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Maritime Sentry points out a great post from the Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President site on Moving Forward.  I encourage everyone to read it.  My sentiments are mostly the same.

I am a Palin supporter.  I am also a Bobby Jindal supporter.  As charismatic conservatives who have records of real reform, I think the two of them offer great hope to the future of our Party.  But they are not alone.  There are other strong conservatives in America, and hopefully over the coming years a few of them will rise to the top and carry the party forward.  We must resist all attempts to move to the center and lose our soul.  That is a losing proposition every time it is tried.  The liberal media will try to persuade us otherwise, but make no mistake, John McCain was the case study of moving the party to the center and he failed… miserably.  George W. Bush tried to move to the center, and that lack of discipline and principle damaged his presidency.  The liberals are going to hate us either way, so we might as well have our dignity and principles in tact.  Its much easier to defend yourself when your position is not defenseless.

Our country has taken a serious step back, and over the next two years it could get much worse.  We are in no position to protect the judiciary, the military, the Constitution or the unborn.  We must fight to make sure we never find ourselves in this position again.

2010 is not a long way off.  That will be our first chance to push Conservative voices in Congress.  We must start now.  But this fight is more than just promoting candidates with the right ideas.  We have the chance to reshape the Republican Party and have it focus back on the core principles that matter.  The “first principles” of our founders.  The party is beholden to no one because the party lost.  Its not time to rebrand or renew, its time to rebuild and reform.  We need more discipline and integrity in Washington.  We need more values and responsibility.  Those are the same things we need from our party, and if we enforce within ourselves, we will get back into a place of prominence.

I vow to not give up the fight.  Will you join me?

America is unlike any other nation in the world.  Our desire to do good is so strong that we often bend over backwards and make unparalleled sacrifices because of our righteous intentions.  Our brave men and women shed their blood so other people can be free.  Our national treasure is given freely to foreign lands to offer hope and opportunity to the hopeless.  And we forgive our transgressors even though they would never dream of turning the other cheek.

Only in America can the desire to do good be so great that we bend over backwards and elect someone whose own supporters admit they don’t even know.  Only in America would we take a chance on an unknown with seriously questionable rhetoric and ties because we have faith in the greater good.  Like our troops and our treasure, we risk it all on the mere hope of a better tomorrow.

I congratulate Barack Obama.  He is my President.  I pray that God gives him the strength and wisdom to make the right choices and the humbleness to know to ask.  But as my President, Obama is also a paradox.  He epitomizes both the best and the worst of our great nation.  His political ideology offers a stark reality that is the very antithesis of what it means to be American, yet his story could not have happened anywhere else.

America proved it is both a naive child and an unequaled leader on the world stage.  Only a child would have such blind faith and optimism when all realistic expectations point to a fairytale.  Only a brave leader could have the courage to allow that optimism to lead the way.

Make no mistake, I disagree with virtually everything that Barack Obama stands for.  But the symbolism of his achievement is something I will forever cherish.  I congratulate him and his campaign on accomplishing such a novel and monumental feat.

And now it is time to lead.  Young and old, from history through today… millions of Americans have paved the way for Barack Obama to become President-Elect.  And he is beholden to honor their every sacrifice.  He has promised a lot.  He better live up to the hype.

As for the rest of us… Conservatives… it is time to lead.  It it time to place principle and purpose above all else.  It is time for the revolution to begin.  You can choose to leave the Republican Party and go astray… or you can dig in, dig deep, and make it the party that it should be.  Voters and providence will always be on our side if we can only find our way.  For too long we have listened to pundits and moved to the center… for too long we have forgone values and principle for electoral expedience and easy compromise.  But we should never compromise when we are right.  We have to find that right path once again and never, ever give it up.

Its time for the revolution to begin.  Its time for Conservatives to unite.  America needs us.  The unborn need us.  Our troops need us.  The Constitution needs us.  Demcracy needs us.  The economy needs us.  The next generation needs us.  They don’t deserve anything less.

Got half an hour on your hands between drinks and election results?  If so, you might want to check out this video of Ronald Reagan.  Listen carefully.  The fight he spoke of then sounds remarkably like the fight we face today.  Against socialism.  Against nanny government, and higher taxes that oppress those it claims to support.  Against an evil terror and all those who fight against our way of life.

May God Bless Ronald Reagan.  May God Bless the United States of America.  Never forget.  His fight then is remarkably similar to our fight today.

Video via Da Mihi Animas, hat-tip: Gateway Pundit.

h/t: Instapundit

Here’s an idea I can get behind.  I was thinking about this recently, Fred Thompson would provide great leadership and vision to the rebuilding of the Republican Party.  This would provide a quick answer to those who will want to move the party away from conservatism.  A focus on federalism wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

Republicans don’t just need a manager. Republicans need a communicator and a visionary. That’s Fred Thompson.

So, what if the Republican Party split the role within the RNC, tasking one of the potential candidates with the Management role, while Fred Thompson took the Leadership role? If there is any figure on our present stage who can credibly and powerfully take on Democratic leadership, it is Fred Thompson.

The progressives and netroots did not take over the Democratic Party by nominating Howard Dean for Presidential; they did it by putting Howard Dean in charge of the Democratic Party. If Republicans want to take back the Republican Party, then we may need to draft Fred Thompson again.

h/t: Instapundit.

Our newest John McCain for President T-Shirt design features his common star logo, but with a different twist.  We tried to make it patriotic, but also somewhat reminiscent of military ribbons to honor his service.  Check it out and let us know what you think.

There’s also even more bumper stickers in our Conservative Bumper Stickers section.  Quite a few people have been e-mailing and asking for specifics, and we’re doing our best to comply.  If you have any ideas for a bumper sticker or other design, just let us know.

As a North Carolinian, my voice will finally be heard. Its been a long time since the Presidential race began… too long in fact, but today the race finally came to North Carolina. North Carolina doesn’t have an open primary, if your voter registration lists a party affiliation, you can only vote in that party’s primary. Since I didn’t switch my affiliation last month, I couldn’t vote against Barack Obama today… but I got to vote my conscience nonetheless.

Ideally I could have voted for Fred Thompson today, but North Carolina doesn’t let you write in a candidate, your only option is “No Preference”. Well, that wouldn’t be accurate, because I do have a preference, and voting “No Preference” would be as much of a lie as voting for John McCain, something I can’t do as long as another conservative is in the field even though I’ll have to do it this fall. I should have known what my other options were, but honestly other than knowing McCain and Ron Paul would be on the ballot (and Fred would not) I had no idea what other Republican candidates would be listed. So I was presently surprised, almost gleeful when I saw Alan Keyes’ name next to a bubble on my sheet. And with the circle of a pen, I was more proud of this vote than any other primary vote I’ve ever cast. I didn’t have to hold my nose and vote for the lessor of evils like I will in the Fall. Alan Keyes is a true Conservative who believes in our Constitution as it was written not as some liberal judge interprets it, and he’s a Christian whose not afraid of the values and Christian foundation in which our country was founded. Mike Huckabee (another option on my ballot) hits one of those three points, Ron Paul might hit two, I couldn’t even tell you how many John McCain gets in that test, but Alan Keyes gets all three.

My vote won’t change anything, John McCain will still win the state and the nomination… but I hope there are a number of other Conservatives out there today who took a stand and made a statement. There was a Conservative on the ballot today and I was proud to have voted for him.

I find it ironic that as I type this the news media is talking about the state getting to vote for an African American candidate today. Of course they are talking about Obama, but there is another African American candidate on the ballot in North Carolina, one who actually stands for something and would be good for this country. That man is Alan Keyes, and whether he gets 100 votes or 10,000 today, I hope John McCain counts every one of them. Those votes could have gone to McCain, but instead we voted our beliefs and our conscience.

I posted this over at WriteInFred.com:

With Mitt Romney suspending his campaign, it is a foregone conclusion that John McCain will be the Republican Party’s nominee for the Presidency. If your state’s primary is on the horizon, DON’T STAY HOME. It is crucial that we not show McCain or the party acceptance through silence. If Conservatives want to have a voice in a McCain White House or the Republican Party in the future, we must stand tall and be heard. Go to your primary and vote for Fred Thompson. If you have to write him in, do so. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we unite together and stand firm before our party is lost to liberalism forever.

John McCain came out and made an effort at mending fences with Conservatives yesterday. To all Conservatives, I remind you of a familiar phrase from Ronald Reagan, “trust, but verify”. Those words could never be more poignant. We failed to unite and rally around one Conservative who values our Constitution, Sovereignty and Freedom. We failed to promote a candidate who truely believes in Free Speech, Secure Borders, Constructionist Judges, and the cause of Federalism. But all is not lost.

If we make our voices heard in the rest of the state primaries, McCain or the party can not dismiss our common cause. The Reagan Revolution and the Conservative Movement are not dead! Make McCain need our support in November, and make him EARN it. When he is in the White House and supporting Conservative issues, we should be his greatest supporters. But when he fails us, we should be his strongest critics. On every issue, every policy, every nuance and every speech… we must make the Conservative position heard. The President and the party must be accountable. Then in 2010 and 2012 we can begin to take back the Party that has left us and the country that is becoming lost.

For the good of our Constitution and our Country, we must continue to fight. We can take our country back!

If Romney drops out of the race, or it becomes painfully obvious that McCain is a lock, it will become even more important to Write-In Fred Dalton Thompson if your state’s primary is coming up. Almost half of the country has voted, but there is another half to go. If the Republican Party is leaving its Conservative voice behind, then we must take it back. We must stand tall and reclaim the high ground. We must be steadfast in the face of a party moving to the left and a Democratic Party moving towards socialism. If ever there was a time for a Conservative Revolution, it is now, before its too late.

Sign the pledge at WriteInFRED.com.

UPDATE: Romney is out. DON’T GIVE UP. DON’T STAY HOME. If your primary is coming up, Write-In Fred for President. When November rolls around, even if you can’t/won’t vote for McCain, make sure you vote for true conservatives running for other offices.

Today, virtually half of the nation has the chance to do something for the country. Half of our country is called on to be patriots. Half of our citizens have the option of sacrificing a brief moment of their time and perform their civic duty for the greater good. Its Super Tuesday, and if you are in one of 24 states, today it is your right, duty, and it should be your honor to vote (24 states have primaries today with 43 primaries in total - 21 republican primaries and 22 democratic primaries).

Those who are so fortunate will be a part of something great. For today its not every vote that counts, its every vote in a little less than half of the country that matters. And that half will likely decide who our presidential candidates will be. It may not be over after tonight, but it will be a lot closer. Half of the populous gets to be heard while only a few already have been. The rest of us may not even matter. I won’t. In North Carolina our primary isn’t until May 6th… by then this contest will likely have come to a close. I hope not, but history is not in my favor.

And those in that half that care about our country and the purpose of its founding… those that value smaller government, lower taxes, personal responsibility and free will… those that think we are in a monumental fight against Islamic extremism and terrorists who seek to destroy our next breath… those of you who want to protect our borders, our sovereignty, and our honor…. I beg of you to vote for a true Conservative in this race. We have to take our country back before we lose ourselves to socialism and global greed. We have to take our nation back before our sovereign rights and Constitutional guarantees are gone forever.

I can’t tell you who to vote for, but if you agree with the above than I can tell you who doesn’t deserve your vote. John McCain certainly does not. Mike Huckabee does not. Ron Paul does not. Obviously Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama do not.

That leaves only two choices:

1. Vote against John McCain and cast your ballot for Mitt Romney
2. Write-in Fred Thompson and send a message to the party and the American people that we want to return to our Federalist foundation and take our country back.

Ideally, I’d like to vote the later, but fearing a John McCain Republican nominee as much as any Conservative should…. if I were to vote I would probably vote Romney. Romney is the closest thing to a Conservative left in the race. He has the business and economic credentials to set our fiscal policy on the right track and he’s also closer to being the citizen servant that our founders envisioned running for office. He’s not a career politician who has spent decades attacking conservative ideals and he’s not beholden to special interests or politicians across the aisle.

He’s no Fred Thompson… but he’s no John McCain either. And for that reason alone, he is worthy of your vote.

Most of the media accused Fred Thompson of getting in the race too late. Now I wonder if he got in too early. John “Amnesty” McCain as the Republican Nominee? Remember the Keating Five? Remember McCain-Feingold? Remember wanting to close Gitmo, complaining about water-boarding, or opposing the Bush Tax Cuts? What about Illegal-Immigration Amnesty? Where has the Conservative Movement gone? Conservatives are waking up to a harsh reality now… and its our own fault.

Video found at BlogsforThompson.com

In the final stanza from Peggy Noonan’s latest piece she says Rush stating a Huckabee or McCain nomination will destroy the Republican Party is nonsense, since its already been destroyed. Read it here:

On the pundit civil wars, Rush Limbaugh declared on the radio this week, “I’m here to tell you, if either of these two guys [Mr. McCain or Mike Huckabee] get the nomination, it’s going to destroy the Republican Party. It’s going to change it forever, be the end of it!”

This is absurd. George W. Bush destroyed the Republican Party, by which I mean he sundered it, broke its constituent pieces apart and set them against each other. He did this on spending, the size of government, war, the ability to prosecute war, immigration and other issues.

Were there other causes? Yes, of course. But there was an immediate and essential cause.

And this needs saying, because if you don’t know what broke the elephant you can’t put it together again. The party cannot re-find itself if it can’t trace back the moment at which it became lost. It cannot heal an illness whose origin is kept obscure.

I believe that some of the ferocity of the pundit wars is due to a certain amount of self-censorship. It’s not in human nature to enjoy self-censorship. The truth will out, like steam from a kettle. It hurts to say something you supported didn’t work. I would know. But I would say of these men (why, in the continuing age of Bill Clinton, does the emoting come from the men?) who are fighting one another as they resist naming the cause for the fight: Sack up, get serious, define. That’s the way to help.

She’s also got some interesting insight to the potential effects of Bill Clinton’s campaign for his wife, and what’s going on with the elephants as well. As with everything penned by Ms. Noonan, the whole thing deserves a read.

Stopped by IMAO and found a link to this piece by Kathryn Jean Lopez at National Review. As Frank J says, its a “must read for Fred Thompson supporters”. I’d like to add that its a must read for anyone who is curious why so many of us so passionately wanted Fred Thompson as our next President. Finally, we had someone who gets it and who was above the typical political nonsense. The framers didn’t intend for career politicians but rather citizen servants who spent their time in private life but served when called… citizen servants who knew it wasn’t about them or their ambitions, but the country we so dearly love. Fred Thompson was and continues to be a citizen servant, and we all saw a bit of hope for him to return our country to its prior glory.

I saw some blog comments mentioning putting a bumper sticker like this on your own red trucks. I thought it was a great idea. So here you go.

It does bring up a serious question though. What are conservatives going to do? Are we going to stay home and not vote? Are we going to choose between the lessor of two evils? Are we going to choose the most conservative of the rest and try to influence them? Are we going to write-in Fred’s name and hope to send a message to the party that seems to be leaving us?

I haven’t been able to find a copy of the statement, but I heard one of the talking heads on FoxNews read a piece of it. They must be overjoyed knowing they had a hand in controlling the process. I still plan on voting for Fred in the primary, although now it will be by write-in. I encourage other FredHeads out there to do the same. I might write-in his name in the general election too, we’ll just have to see what happens between now and then.

Mike Huckabee has supported at least 3 different Constitutional Amendments during his campaign for the Presidency. He wants a Constitutional Amendment banning abortions, a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage, and lately a Constitutional Amendment denying citizenship to people who were born here if their parents are here illegally. He apparently also wants to change the 16th Amendment as its current form would prohibit his Fair Tax proposal.

Let me make clear that I agree that we should stop abortions and that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. I also think that our current tax code needs to be repealed and something like a flat tax or the Fair Tax ought to replace it.

But agreeing with the principles does not mean I agree with the idea of Constitutional Amendments whenever we see a societal ill that needs repair.

Our country was founded to be a group of independent states that were joined together by a common defense and a restrained federal government that was representative of each individual state to act on behalf of the whole. It was formed like a co-op of businesses who group together to gain greater bargaining power, improved trade ability, and increased protection from external forces.

As such, our Constitution was written to grant only a limited number of necessary powers to the federal government, retaining most of the powers and rights to each individual state. That is why our union is called the United States of America. Even in our name we proclaim the value and power of the individual state.

It is with that history and those principles of limited federal government in mind that while I support stopping abortion I reject the idea of proposing a Constitutional Amendment at this time to do so.

It is liberal idea to increase government powers and write new laws to regulate behavior. It is a liberal idea to legislate in order to prevent activity. It is a liberal mindset that thinks the answer to all ills is increased legislation and a reduction of state’s powers and personal liberty.

Just because I agree with a principle doesn’t mean I agree with the means. Suggesting Constitutional Amendments to correct every principle we hold dear will lead to an even stronger federal government and a weakening of states’ rights. And what happens when our principles are in the minority? Once we have set a precedent to use Constitutional Amendments to correct everything we think is wrong… what happens when people we disagree with are in the majority and create their own Amendments to protect against us?

A true conservative does not suggest a Constitutional Amendment to solve every problem, because a true conservative is serious about limited government and reduced federal powers. No matter how bad Huckabee and others want to convince you otherwise, the term “conservative” means something, and a limited federal government is at its core. Its not lip service, and its not something that can be dismissed on a whim… limited government is the central ideal on how all issues should be addressed.

Its sad that Mike Huckabee himself and his surrogates have misrepresented Fred Thompson’s view on abortion and same sex marriage because he holds to his conservative principles. Its even more sad the many people calling themselves conservatives didn’t see right through it.

Fred Thompson wants to stop abortion, protect the traditional definition of marriage, secure our borders and fix our tax code. He just doesn’t want to sacrifice his principles and our Constitution to do so.

Make no mistake, the liberal precedent of legislating every issue is what needs to be stopped. Just because we like the issue doesn’t mean we should turn a blind eye to the method. Anyone who doesn’t consider that before suggesting changes to our laws or Constitution is no conservative.

Fred Thompson is the only conservative in the Presidential race tonight. I pray that statement holds true tomorrow. The others remaining are unacceptable on the premise of conservatism and unworthy of our nation’s highest post. And if we lose candidate Fred Thompson tomorrow because of this money and media controlled process, than it is Conservatives and our Constitution that have truly lost.