McCain: American Hero, Patriot, Christian

Mike Devine, who posts under the name "Gamecock" sent me an article that's critical of Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, and just about everybody other than Fred Thompson. It centers on the South Carolina primary, and you can see it by clicking on: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200801/POL20080109d.html

The article may tell you more about SC politics than you want to know, but you won't find anything better between now and the Palmetto State primary. I expect Larry Perrault and SJ Reidhead can't wait to respond it -- especially SJ (Cindy), who hails from SC.

I think all the article's criticisms, including those of Mike Huckabee, are somewhere between petty and totally unfair. For Huck fans, the accusations are mostly "inside baseball" stuff about the conservative wing of the So. Baptist Church and the VERY conservative wing. In the mind of some Baptists, Mike chose the "wrong" side in a denominational struggle. Talk about arcana.

I like Mike Devine (Gamecock) a lot, but his support of Thompson, like the Fred Campaign itself, is embarrassing. Fred is the laziest of candidates, and he's the worst when it comes to raising money. After 9/11, Fred said, "Now is not the time to leave [the Senate]." Shortly thereafter, he left -- to join the cast of a television show (Richard Wolf's "Law and Order") that missed few opportunities to bash the military and the GWB segment of the country. Frankly, Fred should be ashamed of himself.

"Yes, we have no bananas," when bananas is an analogue to perfect candidates.

I criticize Mike Huckabee myself, but anyone with sense will see that he, like several other candidates, is a good one and a man with some remarkable political achievements.As for John McCain, yes, he is a "maverick," that is, someone who thinks for himself -- wow, how exotic.

He has been pro-life and pro-military for his entire life. He is a Christian, which is a term that does not and should not have a narrow meaning. Of great significance, he's an American hero who underwent torture for many years.

Of great note, he has tackled issues (including immigration and campaign finance) where others have relied on pandering to an increasingly clueless "base." That's a group which believes the answer to real, pressinging problems is to "just say NO." On campaign finance: it has turned into a vehicle for re-electing incumbents (Pelosi, Murtha, Obey, Waxman, Rangel) unto perpetuity.

McCain's approach may have had its flaws, but anybody who doesn't see that the current financing system is a nightmare for representative democracy has not been paying attention.

For Huck supporters, they need to see that -- in many ways -- McCain is a lot like Mike Huckabee, although without the Southern accent. Mike and John both get criticized at least as much for their virtues as their faults. At times it appears the only people who like them are voters (and not just in states like Iowa and New Hampshire).

My point is that we need to recognize that candidates who disagree with us on one or more issues are not therefore beyond the pale. Heck, even in my case, I'm not always right.

May the best man win.

Draft Palin Effort Intensifying: "New Faces, New Places"

Tomorrow's (Tuesday's) column? I'm on a roll with Sarah, so I'll stick with her and why presidential candidates, including Mike, should look at her as a political goldmine. I always wondered who the "wee hours" visitors were. Leave me your blog address (or your e-mail) and you'll hear from me soon. Note the following: Juneau, Alaska story Aug. 27: "New stores and the expansion of others are consuming the capital city’s available labor, shrinking the city’s unemployment rate and making it rough for smaller businesses to find workers."

I read the above, and I thought, "Gee, Sarah even solved the universal problem of unemployment!"

"God so loved the world," but I'm only at the point where I like it.

Note to supporters of MIKE HUCKABEE and other candidates, the best way to learn about Sarah Palin is to read some of the national articles praising her, all of them listed on my blogroll (Fred Barnes in The Weekly Standard, Whie House Correspondent Les Kinsolving in WorldNetDaily, Dimitri Vassilaros in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review), SJ Reidhead on BlogCritics, and Tom Koenniger in The Columbian). The Wikipedia article on Sarah (type in her name) is short but accurate. If you're interested in blog sites backing Sarah, look at: http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/, http://palintology.com/ (an Alaska site), http://outsideofthebox.townhall.com/, as well as pro-Huckabee sites such as http://onemom.wordpress.com/, http://opinionatedcatholic.blogspot.com/ and http://themaritimesentry.blogspot.com/. Please join us in our efforts to get the most electable woman on the GOP ticket.

A big welcome to the newest Palin Fan (and a strong supporter of Mike Huckabee), a guy named "Nuke" who does Nuke's News & Views at: http://conservablogs.com/nuke/

NOTE: WE'RE ASKING EVERYONE WHO VISITS THIS SITE OR THE MANY OTHER PRO-PALIN BLOGS TO JOIN IN THE EFFORT TO GET SARAH PALIN ON THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL TICKET. YOU CAN DO SO THROUGH THE COMMENTS SECTIONS OR BY E-MAILING ME AT TALKTOP65@AOL.COM. ANY CONTACTS FROM THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE HELD IN STRICTEST CONFIDENCE.

I'm asking Adam Brickley (http:palinforvp.blogspot.com), founder of the Draft Palin Movement, to put on the mailing list two individuals: Larry Perrault and Douglas Gibbs. In the case of the latter, Doug hosts the popular Political Pistachio radio program (http://politicalpistachio.com, and he and his wife ("Mrs. Pistachio") were kind enough to have me on with them a few weeks ago. Doug can't endorse specific candidates right now, as he is seeking to have various individuals (including Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin) on his show. So, at this point he clearly should remain neutral.

Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, when this column is brought to your attention, please seriously consider appearing on Doug's outstanding radio show.

As for Larry Perrault, he and I have exchanged many blog comments and e-mails. At times, we exasperate one another, but Larry clearly is a splendid guy (a Houstonian) who thinks the world of Mike Huckabee.

As regards Sarah Palin, he sent me the following comment: "If Huckabee were nominated and saw fit to select Sarah Palin to fill out the ticket, I'd be delighted." That's good enough for me. I urge you to visit Larry's site at: http://larryperrault.blogspot.com.

By the way, Larry has MS. His body may have failed him, but his heart, soul, and love for his family and his country remain very much intact.

As many of you know, I have a high regard for Mike Huckabee (as I do for some other candidates), and would be proud to support him if he wins the nomination. I believe strongly that Mike should meet soon with Sarah Palin, privately at first if that approach suits both of them.

Sarah has said she doesn't know a great deal about Mike, and his campaign should rectify that situation quickly. At this point, Sarah probably can do more for ANY of the candidates than they can do for her. As the most popular state official in our country, she can be very helpful in advising how candidates can generate wide public support.

At the least, Mike's building a strong personal and political relationship with Sarah and her supporters would help his campaign greatly if he named her as "exactly the kind of person" he would seriously consider for the nation's second-highest office. Our goal is for the Republican nominee to name his prospective running mate no later than Febuary 6, 2008, the day after the "Super Tuesday" primaries.

Late last week, Bill McAllister of KTUU-TV asked me if the Draft Palin Movement had established initial contacts with Republican presidential candidates (plural), and I said honestly that we had initiated such outreach. We want to know exactly where the candidates, including Mike Huckabee, stand on having a qualified woman on the ticket. The candidates increasingly are aware of the strong support Sarah has from people of the stature of Fred Barnes, Les Kinsolving, Tom Koennniger, and SJ Reidhead, among others, as well as from many of the most dedicated and influential members of the blogosphere.

National figures associated with the presidential campaigns have expressed an interest in meeting with Sarah Palin. The next moves are up to the candidates.

Frankly, the election of 2008 is so important to our nation that presidential candidates should avoid the usual coyness when it comes to a vice-presidential selection. We urge them not to fall back into considering mainly aging male Caucasians. It's time to select someone whose political future is unlimited and whose appeal to voters is obvious.

Whatever candidate selects Sarah as a running mate should be aware that she would refuse to be some sort of gender token or "attack dog." She's an individual of nont only of high intelligence but also of basic decency. She's a healer, not a divider.

The presidential nominee will make the final decisions on policy issues, but Sarah should be a respected advisor, especially on issues related to the family, energy, education, the environment, Second Amendment rights, and the overall value of life. She has translated her stands on such issues into approval ratings that show almost universal support, not just from Republicans, but also from Democrats and Independents.

It's clearly time for new faces from new places. In our view, the best new face is that of Sarah Palin, and the new place should be the geographically distant -- but critically important -- state of Alaska.

Stephen R. Maloney, Ambridge, PA
National Coordinating Team Palin 4 VP
TalkTop65@aol.com
724-266-2953

SJ REIDHEAD'S MAJOR SALUTE TO SARAH PALIN

Today, Sunday, my blog recorded its first visitor from Wasilla, Alaska, home of Gov. Sarah Heath Palin.

Note to print, radio, and TV journalists: Several national coordinators in the Draft Sarah Palin effort are available for interviews. If you're interested, either leave a comment or e-mail me at: TalkTop65@aol.com. Thanks.

Could Alaska's "Hottie" Governor Be the GOP's VP Nominee in 2008?

Written by SJ Reidhead
Published August 17, 2007

Alaska’s “hottie” Republican governor, Sarah Palin is a character straight out of the now defunct television classic Northern Exposure. This former beauty queen is ethical to the point where it almost cost her a political career, filing accusations of ethics violations against some of the most important Alaskan Republican officials. She has become an antidote to tales of woe and Republican corruption that seem to find their way out of Alaska in an almost weekly basis. Refreshingly honest, Palin even admits that when marijuana was legal in Alaska, she tried it, inhaled, but did not like it!

Maverick Reputation

Currently, after a year in office, Palin has an 84% approval rating. This is in keeping with her ‘humiliating’ defeat of seated governor Frank Murkowski in a bitter 2006 primary where the almost ‘unknown’ Palin received 51% of the vote while Governor Murkowski received only 19%. Political commentator Larry Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia’s Center of Politics remarked that Murkowski’s defeat was “literally almost unprecedented for someone is not indicted.” While Murkowski was not indicted, his administration and his personal life were plagued with allegations of corruption, gifts, and dirty tricks.

Palin’s first months in office have not been easy. Presiding over a Republican Party rife with accusations of corruption, many of them focusing on the state’s senior US Senator, Ted Stevens, Palin has served with grace and poise. In May, three former state legislators were indicted on corruption charges that stem from the repealing of the state’s oil tax and the creation of one which was more favorable to the oil industry. Palin has now called for a special session of the state legislature to meet in October. During that time she will ask for a new tax to compensate for the $150 million shortfall the ‘new’ tax has created.

Sarah Palin’s new tax hike is in keeping with her ‘maverick’ reputation. She is now being promoted as a possible GOP candidate for Vice President in 2008. Will this proposed tax hike hurt her within conservative circles? She is a life-time member of the National Rifle Association, and strongly pro-life. A devout Christian, she completes the “maverick” image by maintaining openly gay friendships and implementing same-sex benefits for the state. According to Fred Barnes, there are those in Alaska who are not comfortable with her strong faith.

In a recent Fred Barnes profile in The Weekly Standard, Barnes quotes Dan Fagan, an Anchorage radio talk show host, “"She's as Alaskan as you can get. She's a hockey mom, she lives on a lake, she ice fishes, she snowmobiles, she hunts, she's an NRA member, she has a float plane, and her husband works for BP on the North Slope," Fagan says. Todd Palin, her high school sweetheart, is a three-time winner of the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race from Wasilla to Nome to Fairbanks. It's the world's longest snowmobile race.

Too Good to be True?

Family is very important to Sarah Palin. The mother of four children, Bristol, Piper, Track, and Willow is also a former high school basketball champ. A journalist by training, and graduate of the University of Idaho, Palin worked in the media before entering politics. Her bio reads like the typical “mom” with service organizations that include PTA, sports coach, and youth hockey team manager. She has worked with husband Todd, an Alaska native, as a commercial fisherman. When not single-handedly trying to end corruption in Alaska, raise her family, and govern the largest state in the US, Palin runs marathons!

Her favorite meal includes either mooseburgers or moose stew because, according to one interview, "they taste better than beef with no chemicals, steroids or hormones.” She is a Pittsburgh Steelers' fan and was the second runner up in the Miss Alaska pageant.

Just What the Doctor Ordered?

There is no argument that the GOP, nationally, has many problems. Aside from the ongoing claims of corruption, greatly exaggerated by Democrat opponents for political gain and headlines, there is almost a malaise within the conservative ranks. Factions of the party have begun to think only inside the box, closing their minds to new ideas and new ways of seeing things.

According to Dimitri Vassilaros' recent Tribune-Review profile of Palin, she could be the answer tom any of the problems facing the Republican Party, nationally.

1. She vetoed nearly a third of the earmarks GOP legislators put in the stage budget.
2. While against same-sex unions, she vetoed a bill prohibiting such unions because the state Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional.
3. Palin feels the private sector can do better than government.
4. She is a crusading ‘corruption’ buster.
5. She has signed a bill on ethics and disclosures
6. Unlike many conservatives, she is interested in preserving the environment
7. She is interested in the Native peoples of Alaska.

Palin’s interest in Alaska’s Native Heritage may be the perfect antidote for a Republican Party wracked by perceived conservative bigotry against Hispanics via their failure to approve workable immigration reform. The GOP is in serious danger of losing a large amount of the Hispanic vote. Palin’s almost fanatical interest in Alaska’s Native Heritage may help to heal the gaping wound within the Hispanic community.

If Hillary Clinton is the Democratic Nominee in 2008, and every indication points to that fact, the GOP is going to need to counter her nomination with creativity and realize that the era of the ever-present “white male” has come to a merciful end. The Republican Party must, in order to make up for the immigration debacle and perceived racism and bigotry do something to raise the profile of women and minorities on the national ticket.

Hillary Clinton’s greatest challenge is the fact that, while her husband was a four term governor of Arkansas, she has not been the chief executive of a state. She has served within her husband’s Administration as one of his primary advisors and has served in the United States Senate. No United States Senator has been elected President since John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960.

Having a seated governor on the ticket would be a major plus for the GOP which will be fighting an admittedly up-hill battle. Having someone like Sarah Palin on the ticket might be “just the ticket”. Not only is she a seated governor, but she is very pretty, has the ‘perfect’ family, a very handsome husband, and is a walking photo-op.

FYI – if Sarah Palin is not on the ticket in 2008, watch for her to be running for POTUS in one of the next few elections. She is relatively young, has national ambitions and is, in all likelihood, the new face of the GOP.



SJ Reidhead is a writer and political junkie who lives in Lincoln County, New Mexico and is the author of two western novels, and has several non- fiction books about Tombstone and Wyatt Earp. She is currently counting hits on her Pink Flamingo blog and is working on an expose of the anti-immigration movement as well as forming her own publishing company.

Steve says: A devoted Christian activist, SJ Reidhead blogs at the “PinkFlamingo” on Blogharbor.com. She’s one of a handful of extremely powerful figures on the blogosphere. Her superb piece on Sarah appeared on BlogCritics. You can find the link to PinkFlamingo, as well as to this piece on my blogroll. I urge you to make her blog and BlogCritics parts of your regular reading. This piece is a major boost to Sarah's campaign. SJ Reidhead's outstanding Internet track record may just make her "the most important political figure in the US that you've never heard of."