While Michelle Obama is speaking in prime time tonight…
“Cindy is not here today and I’m sorry she’s not,” said McCain. “She’s on her way to the little country of Georgia.”
McCain has been a staunch supporter of Georgia in that country’s clash with Russia, and sending his wife there underscores his commitment. It also could deflect attention from Michelle Obama’s convention speech in Denver as the Obama campaign seeks to introduce the family to voters
Cindy McCain shows that both she and here husband are ready for Prime Time!
McCain has the experience necessary to be our Commander and Chief. Obama on the other hand not so much.
Back in those dark days of early 2007 when the MSM informed us that the nomination of Hillary Clinton was “inevitable” and that she had the “biggest and most professional campaign staff in U.S. history,” I used to say that the best defense against a Hillary Clinton presidency was an open microphone.
Ditto for a Barack Obama presidency as well. The Pubbies can’t make up anything better than what BO comes up with himself. Check out Obama’s latest wild hair as he positions himself to the left of Karl Marx.
A plan by Barack Obama to redistribute American wealth on a global level is moving forward in the Senate. It follows Marxist theology — from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
We are citizens of the world, Sen. Obama told thousands of nonvoting Germans during his recent tour of the Middle East and Europe. And if the Global Poverty Act (S. 2433) he has sponsored becomes law, which is almost certain if he wins in November, we’re also going to be taxpayers of the world.
“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times . . . and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Obama has said. “That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen.”
Oh, really? Who’s to say we can’t load up our SUV and head out in search of bacon double cheeseburgers at the mall? China? India? Bangladesh? The U.N.?
In an Obama White House, American sovereignty will become an endangered species. The Global Poverty Act is the first toe in the water of global socialism.
By INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Tuesday, May 27, 2008 4:20 PM PT
War On Terror: They said the surge would fail. They claimed we had no allies. They called Iraq a quagmire. They sought to cut and run. Now, our victories over terror are accelerating across the world.
I love this quote from the end of the article: IT’S A BAD TIME TO BE A TERRORIST.
This definitely falls into the “Conservative File”. HT: To the hubby
Normally when you hear about anything from Hollywood and the Iraq war it’s all negative, but this positive story written by Angelina Jolie bucks that trend. What great news!
From the story:
My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis.
Today’s humanitarian crisis in Iraq — and the potential consequences for our national security — are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won’t explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder?
What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made. In fact, we should step up our financial and material assistance. UNHCR has appealed for $261 million this year to provide for refugees and internally displaced persons. That is not a small amount of money — but it is less than the U.S. spends each day to fight the war in Iraq. I would like to call on each of the presidential candidates and congressional leaders to announce a comprehensive refugee plan with a specific timeline and budget as part of their Iraq strategy.
As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible.
It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation. Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do.
Governor Romney scored a respectable B on this quiz from —>The American Thinker.
Take a look at how Governor Huckabee scored:
Mike Huckabee flailed wildly about in his response. First, he contrasted the assassination with the smooth transfer of power in the United States. Then he tried to tie the assassination to immigration, warning that we should keep an eye on the 660 Pakistani illegals who are in the country. When asked where he got that number, he became incoherent, finally saying something about a CIA briefing. Some analysts believe the Huckabee campaign is now officially over after his performance.
WASHINGTON — While public polls show Mike Huckabee leading Mitt Romney in Iowa, a new survey of an oversized sample shows Huckabee slipping and no longer ahead of Romney.
A private corporate interest commissioned a phone bank survey of 15,000 Iowans who say they will attend Republican presidential caucuses Jan. 3. It showed Romney with 30 percent and Huckabee at 26 percent. Sen. John McCain was third with 12 percent and Rudy Giuliani fourth at 9 percent. Fred Thompson had only 1 percent, with slightly fewer votes than Rep. Ron Paul (also at 1 percent).
Thank goodness that Huckabee’s monumental incompetence to be POTUS is becoming abundantly clear to the voters of the great state of Iowa. His stands on immigration, taxes, pardons for dangerous criminals and his complete cluelessness on foreign affairs has caught up with him and I believe the people of Iowa are going to stop his campaign in it’s tracks on Jan. 3.
Continuing on this discussion, Fox News did some research on “The Huck’s” so called “facts”, and here is what they found (I’ve also included a photo of the chart mentioned in the post for visualization purposes).
Huckabee warned an Iowa crowd that 660 Pakistanis have come into the country illegally in the past year because of insecure borders. It was a new angle among the candidates reacting on the trail to the assassination Thursday of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
He also said: “We have more Pakistani illegals coming across our border than all of the other nationalities except those immediately south of the border. … In light of what’s happening in Pakistan it ought to give us pause.”
But his Pakistan statements don’t jibe with the data. Pressed by reporters where he got his figure, Huckabee initially said: “Those are numbers that I got today from a briefing and I believe they are CIA and or immigration numbers.”
Later, in a conference call with reporters, he identified the figure as coming from the Department of Homeland Security and news articles, including a March 2006 piece in The Denver Post.
Only that article said 660 Pakistanis entered the United States illegally between fiscal 2002 and 2005 – not just in one year. And Homeland Security figures for 2006 show that many more illegal immigrants came from India, Korea, China, the Philippines and Vietnam than Pakistan, which didn’t even make the chart.
See On The Chart How Pakistan Isn’t Even Listed?
Meanwhile, Huckabee on MSNBC talked about Pakistan’s “eastern borders near Afghanistan,” even though that border is on Pakistan’s western end.
And he suffered another gaffe Thursday when he said it’s too early to say whether martial law should “continue” in Pakistan, even though martial law was lifted two weeks ago.
Huckabee’s campaign later offered a statement saying “martial law in Pakistan, as a practical matter, should not be viewed as having been completely lifted until the restrictions imposed during that period on the press and judges are removed.”
Such comments could play into the hands of critics who say Huckabee’s light on foreign policy experience. Since recently admitting to reporters that he hadn’t heard about a major report on Iran’s nuclear capabilities, Huckabee has sought to fight that accusation.
Apparently Mike Huckabee feels that in light of the Bhutto assassination that we should not have great fear that Pakistani Immigrants are going to begin a mass exodus across our Mexican and Canadian borders.
Huckabee said the pace of building the border fence had to be accelerated. But Huckabee also made the “observation” that we have “more Pakistani illegals coming across our border than all other nationalities, except those immediately south of the border, and in light of what’s happening in Pakistan, it ought to give us pause as to why are there so many illegals coming across these borders.” He said he was citing numbers he had learned about during a briefing this morning. The campaign has not yet responded to requests for the study Huckabee was referring to.
“Because what I’m afraid is happening – a lot of Americans are watching [the assassination] on television and they don’t think it has any correlation to them and it does. And it’s not just immigration, it’s the instability of the Middle East; it’s the fact that Al Qaeda and the Taliban could in fact be emboldened by their capacity to take out a presidential candidate in a major nation. It’s the increased instability that it creates in Pakistan and how it affects the whole geopolitical balance of that part of the world – it’s all of those things, but it does have an impact on people here in the United States where we need to recognize our borders are not that safe.”
Looking at the journalists, Huckabee said, “You guys live in this world and you swim in this sea everyday. A lot of people, they’re just interested in going to work, coming home, they see this on television [and wonder], how does this touch me? And it does touch them.”
Gotta love that last statement. Who is he to imply that Iowans don’t know anything about the issues in Pakistan. Just because he doesn’t know where Pakistan is, or what’s going on within their country doesn’t mean that he needs to imply that the rest of the American people are as uneducated on the matter.
I’m sure one of his campaign staffers can easily go to —–>Amazon and Purchase one for him (they are only $139.95…I’m sure that he can afford at least that much considering all that money he’s making from his speaking fees while he’s running for President) so he can get up to speed in terms of International Relations and Geography. He seems to be inept in this kind of knowledge.
For example:
Governor Huckabee appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” and once again demonstrated his foreign policy inexperience by claiming that Pakistan’s “eastern borders” are “near Afghanistan.”
GOV. HUCKABEE: People who questioned my view of foreign policy probably need go back and read the speech that I delivered back in Washington in September. I talked about Pakistan and the delicate situation and the fact that at that time when the three people, Sharif, Bhutto, and Musharraf all in the bid for the leadership position, how delicate it was and how while Bhutto probably brought the most pro-American position, both she and Sharif brought essentially centrist and secular perspectives to the government. We have seen what happen in the Musharraf government, he has told us he does not have enough control of those eastern borders near Afghanistan to be able go after the terrorists. But on the other hand, did he not want us going in.
In a post entitled, “Get This Man A Map!,” Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic comments: “Not to pick on Gov. Huckabee, but — again — in times of crises, little details count. Pakistan shares its western border with Afghanistan … Not an eastern border.”
Of course, this gaffe comes after Gov. Huckabee incorrectly implied that martial law was still in effect in Pakistan and offered his “sincere concern and apologies for what has happened in Pakistan.”
As of late, we have seen some really outstanding posts in this blog. For those Iowan voters who are truly seeking truth among the shucksters, I commend the following link. Jeff Fuller literally took many hours to compile these commentaries, each linked to one or more sources. It is easy to see why Jeff is a doctor; a scientist disciplined in the rigors of solid research.
His analysis was cited and direct linked by Hugh Hewitt recently, and that was before Jeff updated the post! What is going to happen in Iowa in less than a week is too important to overlook the content of this post.
PLEASE MAKE THIS VIRAL by clicking on the title above and then placing the URL in an email and sending it to everybody you know who cares about the presidential election.
Mr. Huckabee’s “martial law” gaffe today is inexcusable. I am guessing that we will see Michael Ramirez, and other political cartoonists, running with this tomorrow. Seriously though; is there any American who did not know that martial law had been lifted in Pakistan? It was only front-page news in every newspaper, and I just checked that television stations in Arkansas did carry the news so even if Huckabee did not read a newspaper for days and chose to only watch news on the television, he would have known about this.
Commenting on the Bhutto assassination, Republican Mike Huckabee said in Orlando today that the United States should be “trying to ascertain who’s behind it, and what impact does it have on whether or not there’s going to be martial law continued in Pakistan.”
Martial law was lifted about two weeks ago, leading some to wonder if Huckabee knew that.
It’s not the mistake itself that will raise eyebrowses — it’s Huckabee’s lack of intellectual ease, his lack of felicity, with foreign policy at a critical moment when everyone is paying attention.
Mitt Romney, for example, may have the same degree of experience, but he’s boned up and is much more comfortable answering complicated questions about foreign policy.
What will come out of Huckabee’s mouth next when speaking about a major policy opinion? My guess is that until the Iowa caucuses are over, Mr. Huckabee will do everything in his power to avoid the Q&A sessions. There is a reason President Bush does not like press conferences. We can see why Huckabee will likely avoid them as well.
I’ve had an emotionally turbulent day anyway, it began this morning when I spoke to my dying nephew on the phone as I’m unable to travel to see him before he parts this earth. So, I was already on shaky ground there. Moving forward, when I made the rounds of all my news sources (first stopping at Politico, and then moving on to the ore MSM varieties) I was stunned to hear that Benazir Bhutto had been assassinated. My heart just sunk to hear of it. I guess already being emotional was part of it, but I also believe there was more to it.
I’ve always admired her. I’ve forever had an intense interest in politics and have desired to run for office myself one day, and while I’m not a raging feminist and desire to have female Presidents and Prime Ministers for the sake of having them, I have always loved following female leaders in the world that had the strength, fortitude, and determination to bring about change to this world (I also highly admire Margaret Thatcher and her steel resolve as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom). The thing that set Ms. Bhutto apart from Thatcher though was the fact that she became Prime Minister in of all places Pakistan, a very Muslim Nation where it’s most remarkable that it ever happened. Bhutto had moxie. She was one tough woman. I was delighted to see her return from exile to her home country, and even more happy to see that she was running to be Prime Minister again. I have felt a high level of anger toward the Pakistani government of late. I feel that our once “ally” hasn’t done much to nurture that relationship. I had strong hopes that if Bhutto were to win again that that area of the world had some hope for itself. With her death, things are that much more tumultuous than they were before. To conclude, I wish her husband and three children peace. I hope that someone within her group of supporters can rise up and take on the mantle that she was trying to put forth. Rest in peace Ms. Bhutto you’ll surely be missed by this world.
UPDATE: Read somewhere today that the Huck could sharpen those Foreign Policy Skills with —–>one of these. I think I agree, it quite might be beneficial for the Huck.
UPDATE II: You must check this out from —–>HotAir. Please be sure to check out the comments section, if nothing for comic relief.
Mike Huckabee strode out to the strains of “Right Now” by Van Halen and immediately addressed the Bhutto situation, expressing “our sincere concern and apologies for what has happened in Pakistan.”
He said the assassination is a reminder that here in the US, we are lucky to vote “not with bullets but with ballots,” and said “I guess we are sometimes lulled into failing to appreciate the magnitude” of the democratic process.
I asked him what he would do right now if he were President to tackle the situation. He avoided taking a strong policy position, saying he would offer sincere sympathies to the people of Pakistan, and monitor who’s behind it. When asked what he thinks of the Musharraf government and how it has handled the security situation and aid from the US, he replied, “I think today is not the best day to comment on what the Musharraf government should or shouldn’t have done” though “we need a full accounting of that money.” He was also asked if today’s news highlights why the next President needs to have foreign policy, which he lacks. His response: “I think it’s more important to have the right principles for the American people.”
He made a bad choice of words when saying the U.S. needs to consider “what impact does it have on whether or not there’s going to be martial law continuing in Pakistan.” He should have said whether or not martial law will be reinstated – it was lifted nearly two weeks ago. A minor slip, maybe, but not a subject he wants to mess up on when he is already considered weak in the area of foreign policy.
My 5th Grader could have gave better answers to these questions, and he has special needs (not that I’m knocking those with special needs mind you).
I’ve got to show you some of the comments to this post at From the Road.
Based on his lack of foreign Policy knowledge and history of ignorance in such matters, I wonder if Mr. Huckabee could find Pakistan on a map, let alone know who Benzir Bhutto is, her history and what the significance of her assassination is to U.S. interests and U.S.-Pakistani relations.
He seems to rely more on scripted, one or two sentence soundbites when dealing with matters such as this- indicating a lack of understanding and gravitas in relation to foreign affairs. One example is his offering ”apologies” to the people of Pakistan. What exactly does he mean? Does he realize that this statement will be used by our enemies as indication of possible US culpability in this assassination? A very confusing and intemperate comment at such a critical time.
“our sincere concern and apologies for what has happened in Pakistan.”
I wonder what Huckabee is apologizing for? Is he suggesting that the United States is to blame for he assassination? If he is, I”d be curious to see how this stance affects his campaign.
Governor Mitt Romney: “This points out again the extraordinary reality of global, violent, radical Jihadism. We don’t know who is responsible for this attack, but there’s no question but that the violence that we see throughout the world is violence which is not limited to Iraq and Afghanistan, but is more global in nature. And this type of loss of life points out again the need for our nation and other civilized nations of the West and of the Muslim world to come together to support moderate Islamic leaders and moderate Islamic people and to help them in their effort to reject the violent and the extreme. The world is very much at risk by virtue of these radical, violent extremists, and we must come together in an effort, in great haste and with great earnestness to help overcome the threat of the spread of radical, violent jihad.”
Reporter: “Governor, is there any possibility that General Musharraf might have been involved…”
Governor Romney: “At this stage, we don’t know the nature of this particular attack, and in time we’ll find out. And so at this stage, we can only speculate as to what might have been the source of this particular attack. Of course, attacks have been occurring over the past several weeks in Pakistan, and the turbulence there certainly flows from the instability associated with northwestern Pakistan and the Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in that part of the country.
Reporter: “Given that instability there, does it make you reconsider General Musharraf’s decision to declare martial law and to understand better why he did that perhaps?”
Governor Romney: “I believe it was a mistake. I believe as well that martial law was principally imposed by him to protect himself from a political challenge and a challenge from the Supreme Court and others and believed that it was not a productive course for his nation.”
Reporter: “Have the United States put too much trust in General Musharraf?”
Governor Romney: “I don’t know that we can assess the political process that has been under way in Pakistan to determine exactly where we put our greatest support. Obviously, we have also encouraged a political process which included Madame Bhutto and Mr. Sharif. We have had interest in seeing a progression toward more democratic leadership and governance in Pakistan. Our nation was disappointed with the declaration of martial law, as has been pronounced by the President. So I don’t know that we could make that assessment at this stage.”
Press Release:
Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on today’s tragic events in Pakistan:
“We are still learning the details of today’s tragic events in Pakistan, but this is a stark reminder that America must not only stay on high alert, but remain actively engaged across the globe. Pakistan has long been a key part in the war against extremism and radical jihadists. For those who think Iraq is the sole front in the War on Terror, one must look no further than what has happened today. America must show its commitment to stand with all moderate forces across the Islamic world and together face the defining challenge of our generation – the struggle against violent, radical jihadists.
“At this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers go to the family of Benazir Bhutto, and to all the people of Pakistan who are fighting against extremist forces that would commit such heinous acts as the whole world has witnessed today.”
Not exactly the kind of attention one would want as they’re running for President.
But he was critical of the Bush foreign policy, which he described as “arrogant bunker mentality.”
In the Iranian context, his policy is being interpreted as a change, calling for bringing to the table non-military options as well. Huckabee is of the opinion that relations with Iran deteriorated following Bush’s “axis of evil” speech. In many points his message on Iran is more akin to that of the Democrats: there is a need for dialogue with Iran, and more diplomacy is needed. He quoted the Chinese strategist Sun Tzu, who authored The Art of War 2,500 years ago: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
To the Dear Voters of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Michigan, and Florida,
Do you really want for your President someone who Iran looks to positively? As you caucus and vote in the primaries in the next days and weeks, please keep this in mind!
