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Fifth Democratic presidential candidate narrowly averts Dukakis endorsement Written by Doug Powers Al Sharpton has become the fifth candidate to say "thanks, but no thanks" to former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis' offer to endorse the Reverend's campaign. This according to a spokesman for Sharpton, who had barricaded himself inside the campaign headquarters as Dukakis drove up. Dukakis, former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate, who had a disastrous campaign and went down to huge defeat at the hands of George HW Bush in '88, keeps trying. "He peeked in the window, but we turned the lights off and didn't answer" said...

The annual poll of the "most admired" man and woman in the United States was recently published, and some were surprised to see that, out of 1,004 people questioned, 16 percent most admired Hillary Rodham Clinton. This may mark the first time a politician has polled higher numbers with the general public than within their own family, but it's also the second year in a row that Hillary has topped the list over the current first lady. The question now is: "Why?" Coming in second, 7 percent listed Oprah Winfrey as the woman they most admire. This is at least...

The nominees were many, but the real choices were few. Every year, there are plenty of potentials, usually coming down to some politician caught in a compromising position with the public trough, and well over half of Hollywood. To win the award, the bar is set high, but, fortunately, the three-member panel of California's Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals spent the better part of the year strengthening their legs for the "Idiot of the Year" high jump. The Ninth Appellate is a collection of left-wing bacteria swabbed from the throat of Beatnik and '60's hippie ideology, placed in a culture...

7 a.m.: "Twas the Night Before John Hinckley Jr.'s unsupervised visit"'Twas the night before Christmas, in Jodie Foster's house; Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; A shotgun was loaded by the front door with care, In case John Hinckley Jr. soon would be there.What happens when a Washington, D.C., judge lets a would-be assassin out of a mental hospital for unsupervised visits with his folks? John Hinckley Jr., the man who shot President Reagan and three others, is hitting the streets. Horror mixes with the holiday cheer in this feature about a schizophrenic Star Trek convention reject...

Al Gore stunned a lot of people recently, and this time not simply by displaying some inflection in his voice. The former veep and presidential candidate took a break from maniacally hand counting ballots in the dark basement of a Broward County courthouse, turned off the light on his miners helmet, and announced that he would endorse Howard Dean for president. The assumption by many that Dean's life just got easier is highly debatable. It is becoming increasingly clear that Howard Dean is going to be the Democratic nominee in 2004. Gephardt and Edwards are fading, Kucinich is only in...

The empty ideals, full wallets and stuffed egos came out in force at the Beverly Hills Hilton, recently, for a fund-raising and organizational meeting of the utmost importance. They're planning to face down a global political problem that, if it isn't gotten rid of, could mean the end of their way of life, and perhaps even the world as we know it. This Hollywood fund-raiser displayed some of the usual walking oxymorons – the wealthy bankrupt, the mansioned homeless, the environmentalist polluters, the fantasy-world realists and gated-neighborhood communers with nature. They were gathered to focus all their attention and any...

Computer chips implanted under the skin are on the cusp of becoming mainstream, but the new technology presents us with more questions than answers. Will it render extinct the need to physically carry documents such as personal identification, medical information and credit cards? Will its intended purpose be to track us like an OnStar system for humans, or will it end up just plain not working at all – thanks to the "Moe & Curly" effect of government intervention? More than likely, the chips will malfunction often – twice as much if the government gets involved and tries to make...

Last year, just before Thanksgiving, I used this space to give thanks to heroes, people who made us think, laugh or exposed hypocrisy. This year, "a conservative Thanksgiving" is again going to go around the table expressing gratitude just as everyone begins to, appropriately enough, consume the world's dumbest animal. We give thanks for those brave souls in the military who are helping people worldwide reach their goals – America's goal of remaining free, and the terrorists' goal of achieving martyrdom. Those yappy ingrates you hear in constant criticism are the likes of Susan Sarandon and Michael Moore. We give...

Rush Limbaugh is out of the treatment center and back on the air, and this may be the most critical phase of his recovery. I hope this tailor-made, 12-step program helps him get back into the swing of things in the world of politics and other issues. Step 1 Come to the understanding that, yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger is really the governor of California. That wasn't just the Oxy talkin'. Step 2 Realize that, in your absence, the legacy of Ronald Reagan was still in good hands. Those people you see holding ice packs on their financial groins are CBS executives....

As the character of Ronald Reagan, played by James Brolin, says in the chimerical "Reagan" miniseries, which now will air on Showtime instead of CBS, "Those who live in sin, shall die in sin." Barbra Streisand is furious at the CBS decision to not air the show, and hopefully is now learning a similar lesson of "Those who live for money, shall fail for money." CBS said in a statement they decided to cancel the miniseries because it contained many falsehoods. If you believe that, you'll also likely let your little boy spend the night at the Neverland Ranch without...

Judging from the latest polls, Hillary Clinton may be the only hope the Democrats have of putting up a viable opponent against President Bush. With one of the biggest issues of next year's campaign season bound to be the fight against terrorism, rogue nations and despots, Hillary's only real record and expertise in this area will be tied to what her husband did – or didn't do – and what she learned from it. Before discussing how Hillary Clinton would handle terrorism, it's only logical to first look at the record of her partner in crime in this area. If...

Ronald and Nancy Reagan are about to take another one in the chops from the Hollywood left. CBS has put together what they say is an honest look at the lives of the former president and first lady, and nobody involved – except perhaps a boom mic operator – is from anywhere near the right side of the aisle. Should any of it be believed? Well, maybe they'll get the hair right. Ronald Reagan is anathema to the Hollywood left. To them, he's the torchbearer for blind greed, mindless statements, global cluelessness and old white men who are in way...

The California recall election is now history, and we've learned some lessons from this historic event. First and foremost, we've realized that it's OK for people in the media to mock the accent of Arnold Schwarzenegger by spelling out his name and state phonetically. Countless times, we've read the candidates names listed like this: "Bustamante, McClintock, Davis, and AH-NULD!" Sometimes they even write his state as "Kah-lee-fuah-nee-ah." Imagine for a second what would be happening if any other minority, ethnic group, or person with a speech impediment had their words written out how they talked, or had reporters mocking how...

"Where, where is rightness? when the sacred gift, Immortal genius, comes not in reward For fervent love, for total self-rejection, For work and for exertion and for prayers, But casts its light upon a madman's head, An idle loafer's brow ... O Mozart, Mozart!"– Salieri (from Alexander Pushkin's "Mozart and Salieri") In Pushkin's play, "Mozart and Salieri," Salieri is eaten alive by his anguish and hatred for the man who achieves the things for which Salieri believes he is so desperately more deserving. So bitter is Salieri that he poisons Mozart's drink. Enter Ted Kennedy, carrying a cupful of political...

I walked into the house in a good mood, but when I went into the living room my wife had Oprah on TV, and Madonna was the guest. Being lauded for corresponding with a terminally ill fan, Madonna was called "the greatest person ever" by an audience member and friend of that fan. Applause erupted, the clapping interrupted slightly by the interjected sound of Mother Teresa clearing her throat from on high. At first, I was openly thankful that Maya Angelou wasn't Oprah's guest yet again – her face etched with the pain and hardship of carrying the burden of...

Ever since it was announced that nuclear waste would be dumped at Nevada's Yucca Mountain (soon to be renamed "Enrico Fermi's Port-o-potty"), people have voiced concern over the terrifying possibility that a train carrying nuclear waste to the site could derail in a residential community. Recently, after watching a Democrat debate, I had a similar thought. What if a train carrying the candidates to the debate derailed in a populated area and spilled them. Consider the following nightmare scenario: A train fully loaded with Democrat presidential candidates, on their way to a debate at the University of Louisville, is rolling...

The dream matchup of every political junkie could be near. Hillary Clinton is now considered among Democrats to have the best chance of all their candidates of beating George W. Bush. We may think we've seen nasty battles before, but pitting this president against the New York senator will make "Freddie vs. Jason" look like a Saturday afternoon tickle fight at Barney Frank's house. Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush are the most polarizing active politicians in the game today. They have many fans, but in an election, their detractors will speak loudest. Democrats look at George W. Bush as...

The Libertarians' only hope -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: September 1, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com As a former card-carrying Libertarian, I agree with much of the party's platform. No other political entity is closer to my personal belief system than the Libertarians, but I have never voted for one. They won't win big. They can't win big. Here are the drastic, and perhaps to them, unconscionable, measures they need to even the deck, and how this will win them a lot of new supporters, even while losing some current ones. Since it's difficult to design a political system for people...

Doug Powers 22 Things About The Bible That Drives The Left crazy Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion," about the last 12 hours of Jesus' life is months away from release, and is already controversial. We've also got an Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice facing fines or jail time for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from the courthouse, and people continue to try to get the words "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. Just what is it about the Bible that drives left-wingers crazy? When I say "left wingers," I'm speaking specifically about the far left. Those who...

Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion," about the last 12 hours of Jesus' life is months away from release, and is already controversial. We've also got an Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice facing fines or jail time for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from the courthouse, and people continue to try to get the words "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. Just what is it about the Bible that drives left-wingers crazy? When I say "left wingers," I'm speaking specifically about the far left. Those who spend inordinate amounts of time analyzing what you believe in, and not...