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 Are we asking the wrong questions if what we want are good presidents? It’s a question we almost never ask. Pundits discuss who’s likely to run and who of those could likely win, but we usually devote no time to a serious discussion of what we should actually be looking for in our presidential candidates, regardless of what political ideology they might hold to. it’s what party bosses used to do before primaries, and that system gave us some pretty stellar presidents. Sure, some were dead on arrival, but, hey, this is America. We’ll take what we can get.
By asking the wrong question, we limit our possibilities to those candidates narcissistic enough or slippery enough to believe that they can win regardless of what is actually in the country’s best interests. And since the only candidates that the press talks about are the ones likely to run regardless, those candidates monopolize early campaign coverage, making less-likely but perhaps more beneficial candidates hesitant to enter the race for fear of being humiliated. The public and the media have conspired to create a self-defeating cycle that has stretched over several decades. Continue reading…
Let me say that again.
Rick Santorum is running for President. The man who said overturning sodomy laws would open the door to incest thinks that four years after the American electorate voted Barack Obama into the White House, it will do the same for him.
In an interview with FOX News, Santorum dodged the 2012 question, but told Greta Van Susteren:
And you know, yes, I went to Iowa because I’m very concerned about what’s going on in America right now. And as you know, I mean, I come on here on FOX and I write and I do radio and I do a lot of things because I’m very concerned about the direction of this country. And I do know this, and I certainly have known it for the last 24 hours, that when you go and give a speech in Iowa, people pay attention to what you’re doing and what you’re saying, and that’s what I hope to accomplish.
 This man will never be President So he’s not willing to state the obvious outright but he will admit to wanting people to “pay attention to what [he's] doing and what [he's] saying,” so he’s not necessarily running, but he’d like us to keep him in mind when the time comes, thank you very much. Continue reading…
Freedom from religion is not the same as freedom of religion. It is a specific instance of freedom of religion. Consider the freedom of speech. This freedom necessarily entails the freedom to refrain from speaking if one so chooses. How about freedom of assembly? Does this mean that we can assemble with whomever we choose, but we must always be in some way assembled? Not at all. [...]
 Mitt Romney: next in line for the GOP nomination? Mitt Romney is widely considered to be the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, largely because he has yet to publicly implode, in contrast to too many of his competitors. As Chris Hayes, of The Nation, pointed out on The Rachel Maddow Show last week, Republicans have a tradition of nominating the “next in line.” Conventional wisdom says that Romney is this next in line. At this point in 2005, speculation was flying over who would be in the running for the Democratic nomination in 2008. Possible contenders? Russ Feingold and Evan Bayh. Really. Bill Richardson was in the mix, too, but the person considered far and away to be the frontrunner was Hillary Clinton.
I’m not sure this is a comparison that Mitt Romney should welcome. Like Hillary, Romney has the money right now. Romney has the deference of much of the Party leadership, again, like Hillary. But in the end, Hillary lost. To the guy who had gotten people excited. As long as we’re looking for parallels, it should be pointed out that the most excitement from the Republican Party post-2008, is coming from Ron Paul supporters, who’ve lifted his book, The Revolution: A Manifesto, to #350 on the Amazon sales rankings. (For contrast, Obama’s The Audacity of Hope is ranked at #368.) Continue reading…
 Sarah Palin (Blessings and peace be upon her) announced today that she would step down as Alaska's governor on July 26th. Sarah Palin (Blessings and peace be upon her.) today announced her intention to resign her post as governor of Alaska at the end of July, stating that she felt it was wise to hand over power to her lieutenant governor before her impending trip to Argentina.
Sorry. Scratch that. Crossed wires.
According to the AP, the Governor (Blessings and peace be upon her.) gave no reason for her abrupt resignation, prompting rampant speculation. The obvious, and probably accurate, conclusion is that she is preparing for a presidential run in 2012. Whether this is a smart move or a misstep is an open question. Continue reading…
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