comMITTed to Romney!

Chicago’s WGN has obviously struck a nerve in the Obama campaign, judging from the extreme reaction it got to it’s 2 hour program on Obama’s ties to unrepentant Weatherman bomber, Bill Ayers.

To many questions in life, I like to apply what I call the “garden variety common sense test.” If something, after a thorough investigation, just flat out seems to defy common sense, then it is almost a lead pipe cinch that you aught to avoid it like the plague.

If I met someone at a party or some other gathering and started to get to know him by asking him questions about his family, where he went to school, where he worked and what interested him and in the course of the conversation he mentioned that he bombed several Federal buildings during his wild and crazy days as a Weatherman radical and that he only wishes he “could have done more”, the “garden variety common sense test” would tell me to look at my watch and say, “Look at the time, I’ve got to get up early tomorrow. It was good to meet you, enjoy the party.”

That would have been the first and last time I would have spoken to that “gentleman.”

The Obama campaign can moan and groan until the cows come home about how unfair all this criticism is, that it is “guilt by association.” But you know what, there are some people, who are not sorry about their past actions and indeed are proud of what they have done, you just have to walk away from, fast.

Obama did not do that. He sat on boards with this man. Ayers was an early benefactor of Obama’s political career. Obama did not walk away from this man Ayers and on that point alone, he needs to be defeated at the polls this November.

~~John Cronin~~

Chicago Tribune.Com
by John McCormick and Steve Schmadeke, updated

DENVER – Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign organized its supporters Wednesday night to confront Tribune-owned WGN-AM in Chicago for having a critic of the Illinois Democrat on its air.

“WGN radio is giving right-wing hatchet man Stanley Kurtz a forum to air his baseless, fear-mongering terrorist smears,” Obama’s campaign wrote in an e-mail to supporters. “He’s currently scheduled to spend a solid two-hour block from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. pushing lies, distortions, and manipulations about Barack and University of Illinois professor William Ayers.”

Kurtz, a conservative writer, recently wrote an article for the National Review that looked at Obama’s ties to Ayers, a former 1960s radical who later emerged as a school reform advocate in Chicago.
The magazine had been blocked in its initial attempts to obtain records from the University of Illinois at Chicago regarding a school reform initiative called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which Obama chaired and Ayers co-founded.

Obama critics were quick to suggest that political clout could be involved in seeking to protect Obama from embarrassment. The school later reserved its position and made the records available Tuesday.
On Wednesday evening, Obama’s campaign urged supporters to call the radio station to complain.

“Tell WGN that by providing Kurtz with airtime, they are legitimizing baseless attacks from a smear-merchant and lowering the standards of political discourse,” the note said.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that WGN would give a slimy character assassin like Kurtz time for his divisive, destructive ranting on our public airwaves,” the note continued. “At the very least, they should offer sane, honest rebuttal to every one of Kurtz’s lies.”

Zack Christenson, executive producer of “Extension 720 with Milt Rosenburg,” said the response was strong.

Share on Facebook

Share This

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=296780190323947

Surge To Victory

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.

~~John Cronin~~

Share on Facebook

Share This

Following is the opening paragraph to this AP article today:

John McCain accused Mitt Romney of wanting to withdraw troops from Iraq, drawing immediate protest from his Republican presidential rival who said: “That’s simply wrong and it’s dishonest, and he should apologize.”

John McCain coming out to blatantly lie like this smacks of complete desperation. John McCain cannot even remember what he says from day to day (see post just below) and now he is flat out lying about a fellow Republican. His new tactics: When in doubt, just lie.

For those who would like to see Governor Romney’s record on the subject (these are what we call facts), please continue reading:

GOVERNOR ROMNEY ON ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN IRAQ

Governor Romney Criticized Withdrawal Timetables And Instead Talked About Setting Metrics To Measure Progress:

Governor Romney: “You want to have a series of things you want to see accomplished in terms of the strength of the Iraqi military and the Iraqi police and the leadership of the Iraqi government.” (ABC’s “Good Morning America,” 4/3/07)

Governor Romney: “Could you imagine the setting where during the Second World War we said to the Germans, ‘Gee, if we haven’t reached the Rhine by this date why we’ll go home,’ or if we haven’t gotten this accomplished we’ll pull up and leave?” (ABC’s “Good Morning America,” 4/3/07)

Governor Romney Has Warned About Bringing American Troops Home Too Quickly:

Governor Romney: “Well, there’s no question we all want to see our troops home as soon as we can possibly have them home. But we have to recognize that if we bring them home too quickly or in a way which leads to a collapse of the country or perhaps the Iranians grabbing the Shia south or Al-Qaeda playing a dominating role among the Sunnis or a Kurdish population destabilizing the border with Turkey, you could then end up with a regional conflict which would cause Americans to somehow have to get involved again – this time at a much more ugly situation with more casualties.” (”Laura Ingraham Show,” 3/9/07)

Governor Romney: “I Don’t Think We Should Run Our Foreign Policy Based Upon Elections, Election Schedules Or Anything Of That Nature.” “But Mr. Romney said he did not agree with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the New York Democrat, that President Bush needed to resolve the war he started before he left office and not hand it off to his successor, as she said while campaigning in Iowa on Sunday. ‘She can do what she likes – but I take exception to her conclusions,’” Mr. Romney said in an interview while campaigning across this state today. ‘I don’t think we should run our foreign policy based upon elections, election schedules or anything of that nature.’” (Adam Nagourney, “Romney: Clinton’s Wrong About Bush,” The New York Times, 1/29/07)

Governor Romney Has Consistently Said There Must Be “Clear Objectives And Milestones”:

Governor Romney Said There Must Be “Clear Objectives And Milestones” In Iraq. “This effort should be combined with clear objectives and milestones for U.S. and Iraqi leaders.” (Romney For President, “Governor Mitt Romney On Iraq,” Press Release, 1/10/07)

President Bush Has Himself Talked About The Importance Of Setting Benchmarks In Iraq:

President Bush: “Iraq’s Leaders Must Continue To Work To Meet The Benchmarks That Have [Been] Set Forward.” “As we help the Iraqis secure their capital, their leaders are also beginning to meet the benchmarks they have laid out for political reconciliation. … There’s been good progress. There’s a lot more work to be done, and Iraq’s leaders must continue to work to meet the benchmarks that have set forward.” (President George W. Bush, Remarks On The Fourth Anniversary Of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Washington, D.C. 3/19/07)

President Bush “Pleased” Iraqi Government “Meeting Benchmarks.” “I was pleased that he’s meeting benchmarks that he had set out for his government. One of the benchmarks was to move Iraqi troops into the city of Baghdad – troops that will be complemented by our own troops. He is meeting those obligations. A second such benchmark is that he would change the rules of engagement so that criminals, regardless of their religion, would be brought to justice in equal fashion. He is meeting that benchmark. Thirdly, he passed a budget of which $10 billion is available for reconstruction. He said he would do that; the budget has been passed, he has met that benchmark.” (President George W. Bush, Remarks Meeting With Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Ambassador-Designee To Iraq, Washington D.C., 2/16/07)

I am guessing that between now and Tuesday, the day of the Florida primary, that John McCain will try many other desperate tactics against Governor Romney.

~ Vic

Share on Facebook

Share This

Consider these points:

• McCain’s the candidate of amnesty for illegal aliens, (more here)
• McCain supports embryonic stem-cell research
• McCain has said “I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade”.
• McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts, (and still does), and refuses to sign the “No New Taxes” pledge, (more here)..
• McCain supports legislation that would increase taxes on energy.
• McCain was the ring-leader of the Senate “Gang of 14″, which kept the then Senate Republican leadership from ending the ability of Democrats to filibuster Bush’s judicial nominees, (more here).
• McCain supports legislation to grant due-process rights to terrorists.
• McCain sponsored the legislation which restricts free-speech rights of those involved in the political process, (the McCain/Feingold bill)

Share on Facebook

Share This

Following are results of a CNN exit poll conducted in New Hampshire Tuesday among 1,520 voters. Though these results reflect the fact that the majority of voters chose McCain and Romney, there are some very interesting differences, especially where Romney ended ahead of the winner, McCain:

Republican Voters (”Vote by party ID” — excludes independents) chose:

MR — 35%
JM — 34%
MH — 13%
RG — 10%
.
.
All voters chose their candidate as the “Strongest Leader” — This measures the strength of the voters’ choice (in other words, which candidate got the most votes in this category by comparison to the others?):

MR — 86%
MH — 84%
JM — 81%
RG — 55%
.
.
Voters of New Hampshire that strongly oppose civil unions:

MR — 37%
JM — 32%
MH — 11%
RG — 6%
.
.
Very worried about Terrorism:

MR — 39%
JM — 33%
MH — 12%
RG — 10%
.
.
Voters that think the new President should be more conservative than President Bush:

MR — 35%
JM — 31%
MH — 13%
RP — 10%
.
.
The following result was stunning to me. John McCain, the military man came in third! Even McCain supporters are less sold on McCain by comparison to the other voters. And Giuliani 4th at 58%? What about his “9/11″ credentials?
All voters chose their candidate as the “Best Commander in Chief” — This measures the strength of the voters’ choice (in other words, which candidate got the most votes in this category by comparison to the others?):

MR — 94%
MH — 89%
JM — 78%
RG — 58%
.
.
Conservative Voters chose:

MR — 38%
JM — 30%
MH — 12%
RG — 8%
.
.

Check the gap here between Governors Romney and Huckabee:

Very Conservative Voters chose:

MR — 43%
MH — 19%
JM — 18%
RP — 7%
.
.
Voters that think this candidate shares their values:

MR — 38%
MH — 22%
JM — 16%
RP — 12%

See link in the opening paragraph for many more results. These are but few of many very interesting numbers. Governor Romney was the strongest candidate in many of the voters’ minds.

~ Vic

SMALL DOLLARS COUNT BIG — Please Contribute Here to Governor Romney’s Campaign

Share on Facebook

Share This

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.

—–>Killed Bhutto’s body flown home.

Share on Facebook

Share This

Hugh Hewitt does an excellent job recapping why McCain’s campaign was on life support only a month or two ago only to have been resurrected by the MSM.

On McCain Feingold:

First, they have to forget that the fundraising advantage the GOP built to counter the Dems’ union juggernaut was overthrown by the McCain-Feingold campaign finance “reform,” and done so in an unconstitutional fashion, proving not only McCain’s indifference to the party’s success but also to the idea of Free Speech. This bust of a bill also unleashed the 527s on the land, guaranteeing even more secretive and dirty pool politics. Senator McCain’s signal legislative achievement turns out to be deeply flawed constitutionally and counterproductive of its announced goals.

On the Bush Tax Cuts and Federal Marriage Amendment:

Economic conservatives will also have to have their memories erased of Senator McCain’s votes against the Bush tax cuts.

The neuralyzer will also have to get to the social conservatives and erase the memory of John McCain’s votes against the Federal Marriage Amendment.

On the McCain-Kennedy amnesty bill:

The biggest issues for many Republican voters center on immigration and border security. These voters will have to be persuaded to forget John McCain’s ill-fated attempted jam down on immigration which McCain ally Lindsey Graham forced through the Judiciary Committee. Not remembering the bill is a bit of a big order since it was known as McCain-Kennedy and was widely understood by conservatives to be tantamount to amnesty.

On National Security:

National security conservatives will have to agree to set aside the fact that McCaiin’s grandstanding on the issue of the treatment of unlawful combatants in September 2006 derailed the entire GOP’s endgame agenda heading into the elections. The Senate leadership and the White House had agreed on a careful series of legislative propositions on the Gitmo detainees and on surveillance protocols for use when watching terrorists abroad communicating with their allies inside the U.S., an agenda which also included some crucial judicial nominations like the still stalled one of Peter Keisler to the D.C. Circuit of Appeals, an agenda which would have done much to recapture the sense of momentum the upper chamber and the GOP as a whole had lost and which would have focused the public on the war and the role of intelligence gathering in it. Senators McCain and Graham smashed up the entire plan and the Senate majority was erased a few weeks later.

On Conservative Judicial Nominations:

And all conservatives will have to set aside their deep, deep anger over John McCain’s Gang of 14 coup that ended the hopes of restoring decency, order and constitutional process to the judicial confirmation process.

Recall what had happened: Serial filibusters were staged by Dems against many Bush nominees throughout 2003 and 2004. The GOP and the president campaigned on the issue of the judges throughout the elections of 2004, and won a 55 seat Senate majority in part on the strength of the outrage on the issue. Majority Leader Frist set about organizing a strategy –the Constitutional Option or Nuclear Option– which anticipated that a ruling would be requested from the Senate Chair –the Vice President– on whether or not a filibuster could be used against a judicial nominee. At least 50 of the GOP’s 55 senators were pledged to support the chair. A crucial and long-lasting victory would have been won and a principle established.

Days before the vote and the end of the filibusters, John McCain engineered a deal with six other Republicans and seven Democrats which threw some fine nominees under the bus in exchange for a temporary abandonment by Democrats of filibusters against some Bush nominees. The shock and outrage at McCain among conservatives at this awful deal was of a intensity that has rarely been matched. John McCain in effect undid the vote of 2004, compromised away an issue he had not been asked to lead on and on which millions of Republican voters had voted and for which they had contributed. Millions of Republicans care deeply about judges. John McCain did not. He could not allow Majority Leader Frist his victory, but in sabotaging Frist, he sunk his own candidacy. The one issue on which all three core GOP constituencies agree is the importance of originalists on the bench. It was obvious amid the wreckage brought about by the Gang of 14 that John McCain didn’t care about the courts. He cared about John McCain.

By contrast, here’s why I’m supporting Mitt Romney for President.

Please help!

Share on Facebook

Share This

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.”

Share on Facebook

Share This

As we approach the primary voting season, there are more and more new folks finding their way to our humble blog. The information I found on this blog was extremely helpful to me as I assessed the various candidates in search of “the One.” As such, I thought it would be fitting for me to share why I am a staunch supporter of Governor Mitt Romney in his run for the White House.

In a nutshell, Mitt Romney is the only “full-spectrum” Conservative who can rally the support of all three wings of the Reagan coalition, namely, Social, Economic, and Foreign Policy Conservatives.

For a full treatment of Mitt Romney’s positions, I would refer you to his comprehensive policy book “Vision for a Strong America.” Let me summarize here, however, the highlights across the major issues:

• Foreign Policy
o War against Islamic Fascism: We are engaged in a multi-front war which will require using all of our military, economic, and diplomatic might to win; we must defeat the terrorists and those who aid and abet them as well as help the Muslim people enter the 21st century (click here and here)
o Iraq and Afghanistan: The surge is working and we must do what it takes to help Iraq and Afghanistan become stable democratic allies in the war on Islamic Fascism and support our troops (click here and here)
o Iran: Iran must not be allowed to become a nuclear state; diplomacy and economic sanctions are critical, but may not be enough; the military option must remain on the table (click here)
o Military: Need to increase defense spending to a minimum of 4% of GDP to make sure our armed forces have the equipment they need in the field and the support the need back home; the best ally of peace is a strong America (click here and here)

• Economic Policy
o Taxes: We need to keep the Bush tax cuts permanent, eliminate the Death Tax, and cut taxes on capital gains, dividends, and interest to zero for the Middle Class (click here, and here)
o Spending: We need to restrain Federal spending and close the deficit; will veto any budget where non-defense discretionary spending growth exceeds inflation minus 1%; Need to give the President a line-item veto; Strong track record of financial management from Massachusetts where he closed a $3B deficit and turned it into a $1B surplus without raising taxes; carry out a comprehensive review of government spending to increase efficiency and effectiveness (click here and here)
o Entitlements reform: Maintain benefits for current Seniors, but institute fundamental reforms combining slowing the rate of increase for benefits based on income, extending the retirement age, individual retirement accounts, and no tax increases (click here)
o Healthcare: Mitt Romney is the only candidate on either side of the aisle who implemented a universal health care plan; He covered all of the citizens of Massachusetts using market-based insurance without raising taxes; Governor Romney advocates a Federalist state-by-state approach to make health insurance more affordable for everyone (click here)
o Globalization: Continue to trade around the world but make sure we negotiate level playing fields in foreign markets and upgrade American competitiveness through investments in education and innovation (click here and here)

• Culture and Values
o Illegal immigration: Control the border first and turn of the “magnets” that attract illegal immigrants by implementing an employment verification system, no special path for illegal immigrants to become citizens (i.e. no amnesty), no sanctuary cities, increased enforcement by local police agencies (click here, here, and here)
o Traditional marriage: In favor of amending the constitution to keep marriage defined as between a man and a woman; fought the Massachusetts Supreme Court to prevent the state from becoming a destination for same-sex couples looking for marriage licenses (click here and here and here)
o Life: Much has been made of Governor Romney’s switch from being Pro-Abortion to Pro-Life; This is a critical issue for me; I have heard many times why he made this change, and I believe him; I believe that Mitt Romney will fight for the rights of the unborn and be a great leader in supporting Life (click here, here, and here)

The choice of a nominee and President, however, is not strictly a “right-brained” decision based on policy statements and positions. There needs to be something inspirational about a candidate whether it’s the way that they speak to a crowd, interact one on one, or something about their personal story that sets them apart.

Experiencing Mitt through articles and videos really helped seal the deal for me. Below, I have listed some of what I would consider the best of the best articles and videos that helped me come to the decision to support Mitt actively. I’m sure I’m missing some great material, but there is a lot down below. I would encourage you to click through as much of this as you can, and if you have a favorite that wasn’t listed, please leave a link in the comments!

Key videos, speeches, appearances, and articles:
• Articles
o Romney to the Rescue (Newsmax) – Great overview of Mitt Romney
o National Review’s endorsement of Mitt Romney
o The House that Mitt Built (Private Equity International) – Behind the scenes view of how Mitt ran Bain Capital and his leadership style
o The Making of Mitt Romney (Boston Globe) – Reasonably balanced biography of each of the major phases of Mitt’s life starting from his youth through today
o Consultant in Chief (Wall Street Journal) – Interview of Mitt where he talks about how he would fix the Federal Government
o For Romney & Company, Campaign is all Business (NY Times) – How Mitt runs his campaign and what it would mean for his Presidency
o Evangelicals for Mitt statement of support
o Mark DeMoss on why Evangelicals should support Mitt
o Ann Romney Opens Up (People Magazine) – Great interview with Ann; she would be a fantastic First Lady!

• Speeches
o “Faith in America” – Seminal address on the role of religious faith and liberty in our nation
o Address to the Value Voters Summit – Seminal address on culture and value issues
o Iowa Straw Poll victory speech
o Highlights from the Republican debates (click 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th)
o Speech at CPAC 2007 – One of Mitt’s first major addresses to the leading grassroots gathering of Conservatives; one of his best speeches in my opinion
o Presidential Campaign Announcement – Mitt announcing that he’s running and why he’s running

• Campaign videos
o Biographical overview video of Mitt Romney (click part I, II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII)
o “Path to Victory” webcast – Mitt and Meg Whitman (CEO of eBay) discussing the 2007 campaign and discussing the plan for 2008
o Retrospective of Governor Romney’s campaign in 2007
o Online “Ask Mitt Anything” – For those of us who don’t live in an early primary state, Mitt held an online town hall meeting which provides a really good overview of his key positions
o Christmas 2006 – Behind the scenes look at the Romney family and how they made the decision together that Mitt should run for President; cynics have criticized this video as contrived, but I love the fact that he has held his family together while achieving such exceptional success; you can’t fake this stuff

• Media appearances
o Mitt on Jim Cramer of CNBC’s Mad Money – Great interview by Jim Cramer where he calls Mitt the “Best businessman in America”
o Mitt on ABC News talking about Ann – Great interview of Mitt where he discusses what he loves so much about Ann
o Mitt on Meet the Press – Tim Russert throws everything he’s got plus the kitchen sink at Mitt who proceeds to address each point in a clear, classy, and compelling way

• My favorite TV spots
o “Searched” – Compelling true story of how Mitt Romney shut down Bain Capital and moved all the employees to NYC to search for and find the daughter of one of his partners
o “Choice: Judgment” – Striking contrast ad highlighting Mike Huckabee’s 1,033 pardons and clemencies (more than 2x his three predecessors) vs. zero from Mitt Romney
o “Choice: The Record” – Ad contrasting Mitt’s record on illegal immigration vs. Mike Huckabee’s record of supporting tax payer funded scholarships and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants
o “Not Politically Correct” – Mitt’s record supporting life, English immersion education, and traditional marriage
o “Experience Matters” – Ad highlighting the lack of real world, executive experience on the part of Hillary Clinton (and equally applicable to the other Democrats)
o “Ready for Action” – Summary of Governor Romney’s stump speech in 60 seconds; user-generated ad based on a contest that was run back in September
o “Our Home” – Some precious footage of Mitt playing with his children and grandchildren; focuses on the importance of strengthening our families
o “Leadership” and “Energy” – I just love the images of Mitt jogging through the backwoods and the focus on his track record in business; I think he’s the only politician I’ve seen jogging where it looked like he was actually in shape…not just a photo op
o “Ocean” – Ad lamenting the degradation of our culture and Mitt’s thoughts on how he would like to address it; as a parent this one really resonated with me
o “Tested, Proven” – One of his early ads highlighting his track record in Massachusetts
o “I Like Vetoes” – Ad highlights his track record of vetoing excessive spending; no doubt in my mind that he’ll control spending after seeing this ad and other times when he has addressed this topic

Finally, it is one thing to support Mitt with your vote, but I’d like to ask you to consider supporting Mitt in a more active way. Like many of you, I had always followed politics, but never became active in politics (other than voting) until this year in support of Governor Romney.

This year is different. First, this is arguably the most consequential election in over twenty years. The challenges and issues that will be faced by our next President will have far reaching ramifications for our children and grandchildren.

Additionally, we face a set of candidates on the Republican side who represent vastly different positions and perspectives, some of whom threaten to tear asunder the Reagan coalition that has served us so well. Whether it is the socially liberal and sanctuary city defending Rudy Giuliani, the divisive, theocratic, soft on crime and illegal immigration, and fiscally populist Mike Huckabee, or the McCain Feingold, “Gang of 14”, and pro-Amnesty John McCain, there are clear differences in the way that each of these individuals would take the Republican Party.

If you’ve found this persuasive, please do whatever you can to support Mitt Romney’s candidacy. If you’re from Iowa, please caucus for Mitt (get more information here). Winning Iowa is job one between now and January 3.

If you are not from Iowa, please stay informed by checking in here at Elect Romney in 2008 every day. Make a donation to help Mitt win the media air war. Put on a bumper sticker or put up a yard sign (get them here). And most importantly, talk with your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors about why you’re supporting Mitt Romney! Personal testimonials from trusted individuals are by far the most effective ways to gain more supporters for Mitt!

If you still have questions or remain unconvinced, leave a comment and we’ll do our best to answer your question. Or better yet, if you are also a Mitt supporter, leave a comment telling us why! Thank you for reading!

Share on Facebook

Share This

Giuliani Partners, the Rudy Giuliani’s company has made a fortune working out of the Mideast. Of all the places in the world Giuliani could have gone to provide its services in the world, it chose a nation that has close ties with terrorist, terrorism, and questionable characters.

These excerpts are taken out of context throughout a rather long article. Giuliani’s association with these folks sure makes one wonder what more there is to know. Click here to read the entire article online ——> Rudy’s Ties to a Terror Sheikh

This article is also high-lighted here —–> The Corner on National Review Online — You can bet there are lots of journalists digging on these stories. It will be interesting to observe how this plays out in the next few weeks.

But there was another reason to think twice about accepting al-Thani’s generosity that Giuliani had to have been aware of, even as he heaped praise on the emir. Al Jazeera, the Arabic news network based in Qatar (pronounced “Cutter”), had been all but created by al-Thani, who was its largest shareholder. The Bush administration was so upset with the coverage of Osama bin Laden’s pronouncements and the U.S. threats to bomb Afghanistan that Secretary of State Colin Powell met the emir just hours before Giuliani’s on-air endorsement and asked him to tone down the state-subsidized channel’s Islamist footage and rhetoric. The six-foot-eight, 350-pound al-Thani, who was pumping about $30 million a year into Al Jazeera at the time, refused Powell’s request, citing the need for “a free and credible media.” The administration’s burgeoning distaste for what it would later brand “Terror TV” was already so palpable that King—hardly a newsman—asked the emir if he would help “spread the word” that the U.S. was “not targeting the average Afghan citizen.” Al-Thani ignored the question—right before Giuliani rushed in to praise him again.

In retrospect, Giuliani’s embrace of the emir appears peculiar. But it was only a sign of bigger things to come: the launching of a cozy business relationship with terrorist-tolerant Qatar

In other words, as incredible as it might seem, Rudy Giuliani—whose presidential candidacy is steeped in 9/11 iconography—has been doing business with a government agency run by the very man who made the attacks on 9/11 possible.

Peter Boyer, whose New Yorker profile of Giuliani appeared this August, quoted D’Amuro and Giuliani about the expertise and work of Ali Soufan, an Arabic-speaking Lebanese-American who also left the FBI to become the international director of Giuliani Security. Both D’Amuro and Giuliani said that Soufan, the lead investigator in the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, had been spending “most of his time” in a Persian Gulf country that is a Giuliani client. Boyer didn’t identify the country, but another source familiar with Soufan’s assignment has confirmed that Soufan has, until recently, been based in Qatar. “The firm has helped the country with training, and with a revamping of its security infrastructure,” Boyer wrote. “The locale is an ideal listening post for someone whose expertise is unraveling the tangle of international terror.”

On December 1, the day before Giuliani arrived, the emir’s special guests at the lavish opening, attended by 55,000, were Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and Syrian president Bashar Assad, all of whom are Qatar allies and were pictured sitting together on television. Giuliani’s presence that weekend wasn’t noted in news coverage at the time, even though his firm had apparently provided security advice for an event that included Ahmadinejad, whose country Giuliani has since promised to “set back five years” should it pursue its nuclear program.

All of this evidence of Qatar’s role as a facilitator of terrorism—reaching even to the emir himself—was reported well before Giuliani Partners began its business there “around 2005.” Yet even the New York Times story, filled with quotes from Giuliani’s friend Freeh, didn’t deter him. Nor did the firm’s retention of D’Amuro and Soufan, two ex-FBI counterterrorism experts who certainly knew the terror landscape of Qatar.

Also in 2004, Michael Knights, an analyst at the Washington Institute who works with the Defense Department, wrote that a “Wahhabi clique” tied to extremists “is still in charge [in Qatar], and seeded the security establishment with personnel of their choosing.” But even this strong, specific warning didn’t deter Giuliani Partners’ interest in Qatar.

Presumably, Giuliani’s rationale for doing business there was that Qatar had become an American ally

Giuliani Partners, however, has a world of choices, quite literally. Some American companies who do business in Qatar, like Shell and ExxonMobil, have to chase the gas and oil wherever they are. But a consulting company with instant name recognition like Giuliani’s—and which claims to carefully vet its clients—can be both profitable and selective. Moreover, it’s the only American company known to be providing security advice to Qatar; the rest hail from Singapore, Australia, and France. A company headed by a man who has known that he would make this presidential run for years—and with 9/11 as its rationale—could have chosen to make his millions elsewhere. Especially a candidate who divides the world into good guys and bad guys, claims that this war is a “divine” mission, and shuns complexity. For that kind of a candidate, Qatar may become one Giuliani contradiction too many.

~ Vic

Please Help Mitt Get His Message Out —-> MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

“If you’re afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again.”

– Ronald Reagan

More »

Share on Facebook

Share This

TO THE MILITARY SERVICE MEN & WOMEN WHO VISIT THIS SITE: See request at the end of this post.

At the end of the debate last night, I recalled a great article I read earlier this year, written by a USMC officer. Before I give my opinion as to why this article below came to mind, consider my thoughts on John McCain:

1) In all sincerity, I am personally grateful for his incredible service to my nation, 2) he epitomizes every attribute of “hero”, a word overused today, and 3) I consider him a military expert.

Those who know me well know that when it comes to our men and women of the armed forces serving our nation, my emotions are close to the surface. Our family lives next to the largest USMC base in the U.S. and we bump into the wonderful Marines and their families all the time in local stores, restaurants, and parks.

But frankly, and as my kids would say, I am so over John McCain! I am tired of hearing John McCain tell Americans and presidential candidates how he is the only person who knows how to be “commander in chief” of the armed forces by virtue of his distinguished military career. I may be wrong in my perception here, but he has this, my-experience-as-a-never-give-up-naval-aviator-officer-POW-never-let-the-troops-down attitude that obviously comes across as condescending to his peers. In my opinion, aside from the drawback of being a Washington, D.C. bureaucrat, he often comes across as a single-issue candidate. We have had many great presidents in this country who never served in the military, many of whom were far better leaders than presidents with prior military experience. And the more McCain thinks he is superior to his peers, the angrier he appears! As a leader, he is a plodder.

Well guess what? Governor Romney, as an experienced, tough leader, is multi-faceted and is skilled in the art of executive leadership in ways that John McCain can only dream of. There is absolutely no question in my mind that Mitt Romney would be a far superior leader in every way that Americans demand of a competent President. When considering every character and leadership trait of those on that stage last night, not one person has the experience, depth of skills, or talent comparable to Governor Romney. Period.

The following article was published March 16, 2007 at UnionLeader.com

[emphasis is mine]

By MICHAEL MOFFETT
Another View

JOHN MCCAIN is one of my heroes.

Read Robert Timberg’s account of McCain’s prisoner of war experience in “The Nightingales’ Song” and try not to be moved.

Like so many of my fellow veterans, I enthusiastically supported McCain’s 2000 Presidential bid, which saw him win a decisive victory over George W. Bush in the New Hampshire primary.

Sen. McCain remains one of my heroes. But I now believe former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the man who should serve as our next commander in chief.

The reasons are many, and they include the impressive analysis of the international situation that Romney articulated after his trip to Asia earlier this year. I expect that as the months go by, many of my fellow veterans will join me in supporting a Romney candidacy in 2008.

No prospective President can come close to offering the diverse record of executive leadership that Romney can.

While McCain has been doing important work in Congress for many years, Romney has run a successful billion dollar business, saved the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and served as the Republican chief executive of one of the country’s most Democratic states. His exemplary record of accomplishment is too lengthy to begin to mention here, but as Americans learn more and more about this extraordinary man they will increasingly like what they see.

There is no substitute for executive leadership experience — a background that one just can’t get in our national legislature, where McCain has but one of 535 votes.

While a senator can lead in different ways, it’s less clear where McCain might lead us, based on so many statements and actions over recent years.

Take some of his sponsored legislation — like the proposed McCain-Kennedy bill which revisits earlier mistakes on dealing with immigration.

It was Ted Kennedy’s support for the 1965 bill that helped create many of the problems we have today. And the 1986 “reform” simply set the stage for current flood of illegals across our borders.

Or the McCain-Feingold bill. This misplaced effort at campaign finance reform has split Americans and the Supreme Court, while expanding federal regulation and abridging First Amendment freedoms.

There are folks who place great faith in expanding government. They’re called Democrats.

Our Republican standard bearer should be someone who remains true to our important principles of limited government while celebrating individual responsibility and personal liberty.

Mitt Romney is such a person.

Romney’s challenge is to better inform Americans about who he is. I expect that he will make it clear he is a man of strong faith, and most will see we share the same values and vision for our country. His wonderful Reaganesque communication skills should enable him to explain his positions on all issues. And most importantly, his true record of achievement needs to be made clear to Americans in the face of the inevitable obfuscation that marks our political process.

There’s plenty of time for this. And when the dust settles next year, I believe that Americans — veterans and non-veterans alike — will embrace this remarkable man to be our next commander in chief.

John McCain will always remain a hero. But Mitt Romney should be our next President.

Michael Moffett is a professor at NHTI-Concord. He is a member of The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Moffett served as a Marine lieutenant colonel infantry officer during Desert Storm and later served on Gen. Tommy Franks’ operations staff at United States Central Command.

(the top photograph of Governor Romney was made by Lieutenant Colonel Martin Moerschell, USAF, via Department of Defense)

To our military men and women serving in America and abroad: We know many of you are visiting this site from places like Kuwait, Iraq, the Philippines, Afghanistan, etc. If you would like to submit a statement as to why you have decided to support Governor Romney for President, please send the email statement to me directly from your military email address, with permission to publish the statement, and I will post it in this blog. If you wish to remain anonymous, I will honor that as long as you send the email from your military email address. Please provide information about yourself such as rank, line of service (Army, Navy…), current service location, hometown, name, etc. Send me a photograph if you like and I will post it as well.

Most of all, on behalf of this blog’s contributors and all Romney supporters and visitors to this site, we honor you. We thank you for your service and the sacrifices you and your families are making for us. God bless you during this Thanksgiving and Christmas season. You are in the personal and family prayers of millions of Americans.

Please pass along my email address to those with whom you serve who would like to submit a statement as to why they plan to support and vote for Governor Romney as our next Commander in Chief. Please submit your statement and photograph (optional) to —–> vic.lundquist@gmail.com

~ Vic

“We sleep peacefully at night, cradled by the big strong hands of America.”

– Val Saintsbury

“Our great modern Republic. May those who seek the blessings of its institutions and the protection of its flag remember the obligations they impose.”

– Ulysses S. Grant

Share on Facebook

Share This

The quote that caught my eye was in an article that dealt with the Middle East Peace Conference that is being held in Annapolis as the Bush administration tries to establish it’s legacy of a major breakthrough on the “road map to peace.”

MR is characteristically honest as he expresses some hope for progress, but tempers it with the reality that unless the people on the other side of the table can start to manage their own affairs, there is little reason to believe that they can manage the affairs of others.

The article says the exchange took place during a Q&A at the end of a Romney campaign appearance.

“In a fitting end to the weekend, the last question that Romney took was to the point: ‘”What would he say to someone who wanted to support Giuliani because the former mayor was more likely to defeat Hillary Rodham Clinton in a general election?”

‘”I don’t think he can,”‘ Romney answered to applause.”

‘”I think to beat Hillary you’ve got to be different than Hillary……You’ve got to be pro-life, and you have to be anti-illegal immigration, and you have to be pro-family, and you have to have high ethical standards in the history of your administration. You have to stand up and say you are different. I just don’t think we can win the White House and defeat Hillary Clinton by acting like Hillary Clinton.”‘

That’s the kind of talk that will win this election. If I wanted to see Hillary Clinton’s policies enacted, I’d vote for Giuliani.

But since I don’t want to see that happen, I’ll vote for Mitt Romney and I encourage all of our readers to vote for Mitt, too.

~~John Cronin~~

Share on Facebook

Share This

In the past few days we have all observed a resumption of the defeatist talk among some segments of the Evangelical Right that basically says, “Give us a fantasy candidate who is absolutely perfect in all his ways and who has been absolutely perfect in all his ways since birth, or else we’re bolting the ranks and going third party.”

The Clinton “war room” operatives must be rolling on the floor with laughter at the prospect that the religious right is contemplating shooting itself in the foot, again.

Polling research has shown that in the 2006 election some of the evangelical right “sat out the election” in protest of the corruption of some members of Congress and the general policy drift of the Bush administration. It’s one thing to be unhappy with the performance of our elected officials in Washington but it is something far worse to “sit out an election” and let the left populate Congress with people who have already said they will insure a defeat in Iraq, appoint pro-abortion judges to the SCOTUS, raise our taxes and in general do everything they can to remake the United States of America into a dreary European socialist state.

One of our readers asked this question in the comments section: “Will we allow a Clinton victory by default because of our religious bias against an LDS candidate?” (paraphrased)

I hope the answer to that question is a resounding NO!

As a member of that segment of the electorate that identifies itself as the religious right, I can tell you that Mitt Romney has the values and the policies that I want to see in the White House. I have followed MR’s candidacy very closely and I can not think of one of his major positions that I do not agree with.
How perfect does that man have to be to please some of these folks who are threatening to bolt the Republican Party and thereby roll out the red carpet for Hillary and her minions as they march into Washington and systematically destroy everything we have worked for over the course of this past decade. If we lose this election, Hillary gets to nominate the next couple of Supreme Court justices. If you are a conservative and that doesn’t scare the hell out of you, then you just haven’t been paying attention for the last 15 years or so.

If we lose this election, there will almost certainly be a humanitarian disaster in Iraq, a power vacuum in the Middle East that will be filled by Iran, they will control the oilfields and our economy will return to a level it hasn’t seen since the Depression.

I know some will say that I am being a alarmist, all these things didn’t happen when Bill Clinton was president. Bill Clinton was president before 911 and he treated terrorist attacks as crimes, not as acts of war. He wanted to issues arrest warrants for criminals who hid in caves in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Many people have made the case that it was Bill Clinton and his feckless response to the Trade Tower bombing in 1993 and his abject failure to take Osama Bin Laden out when we had him in the cross hairs and his lobbing of cruise missiles at empty aspirin factories that led the Jihadists to the conclusion that America is a paper tiger that can be attacked with glee and abandon.

I might also point out that Hillary’s bungled health care initiative that proposed to commandeer 17% of the GDP and turn it into another socialistic bureaucratic quagmire helped pave the way for Newt Gingrich and his supporters to wrest control of Congress from the Democrats for the first time in 50 years. So, the reason all these terrible things I have alluded to didn’t happen in the Clinton administration is that there was a vibrant, loyal opposition to this president and his zany proposals (and his wife’s zany proposals). If we lose anything like the numbers that are currently being predicted, then that “vibrant, loyal opposition” will not exist this time to put the brakes on an out of control Washington.

It’s time to leave the fantasy realm and return to the reality realm and to realize that Mitt Romney is our very best hope to keep the White House in conservative hands.

~~John Cronin~~

Share on Facebook

Share This

This post does not mention Gov. Romney. I am including this article for these reasons.:

1. It is outstanding,
2. It encapsulates well the the overall picture in Iraq, from beginning of the war to present,
3. It is essential reading in understanding the dynamics involved in Iraq, and
4. It helps us to understand what Gov. Romney knows and faces as President.

Click —->  The Hearts and Minds of Those in Iraq

~ Vic