Conservative Papa

Kathryn Jean Lopez on Time Magazine & War on National Review Online
Men of the Year
Changing the course of the war.
By Kathryn Jean Lopez

If I were the editor of Time magazine, instead of Vladmir Putin, I’d have three men on the famous year-ending issue. My men of the year would be Gen. David Petraeus, with Sen. John McCain and Joe Lieberman as his Beltway wingmen.

Not to crowd the cover too much, but the mission takes a few good men: I’d make sure that George W. Bush (the commander in chief who put Petraeus where he is) and the American soldier (who does the work every day) got in the picture as well.

Keep reading.

Peter Wehner on Mike Huckabee & 2008 & Foreign Affairs on National Review Online
The Problem With Pastor Mike
Foreign-policy foolishness just wont suffice.By Peter Wehner

Former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has written an article for Foreign Affairs magazine, the first two paragraphs of which are stunningly silly, misguided, and unfortunately for Huckabee, deeply revealing.

The two opening paragraphs read this way:

The United States, as the worlds only superpower, is less vulnerable to military defeat. But it is more vulnerable to the animosity of other countries. Much like a top high school student, if it is modest about its abilities and achievements, if it is generous in helping others, it is loved. But if it attempts to dominate others, it is despised.

American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach out. The Bush administrations arrogant bunker mentality has been counterproductive at home and abroad. My administration will recognize that the United States main fight today does not pit us against the world but pits the world against the terrorists. At the same time, my administration will never surrender any of our sovereignty, which is why I was the first presidential candidate to oppose ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty, which would endanger both our national security and our economic interests.

The above quote (except for the last two sentences) really makes me wonder about Mike Huckabee. A perusal of this page from the Huckabee campaign site might depict some fence-straddling positions.

Fred Thompson was my main hope when he announced his candidacy a few months ago. I hadn’t really considered Huckabee until his recent surge brought him to the fore. There is a lot I like about him — on the surface at least. Statements such as the above erode his conservative appearance. Maybe I’ll vote for Thompson, instead. I have a lot of studying to do before next month’s presidential preference vote!

Border The Movie | Border Movie | Immigration Movie | Directed by Chris Burgard
California filmmaker Chris Burgard’s award-winning, feature-length documentary, BORDER, takes a firsthand look at the dire and real human consequences of America’s failure to secure its borders. BORDER unleashes a haunting, inside look at what has arguably become a war zone: Rape Trees, illegal immigration, drug smuggling, sex trafficking, Mexican military incursions and more—all taking place at the United States’ southern border. From drug cartels and smuggler towns to besieged American ranchers routinely finding corpses on their properties, BORDER gives the viewer a front row seat.

Note that this movie is being screened tomorrow at 3:00 the Gulf Breeze Cinema.

Mideasterners Address Iranian Nuclear Crisis - HUMAN EVENTS
Biltaji favors a two part solution. First, he encourages the west led by the US to conduct a surgical strike to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Second, the West must create a model state in Iraq. Biltaji believes a robust Iraqi economy and reliable public services would convince the Iranian public to shun Islamic radicalism in favor of the benefits of freedom they see next door.

This is just a snip from a very interesting article featuring interviews with Israeli and Jordanian experts who believe Iran is anywhere from 2 to 10 years from building an atomic weapon. I chose this quote, because it also underscores the importance of the US presence in Iraq. Be sure to read the entire article!

Kevin Thompson For Congress - 2007 » Vote Your Conscience!
The beauty of our free society is that each citizen can vote for whomever they wish without fear of reprisal. You give up that right by voting for a candidate you disagree with. The politics of fear tell us that if we don’t vote for the lesser of two evils, the worse evil (the bogey man!) will win. Yet, what they forget to tell you is that voting for the lesser evil is still a vote for evil! Furthermore, the vote you want to cast is stolen away from you. Another freedom taken away…

Kevin Thompson is running for Congress in the 5th district of Massachusetts as a Constitution Party Candidate. I’ve been following his blog, because he is a Pensacola Christian College alumnus. From the little I know of the race and the politics of Massachusetts, the Democrat candidate is likely to win, the Republican may have a chance, but the others probably do not. So would I vote for the Republican? Yes. Otherwise, the greater of two evils is one vote closer to victory. Am I succumbing to the politics of fear? Perhaps, but isn’t fear a good thing sometimes?

Yesterday, a local talk show host, who is a proponent of the Constitution Party, was making an analogy between our two-party system and a railroad. The Democrat train is racing toward perdition at 100 m.p.h. The Republican train is going in the same direction at 50 m.p.h. The only difference in the parties is that one is taking the country toward doom faster than the other. It’s hard for me to disagree with that statement! Then the man advocated boarding a different train headed in a different direction. The problem is that there are many different trains, but none of them are leaving the station! Come election time, we must board a train that is actually going to move; otherwise, the direction in which it is facing is pointless!

My hope is that we can stay on board the slow-moving train and therefore have more time to get that train back on the right track. Can the slow train be saved, or will a new train build up enough steam to start moving in a new direction? Which vote is truly wasted?

The greatest testament to God’s protection, our nation’s effective leadership, and our troops’ selfless sacrifice is that a similar tragedy has not visited us again these last six years.

From Congressman Jeff Miller:

Although I am overseas visiting our military in Iraq and Afghanistan , I wanted to update you on an important event that occurred this past Saturday, August 4.

Due to extreme pressure from our Intelligence Community and the public, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allowed the House of Representatives to vote on S.1927, the “Protect America Act.” This bill passed the House 227-183 despite “no” votes from the Speaker of the House, the House Majority Leader and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The President signed the bill into law Sunday, August 5.

This new law addresses deficiencies in the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and will make us safer. The Director of National Intelligence, retired Navy Admiral Mike McConnell, wrote the following on August 2:

“The bill must not require court approval before urgently needed intelligence collection can begin against a foreign target located overseas. The delays of a court process that requires judicial determinations in advance to gather vital intelligence from foreign targets overseas can in some cases prevent the rapid gathering of intelligence necessary to provide warning of threats to the country. This process would also require in practice that we continue to divert scarce intelligence experts to compiling these court submissions. Similarly, critical intelligence gathering on foreign targets should not be halted while court review is pending.”

After reading the above words of Director McConnell, I am still amazed that it was so difficult to bring the “Protect America Act” to the floor for a vote. Even more amazing is that within hours of the House of Representatives passing this bill, Speaker Pelosi sent a letter to two key Congressional Committees asking them to draft new legislation for September to effectively undo the bill.

I support and accept the fact that in some instances, our government may monitor communications coming into the United States from a suspected Al Qaeda member and vice versa. The interception of many forms of electronic communications is not a new concept for our nation. American Presidents have authorized similar policies throughout our history. These are necessary actions to protect the American people and our homeland.

I assure you that if someone in the United States is talking to a member of the Al Qaeda organization- I want to know why and I think you do as well.