Al Gore on the second ballot: A scenario that a few weeks ago seemed preposterous is beginning to look plausible to some nervous Democrats looking for a way out of the deadlock between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. It goes like this: We love them both, but neither is a sure bet when it comes to electability.
National Review’s John Derbyshire seems to agree,
Don’t think it couldn’t happen. Don’t, in fact, think it isn’t going to happen. The Democratic party has two lame candidates, without a dime’s worth of executive experience between them. Competing on the campaign trail, by August each will have thoroughly alienated the other’s supporters, and turned off the voting public. Meanwhile, in the wings, there is this guy who was vice president for eight years, who ran a campaign for the presidency and actually won it! (well, according to party lore). He looks presidential, with a fine strapping physique and a big square jaw. You’re hankering after moral authority? How about a Nobel Peace Prize, for crying out loud!!
A brokered convention would be great political theater, but it looks less likely with each passing Obama victory. Besides, do you really think Al Gore wants to give up the cushy life of an eco-millionaire for the stress and hassle of the presidency? Who needs to fight real enemies, like radical jihadists, when you can fight imaginary ones, like global warming?
When you are hailed as the savior of the planet, isn’t the presidency a step down?
Full Disclosure: I didn’t get to watch the PBS Frontline report on the so-called Haditha incident. However, two people whose opinions on such matters I greatly respect say that PBS got it right.
Jules Crittenden, “Rules of Engagement†remains a worthwhile and balanced look at the situation.
Uncle Jimbo, aka James Hanson, Retired Special Operations Master Sergeant, “In a shocking turn of events the PBS documentary on Haditha was overwhelmingly even-handed and convinced me they should face no punishment. The show was fair and I have no complaints about bias or slant. This is what PBS ought to do all the time.”
For a detailed look at the Haditha incident, don’t miss Uncle Jimbo’s analysis at Pajamas Media.
Pundit Review has been on the front lines, so to speak, covering the Haditha incident through the eyes of the family of exonerated Haditha Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt. We had the first radio interview with Justin after he was cleared of all charges,
“With the dismissal of these charges LCpl Sharratt may fairly conclude that he did his best to live up to the standards, followed by U.S. Fighting men throughout our many wars, in the face of life or death decisions made in a matter of seconds in combat. And as he has always remained cloaked in the presumption of innocence, with this dismissal of charges, he remains in the eyes of the law – and in my eyes – innocent.â€
Having been accused of “cold blooded murder” by his own congressman, John Murtha, Justin Sharratt joined us to describe what this ordeal has been like for him and his family,
Darryl Sharatt, Justin’s father, joined us to describe the pain this has caused his family. He also told us an incredible story about Murtha. Mr Sharrattmade 53 phone calls over 18 months, before getting a return call from Murtha! Can you imagine? A congressman, YOUR congressman, accusing your son of “cold blooded murder of innocent women and children” and not having the dignity to return a phone call for eighteen months! Talk about outrageous.
John Murtha should have been censured by Congress for his shameless exploitation of the Hadita Marines. Murtha disgraced himself and tarnished the reputations of dozens of young men who were half a world away fighting and dying for their country. The true travesty of the Haditha incident is how it was handeled by the media, and self-promoting political scum like John Murtha.
Darryl Sharratt got emotional talking about how his son’s desire to be a career Marine had been ruined. He wants Murtha to be held accountable but he’s realistic about the chances of an official reprimand from Congress (ed. note: that he so richly deserves). His frustration is understandable,
Bruce McQuain from QandO was also with us. Bruce, a Vietnam veteran, spent 28 years in the Army and added some great perspective and observations.
The Haditha incident was a tragedy for all involved, Marines and Iraqi’s alike. There is no question about that. Finally, we are getting to a point of consensus around the incident itself, it was NOT as it was widely reported, a “massacre”.
My article in today’s Townhall.com:
Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Ann Coulter and many others in the conservative media have been attacking Senator McCain relentlessly, assailing him as a liberal and referring to him as “Juan McCain.” Limbaugh has claimed that a McCain (or Huckabee) nomination would “destroy the Republican Party.”
Frankly, it is unfathomable to me and many others how any honest and responsible person could fail to say exactly that about Willard Mitt Romney — if they’ve done the homework assignment Now that Romney has “suspended” his campaign and McCain looks like the inevitable nominee, many of the conservative elites continue to cavil and lambaste McCain. Ann Coulter stated on “Hannity & Colmes” that she would go work for Hillary before voting for McCain. Hmmm.
Not to be outdone, talk radio host Laura Ingraham stated “there is no way in hell” she could “pull the lever for John McCain.”
I for one am getting a little sick and tired of listening to the relentless screeds and caterwauling of these conservative elites who are in many regards totally disconnected from the conservative base — especially the evangelical Christian field slaves who bring in the harvest. Why are the spoiled elites complaining about McCain like a bunch of petulant children when the reality is that, collectively, they share considerable blame for the fact that McCain is our likely nominee?
You see for months these conservative elites have been whitewashing by far the most left wing GOP presidential candidate in American history, Mitt Romney.
Most left wing GOP candidate you say, Gregg? But all the conservative talkers told me he was the most able to unite the Reagan Coalition. I thought he was the most conservative candidate we had?
Let’s review what the conservative pundit “Dream Team” ruthlessly covered up about their boy Mitt while inadvertently putting us on a one-stop railroad to McCain City. As I have written in numerous exposes here on Townhall.com, as governor, Willard Mitt Romney:
rest of my article here
Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us for another edition of Someone You Should Know. The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Thanks to Matt, Bruce is now on board and we are lucky to have him as part of the show.
Tonight, Bruce told us about PVT Dwayne Turner of the 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division,
Turner, a combat medic, won the Silver Star during an attack by insurgents in which he was badly wounded, but continued to render critical care to 16 members of his unit until he passed out from loss of blood…The determination to aid his comrades, the courage and fortitude to continue while badly wounded, the valor necessary to brave fire and wounds to recover the wounded in his unit and treat them is not only inspiring but indicative of the caliber of soldiers we have in our military.
And, of course, he feels he was just “doing my job”.
All of our interviews are also available for download at iTunes and Podcast Alley via the Pundit Review Radio Podcast.
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Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin and Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station
Veteran Loch Ness Monster Hunter Gives Up
LEGENDARY Nessie hunter Robert Rines is giving up his search for the monster after 37 years. The 85-year-old American will make one last trip in a bid to find the elusive beast. After almost four decades of fruitless expeditions, he admitted: “Unfortunately, I’m running out of age.”
…Despite having hundreds of sonar contacts over the years, the trail has since gone cold and Rines believes that Nessie may be dead, a victim of global warming.
Andrew Stuttaford, writing on The Corner, noted,
You couldn’t make these things up (well, Al Gore could, and would, but you know what I mean…)
UPDATE: Gateway Pundit takes a look at the polar ice caps and wonders aloud,
Is it safe to say we’ve been scammed yet?
Ok conservatives, do you believe in small government and fiscal discipline or is that just talk? If that is still one of the core pillars of the conservative movement than I would expect to see Rush, Hannity and the rest of the anti-McCain wing of the GOP praising him up and down in the coming days. On the issue of spending, special interests and earmarks, there is nobody in the Senate with a better record than John McCain.
Washington Post
Candidates’ Earmarks Worth Millions
Of Front-Runners, McCain Abstained
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure more than $340 million worth of home-state projects in last year’s spending bills, placing her among the top 10 Senate recipients of what are commonly known as earmarks, according to a new study by a nonpartisan budget watchdog group.
Working with her New York colleagues in nearly every case, Clinton supported almost four times as much spending on earmarked projects as her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), whose $91 million total placed him in the bottom quarter of senators who seek earmarks, the study showed.
Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the likely GOP presidential nominee, was one of five senators to reject earmarks entirely, part of his long-standing view that such measures prompt needless spending.
Despite her $340 million in earmarks last year, Hillary had the nerve to say this on the campaign trail today,
“For seven long years, we’ve had a government of, by, and for the special interests, and we’ve had enough,” the New York senator told an audience at a General Motors plant that she toured here. “It’s time to level the playing field against the special interests and deliver 21st century solutions to rebuild the middle class.”
Back to McCain, he held a blogger conference call today and was asked about earmarks, here’s what he had to say, according to the indespensible Porkbusters,
“I think that if we had a moratorium on earmarks it would be one of the most energizing things for our base they could hear. I think they’d be overjoyed… [The Bridge To Nowhere] is more famous than the Brooklyn Bridge.”
Senator McCain took pains to be clear that he was not demanding action from Congress, saying “I’m not telling them what to do, I’m telling them what I would do… I’m trying to lead them in telling them that the earmark spending … has reduced [the base’s] enthusiasm.”
There has been endless talk about the base being motivated this fall. In my opinion, the reason the GOP lost control of congress in 2006 was because the base was ticked off by the corruption, wild spending and unwillingness to address earmarks. I don’t think it was Iraq at all. The base was disgusted, let alone “motivated”.
On this core conservative issue, McCain’s record is something that the base should be excited about, if they are sincere in their belief that the GOP is the party of fiscal discipline and small government. Unfortunately, that is an open question. We’ll see in the coming days.
UPDATE: Listening to Hannity & Colmes tonight and Hannity is doing a segment on the final flip flop of the Romney campaign, his endorsement of John McCain. Hannity’s big question, “will this give McCain the conservative credentials he needs”. I feel like I’m living in some kind of alternate universe. BTW, Coulter was on earlier, still railing about Hillary being more conservative than McCain, even on the war. Depressing.
UPDATE II: More evidence that the answer is no, the GOP does not care about fiscal discipline.
GOP’s Earmarks Crusade Has its Limits
Anti-earmark crusader Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) lost his bid for a seat on the House Appropriations Committee Thursday…