[Alas Babylon!]

As always, soliciting FReeper comments, observations, and opinions.

[Alas Babylon!]

Here are the email addresses or web pages for commenting to the weekend talk shows:

Meet the Press Meet the Press mailbox (web page for comments)

Face the Nation ftn@cbsnews.com

Fox News Sunday FNS@foxnews.com

ABC This Week thisweek@abc.com

CNN Late Edition CNN Late Edition (web page for comments)

[MNJohnnie]

Tim Pawlenty. Hope this doesn’t mean he is on McCain’s short list for VP. Pawlenty is a fairly good Gov for Blue state Minnesota in that he has reliably vetoed every tax hike our goofy Socialist Legislature has sent him but otherwise pretty moderate. He is party to the effort to re-brand the GOP as “Democrat Lite”. He is a global warming kook and been more then willing to ram thru state funding for stadiums. He is a young version of “maverick” McCain.

McCain needs a solidly Conservative young Southerner with executive experience. Pawlenty brings nothing to the ticket. Minnesota hasn’t voted for a Republican since Nixon and it will not be going Red this year either even with Pawlenty on the ticket

[Nekman]

Let me guess,Ralph is announcing he is running for president. Is there an untapped kook fringe I missed out there?....

[edpc]

Nader is the only guest on MTP? GE must be doing clinical trials with Big Pharma on insomnia cures.

[Morgan in Denver]

Good morning and thanks, once again. I have to wonder if the Democrats really do have a death wish? Obama or Hillary, both sure seem to be unelectable to me. Both would ignore the illegal immigration problem and both want some form of universal health care forced on every American.

[dawn53]

Interesting line-up w/McCain’s campaign manager and Sanford on the same show. Seems I heard rumor that McCain might be looking at Sanford for VP.

[gusopol3]

it looks like only Fox with Davis is going to stir the pot on the NYT fiasco, and nobody from Obama’s camp has been pressured into defending “proud” or the lies about the army captain. It should be a good week for the Republican counter-offensive, but the crickets chirping is all that will be heard in the land.

[maica]

(Republican) Governor Palin of Alaska was on cspan this morning. She is an eloquent speaker with a background in journalism before politics. She is a new gov, but hopes someday to be in national politics. Her ability to communicate reminds me of Kay Bailey Hutchinson, also a former reporter.

[mainepatsfan]

Man what a weak lineup. Is this the equivalent of a Sunday talk show bye week?

[fkabuckeyesrule]

Ralph NAder for a whole hour. I say lets tape it and play it back on that night your having trouble getting to sleep.

[Fishtalk]

Morning AB, All....

....So I am involved in nothing less than the preservation of free property and the right to sell to whoever you want here in the swamps of Delaware.

And still I am here filled with piss and vinegar and ready to comment as required.

Heh.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Can’t wait to hear Rendell gloss over his own comments about racists in PA.
I’m in PA, the “Alabama” part between P’burgh and Philly. There’s a lot of irritation over his insulting remarks. Numerous Dems I have talked to, and independents also, are voting for Obama. NOT ONE admits to preferring Hillary!

[McGruff]

LATE EDITION (CNN) : Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R);

Maybe he'll explain the "suer delegates" impact to all of us. LOL

P.S. FNC had a FOX NEWS ALERT Nadar to run for President. Apparently they were monitoring Meet the Oppressed.

[mtnwmn]

All is secure! Local Fox station just announced that Nader is running for president!!

[AliVeritas]

Must reads on Obama, scroll down on second one. Pass it on.

http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2008/02/sunday-reading.html

http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2008/02/america-is-not.html

[shrinkermd]

I was more than satisfied with Governor Pawlenty’s appearance on Fox News Sunday. He asserted himself, answered Jason Lewis’s criticism with aplomb and grace and seemed secure as being a leader. Chris Wallace did point out he was this year’s President of the Governor’s association.

Great job Governor!

Governor Kaine (D of Virginia) also did almost as well. He must be in the short list for Obama.

Corzine looked shifty and insincere and did not answer the question about middle-class paying more taxes. His theme seems to be the same as Huey Long who said, “...don’t tax me, don’t tax thee we will tax that fellow behind the tree..” What a creep. People from NJ need to wonder how much more they will be taxed before they have to move just to pay the grocery bill.

[Cedric]

Alright everyone, we’ve wasted quite enough time discussing relatively extraneous matters such as politics, national security and the future of our beloved country. Let’s get back to the critical issue of our era.......................potato salad!

[Liberty Valance]

*

[MNJohnnie]

Kabar, a week ago I would of agreed wholly with your assessment about how this year's elections are probably going to turn out. After spending the week listening to Obama, I am not so sure anymore.

To be brutally honest, I have no dog in this fight. All choices this Nov are bad. It is just a question of who will be the least bad.

Some days I think Obama will be least bad, then I wonder if McCain might not be. McCain has a better chance of succeeding at getting his polices, bad and good, enacted by Congress then Obama. However, Obama will do nothing good and try to do quite a bit that is bad but Obama has much less chance of actually getting any legislation thru Congress. Then, there is the possibility that stagflation is rearing it ugly head again. Maybe we are better off having the Democrats running things so they take the political hit for the coming lean economic years then us. However, Obama will appoint fellow radicals to the SC. That would be a long term serious problem for the USA that would do damage for generations. However, Obama election would be a political enema to a political class seriously in need of a good cleaning out. And so the thought ball pings and pongs back and forth thur my mind, first McCain derangement, then Obama derangement then back.

For you Immigration is, and has always been, the end all be all issue. McCain is for the illegals so that makes him Public Enemy Number 1 in your world. Unfortunately, most of the Country has a more nuanced view of this year's election.

Here is the question. Are the people of this country really angry or do they just think they are angry because everyone in the Junk media from Talk Radio to their nightly sit-coms has been screaming at them "hate Bush" for the last 4 years?

Take for instance Iraq. Superficial media pundits LOVE to scream that "60% think Iraq was a mistake" pre Surge Poll number. Unfortunately the actual views of the American people is much less clear then that.

Yes, in hindsight, the American people have been sold the bill of goods that Iraq was a mistake. What they ALSO do not buy is the Democrat's notion that we should cut and run from Iraq. Only about 40% (i.e. the Democrat Party base) buy this notion we should have a time-line for withdrawal from Iraq. So why they don't trust Bush on Iraq, they also don't trust the Democrats either. Most of them say "Well yes, Iraq was a mistake but now that we are their we have to win". The Surge is showing them "Yes, we can win in Iraq" which is why, expect for fund raising efforts with their fringe base, Democrats have pretty much dropped Iraq as a Congressional election issue.

Pundits love to talk about "Bush's record low approval rating" What they fail to point out is Bush's approval rating has been pretty steady for over a year now. What has changed in that same year is the Democrat Congress's approval numbers. From a high of 50% the Democrat Congress has seen it's approval rating drop to, and stay at, a jaw dropping 17%. That is about 1/2 of Bush's. In that time frame, the only thing of note the Democrats did was fight furiously with Bush over Iraq. Bush's positions on Iraq, like his approval rating stayed rock steady, meanwhile Democrat's approval numbers dropped like a stone. That indicates the people have some serious mixed feelings about what to do about Iraq going forward.

So while right at this minute it is the Democrats election to lose in Nov., that is not set in concrete. McCain's campaign strategy of painting himself as better then Bush but not a scary radical like Obama may just sell this year. McCain is basically using Clinton's triangulation strategy.

McCain's saying "see I am not a scary radical like those people on the Left or Right, I am right here in the middle with you regular folks." may just comfortable to the average voter then Obama vague, and vaguely ominous, promises of "change".

Right now the country is angry. What most people are missing is the people are mostly angry because they are fearful about the future. They worry about the economy, about Iraq, about Iran, about their kids safety etc etc etc. So it is possible that Obama's vague promises of change are not going resonate with a mass of voters all ready highly nervous about their future.

Unlike you, I stopped clinging to my MDS this week and spent the week actually listening to Obama. Your hate for McCain is blinding you wholly to the very real problems the Democrats face. Obama is a serious radical running for electing in a country that has never been kind to radical politicians

[Cindy]

A good Lord’s Day to everyone.

As usual, The Threat Matrix (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=threatmatrix ) at FreeRepublic.com has been busing updating the February Edition (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1963607/posts ).

You’re always welcome to stop by and check it out.

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These threads are still being updated:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970480/posts
“BREAKING: Shooting reported on NIU campus”
Chicago Tribune ^ | 2/14/08 | Chicago Tribune
Posted on 02/14/2008 1:38:07 PM PST by JennysCool

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969529/posts
“Syria blast killed Moughniyah - Hezbollah [Commander of]”
Reuters (excerpt) ^ | February 13, 2007
Posted on 02/13/2008 12:52:19 AM PST by HAL9000

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Three Key Word Topics to check out are:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=nuclear

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=ahmadinejad