Back in the saddle

My son is doing much better and I want to say how much my family and I appreciate the thoughts and prayers from all of you. It really meant a lot to us.

During my hiatus much has happened, so let's get started. John Edwards quit the campaign. I've left no doubts about my feelings toward him. America is a better country when he is NOT seeking political office. Did anyone ever buy that poverty thing? Come on, John. We've seen your house. Not exactly the residence of someone who cares deeply for the poor.

That leaves Hillary and Obama. No big surprise. I am enjoying watching Hillary squirm. The contempt and fury in her eyes is quite remarkable. This was her year, her election, her nomination. How dare this junior senator from Illinois come out and ruin it for her. It's entertaining to say the least.

Obama still has a shot, and I'm scratching my head a bit. I've heard him speak and he is good at it. He has literally given me goosebumps with his inspirational talk. But his speeches are very empty on substance. He doesn't offer ideas or solutions, he just describes the American utopia with incredible charisma and points out our most pressing problems. But what about solutions? I would venture a guess that most Obama supporters have no idea what his plan is for saving social security. I know because I read his book. But something tells me his followers don't know. They just like what he has to say, which is probably why he is so popular. You don't start angering people until you start offering real solutions and taking tough positions on tough issues. We'll see.

Ted Kennedy endorsed him and I think that hurts more than anything. Obama already has the radical Left locked. He's trying to court the moderates and a few disgruntled republicans. You can't do that with Ted Kennedy endorsing you. SOmething tells me Obama cringed when Teddy put on his little media hoopla event announcing his endorsement. But still, Obama would probably be more difficult to beat in the general election than Hillary simply because she is so easy to hate and so easy to vote against. Therefore, I'm hoping Hillary pulls out the nomination.

McCain has locked up the GOP nomination and this is quite a shocker. Last summer I said McCain's campaign was dead and his support for Bush's amnesty plan was what killed it. After that, I didn't think he had a chance at the nomination. But something happened since then. For one, Fred Thompson waffled on getting in and then spun his wheels once he did enter the race. He had a strong message but it was too little too late. The same is true for Tancredo and Duncan Hunter. These three were the only true conservatives in the race and none of them mounted any sort of formidable campaign. This left conservatives basically without a candidate, and no one to get behind. The base was fractured, looking for a home and completely unable to unite behind a single candidate. Second, Rudy Guiliani fumbled the nomination. Let's face it, this was Rudy's nomination to lose, and he lost it. And suddenly the GOP lost the candidate who presented the biggest challenge to Hillary.

So I think panic set in. Every Republican voter with any sense knows that Huckabee and Romney stood no chance in the general election. We're talking serious landslide loss here. So I think GOP voters went for the candidate who stood the best chance at beating the Dems, and thus John McCain gets the nomination. This is politics' version of the miracle on ice. An incredible underdog story. Along the way, many Repubs have compromised their own conservative principles by supporting McCain, but I guess to them it's better to have a Republican with some liberal tendencies than a Democrat who's one step away from being a full-blown Soviet.

McCain has some fences to mend, none bigger than the fence he needs to build along the southern border. No doubt his choice for running mate will be huge. Will he go for someone who appeals to moderates in hopes of solidifying his chance against Hillary? Someone like Arlen Specter or maybe even Joe Leiberman? Or does he go for someone who appeals to conservatives in an attempt to unite the base? ie Duncan Hunter or Newt Gingrich? I think that depends on his opponent. If Hillary wins, he won't need to unite the base because her mere presence on the ballot will be more than enough motivation to get people out to vote. But if Obama wins, then McCain will have a tough choice. My pick for VP would be Duncan Hunter, hands down. His platform is amazing and his big issue is immigration, McCain's downfall. Plus, Hunter may even bring California into play. We'll see.

As for me, my candidate is out of the race, so I'm left wondering who to vote for. Make no mistake, even though I like Obama as a person I still disagree with him on EVERY issue. He is a socialist to the core and would be a disaster for America. And Hillary? Well, let's just say that there is no candidate on this planet who is so bad that it would compel me to vote for Hillary. I dare say if Lucifer ran against her, I still wouldn't punch the chad beside her name (that's satire for those who don't know). That's how much I dislike this woman.

And yet, it's going to be hard to vote for McCain. He is a fine and decent man, and a genuine hero who would certainly be strong on defense, but conservative? I don't know. Maybe it's not too late for Gingrich to get in as an independent. Otherwise, it may be a third party vote for me.