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John Hawkins of RightWingNews conducted a poll of right-of-center blogs (of which I was one of the blogs polled) regarding who they would most like, and least like, to see as the Republican 2008 nomination for President. John’s polls tend to be a fairly good snapshot of what the right side of the blogosphere is thinking….which makes these results a bit disconcerting.

For example, Condi Rice is the #1 most desired pick. Ugh. Bad idea. Ok granted she’s tough, she’s uber-smart, she’s a woman and she’s a minority. All of which are good to have if you are a Republican candidate. However, as a member of the Bush administration she’s automatically a very polarizing figure. Also does anyone have any idea what her opinion is on domestic issues?

For that matter, does anyone have any idea what her standing is on any issues?? Remember, she works for the Bush administration. Within the Oval Office she can probably speak her mind, but what we see is her as a spokesman for the Bush administration. Remember, the defense everyone made for Alito on Roe vs Wade?? He was an advocate for the administration? So how can the same people claim they know anything about what her platform might be? And admitting that how can you claim that she is your number one pick?

In the top ten, we have candidates like Rudy Giuliani, Jeb Bush and John McCain.

Now as much as I think the tin-foil hat club members of the Democratic Party are just plain halarious, do we really need to feed any dynasty theories by nominating Jeb? Normally I’d say he’d be a good candidate but I think two members of the same family in a decade are enough yeah?

John McCain?? Please…RINOs are bad remember?

Rudy Giuliani…I know he’s the fashionable choice. Yeah, he was America’s mayor on 9/11 and he’s got charisma coming out his ears. At the same time, let’s remember he’s pro-gun-control, pro-gay marriage, pro-abortion. Remember what I said about RINOs?? Good, plus he’s got a few character flaws that might not air well.

And for the local readers, you will be interested to note our own Tim Pawlenty made the list. Of course, he hasn’t exactly endeared to Minnesota conservatives lately. If he can’t even please conservatives in a liberal state, what’s the liklihood he’s going to appeal to conservatives nationwide? That said, he would probably be able to deliver Minnesota in a presidential election. That might earn him a VP slot, but President….come on.

On the plus side I was pretty encouraged by the list of least desired candidates. Sounds like most of us are in agreement on those. What are they?? Well you’ll have to check Hawkin’s post out yourself….I’ve already stole enough of his thunder.

UPDATE : A request has been made for my picks. They were as follows:

Most Desired
1) George Allen
2) Mitt Romney
3) Bill Owens
4) Tom Tancredo
5) Tim Pawlenty

Least Desired
1) Chuck Hagel
2) John McCain
3) Jeb Bush
4) Dick Cheney
5) Rudy Giuliani

And yes I realize the irony of me picking Pawlenty. But like I said, he could possibly deliver MN and it would be nice to finally leave the purple column.

…by my presence in their state at least once in the past are as follows:

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

One of Bush’s excusesreasons for not taking illegal immigration seriously is that these illegals supposedly do jobs that legal Americans won’t do. I guess I didn’t realize that involved patrolling the United States - Mexico border….on the American side.

Of course, you won’t hear about this. Neither Democrats or Republicans want to touch this issue. I think in the future this may be a source of much trouble in the Republican part. The pro-business side of the party would probably prefer to take a laissez faire approach with the hopes that the source of cheap labor continues. On the other hand anti illegal immigration (not anti-immigration) factions aren’t gonna put up with it forever. But you eventually have to ask, just how much do we have to tolerate?

A country that cannot protect it’s own borders is not sovereign

A doctor answers his phone and hears the familiar voice of a colleague on the other end of the line.

‘We need a fourth for poker,’ said the friend.

‘I’ll be right over,’ whispered the doctor.

As he was putting on his coat, his wife asked, ‘Is it serious?’

‘Oh yes, quite serious,’ said the doctor gravely. ‘In fact, there are three doctors there already!’

Here’s the full text of OBLs most recent propaganda message. In short, it appears to be a message of desperation.

I’d encourage you to read through it yourself (it’s actually kinda funny), but in my opinion here’s basically what it boils down to:

You infidels are weak. Your security efforts are worthless. We have infiltrated everything. Even though you have unfairly demolished Iraq and Afghanistan, you are defeated there. Your forces are taking apocolyptic losses. You are beaten. Now we are in the process of dealing a big blow to you on your own turf. However, even though I claim we have you on your knees and are ready to deal the fatal blow, we offer a truce. We’re good people so of course we would be faithful in that truce.

Now anyone want to point me at a time in history where any nation has offered their enemy a truce when they are on the verge of defeating them?? Yeah, it doesn’t happen.

Offering a truce is a sign of weakness, not strength. For the same reason we haven’t heard from OBL in so long we thought he was dead, he now offers a truce. He’s on the run, his organization has been scattered to the wind. And the close calls both Zarqawi and Zawahiri have had recently, has to have him questioning his own safety.

Which isn’t to say Al-Qaeda isn’t still capable of some horrific acts. It doesn’t take much to make a chemical/biological/nuclear attack pretty devastating. But is it an organization that can still dictate terms to nation-states? Hardly. Besides, considering the bang-up job they did in Afghanistan are these really the type of people you want rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq?

Thankfully, the administration has already denied their “offer” of a truce. And, barring any additional obstruction from the Democrats, I think this is a definate sign that the War on Terror is going very well. The real test being if we suffer another attack on US soil in the near future.

Of course, worse case scenario, we could always take the approach the French appear to be taking. Main question there being when the French grew a set of testicles. Although I’m especially loving the irony of the situation. After all, isn’t this the extreme version of the “you’re either with us or against us” approach Bush was criticized for? But heh, it’s the French, who ever said they had to be consistent….or rational.

Andy AppleCowSki (or whatever) of Residual Forces has finally revealed the identity of The Challenger. For those of you that have missed the build up he has been teasing us with a possible conservative challenger for Governor that Pawlenty would have to face in the next election. Check his site for the details…I’ll let him live his “glory”.

Well he’s finally coughed up the identity. I have to be honest. Not familiar with the candidate. From first glance, the candidate’s website is pretty standard boilerplate. Says the right things, checked the right boxes, but as most people are intelligent enough to know, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

Time (and a little research) will tell.

Forget short-bus trivia questions, let’s see if you can guess what the following device is for.

Answer in the extended entry
(more…)

YNC’s got a video clip of Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey’s interview on FOX regarding his candidacy for Minnesota Governor. LOL, this guy is unintentionally halarious.

How do you keep a straight face while asking this guy questions?

Parental responsibility, after years of ill health, finally dropped dead outside a comic book store a week ago.

An 11-year-old boy and his foster mother are mad about unwittingly buying a comic book they consider racist.

[...]

One of those comics, titled “Captain Confederacy,” is set in a world in which the South won the Civil War and the Confederacy is a world power.

[...]

Boswell bought the comic for her 11-year old son at Dollar More Or Less in Stockton a few days before Christmas. She didn’t know about the book’s controversial theme, she said.

Hold on a second. YOU bought a comic book. YOU didn’t think to check out the content of a comic called “Captain Confedracy”. YOU gave it to your son. And now you’re pissed that your son has been exposed to racist material??

I’m not even sure where to start. There is such a vacuum of anything resembling intelligence here that I am utterly speechless. Normally I’d try to point out where you failed in your logic, but logic appears to be vacationing with The Elder in Chihuahua right now.

“Just stocking stuffers. Or so I thought,” said Jeanette Boswell, Joey’s foster mother.

STOP! Back up, reverse that….no, you didn’t think. You ma’am, are a moron. An utter bafoon. A complete knee-biter.

“I’m trying to follow the gist of this comic book,” Boswell said. “It seems to be a racial thing throughout. I really found it offensive.” Both Joey and Boswell are white. Boswell said the book’s content also offended her other foster child, who is Black.

It’s racist and you’re offended by it. Well then, I can completely understand why you kept reading the damn thing!!! And now that you have established it’s racist, offensive and all things bad….show it to your siblings. Sounds perfectly normal.

“I’d actually like to see whoever is writing this to stop putting out this offensive material,” Boswell, 55, said. “The way they’re doing this, it can really warp some young minds.”

All things considered ma’am I think your child was already a lost cause. I know that’s hard to understanding with some diligent and observant parents. Shit happens, ya know?

Shetterly couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday. But he described himself in his blog biography, listed on qwertyranch.blogspot.com, as a tolerant man who ran for governor of Minnesota in 1994. The site didn’t discuss Captain Confederacy.

Dear god….

[Editors Note : Kevin's head just exploded. However, before he passed away he mumbled something about "Why is it that every dumbass on the planet has run for governor in Minnesota. Ventura. Sharkey Etc]

Two approaches to informing the public:

Using the journalistic process including the use of editors and “accountability”, we get this photo from the NYT.

OR

A blogger uses his own earned credibility to explain why it is obviously a fake staged photo.

Now why is it that the MSM keeps claim that blogs without editors are bad??

As Michelle Malkin suggests, the only way it could have been worse would have been something like this:

Pakistani men with the remains of a missile fired at a house in the Bajur tribal zone near the Afghan border.

And if you see anything wrong with that photo you obviously exist in a naziconservative echo chamber without any regard for true journalism.