tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85788022011-05-20T11:18:49.845-05:00Mostly political items of interest.TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.comBlogger701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1131577451881634772005-11-09T17:04:00.000-06:002005-11-09T17:15:14.393-06:00

Remember the old television program, To Tell The Truth, in which three individuals tried to fool a panel of "experts" about who was really the legitimate world record holder, inventor, author, etc., being described to the panel? The winning "pretender" was generally the best liar.The current version of To Tell The Truth is currently being played out between the Democrats in Washington, ably

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1131464042132087132005-11-08T09:34:00.000-06:002005-11-08T09:34:02.180-06:00

David Limbaugh's column today on TownHall.com is a must read for anyone trying to understand liberals. It also makes me wonder why no psychosis has been named for people willing to believe all of this hogwash. Maybe it just falls under the general category of "delusional."

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1131030882954207462005-11-03T09:14:00.000-06:002005-11-03T09:16:25.043-06:00

The vocal political left is fond of accusing anyone who opposes their views of being a "right-wing extremist." Considering where they stand on the political spectrum, even moderate liberals must look very "right wing" to them. They believe they represent what they constantly reference as the "mainstream;" however, in poll after poll their views are demonstrably not mainstream.Of course, anyone

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1131029458834579012005-11-03T08:50:00.000-06:002005-11-03T08:55:03.293-06:00

The Wall Street Journal's lead editorial today does a good job of summarizing the strange path the Democrats are walking. Its concluding paragraph follows.The scandal here isn't what happened before the war. The scandal is that the same Democrats who saw the same intelligence that Mr. Bush saw, who drew the same conclusions, and who voted to go to war are now using the difficulties we've

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1130876494228979902005-11-01T14:21:00.000-06:002005-11-01T14:24:43.143-06:00

John Podhoretz of the New York Post has the following to say about the Alito confirmation process and outcome.About that "all-out political war" — as an MSNBC anchor dubbed it — that has supposedly broken out over the nomination of Samuel Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court: There isn't going to be one.Here are the facts of the case. No Supreme Court nominee has been rejected by the Senate since Bork,

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1130874966892538082005-11-01T13:56:00.000-06:002005-11-01T14:02:10.573-06:00

While I certainly thought the Alito nomination would result in a major battle, even I am amazed that it only took one day for the Democrat National Committee to go into "ethnic slur" mode. The "stuck on stupid" crowd is suggesting that Alito, who is Italian-American, is soft on the mob.Read this post at Captain's Quarters for the details.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1128630743061174632005-10-06T15:32:00.000-05:002005-10-06T15:34:08.996-05:00

If anyone had any doubts about the ethics of Ronnie Earle, district attorney of Travis County, Texas, this article by Andrew McCarthy in National Review OnLine should make it all very clear. Among other things, McCarthy says:As Byron York has been reporting on NRO (see here, here, and here), Earle has partnered up with producers making a movie, called The Big Buy, about his Ahab's pursuit of

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1127479775414839092005-09-23T08:35:00.000-05:002005-09-23T08:39:50.616-05:00

Manuel Miranda's OpinionJournal column today summarizes the status of the Supreme Court war very well. Conservatives want the next nominee to be even more conservative than Roberts, and liberals want a woman, but not just any woman, appointed. Even Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has weighed in on the subject:On Wednesday, Justice Ginsburg told an audience that she doesn't like the idea of being the

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1127436798452492742005-09-22T19:48:00.000-05:002005-09-22T19:53:18.460-05:00

From today's OpinionJournal's Political Diary (subscription):Sometimes the truth has to run hard to catch up with the lie, and sometimes it gets a helping shove from events. President Bush was condemned for supposedly saying no one anticipated the New Orleans levees would fail, a canard that even the Chicago Tribune repeated yesterday in an editorial that purported to set the record straight on

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1127334318995280302005-09-21T15:25:00.000-05:002005-09-21T15:27:04.096-05:00

Manuel Miranda's column in the Wall Street Journal today addresses Democrat attempts to influence President Bush's next nominee to the Supreme Court through intimidation.Many conservatives believe the next nominee will be filibustered regardless of who it is and that, given there will be entrenched warfare either way, the President should go ahead and nominate someone with a clearly conservative

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1127277649672127312005-09-20T23:40:00.000-05:002005-09-20T23:52:24.743-05:00

Here are some interesting links regarding the Roberts nomination you may not have seen:From Hard Starboard's "The Roberts Aftermath":"Senate Democrats don't have the votes to filibuster the confirmation of the Chief Justice-designate. How do we know this? Because Minority Leader "Dirty Harry" Reid has publicly promised not to mount a filibuster. If there was any possibility of scraping together

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1126880207635985762005-09-16T09:16:00.000-05:002005-09-16T10:22:53.583-05:00

Some perceptive journalists have noted that in hurricane Katrina's aftermath, it is the private sector that has provided the quickest and most effective response to the overwhelming needs across three states. Much has been written about the planning and responsiveness of Wal-Mart, FedEx and others in stark contrast to the bumbling at all levels of government.In his recent column, Marvin Olasky

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1126537452223833692005-09-12T10:04:00.000-05:002005-09-12T10:58:28.776-05:00

In his WSJ Opinion Journal column today, Manuel Miranda reviews the cast of characters for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Judge John Roberts beginning today. His insights are worth reading and follow below.• Judge John Roberts. A man raised and educated in privilege, accomplished in the discipline of legal reasoning and argument, cool and comfortable in his skin. He draws on the

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1126049330654384702005-09-06T18:28:00.000-05:002005-09-06T18:28:50.703-05:00

Real Clear Politics has what may be the most even-handed analysis of the Katrina response I've seen here. I think it's well worth reading.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1125893908528114262005-09-04T23:18:00.000-05:002005-09-04T23:19:47.470-05:00

In their usual fashion, the MSM is running far ahead of their factual support in accusing the Bush administration of failing to respond to New Orleans' pleas for more money to shore up their levee system. In an excellent column on Tech Central Station, Duane Freese explores the "Breaks in the Levee Logic."

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1117031986477396172005-05-25T09:35:00.000-05:002005-05-26T13:39:34.073-05:00

Here's more grist for the mill regarding the Senate judicial compromise. In my view, the best place to follow the action is National Review Online's Bench Memos.One of my favorite commentators, Thomas Sowell, hits the nail on the head with his column which begins:The Senate Democrats hung tough and the Republicans wimped out. The Republicans had the votes but they didn't have the guts.Today's

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1116936527598660642005-05-24T06:55:00.000-05:002005-05-24T22:48:23.293-05:00

Well, it's the morning after and I don't feel any better about the 14-Senator deal last night. Here's some more reaction to the arrangement from various quarters.If you need a clue as to the left's definition of "extraordinary circumstances," here's what one of the prominent left-wing groups thinks according to a story today in The Washington Times: Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1116905761854402282005-05-23T21:37:00.000-05:002005-05-23T23:14:24.533-05:00

It looks like seven Democrats and seven squeamish Republicans have reached a deal to (a) keep all of the President's judicial nominees from receiving an up or down vote; and (b) keep the Republicans from exercising the "Byrd" option for the rest of this Congress. I started not to post anything tonight sensing that a "cooling off" period might be in order. I may have other thoughts later, but at

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1116420647971069472005-05-18T07:43:00.000-05:002005-05-18T07:50:47.976-05:00

endorses the "nuclear" option in this editorial. What's the world coming to? Of course the editors go on to propose eliminating all filibusters, not just those against judicial nominees, asserting that, "...the filibuster is at heart a conservative's weapon...."I guess the LA Times thinks the southern Democrats who famously used the filibuster to block civil rights legislation were "conservatives

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1116336086555862802005-05-17T08:07:00.000-05:002005-05-17T08:22:53.813-05:00

If you don't read Townhall.com every day, you are missing some of the best conservative commentary around. Two of my favorites are Thomas Sowell and Charles Krauthammer.Today, in his Townhall column, Charles Krauthammer corrects the dishonest Democratic premise that it's the Republicans who are breaking 200 years of Senate tradition by seeking to eliminate the filibuster of judicial nominees. As

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1116251590422145392005-05-16T08:50:00.000-05:002005-05-16T08:59:18.770-05:00

Following is a reprint in full of today's Wall Street Journal lead editorial regarding the judicial filibuster showdown. Enough is enough. It's time to pull the trigger and end judicial filibusters!How We Got HereWhy Republicans can't let the judicial filibuster succeed.Monday, May 16, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDTBarring a surprise last-minute deal, this week Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will ask for

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1115211668396547892005-05-04T07:44:00.000-05:002005-05-04T08:01:08.456-05:00

If you think most national political polls are designed to find out what Americans think on various issues you are sadly mistaken. Many, if not most, of these polls are designed to create the impression of popular support for positions espoused by those who employ the pollsters. They know the impact of "bandwagon" momentum and desire to actually create it through polling.The methodology employed

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1114784152705703522005-04-29T09:15:00.000-05:002005-04-29T09:18:21.796-05:00

Last night President Bush proposed solving the Social Security problem through a combination of progressive indexing of future benefit increases and the establishment of personal retirement accounts. During his remarks, he referred to an article by Robert C. Pozen published in the March 15 edition of the Wall Street Journal in which Pozen advocated the same proposal. Read Pozen's article here.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1114479545648823932005-04-25T20:29:00.000-05:002005-04-25T20:39:05.650-05:00

In his commentary of Sunday, April 24, in the San Antonio Express-News, David Crockett, who teaches political science at Trinity University, makes a clear and logical case for why judicial filibusters are inappropriate under the U.S. Constitution. He essentially argues that the process of Executive Branch appointments should not be sidetracked by Senate rules designed to improve the legislative

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1113838578853204222005-04-18T10:12:00.000-05:002005-04-18T23:09:30.236-05:00

Today's lead editorial in the Wall Street Journal ably points out AARP's cynical position on the Social Security debate. The AARP claims there is no "crisis," suggests that minor tweaking (read tax increases) will ensure indefinite solvency, and offers nothing substantive to the debate while running ridiculous ads suggesting the administration is trying to totally dismantle Social Security. Even

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1102456605061271962004-12-07T15:56:00.000-06:002004-12-07T16:09:25.136-06:00

In his column today, Dennis Prager is spot on with his analysis of a major difference between Democrats and Republicans. He says, "Commentators on our country explain our blue-red division in many ways -- liberal-conservative; secular-religious; North-South; coasts-heartland; singles-married with children. I propose one more explanation: the easily offended-the not so easily offended." Dennis

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1102398233648129862004-12-06T23:30:00.000-06:002004-12-06T23:45:44.756-06:00

Part of the problem with the social security issue is the refusal by those who defend the current "pay as you go" system to acknowledge the existence of the resulting huge unfunded liability. While ignoring the unfunded liability (which is very real), the same people wring their hands and lament the enormous transition costs of allowing younger workers to invest part of their social security tax

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1101859122376256842004-11-30T17:54:00.000-06:002004-11-30T17:58:42.403-06:00

Patrick Ruffini's blog (easily accessible from the blog roll below) is well worth checking out occasionally. For instance, check out this nifty image.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1101842589647567492004-11-30T13:23:00.000-06:002004-11-30T13:26:42.516-06:00

The following is from OpinionJournal's Political Diary. Obviously, more members of the MSM would benefit from leaving their cocoons and meeting the real people who live outside of New York and Washington. It would be a real education. Maybe we should push for a "No Journalist Left Behind" Act!? Two Miami Herald reporters got a real education in red-state thinking when they decided to check out

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1101223738412638312004-11-23T09:28:00.000-06:002004-11-29T09:49:19.820-06:00

Susan Lee of The Wall Street Journal Online has an interesting column regarding potential social security solutions. Although she makes the unlikely claim her column is all anyone needs to know about the subject, it is interesting reading and foundational for the coming debate. Read it here. UPDATE: Not everyone could access the article referenced above, so I've included it in its entirety below

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1101189051618325392004-11-22T23:50:00.000-06:002004-11-22T23:51:40.643-06:00

Patrick Ruffini is writing an interesting new blog and provides this great picture from the Republican convention this summer. You can read Ruffini's blog here.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1100964244631103502004-11-20T09:24:00.000-06:002004-11-20T10:05:44.850-06:00

Although the vote isn't until January, it appears Senate Republicans have worked out an arrangement whereby Arlen Specter will become chairman of the Judiciary Committee. They seem to have taken many necessary precautions, including having Specter put his promises/assurances in writing and state them publicly, but we'll all have to see if Specter stands by his promises or reverts to his old

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1100111649884418302004-11-10T13:34:00.000-06:002004-11-10T12:35:07.363-06:00

Arlen Specter has taken a lot of criticism for wanting to impose his pro-choice personal views on President Bush's judicial nominees. In this National Review Online column, Roger Clegg takes the senator to task for his consistent support of racial preferences.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1100099037481979302004-11-10T09:03:00.000-06:002004-11-10T09:11:54.106-06:00

Arlen Specter is clearly feeling the heat, so much so that he deems it necessary to respond to his critics publicly in the Wall Street Journal. You can read it here. Many will note that Senator Specter's review of his own performance on the Judiciary Committee conveniently leaves out his siding with the Democrats to defeat the nomination of Robert Bork, a bitter fight which turned the nominee's

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1099756277690524542004-11-06T09:51:00.000-06:002004-11-07T21:28:16.720-06:00

As noted in this Washington Times story, there is considerable controversy over the prospect of Arlen Specter's (R-Pa) being elected chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee. With the prospect of multiple Supreme Court vacancies during the second Bush term, many Republicans are wary of Specter's pro-choice views, especially regarding the sanctity of Roe vs. Wade, his contribution to

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1099715711493388322004-11-05T22:29:00.000-06:002004-11-05T22:38:38.026-06:00

It's interesting to see the red versus blue states on the 2004 election map, but seeing it county by county here is even more amazing.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1099583952087362752004-11-04T09:59:00.000-06:002004-11-04T09:59:12.086-06:00

Peggy Noonan has a wonderful column in the Wall Street Journal today with reflections on the election. It is well worth reading.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1099582922950260452004-11-04T09:42:00.000-06:002004-11-04T09:45:39.573-06:00

After a major defeat on Tuesday, especially in the Senate, Democratic leaders are calling for bipartisanship in the second Bush term. But they have not changed their definition of bipartisanship at all. They believe the President should move significantly toward them in an effort to forge bipartisan agreement on the major issues confronting the country. They again fail to realize that most of the

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1099502635987610072004-11-03T11:21:00.000-06:002004-11-03T11:27:01.513-06:00

The first post-election activity is generally to identify the winners and losers. John Miller does a good job starting down that road in his National Review Online column today. You can read it here.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1099316651524239112004-11-01T07:44:00.000-06:002004-11-01T07:45:04.706-06:00

Jack Welch, very respected former chairman and CEO of General Electric, posed his five questions you should ask yourself before voting on Tuesday in a Wall Street Journal editorial on Saturday. They are pertinent questions and, in my mind, can only lead to one result. Hopefully, many people read this editorial and reached the same conclusion. The entire editorial is well worth reading here, but

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1099315921925757772004-11-01T07:32:00.000-06:002004-11-01T07:33:09.600-06:00

The Horserace Blog has some interesting analysis on the recent poll tightening and whether it has more to do with poll methodologies than reality. It's interesting reading. Be sure to check out the state by state analysis as well. The only poll that counts is tomorrow. VOTE!

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1099061578935506502004-10-29T09:52:00.000-05:002004-10-29T09:52:58.936-05:00

Edison Media Research has come up with some pretty interesting election scenarios, including a number of ties, to ponder along with their estimated probabilities. Some are pretty far-fetched, but many are downright scary. For your Halloween "trick or treat" take a look here.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098968965449335792004-10-28T08:09:00.000-05:002004-10-28T08:17:31.026-05:00

The Washington Times headline says it all: "Russia tied to Iraq's missing arms." You can bet this revelation will receive nowhere near the headlines garnered by the original overwrought story. Every knowledgable person on the Kerry team except for the candidate is now hedging about what might have happened, and they've even begun spinning the story to say it doesn't matter when the explosives

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098936072515890092004-10-27T23:01:00.000-05:002004-10-27T23:02:41.063-05:00

Clifford May's column on National Review Online is probably the best summary of the events to date. The lengths to which organizations like the U.N., through the IAEA, the New York Times, and CBS have gone to whip up this story on the eve of an extremely important U.S. election leave no doubt about their motivations and low level of integrity. All three have had, or still have, serious questions

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098894204830999352004-10-27T11:23:00.000-05:002004-10-27T11:34:32.426-05:00

Here's a three-part defense of the electoral college by Gary L. Gregg. One of things that hits home with me is this quote from part three: "John Sperling, the billionaire founder of Phoenix University, and those that have collaborated with him to produce the book The Great Divide have demonstrated this in their argument to abolish the electoral college so that Democratic candidates can dedicate

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098889728561220682004-10-27T10:08:00.000-05:002004-10-27T10:13:44.163-05:00

Pete du Pont's excellent editorial today in the Wall Street Journal is a rational contrast of the two candidates and why he thinks Bush will win. Among other things, he says: "President Bush is not going to win because of Mr. Kerry's style or Boston blue blood, as out of sync with most Americans as they may be. He is going to win because he believes in things, while Mr. Kerry is a candidate of

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098839242199462312004-10-26T20:07:00.000-05:002004-10-27T14:14:45.176-05:00

You could find all of this on your own, but I'll try to make it a little easier with the following set of links exposing the nonsense and desperation of the Democrats and their mainstream media wing. Even worse than the nature of this bogus claim is that CBS apparently wanted to spring this on the electorate in its "60 Minutes" broadcast on Sunday night in an incredibly brazen attempt to

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098759480023945002004-10-25T21:58:00.000-05:002004-10-25T22:05:16.316-05:00

Stage One - The IAEA feeds the New York Times a story potentially damaging to Bush's reelection campaign and the NYT falls all over itself trumpeting it with banner headlines above the fold on the front page. Who knows how much checking they did on their own. This was just too good to pass up late in the election campaign and, predictably, the rest of the mainstream media piled on. Stage Two -

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098742021510790202004-10-25T17:07:00.000-05:002004-10-25T17:18:25.176-05:00

In an op/ed originally published in the New York Post, Peter Farrara of the Institute for Policy Innovation rationally discusses President Bush's plan for Social Security and Kerry's demagoguery of the issue. As Ferrara notes, President Bush's plan proposes a real solution while Kerry continues to put his head in the sand (anyone seen the Democrats' recent "eagle and ostrich ad"?) and decry the

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098678313321982342004-10-24T23:25:00.000-05:002004-10-25T10:28:33.963-05:00

It looks as if Kerry has been caught in an out and out lie regarding his consultation with United Nations Security Council before Congress voted to authorize the war on Iraq. In a special report to the Washington Times, Joel Mowbray writes, "At the second presidential debate earlier this month, Mr. Kerry said he was more attuned to international concerns on Iraq than President Bush, citing his

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098658882039394172004-10-24T18:01:00.000-05:002004-10-24T18:20:49.703-05:00

Bob Woodward wrote "Plan of Attack" based on several hours of interviews with President Bush in which the President was by all accounts very candid and gave Woodward authorized access to his top advisors. Blogs for Bush reports (and Woodward confirms in a linked Washington Post column) that Woodward has been trying to get similar interview time with Kerry and even submitted a list of questions

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098577490447312292004-10-23T19:24:00.000-05:002004-10-23T19:25:52.533-05:00

The boys at Power Line (who were major players in blowing the lid off the Dan Rather debacle) seem to be on to something. Stay tuned for major news very late Sunday or on Monday!

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098491476942729532004-10-22T19:31:00.000-05:002004-10-22T19:45:03.716-05:00

Charles Krauthammer posits a potentially devastating premise about how Kerry may be planning to get back in the good graces of our European "allies" who have failed to provide any support in Iraq: give in to them, and the U.N., on Israel. This is not a pleasant prospect, and no Democrat who wants to get elected will admit it, but it may be coming in a subtle, but very real form. Krauthammer's

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098450672561308142004-10-22T08:11:00.000-05:002004-10-22T08:13:20.410-05:00

In today's "Review and Outlook," the Wall Street Journal reviews the pressure brought to bear on Sinclair Broadcast Group which resulted in its decision not to air "Stolen Honor" and wonders if those on the left, led in this case by trial lawyers, government officials (threatening shareholder suits), and loud mouths in the mainstream media, will be so happy with the outcome when the target is a

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1098195910891006712004-10-19T08:35:00.000-05:002004-10-23T21:59:05.676-05:00

As John Fund noted in his Monday Wall Street Journal column, "Yesterday Eric Holder, a top official in Bill Clinton's Justice Department, told 'Fox News Sunday' that 'if every vote is allowed to be cast, and if every vote is counted, John Kerry will be president within a day of that election.' Asked how he could guarantee that, Mr. Holder replied 'you heard it right here' and repeated his claim."

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1097929623244512972004-10-16T07:27:00.000-05:002004-10-16T07:27:03.246-05:00

In his Town Hall column today, Jay Bryant suggests that President Bush forget bashing John Kerry as a "flip flopper" and go after him where he has been absolutely consistent: as the most liberal senator and arguably the most liberal Democrat to run for president in recent memory. His final few paragraphs lay out the strategy he suggests for President Bush in the final days of the campaign. "Mr.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1097766560281660482004-10-14T10:09:00.000-05:002004-10-14T10:27:22.376-05:00

Don't hold your breath. The mainstream media is so in bed with the Kerry campaign that some have begun to call them "transcript services" for the campaign talking points. Information about the nature of John Kerry's discharge from the military, which according to Navy documents involved an officer review board, absolutely cries out for investigation and sunshine. Kerry's refusal to sign the form

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1097677447087981072004-10-13T09:24:00.000-05:002004-10-13T09:25:08.456-05:00

In his Wall Street Journal commentary today, Lawrence Kudlow does a good job of showing that the economy is in great shape and should be an advantage to President Bush in the campaign. Let's hope the President makes his case as effectively in the debate tonight while Kerry tries to boil the economy down to a "jobs only" discussion and preach gloom and doom that only he can fix.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1097591503617913312004-10-12T09:31:00.000-05:002004-10-12T09:34:01.873-05:00

The Wall Street Journal summarizes the very different visions of the two presidential candidates on health care here. "Americans are being offered a real choice of health care visions this November. We believe Mr. Kerry's leads inevitably toward the kind of low-innovation, low-quality government systems found in Europe and Canada. Mr. Bush's, meanwhile, would make health insurance more portable

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1097529845782318372004-10-11T17:24:00.000-05:002004-10-11T17:20:45.050-05:00

. . caused speculation that "bumps" in his jacket resulted from a bullet-proof vest; however, Scott Ott at ScrappleFace has solved the mystery: (2004-10-11) -- A forensic scientist studying photographic evidence has identified an object which caused a bump on the back of a suit jacket worn by President George Bush during his first debate with John Forbes Kerry. "It's a spine," said the unnamed

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1097498362623349552004-10-11T17:20:00.000-05:002004-10-11T17:19:17.586-05:00

The 2004 presidential election is a referendum on increasingly clear and opposing philosophies. Laura Ingraham effectively addresses a few things the Democrats just don't get.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1097463664179839322004-10-10T22:01:00.000-05:002004-10-10T22:01:04.180-05:00

"All we have to do is replace Bush with Kerry, open the federal funding spigot, and presto! The blind see and the lame walk! The Kerry campaign's hyping of embryo-destructive research for political gain is the cruelest and most shameful episode in the story of the 2004 election." Read the rest of Robert P. George's National Review Online column here.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1097086715381608342004-10-06T13:18:00.000-05:002004-10-06T13:20:03.333-05:00

In "The Daily Standard," Jonathan V. Last gives a round by round, if not blow by blow, description of the Veep debate last night, declaring Cheney the winner on points. In my view, Cheney's main contribution was the rehabilitation of President Bush on a number of issues after Bush's subpar performance in the first debate, perhaps interrupting the Democrats' self-proclaimed momentum. It also

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1097081800735394212004-10-06T11:56:00.000-05:002004-10-06T12:02:26.786-05:00

As Dennis Prager says in this excellent column, "No matter what position you hold about American foreign policy and the war in Iraq, John Kerry holds your position." He then goes on to support his assertion with direct quotes from the first debate. The most amazing part is that Kerry insists he has never wavered in his position on Iraq. I guess it depends on what the definition of waver is.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1096992849244778532004-10-05T11:14:00.000-05:002004-10-05T11:16:53.456-05:00

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Kerry's nuclear nonsense More rationality on nuclear proliferation, North Korea, and more.

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1096992064520425222004-10-05T11:01:00.000-05:002004-10-05T11:01:04.520-05:00

New York Post Online Edition: postopinion Peter Brookes does a much better job expressing views similar to those in my previous post. The North Koreans are a real problem, and JoKe is not the solution!

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1096984623291758172004-10-05T08:57:00.000-05:002004-10-05T08:57:03.290-05:00

WSJ.com - Kerry's Misguided Offer The issue of bilateral talks with North Korea was one of the few moments in the first debate when President Bush directly confronted Senator Kerry. While accusing the President of failing to create and effectively lead alliances, Kerry would throw away the multilateral approach currently being used effectively with North Korea and revert to a failed Clinton-era

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1096923831332021982004-10-04T15:49:00.000-05:002004-10-04T16:03:51.333-05:00

The most recent information I've seen shows that the top 50% of wage earners pay about 96% of all income taxes. Obviously, therefore, the bottom 50% pays only about 4%. While much of the analysis of previous and proposed income tax cuts focuses on class warfare, one of the less-emphasized results of the tax-cut strategy has been the virtual elimination of the bottom 50% of income earners from

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1096905200209146752004-10-04T10:53:00.000-05:002004-10-04T11:06:10.026-05:00

Bruce Bartlett on the Internet and Election 2004 on National Review Online Bruce Bartlett makes a good point: the presidential election is determined by electoral votes (not a national popularity contest); therefore, it makes more sense to look at state by state polling data and the resulting estimates of electoral vote counts rather than national data. He mentions several web sites where such

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578802.post-1096854216496235762004-10-03T20:42:00.000-05:002004-10-04T11:01:54.136-05:00

James Taranto (Wall Street Journal's "Best of the Web Today") had this interesting entry in which he lists the many instances where Kerry made a seemingly unequivocal statement and then followed it with a "but" in which he significantly qualified or completely repudiated the first statement. It's just more of Kerry trying to have it both ways, but Taranto presents it from an interesting point of

TomRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15322961690138384073noreply@blogger.com1