First Door on the Left

In less than 72 hours a few hundred thousand Iowans will get together and start caucusing. They will decide for the rest of us who the candidates will likely be in the upcoming presidential election. Here’s hoping they choose well.

Poll Says Obama, Huckabee Leading Rivals

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Presidential contenders rang in the 2008 election year with near-constant campaigning on Monday as a poll showed Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee leading their rivals with three days remaining before the Iowa caucuses. Anonymous phone calls and a negative campaign commercial that vanished into thin air also spiced the race, and not even New Year’s Eve was off-limits to campaign oratory.

The poll by the Des Moines Register showed Obama, an Illinois senator, with the support of 32 percent of those surveyed, compared to 25 percent for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and 24 percent for former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

Among Republicans, Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, had the backing of 32 percent of those surveyed, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had 26 percent.

We shall see.

Here are what appear to be the DMV photos of the two leaders:

Mike Huckabee (R) - Barack Obama (D)

Mike Huckabee proved this morning that he is a true Republican…

Saying He Pulled Negative Ad, Huckabee Shows It

DES MOINES — In an act of political jujitsu, Mike Huckabee has halted a negative ad that he was about to broadcast on television Monday against his Republican rival, Mitt Romney. But while claiming the moral high ground, he proceeded to show the ad to a roomful of reporters, photographers and television cameras who are repeating his anti-Romney message for free while Mr. Huckabee declares that his hands are clean.

The display unfolded at the Marriott Hotel here to the mirth of the media who watched Mr. Huckabee’s legerdemain even as the media itself became the conduit for his attacks against Romney.

At the same time, he pointed to media cynicism as the reason he felt compelled to show the ad, saying that unless he showed it, reporters would not believe that it really existed. It criticized Mr. Romney’s record as governor of Massachusetts, saying he supported gun control, allowed a co-pay for abortions in his health plan, raised taxes and ordered no executions.

Well, here, watch it for yourself…

Mighty “Christian” of him, wouldn’t you say? “Hey, I made this nasty attack ad but then I decided it was too nasty so I had it pulled but I’m going to show it to you because if I didn’t then you wouldn’t believe me when I said I made this nasty attack ad. Now if you decide to show this nasty attack ad to everybody it won’t cost my campaign anything and it will be your fault and not mine because you showed it and I didn’t.”

Gosh oh mighty, I hope the Republicans nominate this guy!

Great… Another reason for the right wing religious zealots to claim they are being persecuted…

Woman Escorted Off Bus For Reading Bible Aloud

Christine Lutz

FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ― A passenger on a Fort Worth bus says the T. Bus Service discriminated against her religion.

Christine Lutz says she was reading her Bible to her children when the bus driver asked her to stop or get off the bus.

Lutz, a Seventh Day Adventist, and her children were on their way to church.

“She then said, ‘Well I don’t think this is the place or the time to do so.’ And I said, ‘Oh, but it’s the perfect time and the perfect place since it is our Sabbath and it is the time with the Lord and therefore I’m going to continue.’ And I continued,” she explained.

Then, a TRE supervisor came on board. Lutz also told him that she would not stop reading. She and her family were escorted off the bus.

“This was definitely a clear cut case of persecution,” she said.

Or was it a clear cut case of policy?

“Anyone who is loud will be asked to be quiet,” said representative Joan Hunter. “That is a standard policy across country in the transit industry.”

It doesn’t matter what is said, the T has a policy of no loud or abusive behavior.

“It’s only if the other passengers will complain, or it’s obviously so loud it’s distracting the operator, that we will ask them to stop,” Hunter explained.

Video here.

When you are in a public place (for example, a public bus) and you are asked by a person in authority (for example, the bus driver) to please tone it down a bit, it may be a good idea to tone it down a bit.

This lady, I believe, was just purposely trying to be obnoxious.

Remember the dirty tricks played by the Bush/Cheney bunch (though they still deny them) in South Carolina during the run-up to the 2000 primary in that state? It seems somebody was paying attention and learned their lessons well…

S.C. Republicans get bogus Romney card

Romney Christmas card

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Many South Carolina Republicans got a bogus holiday greeting card this week, purported to be from White House hopeful Mitt Romney, that cites some controversial passages of the Book of Mormon.

“We wish you and your family a happy holiday season and a joyful New Year. The Romney family,” the card says.

The last page features a photograph of a temple above a box that says “Paid For By The Boston Massachusetts Temple.”

Romney’s campaign said it had nothing to do with the cards, postmarked Thursday from Columbia with a 41-cent stamp, and Boston Temple President Ken Hutchins said Saturday he first heard about the mailing Friday from a woman in Charleston…

The card contains passages that underscore some differences between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and those of denominations that are prevalent in South Carolina.

“We have now clearly shown that God the Father had a plurality of wives, one or more being in eternity by whom He begat our spirits as well as the spirit of Jesus His first born, and another being upon the earth by whom he begat the tabernacle of Jesus, as his only begotten in this world,” reads one passage from Orson Pratt, cited on the card as an “original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.”

The card also cites a passage on Mary’s virgin birth that underscores her race. “And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.” On the card, “fair and white” are in a bolder, larger font and on a separate line…

Those tactics backfire, said Warren Tompkins, a political consultant who ran George Bush’s 2000 campaign in South Carolina and now is Romney’s top consultant in the state. “Anything this outrageous and childish and nonsensical would have a significant fallout on whoever did it and on whose behalf it was done,” Tompkins said.

Did you catch that last paragraph? The same gentleman who ran George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign in South Carolina is now Mitt Romney’s top consultant in that state. Suddenly it does not not appear unlikely that Romney’s campaign sent the card out themselves in an attempt to cast aspersions on the other campaigns and perhaps garner a bit of a pity vote.

Our Republicans like to get down in the dirt, don’t they?

(P.S. The article does not state nor is it probably known how many of these cards were sent out, but it is obvious that somebody went to a lot of expense here. Whose campaign do you think is flush with cash? (Other than Ron Paul’s.))

Pastor Mike got his Sunday sermon in when he appeared on Meet the Press this morning…

MR. RUSSERT: But this is what concerns people. This, this is what you did say about homosexuality: “I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural and sinful lifestyle.” That’s millions of Americans.

GOV. HUCKABEE: Tim, understand, when a Christian speaks of sin, a Christian says all of us are sinners. I’m a sinner, everybody’s a sinner. What one’s sin is, means it’s missing the mark. It’s missing the bull’s eye, the perfect point. I miss it every day; we all do. The perfection of God is seen in a marriage in which one man, one woman live together as a couple committed to each other as life partners. Now, even married couples don’t do that perfectly, so sin is not some act of equating people with being murderers or rapists…

MR. RUSSERT: But when you say aberrant or unnatural, do you believe you’re born gay or you choose to be gay?

GOV. HUCKABEE: I don’t know whether people are born that way. People who are gay say that they’re born that way. But one thing I know, that the behavior one practices is a choice.

So we’re back to that old line that “it’s okay if you’re gay as long as you don’t do anything about it.”

The biggest question facing this country in 2008, I believe, is do we want to move forward or backward? If you want to go backward, then the Republicans are definitely your guys. If you really want to go backward — like all the way back to the Dark Ages — then Mike Huckabee is your man.

If you were paying attention four years ago you know how the Democrats were going after one another. This time around it’s the Republicans’ turn and I could not be happier.

Days Before Voting, Gloves Come Off

Mitt Romney - John McCain

DES MOINES — In the last weekend before the Iowa caucuses, the Republican presidential candidates are bloodying the field with a blizzard of negative attacks, showing the strains of a wide-open and unpredictable race.

Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain are involved in what amounts to an elaborate pool-hall strategy that relies heavily on bank shots to win as their campaigns struggle for primacy both here and in New Hampshire.

Mr. Huckabee, after stumbling Friday over several statements about Pakistan, unloaded today on Mr. Romney.

“If a person is dishonest in his approach to get the job, do you believe he will be honest in telling you the truth when he does gets the job?” Mr. Huckabee said at a campaign stop in Osceola, Iowa.

And in an assist to Mr. McCain _ Mr. Huckabee would love for Mr. McCain to block Mr. Romney from winning in New Hampshire _ Mr. Huckabee added that he was escalating his attacks on Mr. Romney in part because Mr. Romney had the nerve to disparage Mr. McCain, “an American hero.”

“It is enough to attack me, but now to attack John McCain, it is like Mitt doesn’t have anything to stand on except to stand against, and I am saying enough is enough,” Mr. Huckabee declared.

In a bit of political jujitsu, Mr. Huckabee put out a commercial to that effect, saying of negative campaigning: “enough is enough” even as he slammed Mr. Romney. He also put out a spot highlighting Mr. Romney’s reversal of positions on abortion.

I hope the Democrats are taking notes.

Notice anyone missing from the above article? Where’s Rudy? Well, if you’ll just continue reading you’ll find him toward the end…

Rudolph W. Giuliani largely stayed on the sidelines as he wrapped up a rare, two-day visit to Iowa. Asked about an earlier assertion by Mr. McCain that Mr. Giuliani lacks national security experience, Mr. Giuliani held his fire. “Well, all of us have our different experiences that we rely on,” Mr. Giuliani said. “I would say that my experience goes back well before Sept. 11.”

Mr. Giuliani has not been part of the mix here, and he leaves today for New Hampshire. He says he is still relying on his strategy of making a splash in the Florida primary later this month and in other big states that vote on Feb. 5. A split decision in Iowa and New Hampshire could help him down the road, especially if he stays away from the blood-spilling now.

Rudy wants to stay out of it. He knows that if people start slinging mud in his direction they will find plenty of it. He’d really just as soon wait it out on the sidelines.

This is fun, isn’t it? Bunch of losers.

(P.S. Anybody remember Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter and Fred Thompson? Are they still in this?)

Even more reason for the evangelicals to get behind ‘my man’ Mike…

Exclusive Interview: Huckabee on Education and School Choice

(CNSNews.com) - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the Republican presidential candidate, told Cybercast News Service that he supports tuition tax credits for parents who send their children to private schools and that public schools ought to teach children, as per the Declaration of Independence, that there is a God and that our rights come from Him.

Come on, all you evangelicals out there. If Mike sucked any harder we’d have to change his name to Hoover (or perhaps Dirt Devil).

It is absolutely imperative that we put a Democrat in the White House in January, 2009. Please, Republicans, I am begging you… nominate Mike Huckabee! If not Mike, then at least consider Rudy, Mitt or John M. Any one of them will do, really, but I’ve got to confess… Mike would be the most fun. He’s the one guaranteed to lose you at least 49 of the 50 states. (He might carry Utah.)

Mike’s the man.

My number one choice for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, Michael Dale Huckabee, is taking some heat over some remarks about Pakistan…

Remarks on Pakistan Are Tailing Huckabee

M. D. Huckabee

In discussing the volatile situation in Pakistan, Mike Huckabee has made several erroneous or misleading statements at a time when he has been under increasing scrutiny from fellow presidential candidates for a lack of fluency in foreign policy issues.

Explaining statements he made suggesting that the instability in Pakistan should remind Americans to tighten security on the southern border of the United States, Mr. Huckabee said Friday that “we have more Pakistani illegals coming across our border than all other nationalities, except those immediately south of the border.”

Asked to justify the statement, he later cited a March 2006 article in The Denver Post reporting that from 2002 to 2005, Pakistanis were the most numerous non-Latin Americans caught entering the United States illegally. According to The Post, 660 Pakistanis were detained in that period.

A recent report from the Department of Homeland Security, however, concluded that, over all, illegal immigrants from the Philippines, India, Korea, China and Vietnam were all far more numerous than those from Pakistan.

In a separate interview on Friday on MSNBC, Mr. Huckabee, a Republican, said that the Pakistani government “does not have enough control of those eastern borders near Afghanistan to be able go after the terrorists.” Those borders are on the western side of Pakistan, not the eastern side.

Further, he offered an Orlando crowd his “apologies for what has happened in Pakistan.” His aides said later that he meant to say “sympathies.”

He also said he was worried about martial law “continuing” in Pakistan, although Mr. Musharraf lifted the state of emergency on Dec. 15. Mr. Huckabee later said that he was referring to a renewal of full martial law and said that some elements, including restrictions on judges and the news media, had continued.

Lack of fluency in foreign policy issues? Give me (and Pastor Mike) a break, will you? Who says a presidential candidate needs experience in foreign policy issues? George W. Bush sure as heck didn’t have any (some would argue he still doesn’t) and he’s done a heck of a job. (Wouldn’t you agree?)

Come on, Republicans, don’t let all this little nit-picky stuff concern you. How many of the candidates, from either party, do you think know what countries border Pakistan, let alone on which sides? Did you know that Pakistan borders Iran and Afghanistan to the west, China to the north, India to the east and the Arabian Sea to the south?

Mike’s the man! Please, please, won’t you nominate him? For me?

Thanks a bunch.

(P.S. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.)

We hope the holidays have been good to you so far, but just in case you need a bit more cheer here is this week’s collection of what we have deemed to be the best political and editorial cartoons. Enjoy. Remember, just click to enlarge or you could even view a slide show if you so desire.

And away we go…

As always, our thanks to the observant and talented cartoonists who each week help us smile through the pain.

Fred Thompson needs to raise $248,846 by 6 pm ET today so he can run another TV ad on the already saturated airwaves of Iowa and save his presidential aspirations. As of this writing, he has raised $188,240. He’s $60,606 short of his goal.

Come on Fredsters! If the Paul nuts can raise $6 million dollars in 24 hours, surely you can raise $60,606 in four.

John Hawkins of the ultra-right website Ring Wing News is a Fredster. (I would link and backtrack to his website, but why bother? The last time I did, he simply removed it.) He has put together a video in the hopes of shaking some change out of the pockets of other Fredsters. You should watch it. It’s kind of cute. Plus, you’ll understand my reference to children and puppies in the title of this post…

John really says nice things about the other Republican candidates, doesn’t he? It’s rather doubtful that Grandpa Fred is going to walk away with the nomination. It’s more likely that one of the other candidates mentioned in this video will. When they do, you can bet that Mr. Hawkins is going to be campaigning hard for that person to defeat the Democratic nominee. And you can also bet that I’ll be pulling out this video again (unless John has it pulled, which he likely will).

In the meantime… come on Fredsters… Grandpa Fred needs your help!

Update @ 6 pm ET: You did it! $253,960. The good folks of Iowa will now have another television ad to look at this coming week. I’m sure they appreciate it. I know Grandpa Fred does. (It’ll give him a few more chances to see his face on the television.)

(P.S. I must say that I am more than just a little offended at not having been included in this list.)