Look Who's Behind Hillary

Hat tip: Born at the Crest of the Empire

The Gospel of Barack

From Mark Shea:

1:1 As it is written in the AP Manual, "Behold, I send my press corps before thy face, who shall prepare thy way." And so it came to pass that pundits went forth into all that country, preaching a vote of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And lo, these pundits spake by the Spirit of the Age, going into all their towns and cities and declaring:

1:2 "He is not operating on the same plane as ordinary politicians. . . . [He is] the agent of transformation in an age of revolution, as a figure uniquely qualified to open the door to the 21st century." -- Gary Hart

1:3 "Barack Obama is our collective representation of our purest hopes, our highest visions and our deepest knowings . . . . He's our product out of the all-knowing quantum field of intelligence." -- Eve Konstantine

1:4 "This is bigger than Kennedy. . . . This is the New Testament." "I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event." -- Chris Matthews

Read the rest. You won't regret it.

RIP William F. Buckley

I think it was 1982 when I first read National Review. I was a freshman in college and it caught my eye in the library one day. One reading and I was hooked, mainly due to the incisive prose and brilliant reasoning of William F. Buckley, Jr. I proceeded to read several of his books and even his spy novels. He was a major intellectual influence on me. While I've since moved past him on some issues, I continued to admire and respect him.

Buckley passed away last night. He was found where every writer is happiest - at his desk, probably working on another column. After a lifetime of verbal battle, it's fitting that Buckley died in combat, weapon still in hand. May God grant him eternal rest and peace.

Rod Dreher has a good eulogy.

Obama: Just Like Reagan

I know that headline will sound like blasphemy to some of you. Hear me out. Obama is being criticized by Republicans , Clinton Democrats, and a few pundits as an empty suit - someone who looks great, speaks well, but has no real substance. Some Republicans even argue that Obama will be easier to defeat than Hillary Clinton would be.

Here's the problem: people said the same things about Ronald Reagan in 1980. Today's Wall Street Journal had an editorial that explains.

"More than anything else, I want my candidacy to unify our country, to renew the American spirit and sense of purpose. I want to carry our message to every American, regardless of party affiliation, who is a member of this community of shared values . . . For those who have abandoned hope, we'll restore hope and we'll welcome them into a great national crusade to make America great again!"

So Ronald Reagan proclaimed on July 17, 1980, as he accepted his party's nomination for president at the Republican National Convention in Detroit, Mich.

Earlier that day, the New York Times ran a long profile of Reagan on its front page. The author, Howell Raines, lamented that the news media had been unsuccessful in getting Reagan to speak in anything other than "sweeping generalities about economic and military policy." Mr. Raines further noted: "political critics who characterize him as banal and shallow, a mouther of right-wing platitudes, delight in recalling that he co-starred with a chimpanzee in 'Bedtime for Bonzo.'"

Throughout his campaign, Reagan fought off charges that his candidacy was built more on optimism than policies. The charges came from reporters and opponents. John Anderson, a rival in the Republican primary who ran as an independent in the general election, complained that Reagan offered little more than "old platitudes and old generalities."

Republicans who think Obama will be easy to beat are starting to sound a lot like some Democrats did in 1980. They are wrong. They underestimate how vulnerable the voters are to well-spoken people who tell them things they want to hear. This is why advertising works.

It does not matter that some of Obama's basic values are abhorrent to those who think about it. They won't think about it. Moreover, the fact that the GOP could not nominate a more conservative candidate than McCain is strong evidence that conservative values are not as widespread as they used to be.

In other words, people like what Obama says, and they also like how he says it. This is why he is so dangerous. He sounds so thoughtful and reasonable that he can convince people to adopt his ideas far better than Hillary ever could. Consider this little exchange:

At Cornell College on Dec. 5, for example, a student asked Mr. Obama how his administration would view the Second Amendment. He replied: "There's a Supreme Court case that's going to be decided fairly soon about what the Second Amendment means. I taught Constitutional Law for 10 years, so I've got my opinion. And my opinion is that the Second Amendment is probably -- it is an individual right and not just a right of the militia. That's what I expect the Supreme Court to rule. I think that's a fair reading of the text of the Constitution. And so I respect the right of lawful gun owners to hunt, fish, protect their families."

Then came the pivot:

"Like all rights, though, they are constrained and bound by the needs of the community . . . So when I look at Chicago and 34 Chicago public school students gunned down in a single school year, then I don't think the Second Amendment prohibits us from taking action and making sure that, for example, ATF can share tracing information about illegal handguns that are used on the streets and track them to the gun dealers to find out -- what are you doing?"

In conclusion:

"There is a tradition of gun ownership in this country that can be respected that is not mutually exclusive with making sure that we are shutting down gun traffic that is killing kids on our streets. The argument I have with the NRA is not whether people have the right to bear arms. The problem is they believe any constraint or regulation whatsoever is something that they have to beat back. And I don't think that's how most lawful firearms owners think."

He's smooth, very smooth. When he takes office as president, he's going to do a lot of damage. And you know what else? He'll have a majority of the population behind him. I don't like saying this but it's true. We may not get the president we want - but we'll get the president we deserve.

Abortion Regrets

An artist killed herself after aborting her twins when she was eight weeks pregnant, leaving a note saying: "I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum."

Emma Beck was found hanging at her home in Helston, Cornwall, on Feb 1 2007. She was declared dead early the following day - her 31st birthday.

Her suicide note read: "I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it is too late. I died when my babies died. I want to be with my babies: they need me, no-one else does." MORE

This is a terrible story. It sounds like the woman was already troubled and the abortion sent her over the edge. No one seems to have tried very hard to help her beyond getting her in for the abortion as fast as possible.

Abortion is a crime with at least three victims: the child, the mother, and the father. Once the deed is done, all we can do for the children is pray for their souls. The parents are another matter. As with Emma Beck, many women are pressured into having abortions or left to feel that they have no other choices.

Abortion providers want us to think that liberated women dance happily into the clinics and come out with a smile on their face, freed from this extra tissue they don't want. Don't believe it. Few women go through the experience without mental, spiritual and sometimes physical scars.

Don't forget the fathers, either. While it takes two to create a pregnancy, the decision whether to abort or not lies exclusively with the woman. If the man wants to save his child, he is simply out of luck. The law is not on his side. Or he may support the abortion initially then have regrets later. The pain can last a lifetime.

Emma Beck needed help and she didn't get it. I know of at least two groups dedicated to helping post-abortive parents: Rachel's Vineyard and Silent No More Awareness. These are people in pain, and they need to know that help is available.

Honeymoon Over For McCain

When John McCain ran for president in 2000 his "Straight Talk Express" bus came to be considered home territory for members of the media. This careful cultivation of various reporters has paid excellent dividends for the Senator; he's always enjoyed good press coverage. This seems to be ending now that he is on the verge of getting the GOP nomination.

The New York Times began the assault this week with a story containing vague, anonymous allegations of a relationship between McCain and a much younger female lobbyist. McCain quickly denied the charges. Many of the same conservatives who were attacking McCain just a few weeks ago leaped to his defense.

I have no problem believing that the New York Times is out to get Senator McCain. Nothing personal, of course; they would do the same to any other Republican. I think the campaign was surprised because they thought the had the media on their side, or at least neutralized. That notion should now be out of their minds. Every word McCain ever said is going to be scrutinized in every possible way between now and November. He's in the big leagues now.

While this particular story appears to be groundless, I think it's resonating because the charges are consistent with McCain's past. Recall that he divorced his first wife - the one who stood by him while he was a POW and almost died while he was gone - in order to marry his much younger current wife, who was herself one of a long line of extramarital affairs. This is well-known and McCain himself has admitted it. So when someone says he seems to be getting a little too close to an attractive young woman, people don't immediately dismiss the possibility.

Is it wrong to bring up these facts? I don't think so. McCain and his supporters want to talk about the honorable things he did in his younger days as reason that he should now be president. That's fine, but if he did dishonorable things back then, those events are relevant as well. He can't have it both ways. Call me old-fashioned, but I think the way a man treats his wife and family says a lot about his character - and his character is one of the things we as voters need to consider.

Likewise, when you build a public image out of cleaning up Washington and taking the money out of politics, then surround yourself with lobbyists and ex-lobbyists, it should be no surprise when people say there is something wrong with the picture.

Now that the dam is broken, the next phase begins. McCain is going to get the full treatment from the media. To some degree this is helpful; he's already using it as a fundraising tool. I still think it won't matter, though. Get ready for President Obama.