In her first political appearance Oprah Winfrey addressed Iowa’s voters beaconing them to embrace a new vision of America with Barack Obama. There is no doubt that Obama’s star has been on the rise recently while the other Democratic presidential candidates languish in a sea of negativity. But how much is Oprah contributing to this trend? Read the rest of this entry »
Mitt Romney delivered his “Faith in America” speech this morning powerfully owning to his own faith and the responsibility of the political office he seeks to respect the faith of others. Like Kennedy, Romney made the speech to erase doubts about his allegiance to a Christian faith considered out of the mainstream, particularly among Iowa’s Evangelicals who have favored the former Baptist minister and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Though many comments were made today regarding the two men and their speeches the difference in political circumstances and the part their beliefs played in the way they lived their lives couldn’t be more different. Read the rest of this entry »
Hugo Chavez suffered his first real political defeat since becoming Venezuela’s president in 1998. His supporters failed to turn out in numbers that would have allowed him to run for re-election when his term ends in 2012. The ardent support he had gained among the nations poor by redistributing the nations oil wealth has not bought their trust that he would act in their best interest indefinitely. Read the rest of this entry »
Chinese Officials shudder to think tainted toys might tarnish China’s image as they prepare to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. The American public became acutely aware of the problem last August when Mattel was force to recall millions of toys manufactured in China that contained toxic lead based paint and had poor designs with small parts that could easily be swallowed by young children. Estimates are that about 75% of the toys for sale in U.S. stores come from China. Mattel’s actions only serve to raise awareness of the problem but hardly put a dent in the many millions of more toys that will make it to households around the world over the holiday season. Read the rest of this entry »
Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul stands true to the libertarian credentials that earned him the Libertarian Party Presidential nomination for the 1988 election. Back then he promoted a global policy of non-intervention, abolishing the Federal Reserve and retuning to the gold standard, and stopping Federal involvement in primary education. Move forward nearly two decades and he opposes the United Nations, NATO and, as a Texas Congressman, he voted against the Iraq War Resolution. He has now expanded his opposition to the Fed to abolishing most Federal agencies including the IRS. Always a free trader he opposes NAFTA calling it “managed trade.” Read the rest of this entry »
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards recently escalated his condemnation of Hillary Clinton for the support she receives from corporate contributers. He has also criticized her for accepting money from lobbyists and, last month, stated he would ban lobbyists from giving money to any federal candidates. Not surprising from someone whose fund raising has fallen off a cliff forcing him to opt for public financing of his campaign. The plea on his website reads
“This deadline could not be more important. After November 30, we’ll submit our second filing for federal matching funds. As a part of that submission, a contribution you make today will go directly to the resources we need to compete and win in the critical early states. This is crunch time – your contribution now counts more than ever. And with federal matching funds, your contribution can count double! So don’t wait – help us double our strength by making a contribution today.”
He has further stated he would expand public campaign financing to include congressional candidates. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf dealt a fatal blow to the legitimacy of his government Saturday by declaring a state of emergency and suspending the constitution. Outlawed is anything disrespectful to the head of state, the military, the judiciary or the legislature. Reports showing terrorist acts or their victims by the media has been banned as well as any statements by Islamic militants. The United States and other Western Democracies have repeatedly warned Musharraf against such desperate acts taken to bolster his beleaguered regime. Read the rest of this entry »
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid brought Senator Dick Durban’s “Dream Act” [ S.2205] to the Senate floor last Wednesday in hopes of quickly passing what is a segment of the immigration bill soundly rebuked in June when calls from an outraged public brought down the Senate phone system. No summary was offered on the new bill, no hearings and no committee discussions. Read the rest of this entry »
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seems to have stepped off a cliff with her timing for a House vote on a resolution declaring the World War I era killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks an act of genocide. There is no doubt any act of genocide should be recognized and condemmed. However, the timing of her actions can only be explained by the congressional leaderships transparent attempts to embarrass the Bush Administration at any cost. Read the rest of this entry »
A truce that had existed between Pakistan’s Army and the Taliban has been stretched by recent events, including the kidnapping of Korean missionaries that brought international pressure on Musharraf’s government. But the truce was shattered recntly when Taliban fighters ambushed a military convoy and took 100 soldiers hostage. In the interim, some 250 casualties have resulted from the military reprisals which included artiliry barrages and airstrikes. The incident is the highest level of conflict between the military and insurgents since 2004. Read the rest of this entry »