Invitation to Pray & Fast

Two weeks from today is Election Day. Many Americans are voting already in early voting and via absentee ballots. There is still much electioneering to do. I plan to devote every spare moment to the effort to get John McCain elected President. However, there is more to be done by Christians than the usual blogging, emailing, phone calling, letter writing, pamphlet distribution, and sign waving.

The Bible recommends prayer and fasting for the nation in times of trouble. The Lord advised Solomon: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (1 Chron. 7:14).

The prophet Jonah went to Nineveh and prophesied that the city would be destroyed in forty days. The people of Nineveh “declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth” (Jonah 3:5). The King ordered, “Let everyone call urgently on God” (Jonah 3: 8). Thus, God chose to withhold his anger and the city of 120,000 was saved from destruction.

God promised Abraham that whoever blessed Israel would be blessed, but whoever cursed Israel would be cursed (Gen. 12:3). National security is an important issue in this election. The Bible instructs, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you [Jerusalem] be secure’” (Ps. 122:6).

Please join me during the next two weeks in praying and fasting for our nation. Ask God that our new President be a true man of Christ and a follower of the Bible. Please join me in begging God that we remain faithful to our promises of protection to Israel. Plead that the next President will be the one who will appoint judges who will end the holocaust of abortion. Our nation needs spiritual revival; ask God for an outpouring of His Spirit upon us.

Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac: “Just the Facts, Ma’am”

Previously, I looked at the systemic roots of the current economic crisis. Today, let us look at the near-term causes of why we are being asked to foot an additional $700 billion bailout of our credit markets. Everyone seems to be ignoring or has already forgotten that the taxpayers have already incurred a $780 billion bailout in the last two weeks when the federal government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac [M&M].

Every economist agrees that the need for a second bailout, this time of Wall Street, is the direct result of the housing bubble and the risky lending behind it. That lending was fueled by and supported by M&M. Before the Federal government was forced to take over M&M a few weeks ago, they owned or guaranteed “about $5.2 trillion worth of mortgages,” according to The Wall Street Journal. About 15 percent or $780 billion are in very risky “Alt-A” and sub-prime loans.

How and why did M&M get away with those kinds of risky business practices when they are government-sponsored entities, supposedly regulated by Congress? Well, M&M bought their protection from scrutiny.

M&M, over the past ten years, have spent over $200 million in lobbying expenses and campaign contributions to buy influence in Congress and protect them from stronger regulation. For the 2008 elections, they have contributed over $2 million to House and Senate members, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Who have been the beneficiaries of this largesse from M&M? Between 1989 and 2008, the top recipients of campaign contributions from M&M have been:

#1 Christopher Dodd received $165,400 ($116,900 from individuals and $48,500 from Political Action Committees)
#2 Barack Obama received $126,349 ($120,349 from individuals and $6,000 from PACs)
#62 John McCain who received $21,550 (all from individuals)
[Source: Center for Responsive Politics, The St. Petersburg Times PolitiFact Check http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/727/ and http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/2008/09/18/all-recipients-of-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-campaign-contributions-1989-2008/]

Why was Sen. McCain dead last among all Congressional recipients of M&M contributions? Sen. McCain joined Sen. Elizabeth Dole [R-NC] and Sen. John Sununu [R-NE] to co-sponsor the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 [S.190] authored by Sen. Charles Hagel, [R-NE]. This bill would have improved regulations on “secondary mortgage market enterprises” or M&M. In support of this legislation, Sen. McCain spoke on the Senate floor on May 25, 2006:

Mr. President [of the Senate], this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were "illusions deliberately and systematically created" by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives.

The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems.

For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs--and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.

I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S.190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole. [emphasis added]

[Source: The Congressional Record http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060525-16&bill=s109-190]

The Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 passed the House of Representatives but was killed in the Senate by the Senate Banking Committee, chaired by Sen. Christopher Dodd [Democrat]. M&M’s contributions to Dodd, who received more than any other member of Congress, paid off handsomely by staving off stricter control and oversight by Congress.

The Democrats in Congress have repeatedly fought off Republican efforts to reform M&M. President Bush had proposed similar reforms in the previous Congress. “Democrats in Congress have sought to preserve the quasi-governmental status of the mortgage giants, seeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as places to locate former top Democratic Party operatives, where they have earned millions in compensation, despite a continuing series of financial scandals.” [Source: Jerome R. Corsi, ”Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac execs now offering advice to Obama Senator's links to mortgage giants also include campaign contributions,” WorldNetDaily, September 17, 2008 http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=75586]

During the current election cycle, Fannie Mae has given 56 percent of their total $1.1 million in contributions and Freddie Mac has given 53 percent of its $555,700 in contributions to Democrats.

“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have also strategically given more contributions to lawmakers currently sitting on committees that primarily regulate their industry. Fifteen of the 25 lawmakers who have received the most from the two companies combined since the 1990 election sit on either the House Financial Services Committee; the Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee; or the Senate Finance Committee. The others have seats on the powerful Appropriations or Ways & Means committees, are members of the congressional leadership or have run for president."

[Source: Open Secrets.org http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/07/top-senate-recipients-of-fanni.html]

Why would M&M give over $126,000 to a freshman Senator, Barack Obama? It is remarkable that in a mere four years Sen. Obama outstrips all but Sen. Dodd in total funds received from M&M over a twenty-year period. Is it because M&M expects a President Obama would continue the Democrats’ protection against reform of the financial markets?

Three of Sen. Obama’s top advisors were former M&M executives: Franklin Raines, James Johnson, and Jamie Gorelick. Raines, budget director under President Clinton, was CEO of Fannie Mae from 1991 to 1998. He earned $21 million during his last year there. Johnson was a former aide to Vice President Walter Mondale and the successor to Raines as Fannie Mae’s CEO from 1999 to 2004, earning $90 million.

“Even after he left, Fannie continued to pay him an annual fee of at least $300,000 a year for consulting services and a $71,000 monthly pension, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission… Fannie also paid for Johnson’s support staff, communications services and provided him a car and driver.”

[Source: Lisa Lerer, “Fannie, Freddie spent $200M to buy influence,” Politico, July 16, 2008 http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11781.html] Gorelick, Clinton’s deputy attorney general, was vice chair of Fannie Mae from 1998 to 2003. He earned $26 million in that role.

All three were involved in various scandals and questionable accounting practices while at Fannie Mae, according to reports from The Washington Post and The Associated Press. Raines is Obama’s advisor on housing. He had to return $15.6 million in Fannie Mae stock options in a settlement negotiated with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “Until a controversy concerning an alleged $7 millions in questionable real estate loans he received on favorable terms from failed sub-prime mortgage lender Countrywide Financial surfaced and forced him to step down,” Johnson led Obama’s vice presidential selection committee. Gorelick was accused of conflict-of-interest while serving as a member of the 9/11 Commission in 1995 when she attempted “to establish barriers that barred federal anti-terrorist criminal investigators from accessing various federal records and databases that may have assisted them in their criminal investigations.” Dean and professor of law at Harvard Law School Elena Kagan and others have said Gorelick is Obama’s choice for Attorney General if he wins the election. [Source: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=75586]

To be fair, Sen. McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis is a former lobbyist for M&M. Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., McCain’s vice presidential search committee head, was a former employee. Questioned about these links, McCain’s economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin responded, “Sen. McCain has favored GSE reform in the past and continues to favor GSE reform. That’s unchanged.” [Source: op.cit.]

Commentator and reporter John Gibson in a recent interview with Heather Nauert put these issues in perspective. He said:

“Freddie and Fannie used huge lobbying budgets and political contributions to keep regulators off their backs…Fannie and Freddie have been creations of the congressional democrats and the Clinton White House, designed to make mortgages available to more people, and as it turned out, some people who couldn’t afford them. Fannie and Freddie have also been places for big Washington Democrats to go to work in the semi-private sector and pocket millions…Now remember, Obama’s ads and stump speeches attack McCain and Republican policies for the current financial turmoil. It is demonstrably not Republican policy and worse, it appears the man attacking McCain, Senator Obama, was at the head of the line when the piggy’s [sic] lined up at the Fannie and Freddie trough for campaign bucks. Senator Barack Obama, number two on the Fannie/Freddie list of favored politicians after just four short years in the Senate. Next time you see that ad, you might notice he fails to mention that part of the Fannie and Freddie problem.”
[Source: Ed Morrissey, “McCain’s attempt to fix Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac in 2005; Obama can’t get AIG right,” HotAir, September 17, 2008 http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/17/mccains-attempt-to-fix-fannie-mae-freddie-mac-in-2005/]

Those are the facts. You decide which candidate -- Sen. John McCain or Sen. Barack Obama -- is most likely to reform our financial system as President.

Email Letter to Sen. John McCain

Dear Sen. McCain:

God bless you for putting country first before your political campaign. You are demonstrating the kind of courage we so desperately need. I do not know if the $700 million bailout can forestall an economic collapse into deflationary depression. I suspect it would only delay it, at best. Nonetheless, I trust that you will do your very best to protect the taxpayers of our country. I know you do not like the idea of government bailouts.

As far as all the silly talk about tomorrow night's debate, here's my suggestion if this vote cannot be accomplished by tomorrow. Sen. Barack Obama still does not seem to understand that when there is a crisis as serious as this one, routine has to be interrupted.

If Sen. Obama will not cancel the debate, then you should send Gov. Palin in your place. That's what a vice president does; she steps in for the president and represents him as requested.

Although everyone's expectation would be that she couldn't possibly stand up to Sen. Obama, I'll bet our "pitbull with lipstick" would clean his clock. Sending her to Ole Miss would shake up the Obama campaign like nothing else I can think of. If he refused to debate her, he would be accused of being too afraid to take her on. And, if he did, I am absolutely confident she could hold her own against him.

Looking forward to voting for you,

Barack Hussein Obama “Disses” Flag Again…and Again…and Again….

At the “green” Democratic National Convention in Denver, over 12,000 U.S. flags were trashed after Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field. I guess recycling does not apply to the American flag.

The flags were handed out to the crowds as they entered the stadium. They were waved throughout the convention’s closing event. Now, one would expect that the audience would want to keep their flags as mementoes of this “historic” event. And, that would happen except for one fact: these were Democrats.

Now, I’m sure a few did take their flag home and handled it with the respect it deserves. But that does not extirpate that 12,000 or more trashed their flags. After being alerted by an Invesco Stadium vendor involved in the post-speech clean-up, veterans retrieved the flags and sent them to McCain’s campaign for his Colorado Springs rally on Saturday, September 6th.

Realizing the potential for damage this story presents to Obama’s aspirations, the campaign went on spin cycle immediately. Damon Jones, spokesman for the Democratic National Convention Committee, claimed Republican operatives stole the flags for “a cheap political stunt calling into question our patriotism.” Another Obama campaign official reported, "All of the flags at Invesco were picked up and put in bags and into storage, along with the unused flags and campaign signs. The flags were going to be donated, and the signs were going to be sent out to be used elsewhere."

The problem with these denials is photographs clearly show the flags mixed in with other trash and left behind after the DNCC had vacated Invesco Stadium. Additionally, Boy Scouts had to sort through 84 bags of these flags in Colorado Springs because some were too soiled from other trash to be used at the McCain rally.

According to proper flag etiquette and federal statute [Title 4 Chapter 1 Section 8(k)], a flag should be disposed of only when it is “so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country.” Then, “it should be destroyed, preferably by burning in a dignified manner.” Traditionally, groups such as the American Legion, VFW, and the Boy Scouts conduct these ceremonies on Flag Day, June 14th. Under no circumstances, should a flag be thrown into the garbage.

Is Anyone Surprised? Look at the Acceptance Speech Admission Ticket

At the same event, the crowd had credentials with an upside down flag behind a photo of Osama-Obama. An upside-down flag is the universal symbol of distress. It is an insult to the flag except in a true emergency, such as a ship in imminent danger of sinking

On the ticket, the blue union is in the lower left of the flag, below the red and white stripes. Caught red-handed, Obama spokesman Matt Chandler spun an excuse to KUSA-TV (Denver) that “the flag isn't upside down; it was just stylized to blend the stars on Obama's shirt with the flag.” As one commentator remarked: "It's an upside down American flag…Declaring it is anything else is a lie. Deflecting attention from it is a typical political maneuver. Falling for it is more proof of the dumbing down of the American voter."

These Are Only the Most Recent Examples of Obama’s Disdain for the Flag.

After clinching the Democratic nomination, Obama leased a 757 jet as his private campaign plane from North American Airlines. Their planes are decorated with American flags on the tail and on both sides of the fuselage. Obama had the plane refurbished. He replaced the tail flag with his campaign’s symbol and the fuselage flags with his campaign slogan. Nowhere are their any American flags on the outside or inside of Obama’s campaign plane.

During the primaries, Obama was photographed with Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Ruth Harkin at a steak fry for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin. When the National Anthem was played, Richardson, Clinton, and Harkin placed their hands over their hearts. Obama, instead, stood with his fingers laced in front of him. When the National Anthem is played and a flag is present, proper etiquette is to face the flag and place one’s hand over one’s heart or, if in military uniform, stand at attention and salute.

For a long time, Obama refused to wear a flag lapel pin following the 9/11 attacks. When still an Illinois Senator, Obama told an Iowa television station, "I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest. Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great." More recently, Obama has been seen wearing a flag lapel pin.

Sources:
The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10398830
Digital Art Press http://digitalartpress.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/obama-denver-rally-throws-12000-american-flags-in-garbage-co-vets-save-them-and-use-them-at-mccain-rally/
Fox News http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/06/mccain-camp-to-chastise-dems-for-discarding-american-flags/
World Net Daily & KUSA-TV (Denver) http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=72802

McCain’s Grand Slam Choosing Sarah Palin

With the selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his vice president, McCain slammed it out of the park. I could not be more pleased to be wrong. (I had predicted Governor Charlie Crist would be McCain’s V.P. pick.) I am also very relieved. McCain did not make the mistake of choosing a pro-choice candidate, a non-starter for many of us evangelical conservatives. Had he done that, I would have supported and voted for Bob Barr in protest. I have never and never will knowingly vote for a pro-choice politician.

Now, I can get on board the McCain Express as a conservative and a woman. Palin is a brilliant selection. She reassures on most all the points that make conservatives nervous: abortion, homosexual marriage, gun rights, taxes, and fiscal responsibility. With her, we can rest easy when she is a heart beat away from the Oval Office.

Palin will be a wondrous witness to women on that touchiest of issues, abortion. Unlike any man and most women politicians who are pro-life, Palin has faced the tough choices women confront when something goes wrong in a pregnancy. Palin made the toughest pro-life choice a woman can make. She knew she was going to bear a baby with Downs’ Syndrome, and she made the right and moral choice for life. No opponent will be able to accuse Palin that she does not know what it feels like to have a crisis pregnancy. She will be able to speak to these women with empathy and moral authority. On this, Palin is an answer to prayer.

McCain's VP Choice: Charlie Crist

Here's my prediction: John McCain will pick Charlie Crist, Florida's governor, as his Vice President. I've been predicting that since Crist endorsed McCain days before Florida's presidential primary. The timing told me they had negotiated a quid pro quo. McCain needs Florida in his column, and he needs a younger VP. Given Crist's popularity in the state, he can deliver Florida in November's general election as he did in the primary.

My feeling that Crist was the chosen one for VP was strengthened when he announced his engagement. Crist has been single for many years. Swirling around his candidacy for governor were rumors that Crist was a closet homosexual. I never believed it since he had been married as a young man. The rumors cropped up because some people make the erroneous assumption that if you are single, you must be a homosexual. Also, Crist had signed the petition to put the Florida4Marriage amendment on the ballot. I do not believe a practising homosexual would have signed up for marriage to be defined constituitonally as only between a man and a woman.

My best guess is that when Crist went to McCain's Sedona Ranch with other likely VP nominees, McCain or a campaign honcho took him aside and said something to the effect, "Hey, you need to put these silly rumors to rest. Pop the question to your significant other and be done with it." Soon after, Crist announced his engagement. That sealed the deal. At least, that's my take. Soon, we will know if I was right.

Campaign Ad for John McCain

Three 5:4 decisions by the Supreme Court in the last two weeks perfectly delineate the choice facing American voters between John McCain and Barack Hussein Obama. The first decision gave foreign terrorists the same legal rights as U.S. citizens. The second overturned the death penalty for child rapists. The third upheld the Second Amendment right of individuals to own and bear arms.

In the next few years, three of the most liberal Supreme Court judges are expected to retire: Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy, and David Souter. Thus, the next President will determine decisively the liberal or conservative tilt of the Supreme Court for many years to come. Obama, the most liberal Senator in the U.S. Senate, will appoint Supreme Court justices in the tradition of Ginsburg, Kennedy, and Souter who love to legislate from the bench. McCain has promised to appoint "strict Constructionists," judges who interpret legislation in light of the Constitution, like Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas.

John McCain should use the following ad in his campaign against Barack Hussein Obama:

Do you want a Supreme Court who favors terrorists and child rapists? Then vote for Barack Hussein Obama. If, instead, you want a Supreme Court who upholds your Second Amendment rights and protects innocent children, then vote for John McCain.

Well Done, Ron Paul

In my 2008 Fearless Forecasts, I predicted Ron Paul would show surprising strength in some primaries. I defined "surprising" as 10% or better. Paul came in at 10% or higher in nine states.

They were:

• Alaska (17%)
  
• Iowa (10%)
  
• Kansas (11%)
  
• Maine (19%)
  
• Minnesota (16%)
  
• Montana (25%)
  
• Nevada (14%)
  
• North Dakota (21%)
  
• Washington (caucus) (22%)
  

On a U-Tube entry following John McCain's clinching of the nomination, Paul said "We must remember, elections are short-term efforts. Revolutions are long-term projects." Paul's website calls for "limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies."

Media Ignores Mike Huckabee

The bias against Mike Huckabee is becoming more evident. After Mitt Romney bowed out of the Republican race, the media anointed John McCain as the presumptive winner of the party's nomination. They have ignored the fact that there are still two running, Huckabee and Ron Paul. Both are vowing to continue.

It takes 1,191 delegates to win the Republican nomination. Now, I can count as well as anyone, and it would be hard for Huckabee and impossible for Paul to overcome McCain's lead. However, this whole primary season has been one of surprises and reversals. According to the Green Papers website (http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/R-HS.phtml), the current delegate count is as of Friday, Feb. 8:

McCain: 683 pledged and 16 unpledged = 699
Huckabee: 156 pledged and 23 unpledged = 179
Romney: 118 pledged and 57 unpledged = 175
Paul: 5 pledged and 16 unpledged = 21

In the Super Tuesday vote, the conservative vote was split. "Twenty-eight percent of Republican voters said they were 'very conservative.' Of them, 45% voted for Mr. Romney and 30% for Mr. Huckabee. Mr. McCain took just 19% of these votes" (The Wall Street Journal, 02/07/08). McCain has not won that conservative base in any of the primaries thus far.

McCain has many issues that make conservative Republicans nervous and Senate votes to explain. Democrats will be able to accuse him of Kerry-style flip-flopping on the Bush tax cuts, judicial nominations, and immigration reform. McCain opposed Bush's tax cuts but now says he wants them made permanent. He says he will appoint only strict constructionist judges, yet McCain is one of the "Gang of 14" that denied several conservative judges floor votes on their appointments. McCain claims to be pro-life, but he opposes a constitutional amendment to quarantee the right to life to the unborn. Similarly, he opposes a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Most recently, McCain's support of comprehensive immigration reform with its amnesty provisions has turned many conservatives against him.

In his exit, Romney did not endorse McCain. Most of those Romney delegates will be up for grabs by the three remaining candidates. It is far more likely that a majority will be inclined to vote for Huckabee over either McCain or Paul. There are many states that have not held their primaries or caucuses, yet. As Huckabee keeps saying, "It's not over until it's over." David Keene, president of the American Conservative Union, said: "If either Romney or Huckabee wins more than their share [in coming states], McCain could end up in trouble." He cautioned, "You wouldn't want to mortgage your house and bet on that happening."

The South Rose Again and the Yankee Is Out

Mitt Romney is out of the race for the Republican nominee for President. This former Yankee, now proud-to-be-Southerner is glad. The Southern states whose primaries were on Super Tuesday united and gave the boot to the Yankee carpetbagger. Together, we showed our displeasure to any politician who disses our flag.

Romney, during his campaign, made several statements regarding the Confederate battleflag. He said it should not be shown and made it clear he wanted nothing to do with it. In contrast, Huckabee colorfully described what Southern states should do to Yanks who try to dictate the flags Southerners should fly.

Political pundits in the media expected Huckabee to have his clock cleaned for his support of the right of Southerners to fly any Confederate flag. Instead, Southern voters cleaned Romney's clock. It left the leftwing media in a state of shock. No one expected Huckabee to do as well as he did on Super Tuesday. Instead, they were all agreeing with Romney that Huckabee should quit. What a difference a day makes. The South rose again on Super Tuesday and the Yankee is out of the race.

Charlie Crist for Vice President?

John McCain had a coup with the endorsement of Florida's Governor Charlie Crist the weekend before Florida's primary. Crist's and General Schwartzkopf's endorsements may well put McCain over the top Tuesday. Crist, who enjoys an approval rating of over 70% from Florida voters, will influence wavering Republicans. The General will sway Florida's large contingent of retired veterans, as will McCain's own military ties in the state.

If John McCain becomes the Republican Party's presidential nominee, I expect Charlie Crist to be his running mate. Because of Florida's importance as a swing state, there has been speculation that Crist, with his popularity in Florida, would be on any nominee's short list of possible vice presidential candidates. Time will tell if McCain and Crist brokered a deal for v.p. over the weekend.

Republican Presidential Candidates on the Confederate Flag or Why Mike Huckabee Gets My Vote

Mitt Romney

"That flag frankly, is divisive and shouldn't be shown. Right now with the kinds of issues we've got in this country, I'm not going to get involved with a flag like that."
"That's not a flag that I would recognize so that I would hold it up in my room."
"The people of our country have decided not to fly that flag. I think that's the right thing."

Mike Huckabee

"You don't like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag," In fact, if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell 'em what to do with the pole, that's what we'd do."
"It is not an issue the president of the United States needs to weigh in on."
"I know what would happen if somebody comes to my state in Arkansas and tells us what to do, it doesn't matter what it is, tell us how to run our schools, tell us how to raise our kids, tell us what to do with our flag — you want to come tell us what to do with the flag, we'd tell them what to do with the pole."

Fred Thompson

"For a great many Americans, it’s a symbol of racism."
"As far as a public place is concerned, I am glad that people have made the decision not to display it as a prominent flag, symbolic of something, at a state capital."
"As a part of a group of flags or something of that nature, you know, honoring various service people at different times in different parts of the country, I think that's different."

John McCain

"My answer, sir, is that I could not be more proud that the overwhelming majority of the people of this state joined together taking that flag off the top of the...." (end of comment drowned out by cheers of McCain's supporters)
"a symbol of racism"
"a symbol of heritage"
"I really don't think it's a good idea to fly the confederate Flag."
"I said it was strictly a state issue and clearly knowing it wasn't. I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles."
"My answer to that is I can’t be more proud of the overwhelming majority of the people of this state who came together in taking that flag off the top of the Capitol."

Rudy Giuliani

"One of the great beauties of the kind of government we have, which is a national/federal government, is that we can make - on a broad range of issues - we can make different decisions in different parts of the country. We have different sensitivities, and at different times we are going to come to different decisions, and I think that is best left up to the states."
"That's a good thing to be left on a state-by-state basis."

Ron Paul

I could find no direct quotes by Ron Paul on the subject of the Confederate flag, despite extensive research online. However, given his strong defense of states' rights against federal coercion, it is reasonable to presume that he would not object to a state choosing to honor the Confederate flag. If anyone can cite any direct quotes on the subject by Ron Paul, please forward the URLs.

As a Florida voter, I’ve been fluctuating between voting for Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee. They are the candidates that most closely match my own positions on the issues. I cannot give either my unqualified endorsement. I have concerns about Huckabee's positions and past history in dealing with illegal immigrants. I like the fact that the Republican establishment opposes him since I do not like the neo-cons or economic conservatives/social liberals that currently control our party. Romney's support from them raises red flags as does his past support for abortion rights. One thing that does not cause me any hesitation is Romney's Mormonism. A Mormon approach to social welfare would be a great plus in the White House.

When I read what Mitt Romney said about the Confederate flag, I was sickened. Then, I heard Mike Huckabee say how Arkansans would tell outsiders (carpetbaggers) what to do with the flag pole if they came to take down their flag. Hallelujah! He won my vote. I get to vote for a real, authentic Southerner who understands states’ rights and Southern heritage. Yes!

If Huckabee does not win the Republican presidential nomination, who will I support in November? That is an easy answer for me. I can support any of the other Republican candidates except Rudy Giuliani. I have severe doubts on a couple (Paul on foreign policy and McCain on immigration), but I would prefer them to any the Democrats will nominate.

Rudy Giuliani, however, is nothing but a Democrat-in-drag. He will never get my vote because he is wrong on all the issues that matter most to me. He is wrong on abortion, the Second Amendment, and illegal immigration. Worse, he has the morals of a tomcat. Any candidate who cannot be faithful to his marriage vows to his wife cannot be trusted to be faithful to his inaugural vows to the people. Giuliani is a non-starter for me. If the Republican party makes the mistake of nominating him for President, then I will vote third party in protest even if it means the election of a Democrat.

Conversion on the Road to Des Moines: McCain Sponsors Border Security Only Bill

According to the Associated Press, Sen. McCain has converted. He is sponsoring new legislation that provides stronger border security without any path to citizenship for illegal aliens. The bill also includes "an electronic system for employers to check workers' citizenship status and requires illegal immigrants who commit a crime to be held in jail until they are deported."

Obviously, this is a political move on the part of Senator McCain. After years of sponsoring bills that included various amnesty schemes for illegals, no Republican should be fooled by McCain's sudden conversion on the road to Iowa's straw poll. Most anti-illegal immigration groups are dismissing it. I certainly hope no Iowa Republicans will switch their vote to McCain because of this.

However, as an opponent to illegal immigration, I urge all of us to get behind this bill. It contains the kind of provisions that are needed for our country to stop the invasion of illegal aliens. Yes, throw McCain overboard as far as his presidential aspirations, but keep this legislation.