Dems in a pickle

I have to admit that I rather uncharitably chortled when I read the latest developments in the Blagojevich sitcom a few hours ago.

For those of you who have been catching up on your movie watching or getting your pork 'n' sauerkraut in the crock for tomorrow night, Blagojevich has appointed a former Illinois Attorney General, Roland Burris, to fill the seat vacated when Barack Obama was elected President and subsequently resigned from the Senate. Blagojevich has proceeded with this maneuver even though every single Democratic Senator has emphatically declared they will not seat whomever Blagojevich appoints.

BUT WAIT....there's more! Burris is African-American. Consequently, Blagojevich is questioning HOW ON EARTH the Democrats in the Senate can refuse to seat a black replacement for the first elected black President.

It only gets better (hee hee hee). Longtime Chicago-area Congressman Bobby Rush, also black, has waded into the fray to assert that the Senate had better not refuse to seat Roland Burris just because it is Blagojevich who has appointed him, a theme that, hilariously enough, Blagojevich also echoes. Forthwith, the embattled Governor's own words: "Please don't allow the allegations against me to taint a good and honest man...This is about Roland Burris as a U.S. senator, not about the governor who made the appointment."

This is one of those beautiful situations when political correctness has come back to bite its chief appropriators in the rear. They cannot win whichever way they turn. And Blagojevich, dirty rotten scoundrel that he admittedly is, knows it. What can you do but guffaw at the ludicrousness of it all?

Grover Norquist lets his voice be heard

This is Grover Norquist's letter to President Bush regarding any and all government bailouts. Norquist is the chairman of Americans for Tax Reform.

It will literally only take you a few seconds to read it. Enjoy; it made me smile.

Of bailouts and such

I have been reading what was certainly William F. Buckley, Jr.'s last book, as opposed to another compilation of his essays, which his son Chris implies, in the Foreword, may be forthcoming. Regardless, Buckley was working on this book when he passed away last February. It is called The Reagan I Knew and contains many interesting anecdotes arranged mostly in chronological order from the beginning of their friendship until Reagan retired from public view.

I knew that Buckley and Reagan were on good terms, but didn't realize they were truly close friends. In any event, reexamining Reagan once again has brought several thoughts to the forefront. It is uncanny how we tend to think the times in which we are living are unprecedented when the sentiments of King Solomon are much more pertinent: "There is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9, NIV).

In Pat Buchanan's latest piece, he argues (or at least strongly implies) that Reagan would have supported a bailout of the Big 3 automakers since he failed to let Harley Davidson go under when it was in danger of closing its doors due to intense competition from Japanese cycle makers.

Buchanan, much as I love him, comes close to very skillful sophistry here. For what Reagan did was to slap a tariff on all foreign imports of steel and impose quotas on imports of Japanese autos. He did NOT bail out an industry that was swamped in union rules that failed to permit it to do what was necessary to remain solvent. And therein lies a very crucial difference, which I am sure Buchanan must know deep in his heart, having worked closely with Reagan, as his Communications Director, no less.

I don't know a soul that doesn't feel for the workers in these companies. But the unions are sucking the life and the finances out of the Big 3, and showing no signs of cessation of such activities, even in the face of catastrophe.

I am pro-tariff. Fight fire with fire; that is OK by me. I am a fair trader and not a free one. If other countries are going to shore up their own industries by tacking on tariffs, we need to do the same for our own workers. It is time that we put people in power who looked out for the interests of American workers first, rather than ceding our sovereignty to a global elite. But a bailout of the Big 3 will only delay the inevitable, and Buchanan is the only serious voice I know that is arguing that it is what should be done. George Will, Thomas Sowell, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney...the list of conservative naysayers to a bailout is endless.

Yet, in the end, it will happen. George W. Bush, in a move that elicited rare praise from Buchanan, has "abandoned free market principles to save the free market" (in the process, leaving us with a final phrase with which to memorialize his Presidency and what it has represented). He uttered this sentiment in defense of a bailout for the Big 3, which Obama also supports.

Buchanan's argument is that if bailouts are going to be offered, how can one logically deny GM, Ford and Chrysler their share of the pot while agreeing to the rescue of Lehman Brothers and other Wall Street entities? I suppose it is the best line of reasoning that can be presented, but what about the ancient axiom that "Two wrongs don't make a right?" Indeed, Buchanan, as the stout conservative that he is, does not support government bailouts in principle, yet is advocating for this one. Puzzling, yet somewhat understandable, but ultimately wrongheaded.

It is all quite surreal. This last year has provided so many classic textbook cases (and if there is any justice in the writing of history, these WILL be business case studies in good universities) of government run amok. In Dave Keene's most recent ACU fundraising letter, he spelled out in no uncertain terms how Republicans have fallen asleep at the switch and all too often colluded with their Democrat counterparts to spend like there is no tomorrow. In Keene's words, this has to change.

How right he is! And there are signs that it may be happening. More on that later.

Christmas music

Like everyone else, I will not be disappointed tomorrow when all the radio stations revert to their normally scheduled programming and we hear the latest from (fill in the blank with the coolest pop singer with whom I no longer can keep up!) piping through the Wal-mart sound system, rather than "Feliz Navidad" or Brenda Lee singing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."

But I have to take strong exception with all of the modern-day musical Scrooges who continuously dump on Christmas music and opine on how "boring" or "commercialized" or "spent" or "noninnovative" it is. One blogger that I follow posts something every year about this subject.

I have never had a Christmas season where I have felt the real Reason for it all was more meaningful than it has been to me this year. One Christmas song that I have always liked has become a Top 5 favorite for me this season because of the picture it paints of what it meant for Jesus to leave the splendor of Heaven and come to be born into a world full of strife, political intrigue, suspicion, conspiracy and all other forms of SIN.

The song is called "Welcome to our World"; it was written by CCM singer/songwriter Chris Rice. Here is the verse that profoundly moves me every time:

Fragile finger sent to heal us,
Tender brow prepared for thorn,
Tiny heart whose blood will save us!
Unto us is born!

So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod,
Rob our sin and make us holy,
Perfect Son of God!
Welcome to our world!

Having seen both disability and death up close this year, I am amazed that Jesus felt it was worth it to come into this world. I do not understand it. But I am so glad that He did!

On Christmas Day, I open my heart once again to receive His warm and healing presence into my life. I hope and pray you do the same.

Joy to the world; the Lord is come!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Blagojevich debacle

Truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction.

Have you ever seen anything like this story??? I don't think anyone except the most reckless potboiler-type author would try to concoct something like this, let alone attempt to publish it. It is, indeed, quite the visual effect to see the side-by-side clips of Blagojevich's Monday denial of any wrongdoing, inviting anyone who may feel the need to wiretap or tape him to do so...and then the followup clip of him being led away in handcuffs on Tuesday morning. Incredible.

And the profanely disrespectful references to Obama, accompanied by the overt discussions about bargaining for the Senate seat? How arrogant was/is this man? How could Illinois' voters put this man in the Governor's mansion for two terms, especially when the previous Governor, George Ryan (a Republican), was sitting in a jail cell himself by 2004? The whole thing defies belief. Yet, Blagojevich left his jail cell and went back to work today!!!

Can't the legislature call an emergency session if they have to and vote to expel him? I would probably have to look painstakingly at the state constitution for a while to deduce what the process is for this, but would it really take that long to rally whoever needs to come together to pull this off? The evidence is irrefutable....there seem to be hours' worth of conversations that document blatant fraud and corruption on an unprecedented level.

Count me in among the camp that is withholding judgment on Obama until we see more of the facts. Obama can't be faulted for everything that comes out of Illinois. After all, let us not forget that even the hometown of Jesus came under scrutiny, though for different reasons! (See John 1:46.)

McCain will run again

But not for President. The Washington Post reports that he will, however, seek reelection to the Senate when his current term is up in 2010.

I really didn't think he would. Not sure why....once you've sought the greatest prize and failed, wouldn't you just want to serve out your time and go home? But, obviously not. The WP says that he is looking forward to an "active Senate agenda" in "these challenging times", and especially anticipating bringing up the fight for immigration reform again. Clearly, Senator McCain hasn't changed, for those of you that thought he had moved right. (Yes, I voted for him, too.) Thankfully, McCain seems to be done with Presidential quests.

You can read the whole WP article here.

Hugh Hewitt also had a very compelling article up on Townhall on November 20 about the inarguable fact that we MUST change the primary process NOW for 2012 if we want to avoid the debacle we faced this year with 3 candidates splitting the conservative vote (Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson). Of course, an equal danger, which Hewitt also posits, is that Democrats realize that Obama's re-nomination is assured and decide ala "Operation Chaos" to come over and mess with the Republican primaries, forcing the nomination of the candidate they prefer, rather than the one we want.

Hewitt's point is that every current candidate for the RNC chairmanship needs to be asked what they will do to remodel the 2012 primary process. It certainly makes me a whole lot more interested in who gets that post, which I really hadn't been up until now.

I am impressed with Michael Steele whenever I see him on Fox. I heard him making his case for election to the chairmanship, which included his political life story. If anyone merits consideration as a result of having come up through the ranks from the bottom (Republican community activist...no, not organizer!!!), Steele should. We will see. The 168 committeemen and women will pick the new chair at their Winter Meeting in January.

It is an interesting and unpopular, in many sectors, time to be a Republican, which means it is a good time to get in there and stir the pot in a positively mobile sense. (Is that a mixture of metaphors? Probably.)

The Legacy of George W. Bush

And now that I have so profusely expressed my gratitude to everyone, I will probably proceed to anger half or more of my readership, which probably isn't the smartest move if I want to continue to win and build an audience! But surely you knew something like this would be forthcoming with George Bush's pending departure for his Crawford ranch in less than 2 months.

Truly, though, after 2 horrendous election losses for the GOP, hasn't the time come to be honest about what George W. Bush has bequeathed to us? With ANY President, if we don't forthrightly face the facts of their respective tenures, we not only kid ourselves, but in rewriting history, we discard the lessons that our times should teach to the next generation.

George W. Bush is a kind and decent man, by all accounts. I believe he meant well when he assumed the helm of the country in January 2001. His conduct and yes, his performance in the immediate wake of September 11 was surefooted, confident and comforting.

It is easy for me to cite Bush's two greatest accomplishments. Their names are John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Along with those two good men, a stellar roster of judges now sit on appellate and circuit court benches across the United States. This is no small feat.

With Karl Rove's help, George Bush proved that he was a politician of electoral acumen. Even in the midst of a war on which the American people had already begun to sour, he managed to recapture the White House and expand GOP majorities in both houses of Congress.

Such promise...but (and I take no delight in saying this) ultimately unfulfilled.

For George W. Bush has proved through his governance that he is certainly no conservative. Under George W. Bush, discretionary spending (spending above and beyond defense, Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare) has increased at an unprecedented rate, with little to no protest from the Bush White House. And the first 6 years of those budgets were offered by a GOP Congress!

On George W. Bush's watch, we have also seen foreign aid skyrocket, watched our trade deficits soar and inaugurated the largest new government assistance program since LBJ with the advent of the prescription drug benefit. The No Child Left Behind bill cemented the status of a Department of Education that all previous Republican Presidential candidates had vowed to abolish. And in answer to 9/11, a massive new Cabinet-level agency was created, accompanied by the nationalization of airport security.

George W. Bush bet his Presidency on the war in Iraq, a war that he continues to believe was justified. Credit where credit is due; the surge strategy has quelled the sectarian violence for the time being. But what will happen when we leave? Will Sunni and Shia alike lay down their arms? Will the Arab world opt for democracy, and if they offer freedom of the vote to their peoples, will those people elect leaders who model American values? Recent results do not indicate such an outcome, with the resurgence of Hamas, Hezbollah and Al Queda. Was it ever truthful to refer to Islam as a "religion of peace?" Furthermore, was it ever realistic to expect a region of the world that has been militantly Islamist for more than a millenium to opt for a Western way of life over the span of a few brief years?

Did we attack Iraq to rid the nation of nuclear weapons? Yet there were none. Was our intent to make Iraq a democratic regime? See the previous paragraph. If we had elected a new Republican President, would we be building on the success of the surge in Iraq by attacking other nations we fear will acquire atomic weaponry? But, how would it even be possible with a Treasury that has been bled dry and an economy that sags lower by the day?

Yet, in the end, the greatest disappointment of the Bush Presidency has occurred in the last few months, with his status as a virtual bystander as one of the greatest taxpayer ripoffs in history has occurred. Virtually none of the many directions in which he and his Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, have pivoted has been productive. Now, Paulson says he doesn't even plan to use all of the bailout money, but will leave the second half of it for Barack Obama to spend.

This column by Dick Morris was the final straw that provoked me into expressing these thoughts, which have been building for months now. At the meeting Bush attended with leaders of the G-20 last week, he agreed to subject American financial institutions to the oversight of the global community, to which European Union members are subject. Here is the money quote from Morris:

Will Obama govern from the left? He doesn't have to. George W. Bush has done all the heavy lifting for him. It was under Bush that the government basically took over as the chief stockholder of our financial institutions and under Bush that we ceded our financial controls to the European Union. In doing so, he has done nothing to preserve what differentiates the vibrant American economy from those dying economies in Europe.

I voted for George W. Bush 4 times if you count the primaries. Given the choices in those general elections, I would do so again.

But, conservatives need to stop being hoodwinked and start speaking up in no uncertain terms when our principles are so repeatedly violated. We must reach a point where it is not enough just to have a place at the White House mess hall and a President who speaks the language of Christian tradition.

Some may doubt this, but I have tried my best to be fair in this discourse, which the Democrats have not been. The Democrat Party has painted George W. Bush as a heartless automaton whose strings were pulled by the evil puppet master, Karl Rove. Need it even be said that this is a grossly unfair caricature?

Yet, we must acknowledge the failures of even a Republican President who, though a kind and compassionate man, simply was not able, at the end of the day, to take the measure of the times and meet it with adequate answers that would send the country on a course of economic growth and renewed moral purpose. Rather, we find ourselves contemplating not only a strongly leftist Democrat President, but a Democrat House with a huge majority and, in all likelihood, a filibuster-proof Democrat Senate. All of this, with the idea of limited government and economic self-sufficiency all but dead and buried.

If this is not the time to assess and provide an accurate picture of where we are and begin to rebuild as a conservative movement, I don't know what is. I believe it can be done! But the first step in that direction is facing ourselves squarely and admitting what has put us into this position in the first place. And I believe that involves a transparent look at the legacy of the President to whom we will bid farewell on January 20.

Conservatism offers the answers this country needs! But, they will be found, in the words of Ronald Reagan, as we "raise a banner with bold colors, not pale pastels."

Thanks

Is it enough to just say "Thank You" to all of you who left such kind comments on my last entry, and to all who have approached me within the last few weeks letting me know you read this blog? I had no idea!!! So, "Thank You", in fact, is probably insufficient, but it is deeply sincere and comes straight from the heart.

Rabbi Harold Kushner says, "Human beings are God's language to a hurting world." You all have spoken words of divine healing through your love to me and my family over the last month. May God richly reward you.

Grief and loss

Last Friday night, November 7, what began as an evening of fun and celebration for so many of us culminated in tragedy and unspeakable sorrow. About 10 of us couples from our "New Directions" class at First Nazarene had gathered at Konny & Stan Zurcher's house for our annual fall picnic. I had wondered if I should even go because I had been sick from a horrific virus (intermittent fever and chills, chest congestion and cough) for the previous 4 days, but felt that I was on the downside of it, so decided to make the trek. Lots of good food, a roaring bonfire, story swapping, hugs and laughter all around...

Then, at about 9:30 p.m., as Konny was showing Pam and I around her home, Pam's cell rang. We were upstairs and I knew I couldn't get to it, so I yelled down and asked Lyndsi Smith to grab it and see who it was. Lyndsi read the caller ID and told me it was Pam's Mom; I figured Mom was calling to discuss next week's trip out to see us that she and Dad were planning to make. I bantered back and forth with Lyndsi in the innocence of the moment about how my cell showed "Mom and Dad" when my parents called, but "Satterfields" when the in-laws did, and Pam's vice versa; Lyndsi said she and Brent's cells showed similar readouts with their respective parents. (I wonder, are we always so blissfully unaware of the sands running out of the hourglass?)

About a minute later, my cell rang and I saw it was Mom. Alarm bells started way in the back of my mind, on a very subconscious level as I answered the call that would change our lives forever.

Mom's voice was quiet, but so panicked, as she said she didn't know who to call, but....Dad had collapsed after playing basketball. He was unresponsive and they had done CPR on him for some time now. My mind quit working as I groped for words. Was he going to be alright? Mom didn't know. Where were they now? On their way to the hospital. I do remember Mom asking me, with tears choking her voice, what we were going to do. I was in shock, possibly for the first time in my life. I don't remember how I concluded the phone call, but I had to walk out into the living room and break this news to my wife and those gathered around. Konny led in prayer for Dad's recovery and we began to call different people asking them to pray. I know I called my parents, Pastor David (I talked to Janet) and my friend Jed Hutchison.

Then Pam's phone rang. She answered it, spoke briefly, then wordlessly handed it to me with tears streaming down her face. I knew what it conveyed even before I answered and heard Pam's Mom whisper, "Glen, he's gone."

What numbing, crushing, incomprehensible grief! The sobs and groans came from deep within, from an untapped reservoir of pain over the unimaginable loss of a man I had loved as if he were my blood father, one that I had looked up to more than he ever knew. The thoughts surged through my brain: Did he know I loved him so? Was he aware of all the reasons I admired him? Why couldn't we all have had 30 or 40 more years together?

I pounded the walls with my fist as the emotion coursed through me, not caring who saw or heard. I somehow concluded the conversation with Mom, if you could call it finishing; I remember saying that I should be strong for her, but knowing I couldn't be right then. I somehow made it out to the living room, where the remaining guests, now somber and grave, were gathered. Stan and Konny seem to continually be present during the trials in our lives and it was an unfathomable comfort to be with them when this news was broken.

I will never forget asking God "WHY!" and crying out from the depths of my sorrow that I didn't want to be angry with God. Was I really angry with God? I don't know. I know I had never hurt like this before. I have, however, come away with this awareness since those moments: I am profoundly grateful for a compassionate Savior who DOES NOT WALK AWAY when we're at our weakest. When we scream out in our anguish and question His infinite wisdom, Jesus doesn't shrug and say, "I don't have to put up with this; I am God, after all." My friend, Katie Metz, says she likes to think that God knows that our feeble protests against the exercise of His will are just code for "I need you NOW, Jesus, more than I ever have." I believe she is right.

We somehow drove home, where my parents were waiting for us. I will always appreciate their help getting our house organized as we tried to throw belongings enough together for a stay two states away of undetermined length.

We finally pulled out of our driveway around 2:30 AM on Saturday morning, November 8. We drove through the night and morning and arrived in Indiana, PA around noon. What a lonesome feeling to drive up to the parsonage and know that that cheery face would never walk out the door to meet us again. Mom came out and burst into tears as I hugged her. Oh, what loss.

It all seemed so surreal. The family was all here, but the man at the center of it all was not.

We had a memorial service just for the church people the next morning, the only service of the day.

On Monday, November 10, the viewing lasted from 2-9. I said over and over that I hoped he knew how much he was loved as hundreds filed by the open casket. My brother and his wife and little girl drove 380 miles to be with us, from their home in Greenbush, VA. My parents and sisters also drove out from Indiana that day, then turned around and drove home. I will never forget it.

We have also received phone calls, e-mails and Facebook condolences from across the country. The support meant so much. (If there was anything I could be said to have "enjoyed" from this week of suffering, it was meeting some of the friends I have heard Mom and Dad speak of for so many years. Some of them read this blog!)

Dad's funeral was held on Tuesday, November 11, a very memorable ceremony, with a number of his preacher friends officiating with stories, Scripture, encouragement, tears and laughter. We buried him on the hillside cemetery in Cherry Tree, PA on a gray, bleak afternoon. Yet, we didn't leave HIM there, only the "earthly tent" that he left behind. Dad is in Heaven rejoicing with the one He served, although we mourn his loss and still shed our tears. One day, we will see him again, never again to be separated. In the meantime, we continue on, serving the One who gave Dad life and brought him safely Home.

The future of conservatism

I have been saying for the past several weeks something that this election conspicuously confirmed to me, although I'm aware that many pundits and talking heads would disagree. Republicans need to decide whether we are going to be a center-right party, economically and socially, or just a "Me too, but not quite as much" carbon copy of the Democrats. It is time for some serious soul searching. I understand the need to build winning coalitions, and that that is what political parties do. But there is a point when the tent gets too big. And there also comes a time when heartfelt convictions informed by genuine knowledge need to carry the day rather than unconvincing talking points.

Tony Blankley has written 2 excellent columns (here and here) in the last couple of weeks. He discusses first the temptation to check our convictions at the Capitol (or 30 Rock) doors once our people gain power, and simply become part of the establishment. Thus, of course, we lose our identity and even worse, our ability to shore up the country's foundations.

But, he also states that our win in 1994 came because we learned how to talk to the country where they were, rather than "standing on our high horse declaiming to a nation" about conservative principles (I love that phrase and was briefly tempted not to put it in quotes, so some of you would think I came up with it, but alas, honesty prevailed).

The temptation to simply declare the other side as inadequately educated and simplistic thinkers is compelling when we lose an election. But Reagan did not do that, and neither did Newt Gingrich at his best.

Yes, the country needs an education, especially in economic principles. TV and broad media in general have reduced us to a soundbite culture, where most of us can easily list far more of our favorite TV shows and movies and pop songs than we can the non-fiction books we've read lately. This, along with a built-in media bias, is certainly a deficiency that we must overcome.

But, we will only do so through humor, warmth and mesmerizing truth telling, not sourness, acid sarcasm and bitterness, as inviting as that may be. John Stossel, who is not a conservative but more of a libertarian (which means he is more conservative on economics than most Republicans) is a great example in the pop culture of someone who tells profound truths in a simple way, but with articulate humor and a disarming style. On today's political scene, Congressman Mike Pence is as good an example as I know.

I do not believe that America is finished or destined for doom. I know that conservatism works. To quote Tony Blankley once again:

Conservatism always has been and always will be a force to reckon with because it most closely approximates the reality of the human condition, based, as it is, on the cumulative judgment and experience of a people. It is the heir, not the apostate, to the accumulated wisdom, morality and faith of the people.

I am looking forward to being part of the conversation is constitutional conservatism mobilizes and marches on! I have my ticket to CPAC 2009; I will be there all 3 days. I am having fun being part of a Student Steering Committee that has input on the list of speakers, the general theme, etc. We are energized!

One last thought: SARAH PALIN WAS NOT A MISTAKE! She was the best thing that happened to this campaign, and McCain's loss would have been ever worse if she had not been on the ticket. The modicum of excitement I had at voting this time was due first to her, and second, to the memory of McCain's performance at the Saddleback Civil Forum. Palin will not be on a national ticket in 2012, nor do I think she probably wants to be. But she is not going away, and has endeared herself to millions of Americans. Alaska will never be the same!

President-elect Barack Obama

As I was driving to the store this morning, a quote from Lincoln's Second Inaugural address came to my mind. In the midst of at least equally, if not more perilous times than these for our nation, Abraham Lincoln articulated the following sentiment:

"Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

As I understand Lincoln (and certainly, some of you are better read on him than I), he was not saying that the Civil War was God's punishment on America. If you read Lincoln in context, it seems more likely that he didn't know if the War was God's punishment or the natural course of events spiraling out of control, which Lincoln "plainly confessed" had "controlled" him. I think Lincoln was suggesting, at least, that all actions, good and bad, integrally contain many causes and effects. Some Southern stalwarts even today argue that Lincoln's 1860 election brought on the war because of his stated goal of maintaining the Union at any cost, not a desire on Lincoln's part to crush slavery. They are probably right, to an extent, at least. But that is not the point. Had a conflagration not erupted over slavery under a Lincoln Presidency, it would still have only been a matter of time.

I likewise do not want to argue that Barack Obama's election is God's retribution for the 100 years of segregation, lynchings and general bigotry that followed the Civil War's conclusion. But I am prepared to say that Obama's win stems from an American electorate hungry to purge itself of the stigma of past racism. I don't think electing Barack Obama is the proper path to that cleansing, nor do I think Obama voters only voted for him for that reason. But I do believe it played a part, and I also think it is understandable, even though I don't agree with the logic behind it. Shelby Steele has probed this theme for this entire past election year, and has a new column out today that closes the loop. It is worth reading the whole thing; Steele explores the issue in a far more profound way than I can.

Here are several personal takeaways from this election, in no particular category or order:

I wish the new President well on a personal level. I trust Christians everywhere can at least unite on this. I have not forgotten the vitriol of the Clinton administration, and some of the sentiments I heard people express who were supposed to be spiritual role models. (For example, I recall one elderly lady opined that Clinton "needs a brick through his head.") The saddest thing to me as I recall this is that probably some of those unkind words came out of my own mouth.

Saying that Obama is a socialist at heart is not invective or unkind, at least in my book. It is simply descriptive. Wishing that ill would befall him or using uncharitable terminology to describe his wife, for instance, IS unkind however, and is not becoming to a follower of Jesus Christ.

I plan to pray for the President daily, criticize him forthrightly when he is wrong, which I anticipate will be 90% of the time or more and support him when he is right. And I'm sure I will be advocating for most of his political opponents in 2010 and his opposing contender in 2012. But let us not forget the lesson of I Corinthians 13, nor that our Kingdom at the end of the day is not of this world. Without agape love, we are nothing but a sounding gong or clanging cymbal. Paul's analogy rings as true today as it did 2,000 years ago. Opposition without charity is bitter and empty in the end.

Finally, I do rejoice that we have reached the place in our society where the election of a black President is possible. But let us do our due diligence and firmly hold President-elect Obama accountable to the fundamental principles of our nation.

Final pre-election thoughts

It is 4:00 PM EST. I finally turned the TV on about 15 minutes ago, even though I know no real action will start for some time. I just couldn't stay away any longer. Who knows when it will be flicked off again? I will also be all over Drudge and Real Clear Politics all through the evening.

The quiet feeling that we are headed for a sizable Democrat win tonight has been building inside me for a couple of weeks now. I have not said anything about it up till now; I just haven't had the heart for it. Why depress those who still have to vote and possibly keep them ultimately from casting their ballots?

My biggest hope tonight is that we keep the Senate below a 60-seat margin. If Mitch McConnell loses in Kentucky, we are truly in deep trouble. I will also admit that I am closely watching the Minnesota race; if Norm Coleman goes down to the weasel, Franken, then you have to wonder about this country. (I am not into name-calling, but everyone has their limits! Franken stretches mine.) On the other hand, if Elizabeth Dole, for instance, and Gordon Smith or John Sununu can somehow hang on, then we are headed for a better night than I've expected.

John McCain and Sarah Palin have fought heroically in this race, especially over the course of the last two weeks. But, the headwinds are so strong this year with an unpopular President (largely due to the Iraq War), a charismatic and eloquent Democrat and finally, an economic crisis of major proportions.

Contrary to some, I do not believe the country is lost if the voting goes as I project that it will tonight. A President Obama still has to govern. And my guess is that no major policy shifts will be forthcoming for the first while, while the country struggles, perhaps for the next few years, to regain its economic footing. McCain argued until about 6 weeks ago that the fundamentals of our economy are sound. I would modify that to assert that the basic principles on which our Constitution was formed are still sound and they work remarkably well when applied with wisdom and honesty. I expect to be disappointed tonight, yes, but I also anticipate participation in the regrouping of a Constitutional movement in this country. More on that later; now to focus on the show at hand over the next few hours...

Graham v. Conley

If you have not heard about this race, it is worth noting. I wonder if it is a portent of the future that may be starting in the South, but could see a spread across the country if Republicans don't decide very soon that they are conservatives first and party people second.

The race to which I refer is the South Carolina Senate race between Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Bob Conley. And if I were a resident of the Palmetto State, I would be crossing the aisle for this vote.

What do you think?

Seeing Sarah in person!

Yesterday, Pam and I drove up to Fort Wayne and waited outside in the cold for 2 hours to get into a Sarah Palin rally. Both of us, along with our buddy Kirsten Metz who accompanied us, agreed that it was well worth the wait. Maddy went along, too, but she is not available for comment. :)

Several impressions linger some 24 hours later, most overwhelmingly the electric atmosphere! The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum probably seats 15-16,000 people, maybe more, and there were very few empty seats, even way up in the nosebleed section. The rally was supposed to have gotten underway at 6:30, but it was after 7:00 before Indiana Republican Chairman Murray Clark stepped to the podium. He spoke for a few minutes then brought on Congressman Mike Pence from our 6th District.

I LOVE MIKE PENCE!!! (Is that unambiguous enough?) I have been an admirer for years, but hearing this unabashed conservative Christian congressman in person was a genuine thrill. This is a man who has already made a lot of waves in Washington in 8 short years, and is destined for a very bright future. He recounted a very touching anecdote about traveling to Iraq in April 2007 with Lindsey Graham and John McCain and meeting the leading Sunni sheikh who spearheaded the Sunni Awakening that preceded the calming of hostilities in the region. This sheikh (who lost his life to an assassin's bullet 3 months later) warmly greeted both Pence and Graham and welcomed them to the country. When he saw John McCain, however, he took McCain's hand in both of his and said, "Senator McCain, I and my family highly respect you and your family as great American warriors who have fought for peace for generations." I can't do the story justice, but it was the most powerful I have heard in the whole campaign, aside from McCain's own POW memories.

Pence was then followed by Congressman Mark Souder of the 3rd District (of which Fort Wayne is a part). Souder spoke for a few minutes...a good guy, but not the orator or across-the-board conservative stalwart that Pence is (Pence voted twice against the bailout; Souder voted for it the second time around).

There was a brief lull and then a groundswell of applause as Hank Williams, Jr. walked out unannounced to the stage and picked up his guitar. He riffed right into "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight", changing words here and there to fit the occasion. He did a few more songs, including a deadringer version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" and my favorite Bocephus tune, "A Country Boy Can Survive."

After rocking the house for 20 minutes, Hank took his bow and then, our own Lieutenant Governor Becky Skilman came out to introduce Sarah Palin. I had not seen Skilman before and was highly impressed. (A personal aside: Skilman was in the middle of a graduate program with Indiana Wesleyan University in 2004 when Mitch Daniels called and asked her to be his running mate. She dropped out, but plans to return when she leaves office.) She received enthusiastic cheers when she asserted that "Sarah Palin could have come out of any small town in Indiana!"

And then it was time for the lady herself. As she emerged from the wings, with Todd, Piper and Willow in tow, the crowd just went wild; there is no other way to put it. Everyone was on their feet, cheering, whistling, shouting, pumping fists...I have never seen anything like it. Even at the Barack Obama rally in May, where there certainly was tremendous energy and excitement, it did not appear that it was about him as much as what he seemed to represent. The reservoir of affection on the part of the Republican base for Sarah Palin is enormous.

Sarah spoke for 40 minutes, according to the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette. Probably 10 minutes of that was consumed by cheers for her and jeers at Obama. The crowd was ready for red meat and she gave it to them with repeated jabs at Obama's socialist tendencies and persistent questions about his record. I did notice that there were no questions about his associations, though.

I have seen different news accounts over the last few days that paint a picture of Sarah Palin as having given up on McCain and already embarking on her own Presidential run in 2012. I can see where this is coming from, but it is manifestly unfair to characterize it along this premise. Palin did McCain every justice she possibly could do him; she did not tout her own record at his expense, and repeatedly boosted McCain's bona fides. But, looking back on the whole event, it is abundantly clear that Palin has greater star power than McCain. She talks the talk, she taps into the conservative spirit and in short, she is just a natural. McCain is a leader and a hero, and is likable, but does not have the charisma in spades that Sarah exudes.

One more story....I am wondering if I will wind up in a documentary about this campaign. I was on an aisle seat, which the ushers were kind enough to give us, since we had Maddy's stroller and oxygen tank with us. We were all standing waiting for Sarah to come out (I forget who was on stage at that moment) when suddenly there was a woman who had very unobtrusively emerged and was videoing Pam and me as I held the baby and cheered and Pam operated our videocam. The lady took several seconds worth of video, then put down her camera and walked a few steps closer to look at the baby. I was only halfway paying attention until she asked how old Maddy was. As I answered "3 months", I turned and looked her in the eye for the first time....Have you ever had the experience where you KNOW you should know someone and your brain starts doing the computer search move, frantically trying to come up with a name? She looked at Maddy for a few more seconds, then darted away. She hadn't been gone 10 seconds before I realized we had just been videoed by Alexandra Pelosi. Yes, Nancy Pelosi's daughter. She did a documentary on the 2000 campaign called "Journeys with George" while covering candidate George W. Bush for NBC. She has since gone on to other work, most notably "Friend of God", where she examines religion in Red State America. (I have not seen it, but have heard that...surprise, surprise... it is not terribly friendly to its subjects.) So...that was, well, both a little unsettling and interesting!

A good time was certainly had by all!

A few after-midnight election thoughts

I am appalled to see that prior to the previous post, I hadn't gotten on here for 11 days! You would think nothing was happening, wouldn't you? Not exactly a positive trajectory for someone trying to get some practice at this fine science of blogging.

It has seemed that news becomes old so quickly in recent political events that it is hard to stay on top of it and be current unless you're somebody like the intrepid Hugh Hewitt, who has a team of bloggers, including himself, that post a number of times throughout the day, at length.

I am heartened to see that the polls are starting to swing back in McCain's direction. I would not be at all surprised (and I know this is far from an original utterance) to see the race so tight on Election Day and the polls swinging so crazily the week before it, that we literally have no idea who wins until the networks start calling states that night.

I hear Colin Powell is going to go on Meet the Press tomorrow and announce that he isn't endorsing Obama, but he isn't supporting McCain. Ho hum. Powell is a fine man, but who really cares? Do endorsements mean that much? Does anybody even pay attention? I don't even think Lieberman's support of McCain has really pulled that many over; Lieberman isn't officially even a Democrat anymore, after all.

It has certainly been interesting to watch the spin after the last debate and to see McCain's standing improve, even though virtually everyone, including the Fox All Stars, agreed that Obama won the debate. (I didn't think McCain did that well myself, though I didn't think he was horrible, either.) And the dissing of Sarah Palin continues, even while she draws highly enthusiastic crowds. Witness Peggy Noonan for the most recent example...which pains me since I have been a fan of hers for a good number of years.

Are we re-living 1976?

Alan Jackson has a song on his latest CD about 1976 since that was the year he met his wife. Other than that, I haven't heard that year memorialized much, if at all. Certainly, if any commentator, columnist or talking head has compared this election year to 1976, (and by this time, it is entirely possible that it has happened), I haven't been aware of it. But consider these comparisons:

The country had just come through a war that had torn it apart. The President prior to the Republican nominee had endured notoriously low approval ratings (of course, he ended up resigning, as well, but that's another story). Economic concerns such as foreign oil consumption and inflation were driving the country into a tailspin. Gerald Ford, the Republican nominee, was portrayed as being too closely tied to the man whom he succeeded, Richard Nixon. He championed causes that conservatives detested such as the giveaway of the Panama Canal, which led to the rise in the primaries of a formidable challenger, Ronald Reagan, who almost stole the nomination from him.

Ford did pull the contest out, in the end, only to face a new, clean challenger with very little political history, Jimmy Carter. Ford came out of the summer conventions way behind in the polls, but by Election Day had closed to a dead heat, in spite of, on Ford's side of the ledger, a lack of charisma, a terrible economy and the embarrassments of his predecessor.

The resemblances are not total, but I think they are striking. Mitt Romney did not do as well as Ronald Reagan, but Reagan had better name ID in '76, and Romney did better than most thought he would. Other than that minor detail, I think the side-by-side can stand, though I can't speak with firsthand authority since I turned 1 year old in '76.

Can McCain win?

The short answer is "Yes." His opponent is the most unqualified nominee in a century who has run a campaign as Rorschach test on which an uninformed populace can project its dearest hopes and dreams. That alone should enable a McCain win if people carefully considered the facts.

I am not sure whether or not the hard-hitting attacks against Obama as a compatriot of Bill Ayers are good strategy or not. For sure, though, forget McCain's promises to run a completely positive campaign. Not that I mind that necessarily; I think the Ayers issue is fair game. Character is always a legitimate issue. If someone's character is unimpeachable, the attacker's accusations won't stick. And this line of inquiry does seem to have the Obama people worried, if firing back is any indication. But will it work? Do people care?

John McCain failed to set himself apart from the pack by voting against the bailout package last week. In retrospect, that seems like a missed opportunity, especially when the Dow Jones dropped below 10,000 at one point yesterday for the first time in 4 years. (It had come back up by day's end.) He is in just about the most unfavorable political climate for Republicans that I have ever seen in my political lifetime. President Bush almost seems like a bystander anymore, I suppose due to his low poll ratings; Henry Paulson seemed like the major player in the whole bailout back-and-forth saga, with Bush weighing in with official pronouncements every few days.

Most are blaming Republicans for the problems in the economy; this is partly justified due to the excessive government spending and looming trade deficits of the Bush years, but the Democrats have fought every reform that the Republicans have tried to install in the banking and lending process.

It will be interesting to watch what McCain does tonight. It does, at least, feel good to see him taking the fight to Obama and not just letting everything slip away...and it may pay off.

Palin/Biden debate

I have been insanely busy for about a week now. My Liberty University courses end within the next week. Both formally finish on Friday, 10/10, but I have until Tuesday, 10/14 to hand a final project in for the Spiritual Growth class. Anyway, I have been doing nothing but study, work, eat and sleep for a week, except for brief breaks to exercise. No movies, no books. And I am someone who believes that pleasure reading (at least a few pages) should be an ongoing part of my daily regimen. But it hasn't been for the last week.

All of that to say that this is the reason why I have not posted on the Palin/Biden debate of 5 days ago.

There is nothing new I can say at this point that hasn't already been said. I did post a brief blurb as a Facebook status update as soon as the debate was over, where I asserted that Palin did well enough and had probably rallied the partisans, but not won over very many new McCain voters. With the polling data now in and the commentators all having said or written their piece, it appears that I was not off by much, so I do take a little satisfaction in that. (LOL) Only insomuch as I was right, though; I wish I had been wrong and she had been a huge hit across the board.

I was so nervous during the debate that I could do nothing but sit and watch it. My habit of an evening is to sit with my laptop on the couch working in courses (that I'm teaching or am participating in as a student) while O'Reilly, Hannity & Colmes or Larry King talk to their guests. I graded Discussion Board posts all through the first McCain/Obama debate. I couldn't do anything during the Palin/Biden show, except refrain from chewing my fingernails!

Palin held her own very well, though I wondered about the wisdom of a couple of things, namely asking Biden if she could call him "Joe" when they first walked out onto the stage. (The microphones were so low I couldn't pick up his answer; I doubt, though, that he said, "No, please call me Senator.") And I did wish she would lay off attacking "predatory lenders" exclusively, though she negated that with her phrase on the necessity of personal responsibility, which I believe Frank Luntz said really polled well with his independent focus group. (You can't tell which network I watch, can you? Fair and balanced...) I also wonder if the "maverick" term is doing McCain and Palin any favors anymore. Notice the media isn't using it anymore?

Sarah Palin came across as poised, charming and confident 90% of the time and probably pulled some doubters back from the brink. I think she also maintained her position as someone with a future in the Party whether McCain wins or loses. She is clearly a quick study, which some had unjustly questioned after her first exposure to mainstream media interviews (Gibson and Couric).

Bailout or rescue plan? (Who knows?)

I have been working for hours on a paper on "The Compassion of Christ as Shown in the Gospel of Luke." So, since I have 11 full pages of content and only need 12-20, I am going to take 10 minutes and blog, since this is something I do not HAVE to do, and I'm not on deadline, for sure!

We are living in momentous times. The way this economic crisis is handled will determine the well-being of at least the next generation in the United States of America. The effect may be even longer lasting than that.

Having said this, though, I confess that the fog of words and expressed sentiments has been overwhelming for the last 2 weeks. Probably the statement that made the most sense was one I heard last Wednesday on Glenn Beck's radio program. His guest was Senator Jim DeMint, a conservative stalwart from South Carolina. Glenn essentially asked DeMint to give him the lowdown on what all the hubbub was about. DeMint was breathtakingly honest when he allowed that his belief was that "no one really knows what they're doing!" I felt vindicated, having made virtually an identical comment to my lovely wife 2 days earlier, as I watched Secretary Paulson try to explain what the White House was trying to do.

It has not been impressive to watch government in action for the last few days. Michael Gerson has termed the whole ordeal an affair of "small men in a large crisis." I agree with Gerson's general description, but not with the particulars; he cites the House Republicans' failure to pass the Monday (9/29) bill as an example of smallness. From what I have seen, from Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Indiana's own Mike Pence and others, they never intended to support it! Even John Boehner, Minority Leader, who was championing the bill, only voted for it reluctantly, colorfully describing it as "a crap sandwich", but one that he would eat for the good of the country. He might as well have saved himself the unsavory "meal"! It failed anyway.

The whole idea of a bailout for corrupt and inept businesses is just a monstrosity. As clearly as I can ascertain, the chief danger to "Main Street" (which has become the moniker currently in vogue to describe us little people out here) is the unavailability of credit, as well as, ostensibly, more layoffs since businesses won't be able to borrow money. I will admit I did not know that large corporations, especially, borrow money on a regular basis just to survive and then pay it back within a few hours. This doesn't seem to me like a viable survival model, but as O'Reilly says, I could be wrong.

I do know that the unavailability of credit to individual consumers would not be a scourge. I am delighted to report that I can't remember the last time I used a credit card (though I always run my National City Bank Card transactions as credit buys, in order to accrue VISA points and get gifts! National City financed my one and only visit to Ruth's Chris Steak House, to date, in this fashion.) George Will, Steve Pearlstein from the Washington Post and others describe the typical American lifestyle as being vastly overleveraged due to credit card debt. If this is indeed the case, and it appears that it is, then a day of reckoning has to come eventually. Would it really be that traumatic for everyone to learn to live within their means once again? I can see financing a house or an education; indeed, I am currently doing both. But nothing else, though I could give some leeway for a car. And there I go...one thing leads to another, doesn't it? Because if you lease or make payments on a car, then surely you can excuse some Christmas credit card purchasing and then there are the kids' birthdays, and on and on it goes.

As a parting thought, I could only wish that this whole fiasco would cause Americans to become more economically curious, but I don't hold high hopes. Most are ready to blame everyone else's greed but their own for the problems in which we find ourselves and the media is all too prepared to jump on the bandwagon of damning the "corrupt CEOs" who received golden parachute buyouts. Thomas Sowell makes an interesting point on this in his column today, namely, that if a CEO is doing a bad job, you may very well SAVE the company money by paying him millions to leave rather than letting him stay and run the compan further down the tubes, losing hundreds of millions in the process.

At the end of the day, it seems this plan may be necessary for reasons I will confess I don't completely comprehend. So my own economic ignorance is shameful. But I do know that this bailout sends all the wrong messages, and I fear it sets a foul precedent. Might not Andrew Jackson call this the "corrupt bargain" of the 21st century were he alive today?

One down, 3 to go (if you count the VPs, which I DO)

McCain really zoomed back in the second half. I think he sounded unsure in the first half, which mostly focused on economic issues. If he would have hit harder on Obama and his fellow Democrats, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank, rather than "Wall Street greed", he would have been more effective.

But he recovered nicely in the foreign policy phase of the tussle. I think, though, that in the end, the debate has to be declared a draw. McCain scored some points on the idea of Obama meeting with Ahmadinejad, as well as swatting down Obama's attempt to equate Henry Kissinger with support of some Obama position or other (I can't recall which at the moment). But, Obama was very surefooted, and debated in a far more authoritative way than he did during the primaries. He doesn't look as tired as he did for a while.

I doubt the whole thing tonight was a gamechanger. I still remember Kerry's line in 2004 about the "global test" that had to be passed before any international conflict could be approved, and how Bush kept falling back on the same talking points and looked fatigued and hunched. Both gentlemen tonight were better debaters than the 2 in '04.

I look forward to the 2 that remain, and feel McCain was adequate tonight. Bottom line, though, I doubt any minds were changed, although the spin doctors are practicing their craft furiously...

Impressions at the halfway point

I DVR'd the Presidential debate because we were out with friends this evening. I am about halfway through it now, and so far, I don't have a real good feeling about it, but not a disastrous one, either.

Barack Obama looks more Presidential than McCain does. He ISN'T more Presidential, but appearances count for way too much in the modern media era. He also sounds more smooth.

This may be more of a pet peeve of mine than anything, but I wish McCain would discard some of his trademark phrases that we've all heard him say a dozen times in as many different stump speeches and town hall meetings. One of them is about "not being voted Miss Congeniality in the Senate." Please. We get it. I guess he thinks he has to drive home the point.

I will probably get chided for what I just expressed, but hear me out before you post your angry comments. :) I was recalling earlier today as I was mulling over what a year it has been in Presidential politics: I will never forget the extreme distaste I felt on that cold day back in January when I watched John McCain claim victory in the Florida primary, and knew in my heart that he would be our nominee, and Mitt Romney would probably be bowing out before too long. A few days later, McCain told Tim Russert that he understood that primaries can be tough and emotions can run high, and I agreed, "You've got that right, Senator!"

Yet, here we stand, 9 months later, and I can honestly say that I have become fond of John McCain. The old POW was right after all; he had been in politics long enough that he knew that we close ranks in the end around our nominee, especially when we're ideologically on the same page 70-80% of the time. McCain's convention speech really did close the deal for me, as I look back on it now. The moment when he told us that "I learned to love my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's" was so raw and vulnerable....WOW. Now, a speech alone shouldn't convince anyone, but in conjunction with his policies and signalled openness to the conservative wing, it worked for me. Of course, Palin Power hasn't hurt either!

But having uttered all of the above, a lot of people have their little idiosyncrasies that are a bit irritating, and McCain is no exception to this.

OK...it took me about 10 minutes to type the above, and things have livened up considerably as we move into the second half of the debate. They're actually discussing foreign policy, which was always supposed to be the subject of the evening, and McCain has found his footing. Not that I think they shouldn't be discussing the bailout package. They absolutely should. But more on that later. I may be back tonight....

My brother meets the Princess

Sarah signing Keith's hat.

Sarah and Todd on the receiving line of the Alaska Air Guard delegation.

Keith sporting his hat that's suddenly worth a lot more than he paid for it.

Look at Keith's expression, mouth virtually agape!

Yeah, I know; these are out of order, but this is Sarah, having just stepped out of her SUV.

Sarah, Todd and the Alaska Air Guard gang...

Above: Waving a final farewell..
Below: Sarah reaches for Keith's hand..

Keith in front of McCain/Palin plane.

A week ago tonight, my brother Keith got the chance to meet Sarah Palin "up close and personal" for a few minutes. I have asked him to tell us in his own words how it all transpired. I think he does a fine job of giving us an on-the-spot account of the excitement involved. Forthwith, here is his account:

Reno, Nevada, Sept. 13, 2008-- I was in Reno for the second time in as many years. I came as a volunteer with the Alaska Air Guard to work the National Championship Air Races at Stead Field. Saturday afternoon found us caught up in the heat of the high desert, fast, loud airplanes, and thousands of people enjoying the spectacle of the Reno Air Races. Could life in this world get much better?

During our morning briefing, our fearless commander informed our particular group of a couple dozen that Sarah Palin was to be in Carson City doing a campaign rally. She had issued an invitation to the Alaska Air Guard contingency that was at the Reno Air Races to come down and join her. However, wanting to remain politically neutral at such an event, the brass had declined the invitation, agreeing only to pass the word on down the line to such as would be inclined to take things into their own hands, and go out to see the classy lady. We were told that if we wished to see her, we would have an opportunity that evening in Reno, when she would, at the conclusion of the rally, be coming to Reno-Tahoe Airport to board her flight back to Alaska. We were told to expect to be part of a crowd of several hundred people who would possibly attend a “small rally” in Reno, and possibly have the opportunity to watch her board her plane. However, the Air Guard would provide no transportation, and would not support or endorse any proceeding in that direction…officially. If we were to go, we were requested to wear only civilian attire, and do our best to conduct ourselves professionally, and non-confrontationally.

As a proud Alaskan, who helped elect her to the governorship, and one who has been watching with pride as the rest of the nation enjoys our taste, I considered my options for all of … at least … 2 seconds! I turned to the person next to me and said, “Hey, if we have to buy a car to get to downtown Reno and see Sarah, I guess we better start shopping. I’m clearly going!” There were about a dozen of us in agreement. We would go.

Saturday evening found the dozen of us sitting in the Mercury Air Service FBO (private terminal) at Reno Tahoe Airport. A full moon was hanging low in the eastern sky, and the normally busy terminal had a tired, end-of-the-week lull about it. In fact, there was only one plane out on the ramp; a sleek, new Embraer 190 (which I initially mistook for a 737 with REALLY tall wingletsJ) with a modest blue and white color scheme, and McCain Palin painted boldly on the fuselage. Half of our group had arrived a bit earlier than we had been told to arrive at the “rally”, and were disturbed by the fact that NO ONE was around. Had it been cancelled? Was Palin already gone? Were we at the wrong place? Hard to argue with the presence of the McCain Palin jet sitting out on the ramp!

We settled in to wait the half hour or so until we were SUPPOSED to be there, and some of us ordered chips and salsa in the restaurant lounge we were seated in. About 15 minutes before we were expecting any action, a sergeant in our group received a call from an aide in the Palin campaign. She said she had been given his number as a contact number, and was calling to inform us that the rally was going on longer than expected, but Sarah would be leaving Carson City “in the next 30 minutes or so.”

Oh, well, we were a dedicated bunch, and we settled in to wait until midnight, if necessary. We would be here until the end, even if we were rewarded with nothing but a nod and a smile as the great lady boarded her jet some 100 yards out across the tarmac!

Not 45 minutes later, the same aide called us back to inform us that she would be there in a minute or so, and wanted us ready to meet her! We began to buzz with excitement, looking at each other, and looking around at the empty terminal. “We’re the ONLY ONES HERE! We’re about to have a PRIVATE meet-and-greet with OUR lady Palin!!! They set us up! There’s no rally…WE’RE IT!!!!!”

We were rushing around, the ladies in our group into the restroom to freshen up and the rest of us, in general, trying to make sure we were ready to meet (IN PERSON) America’s very own new princess! I carefully adjusted my new Australian suede hat (which I had purchased that afternoon at the air show) and in general, felt about as excited as a sixteen-year-old boy about to (MAYBE?) get his first brush with true love on date night!

Moments later, a harried aide rushed in the front door, looked around at our motley group, and queried, “Are you guys the Alaska Air Guard group?” We shyly nodded affirmation, and she hurriedly motioned for us to follow her on out to the ramp. We didn’t hesitate to question why; rather, we just followed.

We were told to form up, look good, and do nothing funny as we stood at the foot of the air stairs to her plane. A suit appeared from somewhere and informed us that Sarah would be here in a few seconds, and this was no time to “…show her your pocket knife, or do anything cute. She’ll take a few moments to greet each of you, and there will be opportunity for pictures. Please be respectful and professional. Thank you for coming out to meet her!” I thought about informing him that I had condescended to being here for her to meet ME, … but … in comedy, timing is everything…

A Reno police cruiser slowly circled the airplane as we stood and waited, and then across the ramp, a gate opened, and a motorcade of half a dozen dark Suburbans, several Crown Vics with flashing lights, and a couple buses, came gliding in across the ramp. We were humming with excitement, trying to “quietly and professionally” whisper to each other, “Where is she? Is she in the bus? Does she ride in her own Suburban? Does she see us yet?...” The second Suburban slowly pulled up about ten feet away from me (# 3 in the receiving line) and stopped. As it stopped, and the other vehicles all pulled into formation behind and beside it, I looked in the rear, right window, and there was Sarah smiling back … RIGHT AT ME! I was almost oblivious to the tall dark suits that began to appear from all the other SUVs and circle in around us. One opened her door, and she gracefully slid out, jumped to her feet and began clapping her hands as she looked up our line of jubilant Alaskans. “ALASKA!” She squealed with delight. “I’m feel like I’m already home!” (I think in my DVD audio, I’m to be heard whooping with excitement at that point!)

She made her way slowly up the line, greeting us each one personally. When she came to me, she looked into my eyes, thanked me for coming out to meet her, and thanked me for what I do for Alaska, our home state! I was officially star-struck. I worked my mouth, and some sound came out as I tried to think of an intelligent, witty response but I think the only thing I managed to say was, “We love you, Sarah!” Her husband, Todd, was right behind her, and I couldn’t think of anything profound to share with him either, so I just shook his hand and grinned. The only thought rushing through my head at the moment was, “They’re such little people in person! I’M even taller than Todd!” Yeah, I know! Deep, huh?

After greeting us all, she came back down to the center of the line to be photographed with us, and one of our guys asked if she would autograph his Alaska flag. An aide rushed in, advising Mrs. Palin that in may not be a great idea to do so, and I suddenly realized my chance. I doffed my hat, and humbly implored her, “Please, while your pen is out… would you?...” She took my hat, hesitated for a moment to comment, “That’s a NICE hat!” As I watched her write, my only thought was, “Yeah! It’s getting a lot nicer!” Of course, the least I could do to thank her was offer a quick hug as she finished.

Sarah and Todd boarded their plane, headed back to Alaska, and as we left the Airport terminal, we all began burning up our cell phones with calls. Some began emailing pictures, I called my wife to tell her I had seconds earlier given Sarah Palin a warm hug, and then began trying to call the author of this blog, my brother. For some reason, (I have to suspect an extreme case of jealousy) it was sometime before he was able to return my call!

The road to socialism

So here we are, nearly 4 weeks after McCain's brilliant VP choice, and Obama has only (perhaps) just begin to find his footing again. Not through any strategy of his own, mind you; it appears that his numbers are going up again, ever so slightly, as a result of this dastardly AIG buyout.

I don't know when I've ever been as furious at government maneuverings, on a Republican watch no less, as over this Freddie & Fannie, Merrill Lynch and now AIG corporate welfare. How is this conservatism in any sense of the word? There is a simple answer: IT ISN'T. It is unadulterated socialism, with the state propping up bloated businesses that made poor financial decisions. If every large corporation assumes that government will be there with a bailout when they head into the tank, pray tell me, WHAT keeps the worst kind of choices from being made by these very businesses? How is this a level playing field in any sense, when a small business with $2 million in yearly sales doesn't have a prayer of receiving the same treatment?

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson came on Meet the Press with Tom Brokaw no more than 4 weeks ago and said he felt that a government takeover of Freddie & Fannie would be a horrible move. Yet, here we are, well beyond that. Unbelievable.

So as the state assumes control or cashes in their IOUs from all of these corporations, where do the little people get any recourse? And where did the $85 BILLION come from to fund this takeover? Did China decide to cancel their trillion dollar trade surplus with us, and I just didn't get the memo?

What we desperately need are a group of leaders going into the White House with the guts to tell this country's citizens AND businesses that they have eaten from the public trough long enough. Wouldn't a President feel rewarded enough just for presenting economics as they are for 4 years and following it up with attempts at action, that it wouldn't matter whether his aspirations for a second term came to fruition or not? If John McCain would do that, I happen to believe he would go down in history as one of the noblest and most courageous Presidents this country has seen, possibly this generation's greatest leader.

We are a compassionate country, but this is corruption, not kindness. God in Heaven help this country. What have we come to? I am an inveterate American optimist, but this is enough to push me down the path of cynicism.

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

We must never forget. Here is the best way I know of to commemorate those whose lives were lost. Thank you, Alan Jackson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW8puRqE4Sc&feature=related

Jeremiah Wright, the adulterer

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

Apparently, Wright was cheating on his wife with a church secretary from Texas all year. Fox has the story here.

Maybe now Wright will think twice about calling on God to exact an Old Testament penalty on an imperfect nation when he recalls the price the Mosaic Law exacted for adultery? I won't hold my breath....

Is Obama's house of cards falling in all around him or what? And, in an ironic twist, he's having lunch with a former Adulterer-in-Chief tomorrow...

Lipstick on a pig

Barack Obama may very well have experienced his own personal "Macaca" moment yesterday.

George Allen lost his Virginia Senate seat in 2006 over a silly word he made up on the spot at a campaign rally in some obscure little burg. What Obama did here was worse.

For the record, I do not believe that Obama meant to call Sarah Palin a pig. I think he is more of a gentleman than that. He is also an intelligent public figure....which renders what he did say all the more incredibly stupid.

This line is now being discussed on every cable news channel, every radio talk show, every political website and on the Drudge Report. And McCain/Palin went up with a new ad overnight responding to it, treating the whole thing as though Obama meant the comparison intentionally....which they have a right to do, as the aggrieved party.

I have seen the clip a number of times already, and you can watch the stunned look cross Obama's face as he shades his brow with his hand, once he realizes what he has just said...followed by the raucous laughter of the crowd, which clearly took the jibe as a nasty personal shot at Palin.

This is bad for Obama...very, VERY bad. I would not be a bit surprised if he loses the Presidency over this. A Presidential race, rightly or wrongly, often rises or falls on small moments. Remember Dukakis' answer to the question from Bernie Shaw about capital punishment at the 1988 debate in LA? How about Al Gore's sighing at the first debate in 2000? And Walter Mondale's promise to raise taxes at his nomination acceptance speech in 1984? (Though does anyone really think Mondale ever had a chance?)

Steve Doocy from Fox & Friends wondered out loud this morning if the "lipstick on a pig" line has, perhaps, been being bandied about around Obama campaign headquarters for the last couple of weeks....and it slipped out of Obama's mouth in a moment of fatigue? Plausible, I think.

Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann will no longer anchor election coverage

This move is long overdue. What I love about it is that NBC has now admitted what the rest of the world has known for months. Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews are blatant Obama partisans. Olbermann is more gratingly offensive than Matthews is; Matthews is more fun and less earnest, but we'll never forget the tingle Matthews famously felt up his leg when he listened to Obama speak, either.

It must be noted that Olbermann and Matthews will still serve as analysts for MSNBC election coverage, but they will no longer be the primary anchors. This story gives further details about Olbermann's attacks on Republicans while MSNBC coverage of the RNC was in progress last week. Apparently, that was the final straw for NBC.

Note that MSNBC, despite its bump in ratings over the last year, still remains mired in 3rd place against Fox and CNN. I find MSNBC's only redeeming moments anymore come when they bring Pat Buchanan on to comment. But maybe that is just me.

Rudy Guiliani speech in progress

Oh, but is Rudy having fun with the fact that Obama voted "Present" 113 times in the Illinois State Senate! He should be; I haven't heard any Republican mention that, though I do recall John Edwards saying something about it in one of the last Presidential primary debates.

Rudy noted that neither he nor Sarah Palin, when they were mayors, ever had the luxury of voting "present" when leading their respective cities. A very good line! And one that highlights the very valid leadership experience that Sarah Palin has, both as a mayor and as a Governor.

Rudy is the perfect warm up act for Sarah Palin tonight!

Mike Huckabee speech in progress

I may very well blog in short bursts tonight; we'll see how it goes.

I have not always had kind words for Governor Huckabee, but I do like him. He is in rare form tonight, giving the best speech I've ever heard him deliver. The last line? "Sarah Palin got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, than Joe Biden got running for President of the United States!" Huckabee's story, of any of the Republicans who could be said to have made a worthy run for the nomination, comes the closest to a rags-to-riches story, and he is using it to maximum effect tonight to tell why he is a Republican. Stirring stuff! He is young enough that he still has a future in the party, even if McCain wins. I would not be surprised to see him in some sort of position in a McCain administration, maybe Director of Faith Based Initiatives?

Mitt Romney did well tonight, but Huckabee is working the crowd better than Mitt did. Romney had a lot of good lines, but he tended to deliver a line or two, then stand back and wait for the applause. I thought he did better in a debate setting.

Bristol Palin's pregnancy

It is twilight zone time on the Democrat kook left. And no, that does not include all Democrats, but if you are a Democrat, you had better come out and denounce this.

This hypothesis that Sarah Palin's baby was actually her daughter Bristol's offspring, and the Palin family was trying to cover it up by acting as though it was Sarah's so no one would know Bristol was pregnant out of wedlock....

It reminds me of when former Representative Curt Weldon stood up on the floor of the House (I think he was talking about the Echelon Project, but I don't remember for sure) and excoriated the Democrats with this rhetorical question, "How low can we go, Mr. Speaker? HOW LOW WILL WE GO?"

I do not want to EVER hear again about the ugly, Karl Rove-style tactics on the right (even though I know we will). The Daily Kos is one of the house organs of the Democrat Party; its owner, Markos Moulitsas, is given floor time at all kinds of official Democrat gatherings and party bigwigs like Harry Reid attend his annual convention. (Yes, he was Senate Majority Leader when he went.) And the Daily Kos is largely responsible for launching this vicious diatribe, which is, of course, a total fabrication.

Give Barack Obama the credit he deserves for coming out and denouncing this. Good for him. There should be a 0 tolerance for this sort of rumormongering, for both Democrats and Republicans. I would hope our side would have the courage to do the same if a similar story came out about Sasha or Melia Obama (though I think they are a little young yet).

On a completely unrelated note, though this applies to the same news story:

This is none of my business; it is the decision of the Palin family as to how best to work this out. But is it really the best move to make at this point for Bristol to marry the baby's father? I am not so sure. I know we evangelicals are expected to rejoice over this decision, but I don't automatically. Sorry if that disappoints you, but based on my completely unscientific observations, these types of marriages (i.e., a young couple ends up expecting a child outside of marriage, so they decide to get married) seem to end in divorce more often than not. Is anyone better off at that point?

Granted, there is so much that we don't know about this story, and my input is not desired here (nor should it be). But that is my opinion.

Palin speech in progress

This lady has CHARISMA in spades!!! She is gutsy, she is bold without being brassy and she is so clearly a woman of character and conviction.

Anyone who is worried about her debating Joe Biden can put those fears to rest. Palin is clearly the furthest thing from a political hack that McCain could have found.

It was major lump in throat time for me as my little girl jumped off the school bus and walked into the house just in time for Sarah Palin to come to the platform. I had Carli sit down and watch as McCain brought Palin to the podium. I want my little girl to remember these images for life, and never to forget that in a year when the Democrats rejected a woman as their candidate and their nominee made a safe, conventional pick for VP, we put a woman on our ticket for Vice President.

Palin has just mentioned both Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton from the platform, a very smart move that demonstrated both grace and genuineness. Her final sentence summing up that section of her speech:

"The women of America aren't finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all!"

I'm JAZZED!!!

Is it just me or has the Palin pick hit the Republican base with a HUGE burst of enthusiasm?

I am so excited by this choice. Palin is an evangelical Christian, a mother of 5 (including a special needs child, which is special to me!) and an anti-corruption crusader, but a rock-ribbed conservative. Yes, Yes, YES!!!

Fox is reporting that the Obama campaign has referred to Palin dismissively as "a former mayor of a town with 9,000 people." I am continuously stunned by the breathtaking arrogance of this crowd!!! HOW DARE THEY challenge McCain's pick on grounds of inexperience (which they are, without using the word)? Keep it up, Democrats. You'll wish you hadn't.

This is a brilliant strategic execution on the part of the McCain campaign. They have very effectively stepped on coverage of Obama's speech last night, and clearly, the gambit they're employing is that Palin will pull in a bunch of Clinton voters.

McCain is stuck in traffic, but should be at the Nutter Center podium in Dayton any minute. I am really remorseful that I didn't drive to Dayton this morning, but the 170 mile drive didn't seem quite sensible earlier in the week when I mulled it over earlier in the week....Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it?

CNBC: It IS Palin

CNBC is quoting an unnamed top Republican strategist, saying that it definitely is Palin. It will be interesting to see why we have had the seesaw, back-and-forth about Palin actually still being back home in Alaska, no she did fly to Middletown, Ohio last night with two teenagers, no she's going to the State Fair today....

More later....

Not Palin

ABC News is reporting that Sarah Palin is watching all of this speculation at her home in Wasilla, Alaska. OOOKAY....so back to square one.

Here is the story. Kudos to ABC.

McCain/Palin?

Fox News' Carl Cameron firmly declared 5 minutes or so ago that Romney is out of the running; Tim Pawlenty has been out for a while. And he strongly hinted that Governor Sarah Palin from Alaska is indeed the choice! Drudge has the same news up.

This is, indeed, the burst of adrenaline that the McCain campaign will need after the Obama speech last night....IF Palin really is the one.

VERY conservative, a woman with 5 children....very unconventional. FUN!

Thoughts on Obama speech, Part III

I wonder if we will see any rapturous looks of adoration in the crowds to which John and Cindy McCain will speak next week? Just a thought....I can't remember when I've seen more joyful tears or rhapsodically delightful gazes than from these Democrat ladies. But then again, these are the diehards or they wouldn't be in Denver, I suppose.

Now, he has promised everyone that we will make sure you can afford a college education if you commit to serving your community or country. How do you define "serving?"

"We cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy." If Obama gets elected, we Republicans need to hold his feet to the fire on this one! He has promised to go through the budget line by line and weed out what isn't needed. Somehow, though, I have a sneaking feeling he'll find a need for almost all of them.

I just saw a flash of the old Obama that intrigued me at the beginning (though I never considered voting for him!) He talked briefly about getting past the bitterness and rancor of questioning each other's character when we disagree. We do need to do this, but it is difficult when Obama has the questionable associations from the past that he does and when his operation is playing the same tricks as previous Democrat campaigns have done, distorting McCain's remarks about being in Iraq for 100 years and his joke about only qualifying as rich if you make $5 million or more a year.

Now that the Martin Luther King, Jr. comparisons have been drawn, the speech is over.

It was a good speech, though it probably doesn't sound like I thought so, if you read all of my previous comments. But, I have to admit it when I see efficacy in any forum even if my heart doesn't beat as one with the sentiments that have been expressed.

If you had to ask me though, in this moment, whether the speech will do for him what he needs in order to pull way ahead and stay there, I would have to say no, I don't think so, especially with the Republican convention next week. And 4 weeks from today, this speech will be a distant memory.

I'm sure I will be back tomorrow, once McCain names his running mate.

Thoughts on Obama speech, Part II

The talking point for the week must be that McCain is a hero, but we don't need 4 more years of Bush/Cheney; 8 is enough. And McCain has voted with Bush 95% of the time.

McCain has said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. It is true, though, Mr. Obama; they are! But never mind the facts, when you can demagogue the economy in front of 75,000 people.

This is clearly a populist campaign, which plays very well in a stadium setting.

OK, we've heard all this before. I'm only going to keep blogging this speech if he says something truly unexpected.

I just wonder, if the roles were reversed, would a Republican be talking to the convention crowd about how badly off the country is after 8 years of Democrat rule? I seem to remember Bush and Cheney in 2000 tacitly admitting that the economy was in good shape, but I remember Cheney saying "The wheel has turned and it is time for them to go" and Bush's signature line being "They have not led; we will!"

Obama acts like no outsourcing ever occurred before Bush came into office in January 2001. This is pure, unadulterated rubbish. I remember the '90's. NAFTA passed in 1993 and the factories started shutting down.

OH, Obama has just said he will cut taxes for 95% of all working families....who will qualify? Clinton promised the same thing, then had to take it off the table.

And we will also end our dependence on Middle East oil in 10 years. Impossible. What world is Obama living in? He WILL have trouble for this. Americans have to know that this cannot be done. Alternative fuel research is not far enough along.

Thoughts on Obama nomination acceptance speech (in progress)

Well, he filled Invesco stadium. Megyn Kelly from Fox News reports that there are virtually no empty seats in the house.

His first sentence involved his acceptance of the nomination. His second included thanks to Hillary Clinton, who appears not to be there. I knew her husband wasn't planning to attend; why not? Is this party unity?

How many times are we going to hear that Joe Biden rides the Amtrak home to Delaware every night? This and the fact that he was born in Scranton, PA are going to get pounded into our heads for the next 10 weeks.

Now the laundry list of all that is bad....credit card debt, cars we can't drive because we can't afford the gas, we're defaulting on our mortgages, and most of it is Bush's fault. How will you fix it, Senator?

Oh, now we get the John Edwards line about veterans sleeping on the streets, which has been WAY overblown.....

Biden speech tonight

I just finished watching Joe Biden's VP nomination acceptance speech. (I DVR'd it because I had collateral to read, so I'm a little behind when it actually ran, but I haven't watched any commentary on it yet.)

It was red meat and it revved up the crowd; no doubt about that! But it certainly does not represent any change in tone from any political era; it was as strident in its rhetoric and blistering in its attacks on John McCain as anything I've heard this election season. Yes, I think you could say that the last 10 minutes were an angry tirade!

I guess we can say goodbye to the "Third Way" style of politics that rises up above everything that has gone before. But then, I think that has worn pretty thin by this point anyhow.

I think it was a mistake to put Bill Clinton on before Biden tonight. The crowd was clearly jazzed by Clinton's appearance, and he didn't disappoint. He can work a crowd like no other politician on the scene today, including Obama. Obama is the better orator, but he doesn't connect with the crowd like Clinton does. Biden's style is totally different, not nearly as smooth, with a lot of bluster and hokum (a word that my favorite TV journalist, Brit Hume, is exceedingly fond of employing this week).

(Sidenote that is completely irrelevant: This Bruce Springsteen song ("Saturday") that they used to welcome Biden both last Saturday and today sure is catchy. But why this song? Springsteen is from New Jersey, isn't he?)

Biden does have a beautiful family and I am sure he is a fine husband, father and grandpa. Peggy Noonan and others who are in a position to know claim that he is a decent man, someone with whom you can enjoy spending time. I'm sure that is the case.

But on stage, he throws these bits of sarcasm and nastiness in there that are, I would think, very unattractive to undecided voters, along with undiluted class warfare pap. (Fred Barnes just echoed the last part of the previous sentence, essentially.) One of these zingers he threw in there was all about how this administration has broken "the promise of America", which is prosperity for everyone. Since when did our country make this promise? We have the opportunity, but guaranteed riches for all has never been part of the American contract with its citizens. This is socialism.

But again, this IS Joe Biden we're talking about.

Unless Obama really brings it home tomorrow night, I don't see how he comes out of the convention with more than a 5 point bounce, if that. So far, I have seen nothing in this convention beyond all the expected pageantry that would appeal to an undecided audience out there. And a few polls even show McCain gaining ground after the Biden pick. As things stand today, the Real Clear Politics average has Obama a couple of points ahead.

Well, the Dems have one more day and this convention will be histoire. And not a moment too soon. How long can you milk the same message of "America is further down the drain than at any time in previous history, blah, blah blah?"

I am looking forward to Friday; it really seems like Mitt might be on the ticket after all. Drudge is reporting that Romney and Pawlenty are the only two who are in serious consideration and that McCain has made up his mind.