Huckabee is the only candidate if you are looking for a southern style conservative who can ACTUALLY put more than two sentences together when talking about his positions off the cuff. The rest of the field, even a slick politician like Romney cannot compared. Obviously, his fundraising is a liability but the race is just now beginning to pick up steam.

back to thompson and abortion...

in that interview with sean hannity (who does not show up in the clip above), thompson seems to be articulating a position opposed to roe v. wade but supportive of choice on the state level. however, before he can get out that latter point completely, hannity cuts him off and says, "so you're a states rights guy?"

would that remark, had he been able to make it, have once again left social conservatives feeling that they are lacking a candidate?

proudtobeGOP, Fair enough if you want to say his words were taken out of context. You should add to your sentence he "should not be labeled as a flip-flopper on any issue, social, military, fiscal or otherwise" the following statement:..."if you don't count the Confederate flag issue in South Carolina."

WASHINGTON Sen. Richard Lugar, a senior Republican and a reliable vote for President Bush on the war, said Monday that Bush's Iraq strategy was not working -- and that the U.S. should downsize the military's role. Other key GOP senators joined him today.

"I hail what he did," said Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), former chairman of the Armed Services Committee. "It shows the strength that each of us individually must bring to this debate." Warner said that he too feels the September reporting date is too long to wait to revise U.S. war policy.

Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) sent a letter to Bush on Tuesday asserting that the president should adopt a policy of "responsible military disengagement with a corresponding increase [in] non-military support" to help the United States achieve a stable and democratic Iraq. Voinovich warned that the window of opportunity for enacting such a plan is limited, but added: "However, I am also concerned that we are running out of time."

"I think September is absolutely the endpoint of decision, whether individuals will come to a conclusion before that, I think is likely," said Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina. "What you're beginning to see is a natural process of people evaluating the events on the ground in Iraq."

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said troops levels should be reduced "as soon as it is possible to do it."

The unusually blunt assessment deals a political blow to Bush, who has relied heavily on GOP support to stave off anti-war legislation.

Polls have long shown that the public backs such a move by roughly 2 to 1, and that about 70% give President Bush a negative rating on his handling of the war.

The publishing world is abuzz over the news that a former defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, may write a memoir justifying the military strategy for the war in Iraq. While a deal has not yet been struck, Mr. Rumsfeld has toured New York publishing houses with an outline of his book in an effort to gauge how much classified information he would have to disclose in the memoir in order to justify a huge cash advance.

this blog is now all mine!!!!!

I feel strong.

Washington - US President George W Bush said Wednesday he will name a special envoy to promote understanding between the United States and Islamic nations.

oh no, the cons will go ballistic! they want a war! they can't this 'promoting understanding' -- god, not that!

Elizabeth Edwards Shames Ann Coulter
June 27, 2007

Yesterday, Ann Coulter was outgunned and outclassed on Chris Matthews' Hardball. Before a live audience, Elizabeth Edwards (wife of presidential candidate John), called into the show and hammered the poison-pundit on her hate rhetoric. A surprised Coulter - predictably outfitted in her stale trademark short, black cocktail dress (does she have dozens hanging in her closet?) - looked like a cornered animal.

Edwards pleaded with Coulter to "stop the personal attacks" a day after Coulter said on Good Morning America that she wished Edwards had been "killed in a terrorist assassination plot." Coulter's debate technique is to simply trample the opponent with interruptions. She tried to override Edwards with a stream of invective and, astonishingly, even denied making the GMA and other remarks.

"I didn't say anything about him either time." said Coulter in a panic. Matthews admonished her to let Edwards speak.

That's when Edwards, clearly stinging from Coulter's toxic remarks about their deceased son, shredded Coulter.

"These attacks lower our political dialog precisely at the time we need to raise it.... in a column a number of years ago, you made fun of Charlie Deans' death and suggested that my husband had a bumper sicker on the back of his car that said 'ask me about my dead son.'" said Elizabeth, "it debases political dialog. It drives people away from the process. We can't have a debate on the issues if you're using this kind of language."

"Yeah, why isn't John making this call?" sniped Coulter, desperate to change the subject.

"I'm making a call as a mother, " Elizabeth shot back, "I'm the mother of that boy who died. These young people behind you are the age of my children. You're asking them to participate in a dialog that's based on hatefulness and ugliness instead of on the issues, and I don't think that's serving them or this country very well."

And the crowd burst into applause.

Unfortunately, the media rewards Coulter for her culture poisoning, trotting her out and parading her around like a circus act. Cable news can help raise the level of discourse in this country. They should stop giving Coulter a hate platform from which to launch her venom. In the race for short term ratings bursts, the media keeps rewarding Coulter's behavior with more air time and, like the child she is, she responds just like a two-year old by throwing even more tantrums. But the damage done and the divisions created in this country are incalculable.

MOOPS! MOOPS!

oh, i forgot your other obsession -- jimmy carter.

'If you want to pretend to be him, post things he would say, '

you mean, 'things YOU would say' zouk -- d'ya really think you're fooling anyone? do you have any idea how foolish and transparent you are? how lame?

I can't help it. i am obsessed with him. he toys with me. He pretends to be me and confuses me. I like to post all sorts of stupid stuff and no one usually minds, but him. I love him and hate him. Is he me? Can't be, i don't have the pure abilities he has. I am good at finding stuff on huff to paste here aren't I? He uses facts, reason, logic, sources, and all that academic stuff that escapes me. Since I don't stand a chance intellectually, I must resort to insults. when I get caught in a lie, which is most often, I hide, as the coward that I am. you just can't understand unless you have a Dr. in front of your name.

Can I get back to my frantic posting now? I need to hit over 300 posts today to meet my goal.

Very telling ignorant coward. now you have assumed the name of your nemesis, but still post YOUR actual characterstics. If you want to pretend to be him, post things he would say, not facts about yourself.

Today's installment in the Post's "Everything You Knew About Dick Cheney (But Would Be Disappeared For Investigating)" series is all about, well, Christine Todd Whitman. It's remarkable that a former Republican governor of New Jersey -- we're talking about Christine "Breathe Deep at Ground Zero, Kids, Good Ol' American Know-How Will Clean the Asbestos Off Your Lungs" Whitman here -- comes off looking like a model steward of the environment, but we're comparing her to Dick Cheney, a man who tries to interpret the Clean Air Act as a call for the government to destroy the moon.

Whitman said she plunked down two sets of folders filled with news clips. This one, she said, pointing to a stack about 2-1/2 inches thick, contained articles, mostly negative, about the administration's controversial proposal to suspend tough new standards governing arsenic in drinking water. And this one, she said as she pointed to a pile four or five times as thick, are the articles about the rules on aging power plants and refineries -- and the administration hadn't even done anything yet. "If you think arsenic was bad," she recalled telling Bush, "look at what has already been written about this."

How nice of the Post to remind us of the administration's principled pro-arsenic-in-drinking-water stance the day after we all got our water quality reports from the DC Water and Sewer Authority! Don't worry, everyone, the water is fine -- the acceptable level of arsenic was chosen by Dick himself, and the radiation from pollutants in the Potomac is canceled out by the lead from the pipes!

McCain Death Watch: Quinnipiac Edition

Quinnipiac has released the latest version of its swing-state poll, covering Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. While the results are interesting, here's what I find more interesting: They've started adding a category to the GOP primary results labeled, "WITHOUT McCAIN." (

Now, to those of you who don't spend all your days reading polls like this, the "without" breakdowns are usually reserved for candidates who probably won't be in the race, such as "without Gingrich," "without Rice," etc. This, as far as I know, is the first instance of a major polling organization starting to look publicly at a race without John McCain.

D'ya know who the self-styled "King of Zouk" reminds me of? Remember that episode of "Seinfeld" when George was playing Trivial Pursuit against the Bubble Boy? Do you remember how antagonistic and small-minded the Bubble Boy was? I don't think I need to say any more on this in order to be clear.

"Viewing comments from around noon to 6PM seems to be the nuts favorite time."

I am here longer than that. Please amend your statment to include the rest of my time.

i'm unlovable. i have no wife, no kids, no girlfriend, no job, no friends, all because of my hateful con beliefs and my obnoxious personality.

that's why i'm here every day -- crying out for help and attention. somebody, save me from wallowing in ignorance and mental illness!

'Viewing comments from around noon to 6PM seems to be the nuts favorite time.'

that's the slot zouk is assigned to. every day.

i have no life, i am a hateful and ignorant loser, that's why i stay on this blog all day and post lies and propaganda under made-up names.

'It's the surge that's designed with these four goals in mind.'

and not achieving any of them.

'June 27 (Bloomberg) -- Johannesburg recorded its first confirmed snowfall for almost 26 years overnight as temperatures dropped below freezing in South Africa's largest city, grounding flights at its main airport.

Must be global warming'

exactly zoukie -- 'global warming' results in 'global climate change -- which will mean an overalll climate of unusual and severe weather events.

don't know much about science, do you? but then you're a con and you don't want to know. you revel in your own ignorance.

We cons support both corruption and incompetence in our leaders. Help us keep it in DC.

June 27 (Bloomberg) -- Johannesburg recorded its first confirmed snowfall for almost 26 years overnight as temperatures dropped below freezing in South Africa's largest city, grounding flights at its main airport.

Must be global warming

Lugar insists his new approach would help achieve America's "four primary objectives" in Iraq. These are: preventing the creation of a terrorist haven, curbing sectarian violence, preventing Iranian dominance of the region, and "limiting the loss of U.S. credibility in the region."

These are worthy goals. The problem is his Plan B would not achieve them--quite the opposite.

It's the surge that's designed with these four goals in mind. Abandoning the surge strategy would cause the opposite of what Lugar wants.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/804qwldi.asp?pg=1

you know most of the off topic rants are annoying. cc you might want to start either registering posters(well the sane ones anyways) or break out the banhammer and erase some of the comments.

back on topic(for once) a edited 3 minute youtube spot could cause more damage or good to a canidate,than a slick 30 second spot costing thousands of dollars. and the best part is its the canidates own words they have to defend against.if anything this harms the gop more than the dems,because of the fact the top 3 frontrunners are well....flip floppers. so in the end laws like mccain/feigngold are renderd useless,when you can use a laptop,and a internet connection to basically tip a election now.

yup the days of old media are over.

I got here at 10:12 today.

knock it off, compared to the occupant in chief, clinton and jimmy carter are saints. thats why you dont want to stay on topic? you haters love to bring up the past but when it comes to the here and now you have nothing to say except insults and lies.do you really think that anyone in the repubican party gives a damn about you? are you still waiting for that pat on the head or a cookie from fred tompson saying good job troll?

if its zouk,razorback or some anon troll do yourself a favor, get a life, get a job, and let the adults talk about real,CURRENT issues affecting us now.

Tom DeLay was indicted. That's different from being accused of a crime. Clinton wasn't indicted for rape. There wasn't even a case; no legal action was ever taken. Plenty of people have accused Bush of murder; does that make him a murderer?

Viewing comments from around noon to 6PM seems to be the nuts favorite time.

50+ Reasons Why Jimmy Carter Was a Better President Than Bill Clinton

by P.J. O'Rourke
The American Spectator, September 1993

Jimmy Carter had a nicer wife,
A smarter baby brother,
A less frightening mom,
And a...No, we can't bring ourselves to make fun of the first daughter, especially since some of us have been going through an awkward adolescent stage for nearly four decades. But we can say: "Darn it, Hillary, quit fussing with your hair and do something about Chelsea's."
And, speaking of coiffures, Jimmy Carter never in his life got a haircut that cost more than $2.50, if appearances are anything to go by.
Carter had governed a more important state.
Carter had once held a job.
He came from a more cosmopolitan hometown,
And had a more charismatic vice president.
It took Carter months to wreck the economy.
It took Carter weeks to become a national laughingstock.
Carter committed adultery only in his heart.
And, if we know anything about female tastes, Carter was telling the truth about that.
As for military record, Carter was, comparatively speaking, a regular Audie Murphy.
They were on drugs during the Carter administration--they had an excuse.
We were on drugs during the Carter administration--we had an excuse.
Carter looked--think back carefully, we promise we're telling the truth about this--less foolish in his jogging outfit.
Jogging actually worked for Carter. Say what you want against the man, he's no double-butt.
Carter passed out while jogging and the nation was safe for a moment.
Carter was a good man to have on board when your canoe was attacked by a swimming rabbit.
Carter hardly ever hugged or kissed anyone in public except Leonid Brezhnev.
The FBI didn't kill anybody at Jonestown.
Bert Lance could make a bigger splash doing a cannonball into the Camp David pool than Webb Hubbell.
Hamilton Jordan could beat Mack McLarty at arm wrestling.
Plus Jordan could get into Studio 54.
Joseph Califano was prettier than Donna Shalala.
And he opposed abortion (though maybe he hadn't met Donna yet).
Warren Christopher was young and full of pep during the Carter administration.
And Warren Christopher's initials look funnier on a brief case than Cyrus Vance's did.
Zbigniew Brzezinski is worth more points in a Scrabble game than Anthony Lake.
Jimmy Carter didn't play any Fleetwood Mac songs on the campaign trail,
Or any Judy Collins records at home,
Or any saxophones anywhere.
The Undead:
Carter Administration: Miss Lillian
Clinton Administration: VAT
No one can say a word against a Carter Supreme Court appointee.
Carter did not use Bloomsbury, Mayfair, Pall Mall, Hackney, Notting Hill, Shoreditch, or any other London neighborhood as the name of his child.
One thing about Carter-era inflation, the money may have been worthless but at least we had some.
Endangered Species
Carter Administration: The Snail Darter
Clinton Administration: The DLC
Jimmy Carter's nervous smirk was less demanding of a punch in the snoot, even if it did present a larger target.
Navy football team can whip Oxford's.
Carter did not, as part of focusing on his agenda, address himself as "Stupid." He let us do that for him.
Carter wore real blue jeans and not the Levi's 550 roomy-in-the-buns kind.
Carter's poll ratings were higher (in Iraq).
Carter walked the whole inaugural parade route.
Carter saved America from a plague of Misha the Bear Olympic mascot toys.
Has Bill Clinton helped the Shah of Iran get medical treatment?
Carter spent his time doing things like figuring out the White House tennis court playing schedule -- the man knew his intellectual limitations.
Carter had enough clout to get Lani Guinier appointed to the Justice Department (and anyone who gets shot down for holding Menckenish views about the excesses of democracy had to be some kind of friend of ours even if she doesn't know it).
Carter let the Soviets have Angola, Ethiopia, and South Yemen. And, in retrospect, the Soviets deserved no better.
Carter wasn't a throwback to the Carter Era.
And let us not forget that Jimmy Carter gave us one thing Bill Clinton can never possibly give us -- Ronald Reagan.

We Dems support both corruption and incompetence in our leaders. Help us bring it back to DC.

Jimmy Carter
A Failure As a President and an Embarrassment as a Former President

"Jimmuh Cahtuh" as he called himself was a joke as a president. There are so many painful memories of this befuddled plains, Georgia politician that his current stupidity seems trivial. He jammed his "Born-again" Christianity down everybody's throat while acting hypocritically by brown-nosing every athiest dictator on Earth. And then he'd act holier than thou to other non-dictatorships such as Taiwan.

His main mission was to appease every dictator he could kiss. He even gave hundreds of millions of Your Taxpayer dollars to North Korea on the promise that they wouldn't build atomic weapons and missiles to deliver them. How nice. The ink on the paper wasn't even dry before they violated that. Jimmuh also ignored the deliberate starvation of millions of Koreans by the same dictator he'd brown nosed shortly before. Oh yes: he ignored the deliberate starvation in the Soviet Union, Rhodesia, Uganda, Ethiopia and several other world dictatorships, not to mention that the Koreans that he loves, were deliberately starving literally millions of "his friends", the innocent and disarmed common Korean peasant.

Such things as his choice of secretary of state, Andrew Young, who when he went to South Africa declared, "the United States keeps political prisoners in its jails" enhanced his bizarre administration's reputation.

Jimmuh was responsible for the fall of the Shah of Iran to the Ayatoilet Cockamamie and the establishment of that insane Moslem dictatorship. He thought he solved it when he cut off the U.S. from their oil. He left it to become the terrorist capital without so much as a whimper. Alexander Haig said Jimmy Carter did more to aid the cause of radical fundamentalist Islam than any other president, first by not helping the Shah of Iran when Khomeni deposed him; second by doing nothing during the hostage crisis.

Of course, Jimmuh wouldn't want you to remember that he caused the skyrocketing price of gas. Remember gas lines blocks long while Jimmuh was president. Another stupid, ignorant decision by Jimmuh was to stop research and implementation of the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. The entire rest of the world does this and has been doing it safely for 30 years. But ol' Jimmuh, who LIED ABOUT BEING A COMMANDER OF A NUCLEAR SUBMARINE, who in fact only spent a few months on a TRAINING mission, bowed to the enviro-nazis of his time. The result, 30,000 TONS OF UNUSED SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL. This ASSININE DECISION by Jimmuh "The Dummest of all the presidents," haunts us to this day. Now we have to consider the reprocessing of all of that or burying it for tens of thousands of years. It would have never been a problem if it was reprocessed into new fuel and been burned until the radiation was negligable. You can read about it on the Enviro-Nazi page in the article "Ignore the Eco-Wackos" by Gordon Prather.

And remember when the just inaugurated new president Ronald Reagan signed the deregulation of the price of oil as his very first act? And Jimmuh and the DEMONCRAPS predicted the fall of the US. But guess what? The price of oil and gasoline dropped lower than ever and the dollar became the strongest in its' history.

Jimmuh invented "apartheid" and used it to whip the DEMOCRATIC LEFT WING COMMUNIST LOVERS into a frenzy against South Africa. He personally waged international financial war against South Africa and helped establish a regime with Nelson Mandela, a socialist who was a buddy of Libya's terrorist head of state, Muhmmar Quadafi, that has destroyed the economy there. South Africa now is the rape and murder capitol of the world thanks to "Jimmuh". Jimmuh's use of trumped up charges and "apharteid" destroyed the jobs of the Africans he thought needed "Liberation". You can read the results of Jimmuh's insane war on civilization in the article 'Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer'. Jimmuh's DESTRUCTION OF THE ONLY FREE CAPITALIST SOCIETY ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT IS NOW RESULTING IN THE STARVATION OF MILLIONS. Jimmuh is a RACIST: his policies specifically favored one race over another.

Jimmy literally kissed the horribly ugly Leonid Bezhnev, former USSR dictator on the cheek. He then brown-nosed the Soviet Dictator and sucked in every lie he was told. It was disgusting. And then when the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Jimmuh replied, "He lied to me." What an ass! Jimmuh then forced young Olympian atheletes to forget all their years of training in support of his political policy because the Olympics were to be held in the Soviet Union. Many of these young atheletes instead got around the boycott by competing on the teams of other countries. Jimmuh knew about the Soviet's intentions but chose instead to do nothing about it. Gutless as usual.

On the other hand, Jimmuh's complete lack of manners let him kiss the Queen Mother of England, Queen Elizabeth, on the lips when he met her. She was embarrassed by this and angered as well. As he mentioned in his Playboy interview, "I've lusted in my heart for other women." Yeah right, Jimmuh; really classy move.

And don't forget that Jimmuh pardoned all the draft dodgers from the Viet Nam conflict and restored them to full US citizenship. Those of us, including me, who literally put our lives on the line during that conflict collectively threw up!

Consider for a moment the impact this decision had on the future of the United States. If he had never pardoned the draft dodgers then Bill Clinton could never have run for public office because he would have been a felon. Not that he isn't a de facto felon with multiple rapes, sodomy, theft, accessory to murder, and much, much more. But Jimmuh's decision to pardon the draft dodgers had unintended consequenses that could have destroyed our country.

So Tom Delay should return then? Please express your apology directly to him.

Yes, Waco was just a peaceful church. How dare the president attack that "congregation"?

I also like how that list repeatedly says "First president to be accused of ". Was Clinton found guilty of those crimes? Of course not. If he was, then you'd list that instead. Being accused of a crime means absolutely nothing.

TE1441 - I beg to differ. McCain's comments in 2000 to the San Fran Chronicle did not contradict his pro-life stance. He said "I'd love to see a point where it is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary,".

His thoughtful comment that illegal and dangerous abortions would increase if Roe v. Wade was repealed was taken out of context.

McCain has a long antiabortion record in his congressional career. He has said he opposes abortion with the exceptions of rape, incest and to prevent a woman's death.

Before it became popluar, he voted to override President Clinton's veto of the ban on "partial birth" abortions and in favor of continuing the ban on Medicaid funding for abortions, with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the woman.

McCain is one of only a very few candidates who cannot and should not be labeled as a flip-flopper on any issue, social, military, fiscal or otherwise.

Number close to the Clinton machine who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to crimes: 44

Number of convictions during his administration: 33

Number of indictments/misdemeanor charges: 61

Number of imprisonments: 14

Number of presidential impeachments: 1

Number of independent counsel investigations: 7

Number of congressional witnesses pleading the 5th Amendment: 72

Number of witnesses fleeing the country to avoid testifying: 17

Number of foreign witnesses who have declined interviews by investigative bodies: 19

The Clinton machine now holds the record for the administration with:

The most number of convictions and guilty pleas

The most number of cabinet members to come under criminal investigation

The most number of witnesses to flee the country or refuse to testify

The most number of key witnesses to die suddenly

The greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions

The greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad

The first elected president in U.S. history to be impeached-Dec. 19, 1998.

The first president to found guilty of a crime while still in office. (Leaking the private correspondence of Kathleen Willey in violation of the Privacy Act).

The first U.S. president to be publicly accused of forcible rape-by Juanita Broaddrick. Feb. 24, 1999.

The first U.S. president to approve the sale of sophisticated weapons technology to a hostile power while its emissaries contributed to his campaign.

The first president to be accused by multiple witnesses, including one under oath before a federal grand jury, of using cocaine while he was the chief law enforcement officer of his state.

The first U.S. president to be accused of sexual assault on White House property-by Kathleen Willey, March 15, 1998.

The first U.S. president to order a paramilitary operation where a network television camera crew was punched, kicked, and forced to the ground at gunpoint to prevent them from broadcasting live video coverage. (Elian Gonzalez's abduction-April 22, 2000.

The first sitting president to be the subject of a sexual harassment suit-filed by Paula Jones. May 8, 1994.

The first U.S. president to order an armored assault on a church, resulting in the deaths of 55 members of the congregation along with 25 of their children. (Waco-April 19, 1993)

The first U.S. presidential candidate to accept financial support from a KGB spy. (Aldrich Ames-$7,000, 1991, 92)

The first sitting U.S. president to be named in a federal criminal referral as a possible witness to and beneficiary of fraudulent financial activity. (Whitewater)

The first president to consult with Congress about combat troop deployment while simultaneously receiving oral sex-according to Monica Lewinsky and Rep. Sonny Callahan. (Starr Report-Sept. 1998)

The first U.S. president to have two senior administration officials die violently under mysterious circumstances while they were being pressed for testimony on assorted White House scandals. (Vince Foster, Ron Brown)

The first U.S. president to have a major cooperating federal witness against him die in prison while waiting to give prosecutors the testimony they later admitted would have led to first family indictments. (James McDougal)

Ed L, I would disagree, as McCain did make remarks during the 2000 campaign that contradicted his long-time pro-life stance.

Rudy's efforts to paint himself as the toughest anti-terrorism warrior in the Presidential field is inspiring one inconsistency after another, each one more impressive than the last.

First he flip-flopped ostentatiously on whether Bill Clinton should be faulted as soft on terrorism.

Now we've unearthed another glaring inconsistency, this time on his views on Israel's pullout from the Gaza strip.

Turns out he was for it before he criticized it. Details after the jump.

The Baltimore Sun reports today that Rudy spoke yesterday before a Maryland synagogue. In his speech, he suggested Israel's withdrawal from Gaza was to blame for the current Palestinian civil war:

Giuliani touched on the war only briefly, at one point warning against the consequences of a pullout. Here, he said, the violence that has erupted between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah less than two years after Israel quit Gaza is instructive.

"What happened in Gaza I believe is a microcosm of what will happen in Iraq if you listen to the Democrats and precipitously leave with a staged, timed, planned-in-advance withdrawal that will put our troops in jeopardy," he said.

But it turns out Giuliani had a very different perspective on the disengagement from Gaza when it was actually implemented by Ariel Sharon.

From an article entitled "Rudy Goes To Bat For Ariel" in the New York Post of September 23, 2005 (via Nexis):

Giuliani referred to Sharon's conduct during the disengagement from the Gaza Strip, saying Sharon did things that were necessary, even when they hurt him politically or crossed his party's ideological line.

"In this, he reminds me of British Prime Minister [Tony] Blair, who faced difficulties before the war in Iraq, but nevertheless supported it for the sake of his country," Giuliani said.

So, two years ago Rudy believed that Sharon was doing the "necessary" thing for the "sake of his country." Now Rudy is suggesting that the very same policy -- one he gave his blessing to -- is disastrous. So would Rudy now acknowledge that his judgment failed him when he endorsed Sharon's policy

The ever-shrinking group of Americans who believe invading Iraq was a good idea may soon receive some support, in the form of a memoir by one of its key architects, Donald Rumsfeld.

The former defense secretary has the publishing world "abuzz" over the possibility that he may write a book "justifying the military strategy for the war in Iraq."

While a deal has not yet been struck, Mr. Rumsfeld has toured New York publishing houses with an outline of his book in an effort to gauge how much information he would have to disclose in the memoir in order to justify a large cash advance.

The irony continues. The only front-line GOP candidate with a consistent position on abortion (not to mention reducing government spending) is the one candidate the seems to be an anathema to the right wing of the party.

John McCain!

I beg to differ with Mr. H. Christ (please don't smite me), but I think there's enough of the devout anti-abortion crowd to make a difference. I have heard some politicians say that abortion is the greatest evil today... not the war, not Osama bin Laden (anyone remember him?), not the fact that there are millions of children going without health insurance and basic care. They will not waver, they will not falter, and if you have the vaguest whiff of pro-choice, they will not vote.

If Fred goes the pro-choice route, he may not win the Greedy Old Plutocrats' nomination... but if he does, he may win the general election. If he falls in line with the ChristoNazis, vice versa - nomination yes, general no. I do not believe that in 2008 the general public will give as much of a $h1t about abortion as they will about competence, Iraq, the deficit, global warming, etc.

'Occasionally -- thanks to Drudge or some other powerful national aggregator -- '

you mean, 'vicious loudmouth rightwing gutter gossip monger,' CC?

'It features clips from 1994, 1996 and earlier this year that are edited in such a way to make it appear as though Thompson is not sufficiently opposed to abortion. '

not edited, dear, simply quoting him. he's another flipflopper.

Seems to me that each of the candidates on the Republican side faces a number of flip-flopping charges. McCain's change from maverick to Bob Jones U. butt kisser, Guiliani from pro-choice to maybe pro-life back to pro-choice, Thompson on abortion and laziness, and Mitt.... well there are too many flip flops to list for Mitt. It's gonna be great giving them the treatment that John Kerry got in '04.