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South Carolina Democratic chairwoman Carol Fowler sharply attacked Sarah Palin today, saying John McCain had chosen a running mate “whose primary qualification seems to be that she hasn’t had an abortion.”  Via Politico.

Hmm, I wonder exactly what makes chairwoman Carol Fowler qualified to assess Governor Palin’s credentials.  As chairwoman of the Democratic Party in South Carolina, surely she has a wealth of experience.  Has she ever been on a City Council?  Been mayor?  Governor?  Even on the PTA?  Is she a Representative or Senator?  WE DON’T KNOW. There doesn’t seem to be any information about her available except blank resumes here, and here, and here.

The only thing we discovered is that she is married to the former DNC chair, Don Fowler, who was the guy caught on camera all giddy about the hurricane that was supposed to devastate New Orleans and disrupt the GOP convention.  She also was/is an Obama Superdelegate.  In fact, so was her husband.

So being married to a powerful jerk, who cheers potential devastation for political gain makes Carol Fowler qualified to assess Sarah Palin’s resume?

Sorry Carol, we’ll take Sarah Palin anyday.  She’s done quite a bit with her life, and the nation would be lucky to have her.

Dick Morris proposes a theory that it has been the Clinton strategy to lose South Carolina in a big way to the Black Vote. The Clinton’s believe it will cause the White Vote to show up in later states to make sure the nomination process isn’t decided by one race. Or something like that.

I don’t normally put a lot of credence in Dick Morris’ comments, but this one caught my attention. And sadly, I think he’s right. Its politically genius but sadly pathetic.

By losing, the Clintons win. And if Hillary won, the Clintons win. The only one who can’t win is Obama, who it appears actually did win.

If Barack wins South Carolina then the Clintons and the media will perpetuate the idea that South Carolina is a black state. Its a blip on the national radar in that it doesn’t symbolize all of America… but more importantly it is a message to White America… come out and vote or you will let Black Americans hijack the process and control who your nominee is. Its insidious and you’ll never hear the Clintons themselves say it… but listen to their surrogates on the cable news circuit… pay attention to the subext. Its sad.

If Barack were to lose South Carolina then the wheels have come off the campaign. If he couldn’t even win with a majority black vote in South Carolina then how could he win nationally? How can you create a coalition of people crossing races, parties, and religions, when you can’t even convince your own to vote your way?

The Clintons have created a scenario where Hillary can’t lose in South Carolina. No matter what the outcome, by making race such an issue, they believe Hillary will be propelled into Super Tuesday. And either way, from here on out, this is a battle between the races in the Democratic Party… or that’s what the Clintons hope.

But it could back fire. I often believe Americans don’t pay attention and are blind… but they are not stupid. Try to manipulate the process too much and eventually the fascade will crack and Americans will start to see through. Could that happen to the Clintons? Could democrats finally start to see the Clinton desire for power and their nasty politics the way Republicans have for years? Is it possible that red-faced Bill has gone too far? I certainly hope so.

I’m no fan of Barack Obama, but the old motto of Anyone But Clinton holds true. Its not the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy America has to worry about, its the insidious politics and self-interested desire for power of a man named Bill… and his wife too.

I’m concerned. I just popped by Fred08.com and the Red Truck is gone from the front page. With the calls for donations not as pronounced on the front page, is the only worthy man in the race actually calling it quits? I hope not. I sincerely hope not.

If Fred decides to hang it up, then I fear all is lost and the Reagan Coalition that has been talked about so much in recent weeks is truly dead. There is no one left to carry the mantle for true Conservatives in 2008. No one left worth fighting for who will fight for us.

Its sad. If Fred is gone then the win goes to the media and the liberals. We’ve let them dictate what’s relevant. We’ve let them decide what’s important. We’ve let them control the debate and alter the original intent of our democracy. Friends, we have had one man in the race, Fred Thompson, who stands for what the framers stood for and if yesterday was his last stand than we have all let him and our country down.

With Duncan Hunter gone and now possibly Fred, the only people left are liberals verging on socialism, and liberals disguised as republicans. Either way, our country and its greatness are in peril. Never before have our ideals been challenged on so many fronts. From the war on terror, to socialized health care, to abortion, gun control, an overwhelming tax system, illegal immigration, an overbearing government, attacks on the institutions of family and marriage, the economy, and a collapsing federalist system… we are at a crossroads on multiple fronts.

Obama and the democrats are right… we do need change, but not the kind they are proposing. We don’t need to continue to venture down the dismal path of socialist propaganda, populist policies, or government theft of wealth, loss of responsibility and hope. What we need is to return to the ideals of which our country was founded: limited government, self-determination, personal responsibility, local governance, the rule of law, and inalienable rights as given by God All Mighty. Unfortunately, if Fred is gone, there will be no one left in the race who believes any of that.

The remaining choice will be between wolves or wolves in sheep’s clothing. Either way we’ve lost.

I pray today as I did yesterday and the day before… let a good man help take this country back in the direction it needs. Let us elect someone who can face our challenges on all fronts and bring us from the brink of societal collapse. Fred Thompson is the only man with the courage, character, consistency, and commitment to bring us there. I hate that we might have lost our chance.

Fred, please stay in the race. We need you.

and here are the words of a man worthy of your vote.

“The Founding Fathers had it right from the very beginning,” Thompson said. “The wisdom of the ages, the fact that our basic rights come from God and not from government, the notion that a government big enough and powerful enough to give you anything is big enough and powerful enough to take anything away from you…respect for the rule of law…the institution of the market economy…[the belief] that if a person earned a dollar, that dollar belonged in the person’s pocket…” Those should be our guiding principles, he said.

“We’re having a little discussion in the party nowadays about what that means for the future,” Thompson told the crowd. “Some people think we need to get away from the Reagan coalition, because it doesn’t exist any more.” The audience erupted into boos. “Some people seem to think that we need to be a little bit more what they called progressive…Well, I reject that concept with every fiber of my being.”

Thanks to Maritime Sentry for posting this video of Fred Thompson’s appearance on CNN yesterday. Fred continues to call the media out and rise above the nonsense. He is, by far, the best candidate to lead this country forward.

Read the whole thing.

Buford Pusser in Washington. I can see that.

If you have followed this blog, you have seen a metamorphosis from a man who struggled which of two candidates to support to a man who only believes in one. Those two candidates were Governor Mike Huckabee and Senator Fred Thompson. The later of the two has my utmost support to this day. The former has lost my support and is beginning to lose my respect.

I said that something about Governor Huckabee just didn’t feel right… and the more I listened and learned about him the more uneasy I felt. That uneasiness has been gaining intensity as of late to the point that it has officially boiled over today. Instead of being the slightly lessor of two candidates, Governor Huckabee is now officially someone I could not and will not support. In a general election between him and one of the two democratic challengers I honestly don’t know if I would hold my nose and vote for Mike or write in someone else. Governor Huckabee is not the conservative he claims he is… the more he talks the more he sounds like another former Arkansas Governor who changed his message based on his audience and polling data. I have no respect for someone who is running for office and has no consistency in their principles. As a Baptist minister I never thought that could be applied to Mike Huckabee… but today he proved there is no doubt… consistency is not in his vocabulary.

Today on CNN, Governor Huckabee said that the Constitution was a “living, breathing document” (about 3:55 into the video).

While on his campaign website, Governor Huckabee completely disagrees.

I firmly believe that the Constitution must be interpreted according to its original meaning, and flatly reject the notion of a “living Constitution.”

Calling the Constitution a “living” document is liberal-speak for saying that it can be changed, modified or adopted to reflect polls or public opinion. Calling it a “living” document makes way for activist judges to interpret the Constitution as they see fit instead of being “faithful adherents of originalism and textualism.” (also a quote from Mike Huckabee’s website that contradicts his CNN interview today).

Make no mistake, the “living” document argument is what liberals use to justify abandoning the second amendment… certainly the framers didn’t anticipate semi-automatic weapons. The “living” document argument is what liberals use to justify abortion… certainly the framers weren’t thinking about abortion when the guaranteed the protection of “life” and “liberty”.

Thankfully there is a true conservative in the race today who believes in conservative principles and desires to uphold the original context of the Constitution. Thankfully, real conservatives have a choice. Fred Thompson is the only man in the race who believes in the strength of the Constitution and the guarantees within it. Fred Thompson will protect the Constitution and its ideals of limited government and appoint judges who will do the same. Fred wrote today:

I do not believe the Constitution is a living, breathing document. I am committed to appointing strict constructionist judges to the bench if I am elected President, strict constructionists who believe the Constitution has a fixed meaning that can be applied to cases that come before the courts today. They do NOT believe the Constitution is a “living, breathing document,” whose meaning, constantly changing with the sifting sands of our culture, can be determined and applied by unelected judges.

I fear that this loose language about our Constitution calls into question Governor Huckabee’s appreciation and understanding of the issue of judicial activism and raises questions as to what kind of judges he would appoint were he to become President.

We can not afford to have another Arkansas Governor in the White House who has no core principles and neither can our Constitution. Baptist Minister or not, Governor Huckabee is continuing to prove my uneasiness was right and that he is not the right man to become our President.

Conservatives have a choice. Someone who will fight to stop abortion and protect the Constitution from liberal activist re-writes. Support Fred Thompson, thankfully there is one consistent conservative to stand with us.

It is no secret that Governor Huckabee supports a federal smoking ban… or at least he did. He said so publicly this past August at an event with Lance Armstrong moderated by Chris Matthews. And he gleefully signed legislation in Arkansas banning smoking in indoor spaces. Just read this quote from 2007:

As a governor, I led our state to become the first state in the South to have a statewide ban on smoking anywhere indoors and I’m proud of that and it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to get done,” Huckabee said. “It was hard. And I’ll tell you something, Chris, it takes the personal involvement of the chief executive to make that happen,” he said.

Fred Thompson has been hitting Huckabee hard on this issue because it falls in stark contrast with his limited federal government ideals (i.e. Federalism). At best this is a state issue, the federal government has more important things to deal with than enacting or enforcing smoking bans.

And apparently Governor Huckabee now agrees. Taking a page out of John Kerry’s book, Governor Huckabee has flip-flopped on this issue and now calls it an issue for individual states to decide. Like the rest of America, it sounds like Governor Huckabee is coming over to Fred’s way of thinking.

I don’t disagree that smoking is a health hazard, but I really don’t want the Federal government or even the state government involved in any ban. Its not their place. Local governments have the right and the duty to pass laws the fit their township. If my city or county wants to ban smoking in restaurants or all public places, that’s fine. Let’s let the Federal Government worry about what the Federal Government should be worrying about… and that’s not the Capitol’s cafeteria menu… the Federal Government should be concerned with securing our sovereignty and protecting our God given rights. Anything else is an abuse of power.

I’m glad Governor Huckabee is now starting to see things our way. Congratulations on joining the rest of right-thinking Americans and Flipping For Fred!

Fred Thompson’s Campaign Manager, Bill Lacy, released this statement following the Michigan Primary. I’m glad he has the guts to articulate what many conservatives are feeling. We need to make the differences clear, if you pay attention only one man in this race is consistent with their ideals. Don’t we need someone like that in Washington?

Bill Lacy’s Statement:

Tonight’s results in Michigan make two things clear: First, the Republican campaign for President remains wide-open. Our party faithful are still looking for someone who meets all the qualifications they seek: A true consistent conservative with the experience to keep the country safe. Second, Mike Huckabee’s campaign to be John McCain’s Vice President has hit a snag. He has gone from the mid-thirties in Iowa to 11% in New Hampshire and now about 15% in Michigan.

On higher taxes and looser immigration, Huckabee has been done his best these past few weeks to mimic McCain. But this is nothing new. In fact, while John McCain was leading the Senate charge to grant amnesty for illegal immigrants, Mike Huckabee was one of the loudest cheerleaders. And at the same time McCain was voting against the Bush tax cuts, Huckabee was in Arkansas increasing taxes some 21 times.

As for Mitt Romney, he has been all over the map on virtually every issue important to conservative voters.

As the contest moves to South Carolina, look for Romney, McCain and Huckabee to face serious questions about their commitment to consistent conservative principles. Their records are in stark contrast to Fred Thompson, who remains the one true steadfast conservative in this race.

The bottom line is that tonight is a whole new ball game and tomorrow morning begins a brand new campaign where Republicans are looking for the clear conservative choice.

Are you like me and scores of other Right-Leaning Americans who were leaning towards one candidate before realizing that Fred Thompson was the only true conservative in the field? My neighbors to the South are starting to realize that Fred Thompson is the best man for the job with a consistent message, sound policies, and strong resolve. How about you?

Visit the Fred File to see South Carolinians who have Flipped For Fred.

The FoxNews focus group tonight overwhelming thought Fred Thompson won the debate tonight. I agree, but that is about all we agree on. Then many of them went on to question Fred Thompson’s consistency. What? Obviously these people haven’t been paying attention. Hopefully they’ll get a chance to see Senator Fred and the red truck in South Carolina and do a bit of research on their own. Fred Thompson’s message and ideals have been consistent throughout his career. No one else on the stage can say that. Huckabee on Illegal Immigration? Giuliani on gun control? McCain on many things? Romney on everything? The only person who has a consistent record and whose policies are intellectually consistent is Fred Thompson. Period.

Electing the President is an important privilege of living in a democracy and we have a duty to make an informed decision. An informed decision. I hope this debate will prompt the focus group folks and many others to look into Fred’s record, views, and his policies. When everyone was making sound bytes months ago, Fred had clear policies. Fred has experience, strength, courage, and character. And he is a true conservative. Can anyone else on the stage actually say that? No.

As I watched the debate tonight I felt Fred Thompson commanded this debate. He always rises above and seems much more professional than the rest… he was a bit more antagonistic this time than he has in past debates, but obviously that resonated with voters. Apparently voters agree, at least according the FoxNews’ focus group with Frank Luntz.

Go Fred!

I spent the first 30-45 minutes of the debate talking with my wife who is out of town on business tonight, so I’m going to watch it again before giving any detailed commentary… but I was very pleased with that I saw.