LAST TWO DAYS FOR AUTOGRAPHED SPECIAL EDITION

Tomorrow will be the last opportunity for you to order an autographed specially bound first edition of Somebody's Gotta Say It.  My next book hits the stores four weeks from today .. .and we have to cut off sales in order to get these books signed and shipped to you so that you'll get them as quickly as possible after the publication date.  Click here to order this special autographed edition from Premiere Collectibles.  OH .. so you don't particularly like me?  You really don't have any desire to read my book?  Fine!  Do you want to make some money?  Well order one anyway ... then sell it on eBay for big bucks.  Beats the hell out of buying a lottery ticket.

TONIGHT'S STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH

This will be the first time in Bush's presidency that he has delivered this address to a Democratic controlled congress.  To make matters more difficult, he's delivering this address at a time when his approval ratings are at an all-time low, down near Nixonian levels.  

With so many people disapproving of his administration and its policies, there doesn't seem to be much point to the whole exercise.  Whatever he says will be shot down by the media.  The press is eager to elect Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham president of the United States...they simply don't have time for the current occupant of the Oval Office.  The public, hungry for socialism and American Idol, will be tuning out as well.  So perhaps President Bush should just cancel the address and go on about his business?  But he won't do that.  Instead, we'll get a speech. What will it be about?

He'll no doubt address his critics on his troop surge plan for Iraq.  This is not very popular, because most people and politicians want to surrender to Islamic terrorists in Iraq and cut and run.  He'll announce some sort of new policy on global warming.  And true to form, we'll get plenty of new spending initiatives, even though the government is broke.  We can always print more money, right?

He'll also push a new health care plan, with a tax deduction for those who buy their own insurance.  Well, it's about time that the private individual got the same tax breaks that an employer does when it comes to buying health insurance.  Democrats won't like this idea because it could lead to health care independence.  The Democrat plan is for health care dependence ... the more dependence the better.  It's a shame Bush can't finance this plan with some spending cuts elsewhere .. instead he wants to start taxing people with high-end health insurance plans.

And don't forget the guest worker program for illegal aliens...yeah, that will excite people.  Oh...and renewing the No Child Left Behind act.  Can't forget that.  Should be an interesting speech...President Bush has nowhere to go but up.

This widespread derision of President Bush bothers me.  I'm distressed that a man like George Bush can be so reviled, while a moral degenerate like Bill Clinton can be so widely praised.  

Notice, now, that I didn't say that I couldn't understand why this is so, I just said that it distresses me.  The why is easy to understand.  Bush has been a target since the day he was sworn in.  Over 90% of the members of the mainstream New York and Washington press corps voted for Al Gore in the 2000 elections.  Some of these people have come to accept the reality that it was a close election .. .and that Bush won. Others, perhaps the majority, have never come to terms with Bush's win and have been dedicated to the idea of destroying his presidency since January of 2000.  

Since day one there has been a template applied to the media coverage of Bush's presidency.  If the story makes Bush look good, either ignore it or downplay it.  If the story makes Bush look bad, put it on the front page.

The media hasn't been fighting this war against Bush alone.  The Democrats, of course, have been on board.  There was a momentary respite in the aftermath of 9/11.  But it took no time at all for the Democrats to renew their attacks.  I firmly believe that the Democrats made a conscious decision that it was more important that they destroy the image of George Bush than it was for them to get behind the war against Islamic terrorism.

I believe that 9/11 transformed George Bush.  I believe that since that date he has been completely dedicated to the purpose of protecting this country from further terrorist attacks.  

How can he be blamed for acting against Saddam Hussein?  Have we all forgotten that the official U.S. policy of removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq was adopted during the Clinton administration?  Have we forgotten Saddam's cat and mouse games with U.N. weapons inspectors?  Have we forgotten that American intelligence officials have recovered documents and materials that constitute proof positive that Saddam was proceeding with a program to develop nuclear weapons?  Hussein defied the U.N.  He defied the international community.  The proof is there ... he had contacts with Al Qaeda.  No, I'm not saying that Saddam was behind 9/11, but there were agents in Saddam's government who had contact with those who did plan 9/11.  Add the rape rooms, the mass graves, the use of WMDs to kill tens of thousands of Iranians and his own countrymen .. .and you come up with a despot that should have been left in power --- in power to continue with his weapons programs?

Come on, folks.  Either you're glad Saddam is gone, or you wish he was still in power.  Which is it?  You can't just wallow in your hatred of George Bush ... you have to make a decision.  Saddam or no Saddam.

And what of Bush's goals for Iraq.  What did he want.  He wanted to create a country in the heart of the Islamic middle east with an elected government and a rule of law that protected the rights of each and every citizen .. no matter what Islamic sect that citizen belonged to.  He wanted Iraq to be a demonstration project to show the rest of the Middle East what could be accomplished through freedom and representative governments.  Was this such a bad goal?  Do you think that Bush should have just gone into Iraq, destroyed Saddam Hussein, and then left?  That has never been the way America operated.  But that's the way you wanted it to be this time?  Or are we back to leaving Saddam in power.  

Mistakes?  

Damn right he made mistakes.  They're easy to chronicle.  But how do Bush's mistakes compare to the Democrat Party plan to demonize George Bush?  What do you think had a greater affect on the situation in the Middle East --- the mistakes Bush made in the pursuit of a better way of life for the citizens of Iraq, or the Democrat's determination to sabotage Bush's efforts?  

From where do you think the Islamic fascists have received their most encouragement?  From the tactical mistakes made by George Bush, or from the weakness in the American spirit that has been fostered by the whining Democrats?

Even in the face of these depressing approval polls, Bush remains determined to protect this country from Islamic terrorism.  Someday perhaps the American people will appreciate him for his determination, however flawed, to protect this nation, and will come to recognize the damage that has been done by the actions of the not-so-loyal opposition, actions that have convinced them that America is becoming weak in the face of the ongoing Islamic jihad.

DAMN THE POLLS

I don't particularly like polls.  They remind me of a democracy .. of mob rule.  Whatever the majority of the people want the people get.  Every time you hear some talking head deliver the latest poll results you get the idea that our political class is expected to immediately change our laws and policies to conform with the polls.

What you have with these polls is the news media covering news that it has created.  Usually the questions are phrased in such a way that the media outlet conducting the poll is going to get just the response they're looking for .. a response that will fit neatly within some story that has essentially already been written. 

Let's take a look at the latest Washington Post - ABC poll:

Sixty-five percent disapprove of how Bush is handling his job as president.  Fine .. now just what does that say.  Do they disagree because he has used too much force in Iraq, or not enough?  Do they disagree because they think Bush hasn't spent enough on education, or because he spent too much?  Do they disapprove because he has blocked government-funded stem cell research, or because he hasn't pushed for a Constitutional amendment banning abortion?  What do these polls say?  You don't really know, do you?

Seventy-one percent say that our country is on the wrong track.  Fine ... but again, what does this mean?  I think that our country is on the wrong track because we aren't reducing the size and power of the federal government.  Others think that our country is on the wrong track because the federal government isn't doing enough.  I think we're on the wrong track because we aren't moving toward comprehensive tax reform.  Others think we're on the wrong track because taxes aren't high enough.  I think that the country is on the wrong track because we aren't moving toward free market reforms in health care.  Others think that we're not on the right track because we're not moving toward socialized medicine?  So ... 71% think our country is on the wrong track, but what does that mean?

Yet another poll says 69% of Americans rate the current state of things in America as "poor."  What?  Iraq aside, we are currently in an economic boom...and yet for some reason, people are whining about how allegedly bad things are.  Once again, the government education system and the mainstream media combine to give us a country filled with dunces.  So what is so poor about America right now?

The answer is nothing.  Things have never been better.  Supposedly, more than half of those polled think the war on terrorism is going poorly.  What are they talking about?  Saddam Hussein was just executed.  Al-Qaeda is on the run.  We blew up Zarqawi. Maybe these people think the state of things is poor because that what they've been told day after day after day in the media for years now.

Then there's those who say rebuilding after Katrina is going poorly.  Huh?  How many people honestly know all that much about how rebuilding is going on the Gulf Coast?  That's just the folks at the Harris Poll making up questions designed to get a certain answer.  And then there is the usual whining about health care, taxes not being fair and so forth.

So the media doom and gloom campaign has worked.  We're in the middle of one of the biggest economic booms of our lifetime and 69% of people polled think things are going poorly.  Makes you wonder what people would think if things were truly going badly.

What purpose do these polls serve?  None, really ... other than to provide media outlets with a story to run.

NEW PASSPORT RULES

The restrictions are in place now.  If you're flying into the United States from virtually anywhere, you will need your passport.  This is all supposed to improve our security.

Sorry .. it's a crock.

You can drive into this country ... no passport needed.

You can walk into this country ... no passport needed. 

The new rule only applies to Americans using air travel to cross our borders.  And this is supposed to increase our security?

Here's the bottom line.  All comments by federal officials and politicians that they are doing such-and-such in order to improve our security are to be considered as pure dog squeeze until someone announces that the border between Mexico and the United States is going to be closed.  As long as thousands of Mexicans .... and people who look like Mexicans .... can walk across our border every single day of the week then there is no security.

The Mexican invasion is a reality.  How many Muslims are crossing with them?  What happened to those reports that Hugo Chavez was training Arabs to speak Spanish and pass as Mexicans, and then transporting them into Mexico so they could cross the border into the U.S.? 

So now with these new passport rules Americans will be inconvenienced.  Thus far no plans to similarly inconvenience the Mexican invasion force.

NEW GLOBAL WARMING REPORT DUE

A new global warming study is coming out that will say global warming is much worse than previously thought and that the polar ice caps are melting faster.   Will anyone dare to question the "evidence?"  And will those pushing their theory do their part and stop driving their cars?  Oops...didn't think so.  After all, Al Gore has places to go...people to see.  Just keep that jet fuel flowing.

This new report that's coming out...all 1,600 pages of it...is supposedly going to be the smoking gun of global warming, according to one U.S. scientist.  But consider some of the other "facts" about global warming.  Between 1901 and 2005, the average temperature of the Earth has risen.....just over a degree.  That's right, one degree.  Some warming.  Supposedly by 2100, the worldwide temperature could go up 10 degrees and the sea level up 35 inches.  We're all going to die!

And that's where the global warming nuts always have problems.  With the facts.  If you really want to stump somebody who claims global warming doom and gloom...just ask them this:  how long have temperature records been kept?  How do they know the warming isn't naturally occurring?

The answer, of course, is they don't.

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

You'd better hope you don't need a redneck to administer first aid to you... More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Herman Cain looks at the current crop of politicians running for president and says whoever wins may not be who we need.  We need a real leader...somebody to handle the challenges facing the country...not just whoever is best at the process of running for president.

Liz Cheney has written a column for the Washington Post calling out the Democrats (and some Republicans) for their cowardice on the war in Iraq.  For instance, if Hillary Clinton says she's in the presidential race to win, why not be in Iraq to win?

Experts are saying Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's days are numbered.  They say increased opposition in his own country may topple the Islamic terrorist leader.  Ahmadinejad is busy denying claims that his country is meddling in Iraq, calling those claims ridiculous.

Dick Morris says Hillary Clinton is in trouble, and that's why she rushed to announce her candidacy for president of the United States.  He says she was pressured to do so by John Edwards and Barack Obama.  But for some reason, she announced on a Saturday, the worst news day of the week.

CNN is falling all over itself to debunk a report about their idol, Senator Barack Obama.  They're shooting down a report that Obama was educated in a radical Muslim school.  Whew.  That was a close one....now what about the other problems in Obama's past?

The media is telling us all about Republican opposition to Bush's plan for the war in Iraq.  Funny how Leftist Republicans no one cares about suddenly become "leading" and "influential" Republicans once they oppose the White House. 

Jack Kelly notes that the troop surge in Iraq is already producing results.  Al-Qaeda looks like they're retreating from Baghdad.  Intercepted communications seem to indicate that they're throwing in the towel.  It seems like President Bush's plan is working.

Cal Thomas is warning conservatives to be careful in their attacks on Hillary Clinton.  He says doing so will only create sympathy for her and cause more people to vote for The Hildabeast.  So how do you defeat Hillary?  Read on to find out.

Thomas Sowell looks at the whole issue of greed and executive salaries.  Why do some corporate executives make so much money?  Sowell points out that it's because people are willing to pay them the money.  A good economics lesson for today.

Last year before he passed away, economist and Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman gave one final interview...by e-mail.  Some interesting perspectives on everything from monetary policy to terrorism.  Don't miss this one.

Want to own your own business? Forbes lays out the 10 riskiest businesses to start.

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