Triska-what?!

And, now for the latest item in the "words really do have meaning" file in honor of Friday the 13th and all its associated paranoia.

Ye socks who fear that day are said to suffer from TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA.

A daunting word for something so inane, no?

Not so daunting if you break it down into the original Greek components, though:

TRIS = Three
KAI = And (ye brothers of Beta Theta Pi already knew that one)
DEKA = Ten
PHOBIA = Fear

Methinks it behooves us to be a bit more specific in labeling today's fears, though. I mean, after all, it's more than just the fear of three-and-ten. It's a fear of the combination of 13 AND Friday, right?!

In that case, I would say those of you who fear Friday the 13th actually suffer from: FRIGGATRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA.

Whaddaya mean, that doesn't sound nice?!

FRIGGA just means Friday!

Ah, well. So, sometimes words take on a greater meaning than is sometimes intended. I'm not the first person to make that mistake . . . there's a town full of people like that on the banks of the Potomac!

5 Greatest Moments of the National Memorial Day Concert

(in no particular order)

1. Lawrence Fishburne's reading of a letter by Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by violin soloist Robert McDuffie playing the theme to Ken Burns' "Civil War" series.

2. Denyce Graves' rendition of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

3. The team of Diane Wiest and Katie Holmes interpreting the writings of a mom and sister of a disabled vet . . . all three of whom turned out to be in the audience.

4. Trace Adkins' song at the end. I need to see if I can get that CD or download the single . . .

5. The anthems and color guards of each branch of the military, but particularly the US Air Force. . . off we go, into the wild blue yonder . . .

I wonder if folks who have no direct ties can ever fully appreciate what the men and women in our armed forces and their families sacrifice on behalf of this nation?

It's finally starting to dawn on the media

If you don't believe me, check out Bill Kristol's op-ed piece in today's New York Times.

Like most folks in the "major media," he is not too thrilled about the rise of Mike Huckabee. But, at least he/they are finally forced to take notice. And, they're giving the former Arkansas governor grudging respect.

Kristol points out Huckabee's calm, measured response to a question posed at Saturday night's debate at St. Anselm's College up in New Hampshire. He was asked how he would contrast himself to Barack Obama if the two of them ended up being the two major parties' nominees. Without missing a beat, he gave three issues where they differ: guns, abortion, and same-sex marriage.

As Kristol put it, Huckabee's choice of these themes show he is in tune with the "work-hard-to-get-ahead strivers" that made up the core of Regan voters twenty-odd years ago.

This is how Republicans win national elections. You have to appeal to a broader base than Wall Street and Washington. You have to connect to Main Street. And, Huckabee is doing that.

Florida Loves Huckabee!

That is according to the latest Rasmussen Poll which found GOP voters in the state support the following candidates in the 1/29/08 primary:

27% Huckabee (+18% since November's poll)
23% Romney (+4%)
19% Giuliani (-8%)
9% Thompson (-7%)
6% McCain (-4%)

So, what do these numbers tell us? Is McCain losing people to Romney? Is Huckabee drawing support away from everyone else? Who knows?

What the numbers do tell us is the momentum each candidate enjoys (or doesn't) in the Sunshine State. And, clearly, Mike Huckabee is outshining everyone else. Keep in mind, he was only registering 3% support down here as recently as September. So, for him to rise to the top of the pack in just three months is truly an amazing statement about his campaign. And, I'd like to think this little corner of the blogosphere contributed a little bit to the trajectory.

The other piece of news out of the Huckabee camp today was Ed Rollins is joining the team as National Director. Political junkies will remember that name as belonging to the man who orchestrated the most successful presidential campaign EVER back in 1984, when his strategies earned Ronald Reagan the electoral votes of 49 states. (Only his never-to-be-mentioned opponent's home state of Minnesota and the wayward District of Columbia fell to the Dems that year.)

Expect both the poll numbers and Ed Rollins to be discussed tonight when Huckabee and his buddy Chuck Norris appear on The O'Reilly Factor. (8pm on FoxNews, replayed at 11pm.)

Go, Mike, go!

A lot of grim faces in Washington yesterday

Well, more than usual, anyway. I mean, DC can be a pretty grim place even on a good day.

But, in case you missed it, the U.S. Treasury Department hosted a forum yesterday in an ongoing effort to resolve the "crisis" in our country's housing market. All the big names were there. And, it seemed, the bigger the name meant the bigger the frown.

Angelo Mozilo, head of Countrywide Mortgages, was there. Of course, he was lobbying hard for the feds to jump in and save lenders by having Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac secure loans the private sector won't. And, he wants DC to mandate other lenders to follow his company's lead and freeze interest rates for those in danger of defaulting on their mortgages. Both of these suggestions rub my free market soul the wrong way. But, then again, I'm one of those heartless folks who got a traditional mortgage and pay it on time.

Bob Toll was there, too. He's the head of Toll Brothers, the country's largest luxury home builder. He warned any potential homebuyers out there, if indeed any are left, that this is "not the best time." He is correct. Not only does the liquidity problem make it hard to get a loan, but prices are going to keep falling. So, sit back and wait, you could get a better deal--if you can find someone to finance you!

The most alarming statements were made by Moody's chief economist Mark Zandi, who quoted several statistics that he said indicate we are in the worst housing downturn since the Great Depression. And, more frightening, he believes it will continue thru the end of the decade.

Zandi's dire prediction was supported by a Bank of America Securities report that expects median home prices will actually DROP 15% over the next four years.

None of this is good news to us socks in the homebuilding industry. But, it could be devastating news to a lot more people beyond the dryer. Hang on to your hats folks, it's going to be a wild ride!

Add this address to your Christmas card list

Just got this from my cousin Sharon. It's not too soon to start compiling your Christmas card list, so consider adding this address:

A Recovering American Soldier

Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20307-5001

A word of encouragement would, no doubt, be greatly appreciated this time of year.

It's the least we can do for someone who is serving to defend the freedoms we all hold so dear.

Amasa Blakesley

That's the name of one of my Civil War ancestors.

I've known about him for awhile, having traced the old family tree for many years now. And, I even wrote a book about some of them who fought in the War-Between-the-States.

But, imagine my surprise when I discovered his name appears on the national African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC!

(If you're in the neighborhood, check out plaque #C-76.)

If you've ever watched the movie "Glory," you're probably aware the "all-black" regiments in the Civil War were not really "all-black." All of their officers and most of their non-commissioned officers were white. My Amasa fell into the latter category, serving for a time as the regimental musician for the 66th U.S. Colored Troops.

Apparently, in memorializing the "colored" regiments, the designers of the memorial made no distinction between the men and the officers, black or white.

And, that's appropriate, don't you think?

Authenticity, Sincerity, and Candor

Those are the three words former House Speaker Newt Gingrich used while speaking to the National Press Club in Washington today to describe Mike Huckabee's campaign to become our next president.

Newt gets it.

The national media does not. At least, not yet.

Witness Bill Sammon on FoxNews tonight, who framed the contest underway in Iowa in terms of Romney v Giuliani and implied that Huckabee is simply angling for a VP nod. Tripe!

What Huckabee IS doing is what people like Gingrich and millions of others across this country have been wanting to see for a long time: He's growing as a candidate with each passing day. He's speaking in terms of patriotism over partisanship. And, hopefully, he will (as Newt predicted) emerge as the most interesting dark horse candidate in American history.

Cynical reporters like Sammon assume that Huckabee steers away from attacks on the other candidates, because he is shooting for #2.

Clearly, Sammon doesn't know much about Mike Huckabee.

And, if last Sunday's debate in Des Moines is any barometer of true feelings in Iowa, Sammon won't be the only pundit with a surprised look on his face after the Ames straw poll.

Huckabee is better at communicating and connecting with an audience than any candidate out there--in either party. Those strengths should take him to the top of the GOP slate and on to the White House.