Mark Thieme--I might take issue with your placing FDR and Kennedy in the same class as Lincoln and maybe TR, since by my understanding of the Constitution FDR did more damage to the concept of limited government than anyone except perhaps LBJ, and Kennedy saw himself (and his governing philosophy) in the FDR mold, but I do agree that most of today's politicians have lost sight of the Jeffersonian-Madisonian view of the role of the national government in our Federal system as a government of limited and delegated powers, and I certainly don't understand why people with concerns about health care, education, welfare, urban issues,  and a whole host of other issues are so anxious to get into power in the national government (which has no power or right to deal with these) rather than staying in State government (which has the power and should be dealing with them).  I've never heard a good reason for that phenomonon.  If anyone has one, I'm very interested.

Hey Richard Fifield. What do you think of Lindsey Graham? If Republicans are "stuck" with someone from the Senate I'd rather it be him. Not totally sure about his voting record. Going mostly on news show interviews. At least he can talk :-)

maine must be a iberal state with the stuff they have pulled over the eyes of the taxpayers.  Now what I am trying to figure out here is:  The governor of maine makes $70,000 a year, which for a state with a household income of $39,395 is not bad.  But the state medical examiner Margaret Greenwald, makes $168,216.72!!!!!  Trish reily, the governor's assistant makes $101,000 a year.  The assistant makes more then her boss???????  When legislators need a tangible view of wasted tax dollars, they need only to look out their window.  They just spent $990,000 onlanscaping the grounds around the state office building (ironically known as the SOB).  the point is Amy, with the rising debt in maine, you all had better tighten up the belts if you don't want to be known as the "Califonia of the east".

Sadly the good, honest and dedicated Americans out there who may be qualified to be our president won't run or attempt to run.  Takes much more money than normally HONEST people have and takes more deal doing and favor taking than most HONEST people are willing to do to win.  So, on the one hand we need someone who is dedicated to the best for our country and our people, on the other hand, that sort of person has a slim to none chance of ever making it.  Big money has seen to that.  I guess the challenge lies with grassroots movements to change the system, but the same challenges face the grassroots movements.  We must keep our hope alive though and try to sort through through the lesser of many evils when it is time to cast our votes. Until we can get law respecting and law ABIDING people in government, then we have to wait for one side to expose the other, on and on and on - heaven only knows how much we DON'T know based on the volumes of garbage we DO know. Is this how young wonderful democracies are run into the ground over centuries until in the end they are back where they began with the elite few rich and powerful trampling the "commoners" as they grow richer and more powerful?  History will tell, I suppose, if this is the fate of our great nation.  Too many of us have become so apathetic we have no clue what is going on - too busy working, going to the latest movies, shopping, watching the game, running kids to practice --.  Seems earlier generations understood and APPRECIATED the privilege of being able to choose and to vote for their leaders.  As with so many things, perhaps we take so much of it for granted now that a few have the upperhand and can shape our future to suit their desires ahead of what is right for our nation.  Perhaps we will have a "new awakening or revival" of national patriotism to include more than just our love and support of our dear and precious military and their families. That goes without saying, but then it often stops there with no effort to work for change if we see change needs to be made. But - we are Americans and Americans WILL find a way - sooner or later we will get it right.  We must - for the sake of our grandchildren and their grandchildren. It does get quite tiring though when the press just goes ape over the Bloomberg news or pounces on any and every detail of each and every hopeful so early in this LONG, TIRING election campaign.  I would much prefer the press give more attention to what the present admin. and houses are doing NOW here and worldwide -- on port security, border security, ID theft, etc. etc. - ISSUES we all have to deal with.  Let the contenders do their thing and then in a few months when they are running low on hot air - let us decide who makes the most sense.  For now - all of us are waiting for the dirt to come out on each of them - each of them is waiting for the right time to sling the dirt on their opponents - so it is going to get awfully old by voting time.

Johnny Justice: you mean, like we are paying the rest of our lives for the mistakes of Jimmy Carter? (Iran) (ayatollah Khomeini), Bill Clinton? (Osama bin Laden)(North Korea and nuclear technology transfer) (Uganda genocide). At least we bagged Saddam during this administration. that's more than you can say for ole' Jimmie and slick Willie.
sleep tight: the Iranian nuke will be built soon. Guess who's country is gonna be the next home of the Hiroshima sunburn?

To Dave, TN--I don't know enough about Senator Graham to comment at this point.  He's not running (as far as I know), so that sort of disqualifies him for anything but a draft (which isn't likely).  I don't like his stand on "comprehensive" immigration reform, since he seems to favor the current Senate bill, but beyond that, he may be okay.  I just don't have enough information to go on.

Hey diane....did you hold "W" to that same standard when it came to his father? I don't think so.

jtb, to compare Lieberman to those above mentioned causes them to turn over in their graves. No, Lieberman is an out of touch individual blinded by the fear that the USA will leave the Middle East thus creating a loss of contribution to his political treasure from our allies in Israel.  

the texass concern for maine is funny...give us the stats on your worthless upside down state...

Ravine: you're brainwashing is complete. Tell me,  were you even ALIVE when the aformentioned politicians
made their Democratic, America and Americans first, marks on our political landscape?

If you were, you would realize just how far left you, and the Sorocratic party, are of their ideals.

Fear not, those real democrats disenchanted with the Sorocratic party will once again unite behind an Independent candidate, just like in 2000. Maybe this time we'll beat BOTH parties.

P.S: be careful, you're Antisemitism is showing, whcih would really make Kennedy, Humphrey, Jackson, Stevenson etc., REALLY turn over in their graves.

Lewis - So to you, lying under oath about having oral sex in the oval office is a greater crime than lying under oath about what was done to ruin a CIA agent and her husband for political gain?  (We'll put aside the covert debate, just for the saek of argument).  Yes, lying under oath is wrong...it is wrong in every situation in which it occurs, period.  However, I am much less disturbed about someone lying under oath about their consensual sexual activities than I am about the involvement of several high-ranking officials in a activities that directly impact and reflect the safety of our citizens.  Lest you forget, even if Valerie Plame was no longer covert, the operations she had worked in were exposed when she was.  It is a very big deal.  Getting a blow job...not so much, except if you are Bill.


Perjury is Perjury reagardless of what is about. I'm absolutley AMAZED how anyone can defend Bill Clinton in his perjury case. Now mind you I think Bill Clinton paid a price for his perjury be being impeached, but think of what he could've accomplished without such foolishness. A VERY strong arguement could be made that the no crime was even made in the Libby trial. I guess it's true liberals are every bit as partisan as conservative---as liberal I'm coming to that realization.

I know I saw the name bin Laden somewhere in this thread. did we get him? President Bush promised us on a pile of rubble that he would get him dead or alive. so, did he get him?

Yeah Desmond, they got him...got him and his family to safety.

Ravine, jtb said I was anti-semitic a few months back because I criticized Israel, and now he's saying the same thing to you for criticizing Lieberman.  I swear, jtb makes jerry in corpus sound like Mahatma Ghandi.  

jtb...another prime example of NCLB

Moveon wasn't the only fundraiser for Tom's chat tonight, peeps...pls. fact check a bit more closely, CNN?

Hardly $3,000 per plate (more like two granola bars Tom scarfed down before blogging).

Priceless, indeedy we aren't quite finished as yet).

http://tinyurl.com/25o2w9

http://tinyurl.com/2g3uqt

Scott: if Ravine's comment about Lieberman wasn't blatantly anti-semitic, I don't know what is.

Change the name of her mentioned politician, and substitue Africa for Israel, and you two would be howling for a hate crime investigation.
Isn't is amazing how some forms of racism/bigotry get swept under the rug for political expediency? Go read your history of my aformentioned Democratic politicians, and SEE where they stood on Israel.

You can run, but you can't hide from historical truth.

Oh, my God! did I dare utter a moral absolute??

Don: I was a conservative before you were even BORN.

jtb, it is obvious that you are overly sensitive to any criticism of Israel, or any person of the Jewish faith for any reason, but Ravine's comment wasn't even remotely anti-semitic, much less blatant.  Anti-Zionism does not equate to anti-semitism.  Lighten up, compadre.

Scott-Yet this is the prima-facie defense used by those who are critical of the Jewish State.So often dragged out that it should be translated into the Latin and hung on a sign above the DNC HQ in Washington.[''Anti-Zionism Does Not Equate To Anti-Semitism''].Yet small glimpses of what consists of this ''anti-Zionism''will sometimes break through with uncomfortable results.Virginia Democrat Jim Morans comments that the ''Jews are too powerful''[this was mirrored by comments made by filmmaker Michael Moore while in France back in 2004].By now,everyone is aware of 2004 Democrat presidential candidate Al Sharptons comments regarding the ''diamond merchants''of NYC.Or McKinneys[D-Ga] father blaming ''The Jews''for her first congressional defeat.
            Leftists on the west coast were able to transfer a dark conspiricy aimed at ''AIPAC''[here,the states Democrat congressional rep Barbara Lee-Oakland, acted in a most disgraceful manner by adding emotive fuel to the fire],into a fullfledged anti-Semitic pogrom in 2002 at two major California universities,one at UC Berkeley,where Jewish students were beaten and their Hillal House studies center had its windows smashed,and one at USF across the bay where anti-AIPAC forces used their displeasure at ''Zionism''to attack Jewish students at a more personal level.[a shocked San Francisco Chronicle for May 07,2002,ran a photo from the universities protest showing angry students bearing a sign upon which was drawn:''Hitler Didn't Finish The Job''].The chancellors of both universities ran open letters in this newspaper pleading for the anti-Semitic violence to stop.As expected, the defense of the students then on university trial for potential expulsion was that they were ''anti-Zionist''.Not ''anti-Semitic'',although looking at bloodied Jewish kids and broken glass on the plaza ground made it tough to tell the differance.
           What I find truly strange is that AIPAC is no differant than a legion of lobbyists committed to racial,social,economic,religious or ideoligical allegiances.It is quite easy to make the case that many are even more powerful than AIPAC,especially in energy,pharmasutical,senior,gun,abortion[or anti],or environmental concerns.Yet AIPAC is dependably singled out as a sort of all-encompassing Illuminati,which is found to be based much less on ''anti-Zionism''than the historical mistrust of Jews which can be found in a direct line stretching back from the comments of an American congressman to Mein Kamph or the Protocols of the Elders of Zion,to the early Czars of Russia.
           Sadly,this also translates into support for those aligning themselves against this ''Zionism''who just happen to be among the most deadly terrorists on this planet today.So singleminded is their defense of these[Jimmy Carter,whose reputation is being wrecked by this allegiance even in the face of patent horror and brutality],that they ignore the most liberal principles that they avow to hold.One will easily see ''Gay Pride''parades in Tel Aviv absolutely no differant than those found in San Francisco.Try being a gay man in Gaza.You would not live to see the sun set.How many ''governments''are there in Gaza or among their helpers in Saudi Arabia,Iran,or Egypt?One and one only.Pass to Israel,and the Labour-liberal ''Dove''co-exists alongside of the conservative Likkud ''Hawk'',with each,having a representative form of government,being democratically elected at turns according to the whim of the citizen.[Jeez.That sounds like right here].No jazz in Gaza.No discos.No rock-and-roll.No rap.No ''degenerate''arts.No hip-huggers.No low-cut blouses.No twelve-year-old single malt Scotch.No free press.No rights for women.A totally and completely illiberal society supported by liberals in a world turned upside down.A nation of less than eight millions surrounded by over a hundred million who scream for their blood.[when they do not scream for ours].No thanks.I,like my father before me when he served with Col. Mickey Marcus in post-WWII Israel[we were/are both Gentiles.Marcus'dramatized life can be seen in 1965s ''Cast A Giant Shadow''starring Kirk Douglas and John Wayne],will cast our lot with these ''Zionists''.[as I have no problems with gays,rock-and-roll,low-cut blouses,free speech,free press,free government,twelve-year Scotch,Warhol exhibits,or hip-huggers.I still detest disco,however].

Hard working mom gets punished for going throuh difficult time.  Deadbeat dad awarded for negligence,
at the hands of Cincinnat Children's Services and the Court

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):