I think we may now have an unofficial record for the shortest presidential campaign in the history of America politics.

Today, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware announced his candidacy. It should be noted that Biden was not going to be a heavy favorite going into the campaign season.

Biden's day could not have gone much worse. He started off by attacking two of the Democratic frontrunners in Hilary Clinton and John Edwards. As if that wasn't enough to start off on a negative footing. He then weighed in on Senator Barack Obama and described him as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."

Can you say, "Game Over"?

While I suppose there might be some vaguely plausible explanation for what Biden said, the damage is done as is his candidacy.

President Bush says that he is the decider. But today U.S. Senator Arlen Specter says otherwise:

"I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider. The decider is a shared and joint responsibility."

I know that Senator Specter is not very well thought of in conservative circles, but this is a rather conservative perspective and I believe that he is right on.

Just because many conservatives agree with the positions that President Bush is advocating doesn't mean they should support his methods. The day is fast approaching when conservatives will rue the day that Bush greatly enhanced the power of the presidency.

Hopefully in the next week or so, I will give my thoughts on each of the candidates who have official announced or are expected to announce that they are running for the presidency in '08. Until then, I think that Daniel Larison is spot on in his assessment.

"It’s not as if the sheer mass of candidates has brought us any increase in quality. Forget Munchkinland–we are on our way to Lilliputian levels of political stature (the candidates’ egos, however, are evidently Brobdingnagian in proportions). When Obama spoke of the “smallness of our politics,” this was not what he had in mind, but it fits the scene pretty well."

At least that is what many articles about Wal-Mart and business would have you believe. I came across this very interesting story at MSNBC about a high school senior in Minnesota who has bought a local grocery store and is trying to save the small-town, Mom-and-Pop feel of Truman, MN. Only in America would a teenager have the moxie and ability to do such a thing. However, the feel good story takes a sinister turn at the end.

"Yes, it's a fairy tale, complete with Prince Charming. But as for happily-ever-after? Maybe not. Soon, and not that far away, a Wal-Mart is scheduled to open."

Ah yes! The scourge of America. The dreaded Wal-Mart. That company that kills at who stand in its path. The company that is sucking away the soul of America. The great inevitability.

Well, maybe not President of the United States. But Tom Delay certainly has aims to be president of the conservative movement.

Yesterday I was on a blogger's conference call with former House Majority Leader Tom Delay. This conference call was hosted by the Family Research Council. While I am not a big fan of the FRC, there are some good people working there including my friend Joe Carter who organizes their weekly blogger calls and manages the FRC blog.

Delay started the call by talking about his new organization, GAIN (Grassroots Action and Information Network) and his new blog. He said that his two main priorities now that he is out of office are to push the conservative cause and to support Israel. He said that "our enemies" on the Left are better organized and funded and that he is hoping that his organization can can help close the gap between the Left and the Right.

Tonight, HBO is premiering "Friends of God: A Roadtrip with Alexandra Pelosi" at 9EST.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a preview showing last week here in DC. It started off with an excuse to hang out with some friends and eat well for free. It ended being one of the highlights of our time here in DC so far.

The basic premise of Friends of God is a trip through the South meeting evangelicals and highlighting some of the thing that make up the evangelical Christian subculture. We meet the Christian Wrestling Federation, a man who wants to put two $25,000 giant crosses next to freeways in each state, a family with a litter of uniformly dress children, and the who's who of evangelical leaders.

Somehow not reported on GoodWillHinton was the good work done by the House during their most recent 43 hours of legislative work. They passed bills to:

• Enacted the 9/11 commission recommendations
• Increase minimum wage to $7.25
• Expand stem cell research
• Negotiate with drug companies for lower drug prices
• Cut interest rates on student loans
• End subsidies for Big Oil

Although some of these measures probably will die in the Senate and never become law, this was an unmitigated success for a positive agenda for America.
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As the lone voice of reason for the lefties on GoodWillHinton, I think it is my duty to share the most important political news of the weekend! ;-)

According to ABC News, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson will launch a presidential exploratory committee this weekend. Time to get excited and to get involved!

Many, many folks are all aflutter over Barack Obama's announcement that he will create an exploratory committee for 2008 and almost certainly declare for the presidency sometime in February.

Now, I'm big on Obama as a man. I saw the 2004 convention. The only speech worth listening to was his. Obama has held his own with conservatives who believe the church is only for Republicans. He is basing his campaign in Chicago, Illinois with a bunch of people that were not on either Gore's or Kerry's teams. I view the first as a drawback, but the second as a plus.

To his supporters, President Bush is lauded for his steadfast support for the ongoing efforts in Iraq and the WOT. To his detractors, Bush is a stubborn fool unwilling to recognize reality and thinking only of his "legacy".

(A side note: I am sick and tired of hearing about a president's legacy. We heard plenty of discussion about what Clinton's legacy would be and his obsession with it and now we are hearing the same about Bush and his legacy. Enough please.)