Somebody call the WAAAAAAAmbulance

James Webb is not yet in office and he has already managed to make a fool of himself. Jim Hoeft is more forgiving of Webb.

Apparently Webb, as any parent would, declared that he wanted his son home after the president asked about his son's well-being. The president, as commander-in-chief, appropriately stated that was not the question.

The president absolutely put Webb back in his proper place as one of 100. And, even more appropriately, as one of several 100,000 who would like their sons and daughters home.

Howling Latina is, well, howling.

Hmmm, guess Webb wasn't drinking any of the president's kool-aid with happy-talk and insincere reflection about how important the mission in Iraq is and just how very proud Bush is of our soldiers.

“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,” Bush retorted, according to the
source.
Hit me with a feather; and excuse the living hell out of me!

And NLS seems to find the whole thing funny.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

James Webb has embarrassed himself and Virginia, and could have easily remembered one thing and saved himself this whole incident. There is no doubt that President Bush is aware of Webb's views on the War in Iraq. President Bush was asking James Webb about his family, and Webb decided to tell President Bush something he was fully aware of. Does James Webb think he has absolute authority over President Bush? Must be getting a big head knowing he is number 51.

Senator-to-be Webb, you will represent Virginia. Please do not do so poorly. Being a hot-head will get you nothing. And not everything President Bush says is an attack on Democrats; is it not possible that he was simply asking a question about your family?

What to do in Iraq

Jon Henke returns from his blogging for Senator Allen and posts a big question about Iraq.

Allowing the best available faction to conquer rivals and stabilize Iraq with US support is far from a "good outcome". . . . .but the rest of our options are much worse.

It appears more and more obvious that a presence there may need to be more prolonged (though a lesser number of troops will be sufficient in the future). John Murtha's "solution" could only make things worse in Iraq; patience is a virtue after all.

Democrats say Republicans will reinstate the draft

So why is Charles Rangel submitting a draft bill? And anyone want to take bets that Congress Democrats will try to blame this on Republicans?

On a side note, do not expect it to pass. It was soundly defeated the last time around, and it would be political suicide for Democrats, particularly those who only have just been elected to office.

Apparently, Abramoff is a swing hitter

Again, just after the election, some very interesting news comes out, this time suggesting that Jack Abramoff may have been involved with a few Democratic Senators as well. The next two years could be very interesting.

The NYT stands for honesty...later

Evan Coyne Maloney noticed that the New York Times finally is questioning the Democrats about their plans for Iraq. Funny how they wait until after the elections to make such an observation.

Waiting to hear what they have to say? Isn’t that what campaigns are for? You’d think the Times would have noticed that the Democrats had nothing to say before the election, but for some reason the paper thought that minor detail wasn’t worthy of coverage until now. I wonder why that is.

Indeed.

Even more scary, Nancy Pelosi standing behind Jack Murtha for House Majority Leader. So many Democrats love to claim that they are "moderates". Where are they right now?

The guys at the top must like puppies too

Michael Steele has been offered the position to head the RNC. This is a great move and it will no doubt breathe new life into the Republican party. It is good to see that Steele will still be able to represent the Republican party well over the next few years, even if not as a Senator.

The lights have dimmed a little more in Virginia

Chad Dotson is saying goodbye to blogging. Very early in my blog, I met Chad and he invited me to send him my link. While I do not have even close to the readership or name recognition that Chad has, it is him whom I credit for having come this far, if not for simply giving me a couple more hits a day. Commonwealth Conservative has always been a great blog with some good insight, and Chad is a man of great integrity. All the more for that reason, he is going to put more focus on his career (he has a re-election campaign coming up next year) and on his family.

I must say this is turning out to be quite a sad week. First, George Allen loses. Than, President Bush caves and has Donald Rumsfeld resign. And now, Chad Dotson is leaving full-time blogging. Hope things turn around soon.

Thank you Chad, for everything. I hope to see you come back in the future.

It's official...

and I think both Democrats and Republicans can agree, Kevin Federline is the most pathetic person in the world.

What to take from this election

Congratulations to James Webb. While I have been no fan of the way the Democrats have run this race, as I have said before, it all comes down to the Election Day. Barring any huge scandals (and it is rare that recounts, and there will be one, show such problems to overturn a race), we (UPDATE 11/9/06 5:30 PM: So much for the recount. Selfless move by Senator Allen, even if it stings that he is not making one last attempt to win this race) We will all have to deal with the fact that James Webb represents us, and that Democrats have a (tenuous, thanks to Joe Lieberman who may still be disappointed in his loss of support from the Democrats) hold on Congress. What can we learn?

- First off, I would like to state that I still believe that George Allen has been a great servent to this Commonwealth, and I truly hope he continues to be one. Same with Michael Steele in Maryland. Despite all the race baiting the Democrats did on these two, they are very honorable men, and still could very well hold office in the future (George Allen for governor in 2009? Then again, I best be careful, so he is not cursed as he was with the presidential hopes).

- Republicans dropped, conservatives held on. Measure 1 passed here, and similar measures have passed in other states. Emminent domain is being restricted. The oil tax in California is going to fail. While I like to put faith in people that, perhaps, they might have some character, I recognize that our ideals are still going strong, and with the right people to back them, Republicans will be back in power soon enough.

- Democrats will likely push back the tax cuts; we need to shove even harder. Get loud about it. Many have shown that they will vote in Congress with the polls, not their hearts, and if tax cuts are what the people want, we might get enough of them to back them to make them permanant.

- Democrats ultimately hold the legislative power for the next two years (potentially more, but no point in forecasting right now). They must make some decisions. They still want to cut and run in Iraq, but they might not have enough votes right now to do so; with a Webb win, they will get 51 seats, but one of those seats belongs to Joe Lieberman. Dick Cheney may be President of the Senate, the Democrats will no doubt pick another to be the majority leader, but Lieberman is king right now. He could potentially swing a lot of votes, simply out of pure frustration, if not for his views on national defense. And with the Middle East staying hot, there may be more reason for concern. Democrats have a huge chance here if they wish to take it; get hard on terror and ensure that they stay in power for years to come, or let terror test us for a couple years and allow the voters to take a serious look at our security. What say you, Congressional Democrats?

- The economy is soaring. Why have some tried to convince us that it is not?

- Nancy Pelosi has pledged to work with Republicans and George Bush. How long does this last?

We have a new Congress, like it or not. Unlike many liberals in 2004, I do not think this is the end of the world, but it could be a very trying two years. If we stay on top of things though, at least they may not be unbearable.

UPDATE 9:15 PM: One more thing; readership is up here at The Red Stater. Way up, in fact, over the last week or so. Thank you all for reading!

Too Close to Call

Measures 1-3 will all pass with little opposition. Thelma Drake and Virgil Goode, big targets of the Democrats here in Virginia, will each retain their seats. However, just past midnight on November 8th, the Senate race is still too close to call. With 20 precincts left (0.82% of the total precincts), George Allen leads by the slimmest of margins, 1,141,753 (49.44% of the vote) to 1,139,885 (49.36%). The remaining votes went to Gail Parker and write-ins (one must note that Gail Parker's votes would clearly give James Webb the lead if he instead had them; whom did she hurt more by her campaign?). What follows will no doubt be a recount (hopefully only one this time, regardless of who is winning after it) and possibly the difference between a Republican or Democrat controlled Senate. Unfortunately, I cannot follow it anymore tonight, but I imagine as close as it is, we will all be following it for at least a little while longer.

Even with a win though, tonight will be bittersweet. Democrats will hold a clear majority in the House, and the Senate majority will be as small as possible, meaning that President Bush truly is a lame duck now and it will be very difficult for anything to happen; if a Supreme Court justice passes away, for example, it seems highly unlikely any candidate would pass, even one that was aimed towards the Senate as a "moderate" judge.

So, Democrats will gain some power (at least) of the legislature. I say if they really want that power, they should take all the responsibility for anything going on right now. It would be nice to instead blame a Democratic Congress for current problems in Iraq.

Three localities

That is what this race appears to be coming too. Enough precincts from most localities appear to have reported to suggest that most will not have any more (or a minimal) impact on the race. Still left a lot of precincts are Loudoun County, Prince William County, and Richmond (none of Criag County has reported, but it is too small to consider a major player; sorry Craig County). Senator Allen is now up 12,000 votes with about 6% of precincts (139) still left to report. Amazing that this, of all races, is the only major race that is so close. It's got my heart pounding.

Swings back like that...

George Allen just got a big jump (as of 9:56 PM), now up by more than 26,000 votes in Virginia with less than 10% of precincts left. Still to close to call, but good news nontheless.

No Major Surprises in Virginia Yet

Right now, Senator Allen holds a very slim lead on James Webb, but many of the precincts in Northern Virginia have voted, so there is reason for (guarded) optimism. Each of the measures are passing by wide margins, currently holding at least one million votes each; the only one that is even seeing a little challenge is Measure One, and it is a full 300,000 back right now. Davis, Drake, Wolf (Republicans), Boucher, and Moran (Democrats) are all winning; Virgil Goode is, of course, smoking Al Weed.

Elsewhere, Democrats do appear to be making some gains though, which might make tonight bittersweet if current trends hold up. Steele is called to lose, as is Ehrlich, at a very early point. Too much reliance on exit polling? We'll see. It's not all over though. Joe Lieberman is projected to win, further proving that Markos Moulitsas is the fringe, not the mainstream. Corker in TN is looking safe.

326 precincts left in Virginia, and the lead stands at 1,333 votes. Cross your fingers everyone.

It is Finally Upon Us

Election Day is tomorrow, and rather than prognosticate, attack, or even ramble about it, I am going to do what all candidates and pundits should do on the Monday before Election Day: give only a short statement (seriously, who is going to change their mind about who to vote for or whether or not to vote at this point?). My endorsements are here if you really have not yet made your mind up. The choices are obvious. All that is left is for turnout, so if you are Republican, remind your Republican friends to vote. Remind your friends who support George Allen to vote. Remind your friends who support Measure One to vote.

The polls mean nothing (particularly as none seem to agree). The pundits know nothing. The media impacts nothing. Cindy Sheehan is nothing (geez, along with Bill Clinton, James Webb has lost all integrity letting these people campaign for him). If enough of us get out and vote, none of those things will matter. Let's prove that Virginia is indeed a Red State.

Vote George Allen November 7th!

Webb's lead gone? Waldo's questionable post?

The newest Rasmussen poll out today shows Webb and Allen in a dead heat. And Roanoke College, who called the race correctly for Tim Kaine last year, has George Allen up three points in their recent poll.

Yet, some still will stoop to any level to take out George Allen, even posting stories better left to the National Enquirer. Waldo Jaquith is now stating that Anne Waddell confessed to being abused to a random person on a flight from Phoenix, and this person posted the alleged story to a web board for fans of the band Widespread Panic. This story has persisted when there is some very flimsy evidence used to support it. Meanwhile, Anne Waddell has stated the following:

“Let me make it perfectly clear. If I were still a resident of Virginia, I would proudly cast my vote for George Allen.

“I admire him as a person and as a dedicated public servant. Unlike some others in Washington, he is a man of integrity and character who has always been a loyal friend and hard-working elected official."

It strikes me as highly unlikely that she would make such a statement if she had been abused. Even if she had been and preferred not to make it public knowledge, my guess is she would not have given her comments towards this race.

The sherriff of Albemarle County at the time of these alleged abuses was George W. Bailey, and he had the following to say:

“At no time during my service as sheriff was he arrested or brought up on any offense in Albemarle County. It would have crossed my desk, and would not have escaped my notice.

“I understand there is some question about two entries for warrants or summonses in the County docket book in 1973 and/or 1974, while George was a student. This could have been for anything as small as an unpaid parking ticket or hunting or fishing license violation. An entry in that book does not mean there was an arrest, conviction or anything of the kind.

“The fact that there is no record of a trial or judgment settles the matter -- this was for some minor infraction. If George Allen -- a member of the football team and a prominent student -- has committed some offense, even as an undergraduate, it is certain I would have been informed, and likely that I would have dealt with the matter personally. But there was no such offense, and consequently nothing more to be said about the matter.”

Senator Allen is not under trial, nor are any allegations of abuse by him even taken seriously beyond the level of the tin foil hat clan. This attempt to smear Senator Allen is incredibly disrespectful and distasteful, and unless these allegations can be better backed up or George Allen states that these allegations are true, they should not be taken seriously.

Unemployment rate at 4.4%, lowest in more than 5 years.

I blame Bush.

HUGE BREAKING NEWS

I would say this is a five toupee flip alert. Check out Drudge Report. For those of you who are not going to bother clicking the link, here is the leading line.

NEW YORK TIMES PLANS EXCLUSIVE STORY ON IRAQ AND RESEARCH OF NUKE BOMB... NEWSROOM SOURCE TELLS DRUDGE: 'IT WILL LEAD THE PAPER ON FRIDAY... IT SHOULD IGNITE NEWS CYCLES'... DEVELOPING...

If this is true, this is huge news and could potentially send this election in a complete 180 (I can hear the Democrats crying foul as I type this). We should know in another few hours. If nothing comes of this, Democrats should maintain their momentum; if this story does appear, front page in the New York Times, "Bush lied, people died" will go down in history as the most inaccurate catch phrase ever.

Democrats best hope that voters are not going to choose their representatives based on the war because this will take all the wind out of their sales.

UPDATE 9:10 PM: Hot Air reminds me not to get to excited, as this is the NYT after all. This could be an attempt to discredit Republicans instead. Stay tuned.

UPDATE 2 10:10 PM: Very bad news, both in a partisan and non-partisan way. Go to Drudge Report to see for yourself.

UPDATE 3 11/3/06 8:00 AM: The interesting thing of this revealed news is that it may act as a double-edged sword. It is bad that Iran may have received some secrets from this revelation; however, it also shows the NYT to suggest that there were indeed WMD programs in Iraq. How will this play out on Tuesday?

Why do Democrats think this issue is divisive?

President Bush and many leading Republicans don't. And neither does Jalal Talabani.

"There is no civil war. The media is focusing only on the negative side of Iraq. ... We need to give the real picture. It's not just car bombs. Visit Iraq from the north to the south. Never mind Baghdad," he told reporters.

And for those who still think this is a war for oil...

"Your oil companies can come to Iraq ... Americans didn't interfere (in our oil) and don't have any right to interfere."

And yet, I am sure there are plenty of people who will not be satisfied with these answers. But then again, this never really was about the security of Iraq for them.

Interestingly enough, the topic that most Americans are really talking about these days is the economy, which is doing exceptionally well, and yet some people want a changing of the guard. Bad idea. The tax cuts will be allowed to run out, and guess what happens to the currently strong (and growing stronger) economy?

Nobody's Perfect

Without a doubt, this has been a turbulent year in politics, and it is obvious that this is starting to wear on voters. The main reason so many Democrats are confident this year is they hear the same thing.

“I’m not prepared to be used . . . again. . . . I can’t bring myself to vote Democratic, because I have no faith in the Democrats. . . . [But] I doubt very much I’m going to vote for [the Republicans] at the national level, because they have not earned my vote.” I guess we’re left with the conclusion that no one is good enough to vote for.

My father sent me this link earlier and I felt it was very appropriate in considering this election. It is geared towards Christians (indeed, it is from a website geared towards Christians), but the basic principle should apply to all.

...[E]very election year, many Christians discover this simple fact all over again, and it throws them into a tizzy. They go into the political process as if they were picking a pastor instead of an elected official. They look for someone who is right in every category that matters to them, instead of looking for someone who will advance the common good and agrees with them as much as possible. When they don’t find the perfect person, they become disillusioned.

Interestingly enough, this echoes an episode of South Park, a cartoon that is not particularly friendly towards Christianity (though is definitely harsher towards Hollywood and feel-good liberalism). A douche and a turd sandwich may seem like bad choices, but which one will better advance the common good?

George Allen has received a lot of criticism this election cycle. I, and many other bloggers, have defended him. Others have derided us for doing so. But there is one thing we need to consider above all else; Senate races across the nation are tight, and a Democrat led Senate is not unfeasible. George Allen might be the key representative who prevents the end of the Bush tax cuts, the rash abandonment of Iraq, and the complete loss of principles (rather than the partial loss of principles many wary voters fear of with a Republican led Congress).

The great conservative writer Russell Kirk called for us to be guided by “the principle of prudence,” or of sound judgment and consideration for long-term consequences. It might feel good if you feel disillusioned to refuse to vote, sitting on your hands at home, registering your protest. It might make you feel like you’ve taught the politicians a lesson. But if that’s the case, we’ve only failed to stand up and tell the politicians what we believe in. How can we expect our government to take an interest in what we believe if we won’t take the simplest action of voting to defend it?

Read the whole thing, because I seriously do not want to hear more people complaining about a government they did not bother to go out and vote for (or against, be it as it may).

“I didn’t push anyone that I remember”

Those were the words of Mike Stark, who had earlier appeared on Countdown with Keith Olberman (aka Bill O'Reilly and George W. Bush's Mike Stark). I'd love to see how he and his defenders explain this.

Kerry-ing on

Has it ever been more obvious that Democrats are on the wrong side of the debate?

Perhaps it still rubs John Kerry the wrong way that he received worse grades than George W. Bush?

John Kerry is not some fringe liberal politician. He represented the Democrats in the 2004 presidential election. And worse yet, James Webb has still refused to comment on it. The argument, it appears, cannot be made that this is the normal belief of veterans either, as John McCain is very disappointed in this statement. Indeed, John Kerry's views were not lost in 2004 either.

Democrats have been very excited recently, but this might just bring their hopes crashing down. It proves that Democrats (and in particular, James Webb) are not in line with the American voter and should not be allowed to take the helm.

UPDATE 5:20 PM: It appears John Kerry has attempted to apologize. Can you say damage control? Here in Virginia, where military bases and government employees are almost as common as Starbucks, James Webb should be sweating right now.