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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (19517)	4/25/2007 11:56:35 PM
From: calgal	Respond to of 71588

GOP Race Is Wide Open John LeBoutillier Tuesday, April 3, 2007 With the first quarter filing deadline now passed — and the staggering amounts of money raised now public knowledge — let us examine what this means for the 2008 race for the White House: 1) The ability to raise money has absolutely nothing to do with being a good president; however, that ability does help you become a better candidate for president and to run a better campaign. 2) Money cannot buy you the two most important things you need to win: A unique message that connects with the voters; and that hunger or "fire-in-the-belly" that is needed to inspire voters to join in an effort to change the county; 3) Mitt Romney's $20 million is impressive — but not at all surprising. Gov. Romney was a huge success in the business world at Bain Capital, and his years in the venture capital business put him in touch with many well-to-do businessmen. Plus, the Mormon network is powerful and proud to help a fellow believer. Add to that Romney is worth over $500 million — so he knows money and how to raise it. His time as head of the Salt Lake Winter Olympics also helps him a great deal. 4) Rudy Giuliani's $15 million is a good indicator of his New York/ Wall Street strength. That is after all his base — he is known and trusted there. 5) John McCain's $12.5 million is yet another indicator that his campaign is heading south; everything he does is out-of-sync. His message — more troops for Iraq and "I'm more pro-Bush than anyone else" — is the wrong message at the wrong time. Story Continues Below 6) A note here which none of the so-called experts on TV ever make: the early money, or the first money a candidate raises, is the easiest money for them to accumulate. Why? Because they're getting it from previous supporters in their home bases. So these recently released numbers mean much less than the money raised later this year when donors are tapped out and a candidate needs to sell himself or herself to new donors. 7) The value of money in this race is very overrated. Why? Because of the primary/caucus schedule next January and February. With the Iowa caucuses scheduled for Monday, Jan. 14 and New Hampshire eight days later on Jan. 22 (with Nevada caucuses and the South Carolina primary in between), the person who comes out of those two events with the most momentum will receive huge free publicity heading into Mega Tuesday on Feb. 5, where over 50 percent of each party's delegates will be chosen. No matter how much money a campaign has, they'd never be able to advertise in the 30 or so states which are participating on Mega Tuesday; it would be impossible to flood all the necessary media markets. So no candidate will have enough money for paid advertising. The key is to harness the incredible power of free publicity. And you get that from doing well in Iowa and then zooming into New Hampshire and doing even better there. newsmax.com

To: calgal who wrote (19517)	4/25/2007 11:56:50 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 71588

Rewriting History a Classroom at a Time By Fred Thompson Thursday, April 26, 2007 Send an email to Fred Thompson Email It Print It Take Action Read Article & Comments (4) Trackbacks Post Your Comments By now, we're used to people like Iranian President Ahmadinejad denying that the holocaust ever happened, even while he and his regime promise not only the destruction of Israel but the elimination of Jews internationally. It's bad enough hearing from a distance about the bizarre anti-Semitic theories taught by heads of state as well as schools and religious leaders. Now, according to a study funded by the British government, we find out that some schools in Great Britain have stopped teaching history that is offensive to Muslim students. The topics that have been erased from the curriculum, the study found, include both the Nazi genocide and the Crusades. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert lays a wreath during the annual ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial marking Holocaust remembrance day in Jerusalem, Monday, April 16, 2007. Israelis on Monday remembered the six million Jews killed by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. (AP PhotoYoav Lemmer, Pool) This rewriting of history through omission wasn't some government policy. It was the result of individual decisions in local schools by teachers with large populations of Muslim students. Unfortunately, many of these students have been taught by parents and mosques that the holocaust never happened and that the Crusades were an unprovoked attack on Islam by European Christians. History books that present these events in any other light, they believe, are part some giant conspiracy designed to attack their very religion. If anybody needs to hear these facts, it is the children who are being abused by those who are teaching the same hateful lies that have helped turn the Middle East into the self-destructive and often suicidal mess it is today. The British are, in the main, a particularly polite people, but there is a point when the desire not to offend the easily offended becomes an even bigger problem. We've already seen an English organization ban images of Piglet, the harmless character from the classic Winnie the Pooh books, because of protests by those who imagine that simply seeing a cartoon pig is a violation of their civil rights. We've even seen the banning of pins bearing St. Andrew's cross, because it reminds some of the Crusades -- accompanied by demands that Great Britain get rid of the venerable Union Jack for the same reason. These views, common in the Middle East, are not just an academic or intellectual challenge. We have seen homegrown British terrorists act on the same lies and conspiracy theories that are now being used to silence teachers. Ideas do have consequences and we all need to understand that the war on terror is taking place as much in the realm of ideas as it is on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. America is a free country and we do not tell people what they can believe or say. We should realize, however, that there are people in America who are also telling their children that the holocaust is a lie and that those who say otherwise are their enemies. We cannot prevent them from doing so, but we also cannot let them promote their agenda by claiming they are victimized by historical facts. This would be a good place to quote an important British writer, George Orwell, who wrote, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." Even in America, our children are often taught a watered down, inoffensive and culturally sensitive version of events ranging from the Crusades to the battle at the Alamo. It's time for people who believe that they have a stake in Western civilization and its traditions to get a little backbone -- even if it offends somebody. Fred Thompson is an actor and former Senator. His radio commentary airs on the ABC Radio Network and be blogs on The Fred Thompson Report. Be the first to read Fred Thompson’s column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox. Sign up today townhall.com

To: calgal who wrote (19517)	4/25/2007 11:57:19 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71588

The female version of the Blues Brothers hits the White House By Joe Scarborough jewishworldreview.com \| I spent Saturday with Sheryl Crow and Laurie David. No fist fights. No verbal insults. Just a couple of Hollywood heavyweights talking about saving the planet. Whether you agree or disagree with their environmental message, I suspect you would be impressed with these women's dedication if you got to spend the day with them. On the tour bus after Sheryl and Laurie's University of Maryland concert, I told Laurie she had the passion of a Southern Baptist preacher. This is a woman on a mission from G-d. The female version of the Blues Brothers took their ministry to save the planet Saturday night from the tour bus to the White House Correspondent's Dinner, where Laurie tried to convert Karl Rove. She soon found out that college kids listening to a rock star are more open-minded than presidential aides who feel besieged. Mr. Rove was in no mood to hear a sermon about the environment. After the women pressed Karl on the issue, Sheryl touched his arm to emphasize a point. That's when the president's main man snapped. "Get your hands off of me!" And that was that. Most public servants would find Rove's response surprising. Congressmen, senators and presidential aids are always bombarded by people pushing one position or another. And anyone in politics knows that patiently listening to citizens — no matter how much you disagree with what they are saying — is the price of admission to this profession. Besides, you may just learn something if you keep an open mind. But apparently Team Bush is tired of talking and has adapted a bunker mentality. Seven years of bad press, foreign wars and personal attacks (every bit as nasty as those Bill Clinton endured) have left people like Karl Rove on edge. The Bush Boys had better get their second wind. They still have 21 months to go before heading back to Texas. As for the Blues Sisters, their tour could not have gone better. Great crowds, great press and a messy finale that only brought more attention to the Global Warming crusade. Can I get an Amen? jewishworldreview.com