Free Republic

Dear Friend, I'm not someone to play coy about my intentions. When I make a decision, I go all in and follow through. Hillary Clinton has the same determination, and it is something I have always admired. When I first ran for governor of Iowa in 1998, many people didn't give me much of a chance. But not Hillary. She told me she'd do everything she could do to help, and she followed through. She stood by my side, and Iowa is better for it. She helped ignite the spark that changed Iowa from a red state to a blue...

He coulda been a contendah! I am referring to Tom Vilsack. Here we had a candidate who had almost NOTHING going for him. No name recognition. No charisma. No sense of humor. And almost no personality. However, Vilsack could have been in contention had he only followed my advice to WEAR THE BEAR. Instead Vilsack followed his humorless instincts and remained earnest and deadly dull with the result that he dropped out of the presidential race on Friday. Therefore, the DUmmie FUnnies hereby transfers its endorsement to another candidate. This candidate is hampered by a running mouth and an...

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Sen. Barack Obama's, D-Ill., "out by March of '08" Iraq war position came under criticism Thursday from a Democratic presidential rival who argued that Congress has a "moral responsibility" to immediately cut off funding for U.S. fighting. Congress has a responsibility to get the U.S. out of Iraq, said former Gov. Tom Vilsack, D-Iowa, "not in March of 2008 -- but now." Vilsack said that if Congress does not immediately act to cut off funding, the Bush administration will send more troops to Iraq and more Americans will risk dying. Obama has introduced legislation in...

The surge is underway, and more rapidly than many of us were expecting. The influx of new troops into Iraq? No, of candidates into the 2008 presidential contest. So far this month, Senators Hillary Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois, and Chris Dodd of Connecticut, plus Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico — Democrats all — have formally launched White House campaigns (or "exploratory committees"). Already in the race were former senators John Edwards of North Carolina and Mike Gravel of Alaska, former governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa, and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Eight Democrats, eight would-be commanders-in-chief...

One Democrat candidate after another is now declaring their intention to run for president. Lost in the crowd (along with the DUFU-endorsed candidate, Tom Vilsack) is John Kerry. Think about it. Kerry was the Democrat 2004 nominee and now he is DEAD LAST in a poll of major candidates. At least Kerry has one hopeful sign. He is still ahead of Tom Vilsack since the former Iowa governor is doing so horribly in his campaign that he is BELOW dead last. Even Chris Dodd is now getting more buzz than Tom Vilsack. Of course, Vilsack could turn it all...

As you might remember, I presented a Christmas gift to Governor Tom Vilsack in the form of a DUmmie FUnnies ENDORSEMENT on December 25. Basically, I stated that even though I oppose almost all of Vilsack's political positions, I still endorse him for the Democrat nomination. I even presented a method in which Vilsack could quickly gain public attention in the form of him wearing the Pooh Bear, as seen above, during his public speeches. The result of such an action would mean that Vilsack's largely ignored speeches would be instantly uploaded to YouTube and viewed by millions thus...

After deep discussions, the editorial board of the DUmmie FUnnies consisting of myself and LI'L BEAVER has decided to endorse a presidential candidate. The candidate was NOT selected because of our agreement with him on policy issues. In fact, there is little upon which we agree politically with this liberal candidate. Instead, our primary consideration was how the endorsement would HELP the DUmmie FUnnies. Therefore this automatically eliminated a host of candidates such as Hillary, Obama, Kerry, and Edwards. See, they already have sufficient support that any endorsement by the DUmmie FUnnies would be a mere drop in the...

Excerpt - DES MOINES, Iowa - Gov. Tom Vilsack said he will officially launch his presidential campaign Thursday when he files documents with the Federal Election Commission. The filing comes two days after his fellow Democrats scored overwhelming victories in state and national elections. "Americans sent a clear message on Tuesday," Vilsack said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press that will be released Thursday. ~ snip ~

And they're off! By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, June 18, 2006 Sometimes you are a hit. Sometimes you take a hit. One of the golden rules of campaigning is that every poll on the calendar is not a slam-dunk. The Des Moines Register conducted the first poll of the 2008 presidential race last week. It was based on interviews with registered Iowa voters who are likely to participate in the Democratic caucuses two years from now. Much ado has been made about John Edwards' robust first-place showing, Hillary Clinton's second place, John Kerry's distant third, and Iowa homeboy Gov. Tom...

Imagine that you are a presidential candidate seeking the nomination from one of the two major parties. The problem is that you are so dull that few people are listening to your boring message. What to do? Simple. Join the KOmmies by blogging for them and buying into their kookie conspiracy theories such as suggesting that the 2004 election was stolen from the Democrats in the state of Ohio. That's a sure way to make your lackluster self be noticed. The presidential candidate now performing the KOokie KOmmie act is former Iowa Governor, Tom Vilsack, that you can see...

If John Kerry becomes President he will find himself on the horns of a dilemma - which close friend to ditch when he chooses a new Secretary of State. According to today's Washington Post, Kerry would pick his national security team within a few weeks after winning the White House and two of his closest friends, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) or Richard Holbrooke reportedly want the job of running the State Department.

LITTLE ROCK - Nearly two years after he embarked on a diet and fitness regimen that left him 110 pounds lighter and diabetes free, Gov. Mike Huckabee finished the Little Rock Marathon Sunday ahead of his new running mate — Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa. The crowd cheered as Huckabee turned the corner toward the finish line and started the last stretch of the 26.2 mile race. Huckabee finished in just over 4 1/2 hours and hugged his two sons and daughter. "What do you say? Is that not cool?" the Republican governor said, holding up his medal afterward before...

DEMOCRATSHillary ClintonBorn October 26, 1947 - Chicago, Illinois Age in 2008:  61J.D. degree, 1973 - Yale Law School (New Haven, CT) B.A. degree, 1969 - Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA)Profession:  LawyerPolitical career2001 - present:  U.S. Senator, New YorkOther1993-2001:  First Lady of the United States 1983-1993:  First Lady of Arkansas 1979-1981:  First Lady of Arkansas 1976:  Attorney, Rose Law Firm 1975:  On faculty of University of Arkansas Law School 1974:  Adviser to Nixon impeachment inquiryTom VilsackBorn December 13, 1950 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Age in 2008:  57J.D. degree, 1975 - Union University's Albany Law School (Albany, NY) B.A. degree, 1972 - Hamilton College...

As I was struggling with my latest musical composition, "Variations on a Phrase From Joe Walsh's Guitar Solo in 'Hotel California,'" it occurred to me that, just as they don't make guitar players like Joe Walsh any more, they don't make politicians like Bill Clinton any more. Joe Walsh is perhaps as famous to those in the know for his cocaine-fueled antics and for his desperate attempts to curtail his seriously over-the-top ingestion of Bolivian Marching Powder — he once hired a bodyguard whose sole responsibility was to make sure that Joe didn't get his hands on the White Lady...

National politics could impact state races By ROBERT TANNER AP National Writer Presidential politics and economic turmoil will have a major impact on the 11 gubernatorial races this fall, with the interplay between national and state politics most critical in four states where the 2000 race was dramatically close Missouri, New Hampshire, Washington and West Virginia. Tuesday’s primary, the first this year for a gubernatorial race, puts President Bush’s former budget director into the running in Indiana. Mitch Daniels is relying on the president’s term of affection “My Man Mitch” as his slogan for the GOP nomination. He’s up against...

Des Moines, August 28, 2002 - An exclusive WHO-TV 13 and Survey USA poll has Doug Gross encouraged, the governor sceptical. The statewide scientific was conducted on August 25th and 26th. The survey polled 592 likely voters in the Iowa gubernatorial race about Doug Gross and Governor Tom Vilsack with a margin of error of four percent. The poll shows 49 percent favor Gross and 46 percent would vote for Vilsack. By gender, Gross leads among male voters while Vilsack has the female vote. The younger-aged voters favor Gross while older and generally more reliable voters are behind Vilsack. One...