Rove on O'Reilly

This was pretty good analysis by Karl Rove, and he also reinforces what I've been saying all along about the state of our party:




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Romney Bows Out

Mitt Romney suspended (practically withdrawing from the race) his campaign for the Republican nomination today.

In a charismatic delivery to the Conservative Political Action Conference, I was impressed with his selflessness and gracious nature of the speech he gave. Highlighting conservative values before making his announcement, he all but endorsed John McCain by saying more is a stake in this election then a political ideology.

Commenting on the alternative of a Democrat winning the White House, Romney said that, “In this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.”

Obviously directed toward Hillary and Obama, Romney continued by saying, “If this were only about me, I'd go on. But it's never been only about me. I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, in this time of war I feel I have to now stand aside for our party and for our country.”

Those comments alone underline the need for unity within our party and sends a message to conservatives: Get behind McCain so we can win in November.

Ultimately, Romney was quite animated in his speech and noble in his actions. Nobility and having the ability to rise above one’s self interests is something you don’t see out of many politicians in Washington, and it’s something that bodes well for him in his political future.

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TFA: Lift-off!

Since the space shuttle Atlantis will be launching today (barring technical difficulties and weather), I thought it might be a good time to blog about my live experience of a shuttle launch.

Anyone who knows me understands how much of a dork I am about NASA and the exploration of space. It’s something that’s obviously a risky enterprise, but to me has romantic appeal, analogous to venturing westward in 19^th century America.

Once I found myself in Florida, taking a trip to Cape Canaveral to watch a shuttle launch was at the top of my list. On August 8^th, 2007, I got to mark it off.

A group of us decided to make the trip from Ft. Lauderdale to the coastal town of Titusville, Florida where we would watch the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. The drive was anything but glamorous, but when we got closer to our destination, we started to see a spattering of cars parked on the side of Highway 1. The closer we got, the more these groups grew and the more I became amazed at how many people actually watched a shuttle launch.

By the time we arrived in Titusville, the number of spectators had grown into a mass of humanity that stood on a packed shoreline waiting to catch a glimpse of Endeavour.

Pushing through the crowds, we finally found our own spot to patiently await the launch. With binoculars in hand, I gazed through and began to skim the horizon. It was a fairly hazy day and the binoculars had a hard time focusing in on Merritt Island over the bay, but I knew exactly what I was looking for – Launch Pad 39A.

From my vantage point, I knew the launch pad was to the left, or north of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (a huge, rectangular building that preps and houses the shuttle). After locating the exact position of the pad, I stood patiently, waiting for the final countdown.

With personal radios and car stereos blaring the NASA audio feed, the time had finally arrived. With bated breath and child-like anticipation, I watched and listened as the final seconds arrived: 3, 2, 1 . . . Lift-off!

While taking pictures with my camera and describing the launch to a friend over the phone, I gazed across the bay in amazement. Plumes of smoke shot out from the launch pad and an orange glow from the rockets illuminated and pierced through the haze. A few seconds later, the shuttle was clear of the tower and miasma she had created. While captivated by the view, the sounds and vibrations of the launch hadn’t reached us yet. The silence the shuttle ascended in seemed unnatural, but like rolling thunder from a spring storm, Endeavour eventually let us know that she was there.

The entire experience of being at a live launch lasted no longer then two minutes. To some, the build-up may have over hyped the actual event, but I personally got to witness a childhood dream come true that I will never be able to adequately describe.

Either way, a space shuttle launch is something that everyone should definitely see.

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The Future of the Republican Party

The party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan is in trouble.

At least that’s what every hard right-winger would have you believe.

Over the past couple of months, talking heads from Limbaugh to no-name political pundits have said that our party is a house divided and crumbling. It’s a house that no longer reflects the ideals of Reagan and true conservative values.

I have a different take on the other hand.

I feel that it’s a house of progressive change that is starting to show the beliefs of moderate, mainstream America by burying the tradition of preserving the status quo.

The future of our party is moderates like Giuliani and McCain who can embrace the other side of the aisle. It’s a future that will hold on to core Republican ideas such as lower taxes, smaller government and strong defense, but opens it’s mind to true freedoms that government shouldn’t give a damn about like the right for a gay couple to pursue marriage and a woman’s right to choose.

I would even argue that Reagan himself would be happy of the path our party is going today (minus a couple of domestic issues here and there). It was he who showed a strong arm to Iran, the USSR and communism world wide. It was he who signed the largest tax cut in American history in 1981. And after all, it was he who gave millions of illegal immigrants citizenship status by granting amnesty in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

It’s a “compassionate conservative” message that carries though to today with George W. Bush, and it’s why I still support him in his waning days in office.

Rush Limbaugh and others who invoke the name of Reagan and say he would never approve of McCain or Giuliani obviously never paid attention to Reagan’s politics. Limbaugh and others are only citing the name and image of Reagan to pursue a political philosophy over a party platform by trying to mold the GOP into something it’s not.

Do I believe our Grand Old Party has the ability to embrace moderates and conservatives?

If the talking heads have their way and hard, right-wing conservatives run the GOP by playing on your emotions, then no and I would worry about the direction of the party.

But, if our party is to be led by moderate (i.e. open-minded) leadership like the three former presidents mentioned at the beginning of this blog, then with out a doubt, the GOP will remain strong.

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RCP: Will the Reagan Era End Today?

Washington Post: Limbaugh on McCain

The Denver Post: Conservatives vs. McCain

The Money Race

Have you ever wondered if a friend really is a Republican or Democrat? How about a celebrity and who they gave their hard earned money to?

You can check that info out (and waste tons of time) at the Federal Election Commission’s website or at FundRace 2008.

Federal Election Commission

FundRace 2008

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RE: Mac is Back

After watching the final Republican debate before Super Tuesday last night, I was impressed with every candidate except Senator McCain.

I may agree with a majority of his views, but he carried himself poorly in my opinion. Throughout most of the evening, he had a look of contempt when jibes were thrown his way as if he were above the insults. Because of that, you can tell that the senator has a short fuse with little patients (which scares me a bit), and ultimately responded to his cohorts average at best.

On Romney, I do think that he would make an exceptional nominee, but I’m not confident in his ability to compete with Clinton or Obama.

None the less, McCain’s straight talk (minus the cheap shot at Romney about an Iraq timetable) carried though in this debate.

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CNN: Debate Transcript

Mac is Back

Of the Republican candidates left in the field, none were considered a front runner.

Last night changed that.

McCain used his momentum from South Carolina to capture a state that just two weeks ago belonged to McCain’s close friend, Rudy Giuliani. Consequently, Giuliani will be dropping out of the race and endorsing McCain as early as today (my prediction in an October ’07 post turned out to be a bit off).

But even with victory, the senator has a long road ahead.

McCain will have to convince the conservatives of the party (Romney and Huckabee followers) to join his cause. He’ll need to silence critics within the party (Limbaugh and others) and show that he can be the uniter of all Republicans, moderate and conservatives alike.

I was a Giuliani supporter, so it won’t be difficult for me to back another moderate candidate. The hard right on the other hand needs to realize that a moderate Republican is our best chance to win in November.

On CNN’s post primary coverage, Wolf Blitzer interviewed Mrs. Clinton and asked her what she would do on day one in the Oval Office if elected. Her response, which included immediate withdraw from Iraq and the expansion of socialized medicine, should scare every Republican into action.

On the other hand, if we don’t move into action, a Clinton or Obama in the White House is exactly what we’ll get.

McCain leads in most Super Tuesday states and will probably win a majority of the delegates come February 5th. Because of his inevitable victory, it’s time we put our support behind a decorated war hero, a proven senator and a candidate who can embrace the full diversity of our party.

It’s time we get aboard the Straight Talk Express.

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Florida Results

CNN: Clinton Transcript

The State of a President

Legacy, legacy, legacy.

That’s all you hear about Bush these days from pundits. When reporters recently asked the president about his legacy, he quipped in typical Bush fashion and proclaimed that history would be his judge.

After listening to the State of the Union speech last night, it’s clear that the president is doing just that.

In what was called a conciliatory speech, there were also references to a number of divisive issues close the presidents heart from the security of Iraq to immigration. It was surprising but refreshing to hear a president in his final year deliver his remaining to-do list in a passionate way.

Granted, every issue won’t be resolved or even addressed in an election year, but let’s not forget that they, in the words of the president, are in Washington to, “set forth to do their [the peoples] business.”

In short, they still have a job to do.

So, in his final year, will Bush continue to be an advocate of Republican ideals? Will he push for permanent tax cuts and strengthen this weak economy? Will he convey a compassionate and “humane way” of dealing with immigration? Will he continue to stand strong on Iraq that has stabilized due to a successful trop surge?

Most definitely, yes.

Will it be easy? Absolutely not.

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Link: 2008 State of the Union Address

Impressions from the First ’08 Primary

After watching the results roll in this past Tuesday and the subsequent speeches from the Democratic and GOP contenders, the one candidate I was most impressed with was Barack Obama.

He may be on the wrong side of the fence on a majority of the issues, but his presentation that followed the final results was concise and eloquent. Unlike Hillary, he’s very likable and doesn’t struggle to show himself as human. It’s easy to see why he’s been crowned the media darling, let alone why so many Democrats are starting to flock toward his camp.

I’m interested to see if Hillary can continue her momentum from her New Hampshire win, but it won’t be easy.

On the GOP side, McCain (who I like more and more) took the win with enthusiastic chants of “Mac-at-tack” cheering him on. His speech was average at best, but his content held true to what he’s preached on the campaign trail. He’s never wavered on Iraq and I like his approach toward immigration.

Giuliani is and has been my first choice for the GOP nomination, but if McCain ended up winning, I wouldn’t be disappointed.

So, who left me with the worst impression Tuesday night? That honor went to John Edwards, hands down. He’s a broken record from ’04 and he needs to withdraw from the race all together.

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CNN: Election Center 2008

Newsweek: Bush Shakes up ’08 Iraq Debate

The Weekly Standard: The Surge Effect

TFA: A Very Dirty Job

Each member of the Weatherbird had a specific reason why they were hired with Planktos. I was obviously hired to install a computer infrastructure, but being the IT guy wouldn’t be the only hat I would wear while I was there.

Let me elaborate.

Planktos is just like any other start-up company when it comes to a budget. A purchasing priority needed to be set, and in the beginning, IT was not at the top of the list.

I would end up being recruited on a wide variety of projects that mostly included the needs of a boat that had been in drydock for a while. I knew when signing up with Planktos that their mission was to restore the ecology of the seas, but I didn’t realize the boat herself would turn into a restoration project.

Painting would become the Weatherbird’s primary need.

Now, let me say this right now – I hate to paint. To me, it’s tedious, boring and downright awful. As it would turn out (and just my luck), every damn thing on that boat needed to be painted from the deck to sections of engineering.

One of the many restoration projects in which the Weatherbird needed was the cleaning and painting of the two main water tanks.

These tanks were only accessible through engineering which rested below the decks of the boat. If there was a word to describe the constant temperature of the engine and generator rooms that comprised the engineering deck, hell would be my word of choice.

When working inside these tanks, it was hot and damp like a sauna on steroids. The tanks were the size of a large closet, but divided into sections by steal dividers. There was an opening in the center of these dividers which allowed you to reach each section, but the further away from the entrance you went, the less fresh air you received. Granted, these entrances led to the hot, stuffy air in the engine room, but it was ten times better then the environment of those tanks.

Those surroundings are what I imagine Dante’s sixth circle of hell to be like, minus the heretics. They were nothing more then an oven, courtesy of the mid day sun beating down on the deck above our heads.

I can’t describe how dirty that particular job really was, and it’s a job that Mike Rowe and crew needed to be present at. A Dirty Jobs video would probably give the water tank job the dirty title it deserves, but my blog will have to do for now.

Either way, it’s a job I hope to never do again.

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Overseas Interest

I’m always interested in what other countries think of our democratic process when it comes to electing a president.

To us, it can be a long and drawn out process which now lasts the better part of a year. It is a full fledged, year long marathon that has become the interest of a growing number of countries overseas (with the help of the 2000 election, I’m sure).

We may get tired of the caucuses and primaries, but it’s a process that ultimately works.

From The Telegraph: The Splendid Theatre of American Democracy

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Support the WGA

As many of you know, the Writers Guild of America went on strike in early November to get fair compensation for its writers.

Tonight, Letterman finally returns to the airwaves for the first time in over two months, but only after negotiating directly with the WGA and his writers.

The studios should take a line from Letterman and actually sit down with the WGA instead of ignoring calls for negotiation.

Show your support for the WGA by going to fans4writers.com!

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TFA: A Safari in Florida

When you think of Florida, what do you think of? South Beach? The Keys? Alligators maybe?


How about monkeys?


I wouldn’t think so either, but as it turns out, there was a nice little community of them living down the way from where the Weatherbird was first docked.


When we arrived in Fort Lauderdale from Norfolk, we spent or first six weeks at the Dania Cut shipping yard. While we were there, we met the wonderful crew of the Sirenuse, a luxury yacht docked next to us.


After being invited over to their boat for a tour and drinks, both crews decided to continue the evening by going to dinner. We traded various stories, but the one that drew the most attention had nothing to do with the sea.


The first mate of the Sirenuse asked, “So, has anyone seen the monkeys yet?”


We all looked at each other and asked laughingly, “What?”


According to the first mate, there was a community of monkeys living right outside the gate of the docks we were at. They apparently had been left there because they escaped from a Hollywood set that filmed there years before.


After hearing the explanation, we all blew it off as bull and continued the evening.


The next morning, my curiosity (or naivety) got the best of me. I decided that after breakfast I would secretly sneak away from the boat and see for myself if the monkey story was legit. I didn’t want too many people to know because who in their right mind would go looking for monkeys in Florida?


As I was walking off the boat, the first mate of the Sirenuse was on deck of his boat. He saw me walking off the Weatherbird with a banana in my hand.


He said, “Do you have a camera?”


“On my phone, yeah.”


“Well,” he said, “be sure to take lots of pictures because no one will believe you if you see them.”


Laughing, I said, “Ok, but I’m just hoping I don’t look like a fool, waving a banana in the air trying to snag a picture of a monkey.”

With that, I started out of the docks, past the gates and walked down a lone road flanked by trees. Walking to the corner that was the center of discussion, I had my head down looking at some missed calls I had on my phone. When I arrived, I looked up and out of the corner of my eye, I saw an animal sitting on a tree stump. I looked over and to my amazement, there was a monkey staring right at me.

Unprepared, I put my phone back in my pocket and peeled the banana I had. I tossed the banana in the little guy’s direction. Curious with what I just did, he jumps around for a bit, but then decides to examine what I threw his way. After he deems it safe, he begins to eat the banana. While he’s doing this, I get out my phone and take as many pictures as possible before he runs off. Amazingly, he never does.

With this newly acquired evidence, I go back to the boat and proclaim that the story is true. Everyone immediately decides to go see for themselves. On this second trip however, the full monkey community made themselves known (mainly because we were all carrying bananas and apples I think).

Ironically during my entire stay in Florida, I would never see an alligator, but I guess I’ll take the wild encounters of a semi-trained, escaped Hollywood monkey instead.

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A Long Way to Go

This morning I got up and had my usual cup o’ Joe and started browsing through the Sunday morning headlines.

One particular headline caught my eye in the Dallas Morning News. It read, “Northern Iraqi Women Increasingly Attempting Suicide” with the byline, “Feeling hopeless about life, some women in Iraqi Kurdistan set themselves on fire, then suffer through survival.”

It was a pretty powerful headline for early morning reading and so was the article.

A couple of blogs back, I posted a link that highlights some of the policies that have actually been successful for the president in 2007. The troop surge is one of them.

Now that stability is finally taking hold because of that surge, it seems that humanitarian aid programs need to be increased through (dare I say it) the UN. The DMN article highlights a glaring need for it.

With their jobs nearly complete, the big guns of the 1^st Calvary and other divisions in Iraq are drawing to a close, but the humanitarian efforts will continue for years to come. I hope that we put as much attention and effort into the mission that is the Iraqi people as we did in dismantling an oppressive regime.

We gave them a new beginning. It’s our job to make sure they have the opportunity to live it.

DMN Article: Northern Iraqi Women Increasingly Attempting Suicide

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Funny Quote

I was on a forum this afternoon catching up on current events and opinions when I came across the quote below. It's probably not as funny as I think, but I found it amusing none the less.

If you have a friend that's a midge, I apologize in advance.

Quote: Support the 2^nd Amendment. The Democrats can have my guns when midgets rule the earth."

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A Very Good Year . . . Sort of

Back to politics for a moment, it seems our president had a decent year, minus the approval ratings of course.

Washington Times: Bush’s Very Good Year

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TFA: Deadliest Catch Redux

I’ve always had respect for the mountains. They’re beautiful, majestic and exhilarating at the same time. At the age of seven, I remember standing at the peak of Mt. Engineer in Colorado with my dad’s jacket on to keep me warm. It was an amazing view that I barely remember. Ever since then, my love for the mountains has been imprinted on my soul.

The ocean on the other hand is a different story. I was indifferent. Other than the footage I’ve seen on various Discovery Channel shows and the tranquility of walking on a beach, I really didn’t know what to expect.

When we departed Norfolk for Fort Lauderdale in early April, it was a cool, crisp and calm afternoon; it wouldn’t stay that way.

Later that night around Cape Hatteras off of the North Carolina coast, we would be hit by a late season cold front that we knew was coming but wasn’t sure what kind of weather it would bring.

At about one o’clock AM that morning, we found out.

Asleep in my rack, I awoke to the knocking of loose items and the slamming of open doors. I found myself levitating above my bed like Sigourney Weaver in Ghostbusters. When I stood up, it took every muscle I had to keep myself from running into walls and people.

It became obvious we were unprepared and the boat was a mess to say the least.

After stumbling through hallways and dancing up a flight of stairs, I finally made it to the bridge. I wanted to ask the captain how long we would be in these conditions, but just as I was at the top of that mountain twenty-one years ago, I was stunned and awestruck by what I saw.

Looking out the front of the bridge toward the bow of the boat, images of Deadliest Catch immediately came to mind. With the flicker of lightning reflecting off of the waves and the sharp, cutting beam from the spotlight on the mast above, I would watch the bow ride up a wave only to come crashing down and meet the next one head on. Waves would overtake the deck, and mist from the waves crashing into us would fly over horizontally in a left to right motion driven by a driving, howling wind.

It was a humbling experience for someone who had never been to sea before and a new respect came from it.

Thankfully, the remaining four days were quite pleasant, but that night is definitely one I’ll remember for years to come.

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The Floridian Adventures (TFA): A Feather in the Window

I found out about the Planktos opportunity (or challenge) in mid-March earlier this year. It seemed like a wonderful opportunity. Create the computer infrastructure for the Weatherbird II, travel the sea and see all these exotic places we were to travel to boot. Who wouldn’t turn it down, right?

So, at the beginning of April, I accepted Planktos’ invite.

Planktos bought my ticket on this initial interview. I would join the crew in Norfolk, Virginia and go through a five day trial run that would take us to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Now, when I fly, I’m a Southwest loyalist. In this particular case, I didn’t have a choice and thought nothing of it until I saw the ticket stub in my email inbox. AirTran Airlines was the carrier I would be flying and before this point, I had never heard of them.

Before I departed DFW, I told a friend of mine what carrier I was using. She looked at me with a crazed look and said, “What? Are you f*****’ crazy? They’re the Wal-Mart of the skies with the worst safety record possible.” (Note: To validate her point, I came to find out later that AirTran buys a majority of their airplanes used from the major carriers like American and Continental which translates into cheaper prices).

Cautious, but not deterred, I obviously took the flight anyway. This flight happened to stop over in Atlanta where I would board a connecting flight to Richmond, Virginia.

The flight from Dallas was unremarkable and round one was over when we landed in Atlanta. Round two of the trip however would be a completely different story.

After boarding the McDonald-Douglas MD-80 that would take myself and the other passengers to Richmond, it was obvious the plane was showing its age. Resolved, I found my window seat anyway, sat down and continued reading my Time magazine I bought in Dallas. When we started to push back from the gate, I put my magazine down, buckled up and turned to look out the window.

Now, when you look out an airplane window, you expect to see a wing, the tarmac or vehicles running around, hurrying to their destination. Well, not this window.

On most aircraft, the windows have two panes - an inner pane, and an outer pane with a void of air separating the two panes. In this particular void, there wasn’t just air. There was a whole, unblemished bird feather resting at the bottom of the window.

After staring in amazement, I began to ask myself how the hell a feather got there and what is wrong with this plane?

By this point in my stunned awe, we had already taken off and ascended into the clouds. Five minutes passed with me staring at the window when I was brought back to reality by the Captain coming on the PA system:

“Uhhhhhhh, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t want to alarm you, but the aircraft is doing some odd things. It just came out of maintenance last night and seems to be having some odd mechanical problems. Because of this, we’re going to turn back to Atlanta. We’ll give you updates when we get on the ground.”

And with that, the plane veered hard to the left, did a 180 and flew back to Atlanta.

When we got back to the airport, I found a nice little bar where I parked it and had some well deserved glasses of Scotch.

I eventually made it to Richmond, but I should have heeded that feathers warning. It was an omen of interesting things to come.

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The Floridian Adventures

As many of you know, I had a unique opportunity this past year to travel to Florida and install a computer network on a research vessel. It was interesting to say the least and over the next month or so, I’ll be posting some of those stories with the abundance of time I seem to have on my hands right now.

I’ll preface all these stories by saying when I initially showed up on the research vessel Weatherbird II, I thought I would be diving face first into a computer project that would take the better part of a summer.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

With the budget problems of a start-up company (Planktos) and the misconceptions of a job title, it was an adventure to say the least.

The stories are yet to come, so stay tuned.

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The Nature of Politics

Some people say that I can be a bit too political at times.

With that, I have no argument.

Politics, which can be a very boring read, I know, but is important none the less. When you feel strongly about a particular subject, isn’t it better to have passion than dispassion? Zeal over apathy?

Politics isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about getting involved in this great American experiment.

No matter what your views, voicing them is your right and duty. It’s why we fought on the hallowed grounds of Yorktown and in turn, why we fight today in the chambers of Capital Hill.

It’s easy to get discouraged and overwhelmed in an over-sized political theater such as ours, but always remember that you matter.

I say all this because in the coming year we will be bombarded with ads, debates and expert opinions (including yours truly). Listen diligently, get involved if you want, but more importantly, let your voice be heard.

In doing so, remember my three important points when it comes to having a rational opinion: always have an open mind, never rush to judge and never be afraid to hear the other side (it’s alright to change your views when you objectively listen to what is said).

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Smearing Free Speech

I really don’t know what to write. The Democrats have pulled a Vladimir Putin. They’re trying to quiet free speech by targeting a prominent member of the American media through the powers of the Senate. Rush Limbaugh does stand on the other side of the political fence with who’s in power at the moment, but construing his words for political gain on the Senate floor is way beyond the line. Further more, they’re trying to twist Rush Limbaugh’s words so they can regain footing with the American people on what they have describes as a “failed war”. They have all but admitted defeat on the War on Terror, but now they’re back peddling by taking someone’s words out of context for their gain.

Unbelievable.

On a side note, I find all this ridiculous anyway. The Dems are taking the time to condemn the words of a private citizen when they should be concentrating on more pertinent issues.

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FoxNews: Senate Democrats Condemn Limbaugh


Clear Channel's Response

Dreaming of an '08 Victory

With the entrance of Fred Thompson into the Republican race of nominees, a strong GOP ticket has finally made itself apparent.

The current murky waters of the Republican field makes this statement a little difficult to understand at first, but let me explain.

On the right, you have Mr. Thompson who invigorates the GOP base every time he speaks. In a recent Rasmussen poll, he has 25% of likely primary voters in his pocket right now. The conservative wing couldn’t be happier on the former senator’s entry. Mitt Romney who has 13% of possible voters does the same with the base, but he has less clout and his religious belief does not fall in line with main-stream America.

While Thompson shores up the hard right, Giuliani with 23% leaning his way is a magnet for the middle. His moderate views on social issues but hard stance on foreign policy separates him from anyone else in the Republican field. Plus, his infamous label of “America’s Mayor” will always be a boon for his candidacy, and his cross party appeal will draw from independents and Dems alike. The Republican middle has proven to be a broad and growing voice in the Republican Party. All though it doesn’t have as large a voice as the far right, the GOP’s middle will play a significant roll in the primary and general elections come next year. McCain with 10% of the vote pulls from this block of voters as well, but campaign exhaustion and lack of enthusiasm has run its course in the McCain camp.

Considering Romney and McCain’s imminent exit (likely after Super Tuesday results on February 5^th if not before) and not even taking into account the lower half of the Republican field, Thompson and Giuliani will likely fight it out until the primaries in March. Either way, there is no question that Thompson or Giuliani will take the nomination.

Who ever wins, it will be in the best interest of Thompson or Giuliani to pick either as their VP on the November ticket. Thompson will cleanup Romney’s leftovers and Giuliani will mop up McCain’s giving birth to a ticket that encompasses the whole of the Republican Party by making the moderates and conservatives enthusiastic and energized for a November victory.

Let this be fair warning to the Donkey camp - A Giuliani-Thompson 2008 ticket might just clean house come November.

The Skinny on Kyoto

By request (and because I haven’t blogged in over a month), I’ve been asked to explain the Kyoto Protocol and what it asks of the international community.

This subject actually falls in line with who I’m working for now – Planktos. Because of the Kyoto Protocol (and maybe the intended by-product of the accords), a whole new industry was created because of the demand for a carbon offset market.

I’ll explain the simplest way I can (with personal opinions staying on the sideline):

The Kyoto accord calls for industrialized nations to offset their CO2 emissions by lowering their CO2 output to an acceptable preset level, and if not or unable to because of economics, to purchase “carbon credits”. Carbon credits are produced by companies like Planktos by sequestering carbon dioxide – basically just pulling CO2 from the air and preventing it from re-entering the atmosphere. There are many ways to do this. The most recognizable and most accepted way is to plant more trees, but there are other, wackier ideas like creating a sulfate barrier from the sun to lower global temperature (basically mimicking a volcanic eruption but on a global scale).

In Planktos’ case, we are utilizing a proven technique called iron fertilization to sequester carbon. It’s a technique that has 20 years worth or research backing it.

In turn and once these credits are validated by an international standard (Kyoto), they are sold to nations or companies on a carbon market to offset emission that go over a preset standard as established by Kyoto.

What does this mean for the US you ask? Even though we don’t adhere to the accords, a majority of the companies in the US voluntarily lower their carbon emissions. Plus, this has given us the opportunity to explore more seriously the alternatives to fossil fuels.

Either way, the brief and short sum of it is that the Kyoto Protocol asks the world to stabilize greenhouse gasses by any and every means possible.

To get more info on Kyoto, you can go here: The Kyoto Protocol

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Talk Radio’s Unquestioned Influence

Over this past weekend, Senator Trent Lott said that, “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.” In response, talk radio all over the US had a field day declaring that if they had so much power, why don’t they represent the American people?

With all joking aside, that might not be a bad idea.

Think about it. When we elect our representatives, they are supposed to represent the majority and prevailing ideals of the constituents in their districts. Theoretically, that’s the way it’s supposed to work, but when our representatives get to Washington, lobbyists (and other factors) take over and our elected official’s personal ideals supersede the constituents that elected them. Because of this, a disconnect forms between Washington and the home front.

To prove this disconnect, the Gallup organization released a poll yesterday that shows confidence in Congress is at an all-time low – a 14% approval rating. Our representative democracy is something that every American should be in awe of and is probably one of the most prestigious institutions of government to ever be conceived, but regrettably it is balked at and frowned upon by a majority of Americans.

Now, let me also say that there are people on the other side of the coin. Not every representative we elect is like this. I’d even say that the description above represents a minority of elected officials, but unfortunately that minority runs the majority which is where talk radio kicks in.

The voice of the American people is no more prominent than on talk radio. Radio hosts go on the airwaves every day from Glenn Beck to Sean Hannity to listen to and discuss the politics at hand. Granted, talk radio is dominated by conservatives, but at the other end, printed press is dominated by the left. Either way, the every day American is flocking to the media to have their opinions heard because our Senators and representatives in congress have a deaf ear. They’re too tied up in their own political gain and self image.

Politics is a passion of mine and I love the debate and pragmatist nature of it, but if I were to ever be elected to public office, the voice of the people would always be my first duty. To make this point more clear, I’ll use my opinion on the current immigration bill as an example.

I personally think the bill presented by Senators Kennedy and McCain is a very good bill (read previous blog posts for more detailed opinion), but when it comes to immigration, I’m in the minority of my party. Most Republicans don’t like this bill and want it thrown out of debate all together. Even though my personal ideology clashes with the majority of my constituents, my vote would always be representative of the people that elected me. That’s the way it’s supposed to work and that’s the way the founding fathers intended it to work.*

I write this not to jab out our system. I admire what we have created and what America is, but just as our Constitution is a living document, our republic is a living and ever changing democracy which requires our awareness and vigilance. It’s so very important that we, the people, remind our elected officials that representing us is meant to be an honor and a privilege, not a right to power.

Talk radio and the media – whether it be the left or right - will hopefully open the eyes of Washington and get them reconnected with the people they serve. It will hopefully remind them that they are there for us, not them.

ER

* Let me note that by saying yes, we are a majority rules society and in most cases the majority gets what they want, but only within reason. We are a republic for this basis alone - not to be ruled by the mob, but to be ruled by reason and deliberation.

Points of Interest:

• Reporters give Dems money over the GOP 9 to 1
• Senator Claims: Boxer/Clinton Want 'Legislative Fix' for Talk Radio
  

Continuing the Giant Leap

Ever since I was a kid, I have been enamored by the marvels of our space program. I wear this awe on my sleeve and most everyone knows it.

Tonight’s launch will be no exception when the exploration of space continues. I’ll be glued to a TV or internet connection to watch the first lift-off of many to come this year.

Once these last missions by the Space Shuttle are completed by 2010 and ISS construction is complete, our sites will be set on the moon once again. When you consider the possibilities for technological advances for reaching the moon again (and permanent settlement for that matter), it’s inspiring to think what mankind can do and has already done.

I personally can’t wait to witness a moon landing as my father and mother did in 1969, and I can’t wait to see the words of JFK put back into action with NASA leading the way.

Here’s for continuing that giant leap.

ER

Moving Forward on Immigration, Part II

Newsweek just posted an article online by Fareed Zakaria titled America’s New Know-Nothings: Reagan’s Lessons for the GOP on Immigration.

Now, if you don’t know who Fareed Zakaria is, he is the editor for Newsweek International, is a frequent guess on This Week with George Stephanopoulos and hosts Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS.

His article (which I request that you please read) can be read here and expresses my opinion on immigration almost to a T. It’s very well put.

ER

Moving Forward on Immigration

Senators from both parties announced a compromise bill yesterday that would overhaul an immigration system in need of change. Some of the points in this bill look promising, but it will take a lot for both sides to completely agree on them all.

On point that I’m personally happy to see is the path to citizenship that will be given to those illegal immigrants already here by granting them a “Z visa” (some bullet points can be seen here).

Many of you know that I’ve written on this subject before and my main disappointment through the whole immigration fight has been how callus my party has been on the separation of immigrant families by categorizing them as a “threat to national security”. Granted, 12 million are here illegally, but 99.9% of them are here to make a better life for themselves. Forcing them to uproot and go back to their country of origin by performing mass deportations (mainly Mexican nationals) after they’ve been established here for years is heartless, cruel and quite frankly, un-American. President Bush himself (an exception to the majority of my fellow Republicans whom I called out above) said that this bill is “one that will help enforce our borders but, equally importantly, it will treat people with respect.”

This bill is a major step forward, and I applaud the efforts of Senator Kennedy and Senator McCain in bringing it forward to the Senate floor. Here’s hoping for an open-minded debate.

ER

Lucky Number Eleven?

Currently, there are ten candidates that are vying for the GOP nomination.

Out of the four current front runners, Giuliani has the clear lead. Giuliani’s moderate conservative views (whom I’m leaning toward at the moment) appeal to a large political middle, but his personal life might turn out to be a liability. Standing 14 points back, John McCain is a very likable and respected old warhorse, but at the same time he doesn’t seem to have the political correctness when it comes to censoring his words before they spew from his mouth. Newt Gingrich has a very loyal following, but that won’t translate to a broader base. And last, Mitt Romney’s grassroots conservative bell ringing is appealing to the right, but can he overcome the questions that middle-America raises about his Mormonism?

Out of this early field of candidates, it’s hard to pick one that you can lash onto. Can a late hour eleventh candidate be the answer for the GOP?

Enter Fred Thompson – former senator, actor and future presidential candidate?

Without spending any money, he seems to have vaulted himself nearly to the top of a crowded field. The most recent Gallup Poll shows him third and only seven points behind McCain. That alone is amazing when you consider his entry is still only speculation.

Either way, the buzz surrounding the former senator is gaining momentum and causing Republicans like myself to notice. November, 2008 is a long way off and a lot could happen, but if Thompson officially enters this field, I guarantee I, along with many others, will reevaluate our choice for the GOP nomination.

ER