The traditional blue collar, and minority, base of the Democrat party are the people most directly effected by the influx of illegals. After all they are the ones who most directly compete with the illegals for jobs... As Mrs Clinton's plunging poll ratings have shown, Democrats can be seriously hurt by how they respond to questions about Illegal Immigration"
#262; "Which is why I suspect a lot of Leftist money is being funneled to Paul. I think a whole lot of Leftists are hoping against hope that Paul will be Clinton Inc’s Trojan Horse for 2008" (Note: reply to Laverne' post #142)
#318; "Actions speak far far far louder then words. And by their actions the always whining Freepers are Democrat activists in everything but name... Wonder what the 100%ers around here would of said about a President who signed 6 tax hikes? Signed a real Illegals Amnesty? Appointed a liberal to the Supreme Court? Doubled Federal Spending in 8 years? Spent Record Deficits? Ran away from a Muslim Terrorist threat? Played diplomatic footsie with Iran's mullahs? - - - - - - - That President was Ronald Reagan. So not even the greatest President of the 20th Century could measure up to standard being demanded by the purist Freepers... Nothing in life is ever perfect. Adult minds accept that and fight like heck to see as much as possible of what they want done gets done. Childish minds, and certain pseudo Conservative talking heads, whine hysterically because their political glass is only 70% full. All the time, by their actions, helping make sure it will NEVER get any fuller."
#375; "... earlier this year President Bush went out and did over an hour of press show on Iraq. And all the networks ignored the 1.5 on Iraq to fixate on a really stupid question from a reporter about Libby... And you think Bush is the problem?" (Note: reply to 9YearLurker' post #349)

Third Place chiller - very informative posts with impressive takes on the issues and personalities - the discussion of Shadow Warriors was particularly valuable and added much to the thread

#106; "...speaking of Fred and of Mary Matlin (a Fredhead)...if none of our top-tier candidates,(and likely winner of a nomination) are conservative enough, then Fred's shortcomings are least among the group... We know not everyone here will get behind Mitt (flipping), or Rudy(social), or Huck(big gubmint), or McCain(everything except Iraq), whereas I bet a far fewer number would fail to get behind Fred. His most glaring error so far seems to be to favoring a reversion to pre-Roe/Wade days... I'll support any and all, but maybe Fred coalesces the most of us."
#127; "re: R pundit Mike Murphy: you must have missed Shrum warning how Republicans will pay with potential hispanic votes because of immigration. Mike Murphy quickly and effectively slapped him with the fallout from Spitzer's/Hillary's drivers-license-for-illegals strategy and the dems stake in immigration too... He made the point I wanted made. There's certainly lots of hot air going around, but he nailed this one. Let the Dems think its a republican only problem.. that way they won't see us coming or know what the hell hit 'em" (Note: reply to maica's post #109)
#170; "We won’t know about Fred being 'too late' until he wins or loses, but he’d be in better shape today if he hadn’t been challenged about his verve, laziness, etc. OTO, he worked out a few campaign bugs in the backroom, rather than front and center stage."
#187; "Fred is now the clearest about his economic plan, point by point, and it'll work in the primary, if not the general... Keep the tax cuts, kill the ATM, kill the death tax, cut corporate taxes, and allow taxpayers a Fair Tax option... That last one alone should garner some support."
#228; "Fred talks common sense that would strike a stronger chord that most, but no, if Dems hold majorities in Congress, it’s unlikely it would pass. Not impossible, just difficult and certainly worth the effort."
#238; "'She blames it on lack of enough troops from the outset.' ... Rummy's plan (so say several new books on the subject) was to incorporate the Iraqi Army, not fire them as Bremer was convinced to do by nefarious parties in the CIA and State who wanted to see Bush fail above all else... Shocking if true, but Rummy initially predicted a short term occupation, untill Bremer conceded to the bad guys." (Note: reply to Bahbah's post #219)
#255; "The author to whom I refer whose name escapes, has good credentials and knows lots of inside stuff on the CIA, including the Porter Goss / Negroponte dustup... We've seen it time and again how the CIA works at odds to this WH, so this traitorous behaviour from CIA/State comes as no surprise. That's why Goss (who worked on intelligence committees and knew the troublemakers) was appointed---to clean up the mess at CIA. He was having success...too much for some. Negroponte apparently convinced W that cleaning house at CIA would not be good in the long run. God, I wish W had held firm on this one." (Note: reply to The Pack Knight's post #246)
#271; "FYI: ... Ken Timmerman's book -- Shadow Warriors: The Untold Story of Traitors, Saboteurs, and the Party of Surrender" (Note: referring to book mentioned in posts #238 and #255)
#278; "Stongly agree that Rudy and Romney were at least partially held to the standards of the liberal whackos they led. Nonetheless, that will prevent many from supporting either. Fred has less or none of that to deal with, and maybe the one we should rally round... Again, I don't see that as the lesser of evils, but rather maybe Fred's the one who best addresses my list of issues." (Note: reply to Morgan in Denver' post #267)
#302; "I'll claim Roberts and Alito as saviours, if for sake of your argument with EV you can't. One more justice like them and I truly believe the republic is safe...at least for a few more decades.... ....which brings me back to friggin' John McCain and his gang of 13. We'd already be there except for my senator who seems to know better than the rest of us."

Second Place kabar - great take on the issues discussed and how they relate to the wider landscape and particularly great historical perspectives

#21; "'I don’t think Fred will do well in New Hampshire, but then, who cares? New Hampshire is no longer the bell whether state determining national elections.' ... I agree with you. Before 1992 the person elected president had always carried the primary, but Bill Clinton broke the pattern in 1992, as did George W. Bush in 2000. Moreover, the winner in New Hampshire has not always gone to win his party's nomination, as demonstrated by Republicans John McCain in 2000 and Pat Buchanan in 1996 and Democrats Estes Kefauver in 1952 and 1956 and Paul Tsongas in 1992." (Note: reply to Alas Babylon!'s post #16)
#51; "Fred did an outstanding job on Fox. He responded in a tough, but civil way to the Fox cabal that has been trying to sink his candidacy. I notice again that Wallace did not raise the immigration issue, which really sets Fred apart from the other top tier candidates... I really have a problem with Fox and the other MSM interviewers in terms of what questions they ask and don't ask. The emphasis of Wallace on social issues like abortion is really a side show in terms of major challenges like entitlement reform, illegal immigration, health care, the WOT, etc. that face this country." (Note: reply to McGruff's post #35)
#111; "LOL. Yeah, this time Fred mentioned that SS is going broke in 2017. I look forward to Fred educating the American public during his debates with Hillary."
#196; "'The MSM like side issues they think it gives them more viewers and that on the whole the public are not that interested or understand the meatier issues maybe they are right maybe not.' ... Responsible journalism should not pander to the lowest common denominator. The Fourth Estate should be educating the public about important issues that will have a major impact on the nation and their lives. The "meatier issues" should not be the province of the politicians and the elites. As Clemenceau famously said, 'War is too important to be left to the generals.' ... The MSM also uses questions to marginalize or cariacature a candidate, e.g., the UFO question to Kucinich. They use the abortion issue, [embryonic] stem cell research, and creationism to paint Reps as extremists and zealots. It is often instructive to look at what questions/subjects are omitted during the debates, TV appeareances, etc. than what are asked/raised... 'It is frustrating for us who enjoy the deeper political issues but unfortunately it is a situation I do not see changing soon.' ... We need in-depth issues debates rather than sound bite journalism. Keeping the public in the dark and treating them like children will not develop the consensus we need to meet the daunting challenges this nation faces in the not too distant future." (Note: reply to snugs' post #156)
#249; "I believe the MSM is biased and hopelessly liberal, which is why they are pushing the Dem agenda. It is just another form of agitprop that is intended to shape and form American public opinion. It has more to do with propaganda than viewership." (Note: reply to snugs' post #217)
#263; "'Social Security is a non winner look how hard GWB tried it the dems will always lie and make it impossible for a Republican President to put reform forward.' ... It has nothing to do with being a winner or loser. Congress and the WH will have to deal with the issue within the next ten years. The status quo is not an option. Starting next year, the SS "surplus" starts declining, which means that SS will be supplying less revenue to the General Fund. In 2017, SS, a pay as you go system, starts paying out more than it is taking in, i.e., SS stops being a cash cow and becomes a black hole in terms of funding. The last time this happened, Congress passed the 1983 P.L. 98-21, (H.R. 1900), which raised taxes and decreased benefits, including raising the retirement age from 65 to 67 to collect full benefits. The "fix" was supposed to last 75 years, but we will be back in the same situation [only worse] in 2017. ... All of the politicians in Congress know that SS will go negative agin in 2017. They know that something must be done. The Dems would like to demagog the issue and propose solutions that will only kick the can down the road again rather than confront the structural changes that will be necessary to correct a system that is structurally unsustainable... Fred Thompson is the only candidate that addresses those issues. I don't agree with all of his proposals, but it is the kind of substance and level of specificity that needs be part of the national dialogue. Hillary wants another bipartisan commission [there have been numerous such commissions in the last 20 years] in order to avoid discussing the issue. And as bad as the condition of SS is, Medicare is three times worse and will go bust in 2013 or 2014. No matter how much the politicians lie and spin, they can't change the facts. It will take a crisis before they admit to the public that something needs to be done. The longer we wait, the more dire the solution." (Note: reply to snugs' post #197)
#268; "... NH does allow crossover votes. The question is how many Dems will want to make a mockery of the Rep primary by voting for Ron Paul or will they be energized by the Dem campaign by voting for Hillary or Obama." (Note: reply to bray's post #209)

First Place Fishtalk - Excellent, forthright, always insightful and enjoyable analysis with a witty and (dare I say it?) professional writing style

#65; "By me, Fred did fine... BUT.... Mike Huckabee was on his show for much longer as I recall...almost the whole hour... That’s the problem I’m having with Fred...it’s almost like it’s a game to him...a dip his toe in the water and play like a presidential candidate... I like the guy but I wish he’d be more forceful."
#69; "I heard that about the refugees... You know, if Democrats were our children we’d be on to them. That bit about the refugees is like the brother constantly teasing his sister. Finally the parental units tell him to knock it off. In Ratner’s case, the parental units are the American public... So the brother has to take his finger and touch the sister one more time, kinda sneaky like... Who on this planet has been discussing the freaking Iraqi refugee problem? ... I figger this must be next week’s Democratic talking points. They all had a conference call. One suggested braying about the lack of infrastructure still not fixed; another said let’s beat over the head with the lack of an oil revenue concensus, another one said...HEY, let’s send out the fools and have them complain about the Iraqi refugee problem! ... Yeah...that’s the ticket...The ladies at the beauty parlor ain’t going to buy it." (Note: reply to Bahbah's post #18)
#96; "Well hey, I admit it’s just me... But why do I feel like I’ve seen plenty of Mike Huckabee but not enough of Fred Thompson? ... Again...it could be me. Perhaps I’m too eager."
#103; "... The talk show moderators love to throw abortion questions at the pubbie candidates. The Dems can sit and smirk and utter the silly soundbyte “abortion should be rare” although they don’t mean it... Lookit, I understand that abortion is a major issue for much of the pubbie party, yes even me. But I know, and don’t deny it, that the minute abortion should ever be made totally illegal....I can see it now. A young girl, barely 13, comes on sobbing. She’d been impregnated by her own father and now the Republicans are making her bear the child. OR hey, maybe a rape victim who got pregnant from the attack. Wow, what a sound and sight byte. Kind of like that Saudi woman getting sentenced to lashes for being gang-raped while in the company of a man not her husband. Here we’d have a rape victim and she’d be boo-hooing that not only was she sexually assaulted, now the Republicans are demanding that she be further punished by now having to give birth to the rapist’s baby... Yeah I know these are rare instances but what planet are you calling in from if you don’t believe the Dems would do this? Remember those poor little sick children they paraded around with their lies? ... Even a woman having an abortion for other reasons...man I can see the “60 Minutes” special with the cops throwing this woman in jail for abortion while the handsome moderator asks what will happen to the father? ... I’m at a point where I’d just be happy to stop that monstrosity known as partial birth abortion then maybe, I dunno....maybe another way to eliminate abortions as much as possible....however and whatever... So Fred answered the question handily. The way vast majority of the American public would have no problem with banning partial birth abortion but the pubbies really have to tap dance around the issue."
#118; "Oh my God! Juan Williams deserved that slap from Brit because come on folks....can this guy possibly be that stupid! ... Brit rightfully points out that Israel pulled out of the territories like the sons of camels Arabs said was required for peace... For over how many years now have those Palestinians been crammed in that alleyway next to Israel, constantly bombing themselves, electing thugs to lead them...on and on and on? ... Yet Juan continues to urinate upon our feet and tell us it’s raining as he speculates that...just one more thing.... I am rather curious about this upcoming Annapolis thing. All the pundits are talking about it but no one seems to know what it’s about... I think it’s about Iran. I figger Bush is right about where he needs to be in his term to begin a strong arm effort on these folks and get them all in line to squash Imanutjob and that whole nuke basketcase over there... Please don’t forget Israel’s recent bombing of the Syran nuke. Everybody knows it happened. With this behind them, I figger the admin’s gonna lay down some law."
#253; "I hope you’re right... In fact, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say I THINK you’re right... Hillary Clinton is a perfect example of what I think is going to be overkill... She’s had to, by necessity, be knee deep in all debates and back-and-forth sound bytes throughout the campaign. Familiarity, as the saying goes, breeds contempt... It seems to me that Fred’s campaign is deliberately keeping him low key and1 when the time is ripe we’ll all be ready for less of the same-old, same-old and more new, refreshing and vibrance... But I still complain as perhaps I’m not as strong in self-control because it must take restraint to keep from getting out there and keep slapping until you’re spinning in circles... Does the above narrative indicate I read your assessment right?" (Note: reply to 9YearLurker's post #248)
#261; "See...my self-control done went and hey, I’ve got an opinion... This problem with illegal immigration is bad governance and nothing less. The whole bunch of the political elite, both local and federal, kept allowing these illegals in rather than create a comprehensive, do=able entry to immigrants. It was just easier for them to get bucks from businesses wanting cheap labor to better elect their fine selves than to do the right thing. In a fashion, how deep we’ve went to an out-of-control immigrant problem is as much a result of our term limits on the elected as much as anything else. But that’s the only space I’ll give them... But hey, they did it while we were all busy carrying this country on our backs whilst raising the soldiers and citizens of tomorrow. Once, via talk radio and 24/7 news and forums like this Freerepublic, we, the people who run this entire planet but can’t be herded any better than cats, decided that THIS was enough... What with the technology and all the well-educated Americans we’ve got, somehow, someway, a decent plan could have been formulated to handle the allowance of immigrants into this country (we’ve never been against immigrants coming into America no matter how snidely the political elite like to infer we are). They kept on getting themselves elected and putting on bandaids rather than be leaders and deal with the problem... We have, on the issue of illegal immigration, become like thos cats that can’t be herded. We are shocked, angry and adamant that these guys do their freaking job. Any CEO that overlooked this immigration thing so badly would have been fired immediately,... So, for all my words and hey, I’m tired and it’s my nap time, I am saying that these politicos who don’t vow to do something about the immigration issue in this upcoming election are going to be booted out of office... Cats can be herded if they fear their very way of life is at threat... It’s my story and I’m sticking to it."

Honorable Mention Awards for Sunday, November 25, 2007

(alphabetical)

9YearLurker

#172; "You’re right about Lucianne, altura. I was in MA when Dukakis ran and all the Dem insiders jumped on board, then the same for Kerry—even though the party insiders, those who knew him best, liked him least... Now I’m in NY with Rudy running and it’s the same thing, except Rudy already was a genuine hero to the NY Pubbies. With so much media centered there it’s especially frustrating... But Fred’s our strongest national candidate by far, and I have confidence in the wisdom of the Pubbie primary voters to see and act on it in time." (Note: reply to altura's post #112)
#248; "Yep, some people questioned Fred’s delivery, the substance of his message, and his preparation for responding on secondary issues. Then, like Woody Allen’s characters complaining the the restaurant’s food is so bad—and the portions so small—they thought he wasn’t putting himself out there often enough... Looks to me like he’s built a solid foundation over the last month on the issues, how to frame them, and how to deliver the message. He’s more than ready for prime time now, and some well-placed television ads building over the coming 6 weeks will do him wonders, because he is capable of taking his message directly to the people." (Note: reply to bray's post #231)
#349; "After 41 and 43 I think we’ve forgotten what a difference it makes to have one of our guys in office who is capable of taking his message directly to the people." (Note: reply to seekthetruth's post #344)
#374; "It is an unfortunate system. Why should a few thousand people in Iowa have such clout? But I’m hopeful. I like what Fred’s been coming out with for positions, and I think SC alone keeps him in an unsettled race going into Super Tuesday. Also, I don’t think the race will be decided until early April." (Note: reply to altura's post #358)
#378; "I think Pres. Bush has some very good communication skills, such as one-on-one and campaigning to large crowds. But I think he is limited in his persuasiveness on television when he does get the time... He was especially effective after 9/11, but that was a special circumstance and he was only communicating the sentiment that was already resonant in the country. Especially with immigration, he has taken to more of an ‘I know what’s best and I’ll do what I want to do’ tone here in his second term... A president who is skilled in using the bully pulpit connects with a resonating sentiment in the country and then guides the people to see how his solution addresses what they want addressed in a way they approve of... That’s something I don’t think Bush has been especially good at, but I do think Fred exudes that capability." (Note: reply to STARWISE's post #372)
#380; "I give Bush a lot of credit for following through on Iraq over the past 12 months, even when his position was least popular. With the surge and various other adjustments, his message has been one of staying the course. The congress critters would have eaten him up on it now, if they had the chance, but just enough of their local constituents kept them at bay until now the tide seems to be turning some. But we did get creamed in the last election because of Iraq and because, I believe, Bush wasn’t persuasive on the situation—tough as it was—at that time... There’s a load of media out there that’d die for the right opportunity with the president, so the broadcast networks passing on a news conference or a direct national address may be frustrating, but it shouldn’t be a killer—or an excuse."

advertising guy

#90; "gotta love one Fred Dalton Thompson........Sissy Wallace starts with a liberal premise and ole fred swats the premise,then answers to the truth...woohooooo"
#113; "it’s bigger than that boss.........Fred took Fox News to naked... And Fred did it concise and linked....... And Fred did it like Reagan ... And Fred is unparalled" (Note: reply to Bahbah post #97)
#122; "(Fred) sure as hell did it today......Rush will be on this like liberals on godless movie plots" (Note: reply to Pittsburgher's post #120)
#136; "Rush laid down the line...he ain’t looking for a republican ... he is looking for a conservative and Fred fits dem shoes"

aj7360

#57 "Fred was awesome... He should have been a bit more obvious in stating that FNC is biased against him... But Wallace did get the point and even seemed genuinely flustered at the end... Go Fred!!"

Alas Babylon!

#16; "I don’t think Fred will do well in New Hampshire, but then, who cares? New Hampshire is no longer the bell whether state determining national elections. It’s just another ‘rat state trending more blue due to the influx of people from Massachusetts (referred to as Massholes) who, in trying to escape the twin liberal assaults of high taxes and nanny-statism, are bringing their problems with them... Fred will win South Carolina. That election will determine the Republican nominee."
#22; "Ellen Ratner has always had a problem with the truth, or in other words, she is a liar... Just like most democrats... Fox has her on to generate controversy, which in their minds generates revenue. I stopped watching Fox due to this. The constant arguments with well-known liars simply wore me out. Today I get almost all of my news from this web site and some others."
#43; "Another example of that is Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. Now he wants to ban guns statewide. As we all know, his total gun ban in Philadelphia did so much good to reduce crime there, right? ( Philadelphia sees murder rate of 1 per day)" (Note: reply to maica's post #25)
#91; "Like I said, Iowa and New Hampshire are out. South Carolina is the primary to watch. That is for Republicans. Fred will win SC! ..."
#324; "I don’t know, Mol. That’s the type of thinking most Republicans make and it doesn’t work. Betty Jane’s right. They need to bring this to the forefront and make the sale. Playing timid got the Dems back into power last year." (Note: reply to Mo1's post #305)
#326; "... Sometimes I wonder if certain people here aren’t really part of the Clinton campaign."

Beagle8U

#52; "WOOOHOOO! Fred kicked his ass!"
#66; "'Mike Huckabee was on his show for much longer as I recall...almost the whole hour... That’s the problem I’m having with Fred...it’s almost like it’s a game to him...a dip his toe in the water and play like a presidential candidate.' ... Huh? Do you think Fred was ask how much time he wanted on the show?" (Note: reply to Fishtalk's post #65)
#114; "'But why do I feel like I’ve seen plenty of Mike Huckabee but not enough of Fred Thompson?' ... That is because ALL of the MSM is biased against Fred Thompson because he is a conservative that none of the RATS could beat... They push Huck because he couldn’t beat any of the RATS except perhaps Gravel... 90% of the media is liberal and they want a liberal elected regardless of which party... The MSM invented “America’s Mare” because even if the little creep won they still get a barking moonbat liberal!" (Note: reply to Fishtalk's post #96)
#126; "Brit changed after his wife left Fox... I’ll bet he was ordered to be kind to Rooty or he also would be gone... He seems only to have turned liberal on the POTUS campaign coverage."

Bernard

#341; "'Cokie says that, if we had done Iraq right from the start, we could have had a completely different picture. She blames it on lack of enough troops from the outset... I’m not so sure about that and I think it will be studied for a long time. I think it is possible that we had to get to a tipping point with the populace that changes the whole dynamic of the situation.' ... I agree with your last sentence - the people in Iraq had to get tired of the entire process and the constant state of war and siege before this would settle down. Before, they could not do that because their leader would take them away. Now they can rule by majority, if they choose to do so and persevere." (Note: reply to Bahbah' post #219)
#398; "... Hopefully, one side benefit of all this early manipulation is that some state, somewhere in this union (hopefully more than one) will finally understand that it could become a major player if it holds some number of uncommitted delegates at a brokered convention, instead of shooting all the fireworks off 6 or 7 MONTHS before the convention and getting lost in the rush to February. ... Just a thought. Or, actually, a hope. of course, that would also require a brokered convention, instead of a late summer formality."

Betty Jane

#272; "I'd like to see a candidate run commercials about illegal immigration. Something like this. ... We have a crisis in this country. It is not only about the millions of people who broke into our country and continue to hurt Americans by using phony id's, crowding public schools, taking jobs and lowering wages. The bigger problem is those politicians who want to make the line jumpers legal. ... These politicians want to give illegals driver's licenses and the right to vote. Worst of all, they call those of us who want to protect our borders and uphold the laws of this nation racists and xenophobes. They are trying to silence you who believe in the rule of law. Don't let them stifle debate. Illegal immigration is a serious problem. Don't let politicians avoid the subject by name-calling. Stand with me as I stand up for America's border security... I'd love to see the furor and bump any primary candidate geta after running an ad like this."
#299; "Understood. I think with a position supported by 70% of the public, candidates could do a softer version of what I've written. I really want to spotlight the pro amnesty politicians and take the knee jerk "racist" response away from them. Make the issue debatable on the merits, not emotion... There are people running for president who want to give illegal immigrants driver's licenses and the right to vote even though most American people disagree. Worst of all, they call those of us who want to uphold the laws of this nation racists and xenophobes. They are trying to intimidate you. Don't let them silence you because you believe in the rule of law. Don't let them stifle debate. Illegal immigration is a serious issue. Don't let candidates avoid the issue by name-calling. Stand with me as I stand up for America's border security... Any better? I don't see any candidate who will really touch th illegal immigration issue at the level the American people are reacting to it. They're all too scared of the media labeling them racist."
#331; "Illegal immigration is an issue that transcends right and left. When you support an issue that over 70% of the people on one side, it should not be controversial to state your opinion. The fact people are called racist for holding the lawful position should be pointed out as the intimidation that is intended. In fact, every time a label is slapped on a person for their viewpoint, it should be pointed out what the opposition is doing; avoiding the discussion... It is not racist to be against illegals, affirmative action, or welfare. It is not homophobic to be against gay marriage or for the Boy Scouts. I wish the Republican party would start calling out the speech NAZI's when they pull this crap."

Bobbisox

#368; "I just watched the interview with Chrissy-boy. In my opinion, FRED bitch-slapped him and all of FoxNews. I loved it...and of course will not be talked about the rest of the week I presume, at least not on FoxNews. ABC already picked up on it, so I presume they will use it to go after FoxNews. It’s about time they got a taste of their own medicine... WE THE PEOPLE will not stand for the MSM choosing our candidates... FRED THOMPSON - PRO-LIFE - 2ND AMENDMENT ADVOCATE - SECURE THE BORDERS - FEDERALIST - STRONG NATIONAL SECURITY ADVOCATE - PING!"

Candor7

#376; "Carville says Clinton is running an excellent campaign with only that one stumble.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Clinton has become an institution. In trutrh she is a political lightweight, a poofter who cannot take the rough and tumble of a political campaign without 'going off.' ... She is not presidential material, and because the DNC has so much investyed in her, they will try and prevent her from unscripted speaking... The Dems accuse Dubyah of being stupid. Well Hillary is 10 times stupider.They won't let her out to play without a supervisor or a script... If they do, she will blow millions of dollars politically invested in her... And they can't pull that off. Sooner or later she will be like Howard Dean, but instead of an insane yell, what will she do, shake her gams in public and moon the conservative press?" (Note: reply to Bahbah's post #30)

Cinnamon Girl

#138; "... Is anyone seeing what I'm seeing?" (Note: post contains great "seperated at birth" type comparison of Wolfe Blitzer and the "Bumble" (Abominable Snowman) from the old Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer TV special)

Clara Lou

#45; "FRed Thompson was excellent. He Stood up to Chris Wallace’s interrogation and the comments by the Beltway Boys outstandingly. He called out FNC nicely. Go FRed!"
#58; "I noticed that Chris Wallace spent a lot of time trying to talk over Thompson. Thompson didn’t let him do it."
#116; "Did you notice the blog she linked to yesterday? Lucianne must be worried about FRed’s effect on Rudy. [I noticed that they posted the blog item, then told everyone registered at the site that THEY couldn’t post a blog without prior permission. That site is a joke.]"

dusttoyou

#100; "Watch how flustered Chris get after Fred disembowels him.."
#102; "Brit will be scolding Chris off camera for getting his butt kicked."

Eva

#199; "I can’t believe that no one is talking about Romney’s judge appointment that let a psychopath out of prison without bail so he could flee to WA and murder a young couple in their bed... The MSM is calling it Romney’s Willie Horton moment, yet no one on Free Republic is talking about it."
#259; "The Boston newspaper was claiming that Rudy was playing up the poor choice of judicial appointment in New Hampshire in retaliation for the Romney campaign making Kerik an issue. According to the MSM, this is very big in New Hampshire." (Note: reply to Morgan in Denver's post #237)

freedom1st

#243; "Andrew Sullivan on This Week is an egotistical idiot. He thinks he knows how the Armed Forces should be deployed and removed in Iraq. Now that “The Surge” is working, the left are screaming that the Troops be removed immediately from Iraq. Can’t let the U.S. be victorious in Iraq."

FreeReign

#188; "'Good point. All the other frontrunners are pro-amnesty. Giuliani is open borders. Huckabee is open borders. Romney is open borders but says he isn't. McCain created the amnesty program. Thompson's the only real believable frontrunning candidate that is pushing the immigration platform, and he seems to be the one who has been taking up the torch from the Hunters and the Tancredos on this issue.' ... Right you are... Anybody wonder what ever happened to Lou Dobbs on the amnesty issue? It seems to me that if Lou Dobbs (and CNN) really cared about the issue they would have anti amnesty Fred on a lot... LOL, anybody know how many time Dobbs has invited Fred onto his show?" (Note: reply to jmyrlefuller's post #59)
#200; "... FOX pushes Huckabee because he splits the anti Rudy vote even further." (Note: reply to seekthetruth's post #104)

HonestConservative

#379; "Listen tonight to a support the troops show on http://blogtalkradio.com/freedom where I will be interviewing Cliff Knizley who is a tremendous singer songwriter who has released a CD with all proceeds going to Vet and Military related charities, like "Lest they be forgotten". Listen at 7 pm est. Click to listen on Freedom Radio... I live in Valley Forge,as my intro states, at the peak of Mysery Mountain. I have particular interest/shame in the Murtha, Specter, Rendell careers. Call in number 646 478 5613 We do get into Murtha a bit and expect to talk later about the lack of support by ex Military, including Mr. Murtha."

Josh Painter

#163; "And Rudy will reward the Huckster by picking him for a running mate if Giuliani wins the nomination... A pro-abortion liberal and a pro-life liberal on the same GOP ticket. It will truly be the end of the Republican Party as we have known it, and both of this nation’s major political parties will be firmly in the control of leftists. Can’t let that happen." (Note: reply to murron's post #157)

Kakaze

#198; "'So we’ll have Clinton/Richardson (probably) as the Democrat ticket' ... I think your looking at Clinton / Bayh actually... I've said for a long time Indiana and the mid west come into play with Bayh on the ticket and he withdrew from the race way to quick not to have cut a deal... This weekend the Indy Star published a front page spread on voters, mainly highlighting Bayh... 52% of republicans here think he's doing a good job! ... I constantly hear life long conservatives say that "I'll vote Bayh, it would be great to have a hoosier in the white house"..Convoluted thinking, you bet. It is however the way things are here. I think that ticket is a done deal no matter how much boot licking richardson does." (Note: reply to jmyrlefuller's post #168)

maica

#25; "'I was astounded, even for a Democrat, of Bill Richardson’s utter incompetence in the field that is supposed to be his strong point, foreign policy. ######' ... We must remember - put a sign up on our fridge or computer - that facts and results do not matter to dems - only feelings and promises and processes. Because Richardson’s heart was in the right place, how could he have been a total zero as UN ambassador or North Korea ‘negotiator?’ ... As another example: dems on every show, from cspan callers to Bob Bechtel on Fox news are now saying that the turnaround of New York under the mayoralty of Rudy Giuliani “just happened”. Rudy “happened” to be in the right place in the right time, sort of like Reagan was in power when the Soviet Union “inevitably” collapsed... Cities controlled by democrats, like Baltimore, Detroit, DC, “cannot be fixed” - no matter who is in charge. The totally incompetent, except for political acumen, mayor of Baltimore was voted in to the governor’s job, by enough solid blue voters of Md. We are probably the most socialist example of any U S state now. Results count for nil. Its all about ‘feelings.’ AND about staying in power!" (Note: reply to jmyrlefuller's post #11)
#46; "'Makes me think he’s trying to get a sound bite #####' ... You are right. Wallace admitted as much at the end of the interview."
#83; "'Another example of that is Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. #######' ... For a really hair-raising, bloodflow-to-the-brain-increasing article about a dem run city, read the from WSJ linked on RealClearPolitics this morning... http://www.realclearpolitics.com/ ... http://www.opinionjournal.com/cc/?id=110010906 ... Race and Crime in New Orleans ... Disarray in the district attorney’s office, which faces a discrimination lawsuit... BY DOUGLAS MCCOLLAM ... Sunday, November 25, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST ... NEW ORLEANS—It was a little after 12:30 last Saturday afternoon when they carried the body of New Orleans Police officer Thelonious “Tank” Dukes out of the St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in the city’s Sixth Ward, just outside of the historic French Quarter... Dukes, 47, had been shot twice in a gun battle in October that erupted after would-be thieves ..." (Note: reply to Alas Babylon!'s post #43)
#109; "Just switched to NBC for a rare moment and saw the republican counterpoint to Bob Shrum, a guy named Mike Murphy. What a nonentity! On second thought - what a waste of time to listen to Russert or any of his guests. They are all so over the hill. I feel like I am watching a discussion at the retired commentators’ home."
#119; "'Reliable sources has been boring as all get out so far with Brokaw and Kurtz, imho #####' ... LOL! That’s why I switched over to NBC. Kurtz’s show is the only one I ever watch on CNN. He has guests that do express a variety of opinions." (Note: reply to Laverne's post #110)
#190; "The early wrap-up of the two party candidates will be very enticing to a third-party campaign for the ‘real’ conservatives... Watch for media exposure of a group known as “American Freedom Agenda” next spring and summer, when the DBM really want to support the dem candidate by promoting the third party story... Some names of “conservatives” to watch for on the talk shows: ... Bob Barr ... Richard Viguerie ... Bruce Fein"

mainepatsfan

#33; "The libs have been moving the goal posts through out this war. Before too long they’ll declare it a failure because the Iraqi postal service is failing to deliver all it’s overnight packages by 3:00PM the following day."
#38; "Some Democrats never said that the war was lost...they just said that we could never win. Big difference. /sarcasm" (Note: reply to tiredoflaundry's post #29)
#40; "I think Germany and Japan’s infrastructure was in a much tougher state at this same stage than Iraq’s is now." (Note: reply to Bahbah's post 34)

maxter

#327; "... Fred finally shows some spark. Enough to get out my wallet for him. I've been waiting for the day. This was it."

McGruff

#35; "I heard Ellen Ratner. Jeez, these people won't give up... I'm watching Fred on with Mike Wallace. I don't like Chris Wallace's style of rapid fire questions jumping topics around like a mad man. Makes me think he's trying to get a sound bite that trips up the person he's interviewing. No wonder his dad accused him of interrogating him... Now Wallace is bringing up Fox News Round table criticism of him. Fred is giving him hell on it. Go Fred!"
#76; "On the subject of this apparent breakthrough Skin transformed into stem cells Juan Williams gave President Bush credit for pushing this research... Pigs are Flying!"
#105; "'why do I feel like I’ve seen plenty of Mike Huckabee but not enough of Fred Thompson?' ... I'll agree Huckabee seems to get a lot of attention from the MSM but so did Howard Dean... Mike Wallace didn't allot enough time to Fred not the other way around. Russert gave Thompson enough time, Wallace didn't. Mistake on FNC's part." (Note: reply to Fishtalk's post #96)
#133; "Brit: Oh Please! ... Juan: Why are you saying Oh please? ... Brit: *spanks Juan on topic* ... That was classic... Loving the Meet the Depressed doubts about Clinton all the sudden... Sometimes a picture does really say 1,00 words..." (Note: original post includes screen cap from ABC/WaPo poll on "who is most honest and trustworthy" of Dems: Obama 31%, Edwards 20%, Clinton 15%, Richardson 13%)
#174; "'As for Fox, just like the other MSM markets, it's based in New York City. That alone explains their fervent Giuliani support.' ... Kind of sounds like what Fred said 'He relates everything to New York City. Well, New York City is not emblematic of the rest of the country' ... Which I agree with. Notice how the MSM always leaves out the gun rights context of Fed's comment, ... 'New York City is not emblematic of the rest of the country, I don't think. I think the sentiments of those people in the rest of the country are in support of the Second Amendment...' ... Which again I agree with on a larger scale. Just look where N.Y. City is on the Red State/Blue State (or county even better) map." (Note: reply to jmyrlefuller's post #143)

MEG33

#55; "Fred Thompson on Fox News Sunday this morning is worth watching..."

Mo1

#264; "'Old Levin was interesting, got quite defensive at the end saying they DO support the troops, yada yada yada blah blah blah' ... They don’t support the troops .... the dems use the troops ... and they use the military’s money (after cutting off funds) to take vacations with their wives ... Reid, six other senators to visit Latin America during break" (Note: reply to Laverne post #110)
#286; "One needs to be very careful about running ads on immigration ... though they would swing the Hunter and Tank voters with a strongly worded ad .. they could also turn off other voters ... Over a majority of the country agrees with about the illegal problem .. BUT not all are hard liners and will turn the other way because the hard liners scare them .. which is one of the reason you’ll see the lib talking heads call us the Republican attack machine ... Like it or not ... elections are all about the right PR" (Note: reply to Betty Jane's post #272)
#305; "'They are trying to intimidate you. Don't let them silence you because you believe in the rule of law. Don't let them stifle debate' ... I'm not intimidate or being silence .. I just realize that their is a whole country out there .. not just on the right" (Note: reply to Betty Jane' post #299)
#350; "'I don’t know, Mol. That’s the type of thinking most Republicans make and it doesn’t work. Betty Jane’s right. They need to bring this to the forefront and make the sale. Playing timid got the Dems back into power last year' ... I don't disagree with Betty Jane .. I'm just pointing out that how one presents an argument, issue, cause or whatever to the WHOLE country can make or break it ... Whether we want to admit it or not .. the liberal media has the upper hand in presenting and shaping the issue to the public and will use it to achieve their goal... For example .. Ron Paul may be right on the spending issues being out of control in Congress .. the fact remains that the dude is a nut case and not someone I would follow and look towards for leadership ... Tank may be right on protecting the broder .. but he tends to go a tad to far in presenting his case and I would not look towards him for leadership either..." (Note: reply to Alas Babylon!'s post #324)

Morgan in Denver

#125; "It seems to be a NE and beltway mentality for the support Giulianni gets. He’s also the only candidate who takes the fight to the Democrats most often. Some on our side keep thinking the voters will understand us and Rudy realizes that’s not happening so he brings up the other side so he can nail them on something. This has been the one bright light I’ve seen over and over with him, and I wish other candidates would do the same thing."
#237; "I believe it’s a non-issue. Romney called for the judge to resign and Romney was not defending the release, as Dukakas did. And, it has been on FR but we realize it’s not the same thing so does not deserve wasted time talking about it... And no, I am not a Romney supporter. Not yet, anyway." (Note: reply to Eva's post #199)
#267; "Maybe it’s a thing important to people who don’t know the difference... All these candidates look for something, anything, to set them apart from their competition, I understand that. Neither Romney or Rudy have good records on the judges they appointed, IMHO, because they both were dealing with the liberals in their states and were limited as to whom they could appoint." (Note: reply to Eva's post #259)
#282; "Understood. So far, Fred is the only candidate who has not had to explain his past positions or who has enjoyed a new outlook on what he now believes in. I still wish he had more executive experience but maybe that won’t be as big an issue in this election." (Note: reply to chiller's post #278)
#340; "You’re right AB. Why elect a Republican if we sound like Democrats? ... I understand moderation and I understand appealing to a broad base of voters, but the key is our candidates have to be able to sell themselves and the conservative message... I believe unaffiliated or independent voters will respond to a positive conservative message of lower taxes, enforcing our laws and using conservative values to issues everyone cares about."
#407; "... What is most amazing is George Washington had to deal with the same mentality of cut-and-run, cave-to-the-English, and it seems not much has changed. And, Lincoln had a similar contingency, meaning peace at any cost. Thank God neither followed this bad advice. ... Needless to say, conservatives have a never ending task of educating voters. This is, without a doubt, the hardest aspect we have next year. We MUST spread the word and educate voters. Single issue voters are okay but our job is to educate and teach concertive principles to everyone we know or meet." (Note: reply to Phsstpok's (me) post #367)

murron

#157; "I think they are pushing Huckabee because they believe it will hurt Fred. It does seem to me that since Huckabee’s numbers started going up, Fred’s numbers started going down. I don’t think they believe that Huckabee will overtake Giuliani, but I think that the Rudy pundits believe it will hurt Fred and help Rudy, in my opinion."

NordP

#68; "Levin is a piece of work. Thank goodness Lindsay Graham is saying what he's saying. ... I could never work in Congress. If someone said what Levin said to me...I'd be hard pressed to ever speak to them again. I'm too much of a patriot to take that crap from others... How does Levin look himself in the mirror each day??? (Or see a reflection?)"
#77; "I think whomever stands REALLY firm on illegal immigration - will get those of us that are Hunter and Tancredo supporters to come along."
#82; "This is good practice for (Fred). WHOMEVER goes up against the wench in a debate or as our candidate will have to be strong and determined--unlike our Congress. ... The American people want a tough guy to stand up for true Conservative values."

NormsRevenge

#315; "I don’t like Chris Wallace’s style of rapid fire questions jumping topics around like a mad man. Makes me think he’s trying to get a sound bite that trips up the person he’s interviewing... — saw the fox piece,, FRed handled ‘kid’ Wallace just fine.. FRed sounded good... Not one actual primary vote has been cast yet.. a little detail a lot of folks ought not forget." (Note: reply to McGruff's post #35)

Pamlico

#44; "Fred just took it to Chris Wallace and Fox. He showed he has backbone. I loved it. Fred’s got it."

Pittsburgher

#86; "I was depressed after Freddie and Charles (whom I respect tremendously) wrote off Fred’s chances last week. Now, after watching Fred punch FNS in the nose for their bias, I am reinvigorated!"
#120; "Your tag line says it. MSM, including FNC, knows there’s something about Fred that scares them. If he wins, he won’t play their games. He clearly doesn’t respect them. Can Fred take his message directly to the voters despite the MSM’s desperate attempts to cast his candidacy as insignificant? I’m betting he can." (Note: reply to chiller post #106)

Reagan Man

#183; "If the major goal is to knock off Rooty, Fred is the man. He’s the one candidate ALL conservatives should be backing. Period! ... As long as Fox is in the tank for Giuliani, however, Fred won’t get a fair shake. While Fred did a decent job with his answers, Chris Wallace kept Fred on the defensive. And when a candidate is defending themselves, its hard to get their message out."

ReleaseTheHounds

#131; "'How does Levin look himself in the mirror each day??? (Or see a reflection?)' ... I was thinking the same thing... To think that this guy has been elected to the Senate 5 times (first elected in 1978) just speaks volumes about the state of our politics and political representatives. I can't think of a single issue on which Carl Levin has taken a principled stand over those 30 years and yet the people of Michigan just keep sending him back. But then, all we have to do is think of Teddy "The Tuna" Kennedy, Bobby "KKK" Byrd and Jay Rockefeller representing the people of West Virginia, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Bernie Sanders for heaven's sake! ... Wake Up America! Stop voting these charlatans back to positions of power! If ever there was a ready-to-go info-mercial on the wisdom of term limits, the Democrat caucus in the Senate and the House is it! ... Actually, I'd much prefer to see the Amercian people finally wake up and take notice of the path we are on toward statism and government control of our lives and start voting these "fellow travelers" out of office rather than merely adopting the device of term limits." (Note: reply to NordP's post #68)

seekthetruth

#12; "On Fox this morning, mention was made that Chris will be asking Fred about how he is going to get his struggling campaign turned around. Struggling was not the word used but the meaning was the same. Guess those on Fox will continue to repeat that Fred is “done” even though he is second in the national polls. Wonder what they will say when Fred does well in Iowa and New Hampshire? GO FRED!"
#26; "Thanks for sharing the info. I never really did understand the power of the early caucus states, when it seems rather small groups of people are polled for the “favorites”. I also like Duncan Hunter very much. Some people keep saying it is early, and anything can happen, but others have both Thompson and Hunter “done”. If it turns out that Fred Thonpson does win the nomination, I hope he picks Duncan Hunter for VP or Sectetary of Defense. :)" (Note: reply to jmyrlefuller's post #13)
#93; "We don’t get to see Fox News Sunday until 6:00PM Eastern. Glad to hear Fred did great! I knew he would. Why? Because he is consistant and knows exactly how he stands on the issues and how he differs from the other candidates. He has put out detailed plans on the issues and when folks read them they know Fred is the man! GO FRED!"
#104; "I agree they were for Rudy, but lately they have also been pushing Huckabee. Actually understandable when we realize they want to push the most liberal Republican candidates! Can’t wait to see Fred tonight at 6:00Eastern with Chris Wallace! GO FRED!"
#344; "'Fred talks common sense that would strike a stronger chord that most, but no, if Dems hold majorities in Congress, it’s unlikely it would pass. Not impossible, just difficult and certainly worth the effort.' ... I believe President Fred Thompson will push for legislation that is good for the country and even if DEMS control Congress he will get things done. How? By coming out strong and OFTEN to the American people explaining why the particular legislation needs to be passed. His doing this will make Congress act because the American public will show power when they know what they WANT and DON”T WANT. We all remember what the American public (from all parties) did on the illegal immigration bill they tried to pass!" (Note: reply to chiller's post #228)

snugs

#156; "The MSM like side issues they think it gives them more viewers and that on the whole the public are not that interested or understand the meatier issues maybe they are right maybe not. ... It is frustrating for us who enjoy the deeper political issues but unfortunately it is a situation I do not see changing soon."
#197; "Social Security is a non winner look how hard GWB tried it the dems will always lie and make it impossible for a Republican President to put reform forward."
#217; "I am afraid the MSM is only interested in viewing and what they believe gives them that viewer-ship and in depth meaty political/social issues they would not feel IMHO fits that category."

SuziQ

#316; "... Have you read Fred’s ideas on illegal immigration? He has some stuff at his website about it. I like his take on it. It looks at where we are today, at what can be done stop the flow into the country, and how we can stop the incentives to stay, for those who are here illegally. After many self-export, then we can concentrate on those remaining. He makes it clear that he is all for LEGAL immigration, he just wants folks to go through the proper channels." (Note: reply to NordP's post #77)
#333; "Actually, a lot depends on the margin of victory. It Fred wins a CLEAR victory, about which there can be no real dispute, he won’t have the baggage that GWB has carried with him since the election of 2000. Too many still have the notion that he was ‘selected’ NOT elected, so were disposed to fight against him no matter what he suggested." (Note: reply to snugs' post #144)
#366; "I agree. If we'd gone in with thousands more soldiers, the Iraqi people would truly have thought it more like an occupation, and would have been loathe to change much for themselves. As it was, they had to take up the slack, and because of it, took more responsibility for their own future. When they realized that the foreign fighters were coming into their country and messing things up, they started turning on them, and only then did they start working significantly with the Coalition... When they started working for themselves, THEN it was good that we were able to send more troops in to give the Iraqis that much more confidence that the Coalition had their backs in their struggle for freedom." (Note: reply to Bahbah's post #219)
#387; "Where EV is wrong, is that he's burning the bridges he needs in order to do what he CLAIMS he wants to do, which is save babies. He seems to have his biggest disagreement with the Republicans on the abortion issue, and trashes anyone who doesn't take his all or nothing approach to it. ... Trouble is, all or nothing has gotten us exactly NOTHING over the last 35 years, and it hasn't been for lack of trying. EV is even now taken to trashing the National Right to Life Committee, which has done more than any one or any group, with the exception of Operation Rescue, to try to change peoples' hearts and minds, and the law on this issue... When you keep beating your head against a locked door, it might instead be best to start thinking about how to pick the lock."

tarheelswamprat

#167; "'On the subject of this apparent breakthroughSkin transformed into stem cells Juan Williams gave President Bush credit for pushing this research.' ... I missed the first part of Fox this morning but caught the segment on the apparent stem cell breakthrough. Once again I was jolted and reminded of the inherently fraudulent nature of all of these Sunday morning "news" shows, Fox included... Throughout the entire discussion no one, Britt Hume included, had the honesty to point out that the whole issue of "embryonic" stem cell research is an academic and scientific fraud just like "anthropogenic" global warming... The truth is that nearly all of the medical and scientific breakthroughs, progress and effective real-world treatments in stem cell research have come from "adult" stem cells. The embryonic stem cell research has consistently turned out to be a dead-end. It simply doesn't work, and is an unproductive, wasteful line of investigation, regardless of anyone's moral or ethical opinions about it... Although it is gratifying that these new findings may provide a useful theoretical framework to finally discredit and defeat the fraudulent embryonic-focused "research industry", it is regrettable that even Britt Hume and his panel lack the integrity to honestly discuss the issue." (Note: reply to McGruff's post #76)
#194; "'In regards to Ron Paul, I think it is interesting that he has the same initials as another person who ran in the 90’s as a third party candidate, Ross Perot. Has anyone ever seen Ron Paul and Ross Perot in the same room together?' ... They should run together: ... 'Elect R2P2 (Artoo-Peetoo) and give the Dark Side a chance! We have charts and graphs, an extremely irritating candidate and his squeaky, chirpy and comical running-mate!'" (Note: reply to murron's post #175)

The Pack Knight

#220; "Allawi's on CNN right now. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's invested in defeat now, too. Our recent successes in Iraq threaten his political position there in the same way it threatens the Democrats here."
#246; "That does square with Rumsfeld's overall "transformation" vision of the US military... It's also indisputable that CENTCOM and the CPA were uncoordinated at best, and more likely working at cross-purposes during the aftermath of Saddam's fall and for months and even years afterwards." (Note: reply to chiller's post #238)
#270; "It was certainly needed. There, and even more so at State. As much as I like Secretary Rice, I'm not sure she was the right person to clean out that rats' nest. While she was a superlative National Security Advisor, it hasn't seemed that leadership and management are her forte... I wouldn't mind seeing someone like John Abizaid put in charge there. I know from experience that he's not afraid to rattle cages. He also knows first hand what's at stake in the region. On top of all that, he's a fluent Arabic speaker, which can't hurt." (Note: reply to chiller's post #255)

tiredoflaundry

#29; "Did you also hear Ratner say....'The Democrats are not saying the war is lost?' ... Pinkerton(sp) had to remind her of what Reid said... I do not like that woman."

txradioguy

#189; "Yeah the ONLY time that body counts matter to the Dems is when it’s dead U.S. Soldiers... When is the last time you saw any kind of estimate of al-Qaeda killed since 2001? .. If you want all incoherent Bill all the time...read his Playboy interview." (Note: reply to Bahbah's post #184)

W04Man

#75; "Right, Chris stopped Thompson when Fred tried to interrupt to respond, but then Chris continually tried to interrupt Fred when he was giving his side of the Barnes/Charles clips. CHRIS GOT FLUSTERED, FRED STOOD UP TO ALL OF THEM!!"

Top 10 awards for Sunday, November 25^th, 2007

Maximum mea culpa. I'm nearly a week late in posting this and I'm really sorry. My only excuse is that I'm nearly as far behind in my paying job and had to make a choice. I chose employment <g>

Hopefully jmyrlefuller will do a better job reviewing last weeks thread. I haven't even read half of it yet.

I've done the top 10 with and without text again and the honorable mentions with text only. This is the "without text" version of the top 10 and the "with text" version is post #512 (I've corrected the numbering error in that post here) and the honorable mentions are in post #513

10th Place bray

#209; #216; #231; "#251; #294; #404;

9th Place altura

#112; #358; #359; #362; #369;

8th Place Bahbah

#18; #27; #30; #37; #60; #81; #88; #89; #92; #97; #101; #117; #184; #202; #219; #385;

7th Place jmyrlefuller

#11; #13; #36; #53; #59; #168;

6th Place Laverne

#110; #132; #137; #141; #142; #280; #319; #322;

5th Place STARWISE

#260; #269; #274; #364; #372;

4th Place MNJohnnie

#218; #222; #250; #262; #318; #375;

Third Place chiller - very informative posts with impressive takes on the issues and personalities - the discussion of Shadow Warriors was particularly valuable and added much to the thread

#106; #127; #170; #187; #228; #238; #255; #271; #278; #302;

Second Place kabar - great take on the issues discussed and how they relate to the wider landscape and particularly great historical perspectives

#21; #51; #111; #196; #249; #263; #268;

First Place Fishtalk - Excellent, forthright, always insightful and enjoyable analysis with a witty and (dare I say it?) professional writing style

#65; #69; #96; #103; #118; #253; #261;

Choosing employment sounds like a good and prudent choice to me.:o)

Many thanks for doing the awards and congratulations to the winners.

Thanks, phsstpok .. SO much work
you do. Have a great week .. ;)

Polenta Lasagne

Top 10 awards for Sunday, November 25th, 2007

Honorable Mention Awards for Sunday, November 25, 2007

Top 10 awards for Sunday, November 25th, 2007

Top 10 awards for Sunday, November 25^th, 2007

Top 10 awards for Sunday, November 25^th, 2007