Romney Drops Out; Blames Al Qaeda

All that money. Wasted.

Huckabee To Mitt: "Why Don't You Give It Up And Go Back To Boston?"

C-Span is the greatest. I had it on the background and caught Mike Huckabee absolutely eviscerating Mitt Romney over Romney's suggestion that Huckabee drop out. Here's a quote:

"This old Arkansas boy is not for sale. He doesn't have enough money to buy me. I'm not some troubled company that he can buy, sell off the assets and send us home."

Everyone seems to really hate Mitt Romney. I almost feel bad for the man.

Check this video. It's so brutal.

Last Night, America Showed Its Best Face

What Last Night Meant To Me

I am writing too, about last night, because, it's one of those times, when I am completely proud to be an American. I try not to get too hokey, but every once in awhile, the stars align, and America lives up to its promise.

I want to thank the people of Iowa. I want to thank them for actually LISTENING to Barack Obama, and judging him by ' the content of his character'. I would like to thank everyone who went out to caucus - to see participation in the democratic process is a beautiful thing.

When I watched Obama, I saw him come into his own. For me, the 2004 Speech was good, but I never 'felt it like that'. He was skilled; I saw the possibility of an ' IT' factor, but something was missing for me.

It was not missing last night. Last night, as I wrote before, I saw the man, with every word he spoke, grow into that speech. He was taking himself to another plain, and asked the American people to come with him. When he pointed to Michelle and said ' You..You..', had there ever been such an honoring of the Black woman than in that moment?

I am proud of Iowa today not only because of Obama's win, but of also the choices on the Republican side.

Mitt Romney is about the most dishonest piece of plastic I've ever seen come down the pike in politics, and considering that I've been a political junkie for 25 years, that's saying something. He believed that he could literally buy the GOP nomination in Iowa.

Then here comes this Baptist minister, being outspent 20-1. But, Huckabee touched something in those Republican voters, who also participated in higher levels than 2004. Not like the Democrats, but more of them came out too. Huckabee won every group except for those making 75k and over. He's speaking to something that touches the GOP voter. From where I sit, he's speaking to the economic anxiety of the ' What's the Matter With Kansas?' voter. In case you don't know that book, the basic premise is that the GOP has been able to get those working class, lower middle-class voters by appealing to their CULTURAL values, and they've been willing to overlook that the GOP has actually worked against their ECONOMIC values. And, it's been a pretty good deal for the GOP - until now. Until now, these GOP caucus voters has a man who is speaking to BOTH the economic AND cultural issues that concern these voters. Add in that Huckabee has the most congenial personality of anyone running in the GOP field, and this is the secret to his success.

I am also thrilled that the GOP came back to John McCain and gave him a third place showing. Considering McCain's principled, but considered Iowa Suicide stance of ' No to Ethanol Subsidies', it says a lot that they would give this man his props.

Authencity and Integrity ruled the day over being told who to be for, from the top -down.

Anyway you look at it, BOTH of the Iowa Caucus results were BOTTOM-UP results.

And, if you believe in participatory democracy...if you believe in THE PEOPLE speaking up and taking the time out to think and vote..

Then how could it be anything else BUT a good day in America.

Huckabee- Winner of Iowa Caucus

Huckabee - 34%
Romney -25%
MCCAIN-13%

I am thrilled by Huckabee's win. Thrilled because Flipping Mitt tried to BUY the Iowa Caucus. He outspent Huckabee 20 -to-1.

20-to-1.

And couldn't seal the deal.

John McCain - a man who wouldn't pander and has kept his stance AGAINST Ethanol Subsidies - came in THIRD.

Come on, Senator McCain. Kick Flipping Mitt while he's down...win New Hampshire!

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I liked Huckabee's speech. Ok, I'll admit it: I like Huckabee. I know people will post here talking about his policies, but I just like Huckabee. And, if the GOP Establishment thinks that he's going away, they have another thing coming.

Huckabee has the common touch.

The Republican Field of 2008.

The Republican Field of 2008.

In watching the GOP Field of 2008, it's like watching Alice in Wonderland, because so many things that just go in opposite of everything we supposedly knew about the GOP has been turned on its head.

The GOP used to be about ' authenticity'. They cherished 'true believers' above all else.

That is why Flipping Mitt and Rudy having ANY sort of a chance makes absolutely no sense.

Mitt Romney

Flipping Mitt is the most phony, plastic politician that I've ever seen. He has no core. He has no set of values, except for that he believes he should be President. That's the ONLY value he has.

He was against abortion until he became for abortion to win Governor of Massachusetts before he became against it again because he was running for President.

Pick and issue, and you'll see the same flip-flop all over the place.

He lied on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He's a total fraud.

He is a phony. Not only is he a phony, but he's a phony who believes in the continuation of the Imperial Presidency, as his responses to the Boston Globe questionnaire about Presidential Power proves. If you believe in The Constitution, Flipping Mitt's not your man.

EVERY PAPER that has studied Flipping Mitt in New Hampshire and Massachusetts has taken a pass on endorsing him.

If you want to read what those who know Flipping Mitt best TRULY think about him, try the Manchester Union Leader, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Concord Monitor.

And, I guess, I'm suspicious of ANYONE who was part of a secret meeting last year with Conservative bigwigs including Dick Cheney. NO OTHER GOP candidate was invited to the meeting - only Romney? That's enough guilt by association to cast yet another shadow on Flipping Mitt.


Rudy Giuliani

Rudy...Rudy...Rudy.

If the GOP nominates a pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-gun, thrice married MAYOR as their nominee...a few things...

NOT ONE MUMBLING WORD ABOUT MORALITY.
NOT ONE MUMBLING WORD ABOUT FAMILY VALUES.

Don't even open the mouth to utter the words.

Rudy should be disqualified for many reasons,but if you only need one, here you go:

He's welcomed, with open arms, into the busom of his campaign...

THE INTELLECTUAL ARCHITECTS OF THE IRAQ WAR.

They are firmly ensconsed in Camp Rudy, and that kind of ' company he keeps' should make you think more than twice about him.

And, it's not just the ' Progressives' who have a problem with Rudy.

This is what the AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE MAGAZINE thought about him.



Now, these are his OWN PEOPLE...his OWN PARTY...telling you which way is up...

So, that really leaves us with Huckabee and McCain.

Mike Huckabee.

I understand the appeal. He is a personable man, with an air of being comfortable in his own skin and making others at ease at the same time. While it's clear that Huckabee is a Christian, and that his faith is the cornerstone to his approach to governmental policy, it is also quite clear that Huckabee DOES NOT define his Christianity narrowly to the issues of: Abortion and Homosexuals. While those issues are in there for him, they are NOT the central focus of his Christianity, and that is one of the problems that the GOP Establishment has with Huckabee. As long as they could throw red meat to the Evangelicals, by so narrowly defining Christianity on the lines of Abortion and Gays, knowing full well that they had no intention of really doing anything on either issue, it was ok.

But, Huckabee is NOT that kind of Evangelical. He is NOT that kind of religious conservative. In listening to Huckabee give a few speeches, I have realized why the man was able to garner over 40% of the Black vote. It's because the Black voters in Arkansas saw that Huckabee was NOT a ' let them eat cake' conservative. Listening to him talk about keeping in mind the poverty-striken young boy in one of the poorest parts of Arkansas when he made decisions, he was speaking to the Christianity that African-Americans were pretty much raised upon until this Prosperity Gospel came on the scene. It was a Jesus that helped those 'least among us'.

Huckabee speaks a Populist message. He talks about those on ' Main Street' who are experiencing the economic anxiety of the middle-class and working class. He doesn't believe in unfettered capitalism without regards to the working man and woman. And nothing scares the GOP Establishment more than someone talking a Populist Message. Someone who isn't following the ' let them eat cake' model, which is why they are determined to stomp out Huckabee at all costs.

John McCain.

A candidate left for dead this summer has climbed out of the doldrums and back into the hunt.

Why?

Because, he finally became the John McCain of 2000 again. He may not be from central casting (a la Romney), or be a smooth talker (the Huckster), but there is something unmistakeably authentic about John McCain. It's when he lost it that he walked away from who he was.

In their endorsement of McCain, the conservative Manchester Union Leader said the following:

On Jan. 8, New Hampshire Republicans will make one of the most important choices for their party and nation in the history of our presidential primary. Their choice ought to be John McCain.

We don't agree with him on every issue. We disagree with him strongly on campaign finance reform. What is most compelling about McCain, however, is that his record, his character, and his courage show him to be the most trustworthy, competent, and conservative of all those seeking the nomination. Simply put, McCain can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water

I think that's the bottom line about McCain. You don't have to agree with him on every issue. But, you can be certain that behind his decisions, there is a certain CORE there. He took his lumps in those debates because of his stances on issues that made him out of the mainstream with the party, but he took them because he believed