Posted on 03/07/2005 6:12:22 PM PST by wagglebee
Speculation rages as to who will run for president in 2008. It takes only a few minutes of conversation with Republican Senator George Allen of Virginia to understand why top-level Republicans are encouraging him to run. His easy charm, straight talk, quick wit, mental acuity and experience separate him from the pack of would-be candidates.
Formerly the governor of Virginia, Sen. Allen also served as a U.S. representative and in the Virginia House of Delegates. Now serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he's putting his experience to work around the globe.
While on a recent trip to the Middle East, Allen met with American military troops and government officials from both Iraq and Israel.
Allen told me about his long and encouraging conversation with Ibrahim al-Jaafari of the United Shiite Alliance the mostly likely choice to be the next Iraqi prime minister.
I asked the senator if he was concerned that al-Jaafari might turn Iraq into a theocracy.
Without hesitation, he responded: "No. Not with him [al-Jaafari]."
Allen detailed his talk with the Iraqi leader, where they agreed on many important principles. They discussed the four pillars of freedom: freedom of religion, expression, private ownership of property, and the rule of law under a system of justice.
The senator brought a copy of the Virginia Bill of Rights to share with al-Jaafari, which Allen considers to be even stronger than the ten amendments that were adopted to form the Bill of Rights.
Allen said that al-Jaafari considers himself to be a religious man who believes that there must be religious tolerance and that all Iraqi citizens must have equal rights. Religion should neither enhance nor diminish a citizen's rights.
Al-Jaafari even pointed out to Allen that the United States has "In God We Trust" on our currency, but there is still tolerance. And al-Jaafari specifically stated that he didn't want Iraq to be like Iran.
Allen explained the significance of al-Jaafari's potential rise to power. If al-Jaafari becomes the next Iraqi prime minister, then Iraq will be the only Arab country to be ruled by a Shiite. All other Arab countries are ruled by Sunnis. (Iran is considered Persian, not Arab.)
This is a great opportunity to show the Arab world that the Shiites can govern. And to that end, al-Jaafari told Allen, he felt a huge responsibility to succeed.
During their talk, they shared some Virginia peanuts, after al-Jaafari politely asked the senator to taste a few first. Yes, Iraq is a dangerous place and Iraq's future leaders obviously can't be too careful.
I asked the senator how he felt the recent attacks would affect the momentum in Iraq. He noted that the attacks were focused increasingly on the Iraqi people themselves, which he believes undermines the goals of the insurgents. Instead of intimidation, this brutal violence seems to be solidifying the resolve of the Iraqis.
"These attacks aren't going to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people," Allen said. "The more vicious and vile these attacks become, the more it reminds the [Iraqi] people of what they don't want for themselves and their children."
"I have a great deal of faith and belief in human beings to want to live free and chart their own course," Allen said.
So, one has to wonder what course Sen. Allen has set for himself. Could the son of the great football coach George Allen be the next president of the United States? I'd certainly keep my eye on the proverbial ball.
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Actually, he is. He has a great deal of charisma in casual encounters and it comes across in the media. He also has the name of another President, and that helped a lot.
If George Allen starts showing up on talking head shows and being charming, and maybe changes his name to "Ike" he might be electable, otherwise he's gonna be another Bob Dole.
So9
Agreed. Senator Allen would be a great choice. Even the Democrats here (in Virginia) respected him.
IMHO, any Senator who's been in Washington long enough to become a household name should already be disqualified for consideration. The Beltway corrupts a person and distorts their views. They lose touch with reality. Presidents need to come from outside the Beltway, not from within.
Greg
Do you really think the base will prefer Hillary?
Or see no difference?
With any of those people every conservative can find at least one important issue on which they are far better than Hillary, and that's enough reason to vote.
The base is only important if it can keep you from getting the nomination.
So9
Allen/Rice, Allen/Owens, Allen/Santorum, all three sound great to me.
Why doesn't your list include Jeb Bush? Imagine how many people would vote for him because they think he is his dad or his brother. (IIRC that story was debunked. What confusion that existed was almost entirely among those who would be classified by pollsters as non-voters. Clearly, they weren't paying much attention.)
Do not panic. The election isn't being held tomorrow. Candidates who are unknown right now have plenty of time to capture the public's attention. I think that George Allen would be a fabulous candidate. Reassuring to conservatives but not frightening to moderates and liberals (much like the Gipper). At this point in previous election cycles, Jimmy Carter was an out-of-office, ex-governor, peanut farmer, Bill Clinton was unknown nationally, George W. had just started to capture national attention following his landslide re-election, and John Kerry was a junior, back-bench Senator. All were obviously able to run viable campaigns.
I think that Hillary is a paper tiger. While we shouldn't underestimate her, we shouldn't make her into some political dynamo that she is not.
Same as it was with George W. Bush. He had to establish himself with the voters as someone different from his father. That's what primary and general election campaigns are for.
Believe me, after a Repub. primary campaign, if Allen is running, folks who bother to pay attention will know who he is. The media is going to put a lot of heat, if not light on the subject of the Repub. nominee for Pres. in 2006, because it will be supporting the most liberal Repub. candidate, and diss all the others.
Get real. Many folks have no idea who the Governor or Senators of their own states are, much less, those of a neighboring or distant state. That't not to say they can't be educated on the matter before a General Election. There were people in the 2004 election who said they didn't know much about President Bush, and he'd already been in office for four years.
There are some who don't know and don't care who is running for office. Most don't pay attention until a couple of weeks before a general election, so that's when it becomes important to get the message out loud and clear. Before then, it's done for the benefit of the party faithful.
You do have a rather big butt, dude...MUD
We've already bred more POTUS's than every other State...MUD
You just like lookin' at it...
LOL...damn Hokie lowlife...MUD
do you 2 need some privacy or sumptin'?????????
You guys crack me up!
Who in the "normal" world had heard of George W. Bush prior to his '98 re-election? He was just that "other brother" and "other son of the President." He didn't start gaining public recognition until approx. Jan 99 - well within two years of his election. But he already had established some strong political connections - as has Allen.
No, you're not. :-)
Has anyone considered this possibility, Hillary wont headline the Democratic Ticket.
There are doubts within her own party over whether she can win the election. A recent poll in my Blue State of New Jersey has Condi a few points ahead of Hillary, possibily due to our large Black population.
As for George Allen.
Technically a southern republican. Adds that 'southern charm' but Condoleeza does have the Foreign, Domestic, and Desicion making appeal. She also appeals to Minorities
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