Football and Politics

On Monday Night Football, the Indianapolis Colts were leading the Cincinnati Bengals by 18 points going in to the fourth quarter. The Bengals marched the football down to Indianapolis's 11 yard line. It was fourth down, and considering the vast point differential, Cincinnati was undoubtedly going to go for the Touchdown. But no. Instead of taking the risk, the Bengals brought out the field goal kicker, who nailed the kick throuh the uprights. Yippee! 3 points! Nevermind that any chance the Bengals had of winning the game went down the drain. At least it looked better on the stat sheet than a failed fourth down conversion.

I could not help but see the parallel between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Republican Party. For instance, days before the 2006 midterm elections, the Senate was able to pass a bill which authorized the construction of a border fence over 700 miles of the 2000 mile border between the United States and Mexico. However, it gradually leaked out that while the bill passed the Senate by a wide margin, it had NO funding. In other words, nearly 80 Senators passed a bill to construct a border fence for the sole purpose of political expediency. Republicans wanted to inflate the stat sheet while doing nothing to solve America's nagging problems.

The federal budget deficit is yet another area where half measures have been put into place. Our Senators and Congressmen have decided to "trim" the budget, instead of drastically reducing spending and cutting government waste.

In recent years, politicians have kicked field goals instead of taking the risk and going for the win. While failure is a definite possibility, half-measures will never fix our problems or ensure that America wins the future.

LWS

Okay, I Guess I'm not that Important

I'll admit it, I think TIME's choice for Person of the Year is cop-out. Though the ongoing media revolution may be important now, I am hard pressed to see any great significance to the growing prominence of such media. Those of us who write blogs and utilize YouTube and MySpace may be generating a new medium of communication, but these accomplishments are deserving of very little acclaim.

When we examine previous winners of this coveted award, we see names such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Richard Nixon. The Person of the Year award should go to the individual (or individuals) who merit special recognition and who are charting a new path in the course of human history.

Most commentators thought that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would receive the award. Over the past year, Ahmadinejad has made headlines for his country's unwavering pursuit of nuclear power. His anti-Israeli comments and support for terrorist activity makes him the foremost power-player in the Middle East.

TIME's snub of Ahmadinejad is yet another example of how the media is downplaying the danger Iran poses to the West. Though Iran's leaders have called for America's demise, media outlets have continually turned a deaf ear to Ahmadinejad's regime. Our inability to fully assess the threat posed by Iran and radical Islam bears a startling parallel to our country's actions and attitudes toward Adolph Hitler in the months before World War II.

So ten years from now, will we see a transformed world through the use of MySpace or as a result of the firebrand, belligerent President of Iran. Both Pat Buchanan and I think the latter.

http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53426

LWS

I Finally Won Something!!!

According to the Drudge Report and Fox News, YOU (or Me, I suppose) were named TIME Person of the Year. Due to the rise of user generated media such as blogs, YouTube, and MySpace, TIME Magazine has decided to bestow their coveted honor upon all of us. I feel so proud!

http://drudgereport.com/

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,236978,00.html

LWS

Evan Bayh will NOT Run for President

According to the Associated Press, Indiana Senator Evay Bayh will not seek the Democratic nomination for President in 2008. Though Yahoo! News reported two weeks ago that Bayh was set to launch a Presidential exploratory committee, Bayh gave the following reasons for scrapping his Presidential ambitions:

"At the end of the day, I concluded that due to circumstances beyond our control the odds were longer than I felt I could responsibly pursue," Bayh said in a statement. "This path - and these long odds - would have required me to be essentially absent from the Senate for the next year instead of working to help the people of my state and the nation."

It also appears that Bayh may be withdrawing from the Presidential race in order to concentrate on securing the Vice-Presidency. The two-term senator and two-term governor has a record of appealling to both sides of the aisle, an invaluable characteristic if the Democrats nominate an extreme liberal such as Barack Obama.

LWS

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061216/D8M1VRL80.html

First Obama Ad to Air in New Hampshire

According the the Union Leader, a draft Obama television ad will begin airing next week on station WMUR in New Hampshire. The ad is put out by draftobama.org. It can be accessed through the link below.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Granite+Status%3a+More+than+one+Dem+eyeing+2008+Senate+primary&articleId=e869bc14-1976-4be2-a83a-13240c203439

LWS

The USSR

The Financial Times reported today that Russia is set to cut off natural gas supplies to the former Soviet satellite countries of Belarus and Georgia, unless these countries agree to pay significantly higher prices for their needed energy. Ending Russian gas sales to Georgia should surprise no one. After all, it was only a few years ago they staged their "Rose Revolution" which succeeded in bringing the country out of the dark recesses of communism and into the light of transparent government and free market economics. Needless to say, this further encouraged an already growing rift between Russia and Georgia.

However, Russia's threat to end gas supplies to Belarus is somewhat unprecedented. As the Financial Times realized, Belarus "has been happy to remain in Moscow's orbit." However, "Analysts see the demand [a four-fold price increase for natural gas] as punishment for the failure....to deliver on promises of closer integration with Russia."

Russian actions should be a wake up call to the West. As more and more former satellite countries rebel against the motherland, Moscow is doing everything within its power to consolidate its rule and retain its influence over other regional political entities. A candid examination of Russian domestic and foreign policy will tell us a significant amount of information on where the country is headed.

Whether or not Putin was directly responsible for the death of Alexander Litvinenko, there is little doubt that his poisoning was carried out by the KGB remnants in Russia. The intrigue surrounding Litvinenko is indicative of the political situation in Russia. Dissidents are being jailed and thousands of Chechnians have vanished in the past decade.

Other freedoms are also being curtailed by the Russian government. As reprehensible as the movie "Borat" may be, we in America have the freedom to go see whatever movie we wish. Interestingly enough, the movie was recently banned by the Russian government, even though the movie does not criticize Russia in any way. Furthermore, Russia has given stringent guidelines and threatened to evict all NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) from the nation.

Freedom and governmental transparency in Russia is in dire straits. With the election of Boris Yelstin following the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 90s, the Soviet Union was religated to the anals of history. However, recent events make me wonder if the USSR will rise from the pages of history textbooks an even stronger nemesis than before.

LWS

Even More Crowded

Two days ago, liberal Democrat Dennis Kucinich formally declared his candidacy for President. Kucinich is the most outspoken critic of the Iraq War, advocating a complete withdrawl and an end of funding for the war. Kucinich is so extreme that his views are frequently looked on with approbation from members of his own party. Though we have seen how an oustider like Howard Dean can gain grassroot's support, Kucinich has none of the charisma or base which Dean possessed during his unsuccessful run for the White House. Though he claims he fully expects to win, Dennis Kucinich's bid for the Presidency will only succeed in garnering attention to his cause.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N12345426.htm

LWS

Decision for Disaster

As I am sure most of you know, last week the Iraq Study Group released its long-awaited report on the status of the war in Iraq. Established 8 months ago, the bipartisan group was created to report the status of the war and also suggest tactical recommendations to the President. The committee claims that enacting their 70+ proposals would leave Iraq safe enough for US troops to begin being removed from Iraq in 2008.

However, as the Economist so poignantly asserted, setting an arbitrary date for troop withdrawl would be disastrous. Enacting such a proposal would mean that US troops must leave Iraq, even if the mission remains unaccomplished. Though the war strategy has been rather unsuccessful, leaving Iraq to the mercy of radical insurgents and the mullahs of Iran could very well embroil the Middle East in a full scale war.

Recently, information was obtained by several news sources which indicated that if the United States left Iraq soon, Saudi Arabia would flood the oil market in order to limit the capital Iran can use in fomenting a rebellion in Iraq. The Saudis and Iran are historical enemies and an insecure Iraq could tip the balance of power in the Middle East, setting off a disastrous regional struggle.

Though the Iraq Study Group may be right in concluding that Bush mishandled the Iraq War and that victory is far from near, to enact the proposals of the Baker-Hamilton Committee would damage US prestige and leave the Middle East in a state of instability and conflict.

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8381356

LWS

Democrats and Socialists: Kindred Spirits

European socialists pledged to renew strong ties with the United States government now that the Democratic Party is back in charge. According to Reuters, the Portugese socialist President said that Democrats can count on the support of European socialists. This should surprise few of you. For years now, the Democratic Party has been led by those who support many of the policies of socialism: universal healthcare, a large government bureaucracy, and wealth redistribution. The Democratic Party's pandering to socialists should be a warning signal to all of us. If you want higher taxes and more governmental control over your life, then by all means, vote Democrat.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-12-07T204342Z_01_L0796336_RTRUKOC_0_US-EUROPE-SOCIALISTS-US.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

LWS

John Edwards Lines up Support

You heard it here...er...second. According to the New York Times, John Edwards is lining up support from donors for a 2008 Presidential run. However, there is simply NO way that the Democrats will pick Edwards to represent their party in the upcoming elections. First off, he is a former one-term Senator from North Carolina. On top of that, he missed several major senatorial votes and was absent from the Senate on most occassions. It still astonishes me that the Democrats picked him for Vice-President last time around. Our favorite personal injury lawyer lacks any real political acumen or experience. The Democrats learned their lesson the last time around. Furthermore, Edwards will need to raise a significant amount of capital before he can even run for the nomination. It takes a lot of ambulance chasing to raise 10 million dollars.

Poll of the Week: What should John Edwards do?
A. Run for President
B. Run for Senate
C. Chase more ambulances
D. Become a fashion model

Let me know what you think by posting a comment on this article.

LWS

Vilsack on Abortion

Through conducting added research, I was able to find Tom Vilsack's stance on abortion. All the information in this post is from whereIstand.com, a website which researches politician's viewpoints.

-Roe v. Wade should NOT be overturned

-Parental notification should be required of a minor before having an abortion

-Supports a ban on late-term abortion

-"The decision to have or not have an abortion is and should be the patient’s decision." (Tom Vilsack)

LWS

Shroud of Mystery

As reported by The Statesman last week, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack became the first Democrat to officially throw his hat in the 2008 Presidential ring. In our effort to keep you informed, The Statesman will examine each Presidential aspirant’s stance on the issues which affect you. This week we will examine the record of Tom Vilsack.

Despite being governor for two complete terms, Tom Vilsack’s stance on many important issues is undefined. On abortion, homosexual rights, and gun control, little information is available for us to analyze. However, we will examine the issues on which Vilsack has made a stance as governor.

On Foreign Policy:

“Vilsack proposed pulling troops out of southern and central Iraq, where most of the violence is occurring…But Vilsack said he would maintain some troops in the northern part of the country to allow for a quick response if the stability of the Mideast is at stake.

“A military presence may also be necessary to put pressure on Iran to stop its nuclear program, he said. Vilsack called for more aggressive diplomacy to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

“Once American troops are out of harm's way in Iraq, he said he'd encourage regional involvement in reconstruction.” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/01/AR2006120100793.html)

I’m sure Iran would gladly help us construct and protect Iraqi democracy.

However, Vilsack did take a stand against the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty, commenting that the treaty must include emissions reductions by ALL countries, not merely the industrialized West. (http://www.ontheissues.org/Tom_Vilsack.htm)

On Domestic Policy:

“Vilsack in 2002 advocated and signed a law making English Iowa's official language,” though he has since apologized to minority groups.

(http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/16155230.htm)

Vilsack also supports school choice. (http://www.ontheissues.org/Tom_Vilsack.htm)

Surprisingly, Vilsack supports the creation of retirement savings accounts, a measure supported by most conservatives and decried as “privatization” by liberals. (http://www.ontheissues.org/Tom_Vilsack.htm)

However, Tom Vilsack vehemently opposes measure which would create a national sales tax in place of the income tax.

Needless to say, more information is needed about Tom Vilsack’s stance on the issues. Though a cursory examination of the above information would seem to indicate he is a political moderate, Vilsack must make more of his views public before he is to garner support from either side of the aisle.

LWS

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh to Launch Presidential Bid

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh will announce the creation of an exploratory committee for a 2008 Presidential bid within the next two weeks. According to Yahoo News, Bayh will also make trips to Vermont and Iowa, two states with early democratic primaries. The Indiana moderate finished 17th in a straw poll conducted by Reuters which ranked the likability of 20 possible Presidential candidates.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061201/ap_on_el_pr/bayh2008

Straw Poll : http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-11-27T220044Z_01_N27487084_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-POLITICS-POLL.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2

LWS

Mehlman: GOP Must Correct its Mistakes

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman warned the Republican Governors Association that the Republican Party must correct its mistakes, or face years in the minority. According to Mehlman, voters rejected Republicans last election cycle due to the erosion of their coservative principles of limited government and individual responsibility.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/30/AR2006113001270_pf.html

LWS