The Republican primaries are down to essentially a two man race. As much as Ron Paul supporters would love to hang on and see if he can pull out a miracle, he's never won much more than 10% of the vote in any race. Huckabee hopefuls are also hoping (or more likely praying) for a miracle. He hasn't made a decent showing since Iowa. There is a glimmer of hope for Hucksters and that is the South. Huckabee has been polling well down there and he may pick up a few more delegates to make it interesting. I personally think that he's merely hanging on for a chance at VP with McCain... but that's just my opinion.
So really it's down to McCain and Romney. Two candidates who didn't look like they had much of a shot 6 months ago. Here's a small break down of their differences.
McCain has many years experience in the US Senate and ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2000 against Bush and was rumored to have sought out a VP post with John Kerry. He is known for being a POW during the Vietnam War and as a big proponent of the War on Terror. He is credited with strong foreign relations and famous for his temper. He introduced a few controversial pieces of legislation, McCain-Feingold and McCain-Kennedy which were very unpopular with core Republicans. His current run for president was almost derailed by McCain-Kennedy which granted illegal aliens a fast track to citizenship.
Romney is known as a successful businessman having made a fortune running companies. He also saved the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City from scandal. He ran for governor of Massachussetts and won in a very liberal state. He's credited with creating a health care plan that doesn't depend on hug government oversight. During his tenure he initially supported the woman's right to choose an abortion, and then back tracked and changed his mind. This also has caused some dis-ease among the Republican base.
So who is going to win? Well according to the huge media push for McCain, he's a shoe-in right? Maybe. First, he has to make a better showing at debates. He seems to be indecisive and more focused on attacking Romney than making his policies clear. He also won't win all of the upcoming primaries on Super-Tuesday. Also, reports are surfacing that he's all but bankrupt and in need of fundraising on a major scale. But he has the heart of the media and some good endorsements in some big states.
So is it hopeless for Romney? I don't think so. I think if he hangs tough this will go to a brokered convention. And no independent or democratic votes to help McCain along. Also if Huckabee drops out then he would pick up a few more votes. Either way this has been one of the most interesting primary elections in a while. It's only gonna get better.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
The High Cost of Hillary
Interesting article. It's interesting to hear Democrats complaining about their former infatuation.... the Clintons. This quote was particularly amusing:
"allow me to apologize on behalf of all other liberals concerning the Clintons, though I doubt I'll be the only one. They really are the soulless, cynical spinmeisters that many on the Right made them out to be… Speaking only for myself, I never actually thought there were purely political motives for conservatives to detest the Clintons that much. The visceral hatred directed at them always seemed sincere enough to me, just hard to understand because apparently so excessive. But now that I'm on the opposite side of them in a campaign for the first time (as an Obama supporter), I know what it feels like to wake up each morning and face ever new depths of shamelessness from the Macbeth Family. Now I may actually catch myself going back to Impeachment Trial evidence for the sake of Schadenfreude. I'm starting to regret not having enjoyed it at the time."
"allow me to apologize on behalf of all other liberals concerning the Clintons, though I doubt I'll be the only one. They really are the soulless, cynical spinmeisters that many on the Right made them out to be… Speaking only for myself, I never actually thought there were purely political motives for conservatives to detest the Clintons that much. The visceral hatred directed at them always seemed sincere enough to me, just hard to understand because apparently so excessive. But now that I'm on the opposite side of them in a campaign for the first time (as an Obama supporter), I know what it feels like to wake up each morning and face ever new depths of shamelessness from the Macbeth Family. Now I may actually catch myself going back to Impeachment Trial evidence for the sake of Schadenfreude. I'm starting to regret not having enjoyed it at the time."
Florida Primaries
Tomorrow are the Florida primaries. This is going to be a very big day for the candidates, well for the GOP candidates anyways. Florida is the 2nd state to lose all of its delegates for moving its primary date earlier than the DNC wanted. (Michigan was the first) So the Dems really aren't campaigning at all in Florida. They're preparing for Super Tuesday.
The GOP is going crazy for Florida. Right now it is a statistical dead heat for McCain and Romney. Both are riding high after some big wins in earlier primaries. Guliani, the GOP frontrunner is lagging behind in 3rd-4th place. Rather than spend time and money in the early states, Guliani broke from tradition and gambled on the larger states later on in the race. It appears from the polls that the plan has backfired. He hasn't been in the media nearly as much as McCain or Romney who received some free advertising from their respective wins.
Will Rudy drop out if he performs poorly in Florida? Probably.... he took a gamble and it will either break or make him. I don't think he has the money to compete in Super Tuesday states without a serious win in Florida. So who does that benefit? Well it's hard to say because Rudy pulls voters from both the central party goers and medium-hardcore Repubs. So expect both McCain and Mitt to get some help if he flounders and bails. With Fred out of the race now, I'm backing Romney. I'll explain why in another post.
The GOP is going crazy for Florida. Right now it is a statistical dead heat for McCain and Romney. Both are riding high after some big wins in earlier primaries. Guliani, the GOP frontrunner is lagging behind in 3rd-4th place. Rather than spend time and money in the early states, Guliani broke from tradition and gambled on the larger states later on in the race. It appears from the polls that the plan has backfired. He hasn't been in the media nearly as much as McCain or Romney who received some free advertising from their respective wins.
Will Rudy drop out if he performs poorly in Florida? Probably.... he took a gamble and it will either break or make him. I don't think he has the money to compete in Super Tuesday states without a serious win in Florida. So who does that benefit? Well it's hard to say because Rudy pulls voters from both the central party goers and medium-hardcore Repubs. So expect both McCain and Mitt to get some help if he flounders and bails. With Fred out of the race now, I'm backing Romney. I'll explain why in another post.
Lazy
I've been lazy on my posting due to an increase load at school. This will soon be rectified as I'm in my final year. It'll be weird being out of school and even stranger to carry the title of doctor...
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Primaries
Nevada is already voting and Fox is claiming that Mitt Romney ran away with it, while the Dems still haven't had a clear winner yet. South Carolina is also voting with many of the stragglers trying to make a big stand in this state. McCain and Huckabee have led in the polls so don't be surprised to hear one of those names called out as the winner.
Fred Thompson is making SC a sort of last stand state. He hasn't been polling well and it looks like his campaign is sagging. I hope he makes it to Super Tuesday on Feb 5th, but he's still a long shot. But hey, who doesn't like rooting for the underdog? I think that's what has carried Obama. If Edwards would just see the light and drop out, then Obama would really have a chance.
Fred Thompson is making SC a sort of last stand state. He hasn't been polling well and it looks like his campaign is sagging. I hope he makes it to Super Tuesday on Feb 5th, but he's still a long shot. But hey, who doesn't like rooting for the underdog? I think that's what has carried Obama. If Edwards would just see the light and drop out, then Obama would really have a chance.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Update! Soldier gets vandalized right before deployment
Thanks to Michelle Malkin for this update.
I still think this guy got off easy, but what can you expect in our court systems nowadays. However, I have to say that this is a big victory for the blogging community who was the big push behind getting the word out about this incident and making things happen. The voice of the people is still heard in this country!
I still think this guy got off easy, but what can you expect in our court systems nowadays. However, I have to say that this is a big victory for the blogging community who was the big push behind getting the word out about this incident and making things happen. The voice of the people is still heard in this country!
Iwo Jima
The picture that makes up my banner is the flag raising on the Mt. Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima. Suffering more casualties than on D-Day, Iwo Jima was one of the greatest battles fought in WWII. Iwo Jima is a small island south of the Japanese islands that provided a landing strip and radar for Japanese fighter planes. The few civilians that lived on the island were evacuated before the battle and therefore was mainly a military base. The Japanese were expecting an attack, but realized that the island could not be saved. Therefore the defense of Iwo Jima was mostly used to delay the Americans as they pushed toward the Japanese homeland.
The U.S. decided that Iwo Jima was important because the proximity of the island to Japan would allow escort fighters to accompany bombers to Japan. After dropping thousands upon thousands of pounds of shells upon the tiny island, the US decided the time for attack was at hand. Little did they realize that due to massive underground tunneling, the Japanese defenses had suffered very little damage.
After a very quiet landing, the marines suddenly faced a nearly invisible enemy who fired from pillboxes and tunnels. The beach was made of a very fine black sand that made it very difficult to more, which caused the troops to bunch up. Eventually they made it off the beach and pushed north toward Mt. Suribachi, the highest point of land on the island. It was on top of that mountain that the above picture was taken.
After 35 days of fighting, the Americans declared the island secure, although an estimated 3,000 Japanese soldiers were still hidden underground. Some of the soldiers surrendered although the majority committed suicide. The last soldier to surrender had hidden in the tunnels for 6 years and finally surrendered in 1951.
Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers that fought on Iwo Jima, only 216 were captured/survived. The rest died in battle or committed suicide. The U.S. lost over 6,000 dead and over 19,000 wounded, making Iwo Jima one of the costliest battles during the entire war.
May we never forget the sacrifice and bravery of those who died for their country.
The U.S. decided that Iwo Jima was important because the proximity of the island to Japan would allow escort fighters to accompany bombers to Japan. After dropping thousands upon thousands of pounds of shells upon the tiny island, the US decided the time for attack was at hand. Little did they realize that due to massive underground tunneling, the Japanese defenses had suffered very little damage.
After a very quiet landing, the marines suddenly faced a nearly invisible enemy who fired from pillboxes and tunnels. The beach was made of a very fine black sand that made it very difficult to more, which caused the troops to bunch up. Eventually they made it off the beach and pushed north toward Mt. Suribachi, the highest point of land on the island. It was on top of that mountain that the above picture was taken.
After 35 days of fighting, the Americans declared the island secure, although an estimated 3,000 Japanese soldiers were still hidden underground. Some of the soldiers surrendered although the majority committed suicide. The last soldier to surrender had hidden in the tunnels for 6 years and finally surrendered in 1951.
Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers that fought on Iwo Jima, only 216 were captured/survived. The rest died in battle or committed suicide. The U.S. lost over 6,000 dead and over 19,000 wounded, making Iwo Jima one of the costliest battles during the entire war.
May we never forget the sacrifice and bravery of those who died for their country.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Race baiting and the war on drugs
As the political scene is heating up before the next slew of primary elections begin, the Democratic campaigns are turning ugly. Obama supporters are charging Clinton of being racist for saying that Lyndon Johnson was the one that finally got Civil Rights for blacks by pushing it through Congress (which he did) instead of MLK doing it through his walks, strikes, speeches and death. (Which he didn't) She didn't disparage him in the least, but that's not what Obamites like to hear.
On the other had Clinton never fails to bring up Obama's drug use (which he did and admits it) or the fact that he has no experience (which neither of them do, unless you count watching what your husband did at his job then claiming you can do it too). They also tend to trump the classic sexist card. Hillary as the first woman to be president, breaking barriers etc etc. That should be my reason for voting for her? So women can say we have had a president too? What kind of qualification is that?
Democrats and their candidates need to be careful. If this race gets tight, which it probably will be, then things could get really ugly which could turn off a lot of independent voters. Remember, no party has a clear majority. Both right and left depend on garnering that all so important independent vote. If the race gets too ugly, independents might be turned off to Democrats and start listening to the Republicans battle over taxes and immigration... which as dull as that sounds is much more appealing than listening to frantic calls of racism or dredging up past sins.
On the other had Clinton never fails to bring up Obama's drug use (which he did and admits it) or the fact that he has no experience (which neither of them do, unless you count watching what your husband did at his job then claiming you can do it too). They also tend to trump the classic sexist card. Hillary as the first woman to be president, breaking barriers etc etc. That should be my reason for voting for her? So women can say we have had a president too? What kind of qualification is that?
Democrats and their candidates need to be careful. If this race gets tight, which it probably will be, then things could get really ugly which could turn off a lot of independent voters. Remember, no party has a clear majority. Both right and left depend on garnering that all so important independent vote. If the race gets too ugly, independents might be turned off to Democrats and start listening to the Republicans battle over taxes and immigration... which as dull as that sounds is much more appealing than listening to frantic calls of racism or dredging up past sins.
NFL Playoffs: Championship Games
Patriots vs Chargers
Packers vs Giants
Who do you pick? I'm taking Patriots and Packers, which will be an awesome Super Bowl, but I fear that the Patriots have the clear advantage of a more impressive offense and tougher defense than Green Bay currently has.
Packers vs Giants
Who do you pick? I'm taking Patriots and Packers, which will be an awesome Super Bowl, but I fear that the Patriots have the clear advantage of a more impressive offense and tougher defense than Green Bay currently has.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Iraqi Soldiers Bravery
I don't think we give the brave men and women enough credit for standing up and volunteering to protect and serve their country. Each of them faces incredible danger for doing so. This story exemplifies their bravery.
To:
Malik Abdul Ghanem
Asa’ad Hussein Ali
Abdul-Hamza Abdul-Hassan Rissan
May your sacrifice be remembered and may you rest in peace.
To:
Malik Abdul Ghanem
Asa’ad Hussein Ali
Abdul-Hamza Abdul-Hassan Rissan
May your sacrifice be remembered and may you rest in peace.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Open for Comment
I apologize to the millions of you wanting to comment but not being able to. I recently became aware that commenting was restricted, so it is now open to the public. I know poor blogspot is going to have several server crashes trying to keep up, but it's worth it. :-)
Monday, January 7, 2008
New Hampshire Primaries tomorrow
New Hampshire is voting tomorrow. The big story is whether Obama can keep his momentum or if Clinton can regain some footing. Also it's going to be interesting for the Repubs if Romney can pull out ahead. The tension is building!!! ooooooh!
I have a hard time being interested in these early states, although the upset of Hillary's "coronation" in Iowa has me paying attention.
I have a hard time being interested in these early states, although the upset of Hillary's "coronation" in Iowa has me paying attention.
Book Review: An Inconventient Book by Glenn Beck
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the author Glenn Beck is a popular radio talk show host and has his own show on CNN. He is a reformed alcoholic turned Mormon which is a topic that comes up frequently in his book. The book itself discusses a lot more than Glenn’s personal life. He takes on topics that are in the news like global warming, illegal immigration and islamofascism. He also broaches a lot of topics we deal with daily like dating and marriage.
His approach is light hearted and easy to read. So for those of you who don’t enjoy the serious political books... (really who does?) He also includes lots of eye grabbing graphs and pictures to make it seem less tedious and more enjoyable. My favorite part of the book are his inserts of ADD moments which are random thoughts inserted into serious topics. It’s like he picked out the weird thoughts all of us have when contemplating anything serious or sitting through a Biology lecture.
At the end of the day, this book makes sense. He states his opinions very clearly and lays out a good foundation for the reader to do their own research and form their own opinion. He also doles out advice that is reasonable and understandable.
Overall I give the book a 9/10. This book is appropriate for anyone over 18, mostly because kids wouldn’t understand it. I would highly recommend this read to all my friends, even to those who don’t like to read.
His approach is light hearted and easy to read. So for those of you who don’t enjoy the serious political books... (really who does?) He also includes lots of eye grabbing graphs and pictures to make it seem less tedious and more enjoyable. My favorite part of the book are his inserts of ADD moments which are random thoughts inserted into serious topics. It’s like he picked out the weird thoughts all of us have when contemplating anything serious or sitting through a Biology lecture.
At the end of the day, this book makes sense. He states his opinions very clearly and lays out a good foundation for the reader to do their own research and form their own opinion. He also doles out advice that is reasonable and understandable.
Overall I give the book a 9/10. This book is appropriate for anyone over 18, mostly because kids wouldn’t understand it. I would highly recommend this read to all my friends, even to those who don’t like to read.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Movie Review: I am Legend
Not exactly a new movie... I know. But, I saw this a while ago and kept wanting to do a movie review on it.
Overall, it's a good suspenseful drama. Those that go to this movie expecting a horror show will be disappointed as there are some tense scenes, but not anything that will make you jump out of your seat. It is definetely intense. There is a scene where his dog accidentally runs into a dark building (dark = vampires) and he goes into the building to find him. The whole scene had me sitting on the edge of my seat right up until the end.
This is also your first exposure to the vampires of the movie, which are done entirely with CG. This has to be my only real complaint with the movie. Why can't actors play the vampires with some makeup? I feel that the creativity of Hollywood is floundering due in large part to the advent of CG. It's much easier to draw stuff on a computer than create it in real life. Soon we'll have nothing but Beowulf-esque movies. Ok, end of tangent/rant.
The movie delivers. You are entertained from beginning to end. Will Smith proves that he doesn't have to be funny all the time and he can create intense drama through his improved acting. Overall I'd give it an 8/10. Go see it.
Overall, it's a good suspenseful drama. Those that go to this movie expecting a horror show will be disappointed as there are some tense scenes, but not anything that will make you jump out of your seat. It is definetely intense. There is a scene where his dog accidentally runs into a dark building (dark = vampires) and he goes into the building to find him. The whole scene had me sitting on the edge of my seat right up until the end.
This is also your first exposure to the vampires of the movie, which are done entirely with CG. This has to be my only real complaint with the movie. Why can't actors play the vampires with some makeup? I feel that the creativity of Hollywood is floundering due in large part to the advent of CG. It's much easier to draw stuff on a computer than create it in real life. Soon we'll have nothing but Beowulf-esque movies. Ok, end of tangent/rant.
The movie delivers. You are entertained from beginning to end. Will Smith proves that he doesn't have to be funny all the time and he can create intense drama through his improved acting. Overall I'd give it an 8/10. Go see it.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Fredhead
Ok, I'll admit it. I'm a Fredhead. For those that don't know what that means, I'm supporting Fred Thompson for President.
Reasons: He's a true conservative and he's not a politician.
What!? Not a Politician you say. No, not in the true sense of the word. Who can doubt that the only reason Hillary ran for Senator in New York was because she could win and it would set her up to run for President. Who can doubt that McCain who has been in politics since leaving the military is not a politician. Fred Thompson was Senator of Tennessee for a bit and then left because he felt that people shouldn't be in politics for life. This kind've straight talking and sensible thinking is what I love about him. He didn't answer a BS question from some liberal moderator and he doesn't play games with the media. He has a strong plan for immigration and this country and really gets down to the source of the problem instead of trying to create another government bureaucracy to take care of it.
If your Republican and voting in the primaries... give Thompson a look. You won't be disappointed.
Reasons: He's a true conservative and he's not a politician.
What!? Not a Politician you say. No, not in the true sense of the word. Who can doubt that the only reason Hillary ran for Senator in New York was because she could win and it would set her up to run for President. Who can doubt that McCain who has been in politics since leaving the military is not a politician. Fred Thompson was Senator of Tennessee for a bit and then left because he felt that people shouldn't be in politics for life. This kind've straight talking and sensible thinking is what I love about him. He didn't answer a BS question from some liberal moderator and he doesn't play games with the media. He has a strong plan for immigration and this country and really gets down to the source of the problem instead of trying to create another government bureaucracy to take care of it.
If your Republican and voting in the primaries... give Thompson a look. You won't be disappointed.
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