"When I was a United States Senator"

There's been a lot going around the net the last few days on yet another "nuanced" or "inartful" position statement by Barack Obama (D-IL) on Iraq.

Apparently he's not going to bring the troops home in 16 months after all.  You can read about it everywhere.  I'm not going to bother to link.

But here's the comment he made that got me:

I wasn't saying anything I hadn't said before, that I didn't say a year ago or when I was a United States senator.

And people criticize George W. Bush (R-USA) for being arrogant?  Has the Presidential election happened already and I missed it? Shouldn't the state of Illinois hold a special election or appoint a replacement or something? I wouldn't want them to feel like they're not getting their due representation in Congress.

This man should not be allowed to speak without a teleprompter. And yes, I realize the irony of such a statement coming from a GWB supporter.

Barack Obama: Change We Can Believe In

Memo to Barack Obama: Never use a preposition to end a sentence (or phrase) with.

But that's not really my point here.

The point is that I really like this slogan. I think it's  a great one for him.

Why?

Because I can definitely believe in change when it concerns Barack Obama.  You can guarantee that if he says something today with absolute certainty, that he'll change his opinion on it tomorrow.

And more and more people are starting to notice. Even Markos Moulitsas (of Daily Kos):

Maybe what looks like cowering to me is really part of that "moving to the center" stuff everyone keeps talking about. But there is a line between "moving to the center" and stabbing your allies in the back out of fear of being criticized. And, of late, he's been doing a lot of unecessary stabbing, betraying his claims of being a new kind of politician. Not that I ever bought it, but Obama is now clearly not looking much different than every other Democratic politician who has ever turned his or her back on the base

Expect more and more "politics as usual" from this "new kind of politician" as the campaign continues.

Barack Obama: Change We Can Believe In.

GOP Can Take White House and Congress - In 2008

I know what you're thinking.  He's lost his mind.

I didn't say they would.  Merely that they could.  Bear with me.

Certainly, the Republicans in Washington, D.C. have done very little to encourage such a belief.  To be honest, if the election were held today, I wouldn't vote for my own Republican Congressman. My Republican Senator isn't up for re-election this year, but if he were, and again, if the election were held today, he wouldn't be receiving my vote either.

So, just to make you certain that I am aware of the uphill battle Republicans face, let me lay it out for you:

1. Attitudes like mine are not uncommon among the party base.
2. The Democratic Party has a huge cash edge.
3. Americans are focused on the economy, and that always helps the Democratic Party
4. The War in Iraq (despite it's success), continues to be an albatross around the necks of Republicans
5. George W. Bush's (R-USA) horrible poll numbers hurt can not be encouraging to Republicans either.

So, how can I possibly say that Republicans have a chance to win big in November?

To paraphrase James Carville and Bill Clinton:

It's the price of gas, stupid.

Let me play radio talk show host for a moment and give you a few carefully selected facts:

1. 77 percent of Americans believe that the government is to blame for the high cost of gas.
2. 74 percent of likely voters support oil drilling off the U.S. coast.
3. 65 percent of Americans "reject spending even a penny more for gasoline in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions"
4. 50 percent of Americans now support drilling in ANWR.
5. A plurality (47 percent to 45 percent) now say that drilling is more important than conservation/regulation.

These are all issues where the Democratic Party in Congress is on the wrong side.  On the top three, the Democratic Party is overwhelmingly on the wrong side.  And you can expect the numbers for #4 and #5 to rise as the summer goes on if gas prices continue to rise.

This is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Republicans.

I've said before that they need a new version of the Contract with America.  Right now they can do a very simple one.  A contract with one and only one item.

Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less.

It's time to push the Democrats to the wall on this issue.  Let your Republican Congressmen, Senators, and Candidates know that you want them to "Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less."

I realize this blog has become sort of a one-trick pony lately with my endless discussions of gasoline and energy independence.  I'll repeat why:

It's the price of gas, stupid.

Now if the Republicans on Capitol Hill can only figure that out.

BlackFive Compares McCain and Obama's Character

From Jimbo's post today:

John McCain [(R-AZ)] was so loyal to the men he was imprisoned with he endured torture on their behalf.

Barack Obama [(D-IL)] associates with those who can help his career, and throws them right under the bus when they become inconvenient to his aspirations.

Yes, there are a lot of areas where John McCain and I are not in agreement (more on this in a future post), but there's no doubting his honor.  This was something that the left never understood about John Kerry (D-MA) and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. They nominated a "military man" and a "war hero", thinking that this would finally shut up all the people on the right who criticize the left's dedication to the military.  They also thought they'd have a strong weapon against George W. Bush's National Guard service.

The problem was they nominated a man without honor.  Honor is important in America. At least it is if you're not decidedly left-of-center. The Swift Vets made America question, not only whether John Kerry was in fact a "war hero", but also cast serious doubts about his "honor" (note that people who followed John Kerry's entire life never had any doubts on this matter).

Neither John McCain's honor or his war hero status can be debated.  Once again, the left doesn't get that. They think that if it was fair to criticize John  Kerry's service, then it's fair to criticize John McCain's.  Because there's no doubt that he was in a POW camp for 5 years, and little doubt that his behavior their was beyond reproach.  And, while all service, no matter how long or where is something we should honor and respect, it seems that there's likely a big difference between 5 years in a POW camp and 3 months on a boat.

Once again, the Democrats have followed a winning formula. The "war hero" thing didn't work for them so they've gone back to the "anti-war" candidate.  But they're sticking to their guns on the honor thing.  He's making it almost a daily event to throw someone else under the bus, Rev. Wright, the Trinity Church, and Samantha Power, just to name a few. By November, there may be so many people under Obama's bus that they need a bigger bus.

The only "change" in Obama's politics are the faces of those around him, as more and more "turnover" occurs in the name of political expediency. Is it worse to have these associations? Or worse  to dump them when the going gets rough?  Neither are good, but, as I've said before, I'd have more respect for the man if he stuck by his longtime friends.

More and more, the Obama campaign is showing itself to be "politics as usual".

Gas Prices

Found this online:

Of course, that's absolutely true, as I've noted here before.

However, the UFCW is missing part of the story, someone please let them know.

Price of gas in America in January, 2001 (George W. Bush (R-USA) takes office): $1.46.

Price of gas in America in January, 2007 (Democratic Party takes Congress): $2.31.

Things that make you go, "hmmm".

With This Groundswell Of Support...

...maybe I should run. This is how they got Fred Thompson, too.

Gotcha! :)

InstaPundit Comments On "Swift Boating"

A good comment on the "swift boating of John McCain" is here.

I must disagree with charges that McCain is being "Swift Boated." For this to be a "Swift Boating," people who stayed at the Hanoi Hilton would have to say that McCain was lying about what he did there -- or perhaps that his repeated claims that events there were "seared, seared" in his memory are false, and he was never actually there at all -- and those people would have to be telling the truth.

Or as a friend of mine puts it:

swift boat (v.i.): to tell the truth about a Democrat.

As Glenn would put it:  Heh.

Americans Blame Congress For High Gas Prices

And Americans are right. As I've detailed here, several times.

Consumer Reports has a survey which showed:

that 77 percent of consumers single out the government's failure to implement an effective energy policy as a root cause for high gas prices

Good, unfortunately:

75 percent of consumers blame oil companies; and 70 percent blame foreign oil producers.

I suppose this is the "blame everyone" philosophy.  Scratch that, it's the "blame everyone but myself" philosophy. If you're driving that huge SUV or never carpool to work when you easily could (I fit into the latter category), then you're partially to blame as well.  The Greens are right on that one.

Here's good news though:

When asked about actions the federal government could take to reduce fuel costs, 81 percent want to allow more drilling in the United States and offshore and 90 percent support increasing alternative energy development.

Wow, maybe someone could start a petition or something.

Or, even better, maybe one of the Presidential candidates could use this in his campaign.

Naaaaah.

SCOTUS Puts Another "Weapon" In John McCain's Arsenal

Forgive the pun.

Yesterday's 5-4 (how was this not 9-0?) Heller decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the 2nd Amendment can only help John McCain (R-AZ), if he's willing to take advantage of it.

Barack Obama's (D-IL) opinions on this issue have been less than clear, but what is clear is that John McCain came out wholly in support of the decision, while Obama did not.

McCain:

McCain, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, heralded the justices' action as "a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom."

Voicing a stance that could help him woo conservatives and libertarians, McCain said, "This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain vigilant in defense of our freedoms."

Obama:

The statement from Obama, who has long said local governments should be able to regulate guns, did not specifically say whether Obama agreed with overturning the specific D.C. ban. But he said Thursday's ruling "will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country."

"I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through commonsense, effective safety measures," Obama said.

The fact that Obama could not come out with an unequivocal statement of support for the decision should strike terror into the hearts of any gun owner, or anyone who supports the 2nd Amendment or, frankly any of the Bill of Rights, especially given the narrowness (5-4) of the decision. What if Scalia had had a heart attack this year and been forced to step down and Bush (R-USA) had been forced to appoint someone like Stevens? This decision could've gone easily the other way.

As I said at the top, this gives John McCain another weapon in his arsenal.  Given that I don't think Iraq works for him, now matter how good it's going, and that I just don't think many people care about Obama's flip-flop on campaign financing, and that the economy is an albatross around any Republican's neck, McCain doesn't have many weapons at his disposal.  He has to use them all.  Here's what I think they are:

1. Energy Independence -- McCain has not been a knight in shining armor here, by any means, but at least he's been heading in the right direction recently.  But he needs to go farther, by getting off the backs of the oil companies and coming out in favor of drilling in places like ANWR.  The good news is that even though I can only give him a C+ (at best) on this issue, he's light years ahead of Obama's F. McCain's ideas (in general) are in agreement with an overwhelming majority of American's. Obama is living in Obamerica.
2. Earmarks and Government Waste -- Yes, I know government waste through earmarks is nowhere near as bad as it is in entitlement programs, but standing tough on earmarks makes for better TV, and people are tired of hearing about “bridges to nowhere”. McCain is a knight in shining armor on this one, having pledged to veto any pork-laden bill that comes across his desk  if elected President. Obama has lobbied for $740 million in earmarks for his pet projects since 2004.
3. Guns -- See above
4. Supreme Court Justices -- Obviously, this is important to either base, and both conservative and liberals often use this as a rallying cry. But, the narrowness of the Heller decision might finally be something that McCain can use to energize the conservative base, without whom he has no shot. Yes, I know that with a Democrat controlled Senate McCain will not be able to nominate a Scalia or Roberts, but at least anybody he appoints will have to be more appealing to conservatives than a Ginsburg or Stevens
5. Obama’s “positions of convenience” as noted here.  Obama continues to show that he is not what he has pretended to be, a "new kind of politician". He makes choices where politically convenient. Despite many conservatives ire with McCain, this is definitely not a problem with him. McCain clearly sticks to his core beliefs. Obama just as clearly has none.

This gives John McCain 5 things to talk about in his speeches and his ads.  He needs to mention at least two of them in every speech he gives between now and election day, regardless of the main topic of the speech.  Half of his ads (preferably more) need to mention at least one of these things.

Unfortunately for him, McCain has yet to show himself as being opportunistic at exposing Obama's flaws.  He has to get better.

As an aside, you may have noticed that the first mention of all the politician's names in this article included their party and area they represent.  This is the new policy at Chris of Rights, and I'll be going back and editing my previous posts in the near future to make sure they all conform.

UPDATE: Neal Boortz makes an insightful comment:

Without the appointments made to the Supreme Court by George W. Bush this probably would have been completely different.  With Al Gore in the presidency your right to own a gun for self-defense would have been ripped away today.

Yes, it was that close. If Al Gore (D) had been elected President, this decision would've gone the other way, and even now communities across the United States would be enacting legislation to take guns away.  This is why who is elected President matters, and the Supreme Court matters.

I Was Being Partially Facetious Before...

...but now I'm serious.  The modern Democratic Party is insane.

We face $4+ gas, the prospects of an unending War on Terror and War in Iraq, a recession, a banking crisis, a home mortgage crisis, a real estate market free fall, and what is the DNC worried about?

Fanny packs. Baseball caps. Biodegradable balloons. Colors of meals. An Official Carbon Advisor.

What am I babbling about?

The Democratic National Convention in Denver, or "The Greenest Show on Earth"

Here's some good quotes for you (from today's WSJ):

The host committee for the Democratic National Convention wanted 15,000 fanny packs for volunteers. But they had to be made of organic cotton. By unionized labor. In the USA.

Official merchandiser Bob DeMasse scoured the country. His weary conclusion: "That just doesn't exist."

Ditto for the baseball caps. "We have a union cap or an organic cap," Mr. DeMasse says. "But we don't have a union-organic offering."

And even better:

To test whether celebratory balloons advertised as biodegradable actually will decompose, Ms. Robinson buried samples in a steaming compost heap. She hired an Official Carbon Adviser, who will measure the greenhouse-gas emissions of every placard, every plane trip, every appetizer prepared and every coffee cup tossed. The Democrats hope to pay penance for those emissions by investing in renewable energy projects.

I was going to bold parts of that paragraph, but I ended up realizing I'd be putting the whole thing in bold.

This is what the DNC is concerned about?

At least in the past, I understood the left.  I didn't always agree with them, but I understood them. And I was willing to admit that there may be merit to some of their ideas. I'm not arrogant enough to believe that I'm (or the right is) always correct.

But I don't even understand this. It seems to me that there are so many bigger fish to fry than to worry about fanny packs and baseball caps.

Oh, but no fried food is allowed at the convention either. Maybe that's why they're not concerned about frying the bigger fish.