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“In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate - look to his character...”  - Noah Webster

PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE
Special Edition: A Republican Revival

By Mark Alexander

The campaign between John McCain and Barack Obama took a turn to the right this week. After last week’s “feel your pain” Demo-Goguery in Denver, Republicans took to the podium for some straight talk in St. Paul, and tens of millions of Americans tuned in.

A week ago, there was considerable consternation in our editorial shop as Sen. McCain was preparing to announce his running mate ahead of the Republican Convention.

Why?

For the last three presidential election cycles, Democrats have run Ivy League elitists, Leftist darlings like the populist potentate of eco-theology Albert Arnold Gore, the treasonous Jean-Francois Kerry, and now, Kerry’s lapdog, the most liberal of the Leftist cadre inside the Beltway, Barack Hussein Obama.

Because the Democrats have run candidates far left of center, Republicans have, by necessity, fielded candidates George W. Bush and John McCain, who certainly share Ronald Reagan’s principles in regard to national security and foreign policy, but have moderate records on some domestic, economic and social policies.

The consequence of electing a moderately conservative Republican president in 2000, and reelecting him in 2004, was devastating to congressional conservatives downstream as the number of conservative Republicans gave way to an increased number of moderate Republicans who were, in significant ways, indistinguishable from Democrats. This washout ultimately cost Republicans their majorities in both the House and Senate.

The logical choice for Sen. McCain’s VP from the field of contenders was Mitt Romney, but there was significant concern that, in a campaign against ultra-Leftists like Obama and Joe Biden, McCain would choose a centrist running mate.

Enter Gov. Sarah Palin.

Within minutes of confirming that Gov. Palin was McCain’s VP choice, consternation yielded to celebration. Suffice it to say that we believe Gov. Palin is a brilliant choice, and speaks volumes about the direction of a McCain presidency.

Sen. McCain has been “The Gentleman from Arizona” for so long that there is some question about whether he can make the leap from Senate diplomacy to White House executive leadership. It is promising that McCain has been steadfast in his convictions for all his years in the Senate. For example, Sen. McCain has never taken an earmark while his colleagues on both sides of the aisles have been defrauding American taxpayers with every pork-barrel project imaginable.

It is also commendable that John McCain is teachable, so much so that when he finds himself in a hole, he stops digging. When deciding he is wrong on issues, such as voting against the Bush tax cuts, he is willing to change his position.

British macroeconomist Sir John Maynard Keynes, heralded by the Left, said this of entrenched thought: “The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping the old ones, which ramify, for those brought up as most of us have been, into every corner of our minds.” When a liberal criticized him for altering his economic theory, he responded, “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?”

Democrats could take a lesson on “change” from Keynes. They are mired in antiquated socialist doctrines that have never worked, and they continue to roll them out in perpetuity.

As for the Republicans, at their convention they outlined a vision for America that has a strong record of success. And make no mistake: In the next eight years, the McCain-Palin ticket has the potential to restore more than the conservative losses of the last eight years. This ticket has the potential to revive the Reagan Revolution, and I do not deliver such lofty declarations flippantly.

I believe McCain-Palin can be aptly characterized as the Bulldog-Barracuda ticket, and that prospect has both entrenched Republicrats worried about not only their diet of graft, but indeed, the future of their employment.

What follows are a few excerpts from key Republican speeches. (The full texts of the speeches are posted at our 2008 Convention Resources page, where you can also find the Republican and Democrat political platforms.)
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Fred Thompson:

We need a president who understands that you don’t make citizens prosperous by making Washington richer, and you don’t lift an economic downturn by imposing one of the largest tax increases in American history. Now our opponents tell you not to worry about their tax increases. They tell you they are not going to tax your family. No, they’re just going to tax “businesses”! So unless you buy something from a “business”, like groceries or clothes or gasoline... or unless you get a paycheck from a big or a small “business,” don’t worry... it’s not going to affect you. They say they are not going to take any water out of your side of the bucket, just the “other” side of the bucket! That’s their idea of tax reform.

The Senate has always had more than its share of smooth talkers. And big talkers. It still has...[T]he Democrats present a history making nominee for president. History making in that he is the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for President. Apparently they believe that he would match up well with the history making, Democrat-controlled Congress. History making because it’s the least accomplished and most unpopular Congress in our nation’s history.

We need a president and vice president who will take the federal bureaucracy by the scruff of the neck and give it a good shaking. And we need a president who doesn’t think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade. The man who will be that president is John McCain.

John McCain’s bones may have been broken but his spirit never was. Now, being a POW certainly doesn’t qualify anyone to be president. But it does reveal character. This is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of history have sought in their leaders. Strength. Courage. Humility. Wisdom. Duty. Honor. A man who never quits is never defeated.

The respect [McCain] is given around the world is not because of a teleprompter speech designed to appeal to American critics abroad, but because of decades of clearly demonstrated character and statesmanship. It’s pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, “Who is this man?” and “Can we trust this man with the presidency?”

Joe Lieberman:

What is a Democrat like me doing at a Republican convention like this? The answer is simple. I’m here to support John McCain because country matters more than party.

My Democratic friends know all about John’s record of independence and accomplishment. Maybe that’s why some of them are spending so much time and so much money trying to convince voters that John McCain is someone else. I’m here, as a Democrat myself, to tell you: Don’t be fooled. God only made one John McCain, and he is his own man.

Sen. Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man, but eloquence is no substitute for a record.

Mitt Romney:

I spent 25 years in the private sector. I’ve done business in many foreign countries. I know why jobs come and why they go away. And I know that liberals don’t have a clue. [Democrats] think we have the biggest and strongest economy in the world because of our government. They’re wrong. America is strong because of the ingenuity and entrepreneurship and hard work of the American people.

Mike Huckabee:

When John McCain received his country’s call to service, he did not hesitate and he did not choose the easy path. He sat alone in the cockpit, taking off from an aircraft carrier, to fly in the unfriendly skies, knowing that there was a good chance he might not make it back. And one day, he didn’t make it back. He was shot down and captured, brutally tortured. He could have eased his own pain, even cut short his imprisonment, just by uttering a few simple worlds renouncing his country. But then, as now, John McCain put his country first. And he knew - he knew that to return with honor later was better than to return without it now.

John McCain doesn’t want the kind of change that allows the government to reach even deeper into your paycheck and pick your pocket, your doctor, your child’s school, or even the kind of car you drive, or tell you how much you have to inflate your tires.

Let me make something clear tonight: I’m not a Republican because I grew up rich. I’m a Republican because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me.

Rudy Giuliani:

We agree with Joe Biden. Tough times require strong leadership, and this is no time for on-the-job training. Change is not a destination, just as hope is not a strategy.

Governor Palin represents a new generation. She’s already one of the most successful governors in America and the most popular. And she’s already had more executive experience than the entire Democratic ticket combined. She’s been a mayor. I love that. I’m sorry that Barack Obama feels that her hometown isn’t cosmopolitan enough. Maybe they cling to religion there.

Sarah Palin delivered a speech Wednesday night that drew 41,000,000 viewers - almost as many viewers as the Democrat’s presidential candidate, Barack Obama, drew for his keynote speech last Thursday night. Notably, 10 networks carried Obama’s speech while only six carried Gov. Palin’s remarks. Those who tuned in for Gov. Palin’s comments understand why she attracted that many viewers. Read on:

I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids’ public education better. When I ran for city council, I didn’t need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too. Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities.

I might add that in small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening. We tend to prefer candidates who don’t talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.
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As for my running mate, you can be certain that wherever he goes, and whoever is listening, John McCain is the same man.

I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people.

Barack Obama has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or even a reform, not even in the State Senate. This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word “victory,” except when he’s talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed... when the roar of the crowd fades away... when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent’s plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger... take more of your money... give you more orders from Washington... and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world.

America needs more energy; our opponent is against producing it. Victory in Iraq is finally in sight, and he wants to forfeit. Terrorist states are seeking nuclear weapons without delay; he wants to meet them without preconditions. Al Qaida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America, and he’s worried that someone won’t read them their rights. Government is too big; he wants to grow it. Congress spends too much money; he promises more. Taxes are too high, and he wants to raise them. His tax increases are the fine print in his economic plan. And let me be specific: The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, and raise payroll taxes, and raise investment income taxes, and raise the death tax, and raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars... How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy?

Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.

My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of ‘personal discovery.’ This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn’t just need an organizer.

Though both Senator Obama and Senator Biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, ‘fighting for you,’ let us face the matter squarely. There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you... in places where winning means survival and defeat means death... and that man is John McCain.

Our nominee... is a leader who’s not looking for a fight, but is not afraid of one either.

He’s a man who wore the uniform of this country for 22 years, and refused to break faith with those troops in Iraq who have now brought victory within sight. And as the mother of one of those troops, that is exactly the kind of man I want as commander in chief.

John McCain:

I have a privilege given few Americans: the privilege of accepting our party’s nomination for president of the United States, and I accept it with gratitude, humility and confidence.

A word to Sen. Obama and his supporters: We’ll go at it over the next two months - you know that’s the nature of this business - and there are big differences between us. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, and that’s an association that means more to me than any other.

And after we’ve won, we’re going to reach out our hand to any willing patriot, make this government start working for you again, and get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace.

I’m very proud to have introduced our next vice president to the country, but I can’t wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me just offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first, country-second crowd: Change is coming.

We need to change the way government does almost everything: from the way we protect our security to the way we compete in the world economy; from the way we respond to disasters to the way we fuel our transportation network; from the way we train our workers to the way we educate our children.

I’m not in the habit of breaking my promises to my country, and neither is Gov. Palin. And when we tell you we’re going to change Washington and stop leaving our country’s problems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it. We’ve got a record of doing just that, and the strength, experience, judgment and backbone to keep our word to you.

I don’t work for a party. I don’t work for a special interest. I don’t work for myself. I work for you. I’ve fought the big spenders in both parties... and the first big-spending, pork-barrel earmark bill that comes across my desk, I will veto it. I will make them famous, and you will know their names. You will know their names.

I’ve fought corruption... I’ve fought to get million-dollar checks out of our elections. I’ve fought lobbyists... I’ve fought crooked deals in the Pentagon. I’ve fought tobacco companies and trial lawyers, drug companies and union bosses.

I’ve fought for the right strategy and more troops in Iraq when it wasn’t the popular thing to do. And when the pundits said my campaign was finished, I said I’d rather lose an election than see my country lose a war.

I don’t mind a good fight. For reasons known only to God, I’ve had quite a few tough ones in my life. But I learned an important lesson along the way: In the end, it matters less that you can fight. What you fight for is the real test. I fight for Americans. I fight for you.
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I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when rather than reform government, both parties made it bigger. We lost their trust when we valued our power over our principles.

We’re going to change that. We’re going to recover the people’s trust by standing up again to the values Americans admire.

We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential. We’re all God’s children, and we’re all Americans. We believe in low taxes, spending discipline, and open markets. We believe in rewarding hard work and risk-takers and letting people keep the fruits of their labor. We believe in a strong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don’t legislate from the bench. We believe in the values of families, neighborhoods and communities. We believe in a government that unleashes the creativity and initiative of Americans, government that doesn’t make your choices for you, but works to make sure you have more choices to make for yourself.

My opponent promises to bring back old jobs by wishing away the global economy. We’re going to help workers who’ve lost a job that won’t come back find a new one that won’t go away.

Education is the civil rights issue of this century. Equal access to public education has been gained, but what is the value of access to a failing school? We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice. Parents deserve a choice in the education of their children, and I intend to give it to them. Sen. Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucrats. I want schools to answer to parents and students, and when I’m president, they will.

We’re going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us very much. We’ll produce more energy at home. We will drill new wells off shore, and we’ll drill them now. We’ll build more nuclear power plants. We’ll develop clean-coal technology. We’ll increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas. We’ll encourage the development and use of flex-fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.

We have dealt a serious blow to al-Qa’ida in recent years, but they’re not defeated, and they’ll strike us again, if they can. Iran remains the chief state sponsor of terrorism and is on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons. Russia’s leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power, have rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power. They invaded a small, democratic neighbor to gain more control over the world’s oil supply, intimidate other neighbors, and further their ambitions of re-assembling the Russian empire. And the brave people of Georgia need our solidarity and our prayers.

We face many dangerous threats in this dangerous world, but I’m not afraid of them. I’m prepared for them. I know how the military works, what it can do, what it can do better, and what it shouldn’t do. I know how the world works. I know the good and the evil in it. I know how to secure the peace.

I hate war. It’s terrible beyond imagination. I’m running for president to keep the country I love safe and prevent other families from risking their loved ones in war as my family has. I will draw on all my experience with the world and its leaders, and all the tools at our disposal - diplomatic, economic, military and the power of our ideals - to build the foundations for a stable and enduring peace.

My friends, I’ve been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I’ve been her servant first, last and always. I’ve never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I didn’t thank God for the privilege.

[As a Naval aviator in Vietnam] I liked to bend a few rules and pick a few fights, but I did it for my own pleasure, my own pride. I didn’t think there was a cause that was more important than me. [But] I was blessed by misfortune. On an October morning... I found myself falling toward the middle of a small lake in the city of Hanoi, with two broken arms, a broken leg, and an angry crowd waiting to greet me. I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency, for its faith in the wisdom, justice, and goodness of its people. I was never the same again; I wasn’t my own man anymore; I was my country’s.

If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you’re disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier, because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.

I’m going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank him, that I’m an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on Earth. Fight with me. Fight for what’s right for our country. Fight for the ideals and character of a free people. Fight for our children’s future. Fight for justice and opportunity for all. Stand up to defend our country from its enemies. Stand up for each other, for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America. Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight.

We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history. Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America.
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Quote of the week

“I’m not running for president because I think I’m blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need. My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God.”  - John McCain

On cross-examination

“Bloom where you’re planted. If you bloom where you are planted, beautiful, unexpected things can happen. This is the story of Gov. Sarah Palin. What makes her absolutely appealing to ordinary citizens across the country - both young and old - is that she didn’t go looking for greatness somewhere ‘out there.’ Instead, she sought to make a difference in the lives of the people along her path - and in so doing, greatness found her. May Sarah Palin’s story remind all of us that God honors those who love and serve others. May her success inspire us to look first in our own neighborhoods for opportunities to change the world.”  - Rebecca Hagelin

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Campaign watch: Introducing Sarah Palin

Alaska Governor and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin wowed the conservative base and gave the GOP a much-needed morale boost Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention. Maligned by the media and liberals for just about every personal and professional choice she’s ever made, Palin proved that she is no shrinking violet with a blistering speech that took to task Barack and Michelle Obama, Joe Biden and the whole gang of useful idiots for their lack of conviction and their elitism. She was vibrant, energetic and had a powerful stage presence. And she did much of it from memory after the teleprompter malfunctioned, with no Obama-esque stuttering.

When John McCain picked Palin to be his running mate last Friday, the Democrats were knocked back on their heels. How could they go after her without further alienating the segment of the female vote that is ready to bolt from the Democrats after the party’s perceived slights of Hillary Clinton? Enter the “mainstream” media. The New York Times called Palin a risky pick and suggested that McCain’s vetting process was flawed because of revelations that Palin’s daughter is pregnant out of wedlock. Perhaps they would have thought differently if he had introduced her as “my running mate Sarah Palin, who by the way has a pregnant and unwed 17-year-old daughter.” We would remind readers of Barack Obama’s views on that subject: “Look, I got two daughters - nine years old and six years old. I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.” A study in contrasts, indeed.

Palin is the true Washington outsider that Obama only wishes he could be. Obama showed what he means by “change” when he picked a running mate who has been in the Senate almost as long as Obama has been alive. Palin, on the other hand, is a daughter of rural Alaska, a small-town mayor who rose to become governor of a state larger than Texas and California combined - or put another way, 250 times the size of Biden’s Delaware, and with just as many electoral votes. Virtually everything about her - her family, her lifelong membership in the NRA and her all-American background - is antithetical to the Left’s views of how the world should be. And it’s driving them nuts. Post-convention analysis in the media looked more like Democrat damage control, as pundits such as Chris Matthews and George Stephanopoulos claimed that Palin’s impact at the RNC was overstated and that her speech was too divisive. MSNBC’s blowhard Keith Olbermann typified Leftmedia consternation with his brilliant analysis: “People who like this sort of thing will find this... the sort of thing they like.”

It won’t do to attack Palin on what liberals perceive as a lack of experience. She addressed that charge best herself with her zinger about mayor versus community organizer in her Wednesday night speech. But her record also answers the charge.

Upon taking the governor’s office, Palin immediately began fighting corruption - even in her own party. First, she defeated an incumbent Republican governor in a primary and then a former Democrat governor in the general election. She called a special legislative session to rewrite an oil bill signed by her predecessor, GOP Gov. Frank Murkowski. Her bill raised taxes on oil companies, but that’s not the whole story. According to federal investigations, oil industry executives had bribed several legislators, ensuring passage of the previous bill. The tax was rebated to the people of Alaska, who had paid the bill for oil industry perks. Still, Palin is pro-energy and supports expanded drilling in ANWR and offshore. As governor, she also cut taxes and balanced the budget. She is strongly pro-free market, pro-school choice, pro-Second Amendment and pro-life.

Obama, for his part, has been merely a willing practitioner of Chicago’s machine politics for the last dozen years. His three and a half years in the U.S. Senate have largely been spent running for president. Some qualifications.
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This week’s ‘Alpha Jackass’ award

This week, CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Obama, “Some Republican critics say you don’t have the experience to handle a situation like this [Hurricane Gustav]. They’ve in fact said that Governor Palin has more executive experience as mayor of a small town and as governor of a big state like Alaska. What’s your response?”

Obama replied, “Well, you know, my understanding is that, uh, Governor Palin’s town of Wasilly [sic] has, uh, 50 employees, uh, uh, we’ve got 2,500, uh, in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. Uh, uh, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month. Uh, so I think that, uh, our ability to manage large systems, uh, and to, uh, execute, uh, I think has been made clear over the last couple of years. Uh, and certainly, in terms of, uh, the legislation that I’ve passed just dealing with this issue post-Katrina, uh, of how we handle emergency management. The fact that, uh, many of my recommendations were adopted and are being put in place, uh, as we speak, indicates the extent to which we can provide the kinds of support and good service that the American people expect.”

Memo to former “community organizer” Obama: Palin is, in fact, governor of Alaska, which has annual budget of approximately $11 billion and more than 20,000 employees. She manages far more than a campaign and has done far more than co-sponsor non-controversial legislation.

And if Obama were in charge of Wasilla, the town of 9,000 would no doubt employ 2,500 on a budget of $36 million a month.

From the Left: Deny everything

Democrats appear ready to pursue criminal charges against the Bush administration, with both Democrats on the presidential ticket lending their support this week. Barack Obama said, “f crimes have been committed, they should be investigated.” He quickly added, “I would not want my first term consumed by what was perceived on the part of Republicans as a partisan witch hunt.” Perceived? Meanwhile, vice presidential nominee Joe Biden echoed the sentiment. “If there has been a basis upon which you can pursue someone for a criminal violation, they will be pursued,” he said at a campaign stop in Florida when asked about the issue. According to Biden, it would be “not out of vengeance, not out of retribution, [but] out of the need to preserve the notion that no one, no attorney general, no president - no one is above the law.” Biden’s memory is short, however - or selective. On Thursday, he denied the report, saying, “That’s not true. I don’t know where that report’s coming from.” Well, other than seeing you say it on video, Senator, we have no idea where it came from, either.

But it might be the actions of his relatives that bring unwanted heat to Biden’s pursuit of higher office. It was revealed recently that Biden’s son Hunter was acting as a consultant to MBNA Corporation, one of the nation’s largest credit card companies, during the legislative push to make it more difficult for consumers to file for bankruptcy protection. Biden was one of the key Democrats supporting a Republican bill to tighten bankruptcy rules at that time, an effort that ironically often found him at odds with freshman Senator Barack Obama. The Obama campaign has acknowledged Hunter’s lobbying for the company that was supporting the bill that Hunter’s father eventually helped push through the Senate, but they maintain there was no impropriety. That’s a tough statement to accept considering that MBNA is also Biden’s single largest campaign contributor, having given him more than $214,000 over the years.

Hunter and Biden’s brother James are also involved in two lawsuits brought about by a former business colleague who claims they defrauded him in a hedge fund partnership that went sour. Funny, but the mainstream media seems to be far more fixated on Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter than Joe Biden’s ethically challenged family.

Lawsuit filed against Obama

A Pennsylvania attorney filed for declaratory and injunctive relief against Barack Obama and the DNC this week in Philadelphia. The main thrust of the suit deals with questions about Obama’s citizenship, an item that has been heating up under the surface of late. Some excerpts from the suit: “Obama committed Fraud upon Plaintiff and the American Citizens by running for President claiming to be eligible knowing he was not eligible as a result of his failure to regain his United States Citizenship and by maintaining multi citizenships with Kenya and Indonesia.”

It continues, “Obama attempted to defraud Plaintiff and the American people by allowing an altered and forged Hawaii Certificate of Live Birth (COLB) to be placed on his campaign website. Obama was well aware the Government issued COLB was altered and forged...” And finally, “Obama further attempted to defraud Plaintiff and the American People by claiming to be a United States Citizen, knowing this information to be false.” There are questions regarding Obama’s mother’s citizenship as well, and evidence that when he traveled to Pakistan in 1981, Obama used his Indonesian passport. It will be interesting to see what comes of this legal action.
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NATIONAL SECURITY
Warfront with Jihadistan: Anbar turned over

Anbar Province. Two years ago, that name was synonymous with a failed U.S. war effort. Indeed, Anbar was the deadliest province for U.S. troops in all of Iraq, claiming a third of U.S. casualties. The Sunni-controlled area had become a major base of operations for al-Qa’ida and saw the most intense urban combat of the war during two major U.S. offensives. But on Monday, after the hugely successful surge strategy over the past year and a half, the U.S. military formally handed control of Anbar over to Iraqi forces, a true watershed event for the Iraq war. With about 23,000 Iraqi police and 24,000 Iraqi troops now in Anbar, some 9,000 U.S. servicemen have already left, leaving about 28,000 American troops still in the province. The increase in local security has combined with a significant decrease in local support for terrorist activity to force al-Qa’ida and other terrorists out of Anbar and Iraq.

While no doubt a milestone, officials realize that terrorist groups are still capable of executing high profile attacks in the province. Just two weeks ago, a car bomber killed five policemen and wounded seven others at a police checkpoint in the Anbar capital of Ramadi. Yet despite such attacks, many former residents who fled during the fighting have returned to Anbar, and some normalcy has returned to civilian life. Many restaurants now stay open late, and residents remain out on the streets until 1:00 a.m. or later, socializing and playing local games such as soccer and backgammon.

That deafening silence you hear from the Leftmedia on this story is rather telling. This is perhaps the most significant development in the Iraq War since the surge. The Leftmedia remain silent as well on General Petraeus’ comments this week that the U.S. and Iraq are finalizing a security agreement that may allow U.S. troops to leave Iraqi cities by next summer and the country by 2011. No need to let good news from Iraq get in the way of smearing John McCain’s vice presidential pick and her family with tabloid sleaze. The MSM bias and their lack of shame is truly appalling.

Aid for Georgia

The Wall Street Journal reports, “Vice President Dick Cheney sought to rally the international community behind embattled Georgia and its president, Mikheil Saakashvili, in a brief visit aimed at underscoring U.S. support for its ally in the strategically important Caucasus.” Responding to the Russian invasion last month, Vice President Cheney pledged $1 billion in U.S. humanitarian and economic aid, saying, “America will help Georgia rebuild and regain its position as one of the world’s fastest growing economies.” Congress must still approve the aid package. In meetings with Georgian military officials, the vice president also reiterated the United States’ commitment to Georgia’s gaining NATO membership - which would have prevented the invasion in the first place.

Russia is predictably not happy with U.S. arrangements. According to The New York Times, “President Dmitri A. Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin have already complained that humanitarian supplies delivered by the American Navy and Air Force were a disguise for delivering new weapons.” Russia is moving in other former Soviet Republics as well, destabilizing governments in Estonia and Ukraine and apparently working toward the restoration of its empire.

North Korea reassembles Yongbyon

North Korea is apparently working to reassemble its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, with workers no longer discharging spent fuel rods, but returning equipment to the site right under the nose of inspectors. The North Koreans claim the move is because the Bush administration has “failed to keep its own side in the agreement” by not removing Pyongyang from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. The U.S. has lifted economic sanctions, but so far has not removed the nation from the terrorism list because dictator Kim Jong Il is not cooperating in the verification process of the destruction of the communist state’s nuclear assets. “Everyone has known from the beginning that the actions they were taking at Yongbyon were reversible,” said a State Department spokeswoman. “The question is: Are they deciding that they just want to blow it off or are they just posturing? They like to posture.” Indeed, former UN ambassador John Bolton, long a vociferous critic of the lawless NoKo regime, was correct in his warnings.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Regulatory Commissars: ‘Fat tax’

In 2010, Alabama will begin charging state employees $25 a month for health insurance - not surprising given rising healthcare costs. But this plan has a provision that has many calling it a discriminatory “fat tax.” Workers can avoid the fee if they submit to a series of in-office tests, including that of their body mass index (BMI). Those with a BMI under 35 are exempt; those scoring 35 or higher must pay unless they can demonstrate to a doctor proof of their failed attempt to shed the pounds. Most medical professions consider a BMI of 30 or above as obese, which, looking around our humble shop, we find a bit deflating.

Critics claim the “fat tax” is a counter-productive and humiliating method to achieve health goals. They also point out that this sort of government mandate is a slippery slope and may lead the way to more intrusive programs. But the executive director of the Alabama State Employees Insurance Board, William Ashmore, defends his program as a viable method of preventative healthcare. “There are folks walking around with diabetes and hypertension that don’t even know it, and it’s just a matter of time before something catastrophic happens to them,” Ashmore said. “If we can get people to manage their health, we’ll have healthier employees and less healthcare costs.” Ashmore may have a point. No one can argue that something must be done about a problem that has grown to, well, sizeable proportions. Two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and Alabama is second only to Mississippi as the fattest state in the land.

Alabama, however, is willing to put its money where its mouth is. Next year the state will spend an additional $1.6 million on additional preventative health measures.
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Unused healthcare

According to a new study from the National Institute for Health Care Management, 12 million potential enrollees for the government’s Medicaid or State Children’s Health Insurance Programs fail to take advantage of the programs. Nevertheless, our taxpayer money is being spent to make these bankrupt programs available to persons who either do not want the programs or who face significant bureaucratic barriers to obtaining the coverage.

The majority of the qualifying nonparticipants are from low-income families, including 6.1 million uninsured children. Spotlighting the waste of public money, many conditions the programs are required to cover are rarely or never needed, such as in-vitro fertility coverage for unmarried men. While we don’t mind if Americans decide to pass up tax-supported programs, we certainly do not want innocent children to suffer due to negligent parents. These and other insolvent government programs, especially those providing unwanted care and coverage, must be overhauled or eliminated.

Hurricane hits, oil drops

As Hurricane Gustav swept toward Louisiana landfall (more on that below), many feared that oil prices would surge once again. However, as The Wall Street Journal noted, “The hurricane’s landfall, which left energy facilities in the Gulf Coast largely unscathed, produced an abrupt fall in oil prices as traders undid wagers that had prepared for the worst.” The fact that oil dropped below $110 per barrel was not welcome news to everyone, however. Some think it’s a bad omen. Doug Cliggott, chief investment officer at Dover Management, a Connecticut investment firm, thinks the downturn suggests “a for-real, full-blown global slowdown.” He added, “We haven’t suddenly found a bunch of new oil.” Sounds like a problem that needs a solution. Has anyone thought of drilling for more?

CULTURE
Around the nation: World doesn’t end

With much media fanfare, Hurricane Gustav made landfall Monday, hitting Louisiana as a Category 2 storm before weakening to a Category 1. As camera crews homed in on New Orleans, reporters hammered one question: Would the rebuilt and strengthened levees stand? But as newscasters stood gripping their microphones and waiting with bated breath for the answer, something interesting happened. The rest of the city - and, in fact, almost two million people in Louisiana and thousands more from coastal Mississippi, Alabama and Texas - left.

By the time Gustav hit the coast, reporters in the French Quarter outnumbered residents three-to-one. And the actual storm - albeit damaging in some areas - was less intense than the storm of anticipation created by the media, partly due to its only striking New Orleans with a glancing blow. Interestingly, when reality proved less destructive than expected, reporters suddenly found there was little they wanted to report. Certainly, stories ran that the levies held, residents heeded evacuation warnings, and local and federal officials were prepared. But this information could have been gathered with far fewer reporters - and far less fanfare. And there was one other difference this time: Bobby Jindal, an up-and-coming Republican, is governor now, not Democrat Kathleen Blanco. Even New Orleans Democrat Mayor Ray “Chocolate City” Nagin performed better this time. For a media fixated on another round of devastation and catastrophe, this success story suddenly lost its appeal.

From the ‘Non Compos Mentis’ File

The Washington Post reports, “Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) pleaded guilty this morning to two felony perjury charges and agreed to resign from office, a stunning fall for a politician who was once considered one of Michigan’s most promising leaders.” Kilpatrick admitted, “Yes, I lied under oath in the case of Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope versus the city of Detroit... I did so with the intent to mislead the court and jury, to impede and obstruct the disposition of justice.” He had initially fought the charges, which resulted from an extramarital affair with his then-chief of staff, Christine Beatty. Several police officers filed a whistle-blower lawsuit, saying they were fired because of investigations that got too close to uncovering Kilpatrick’s extracurricular activities. The officers were eventually awarded $8.4 million. Kilpatrick now has two weeks to leave office and he will serve 120 days in jail and pay a $1 million fine. Perhaps one day he’ll run for Congress. After all, one of the Detroit area’s congressional seats is currently held by his mother.

Climate change this week: Sunspots disappear

For the first time in almost a century, an entire month has passed without a single sunspot being visible on the sun’s surface. The event is significant because sunspots are caused by solar magnetic activity, and solar magnetic activity is increasingly believed by climatologists to be one of the primary factors influencing the earth’s climate. It is not uncommon to see 100 or more sunspots in a single month, but during the first seven months of 2008, the sun averaged only three spots, followed by the total disappearance of spots last month.

The disappearance of sunspots has caught most astronomers by surprise and defied almost all predictions, though one observatory seems to have gotten it right. In 2005, a pair of astronomers from the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Tucson wrote a paper predicting that within 10 years, sunspots would disappear entirely. But their peers laughed at the two astronomers, and Science refused to publish their paper on the grounds that it was too controversial. In the end, “consensus” stifled scientific debate, and the NSO astronomers were ignored.

The scientific community is paying attention now, however. Some climate scientists believe that the sun’s “dynamo” (the process that creates its magnetic field) might be idling. As the sun’s dynamo slows and sunspot activity decreases, the sun’s magnetosphere is reduced, affecting cloud formation and climate modulation on earth. A long absence of sunspots has happened three times in the past 1,000 years: the Dalton, Maunder and Sporer Minimums. The Maunder Minimum coincided with the 400-year Little Ice Age, during which Europe and North America endured bitterly cold winters that devastated agriculture.

If we are indeed entering another solar minimum on the scale of the Maunder Minimum, we can expect severe global cooling to follow, stressing both the agriculture and energy industries. The practice of harvesting corn for use as fuel ethanol will likely become a distant memory, and the United States’ short-sighted energy policies could mean there won’t be enough heating oil, natural gas and electricity to go around in the severest of winters. We hope it won’t come to that, but if it does, at least Al Gore will be where he belongs: out in the cold.

And last...

With all the talk of qualifications swirling around vice presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the joke has ended up being on Barack Obama, who by the way is running on the top of his ticket. As Palin herself pointed out in her speech, Obama’s strutting about his experience as a “community organizer” leaves a bit to be desired. She compared it to being a small-town mayor, with the exception that the mayor has “actual responsibilities,” a line that will no doubt become immortal in this campaign. James Taranto of The Wall Street Journal notes that while Democrats are complaining about putting “the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency,” Obama, the community organizer, will be “no heartbeats away.” And Taranto still isn’t sure what a “community organizer” does. He asks, “Are we supposed to cast our eyes on the slums of Chicago, behold how well organized they are, and exclaim in wonder, ‘Wow, Barack Obama did that!’?”

After receiving an email from David Plouffe of the Obama campaign explaining, “Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies,” Taranto thinks he’s finally got the answer. “Community organizing consists of helping elect Barack Obama president!” He concludes, “The community Barack Obama has organized is, in Plouffe’s own telling, the community of those who admire Barack Obama. He is mayor of Obamaville and aspires to be president of Barackistan.”

Veritas vos Liberabit - Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families - especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)