How many port-o-lets does it take . . .

Usually, Sunday mornings are a wonderful experience around this little corner of heaven. There's coffee with that decadent flavored creamer. There's the comfy chair and ottoman. And, there's all the news shows that help yours truly keep up with what's going on in the world.

But, I am just about ready to blow a gasket this Sunday morning.

For the life of me, I can't understand how the media is giving The Disaster in Waiting a pass on all his crappy cabinet nominees.

We've got an incoming Secretary of State whose been shaking-down world leaders to the tune of millions of dollars to support her morally-bankrupt husband's "foundation." And, we're supposed to believe she won't take who gave how much into account when she's in charge of our foreign policy?!

We've got an incoming Secretary of Treasury who hires illegal aliens and doesn't pay his taxes.

We've got an incoming Attorney General who pardons tax dodgers and domestic terrorists.

At least Bill Richardson had the decency to bow-out.

But, all the others are on the fast track to get rubberstamped by Harry Reid and his ilk.

I guarantee you, if it was John McCain or any other incoming Republican president nominating people like this to top cabinet posts, the media would be outraged.

Instead, we get wall-to-wall coverage of how many port-o-lets are going to be in DC for the coronation on Tuesday morning. No matter the number, I guarantee they'll all be overflowing by noon with so many people who are so full of crap being on hand . . .

Matching resolutions to the resolved . . .

The most annoying thing about this time of year is the resolutions we socks are expected to come up with.

I mean, just about everybody picks one from the big "top ten" list below. To spice things up a bit, I thought I'd suggest someone we all know who should pick each one for 2009.

In the order of popularity of the resolution:

1. Spend more time with friends and family - okay, I'll take this one for myself. Is that cheating? It's the only fun one on the list . . .

2. Get back in shape - After last night: Brett Favre.

3. Lose weight - Phil Fulmer (perennial favorite)

4. Stop smoking - The Disaster in Waiting.

5. Enjoy life more - Hillary Clinton. Lose the sour puss. Do some traveling. Meet new people.

6. Stop drinking - Chyna (the wrestler, not the country).

7. Get out of debt - Just about everybody.

8. Learn something new - Congress. "Bailout" shouldn't be the answer to everything.

9. Volunteer to help others or make charitable contribution(s) - Liberals. See this article for explanation/justification: http://www.twincities.com/ci_11290969?source=most_emailed

10. Get organized - Conservatives. We need to take back our party, and we need to do it quickly.

Slick Willie visits Orlando

Well, ye socks, in case you missed it, this little corner of heaven played host to our illustrious former president yesterday.

Ostensibly, he came down here to stump for the presidential aspirations of the junior senator from Illinois.

He seemed more than a little unenthusiastic. That's probably why this was only the first (and possibly last) time he's headlined an event to support his party's candidate since their convention. I know I'm biased, but it looked like Hillary's Hubby was just going thru the motions.

One Valencia Community College student muttered, "I would have rather seen Hillary . . ."

Monica Lewinsky's former boyfriend did, however, display his incredible ability to state the obvious with this zinger: "This country is a mess."

Well, duh!

Imagine what kind of a mess it would be in, though, if the Obama people were put in charge of things.

I mean, they flubbed this little appearance, hosting a rally OUTSIDE in the 90-degree Florida heat . . . what were they thinking?! 20 people had to seek medical treatment, while the air-conditioned UCF arena served only as a backdrop to the whole pathetic display.

Fortunately, there were a few dozen members of the group Knights for McCain on hand to spice things up. One of them, Sarah Lucenegro, declared, "I came out to show that not the whole campus is in love with Obama."

You're not alone, Sarah. Based on Bill's lackluster performance, I don't think the Clintons are, either!

Tina Fey could have a new career!

I had no Gator game to watch this weekend. So, restless as that left me on this fine Saturday, I was able to stay up late enough to catch the season premiere of SNL.

I must confess that the show has lost its shine for me in recent years.

Of course, that probably has something to do with being out of college and a near elimination of beer consumption.

Most of the show still comes off as sophomoric to me. But, tonight's opening skit really had me laughing.

It featured Tina Fey as VP nominee Sarah Palin, and Amy Poehler as the woman who should have been the Democratic presidential nominee.

Now, Poehler is leaving at the end of the season. Apparently, there won't be much need for her impersonation of the junior senator from New York in the near term.

However, if things go well for the Republican ticket this Fall, I believe Fey will have at least four good years of impersonating Palin.

I'd been saying for weeks that there was a physical resemblance between these two very attractive women.

But, Fey deserves a lot of credit for picking up a pretty good Palin-esque accent along with some of the Alaska governor's podium mannerisms. I can only imagine how good both the comedienne and her muse will get with practice.

That alone should be enough to get you undecided voters off the fence and behind the GOP bandwagon!

Hillary supporters just won't give up in Orlando

Apparently, they didn't get the memo about the kiss-and-make-nice session up in Unity, New Hampshire today.

"Someone" in this little corner of heaven let it be known in a big way today that they are not happy about the outcome of the primary "process."

Unfortunately, the medium they chose to express their frustration was spray paint, and their canvas consisted of a bunch of city-owned vehicles in the big parking lot at 401 South Orange Avenue.

It was ALMOST comical to read the vandal's words. I think the funniest was "OBOMA SMOKES CRACK," not because of the alleged drug use but because they misspelled the surname of the junior senator from Illinois. And, I will point out that John McCain had his fair share of painted criticism. Only the former first lady received any praise from the vandal(s).

Seriously, though, Mayor Buddy Dyer should really be embarassed by this little episode, especially since it occurred across the street from his office. How can he, or any downtown booster, expect to recapture any of the nightlife mentioned in yesterday's posting if they can't get a handle on all the crime--petty or otherwise--that is going on right under their noses?

Hillary's strongest argument

If the Democratic Party wasn't such a screwball organization, Hillary Clinton would be their presidential nominee.

Not only did she win the popular vote, she won where it counted most. In the "real world" outside of the whacky Democratic primary system, winners take all state delegates. Remember the Electoral College.

Using those "real world" electoral numbers, the junior senator from New York thrashed the junior senator from Illinois:

Hillary's states:
Arizona (10), Arkansas (6), California (55), Florida (27), Indiana (11), Kentucky (8), Massachusetts (12), Michigan (17), Nevada (5), New Hampshire (4), New Jersey (15), New Mexico (5), New York (31), Ohio (20), Oklahoma (7), Pennsylvania (21), Rhode Island (4), South Dakota (3), Tennessee (11), Texas (34), and West Virginia (5).

That's a total of 311 electoral votes . . . WAY more than a candidate needs to claim the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

So, who's responsible for the mess within the Democratic Party?

Well, the answer is: There's plenty of blame to go around.

Blame Ted Kennedy and his ilk for creating this "super delegate" nonsense after he failed to topple the political juggernaut that is Jimmy Carter.

And, blame Howard Dean for mismanaging the Florida and Michigan situation from the get-go, then caving at the last minute.

The bottom line is, the weaker candidate "won" AGAIN.

Poor Hillary, I feel so sorry for her . . . wiping the tear from my eye . . . excuse me, I'm going to need a second to get over this . . .

sniffle

Huckabee on MSNBC tonight!

Our favorite former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will be on MSNBC tonight, helping that wayward network cover the West Virginia primary.

I say "wayward," because I am convinced that MSNBC stands for "Must Show Non-stop Barack Coverage."

Hopefully, Huck can class-up the place tonight . . . or, at least give another perspective than the jackboot high-stepping of Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann and the parade of idiots they lead on behalf of the junior senator from Illinois.

Matthews has lost any credibility as a journalist. Remember last year when he confessed to Don Imus on the air, "I want a president who doesn't have a f***ing ranch!"

He also admits to getting "a thrill running up my leg" when he hears Barack Hussein Obama speak. He has even gone so far as to say on air, "If you don't cry when you hear Barack Obama speak at a rally, then you're not an American."

Olbermann is not much better. While less overtly-pro-Obama than his buddy Matthews, he makes up for that with anti-Hillary rants--the likes of which he used to reserve only for George W. Bush.

Frustrated that the New York senator and former first lady is still in the race for the White House, he suggested finding "somebody who can take her into a room and only he comes out."

These "stars" of MSNBC have become nothing less than cheerleaders for Team Obama. And, I am looking forward to seeking Huckabee shoot down their ridiculous comments.

Something tells me, he'll have an easier time handling those two dead-heads as he did hooking these two fish in the Ouachita River!

Huckabee had a good run

I have never concealed my ardent support of Mike Huckabee's campaign for the presidency, either in the blogosphere or beyond.

But, his race came to an end last night, when John McCain finally won enough convention delegates to ensure he will be the next Republican presidential nominee.

I am still convinced that he is destined to bigger and better things.

I believe the next big thing for him will be a US Senate race in his native Arkansas. Then, in four years, who knows what the cards may hold.

In the mean time, the GOP is stuck with McCain and needs to spend the next few months mending fences while Hillary and Obama fight it out across the aisle.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. McCain's military service was heroic. But, what he has done in the halls of Congress, are worthy of a lot of scorn.

He is not so much a true rock-ribbed Republican as he is every Democrat's favorite Republican. His candidacy was foisted upon the GOP by a lot of media hype and crossover votes from Independents and liberals intent upon thwarting the conservative agenda. Sour grapes? Maybe.

All that being said, my main problem with McCain is that he is a flip-flopper on too many issues that are important to me. He wants to be everything to everybody. Here are a few of the most glaring examples:

1. TAXES - He didn't just vote against the Bush tax cuts once, he voted against them TWICE! (First in May 2001, and again in 2003.) as late as 26 Nov 2005, he told the Wall Street Journal the reason he opposed the tax cuts: "I just thought it was too tilted to the wealthy, and I still do." Now, he's running around the campaign trail saying he wants to make them permanent?!

2. IMMIGRATION - I will never forget 2005, when McCain partnered with Teddy Kennedy to craft the worst piece of legislative piffle in recent memory. It would have granted amnesty to some 12 million illegal aliens. But, this year at the Reagan Library debate, he said he would not vote for it himself if it was brought to the Senate floor?!

3. ABORTION - In an effort to pander to his buddies in the San Francisco media back in 1999, McCain told a Chronicle reporter, and I quote, "I would not support repeal of Roe v Wade." But, when speaking before South Carolina primary voters last year, he said, and again I quote, "I do not support Roe v Wade, it should be overturned."

4. TORTURE - This has been McCain's sacred cow, given his status as a former POW. But, when given the opportunity to require the CIA to abide my the Army Field Manual interrogation tactics, he voted AGAINST the bill last month.

5. IRAQ - McCain would also like to take credit for the successful change of course in Iraq, claiming at the aforementioned Reagan Library debate, "I'm the only one that said Rumsfeld had to go." Poppycock! In December 2004, when his friends in the media were trying to goad him into trashing Rumsfeld, he told them the president "can have the team around him that he wants around him."

Look, I am always willing to accept a true heart-felt conversion. We all evolve as we grow older, at least we should. And, McCain has been on this planet for a very long time. Now that Huckabee has cleared the way for him, the presumptive nominee needs to spend the next few months convincing folks like yours truly that his new positions on issues like listed above were taken from conviction and not just pandering for votes.

And, he needs a good running mate . . .

The Miracle Guy on SNL

In case you missed this weekend's Saturday Night Live, Mike Huckabee once again demonstrated his trademark self-deprecating humor as a guest on "Weekend Update" with Seth Myers and Amy Poehler.

Was it just me, or was the joke about Super Delegates a subtle swipe at Hillary Clinton?

Not just an echo.

Well, it was a yucky rainy day down here in usually-sunny Central Florida. So, yours truly ended up watching CSPAN.

Go ahead and laugh.

But, I found myself wrapped-up in the network's live coverage of the "Black State of the Union," organized by Tavis Smiley over in New Orleans.

I really tuned in because Hillary Clinton was scheduled to address the crowd, something Barack Hussein Obama declined to do. And, I wanted to see what kind of reception she would get after all of her husband's antics in South Carolina.

Anyway, Mr. Smiley's lead-in was a panel discussion of some sort. I didn't catch the entire thing. But, it was really quite interesting, and I was actually inspired by the words of one of the panelists.

He was a professor from Princeton University. He looked like a "nutty professor," and I could tell by most of his words that he and I probably disagree on just about every topic of political debate. However, he did (inadvertently, I'm sure) inspire me when he encouraged the audience to use their own voice, and not simply be an "echo of the past."

The substance behind this exhortation was the professor didn't want his listeners to rest on the laurels of the generations that came before them. Instead, he encouraged them to become actively involved in their community and nation.

I would take his argument one step further, in a direction I'm sure the professor would not like. Don't just do things because your parents and grandparents did them. Think about it first. Make your own decisions. Really speak with your own voice. You might just discover that voice doesn't belong to a single political party. And, you might find that independent voice resonates much more deeply than the echoes of the past.

Quotable quote

I don't think I have to explain why the following quote from Albert Einstein sprang to mind after watching last night's "debate" between Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Rob 'em Clinton:

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."

Democrats: Are they dumber than concrete?

That was the actual heading to Mike Thomas 's column in today's Orlando Sentinel. Gotta love it!

Oh, and Mike, the simple answer is "YES!"

Here's the full text of his colum for ye socks who find this sort of political talk interesting:

I am not a political analyst. But I was around for the great Florida voting fiasco of November 2000.And I'm getting flashbacks with talk of a brokered Democratic convention decided by "superdelegates."

Consider this scenario, which no longer seems so far-fetched:Barack Obama goes into the convention having won the majority of primaries and delegates. But he doesn't have enough delegates to win the nomination.

And so the superdelegates -- a group of politicians and political insiders -- go into their star chamber and pick Hillary Clinton.

The fallout not only would cost Democrats the November election but would haunt them for many elections to come.

Now let's return to November 2000. Many blacks in Florida were blocked from voting when they erroneously popped on lists of convicted felons.

Many more who did vote had their ballots tossed out for technical errors -- for example, writing in Al Gore's name as well as punching it on the ballot. The problem was compounded by antiquated machines in rural counties.

More than half the rejected Florida votes in 2000 were cast by black voters. In its report, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights referred to "injustice, ineptitude and inefficiency."A subsequent analysis noted that nationwide, a million votes by blacks may not have been counted. This has been a rallying theme among Democrats.

In a speech to the NAACP during his 2004 campaign, John Kerry said, "Don't tell us that in the strongest democracy on earth that a million disenfranchised African-Americans and the most tainted election in American history is the best that we can do."

And so consider the fallout if eight years later, Democratic Party bosses basically do the same thing that they accused the Republicans of doing. They defy the will of the voters, including the vast majority of blacks, and rig the election for their candidate.

This system of superdelegates is a perversion of the very principles the Democrats pretend to follow.

How can you have a party that professes to be of the people when party bosses, who don't have to follow the will of the people, make up about 20 percent of the convention delegates. There is a public campaign played out in the various state contests and a secret campaign carried out on phone lines.

The Republicans are more democratic than the Democrats.

The backlash of a Clinton backroom win would be harsh.

John McCain would have the inside track on the independent vote. Those energized blacks who turned out with such passion for Obama would lose their zeal. So too would the growing number of young voters looking to the Democratic Party after eight years of George W. Bush.

The Democrats' only hope would be Obama taking the second spot on the ticket. But why should someone who came into the convention in the lead accept the Morgan Freeman role in Driving Miss Hillary?

Obama has won 19 state primaries and caucuses to 11 for Clinton. He also should win the next four primaries.

Yet many projections have Clinton ahead in the total delegate count because she leads among superdelegates.

If this dynamic continues to play out and Clinton wins the nomination, here are two words you can put in the bank: President McCain.

Mike Thomas can be reached at 407-420-5525 or mthomas@orlandosentinel.com.

Sometimes, you just can't buy a vote . . .

Mitt Romney finally learned that lesson. Unfortunately, it was a lesson that cost him an estimated $87.6 million -- much of that his own money. But, I guess he could afford it.

As astronomical a figure as that may appear, it is still only slightly more than Barrack Hussein Obama ($85.2M) and Hillary Rob 'Em Clinton ($80.4M) have spent so far on their side of the aisle.

Still it is more than the combined total spent by John McCain ($48.8M) and his recently-withrdrawn buddy Rudy Giuliani ($39.1M).

And, it is many, many, many more dollars than our favorite candidate Mike Huckabee has had at his disposal. He's had to get out there and earn every vote and delegate, and is getting WAY more bang for his buck. So, ask yourselves, who do you want spending your tax dollars? Seems like Huck is the only one who knows how to stretch them!

Anyway, as nasty as Romney's campaign got out on the trail, I do offer him some grudging respect for knowing when to call it quits.

He says he's doing it for the party and for the country. In that order, which seems more than a little wrong. But, whatever.

According to Mitt, he needed to suspend his campaign to "forestall the launch of a national campaign" to prevent the Dems' from surrendering to the terrorists who want to destroy the civilized world. Fair logic.

But, note his use of the term "suspend." That's not the same as "end."

I'll bet you a dime to a donut he's going to hold on to his delegates until the convention on the off chance that something dramatic happens in the interim. And, even then, he will only release them to McCain or Huckabee when they can no longer be used as bargaining chips.

Mitt is a businessman. He is shrewd in that regard. But, politics is a peculiar sort of business. And, he's not proven himself particularly adept at it.

It's a shame he had to spend so much money to find that out!

At least ye conservatives out there finally have one candidate you can support to thwart the McCain juggernaut: Mike Huckabee!

Go, Mike, go!

Super Tuesday Song Dedications

To Mitt Romney: "West Virginia Mountain Mama," by John Denver. And, if you'd like a little cheese with that whine, we'll see what we can do for you in that other W state of Wisconsin . . .

To John McCain: "Georgia on My Mind," by Ray Charles. Close, but no cigar.

To Wolf Blitzer: "Tennessee River," by Alabama. Aren't you glad you didn't call one state before all the precincts came in?!

To all the prognosticators (especially Gloria Borger) who said there was no other alternative for conservative Republicans: "Sweet Home Alabama." I'll let them choose their own cheesy cover band.

To Hillary: The N'Sync song of your choice, since you look like Lance Bass in drag.

And, as the results tonight looked so good for Mike Huckabee, I'd also like to send this one out to all my Cajun friends who will be voting this weekend: "Louisiana Saturday Night!"

Get down your fiddle, and take down your bow, y'all!

If actions speak louder than words . . .

You could've had a field day reading all the body language at tonight's State of the Union address in Washington, DC!

Some of my own observations:

* Hillary Clinton was glaring the whole time, couldn't tell if she was ticked at something in particular or just the situation in general.

* Barack Obama was practically sitting in Teddy Kennedy's lap, another reason to question his decision-making abilities. This may have been one of the reasons the big HC was glaring so much.

* Did all the female cabinet members get together like a bunch of high school girls and pledge to all wear white ensembles?!

* What did Nancy Pelosi have for dinner? Must've been broccoli, or maybe something with poppy seeds in it. She was sucking her teeth all night.

* So much standing and sitting, and standing and sitting, and standing and sitting . . . looked like a Catholic mass!

* How relieved did W look, knowing he won't have to speak in front of that hostile crowd again?!

SC Dems hear my prayers!!

I can't believe Barack Hussein Obama clobbered Hillary Clinton in the South Carolina primary today!

Isn't that awesome?!

I hope the Dumbocrats in a lot of other states follow suit in their upcoming primaries and caucuses, too!!

I would just LOVE to see this guy win the nomination and proceed to the general election this November.

He will make Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis look like they were serious contenders.

Remember them? No?! Well, I suppose that's my point!!

Michigan Smishigan

Was anyone really sitting on the edge of their seats yesterday, waiting with baited breath to find out who was going to win the Michigan primaries?

No.

Not on either side of the political aisle.

On the Democrat side, old Hillary was the only top tier candidate to even have her name on the ballot. (And, even then, 45% decided to send delegates to their national convention who were NOT COMMITTED to her.)

In the GOP, it was a foregone conclusion that native son Mitt Romney, whose dad was a three term governor of Michigan, would get the most votes. It turned out to be a "whopping" 39%.

Yawn.

What is exciting, however, is that both fields are still wide open, and we face the prospect of two brokered conventions.

Now, ye socks, turn your attention to South Carolina, where on Saturday only the Republicans will be voting. (The Dems take their turn a week later.) My prediction is Mike Huckabee wins. Handily. And, Fred Thompson will be forced out of the race.

What we're going to have is a delegate "round robin" going on, in which candidates have regional appeal. Huckabee in the Bible Belt. Romney in the country club states. McCain in places with lots of Independent voters. And, Giuliani . . . MAYBE . . . in the big urban centers.

That's a 3 or 4 candidate stew, whereby nobody is going to secure a majority of delegates to claim the nomination outright. And, they'll have to resort to some "horse trading."

But, that's just me. Draw your own conclusions.

Hillary is dead

No, I'm not referring to the highly-esteemed senator from the great state of New York who is currently engaged in a futile effort to equal the achievements of her ironically better half.

Rather, I refer to a real hero: Sir Edmund Hillary. He was 88.

But, there is a connection here. The senator once claimed her parents named her after the famous knight. Of course, this claim (like so many of her utterances) is utter poppycock, as Sir Edmund did not earn his knighthood until 1953, several years after the former first lady was hatched.

Ye socks may remember 1953 was the year a simple beekeeper from New Zealand named Ed conquered Mount Everest with the help of his loyal Nepalese sherpa. The newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II was so elated, she made him a Knight of the Garter at the somewhat-tender age of 33. (Most KG's are ancient by comparison.)

Anyway, Sir Ed gave up his beekeeping to lead a pretty adventurous life. He was part of a famous race to the South Pole in 1958, and eventually served as his country's ambassador to India. He also led a charity that funded $250,000 per year in charitable projects in Nepal, the country that gave him his initial claim to fame.

Would that the other Hillary could lead such a productive life . . .

Return to Sender

That's the mark I'd like to place on the "gifts" Hillary Clinton is promising to deliver if the people of this country are foolish enough to elect her President of the United States.

Have you SEEN her Christmas commercial?

It is truly disturbing to watch. There's the former first lady sitting on a couch with her crazy Joker smile a la Jack Nicholson in that Batman movie. Surrounding her are a bunch of wrapped packages, to which she's "struggling" to affix the correct labels bearing things like "socialized medicine," "higher taxes," "bigger government," etc. etc. etc. (I may be paraphrasing. )

I cannot believe that she and her staffers truly believed this was an acceptable message to send to voters, that the presidency is nothing more than the keys to a candy store. And, don't bother trying to explain how exactly she's going to pay for those "gifts." But, be assured it's not going to be on HER platinum American Express card.

Where is the scorn? The disdain? The disbelief?

I guess all of that was used up by the nuts who've been criticizing Mike Huckabee's Christmas message. You know the one with the "floating cross" in the background that any normal person would recognize as a bookshelf. He was accused of subtly adding the Christian symbol as something of a subliminal message. Poppycock!

Meanwhile, there's nothing subtle about Hillary or subliminal about her message. She is making a blatant plea to return to the failed tenet of socialism: redistribution of wealth. And, nobody in the mainstream media is jumping on her about it.

She deserves nothing less than a lump of coal in her stocking this year.

Ta-ta, Tom T!

In case you missed it, Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado has finally withdrawn from the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

He needed to do so a long time ago. The field has been too crowded for too long, and will remain so even after his departure.

(If you're having trouble placing him, he's the guy who was always talking about illegal immigration.)

In fact, I guess you have to admire him for staying "on topic" throughout his failed campaign. He was, quite simply, a one issue candidate. And, that doomed him from the start. A viable candidate must have considerably more depth than that.

His departure makes the choice even more clear for ye Republican socks. We need Mike Huckabee as the next President of the United States. And, the sooner we coalesce around his candidacy, the greater our victory will be over the Clinton-Obama nightmare the Democrats are threatening to visit upon us all.

Go, Mike, go!