RNC Night Two

Well, what to say? Arnold was lights out tonight. He nailed his speech and had his fellow Republicans flying. I suspect his speech played very well to independents as well. At one point during the speech I thought Arnold could take power in a bloodless coup. As a friend and I watched the speech, I did a lot of raving over it. I was surprised to hear liberals on TV and on the radio give it such high marks as well. I really think that that speech could be the tipping point. It's too bad for Arnold that he's ineligible for President, because I think we'd be talking about a third 2008 hopeful (not that I'm personally disappointed). The genius of that speech was "how do you know if you are a Republican?" A friend and I have discussed how people we know have Republican beliefs, but call themselves Democrats because they still believe that the Republican party is the party of rich, white, Northeastern business men. That small part of the speech may have helped create "Bush Democrats".

Arnold should have wrapped the night up, though. Laura and the twins did okay, but they'd have been better suited opening for Arnold. It was easy to see that all three Bush women were nervous-they have the same nervous laugh. The twins tried hard, but they just aren't natural at this yet. Just the same, for their first speech to a national audience at age 22 wasn't bad. As for Laura, the speech just didn't have the weight that previous speeches had. She had some tough acts to follow, though.

All in all, the signs that the media is starting to turn on Kerry are there. I think this lineup of moderates was very savvy. The media is having a tough time finding meaningful criticism of them, mostly because these Republicans are far enough left that they like them. Even if a big bump doesn't materialize, Bush is going to have a full head of steam coming out of this.

One thing that I'm surprised about so far is the lack of attention given to the protests. I thought that was going to receive major attention. I chalk that up in part to the professionalism of the NYPD.

Jenna and Barbara

They're speaking tonight. After reading all of the likes and umms they worked into their interviews thus far, I'm almost as nervous as I'm sure they are.

Is it just me, or was this headline subtley written to make the arrest seem absurd? The guy tried to climb into Cheney's booth, after all. 

Budweiser as Kerry

The New York Times takes up the flaring beer war between Miller and Bud. I particularly enjoyed this quote from an Anheuser Busch official:

Anheuser-Busch executives dismissed the entire process. "What they're saying is that Miller has more taste," said Mike Owens, vice president for sales and marketing at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis. "They're not saying Miller tastes better."

That's a very Kerry answer. Does that mean Miller has the momentum in the campaign for President of Beers?

More France

Perhaps the last post was a little snarky, so I'll readdress the topic. My problem is this: France is trying to move the world in order to free those two reporters. Those reporters, might I add, had to know they were in a dangerous country and at risk for this. The problem is that these terrorist kidnappers are trying to change law in France. I have no doubt France is going to capitulate in some way to secure the release of these two reporters, and I have very little patience for terrorists who are trying to usurp the sovereignty of a nation. I also have a problem with France even trying to negotiate the release as it sets a terrible precedent. All this for two people who knew they were in a dangerous land. Yet France could not be bothered to lift a finger to save thousands of her citizens during a heat wave. The ocean breeze was just too nice that month.

Okay, enough on that. I can't be bothered to make another keystroke in regards to that waste of a country.

France and the sanctity of life

France is "working tirelessly" to secure the release of two French reporters kidnapped in Iraq. Too bad they couldn't have worked so tirelessly last summer as thousands of elderly perished in the summer heat. But then again, I guess the elderly don't serve propaganda needs as well as reporters.

Curly Lambert

The Weekly Standard is on the Lambert Field story, which I was tipped to by Pacetown.

Laura Bush revisted

Will the FLOTUS who seemed to avoid the spotlight for four years be a crucial element in the relection of George Bush? Possibly. The Christian Science Monitor is calling her a rising star and a campaign heavyweight. Laura's biggest impact could be softening her husband's image to women through "W Stands for Women".

In other Laura news, I recommend this story. My favorite quote:

"She, like, loves to every once in a while, like ... every once in a while she'll, like, say a cuss word and Barbara and I will just be totally shocked, and she does it only for shock value because she's so calm."

Also, don't miss Biography on A&E Wednesday night. And for those of you more interested in Barbara and Jenna, head over to Maxim Tuesday and Wednesday, where each will be Maxim's Girlfriend of the Day.

Bush conservative, right wing?

I'll admit, I haven't considered Bush to be overly conservative this term. It has baffled me as to why the left has such vitriol for his 'conservativism' and why they consider him right wing. I guess I'm just a little slow on the uptake. They toss their favorite slurs on Bush because their litmus test for a person being conservative consists of three things: pro-life, tax cuts, pro-traditional marriage. He meets all three, so he must be a demon.

Raspberry

I'd like to address a rather stupid comment in William Raspberry's column today. Here's the quote that offends:

The problems with Bush are (for those who would vote for virtually anyone else) obvious and important. He has tilted the economy toward the rich and away from the middle class.

Umm, I'm middle class. Middle middle class. To consider me rich would be preposterous. Here's what's happened to me economically during Bush's term. I started out in retail management. I was terribly unhappy, and I left in early summer 2001. What I didn't realize was the job market had tightened and I spent a summer unemployed while I looked for a job. By fall, I was working a terrible temp job in a meat factory, which I actually started on September 10th, 2001. The next afternoon I thought I was going to be doomed to that job for a long, long time. In January I started a new job that was back in my field. The pay was a little lower than what I left the previous May, but I worked, I had the opportunity to show what I was capable of and I was promoted. Now I've been entrusted with a brand new project for the company. I'm happier than I was in early 2001, and I'm buying my first house. Tell me how the economy has been tilted away from me and towards the rich. I bet you can't do it with a straight face.

Stephen Baldwin

I also just watched Stephen Baldwin on Fox. I had been surprised to hear he was going to be at the convention. I came out of his interview with Greta wondering why he was there. He clearly supports Bush on a faith basis, but he would not say Bush's name. I know the Baldwin's were not blessed with a great deal in the intellect department, but that was bizarre. Did his brothers decide they needed to attack the convention and stick him with the short straw? Is he going to try to blow himself up by lighting a fart or something? Weird dude.

Don King

I'm watching Don King on Fox right now and laughing. I think he did the voice for Chef's dad on South Park: "I ain't givin' that Loch Ness monster no four dollah!"

Night one recap

I give the first night an 'A'. McCain's speech was terrific. I'm not a fan of the man, but I can see his appeal in some circles. The 9-11 tribute was very tasteful and touching, especially when the last woman said her son was going to Iraq in December. Giuliani's speech was one which could only have been given by Giuliani. Anyone else and the media, Kerry, Edwards, the Deaniacs, the protestors, everyone would be howling bloody murder. Giuliani has the leeway to say some of those things, however, since he did lead the city through September 11th. I was nervous about how aggressive Giuliani was at first until I realized that tonight needed a little buzz in order to lead the news tomorrow. Rudy's humor and assertiveness will certainly make news, as will the booing of Michael Moore. The headlines will be about 'attacks' or 'negativity', yes, but it will help this convention dominate the air waves.

Here's what I'm looking for in the coming days. Tomorrow, the buzz will also be about how tonight was all about war. Couric and Rather and Jennings will all be howling about how this President is afraid to talk about his domestic record. Later in the convention, domestic issues will be addressed, and they will be addressed in such a way that everyone will be talking about them. All of the speakers are very engaging and very likable. I may want to revise my bounce number. I'll sleep on that-in me they were preaching to the choir tonight. I'm curious to see reaction tomorrow.

Rudy continued

The humor doesn't surprise me. The aggressiveness of his assault on the Kerry & Company does, though.

Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!

Wow, who wrote Rudy's speech? If he doesn't run for president in 2008, I think he has a career as a comedian.

Presidential Politics

Times, they are a changing, but I believe one thing to still hold true. In Presidential politics, the candidate who is the most bullish on America, who is most firmly rooted in the present, and who installs in Americans the most optomism for the future, wins. I think Bush wins in those regards.

Savvy Politics

For all the faults we may find in it, the choice of speakers for this convention is very savvy. All of these moderate Republicans are very good communicators. They aren't up there talking abortion, gay marriage, etc., so their opinions on it matter little. What matters is the appeal they are making to the country for George W. Bush. They are sending messages that will bring more Americans on board with Bush.

9-11

Very classy, touching tribute to 9-11. Especially the lady who lost her firefighter husband and who is sending her son off to war in Iraq.

McCain's Speech

Grrr. I want to live blog but I'm having trouble with Blogger.
McCain's speech is excellent. He's sending a message that will be well
received by those in the middle who can actually tune in one of the
cable news network to watch it. It also gently chides Americans to do
their part, bear their share of the cost of this war which is being
waged by the few for our safety. The statement aimed at Moore vented
the steam of a lot of frustrated Republicans. I'll be blogging more
tonight if Blogger co-operates with me.

Defeat it, or be defeated by it

When is much of the world finally going to understand? Unless they fight it, the only way any nation will be safe from despotic Islamist terror is by submitting to Islamic law and converting the populace to Islam. Surely France will find a way to blame this on the U.S., but that will be nothing more than an effort to muddy the very simple truth that this is battle that can't be won by cowardice. It's also a battle that France can't win without us, whether they like it or not.

Kerry Daughters Booed, Part 2

Or the crowd could very well have been reacting to this story in the Miami Herald. Apparently Kerry recently lied to the faces of South Floridians when he said he voted for the Helms-Burton act when, in fact, he did not.

To quote the Hollies in regards to John Kerry: He's King Midas with a curse. He's King Midas in reverse.

Convention Prognostication

Well, here we are. Today the convention begins. Here are my thoughts. Let me know yours in the comments below.

1. There will be no terrorist attack (praying to God that's the case, anyway). Scares, possibly, but no attack. New York is a lot harder a target right now than al Qaeda usually goes for.

2. The press will be in a tizzy over this convention. There will be no other news all week. And the press will churn out story after story of negativity, giving way too much time to the nut jobs out in the streets who give (peaceful) protesting a bad name.

3. The Republicans will have a strong, clean, simple message. They will outline what Bush will do with four more years. Bush will be very eloquent in his acceptance speech. He may even laugh that laugh that makes the skin crawl on lefties.

4. At times, New York will look so chaotic that many Americans will wonder what's become of the country. Most will not understand that if any city thrives on this kind of thing, its New York. They will pity Bush a little bit.

5. Conservatives will pan this convention. They will rightly feel betrayed by its very, very moderate tenor.

6. The media will pan this convention. They will bring every gun to bear on the President, and they will expect zero or even slightly negative bounce.

7. Polls will show about a 4 point bounce for Bush. The moderate tone will play well for Bush, much like compassionate conservativism did 4 years ago.

8. The media, betrayed by their main man Kerry, will begin to turn their guns inward on him.

Laura Bush

I love this First Lady. She doesn't try to be an unelected legislator/co-executive, but she isn't very afraid to state her opinion in an gentle but pointed way. Time magazine asked her if she felt the Swift Boat Vets were unfair. Her response? " Do I think they're unfair? Not really. There have been millions of terrible ads against my husband."

Wars Declining?

Here's a story you won't hear the "peace loving", hate America first, filthy, unemployed, trouble making protestors in New York talk about this week. Apparently, war is on the decline, at it's lowest level in the post World War II era by one estimate. Frankly, I'm surprised Yahoo even had the story on its home page. The UN gets altogether too much credit in this story, however.

Kerry daughters booed at MTV Awards?

Apparently so. This little snippet from Drudge is all I know of the matter. Why? Was the crowd stacked anti-Cuba South Floridians? Was this just today's youth saying a very Kerry like 'F' you to the entire political process? Are the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth their Dad's Willie Horton? Or were they just pissed because the girls were fawning over Affleck at the Democratic convention (reason enough to boo them).

The Eve of the Eve of the Convention

Here we are, two days from the start of the Republican National Convention, and I'm wondering if the choice of New York is a stroke of genius or a foolish gesture. It is clear that the anarchists and the loony left protestors are going to take their demonstrations to irresponsible levels in New York. The question is, will all of the extra-curriculars outside the convention hurt or help Bush?

I know hindsight is 20/20, but given the momentum Bush has right now, he must be wishing he'd gone with Texas for this convention instead. There he would have been guaranteed a fairly uneventful convention. But uneventful conventions are low stakes poker. Placing the convention in New York is a huge risk-smack dab in the middle of Donk real estate where plenty of wackos would be more than happy to convene and make asses of themselves. New York also has one of the best police departments in the world, though, helping ensure a safe convention. And the protestors themselves risk turning this into a one man race. I've talked to a number of independent minded people around my home state of Wisconsin who feel sorry for Bush because they think the media is out to get him. Can you imagine how hundreds of thousands of immature, irresponsible protestors are going to effect the electorate? Look, there is no better protest than the peaceful protest; as a protestor it gives you the greatest credibility. Disruptive protests turn the stomachs of most Americans. It is conceivable that these protestors could end up amplifying any Bush bounce from this convention.

Unlike the Donk convention, I will be tuned into the Republican convention, along with a good friend. I think this convention is going to be all over the news all week, much more so than the Donk convention. In the end, I think Bush will be well on his way to term number 2.

The Frozen Tundra of Lambert Field?

After I got home from my East Coast swing, I took the opportunity to catch up on things here around the blogstead. Along the way I came upon Pacetown. One thing that really caught my eye there was the fact that Senator Kerry had visited Wisconsin while I was out of state, and during that visit he had called Lambeau Field Lambert Field. Now we Wisconsinites can be pretty forgiving people, especially if you're willing to buy us a beer, and we are used to people from the coasts saying Wes-con-sen, but we are talking Lambeau Field here, for Vince's sake. This state is so in love with the Packers that many of us have violated Vince Lombardi's code for his own players (God, family, then the Green Bay Packers) and have skipped church or ignored family to watch them. Kerry is lucky that we are a pretty laid back and forgiving state. If he'd mispronounced Favre, Lombardi or Starr, though, you'd have probably heard someone growl, "Git a rope!"

What this Lambert Field thing does, however, is put another dent in Kerry's credibility. Walking into the most hallowed real estate in a battle ground state and mispronouncing its name makes you look like a buffoon who really doesn't care at all about the people whose vote you want. I'd venture to guess that 90% of American males could correctly pronounce Lambeau, 98% if briefed on it ahead of time.

I have come to one conclusion, Packer Fans nationwide. This wasn't an innocent gaffe. Kerry was trying to pander to you while at the same time score points with the hated Bear and Viking fans. Do not take this man's perfidy lightly. Vote Bush.

Beer Heist

It seems that a truckload of 50,000 cans of Moosehead beer was stolen in Canada:

Somewhere in Canada there are thieves with nearly 50,000 cans of beer they will have a hard time selling, although police said on Thursday the truck driver who disappeared with the loot has been arrested.

Apparently, the cans were printed in Spanish and English for the Mexican market, and cannot be sold in Canada or the U.S. My question is: Why would they be selling it? Tip to the authorities-look for someone buying a lot of refrigeration capacity.

Lawdy, lawdy!

According to Drudge, the LA Times will report that Bush has moved into a 48%-44% lead in the polls here in Wisconsin. Apparently, he's also moved into the lead in Missouri and Ohio. Personally, I find the Wisconsin numbers stunning. Our two biggest media markets and population centers are the People's Republic of Madison (honestly, check this out) and Milwaukee, two solidly Donk territories. Donk, by the way, is my new affectionate term for the Dems. A 4% lead means that the rest of the state must be going pretty solidly Bush right now.

Very, very interesting

In my current haze of sleepiness, I was meandering about some blogs from the other side of the railroad tracks, if you will. It seems the left, the darlings of McCain Feingold, are now all up in arms about free speech being limited because of Bush's potential lawsuit to end the ads of the 527's. Since this works in favor of what I've been promoting here, I'm not going to complain too loudly. Just the same, it's kind of funny that people who were on board with McCain Feingold, who were solidly behind their man Kerry when he demanded the president tell the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to take down their ads, now get all riled up after Bush falls into line with their beliefs on political speech. Is it a coincidence or do they hate the idea of applying the spirit of McCain Feingold to 527's because so much of their money and effort to buy this election have gone into them?

Just more proof that the illogical wing of the Democratic party make up the rules as they go. It really is too bad that today they lead the party of Truman, Kennedy, and Scoop Jackson. There used to be some prinicpal in the Democratic party.

Poli-speech

I'm saddened that we as a society think that political campaigns are so nasty that we have to regulate political speech during elections. Tonight I'd like to review some examples from past elections which illustrate how civilized campaigns are these days, and hopefully show that all of this unconstitutional regulation of speech is unnecessary.

1796: Jefferson accused of being a "Franco-Maniac" after a French minister to the U.S. said that American-Franco relations would be better with Jefferson as President. Jefferson also accused of being a coward, atheist, and an anarchist by Adams' supporters. Jefferson loses this one, but comes back in 1800.

1800: Jefferson accused of cheating creditors, of being a Jacobin, a defrauder, mean spirited, son of a half breed woman and a mulatto man, and, again, a coward. Jefferson won.

1804: Jefferson accused of siring children with Sally Hemmings. Jefferson wins term two.

1824: Henry Clay accused of being a drunk and a gambler. Charges of malfeasance were leveled at William Crawford. The election went to the House to be decided between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, who won the electoral and popular vote but not a majority. Clay pulled out of the race, throwing his support behind Adams, who then won in the House vote.

1828: Andrew Jackson's supporters came out with both barrels blazing, accusing Clay and Adams of a corrupt bargain, whereby Clay threw his support behind Adams in 1824 in exchange for Secretary of State. A Jackson newspaper (keep in mind that newspapers of this era were as openly partisan as web logs are today) called Adams the Judas of the west. And this was right after the House went with Adams in 1824. Adams v. Jackson in 1828 was destined from day one of Adams' Presidency elect. Jackson supporters accused Adams of living high on the hog during his presidency. They also claimed that he had scored a young American girl for the Czar while he was minister to Russia. He was also accused of being an elitist. Adams supporters accused Jackson of poor literacy, as being unprepared for the office of the Presidency. Other charges against Jackson included gambling, drunkenness, bigamy, adultery, slavery, theft, and murder. Adams' supporters also published the Coffin Handbill, which showed six coffins of a group of deserters that Jackson tried and had executed during the Creek War. The handbill falsely portrayed one of the deserters in a very sympathetic light, when in reality he had raised hell and deserted. Jackson's wife was also brought into the mess, as Jackson had married her before she was officially divorced from her first husband. She would not live to see her husband's inauguration.

Watch for part two of America's wild, wild history of Presidential elections, or go out and buy the book I pulled this information from: Presidential Campaigns by Paul F. Boller, Jr. And don't let anyone fool you into thinking that our elections today are so terrible that your freedom to speak needs to be abridged to civilize the process. All that serves to do is concentrate power further into the hands of even fewer.

Kerry On After Action Reports

Hat tip to the Corner for this Tim Graham post on a story at CNSNews.com. It is a beautiful post because it helps solidify the possibility that Kerry's war record is a bit padded. Kerry, in his own words:

Sen. Symington asked Kerry, "Mr. Kerry, from your experience in Vietnam do you think it is possible for the President or Congress to get accurate and undistorted information through official military channels?"

Kerry responded, "I had direct experience with that. Senator, I had direct experience with that and I can recall often sending in the spot reports which we made after each mission; and including the GDA, gunfire damage assessments, in which we would say, maybe 15 sampans sunk or whatever it was. And I often read about my own missions in the Stars and Stripes and the very mission we had been on had been doubled in figures and tripled in figures.

AND...

"I also think men in the military, sir, as do men in many other things, have a tendency to report what they want to report and see what they want to see."

I'm seeing a big picture when it comes to Kerry's war record. Anyone else?

The Airline Industry

The airline industry is in horrible shape, and it's not because of 9-11, and it's not because of the economy. It's because there is little or no innovation in this industry. The airlines are like cows, big and slow moving. Let me illustrate.

Yesterday, I was scheduled to fly from Philadelphia to Chicago and then on to Milwaukee. The flights were nicely spaced so as to accomodate reasonable delays. As I sat in my gate, rumors began to spread: "the weather in Chicago is terrible." Those are words no traveler with a connection flight wants to hear. Sure enough, the Philadelphia airport, which isn't the smoothest running in the first place, turned into gridlock. So I and a new friend got into Chicago thinking we'd missed our connection to Milwaukee. We got in to learn that our flight had been delayed. We ran to the gate, and were told that the bus to our plane had just left. Since it was the last flight of the night, they pitied us and called it back. After we got on the bus, it sat for another 20 minutes as it waited for people from a few other planes that were late. By the time we got back to Milwaukee, it was so late that we had to get someone to open the gate at the head of the concourse so we could leave.

So, what's the moral of the story, you say? Well, there is a lot of money to be made by the airline that can first figure out a more flexible way to run planes than the old hub and spoke. Currently, weather at one airport can throw off much of the country's air travel, but the airlines don't need to think out of the box and come up with new ways to make sure it's travelers get from point a to point b on time. They have a nice governmental safety net should they run into major problems. Gone bankrupt? Get the gub'mint to bail you out. That safety net needs to go away. Once it does, the risk of failure becomes much more real, and the airlines will become much more efficient in an effort to get the air travelers' dollars.

In re Free Speech

Given that Senator Kerry is adamantly opposed to anyone speaking out against his service in Vietnam, could it then be said that John Kerry only cares about his own free speech, and isn't really interested in defending the free speech of you and I?

Pre-RNC Dispatch

Okay, given my tongue in cheek announcement that I was going to cover the pre-convention, I guess I should post a dispatch. Keep in mind I never ended up in New York.

Security is, of course, a huge concern, and it is prominent on most newscasts out of the city. The concern seems to be as much over the behavior of protestors as it is about terrorism, though, which I found a little surprising. The city is going to be about as secure as possible next week. If there were to be a terrorist attack, then our enemies are even more cunning than I thought they were. New York is going to be a very hard target. The protestors are another matter. They very likely will be making tremendous asses of themselves. I suspect the NYPD with have limited patience for them, and that will be the most unpredictable dynamic of next week's events.

Next week, as the protestors try to enact anarchy on the streets of New York, please let everyone you know who funded these law breakers (see my In Review, Part Deux post from July 21).

Aaaarrrrggghhhh!

Mrs. Jib loves Matt Damon. I was cool with that, until I found out that Damon is doing narrative for new MoveOn.org ads. His voice is now like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

Cheney Today

Dick Cheney today:

Asked his position on the subject at a town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa, Cheney replied: "Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it's an issue that our family is very familiar with. . . . With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People ought to be able to free -- ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to."

Cheney went on to reiterate the position he first outlined in the 2000 campaign -- that same-sex marriage should be left to the states to decide.

Okay, this is news today, but why? What is 'new' about it? What does it prove? This news shows Cheney is consistent-this was his position on the issue in 2000. It also shows that Cheney isn't the heartless bastard Democrats want to believe he is. A father loves his daughter and is empathetic to her situation? God forbid! Next, it sticks to the federalist roots of the Republican party, that Federal Government is given a very finite set of responibilities by the constitution and beyond that, the states have the say.

Heroes

While driving from the Poconos to New Jersey today, I decided to give J'F'K some thought. I ended up settling my brain on two major points-what does Kerry's Vietnam service mean to us, and what makes a hero?

Let's start with what makes a hero. Courage is a huge part of heroism. Without courage, the heroic act is of course impossible. Selflessness. There are a lot of courageous people out there, but until you've risked something (like your life), it's tough for that courage to transcend itself into heroism. Then there is the one intangible that, to me, that cements someone as a hero: a sense of modesty. A true hero understands that they are not all that special, that any number of people would do what they did under similar circumstances. The real hero doesn't need to boast of their heroism, because if it truly was heroic, others will recognize it. Because of this last item, I do not see Kerry as a hero. Kerry pushes himself as a war hero so hard that it's almost as if he doesn't believe that he's a hero himself. In addition, his shameless self promotion makes saving a man's life seem like little more than a means to an end. Kerry's act comes off not as selfless, but very calculated, and that's without even bring up Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Next, what does John Kerry's service in Vietnam mean to us? This one is tough, because Kerry was even 'nuanced' in his youth. Honorably serving in war means that you could take orders well. Below the level of General, the leadership shown by a soldier has no significance to a Presidential race. At the level of General, there is a scale of leadership that is somewhat similar to holding an office as big as the Presidency. A General leading his troops is akin to a President leading the American people. A lieutenant leading his soldiers is like a President leading his cabinet. Those people have to obey you, and your leadership is only needed to keep them operating as a well oiled unit. In addition, it doesn't show very much leadership to go running away from your men at first chance, which is what Kerry did after the 3rd Purple Heart. Next, contrary to the Baby Boom ethics, coming back early from war and attacking the men who are still in war scrapping to get out of it with there life does not take courage, especially with mindset of the Vietnam era youth. In fact, Kerry's actions were little more than expedient. It would have taken for more courage for him to stand up against the prevailing beliefs of his generation than to line up in lock step with them. My conclusion: Kerry's service in Vietnam shows us that he is a man very conscious of what others think of him, that he loves himself very much, and than as a result of that, he looks out for himself by taking whatever path is least resistant at that time.

From this, what would we see in a Kerry Presidency? Paralyzation of the executive. A lot of half measures that could be pulled back in a pinch, but which could never truly be effective if passed. A revolving door cabinet. If Kerry were to get into any jams, surely an underling would be run out of the White House, because John Kerry does not take responsibility for his own actions. An Administration with no backbone in foreign affairs. In short, Jimmy Carter, part deux. Jimmy does a fine job building houses for the poor, and, although he is very misguided, deep down Carter seems to have the best of intentions, but he never should have been President. John Kerry shouldn't be either.

Grrr.

It looks like I'll have to manually ping myself to update on Blogs for Bush. Any thoughts on how I can do this automatically?

Celebration for the Jiblog

I'm currently far, far from home, attending to business here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and hopefully attending to my pre-coverage of the Republican National Convention tomorrow night (that means I hope to have a beer in Manhattan). But tonight is a celebration for the Jiblog, because tonight this little blog is now on Blogs for Bush. Woo hoo! Thanks to all of you who have taken a moment to read this modest little corner of the web, especially J. Rice who has made this blog look habitated with her comments. And thank you to the crew at Blogs for Bush for adding me to the rolls.

Coop!

Alice Cooper on Rock & Politics (hat tip to The Corner):

"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."

Couldn't have said it any better.

Chavez & Carter, sitting in a tree...

U.S. News & World Report is taking up the possibility of election fraud in Venezuela now as well. This has been a very under reported potential scandal in the major media. Then again, since when has the major media in this country cared about the spector of authoritarian regimes in South America, as long as the dictators give lip service to the poor and the children. "By gawd, it was a clean election. Jimmy Carter said so!"

While I'm enjoying this blog to no end, posts may get light for the next month or so. The lovely Mrs. Jib and I have just purchased our first home, and her desires for slave labor can only adequately be serviced by myself. Hence, while the Jiblog will remain my place to fire off my random opinions, it will drop on my list of priorities ever so slightly. My goal is still to be quite regular for you, my 2.5 readers. 

History Channel's Command Decisions

The History Channel (I'm a junky) has a show called Command Decisions, where they take historic battles, break them into segments, and give the viewer a multiple choices for certain tactical decisions. I enjoy the show, but it isn't very fun if you know the subject material. I'm watching the episode on the Battle of Waterloo. I studied Waterloo, and all the suspense was lost on me.

Ha ha ha ha ha!

Yahoo Headline:

Kerry Ads Underscore His Vietnam Service

Huh? Kerry served in Vietnam? Daggummit, I di'nt know dat. Shucks, and golly gee, too! I reckon I been all wrong 'bout dis Kerry feller.

The Democrats in Washington and in the media really do think we are stupid, don't they? Somewhere at the AP or at Yahoo or in Washington, a bunch of Donkeys were sitting around, eating veggies and drinking Evian:

"Jason, the Americans in fly over land just don't seem to get it. Some of them not only don't know what a terrible person Bush is, they also have a genuine affection towards the guy. What's wrong with these hicks?"

"I don't really know, Sandy. Personally, I think they're like innocent little children who believe in Santa Claus, or, worse yet, Jesus (snicker). What can we do to make them see the light?"

"Hmm. I know! They really seem to love soldiers. Let's tell them that Kerry was a Vietnam hero! Polls show that they have a lot of sympathy for Vietnam Vets, especially those who served honorably."

"That's it, Sandy! Vietnam! Those little fools will surely show up in droves if we just make them see that Kerry is the man they really like!"

"We're really smart, Jason. Most Americans are dumb. We need to be understanding, patient, and accepting, and really educate them on this."

Uff da! (That's for my fellow conservative Norwegians out there).

Republican Convention Coverage

Jiblog is pleased to announce that I will be offering unique pre-convention coverage live from New York. Okay, well, live from New Jersey, and I may not even make into the city. And so maybe it is just business trip and I'll be gone long before the delegates show up. But watch this space, anyway, as Jiblog tries to avoid being tainted by New Jersey scandal while in the general vicinity of the convention.

Holy City of Milwaukee

Since putting "Holy City" in front of any revered locality that has nothing to do with Christianity or Judaism is all the rage these days, I announce that this blog will forever more refer to Milwaukee as "The Holy City of Milwaukee". I justify this with the news that I consider beer to be a gift from our Creator, whomever your creed deems that to be. As I believe Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy." (Swap in Allah, Buddha, David Koresh as your beliefs see fit).

Under this logic, I also will refer to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, as the "Holy City of Chippewa Falls." Since the Holy City of Chippewa Falls holds special prominence as the birthplace of Leinenkugel's, only Leinies drinkers may enter the city limits.

St. Louis shall forever be known as "St. Louis". Those damn Bud'ites can go to hell.

Bird Flu

This story concerns me. Researchers believe that the bird flu is now endemic in Asia, and may lead to an outbreak this winter. The story is scarier if you've read The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History by John Berry. The opening pages of that book paint an ugly picture of killer flus.

The Condescending News Media

Polls are overly simplistic things. They take complicated issues and try to break them down into overly simplistic categories. Take, for example, the question "do you believe Iraq had WMD?" When they find that over 50% of Americans still do believe this, they write condescending articles that are amazed that any Americans can possibly believe this.

I'm an intelligent, well read American. I believe Iraq had WMD. I do not believe this because of any feality to George Bush. I believe it because it is illogical to me that Iraq did not have WMD. Every major intelligence service believed this to be true. Saddam put his position of cozy power at risk over obstructing weapons inspectors. There is evidence that the weapons could have been transported to the heavily fortified Bekka Valley in Syria. And we have found small numbers of WMD. Guess what, AP, Reuters, ABC, NBC, CBS, NYT, etc? Your habit of looking down your nose at Americans who do not agree with your high almighty views is going to cost you on your bottom lines, if it hasn't already.

Book Banning?

According to Drudge, Kerry calls on the publisher of Unfit for Command to withdraw the book at Salon.com. Ummm, okay. Maybe he should call on publishers of about 50 books on Bush to withdraw their books, most notably Joe Wilson's book The Politics of Truth. Fahrenheit 7-11, too. Although this is pure political grand standing, it does bother me that the left seems to have been flirting with some very anti-American positions this last year. Say what you want about Bush, at least he's not a book burner (you Nazi cow), to borrow a line from Field of Dreams.

Private industry and organizations can do whatever they want when it comes to speech, but a candidate for the highest office in the land should not be making this kind of appeal.

You knew it would happen

And now it has. The New York Times has unleashed the hounds on the Swift Boat Veterans. Again, I reiterate that I'm not in a strong position to debate whether they are right or wrong, but I do not recall the Times running front page editorial questioning MoveOn.org, ANSWER, etc. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I doubt that I am.

Iran

Iran is a touchy subject right now. Discussion of Iran as a threat is politically unthinkable, even though it is a topic we should be visiting, and frequently. This article pieces together some scary things that make Iran look very threatening. There is a lot of information, buzz, out there about scary threats to the U.S., from possibly stolen Russian low yield nukes in al Qaeda hands to Syria holding Iraq’s WMD supply, and it is tough to tell what is legit and what is not. But remember this: While the youth in Iran may be friendly towards America, those in power are not. In fact, they want to see us destroyed, and have since 1979. Maybe this is a topic on which we should use some of that creative thinking that the 9-11 commission counciled us to use. If we are relying on the Iranian students to start a democratic revolution, we may be in for a long wait. How then do we deal with the threat? As Michael Ledeen says, hurry. Please.

Other Iran stories here, here. And this one is for the feminists.

It's way too easy to sue

Lacrosse, Wisconsin is located on the Mississippi River. The popular bars for students at the University of Wisconsin Lacrosse are located near the river. Unfortunately, the city has had a rash of drunk students drowning in the river over the years. The father of one of these drowning victims has retained a lawyer and is suing the city and the University. Why? Because the city and the university offer a safe ride between campus and the bars. The lawyer and the father contend that this encourages irresponsible drinking by the students, which leads to their accidental deaths in the river. So, because the city and the university are looking out for the students with the safe ride program, they are responsible for the irresponsible behavior of the students, and thus liable for the students finding their way into the river when drunk. Unbelievable. The filers of this lawsuit should be laughed at, given 20 lashes with a wet noodle, and sent on their way. The students are adults. They are responsible for their own behavior, with or without the presence of a safe ride program. I feel for the father who lost his son, but he needs to come to grips with why his son passed away.

al Sadr as a Symbol

When will the common Muslim begin to see that their religious leaders are not who they seem to be? Al Sadr may be the perfect symbol of this. He preaches about martyrdom, he claims to be willing to fight to the last drop of blood. The second his life is in serious jeopardy, however, he enters into negotiations. Followers of the Islamists, your leaders neither believe nor practice what they preach. They are selfish, corrupt individuals who are perverting your faith. Why do you continue to follow them?

What is John Kerry?

Kerry is Bill Clinton. Minus the charm. Minus the people skills. Minus the political awareness. Minus the burning passion for politics. Minus some of the intelligence. Oddly, minus the credibility and authority. What’s left, you say? Well the indecisiveness. The lack of conviction. The need to dangle in the political winds to determine which way the wind is blowing before making a decision. Ah yes, the worst of Clinton (minus the sex).

Jiblog is desperately attempting to get on the Blogs for Bush Blogroll. Plug, plug... 

Caution in re tales from 'Nam

I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t done deep research on the swift boat controversy. That said, I tend to come down on the side of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. This story says the record contradicts Larry Thurlow’s account of the day Kerry (and Thurlow) won his bronze star. I’m suspending my judgement on those events until I can read more, but I would like to remind people that fabrications in the field were not uncommon during Vietnam. From kill counts to, yes, reports for awards, fabrications happened. Just because “the record” says one thing, it doesn’t automatically mean that the record was correct to begin with.

Venezuela Update

Sniff, sniff. Jimmy, do you smell something funny here, or is it just me?

Comments/Link

I don't plan on addressing comments directly all that often, but seeing that I'm a rookie blogger, I've decided to pass along a little love. J.Rice took some time to comment on a couple of my posts, and I enjoyed the feedback. She also does a lot of thoughtful critique here. Give her blog a look.

Scripted

I swear, if Kerry wins this election with what I've considered to be an amateur campaign, then you can fool most of the Americans most of the time. Kerry's condemnation of the Moveon.org ad is looks very scripted. MoveOn has been joined at the hip with the Democratic party. Their latest ad looks like nothing more than an a big fat softball pitch for Kerry to take a whack at with a condemning.

There's another thing about that article that gets under my skin: John McCain. Here's one of McCain's quotes:

"This is the bitterest, most unsavory campaign in the nation's history," McCain said. "And it's only going to get worse."

No, Senator, it is not. Plenty of 19th century campaigns were much, much nastier.

Thanks

I'd like to thank all of my visitors today. I easily broke my record for unique viewers today. Granted, the bar wasn't very high at 3, but thanks none the less. Look around, comment, or email me.

Carter for Chavez

Wow, is it just me, or did Jimmy Carter endorse his latest pet authoritarian in record time? Gotta love Jimmy Carter, humanitarian. By the way, great job in North Korea a few years back, Jimbo.

More of the media's gruntings

Sigh. The media is just plain silly-dumb in its efforts to elect Lurch this year. Case in point. The article maintains that the Bush campaign is exclusionary of dissenters at rallies, while the Kerry campaign is fully inclusive of all ideologies. Bunk. I've been keeping an eye on Kerry visits to Wisconsin thus far because a fellow Bush supporter and I would like to attend one of these events in an effort to ask a question of the disinguished gentleman from Massachusetts. They are not very inclusive. A large proportion have been invitation only. The rest of the tickets have been tightly controlled by Democratic organizations. Also, remember, it was here in Wisconsin that Kerry called some Bush supporters outside a rally thugs, and Tay-ray-za said they wanted 4 more years of hell. Yep, that's inclusive talk right there.

Robo Grunt

I love this story. A robot with a shot gun. I wonder if it can be programed to crawl around on its belly hunting deer. If so, maybe Tay-ray-za can buy one for her little Johnny pooh for Christmas.

Colorado's Fools

What can Colorado be thinking? The state is currently looking at divvying up its electoral votes proportional to the popular vote. Why would a state marginalize itself like this? If they do this, they make winning the state a net gain of 1 to 3 electoral votes. What candidate is going to fight hard for that? What candidate is going to devote precious resources to learning the needs of Colorado's citizen's? The answer is no candidate. If this measures passes, the state is short changing itself.

Oh, and I don't buy that the winner take all system disenfranchises the voters in the minority. That's bull. Do we say that voters for the losers of campaigns for the Governorship, Senate, and House are disenfranchised? No. This is nothing more than a calculated move to salvage electoral votes for a certain Senator, should he lose there.

Note to self, mostly

I want to write a piece contrasting the openly partisan newspaper wars of the 18th and 19th centuries with today's thinnly veiled partisan media wars. If either of my two readers has any good sources on the newspaper wars, let me know abot them.

The Federalist 04-33

A reader makes an excellent point in the 04-33 Federalist Brief (The Federalist on the web):

John Kerry says he is going to raise taxes on the wealthy and give tax incentives to manufacturers to stay in this country. Who does he think runs these companies, paupers? I guess he will give with one hand and take with the other. --Montgomery, Alabama.

Couldn't have said it better. Which do you prefer, America? A President who is doing what he thinks is right for the country, or a President who only cares about fulfilling his teenage fantasy of being the next JFK, and who will contradict himself to no end to get the votes to do it? I say vote for principals, Vote for Bush.

Even a Blind Dog...

I typically avoid reading the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Eugene Kane. For those of you who don't know, Milwaukee does have something of a racial problem. Eugene Kane contributes to it by writing angry columns that rarely, if ever, hold the black community of Milwaukee to any kind of standard of behavior. In fact, he excuses much of their inexcusable behavior as being the fault of rich whites (I suspect Mr. Kane does quite well financially himself, I might add). He even went after Bill Cosby like a pit bull for Cos's recent statements-that was, until Mr. Cosby called him and spoke with him, at which point Kane wrote a column showering Cosby with praise. Well, I think Kane might finally be on the right side of an issue. Sort of.

I was watching Milwaukee's NBC TMJ4 the other night, and the big story was about how the white, affluent suburb Fox Point was up in arms over Best Buy's plans to move into an empty store in the community. People were afraid of crime that they automatically associated with Best Buy stores. They interviewed a few residents of Fox Point, and it was clear that these rich whites clearly lived in a bubble where Best Buy is associated with young black males who commit crimes. It made me gag to watch these people. Well, Eugene Kane saw it the same way I did, although he discussed it in his typical racially snarky way. I'm not going to say Kane is a great American because we see eye to eye on this. Instead, I'll just acknowledge that there is a kernal of truth behind Kane's anger. It's too bad that he chooses to use that anger to pander to the anger of a poor, black community in Milwaukee, and by doing so, makes the situation worse.

Moxie

Sad and unusual news from one of my favorites, Moxie.

Dream Team?

Perhaps it is about time we quit calling the U.S. Olympic Men's basketball team the Dream Team. It was an appropriate name once, maybe twice. As for this year, I kind of hope they don't get a medal. The NBA lost me as a fan long ago as the league moved from team play to a selfish, individualistic style of play. This year's incarnation of the 'Dream Team' is a great example of this style of play, and it would probably do the NBA good to have to take a long, hard look at itself after its selfish stars come back home without medals, and without hanging their heads. And those heads should be drooping somewhere around their size 21 Nikes.

Random thought

Why did Tay-ray-za's kids grow up to be Democrats? Wasn't their father a prominant Republican? Wasn't Tay-ray-za herself a Republican once upon a time. You'd think one of those kids would have followed their Dad's path.

More of the story that never should have been

The Washington Post, apparently looking for a way to work sex within its pages during an administration devoid of sexual scandal, has run a follow up on the un-story of Jessica Cutler, aka Washingtonienne. The story is fascinating in that nobody seems to understand that every action has a consequence. And the one person who does understand this seems to hold Cutler unaccountable for those consequences:

And that is why DeLuca figures that all the people who employed Jessica on the Hill deserved exactly what happened next. "If Capitol Hill is this shining example of anything, how did she get hired?" DeLuca asks. "That's why it's so silly, people getting mad at her for bringing shame on the senator's office or the Hill or the system. Look at the guy who hired her for an internship, then asked her out. Look at the woman who supervised her, then pimped her out. Something is wrong with the system. It's not her."

Ummm, yeah, not her fault. Never mind the fact that she literally whored herself out. If I whored myself out to multiple women in my business, and then wrote about it here, on a blog nobody reads, when I got fired I'd realize the part I played in my dismissal. The only ground I'll give on the stupidity of that quote is that it was made by one of Cutler's best friends, who of course is going to defend her.

This Cutler story is representative of the main negative by product of the 1960's counterculture. There is a pervasive strain of "if it feels good, do it" in society today, and with it comes an entitled sense of "it's not my fault or problem." Guess what? It is, in good part, your fault. I don't buy the story's tale of Cutler's gifted and talented course in secondary school creating a sense of her own moral universe. Ya know what? I was in one of those courses myself, and at no point did it create in me the sense that, hey, I can sleep with as many females as I choose and not have some significant mud attached to my name.

This story is still dragging along because it titillates people. Frankly, it is a sad story as well. Under the umbrella of equality of the sexes and a woman's right to do what she chooses with her body, we have a heroine who has no respect for the value of her own sexuality and very little sense of direction to her life. She and the media may play this story up as a story of a feminist warrior but in reality, it is rather tragic tail of a woman with a pretty messed up life.

Chippewa Falls

Bush is visiting my hometown this week! Woohoo! I'm more than a little disappointed that I'm 4 hours away and thus can't go, but I can take away this little bit of solace: the President will be standing mere yards from where I first had glory as a little leaguer, before Kell Container bought the field and built us a new one.

For the record, Chippewa Falls is home to Cray super computers, Leinenkugel's Beer, some of the purest water in the world, and formerly of Jiblog.

What the hell?

The Leinenkugel's must have been a little strong last night. Did I actually say those positive things about Feingold? I guess I stand by them, but I should clarify that I will only break up my straight ticket if Russ Darrow ends up as Feingold's opponent.

Abolishing the electoral college

There is still a low level buzz out there about abolishing the electoral college and deciding presidential elections by popular vote. I don't think the advocates of the popular vote idea understand one thing. Once the strategy for winning the presidency moves from winning states to winning the most votes, the average Joe is going to be disenfrachised. Why? The candidates will be more concerned than ever with pandering to the biggest special interests in the nation. Now they have to visit key states, understand the needs of those states, and propose plans that meet those needs. Under the popular vote system, the number of visits to states will dry up, and instead the candidates will address special interests and proclaim that they are in lock step agreement with those groups, and that will be it. Personally, the electoral college system is more relevant today than ever.

McGreevy is a snake

I feel terrible for James McGreevy's family. The man had to retire because of an impending scandal involving misconduct on the job. When the man resigned, he hid behind the skirt of homosexuality, and tried to make his gay affair the issue, obfuscating his misconduct in office.

Feingold Gets It?

While Russ Feingold always seems to be heavily challenged for his senate seat here in Wisconsin, the man has earned the respect of many of us, even those of us who oppose his politics. Washington Times has an excellent commentary today on why Feingold's position on Iraq was principled, and how that sheds the light on why the two Johns' positions were nothing more than an example of political expediency.

I stand to take a beating on this from my conservative friends, but depending on which Republican wins Wisconsin's primary, it is possible that I may vote for Feingold this fall. I'd much rather have a principled political opponent who is trying to do what he sees as the right thing than a RINO in one of Wisconsin's senate seats.

For the record, I still am vehemently opposed to much of Feingold's politics, especially the McCain-Feingold act.

51%

Bush's approval rating is back over 50% according to a Gallup Poll. What is it John Madden always says after a huge 3rd quarter interception? Oh yeah, the momentum has changed. And it's Bush-Cheney's momentum to run with now.

Alert!

Squirrels have been spotted casing elementary school playgrounds. Parents, be aware but not frightened. We have our best terriers on the case.

72 White Grapes

I stumbled upon this story from the International Herald Tribune last week and I got more than a little enjoyment out of it. Now that the Koran is receiving similar scrutiny to what the Bible has been receiving for years, some pillars of Islamism may be getting a revision. For instance, there is some question as to whether martyrs receive 72 virgins or 72 grapes when they get to paradise. Imagine the kick in the balls that would be. You are some hard up Islamist schmuck and you think you are going to be overwhelmed with pooty up in paradise, and Allah hands you a bundle of grapes, pats you on the ass and sends you on your way.

Warning! Un-p.c., unpopular post

Okay, here's where I go un-politically correct and submarine any future chance I have at the presidency. Jiblog addresses gay marriage.

My first issue is with gay rights advocacy groups claiming that they do not have equal access to marriage. The truth is they do have equal access to marriage, they just choose not to join in unions with the opposite sex. Is this fair? Perhaps not, but there are no guarantees in our constitution that life will be fair.

Ultimately I think the current marriage problem is much deeper than the gay marriage issue. Marriage is ultimately a religous institution. Marriage's role in today's society is a direct result of its historical role in religion as the joining of a man and a woman as one, creating a union to meet the needs of each spouse, as well as the needs of children. Two things have happened which have begun the erosion of marriage. First, marriage became more of a legal union than a spiritual union. Legal bonds are much easier to break than spiritual. The second is the decline of religion. There is little fear of God today and even less regard for the ultimate spiritual consequences of ones actions. These two trends have combined to unravel the institution of marriage.

I'm opposed to gay marriage, but it is merely a symptom of a deeper illness for the institution of marriage. We can allow states to regulate marriage as they please, we can pass a constitutional ammendment, or we can do nothing and allow the Supreme Court to dictate gay marriage legal to us. No matter what we do in that regard, it will not begin to solve marriage's deeper problems.

Europe's Diplomatic House 'o Cards

Europe has evolved into a continent that speaks softly but carries no stick. In the past it has had a heavy to act as its threat of force behind all diplomatic efforts-the United States. With trans-Atlantic relations in a miserable state, the threat of U.S. military power is taken less and less seriously by rogue states Europe would like to engage diplomatically. What is the old continent going to do when it finds itself impotent in its cherished diplomacy?

Bing!

There is only one reason for the recent radio silence at the Jiblog-Ground Hog Day. The movie has been playing nearly continually on HBO, and I can't let the damn thing go without watching.

Several blogs have been discussing movies that may be going through John Kerry's head recently. My personal pick is Ground Hog Day, because he is trying to relive Vietnam every day, changing the story until he wins his ultimate goal. No, not Andie MacDowell, but the Presidency (although if this Drudge Report is true, he may want to win Andie as well).

Loose Lips Sink Ships, Vol. II

This edition of Loose Lips Sink Ships goes to Reuters and the New York Times. Reuters tells the story of how the NYT and itself compromised a mole we had obtained deep within al Qaeda, the computer geek from Pakistan whose intelligence recently led to the orange alert for financial institutions. By outing him, and also by outing the fact that we used him as a mole, means that al Qaeda can now go back and fix the damage we had done to them. Thanks NYT and Reuters for fighting on behalf of the enemy! Congratulations, and may American blood never be shed on your keyboards.

More on Terror in the Sky

More on the NWA flight 327 story here, here, and here. Make up your own mind.

Tardy Post on 'Bounce'

Here's a post I meant to make on Tuesday:

Despite taking much personal satisfaction from Kerry's lack of bounce in the polls following the Democratic National Convention, I'm also not putting much weight into it. Because of the contested election in 2000, 9/11, and Iraq, I suspect this is one of the most personal presidential elections to voters in quite sometime. To me, that means the polls are worthless this time around. What I mean is that the vast majority of people have already made up their minds, and that isn't going to change. Those who haven't yet made up their minds are small in number, and probably also unreliable as 'likely voters'. The polls only importance is in perception. Neither side will want to fall very far behind because that will be a sure fire way to de-motivate the base, and both candidates desperately need their bases to turn out en force.

On the record, I believe that on election day voters will break for Bush, giving him a 5 point victory in the popular vote, and a comfortable electoral victory. This will be the result of a small number of 'Bush/post 9-11 Democrats" and a de-motivated Deaniac wing of the Democratic party. Kerry may have their minds for now, but he's never had their hearts.

Homegrown Terror Threat in Chicago

I worked in Chicago today. As I drove in, I told a co-worker that I was nervous for Chicago, because it did not seem to be getting the security that many of our other major cities were. Maybe I was wrong, maybe we were lucky, but this story about a homegrown terror threat to a Federal Building in Chicage gave me chills tonight. The building was never in jeopardy because officials were on this guy like flies on Uday, but it personalized these threats for me in a way that they never have been before. As I've mentioned before, I can never feel 9-11 like those lost loved ones, who worked in the WTC or the Pentagon, or those for whom those buildings are very familiar. Today I worked about 2/3 of a mile from the Dirkson Federal Building. I was about a block from it as I left town tonight, and I looked at it. Scary to think that someone wanted to kill hundreds or thousands inside of it.

Bad Jiblog, Bad Jiblog

Wow, no post in about a week. Shame on me. My audience of two, plus my one time visiter in Iraq rely on me to rehash the daily news for them, and I let them down like this. And how how am I supposed to impress my blog models like NRO, Moxie, Viking Pundit, and Right Wing News? (plugs over).