Sunday Morning Talk Show Thread 27 January 2008

FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.

FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

LATE EDITION (CNN) : Gen. David Petraeus; Paulson; former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass.; Huckabee.

Sorry to be so horribly late with this

Top 10 will be posted right after this

Honorable Mention Awards for January 27, 2008 (in alphabetical order)

advertising guy

#251; "...if any watched Witch Hillary in Tennessee last night,really watched it..........the Clinton’s are dead done............ I posted a year ago this is Owanna’s to lose. I was wrong... Owanna won’t get the chance to win outright,Hillary will hang herself and the dems will hang Bill ... bye bye BillHilly..........get ready to testify ... As for Owanna, sure he reads speaces well,but is actually more stupid than most here’s dog....... When Mitt wins it is effect to recruit Thompson..... Mitt covers the north,northeast and therefore Wall Street ... Thompson covers the south,southeast and southwest ... and NASCAR......... Out west Mitt has Ahrnold and Thompson has Hollywood ... oh and sorry.............McCain can kiss my ass"

AfterManyASummer

#341; "Huckabee can endorse whomever he wants, but I (a Huckabee supporter) will absolutely not vote for McCain. Maybe if McCain repudiated his immigration views, I would consider him in the general election. Otherwise, no... I recommend that FReepers vote for Romney if necessary."

A.Hun

#182; "'Let 's offer a Pre-buttal to the MSM.' ... Their is hardly anyone left to do that anita. Too many conservatives would have to eat crow to praise the President. Noonan took the opposite track "GWB Destroys Republican Party". That is what is going to happen. No one can tout GWB's accomplishments because so many have spent the last two years denigrating them. Remember, the consensus here has been that the President is no conservative. We are now down to McCain, Romney, or Rudy none of whom hold a candle to the President when it comes to conservative positions... The only way any Repub candidate will get into the White House is because Hillary is disliked or Obama is black. Unfortunately, McCain is the most acceptable for disaffected Democrats and independents, and would be the Republican's best candidate. He is the anti Bush." (Note: reply to anita's post #8)

aligncare

#243; "Regarding Obama v (insert any pubbie), think Kennedy v Nixon... Nixon was the better man ... Kennedy was the better politician. There is a difference. And the rest, as they say, is history."
#459; "I think Mr. Romney can beat Obama. Maybe even Mr. McCain could (though I’m less certain of that)... But, I’m not at all certain Mr. Romney will beat Mr. McCain for the nomination. (Again, I never underestimate the electorates ability to make the wrong vote.)"

A. Morgan

#246; "... If (McCain) is the nominee the demoRATS will have a field day exposing all of his lies! McCain would do better as a cast member of Grumpy Old Men remake."

altura

#435; "'Yup. Of course once Obama has been dispatched with the Clintons will once again assume the mantle as champions of black America and the media will eagerly go along with it.' ... I wonder if black America will flock that quickly back to the Clintons, or if there will be residual resentment that will lead to a lot of staying home."
#619; "It’s fascinating to see the Rats sneaking off of the sinking ship HMS Hillary... They must think she’s sinking or they wouldn’t dare turn on her... But, I’m not at all sure she’s sinking. Okay I admit I don’t fully understand the Super delegate thing at all, but I believe Hillary has most of those sewed up... And I also understand that South Carolina is 57 percent black... I still think Hillary will be the nominee but I am hoping she and Bill have irreparably damaged themselves among blacks. And they have to have the black vote."
#661; "While we (wonks or semi-wonks) ignore the MSM, or think we do, I think they still have an almost subliminal influence on the spiritus mundi of the country... They are inescapable and creep into our subconsious, even those of us who know better... They are our worst enemy. We would never have had Clinton without the assistance of the MSM."

Bahbah

#43; "Now Timmy is letting McCain spin his economics comments... Timmy is helping as much as he can to make sure that McCain is our nominee... He brings up McCain’s no tax cuts for the rich comment. He is giving him the opportunity to spin everything with which he has a problem... Will he do illegal immigration?"
#51; "McCain says he’s proud again that the polls show he is the only one beating Clinton... He’s proud, proud.... This whole thing is a campaign ad for John McCain. He is confident he can unite the party in the fall... He is wrong."
#56; "McCain comes from a border state, so he knows how to secure them... But we must be humane, he says."
#62; "Timmy brings up Rush and the destruction of the pubbie party if McCain is nominated... McC: I am a proud conservative. He is the most proud person on the planet... McCain says he got Republican votes."
#75; "McCain seems to be running the proud, name dropping campaign. See, all these guys are for me so I must be okay."
#116; "'Watching Clinton in SC was like watching a mad dog slobber' ... MoDo quoting someone else... Lots of nasty stuff about the Clintons. I am enjoying this immensely."
#190; "I see the point of FNC having Huckleberry this morning. They are using him to hurt Romney."
#324; "... McCain is lying about his affect on the surge. He just wanted big numbers of boots on the ground which would have "Americanized" the effort. He is also lying about what Romney actually said about "timetables," as Brit tried to point out over Chris Wallace's efforts to convince everyone that Romney is the liar... Wallace is openly opposed to Romney."
#350; "Obama is on with Steffie. Steffie mostly wanted to drag him into the cat fight aspect of the campaign... He then asks him questions that are impossible to answer...like what could Clinton have done to change the trajectory. Obama has a pretty glib answer, though it contains no substance, as usual."
#409; "'I'm also guilty of believing the polls which show McCain would beat either dem during the general election with the help of independents' ... I firmly believe that these polls are being concocted to drive our party to nominate McCain."

Bernard

#111; "You are absolutely right about the Republican candidates' need to support President Bush. No matter how hard the media is working to re-write history, he did win re-election in 2004 for several reasons... Too many Republicans run their campaigns to please the media, responding to polls. In other words, they act like Democrats. And that explains how the Republicans lost Congress in 2006; acting like Democrat aristocracy... When we get Republican candidates who are willing to act and vote like Republicans, they will take over the majority position again." (Note: reply to Laverne's post #93)

bray

#473; "Nobody questions InSane on his Surge claim. He wanted a Vietnam type force, not a mere 30K troops. He never had any idea of how this Surge would work. He wanted 250,000 troops and a draft."

BusterBear

#171; "'I think Obama has a better than even chance to win the nomination.' ... I agree. A lot of Democrats I hear are asking themselves if they really want to go through another four years of Clinton scandals and screw-ups. I don't think there is a Democrat alive who doesn't believe that if Clinton hadn't gotten himself impeached Al Gore would have been in the White House the last seven years. If Obama shows conclusively that he can attract white voters, there will be plenty of Democrats, including establishment ones, who will be ready to ditch Hillary."

Capt. Jake

#144; "Mitt has been the best candidate in terms of supporting President Bush, with Rudy close to him. McCain and Huck have been the worst. No surprise there."

Carolinamom

#104; "When I go into the voting booth, I want to vote for a candidate because of his character and his stands on the issues, not just because he is a Republican.....as a vote for McCain would be."

Chgogal

#649; "Brit slapped Wallace down... 'Our job as journalists is to clarify.' Wallace failed. Wallace purposefully spun the editing of the ABC interview. That type of journalism is unforgivable. Brit Hume is excellent. I wish more journalists had his character and dedication to the profession. The world would be so much better off."
#756; "Here is a link from the Fox Business Channel. It is an interview between Albright and Cavuto. Cavuto, the mild, lays into her like you would not believe. This is a must watch. You will have to put the name Albright in the search box and click to find the videos. There are two sections. It gets very good a few minutes into the first sections. It is wonderful! Chgogal’s rating - 5 Stars!!!!"

ClarenceThomasfan

#316; "The Clintons paid off the Harlem minister Rev. Calvin Butts with a 1 million dollar *ah hem* “earmark”. He got the earmark in December, she got his endorsement in January. No connection there, I’m sure."

claudiustg

#463; "If McCain gets the nomination, the Republican Party will have squandered the Reagan legacy down to the last penny."

dobermangang

#380; "McCain won’t unite the party. Millions of Conservative voters that normally vote, won’t go to the polls. Many Republican candidates across the country will lose in close races because of McCain. I won’t vote if he’s the nominee. At least I won’t be called for jury duty for 4 years. I’d rather be front stabbed by Hillary than back stabbed by McCain. McCain is no conservative and isn’t a friend of the conservative movement."

gov_bean_ counter

#252; "Two numbers will make it impossible for McCain to be elected if he gets the nomination. One will be hammered in by the left and one will be remembered by the right... 5 ... 14" (Note: as Rush would say "for those in Rio Linda," the numbers go along with "Keating" and "Gang of," respectively)

gruna

#348; "Russert actually did a pretty decent job of showing McCain to be the lying, flip flopping, backstabbing moral midget that he indisputably is... I say again, Romney is the better man, and I have no doubt that Florida Republicans now realize this and consequently will give Mitt the victory he deserves on Tuesday... The Florida victory will propel Romney to the nomination, and ultimately the presidency... Count on it. I haven’t been wrong yet."
#386; "... it’s the old briar patch trick the Democrats and their cohorts in the media are trying to pull on Republicans, by saying how hard McCain will be to beat, and how easy it will be to beat Romney."

jmyrlefuller

#76; "I think he can; the top 2 will go down to McCain and Romney, and I think Romney wins out of those two. Rudy will finish a close 3rd, but as Fred learned, third place doesn’t count much, and even moreso since FL is a “winner take all delegates” state... I love to see how they continue to peddle Huckabee as a viable candidate. His bubble has burst."
#125; "I don’t think Huckabee is all that viable as a VP candidate, because he doesn’t bring all that much to the ticket. However, Huckabee’s endorsement would definitely carry some serious weight, because Huckabee is (like it or not) the most consistently pro-life candidate left in this race. If he’s the next to leave (and I suspect he will be), then his successor will pick up a significant portion of the base— the evangelicals. That is powerful ammunition, even if it comes after Super Tuesday because I don’t think either one of these races will be decided by 2/5." (Note: reply to rodguy911's post #118)
#503; "... I compare it to a few years ago. You had all these people trumping up 'health care crisis!' '40+ million uninsured Americans!' 'health costs skyrocketing!' ... Government’s plan is to expand the Medicare program to prescription drugs... The only one I know of that has proposed something different is the now departed Hunter. He proposed opening up the state borders. A lot of these insurance companies are insulated by state borders from competition. The theory is that with more competition, prices will drop. That’s how you work within the laws of the free enterprise system to create more favorable results... Now, personally, I think the problem is that demand is artifically high because of having someone else (either government or an insurance company) to pay for your health care and so people just go out and get whatever they want (nearly half of all Americans are on prescription drugs— is that really necessary??), thus driving demand too high. (Gasoline has a similar problem.)"

lainie

#499; "It sure was strange to see Maureen Dowd excoriating Slick Willie like she did. I know it’s calculated, and she’s a big fat liar, and no one cares about her anyway; it was just odd to hear the words coming out of her mouth. She must have a tough time when her lord & master NYT and her lord & master Bill Clinton are at odds."

Laverne

#42; "I’m with you on that Anita; McCain is always trying to take credit for the surge strategy, and I do appreciate his strong support and understanding of the mission not only in Iraq but the overall WOT itself. But for McCain to constantly diss Rummy is beyond the pale and quite infuriating... The segment with Paulson on FNS is pretty boring, imho." (Note: reply to anita's post #38)
#93; "I’m not a Huckabee fan, but good for him today on FNS in defense of his comments regarding WMD. He put the whole WMD debate back in its proper perspective, what we knew THEN, versus what we know now and he credited President Bush for taking the correct action. He also reminded Wallace that the democrats voted WITH the President on the War. Moreover, he told CHris Wallace that if we hadn’t invaded Iraq and he did have WMD, then today’s discussion would be about why Bush did NOT act... Again, good for Huckabee. I’m pleased to see all the republican candidates, except Paul, defend the President. That is what they need to continue to do."

longtermmemmory

#535; "looks like the old establishment Democrats want the party back from der schlickmeister"
#543; "McCain Advisor: 'Think Mexico First' ... Townhall.com ^ | 1/27/2008 | Kevin McCullough"
#631; "Huckabee is adressing the 'fair tax' scam in the state of florida where they were DEVASTATED by the 1991 luxury tax.... The man is a political bufoon.... ALL the luxury sales went to the caribean islands too avoid that mere 10% tax... a 30% tax will be ecconomic suicide... this is on cnn... Also huckster is not talking about the MASSIVE entitlement program that is part of HR 25 http:thomas.gov ... this is the idiot the evangelicals hooked onto? ... huckabee is nonsense personified."
#638; "Huckabee just gave his 'fair tax' scam speech in jacksonville... He DARE not give it in south florida where the luxury tax wiped out the personal boat industry until its repeal... (transactions just moved 90 miles east) ... CNN showed him playing his guitar... Seems more like nero playing the lyre while his campaign rome burns."

Lucius Cornelius Sulla

#97; "Crist is popular with the MSM, liberals and moderates, and squishy conservatives. His coattails are untested, but he is no Jeb Bush. Florida Freepers HATE him!"
#141; "Tom DeLay says McCain will destroy the GOP, he could run something, as the inside man with Rush the public face."

mainepatsfan

#30; "I think McCain’s ceiling is a bit higher this time around because there wasn’t an established opponent for non McCain voters to rally around. That candidate will be emerging shortly."
#36; "... once Obama has been dispatched with the Clintons will once again assume the mantle as champions of black America and the media will eagerly go along with it."

Miss Marple

#66; "... I wanted to let everyone know some things I picked up last night watching the commentary and from information I have gleaned from relatives... 1. Obama picked up younger white voters, far more than the press expected... 2. My son is living and working in Chicago and says that Obama is getting a lot of support from moderates up there, and it cuts across racial lines. A lot of democrats are really, really mad at the CLintons... 3. One of my sisters teaches at a Catholic school which is full of democrats, and ALL of them support Obama, even the older white women... 4. Obama has a text message campaign to get younger people to contact friends and get them to vote. Apparently this is part of the reason his turnout of younger voters is greater than expected... 5. In SOuth Carolina (and I will bet in other black communities) Obama sent people to the beauty and barber shops in the neighborhoods, which are places where social information is exchanged in the black community. This was completely under Hillary’s radar and was very smart. Obama has a history of community organizing which he is putting to good use... I think Obama has a better than even chance to win the nomination. I have decided to support Romney, because I think he will be the only one who could out debate not only Hillary but Obama. Obama would run rings around any of the other GOP candidates."
#130; "... I have a theory about this... If they push the race thing too much, they are going to alienate blacks. Moe importantly, just because Obama loses a vote doesn’t mean that Hillary will gain it... It is my belief that most guys who won’t vote for Obama due to race will also not vote for Clinton because she is female. Those voters will go to Edwards (and there was some indication of this in the South Carolina returns)."

Morgan in Denver

#658; "McCain presents the worst of possibilities. Democrats would use him to get the policies they want but remain able to blame Republicans for anything that goes wrong. Most of the time, the president gets credit or blame even though the other party caused it to happen... Clinton brags over his welfare reform but he only signed it because the Republican congress basically forced him to over time. G. HW Bush got blamed for the tax increase as he tried to work with the Democrats in congress who promised restraint but did not deliver. GW Bush is blamed for Iraq even though almost all Democrats jumped on the bandwagon of war in support thinking they could get a political benefit for it."
#675; "I mentally compared the Clinton 'family' with what we would have with the Romney family. The mental images made me shudder in thinking that it could happen... again. It's like a bad nightmare, repeating itself. Imagine Freddy Kruger and Groundhog Day rolled into one... 'With Hillary we have her, Bill, Chelsea, Hugh and Tony Rodham and Roger Clinton.' ... Compared to the Romney's, this is good versus evil on a scale previously unheard of... If I add a Janet Reno, Madeline Albright, Sandy Berger or Joycelin Elders to this mental movie, it becomes a horror story of epic proportions."

mtnwmn

#429; "Huckabee is all over TV in B’ham. I have not seen any polls so I have no idea how things are really going. He had a fairly large crowd at Samford College. Obama has been here and is getting good press....so is the hildabeast not here but good press). From some poll I saw Huckabee was ahead in GA. Have you any concrete poll numbers?"

navymom1

#310; "Opening question from Wallace to Huckabee: ... Who do you believe in the McCain-Romney lying about the “timetable” for Iraq... Answer: I have never known John McCain to lie.... And this man called himself a Baptist Minister. Oh to be a fly on the pearly gates when he arrives....."

NordP

#78; "I nearly barfed when Huck started talking about how wonderful John McCain is...how Huck knew the economy would go bad (doom) and how he knows the pain of the little guy (gloom...pander); and how Romney only knew about what the wealthy people in the room were going through (class warfare...pander)... Yes, I was born in 55 too, Mike, and my favorite color is orange...but I don't care WHAT you are or do, or what you're wearing... you're NOT getting my vote... The quips the attacks on others that have money (which to me means that person cannot be bought), the HOPE AR connection, the "I have great respect for the Clintons (which he just said)" and his love for John McCain....make me ill."

ozzie

#359; "I can’t understand McCains rabid hatred of Rumsfeld. Even today on MTP instead of saying “The initial invasion was done right but Rumsfeld had the wrong strategy on the occupation” and couching it in conciliatory terms McCain insead has to trash the administration again..”the wars handling was a disaster...I’ve always been against Rumsfeld....the Bush administation blew it...” all in very hostile terms. Doesn’t he know he sounds like a confrontational democrat rather than someone on our side? I, like many here, don’t know if I could force myself to even vote for him even in the general....but I think we here are also a significant minority, akin to primary voters. I think the great unwashed voters who don’t really follow the news that much could easily support him in the general. While I would have liked to see Thompson stay in, it appears now that we need to hope Romney can pull it off."

Peelod

#152; "'CHANGE is the fad word for dim politicians. Damn, an anarchist bomb-thrower is the ultimate 'change' candidate.' ... Would that dirigisme and fabianism become popular among those given to rational, critical analysis." (Note: Dirigisme = an economic term designating an economy where the government exerts strong directive influence - Fabianism = socialism to be established by gradual reforms within the law)

PerConPat

#659; "'... we are currently fighting for the soul of the Republican party. The folks in charge now, regardless of what they were when they started, are not Conservatives.' ... Regardless of the final outcome of the Pub Convention, this is and will remain the heart of the matter. Increasingly, for me, the dilemma of which GOP candidate is better on this or that issue is fast being overtaken by the question of just what has this party become? ... Hunter's message was clear and Fred's was acceptable. However, Hunter's recent support for Huckabee and Fred's collapse have led me to the conclusion that we Pubs are badly rent... While leaning toward Romney now, after seeing my fist two choices bite the dust, I'm not liking it all that much. My interest is beginning to center around waiting for the 2008 platform and hearing what the nominee has to say. My absolute disgust for the Dims could possibly rally me to vote for even McCain when I'm in the ballot booth staring into the abyss of a Rat presidency. But something has to give, and I don't think I will be able to resist working for the creation of a viable Conservative party if this election serves up a choice between what turns out to be Dim and Dim-lite... It was depressing today to watch Brit on FNS having to defend Romney from that fop, Wallace. I was instantly reminded of the great Peggy Lee tune, Is That All There Is?."

Reo

#488; "... When Obama speaks in hopeful and soaring terms addressing themes that transcend racial and economic and political division, he taps into strains of hope that cut across the full political spectrum, with skills not seen since Ronald Reagan and Martin Luther King. Although I know his mis-guided world and economic views are as wrong-headed as Jimmy Carter's, his communication talents are awesome, and should never be underestimated or discounted. He would be a formidable nominee."

Ron in Acreage

#452; "Notice how the Hildebeast or any of her surrogates were no where to be found this morning? ... She was trounced in a landslide in SC and she goes into hiding... And where’s her race baiting slug of a husband?"

shadeaud

#63; "McCain claims to be a proud conservative, but he fails to tell us he spells conservative............CON servative"
#77; "Clinton backs McCain as well as his wife says it would be the most boring campagin ever. McCain says he thanks Clinton for the backing but the race would not be boring( it would be like a bad rerun of the odd couple)"

Sir Francis Dashwood

#202; "The last thing the Democrats want is a tall, vibrant, healthy man like Mitt Romney standing next to their short, fat old hag during the national debates..."

snugs

#453; "Jealousy IMHO he (McCain) wanted his (Rumsfeld's) job, he no longer wanted though towards the end of the Bush Presidency because he wanted to go for the Presidency. Hence switch of tactics on his behalf rather than criticizing the new Secretary of Defense, The President and the change of tactics he pretends that it was his idea and plan."

SwatTeam

#206; "I am breathlessly waiting for one of the tv hosts to ask McCain if he has such a great military mind and is the only one qualified to be CIC, why does he want open borders? Doesn’t his brilliant military mind even hint that we could be invaded by terrorists as well as the ones sucking our tax dollars up?"

TCats

#55; "... I think we all need to keep in mind the negative rating of any Rep Candidate... This election could end up being a series of voting lines with everyone ‘Holding their nose’ before entering the booth to vote - BOTH Reps and Dems. A not surprising development given the retreads that are likely to be put up."
#464; "Not exactly the subject of this thread but I’m watch the McLaughlan Group right now and they are talking about the Stimulus Plan. Remarkably, they all keep referring to the Gov’t 'Giving money to the people'. What a crock! More of the same Big-Gov’t New-speak that has been emanating from BOTH sides of the aisle IMO."

Thebaddog

#384; "I always thought that Rumsfeld was a great war time consigliere. He went in to the Pentagon and got them up to waging a special ops war and we won. It wasn't his job to manage the peace, IMHO... And McCain has never really been vetted for his health issues. If the MSM were to do their job to expose the potential leaders of the free world for their strengths and weaknesses, McCain would have some serious explaining to do. If the MSM was only propping up a tomato can for the democratic candidate, they are doing just fine."

The Pack Knight

#428; "Wow.. Huckabee says giving the taxpayers back their money will only help the Chinese economy. Instead, we should 'spend more on infrastructure.' ... Every day, I have less reason to tolerate Huckabee as the nominee."
#454;"It absolutely amazes me that any self-described conservative could actually vote for that man... He's even taken up Duncan Hunter's banner on China and perverted it into an excuse for more tax-and-spend fiscal policies. The assertion from Huckabee apologists around here that he's really a fiscal conservative looks more and more laughable each time Huckabee opens his mouth... Here's hoping Florida puts the last nail in the coffin of Huckabee's campaign. Once he's out of the way, I'll breathe a lot easier, because I can at least accept the rest of the candidates."

top 2 toe red

#668; "Boy, Chris used his bully pulpit to promote McCain and slam Mitt every chance he got today...and he 'made' himself many chances to do both! ... Sean has been really supporting Romney the last few weeks, I think he has seen the writing on the wall concerning Rudy."
#683; "'It was depressing today to watch Brit on FNS having to defend Romney from that fop, Wallace.' ... Brit should have hauled off and cold cocked Wallace today! ... He collaborated with Huckabilly in slamming Mitt, all the while building up McCain, then argued with Brit that McCain not only wasn't lying about Romney, but saying instead Romney had been lying about McCain. Then the ONLY TWO letters he read at the end...one negative toward Obama, the other negative toward Romney... He is SO carrying Clinton and McClain's water."

WestSylvanian

#232; "Where’s an interview with Romney? Days before the primary in Florida and he isn’t worth an interview? McCain was with Russert for 30 minutes AGAIN this morning. When he finished, McCain thanked Russert for having him “on again.” How convenient. Tell me the MSM isn’t trying to rig the results here. I didn’t hear the whole interview, but at one point Russert mentioned that Thad Cochran in the Senate has said that the idea of a President McCain “sends chills down my spine.” McCain dismissed Cochran as a notorious pork barrel politician who is one of his enemies. If there are others in the Senate, and there must be, who don’t think McCain has the temperament for the job and who don’t want a backstabber representing Republicans in the general election, I suggest they speak up NOW and put an end to the MSM bandwagon that’s trying to get him elected."

Top Ten for Sunday, January 27, 2008

10th Place STARWISE

#431; "... Obama’s landslide in SC is nothing short of stunning... We MUST remember, however, the filthy Clinton machine isn’t done by a long shot. They will be pulling out more attacks and vitriol .. directly and through their numerous, brainwashed vicious surrogates. More’s coming .. she will NOT be denied... And imagine what the Pubbie candidates will be getting in the coming days... They’re NOT going to let that $100M+ (I don’t know what’s left) warchest go unused or unbribed... Time for kevlar. I think Romney has ample protection... I’m SO heartened to see McCain Mutiny is on his way out... He and HRC have captured the nasty corner, and more will be spewing."
#491; "The article referenced (by Fred Barnes, believe it or not) is a MUST read. Behind the scenes of Pres. Bush’s surge decision process. Shows his undeniable strength of conviction and savvy. It was his deft hand and resolute
faith in the mission that made the difference. Brilliant .. One of the money passages .. there are a few: ... He was never alarmed, Bush said, by the opposition to a surge from nearly everyone in the political community, the media, and the foreign policy establishment—everyone, he pointed out, 'except for the people inside the White House I trust. ...We’ve been in this foxhole now for seven years, and we’re battle-tested, hardened veterans of dealing with the elite opinion in Washington, D.C.' Link: ... ~~~ ... Also .. the congressional traitors are at it again: Top agents in secret trip to Pakistan"

9th Place WOSG

#584; "Senators who know McCain .... Proamnesty RINO Mel Martinez and liberal Democrat Lieberman are for McCain... Conservative Senator Jim DeMint (video) has endorsed Romney ... Senators Robert Bennett (R-UT), Wayne Allard (R-CO), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT). ... Now Senator Thad Cochran joins them ... Other endorsements: Judge Robert Bork, Tom Tancredo, Paul Weyrich, National Review, Ann Coulter, many others ... Rep Connie Mack IV, Bob Jones III ... We see a trend - conservatives endorse Romney, Liberals and RINOs endorse McCain... 'McCain dismissed Cochran as a notorious pork barrel politician who is one of his enemies.' ... Yes, funny how McCain has conservative Republican enemies and liberal Democrat friends... Mitt Romney for President. Say NO to proamnesty-proCO2caps-CFR-nannystate-RINO John McCain"
#590; "RUSH has been on this drive-by media bias like white on rice. They have been shilling for Huck and shilling for McCain for the past 2 months. The BEST candidate we have, which is obvious if you look at his consensus conservative agenda, his great resume of accomplishments, his fine family, his skeleton-free closet, and his great debate performances ... is clearly Mitt Romney. The media will bring up as much FUD as they can to highlight the great RINO McCain and the enabler of his success, Huck-the-divider-of-conservative-base-votes, and obscure the much better Romney. ... Annoy the media. Vote Romney."

8th Place Sunnyflorida

#354; "I don’t agree that loosing FL is fatal to any candidate. It is a weird place. The Cuban swing vote is one of the few actual GOP voting-blocks anywhere. You need this vote to win FL and consequently the Presidential election. But it could toss the primary to a candidate and be completely unique and not representative of the GOP voters as a whole... I want to see the McCain, Romney, Rudy vote ex-Dade."
#368; "I disagree. You have to look inside the FL numbers. If McCain wins with the big weird Cuban block the victory says really nothing. FL is a weird state. Romney has the money to go on. This race is not over till its over and FL is not the end... So far this whole primary season is 'nomentum.'" (Note: reply to mwl1's post #361)
#407; "I don’t think endorsements matter that much in FL. The only real block or lead-by-the-nose voters are the Cubans in Miami. Somebody gets a big bag of money and then a handful get medium bags then a bunch get small bags and then the precinct captains get wads. I am a bit far away from it over her on the SW coast so I don’t know who the professional pols over there are backing. Sounds like McCain."

7th Place rodguy911

#28; "... Looks like Bubba and the gang outsmarted the competition once again by making the rat race a black/white event. Such an event Oblama will easily lose since blacks are only 11% of the population and Hispanics are less than enamored over all black voters voting for black candidates... The CCF(Clinton Crime Family) should swim through the cesspool of an election cycle they have once again created quite easily... On our side the DBM is once again doing its best to totally ignore or demagogue Mitt every chance they get and hoist their fall back guy geezer McCain to the top... A huge sidelight this cycle however is everyone's(msm/dbm) concern over just how much influence Rush does have in conservative circles.(surprise surprise) ... Rush's telling the truth about RINO McCain may well keep him out of the oval office with any luck. Thank God for Rush Mark, Laura and a few others who insist on telling it like it is... It's amazing to me just how much work I have had to do this week converting minds that just don't have all the facts about what a loser McCain really is. Everyone seems to have forgotten recent history, McCain, Finegold, border, economy, tax cuts, etc. McCain is just not a conservative, even the fact that most Nam vets won't give him the time of day is seldom mentioned... We have our work cut out for us over the remaining months,but we are up to the task... One thing that really heartened me was a conversation I had with a long time buddy of mine who was tryng to make up his mind between McCain and Romney... He kept wondering why the msm was so high on McCain and not Mitt, then he got it. We are winning, but it won't happen over night."
#81; "... if McCain is the nominee it will be really tough to get the base out period. Many I am afraid will just stay home. It will become the battle of the bit_hes!!"
#90; "I wouldn’t worry about the Huckster my guess is his support is ten miles long and in inch wide... If Rudy should drop out,his support could swing the race to Romney."
#108; "... I think Bubba hit pay dirt when he turned the race basically into a black/white event. My guess is not enough rat voters will see much beyond that."
#118; "Yeah i agree, the huckster is yesterdays news. The only thing he can try now is to become VP which is a real long shot(no one is seriously vying for the Arkansas vote) or try for some leverage by selling off his 'following' which probably averages an 80 IQ,also of little value." (Note: reply to jmyrlefuller's post #76)
#147; "'If McCain wins(and that's not a given at this point),he could garner a whole bunch of independents while the GOP base stays home and still have a chance at winning.' ... Worse yet he could unite with a whole bunch of dem/rats who see him as an easy roll and we could be in true trouble!! ... Anyone who is not familiar with McCain/Finegold should be, it paralyzes us in so many ways and is only a sample of what a McCain candidacy will get us... McGeezer will compromise on anything just to get something passed, he never met a bill he didn't like, good or bad. He is the worst demagogue you can have in a power position."
#276; "... Bubba may have mortally wounded Oblama,by casting him as a black only projectile candidate... So many blacks have stereotyped themselves by running and getting overwhelmingly elected in primarily black neighborhoods all over the country that many people are fed up with the practice. That could create a huge backwash for Oblama,who otherwise is a good candidate for the dems.(no experience, so few bad marks on his report card)"
#548; "Health care is a complex set of oligarchies IMHO... The John Edwards types who sue doctors(or anyone associated who has a few bucks) and build huge mansions with the residues have created a we don't dare make a mistake or we are screwed, mentality with many doctors... Here is S. Fla. many doctors are dropping out(the ones that are left) due to $100,000 mal practice insurance bills, but since the trial lawyers and others run the DNC you don't ever hear about it. After all it our jobs to just pay dramatic costs for aspirin and $20 doctor visits can now run $500 and keep our mouths shut or our carriers will cancel us,and don't dare have a claim either... Of course is in S.fla. its much more equal opportunity, everyone here is crooked!! ... The doctors (those that are licensed) co-opt with ambulance chasers to create fake accidents by the hundred bilking insurance companies out of millions and handing the bills to us... The free enterprise system has bypassed the health care system courtesy of bad govt., little enforcement and a cradle to grave mentality by many. Not to mention illegals gaming the system for every last dime and than complaining there wasn't enough there to begin with as the last local ER close its doors forever!!,p> Uhhh.... sorry JM, guess you touched a nerve...."

6th Place anita

#8; " ... Before tomorrow's Prez' SOTU speech, MSM will try to diminish the Prez as a lame duck with low approval ratings & such. Americans gave Prez.Bush to rule until, Jan 2009 in REAL ELECTION... Let 's offer a Pre-buttal to the MSM... About their opinion dynamics poll - they predicted "Gore win", "Kerry win", awarded Florida to Kerry by 6 points & democrat-senate (in 2004). (Fox Star declared that David Kay will be remembered in History for W's defeat, now - David who?) As recent as this cycle, they predicted virtual tie in Michigan & 10 pt. lead for Obama - both PROVEN FALSE... Obviously, they 're sticking with the same loser-democrat-pollster - which no successful business would adopt... Heritage Foundation proved that it was Pat Buchannon, the spoiler in 2000 elections taking away more Bush votes than Ralph Nader taking democrat-votes that caused a closer Bush-win. But, Bret Baier even this week giving the false-democrat-spin while reporting about Nader run... Bush responsible for Katrina "debacle"(yeah, even McCain says that) - Proof is in the latest 99% Luisiana election results... MSM declared that Bush will be a "lame duck" because of the closer election. Proved wrong, passing 2 of the BIGGEST tax-cuts. Won 10 million more-votes in 2004 than in 2000... 2 wars, 2 Supreme Court Judges, Conservative-Fed Chairman. Most Pro-Life advancement ever... Above everything-else, MSM slashed & burned itself because of BDS. 81% don't believe whatever they "report" as news... 11 more months left. Let them keep calling "lame duck". RESULTS MATTER above all."
#33; "... Very True, Rod... Divide & Rule startegy by Clintons. Buy some Backs who could be bought and then dump the entire community who was behind them. If any Republican did even something close to that, he would be out of politics. Shame. In the end, Obama is going to lose, which could be better for us." (Note: reply to rodguy911's post #28)
#38; "... I can't stand (McCain's) continuous insulting of Rumsfeld."
#86; "... (lately) McCain’s latest spin on his service is disgusting - “he served for patriotism not for profit” thing. Like everyone else is for profit & has no patriotism."
#102; "Here 's this sunday's Media Nuggets ..."
#145; "This one is good." (Note: link to You Tube compilation of clips about McCain)
#201; "'I would love to know who were in the Press Pool for that trip because I have a theory that many of the WH Press Corps are too cowardly to want to be in close proximity to such a target as our president in such a dangerous area of the world. No wonder the short straw drawers had to go.' ... One of the reasons network news slowly becoming obsolete. Good news is people have sources to get true-news. If the media are not going to be the conduit, they will end up as losers."
#233; "I was talking about the media, especially Fox. Remember the first 3 years of Bush-Presidency, they were on equal par with broadcast-networks on ratings. But then, Fox hired several liberals from other networks & became the multimedia version of AP... Today they not only joined the MSM in liberal spin, they infact are leading them. But, ratings - no where near broadcast networks. Shame."

5th Place Mr Rogers

#277; "Huckabee is running to be McCain’s VP. He figures 4 years later, he’ll get the nod for President."
#314; "I’m in the military. My son is as well. My daughter used to be in the Marines... McCain hasn’t done squat for the military. His boasts about the surge are baloney - he supported needing 250,000+, and never mentioned a change in tactics."
#343; "I’ve spent the last week in South America with no internet or news. Got back to find out Fred had dropped out. I can honestly say I don’t regret the money I sent him...wish he had done well... As it is, I’ve going to have to hold my nose for anyone for President this election. But NOT McCain. There isn’t a clothespin strong enough... BTW - I live in Arizona. If McCain knows how to secure the borders, I wish he’d share the knowledge. My guess is he’ll secure the border by eliminating it!"

4th Place TomGuy

#17; "Some things are not being talked about much about the Obama wins: ... 1] Obama is appealing to the younger voters... 2] Obama is actually bringing them in to vote... In the states where Obama has won or come close, the number of people voting is nearly double that in 04... 3] Obama is running on ‘change’ from the old Washington establishment. The Clintons are perceived as part of the old Washington establishment. Clinton is having a difficult time selling herself to the voters... 4] Obama is a youthful candidate who continues a positive message... Those are also messages the Republicans should heed: The Republican leadership and MSM are trying to re-annoint John McCain... 1] McCain does not appeal to the younger voters. [Recall 1996.] ... 2] McCain is not bringing large numbers of new voter. McCain is having a difficult time even holding on to the conservative base. He and the Republican leadership hope the conservatives will have nowhere else to go and will vote for McCain anyway. [Recall 1996.] ... 3] McCain is Washington establishment. The voters are screaming for change from the Washington establishment. The Republican leadership, who are Washington establishment, are pushing McCain, who is Washington establishment. [Recall 1996.] ... 4] McCain is old. Even with many of the party faithful, McCain’s age is a factor. McCain is old. McCain’s ideas are old. McCain’s policies are old. McCain is Washington establishment... The Republican leadership are as tone deaf on the current mood of the voters as they were on amnesty for illegals, because they want to maintain the Washington establishment. If they can get McCain elected, it is business as usual, open borders, amnesty for illegals, status quo, and proof they can stick their middle finger at the conservatives (who don’t have anywhere else to go) and still get their votes. And life in the Washington establishment goes on... If the establishment Republicans manage to get McCain to head the ticket in November, look a repeat of 1996. Either Clinton or Obama will"
#37; "MTP ... About the only thing McCain is running on is he support for the surge and the War in Iraq... [The WoI is now 5 years. By November, it will be almost another year. The American public tire of wars after a while. McCain may be running on a position that is running out of gas.]"
#48; "MTP... McCain is doing the same thing he did in the debate — dropping names of a bunch of ole Republican establishment politicians and persons from decades ago... The touble is, half or more of the electorate never heard of those names. That shows up how old Washington establishment McCain is -— and he doesn’t even realize it... McCain wants the tax cuts to be made permanent. [But didn’t he vote against them originally?]"
#65; "... If McCain gets the nomination, he will stick his middle finger at the conservatives and move to the left -- for the Independents and liberals... If Clinton get the nomination, she will move to the right -- for the moderates... By the general election, McCain will be running as the liberal and Clinton as the moderate."
#74; "MTP ... McCain: “I’ve got a pretty massive ego, Tim...”... [no duh!]"
#235; "... (Obama's) message is resonating, especially with younger voters, AND he is causing them to actually show up at the polls and vote...
This is a harbinger of bad news for both Hillary Clinton and John McCain. They are perceived as Washington establishment. No matter how many times they yell, 'I am an agent of change,' they are both old Washington establishment... Obama is winning the new vote by 2-to-1 over Clinton."

Third Place mwl1

#79; "Of course. Whether Hillary or Obama is the nominee, John McCain will collapse in a debate, just like Dole... Romney can run against Washington, which will resonate. We have no such luxury with McCain... Frankly, I am praying for a mirace in Florida for Mitt, b/c the fix is in."
#338; "Brit Hume called the McCain attack 'dishonest.' Romney should assail McCain for 'crooked talk,' not straight talk."
#361; "Uh, I think you’ll find that if McCain wins Florida, it is over... the nomination will be his... that is why the establishment is pouring it on to cripple Romney right here, right now... McCain does not have the $$$ for Super Tuesday... if we can defeat him in Florida, he will sink like an anchor." (Note: reply to Sunnyflorida's pots #354)
#397; "Romney can run against Washington and turn the Clintons into the “incumbent.” We have no such luxury with McCain, the ultimate insider."

Second Place Fishtalk

#133; "I’ve really been thinking about this McCain thing... Initially I was very noble, asserting that no matter who the Republican nominee was that I would so vote. At times I might hold my nose but it was that 'anybody but Hillary' logic... But John McCain has done so damn much to offend me, the top of the heap being that campaign finance thing that slapped my free speech right in the face. Then there was the Gang of 14, his promotion of amnesty, his vote AGAINST tax cuts. He’s also a bad-tempered, sneering, simpering nobody who wrecked a couple of planes during his term in the military and scuttlebutt has it that McCain might have some lies about his own service a la Kerry... But scuttlebutt aside, I have enough dislike of McCain that I’ve decided that should my party slap me in the face, and note that now Crist of Florida has endorsed this ill-tempered cretin, I WILL vote, but I will write in a candidate of my choice. I will NOT vote for McCain. My one and only vote is too precious to me... My dream is, and it’s a big one, but I dream that Rush himself might lead some sort of movement. Only Rush has the power to do it. I’m thinking Rush has the principles to undertake such a thing... I don’t know, maybe Rush can promote a massive write-in campaign, maybe even his own name. This IF McCain gets the nomination by the Republican party which will have, by then, spit in our faces and told us to shut up. Or if not a massive write-in of Rush’s name as I know he doesn’t want an elected office, than a write-in of SOMEBODY....maybe Micky Mouse... I try to imagine the embarrassment of the Republican party as millions of votes roil in for either Rush or Micky Mouse. Maybe McCain would win anyway but for sure a damn fine message would have been sent to those who betrayed us... Like I said...it’s only a dream."
#275; "Of course I can’t stand Obama’s politics... But the guy is personable with a great sense of humor. He “presents” much, much better than Hillary. The ladies at the beauty parlor will love Obama... I think Obama has a much better chance of beating the Republican nominee than Hillary. In neither case do I think the Dems will win...Hillary’s got the personality of Titiana the San Francisco tiger and Obama’s so wet behind the ears and empty in-between that he’s vulnerable to so many attacks on his experience... Romney will beat either of those two I think. It’s possible McCain would beat them both if the Republican base doesn’t revolt... But between Obama and The Hill, She Who Will Be Our Queen? So far Hill has had so many excuses but soon enough those Clintons are gonna get a message."
#309; "'Obama’s VACUOUS, his speeches are HOT AIR!... And this is a liability because ...? ... The ladies at the beauty parlor will love Obama. He's black and he'll make those white ladies feel so noble for their endorsement of him. Obama doesn't WANT to have any sustinance to his rhetoric... He's got a nice manner, doesn't sound like he's from the ghetto, he doesn't look TOO black... I'd get that fellow elected in a minute."

First Place maica

#14; "How curious and ‘simply’ coincidental that McCain is on the Sunday show with the largest viewership right before the Florida primary! I bet Hillary will just happen to be on that same show the Sunday before superduper Tuesday."
#16; "Low Blow (Mark Levin Sets the Record Straight on McCain Fibbing about Romney) ... The Corner ^ | January 26, 2008 | Mark Levin ... Posted on 01/27/2008 7:43:17 AM EST by PJ-Comix ... Very interesting article to read before listening to McCain’s spin on MTP today"
#58; "Opening question from Wallace to Huckabee: ... Who do you believe in the McCain-Romney lying about the “timetable” for Iraq... Answer: I have never known John McCain to lie."
#113; "Wallace interviewed Huckabee as if he were a commentator on the candidates who are running, except for one question about his own campaign: what are you doing by staying in Florida when you are so far down in the polls."
#139; "OMG! ... Juan Williams just said that Rush Limbaugh is Republican Establishment, Gov Crist and Sen Mel Martinez are not... How inverted can this pundit’s brain be?"
#174; "from the WaPo link on the reporters not covering President Bush's trip to the Middle East in favor of covering the elections in the US ... 'Despite the arresting pictures of Bush greeting foreign leaders and visiting the Church of the Nativity, Saudi King Abdullah's palatial estate near Riyadh and the desert camp of the sheiks of the United Arab Emirates, the president was an afterthought on the news back home. A study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism found that 49 percent of radio, television and newspaper coverage from Jan. 6 to 11 was devoted to the presidential campaigns, compared with just 4 percent that focused on Bush's trip.' ... Those of us who read the Day in the Life thread every night know how much there was to cover on Bush's trip, and how the coverage would have pleased many Americans who probably think that he spends all of his time at Crawford or Camp David, based on the minimal coverage his activities get in Big Media. ... I would love to know who were in the Press Pool for that trip because I have a theory that many of the WH Press Corps are too cowardly to want to be in close proximity to such a target as our president in such a dangerous area of the world. No wonder the short straw drawers had to go."
#302; "On MTP said by Chuck Todd: ... The candidate really is Billary, voters are realizing it and not liking it... BTW, when Russert was interviewing McCain the multicolor MEET THE PRESS background was behind McCain, but it was not behind anyone on the round table segment, who all had a soft blue background. I wonder why the difference???"
#351; "Mitt is mostly laughing at Blitzer’s use of dem film footage to conduct a debate right on this show. He responds analytically and hits his main points in every answer."
#660; "As true in many situations, often the convert has the strongest commitment to the new faith or position. For Romney to acknowledge that he has moved from a pro-choice to a pro-life position is a plus in my book. He thought about the issue and revised his perspective. That is a flip, but not a flipflop."
#674; "He grew up in Hawaii, where everyone has a certain amount of color. It is no big thing. He did not grow up like innercity American blacks with a huge chip on his shoulder. He is learning a few realities of the Democratic party’s prejudices during this campaign."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.