I received a great email this morning from my friend Lorraine Charles. More and more I am seeing friends who are tired of being considered a "foregone conclusion" as a vote for a particular party because of the group they belong to. I can very much relate to Lorraine's thoughts here.

Last weekend I had dinner with old friends I hadn’t seen in awhile. My mind was only half engaged though--I’m an election year enthusiast and to top it off, it was the night of the South Carolina primary. I tried to wait until at least our food was served, but shortly after the server took our order I blurted out, “so which candidate do you like best?” Their response was something to the effect of, “Huckabee—he’s a Christian”. As both my friends and I are “born-again”, Protestant, Bible-believing Christians, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at their response. Nonetheless, a strong sense of dismay and disappointment came over me. I did my best to smile and ask polite questions about their choice, but I became even more horrified during the conversation when I needed to explain that no, Barack Obama is not a Muslim. read more »

I read this editorial in the New York Times on Sunday about Darfur. I was particularly struck by the last paragraph:

"The world’s leaders say they care desperately about Darfur’s suffering. But caring is not enough. What is needed is troops, equipment and a lot more diplomatic pressure on Sudan. The word of the United Nations is on the line, and so are the lives of Darfur’s people."

A few questions jump to my mind: read more »

• What good did UN troops do in Rwanda?
• Are UN troops really the answer as there is a history of despicable actions such as rape on the part of these troops?

Today Congressional leaders announced an agreement with the White House for an ecomomic stimulus package that would provide for rebate checks for American families.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said at a Capitol Hill news conference.

"Tens of millions Americans will have a check in the mail. It is there to strengthen the middle class, to create jobs and to turn this economy around."

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said,

"I'm looking for quick action in the House. I hope that the Senate will follow quickly so that we can put this money in the hands of middle-income Americans as soon as possible."

Hubris, thy name is Congress. read more »

Rick Steves was ambushed in San Jose, California by a Marine wanting to know if Rick took back his negative comments about the Iraq War now that peace and security had returned to the country. Rick replied that he "[sees] our nation acting like an empire."

It is an interesting argument and has generated 120+ comments at his blog. I don't completely disagree with Rick. But his argument brings up a fundamental problem with liberalism of the 21st century. The inability to come up with a solution for evil in the world. Rick details the sins of America with:

We maintain military bases in 130 countries as if it’s our right to do so. In many foreign lands, the biggest and most fortified building in the entire country is the embassy of the USA. Only we can declare the natural resources of another nation on the opposite side of the globe (e.g., oil in the Middle East) “vital to our national security interests.”

And he's got good complaints, but he doesn't deal with the reason America has bases in 130 countries or why our embassy is fortified. It is because there is evil in the world. read more »

On January 21, 2008 the Democrat candidates for President debated in South Carolina. John Edwards attacked Senator Barak Obama for voting "present" 100 times.

If the embed doesn't work, click on this link to watch the Edwards attack. read more »

I constantly underestimate how little our politicians in this country understand about economics. The latest talk about needing a economic stimulus package is a great example.

Russell Roberts said this on NPR yesterday about stimulus packages:

The money has to come from somewhere. If you raise taxes to fund the plan, the people who are taxed are poorer and they'll spend less. If you borrow money to fund the plan, the people who buy the government bonds have less money to spend and that offsets the stimulus. It's like taking a bucket of water from the deep end of a pool and dumping it into the shallow end. Funny thing—the water in the shallow end doesn't get any deeper. read more »

It has been 1 week since Governor Richardson gave up his effort to be the Democratic nominee and I have been doing a lot of soul searching and trying to figure out what I had been doing for the last 15 months. It has been very difficult to figure out what the point was. What about the hours I spent recruiting people online? Or the "sick" days I took to work on local events? Or the money I spent on phone bills and swag?

Was it all wasted?

My initial feelings were that it was all a waste. Sure, I made some nice contacts and had some unique experiences, but what did the Richardson candidacy achieve? It didn't achieve the goal it set out to - win the White House. Therefore it was a failure. read more »

The Michigan Democratic primary last night was unimportant for delegates to the convention, but it did show two very interesting results.

The first is that she clearly doesn't have a lot of support, even in the Democratic party. She only earned 55% of the vote in a virtually uncontested race. Uncommitted earned 40% of the vote. I know that turnout was light, but 55% in an uncontested race doesn't give me a lot of confidence that Hillary can win a contested race. Is she really as electable as some of her supporters say she is? read more »

I know we have some Luddites here at Page 132, but the truth is that the future is cell phones, and smartphones at that. In 2007, the iPhone was introduced and brought the smartphone from the business suit to the jean pocket. That spawned similar phones like the Sidekick and the Moto Q. Combined with the ubiquitous BlackBerry in the work world, the newest phones will have internet access, e-mail and a QWERTY keyboard. read more »

I find it interesting that the biggest newspaper in both Iowa and New Hampshire area both endorsed losing candidates. The Des Moines Register backed Hillary Clinton, who finished a disappointed 3rd in Iowa. In New Hampshire, the biggest paper in the region, the Boston Globe, endorsed Barack Obama. Obama also garnered the endorsement of the Nashua Telegraph. Yet, he finished 2nd to Hillary in New Hampshire. read more »

Eric and his mother Maggie were on the Today Show this morning.

Also, check out further coverage of Eric tonight and tomorrow night on Anderson Cooper.

This story is not over yet folks.

It's always a dangerous think for a politician to come on the Colbert Report. Some do okay, but most look silly.

Newsweek has a weird story today about John McCain and his wife being influenced by superstition. The elements of the McCains' superstition:

- McCain picked up a head-up nickel in New Hampshire the day of the primary, saying, "I need all the luck I can get."

- the lucky nickel kept company in McCain's pocket with a lucky penny and lucky compass that McCain carries.

- McCain was nervous that he had missed seeing a movie (any movie) the afternoon of primary day because he has a 20+ year superstitious tradition of doing so.

- Cindy, his wife, wore her "lucky" color on Monday. read more »

AP is reporting that Governor Richardson is withdrawing from the presidential primary race. I haven't got any official confirmation from the campaign, but I am not surprised. The money has probably dried up and with Obama getting two vital endorsements in Nevada today, the road is just too difficult to go forth.

I took today off for a "mental health" sick day because I knew this was coming. I haven't had too much time to think about this, but I know that I had a hell of a time and I'd do it all again. In fact, if Gov. Richardson needed me tomorrow, I'd be there. read more »

Repat Teacher,

Back in October or November I suggested that you were quixotic in your campaign to get Bill Richardson elected President. You have soldiered throughout 2007, gamely presenting the case for Richardson and fending of criticisms.

However, we're nearing, possibly already at, that point where reality is surely intruding upon your consciousness: Bill Richardson cannot win the Presidency. Richardson cannot even entice Democrats to nominate him to be President.

I've marveled at the skill with which you've carried on this campaign, your quick command of relevant data, and your tenacity in the face of daunting odds. It's remarkable what someone with your energy and skill will do in service of a cause. read more »

Looks like there are several nice blog posts out there covering this, but Captain's Quarters has a nice pair of posts. The most recent of which is this one.

It never ceases to amaze me how gullible voters can be. You spew a few buzz words associated with a particular ideology or policy position (free markets, free trade, balanced budget) and far too many people stand at attention. Sad, really...think of how much of your time and energy Ron Paul has wasted. Think of the resources he has acquired and used over the last three decades--that can't possibly have been an efficient allocation, can it? It looks increasingly like he is not the kind of guy who is unafraid to tell us the TRUTH. He did give us clues though. As discussed in Will's last post about Paul, anyone making statements like: "The CFR exists," is not speaking the plain truth. read more »

I'm still very tired and I'm back at work now so I won't have time to blog my thoughts and days from Keene, but I wanted to give folks a little taster of what I did there.

The write-up of the event was covered by the local paper with this headline : Richardson energizes Keene audience

And probably the most memorable event of the 5 days can be summed up this way...

"Two broken snowblowers - $65, Central Square Rental - $7, Shovelling Central Square for the Gov you love - Priceless." Check out the video of us shoveling the Central Square in Keene, New Hampshire. If you look real close, you can see me in a blue ski hat with a red shovel (:57-1:03ish). read more »

Eric is free. But this story isn't over.

It appears that Eric's acquittal is going to be appealed in Nicaragua. And the judges who ruled in favor of Eric are being investigated for corruption.

Here is a Declaration of Facts from Eric and his family. Check back tomorrow for a video that I will have of Eric explaining the situation in his own words.

Declaration of Facts read more »