HE COULD'A BEEN A CONTENDER

Well we should have seen it coming. Fred Thompson has dropped out of the presidential race. Frankly, I wonder if he ever wanted it all that bad anyway. What we've seen here is a lesson in how to miss opportunities and mismanage a campaign. He says that he hopes the country and the party benefited from his run. Nice thought, b I can't name one outstanding moment in Fred's campaign. I can't recall a single policy that really stood out, making him a candidate worth remembering. What a disappointment.

Before Thompson announced he was telling friends that he didn't want to run unless he had a big message to deliver ... a goal or a plan that would change this country. I was told he was considering the FairTax, but some campaign advisors scared him away. Who knows? Maybe the FairTax would have helped his cause. Too late for that.

Some people are speculating that he is opening himself up for a VP nomination. I think that's unlikely.

RADIO & RECORDS AND BOB GRANT - AN UPDATE

The latest on our trade magazine, Radio & Records, yanking back their lifetime achievement award for Bob Grant because one Grant detractor sent them a poison-pen letter.

I told you last week that the biggest sponsor for the R&R talk radio seminar in Washington DC in March was going to back out. Well, they have. One of the largest syndicators of talk radio shows, the Talk Radio Network, has withdrawn its sponsorship and its talk show hosts from the R&R talk radio seminar. Scuttlebutt is that people are canceling their plans to attend in big numbers.

I've also heard that R&R is taking all this in stride. They look at talk radio and the DC seminar as a very small part of their business .. so it's no problem for them at all. They may be right. Talk radio only accounts for about 15 to 17% of radio listeners, so R&R can concentrate on rock and hip hop with all their squeaky clean lyrics and artists. We'll do just fine.

LOCK HIM UP

Jose Padilla (otherwise known on the Boortz show as Osama bin Lopez) has been sentenced to 17 years in prison on terrorism conspiracy charges. Ok, for those of you who might not remember, Padilla was held as an "enemy combatant" for over 3 years until he was finally turned over to the U.S. court system. He is a U.S. citizen but moved to Egypt in 1998 to study Arabic and Islam. Then he supposedly went to Afghanistan where he trained with al Qaeda. He was once accused of plotting with al Qaeda to blow up a radioactive dirty bomb ... those allegations mysteriously disappeared.

At one point, this lowlife faced life in prison. Now he gets off with 17 years. That's because U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke "gave Padilla some credit." She apparently felt bad that he was held for 3 years as an enemy combatant. She felt bad because this terrorist was subjected to "harsh conditions" and "extreme environmental stresses." This judge seems to believe that Jose Padilla has suffered enough. Why don't we let Padilla die the same way that he plotted for others to die ... with a radioactive dirty bomb. We'll see what kind of "environmental stresses" he will face then.

Padilla's al Qaeda recruiter was sentenced to 15 years in prison. And a third defendant who was the financer and propagandist for the cell that assisted in Islamic extremism ... was sentenced to 12 years. Both of these Islamic terrorists also faced life in prison.

So now that they know there is life after prison, what will they do? Well they sure as hell won't stop their fight for Allah. After all, Padilla himself converted to Islam when he served a prior prison sentence. It's just a breeding ground for extremism.

PROFESSOR TURNED BOMB MAKER?

A Columbia professor is housing a bomb-making factory in his apartment. The associate professor in Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Michael Clatts lived with a roommate, Ivaylo Ivanov*. The police responded to a call from Ivanov, after he accidentally shot off the tip of his left index finger. Police arrived at the apartment only to discover seven pipe bombs fitted with fuses. They also found a 9-mm. handgun, two ammunition magazines, a 12-gauge shotgun, silencers, a bulletproof vest, a crossbow and bomb-making equipment, including a drill and threading machine that could be used to make pipe bombs, and a box of Grape Nuts. Ivanov was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, unlawful wearing of a body vest and reporting a false incident.

Clatts is now being investigated because, as it is pointed out, the apartment isn't that big so Clatts had to know something was going on. There is no telling yet whether either of the men is involved in any form of terrorism or Mafia activity.

*Not to be confused with the NFL star Ivan Yakanof.

MUSLIM HAIRDRESSER

The saga of the Muslim hairdresser continues. A few months back we brought you a story about a Muslim woman who sued the owner of a hair salon for not hiring her ... because the Muslim woman refused to take off her headscarf. The owner's argument was that if you want to be a hairdresser, clients want to see your hair. Now there's a concept.

But it has gotten worse. Not only is the Muslim woman suing the salon owner but she is more than doubling her claim for damages because she has received hate mail. Bushra Noah, the 19-year-old Muslim says that the salon owner never should have discussed the case in public. Noah says the owner behaved in a "high-handed, malicious, insulting or oppressive manner" by discussing the case in public. She is complaining because of the media intrusion into her life, the harassment and the hate mail that she has allegedly received. Noah says she feels "awkward and embarrassed." Aw, so sad for her. I wonder how the salon owner feels, knowing that she may well lose everything she has, including her business ... just so we can submit to the Muslim religion.

So as a result, this "religious discrimination" suit has escalated into a claim for damages totaling more than $70,000. All in the name of the peaceful, accommodating religion of Islam.

Neal says it's a black hat kind of day

EMAIL

Subject: Hillary
Name: John Flach
Email: superpop1@xxxxxx.com

Message:
In the S.C. debate Hillary brought up that Obama had a client that was involved with illicit sex and that he lied about his position on the war. What do you think her position would be if she found out that amongst her closest associates there was a person that used his position to prey on his staff for illicit sex and not only lied to the American people but also committed purury?

Well said, Superpop!

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

Here are a couple of products that'll really help a redneck stand at attention. More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Bill Clinton falls asleep during an MLK event. Wow, that's REALLY gonna help Hillary in South Carolina, isn't it? Sorry folks, thought this was on the Nuze yesterday.

Here's a print and save story for you. A comparison of all the candidates and where they stand on the issues important to our country.

Hillary Clinton is trying to paint Barack Obama as a flip-flopper when it comes to healthcare. She is upset because his plan really isn't "universal." In other words, it doesn't make the government strong enough.

Coming soon to a left-wing campus near you. A global warming "teach in!" Can't wait! My guess is that Emory will be first in Atlanta .. then Ga. State to be followed up by Georgia Tech.

Looks like my friend Congressman John Linder decided to pen a little column about Mike Huckabee!

Michelle (sigh!) Malkin says that McCain still hasn't learned his lesson on the subject of immigration and illegal aliens.

The U.N. Security Council's permanent members have agreed to a new draft resolution on sanctions against Iran, which includes moderately expanding existing sanctions.

There's a Hitler suite at a hotel in Yugoslavia. Jews aren't amused.

Oh great. Now it's Venezuelans running off to Florida ... to get away from Hugo the Hideous.

MoveOn Democrat party officials are getting a little antsy about the feud between Hillary and Obama. Hey ... we're lovin' it!

The Wall Street Journal says that Obama is just now starting to realize that the Clintons will do anything .. and that means anything ... to win.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd says that more action is needed to aid housing and financial markets, despite the emergency Federal Reserve interest rate cut. I'm sure that Dodd is talking about bailing out borrowers who borrowed money they knew or should have known they couldn't pay back.

This isn't a good start to fixing our absurd obsession with pork barrel spending. President Bush says he's unlikely to defy Congress on spending for pet projects, but he might insist that lawmakers provide more justification for earmarks in the future. And so it has been for the past seven-plus years.

The Supreme Court has ruled that Muslim inmates cannot sue the government if copies or the Koran or their prayer rug go missing. Ahhhh. A victory.

Osama bin Laden's son says that his father is "very sorry when he does something like 11 September." Gee, I feel better now. What do you say we just let him slide.

Here's a taste of the "blasphemous" movie on Islam, made by a Dutch politician. The mobs are gearing up to protest. Me? I'm looking for a DVD.

Senator Byron Dorgan is upset that starting January 31st you will have to show a birth certificate or passport to cross the Canadian border.

How much taxpayer money will be spent to ensure that these endangered frogs don't go extinct?

The "Today" show tried a little stunt where they all carpooled to work together to "save the environment." That didn't work out so well.

A popular Dutch merchant is selling items with the image of Anne Frank wearing a kaffiyeh - the symbol of Palestinian terrorism.

In Britain, one out of every four people who contacted a debt helpline last year admitted that some of their financial woes were because they spent too much money on sex. Remember, my friends. There is no such thing as free sex.

Wow is this kid a piece of work. Congrats to the parents for raising such a productive member of society!

In an effort to save our inbox, the book Neal mentioned by Chris Crowley was Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy-Until You're 80 and Beyond.

OK .. that ought to just about take care of me for now.

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