Sen. John McCain: START Treaty Can Be Ratified This Year

  CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

November 30, 2010 9:09 AM

His Arizona colleague, Sen. Jon Kyl, says the Senate can’t – and won’t – ratify the START Treaty in this lame-duck session of Congress, but Sen. John McCain told me on "GMA" that there is still hope.

“I believe we can move forward with the START treaty and satisfy Sen. Kyl’s concerns and mine about missile defense and others,” McCain said, adding that Democrats are addressing Kyl’s concerns in active negotiations.

An Administration official echoed McCain’s confidence after the interview. Stay tuned for more after today’s sit-down at the White House

Jeb Bush: Obama Should ‘Chill’ a Bit, Then Create Growth Agenda

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THE GOP PRIMARIES OF 12 WILL BE HELD ON FOX NEWS By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN

Published on DickMorris.com on November 29, 2010



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The Republican nominating process of 2012 will be totally different from that of other years. In fact, it will be the opposite of what we are used to.


Since the procedural reforms initiated by Democrat George McGovern - that carried over into the Republican Party as well - primaries have determined the winner of the nominations in each party. Iowa and New Hampshire - the first caucus and the first primary in the nation - have tended to sort out the candidates for us. They narrowed down the field and left the rest of the nation with two or three alternatives in each party.


These two small states dominated the process because the contenders usually did not have the money to wage national campaigns. They could only afford to run in these two small states at the start of the campaign. And those who could afford to compete nationally (Hillary, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney) were forced to battle in these two states because they were the first test. Their superior financial resources availed them little in states so small that the purchase of TV time would not drain their treasuries.

In effect, Iowa and New Hampshire have become the quarter-finals, narrowing the field down to two candidates in each party who compete in the subsequent primaries. In 2000, Al Gore and Bill Bradly were the Democratic semi-finalists who survived these early rounds and George Bush and John McCain were their Republican equivalents. In 2004, John Kerry and John Edwards emerged as the alternatives. In 2008, Iowa and New Hampshire winnowed down the Democratic field to Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama and the Republican contest to John McCain vs. Mike Huckabee. The other contenders - Giuliani, Romney, Edwards, Dodd, et al - may have staggered on for a few more rounds, but their candidacies were doomed. (Romney won New Hampshire, but his victory was largely discounted because he came from Massachusetts next door).

Now, in the Republican primaries, it will be different. The short list of contenders for the nomination will not be chosen in the early primaries. Iowa and New Hampshire will not impose their will on America. America will impose its will on Iowa and New Hampshire.


The quarter finals will not be waged in the cornfields of Iowa or the former mill towns of New Hampshire. They will be held in the living rooms of America among the Fox News audience!

The share of the GOP electorate that watches Fox News has become so dominant that the early stages of the Republican nominating process will be held on its air waves. It is there - not in the early morning handshaking at factory gates in Iowa and New Hampshire - that we will meet the candidates and come to choose our favorites.

About half of those who call themselves Republicans in the United States report that they watch Fox News every night and two-thirds say they watch it "several times a week or more." 46% of Independents also watch Fox News that frequently. Even 21% of Democrats say they watch several times a week or more.


Fox News' market dominance among Republicans and Independents was not as evident in 2008 as it is today. Its growth in market share and ratings has been phenomenal. Now its impact is decisive in Republican primaries.

In 2012, the Republicans and Independents that will choose the GOP nominee will be found watching O'Reilly, Hannity, Beck, Shep Smith, Bret Baer, Megyn Kelly, Steve Doocey, Brian Kilmeade, and Gretchen Carlson. It is on their shows that the early narrowing down process will take place.

Day after day, we will see all the candidates on Fox News. Not just in debates, but in frequent appearances on the opinion and news shows on the network. We will watch how they handle themselves, we'll learn how they answer questions, and we'll come to our decision. As such, the Republican nominating process will come to resemble American Idol where we watch them perform and vote on who we like the best.


Then, we will tell pollsters who we have come to like and who we don't. They will record our views every few weeks and, through this process, front runners will emerge, candidates will surge, leaders will fall back and the winnowing out will take place.


Normally, the early national polls don't mean much. It is the polling in Iowa and New Hampshire that professionals follow. In 2008, Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton led all the early surveys, but neither one was there on Election Day.

But now, surveys in Iowa and New Hampshire will show the same results as the rest of the country because all their Republicans will be watching Fox News - the same broadcast as the rest of us are seeing. Whatever local activity is going on in Des Moines or Cedar Rapids or Manchester or Concord will be drowned out by the constant coverage Republicans will be getting on Fox News.

And, as the polls begin to tilt to one candidate or another, campaign contributions will follow them. Those who surge will attract funding and the ones who falter will find their bank accounts drying up. Mitt Romney, who will self-fund his campaign (and can count on the strong support of the LDS community), will not face any financial scarcity, but if he falls back in the polls, his electoral appeal will fade. Money won't bring him back in 2012 any more than it did in 2008.


When the actual primaries take place, their results will tend to ratify the consensus the country has come to from watching Fox News. Americans will impose their views on the early primaries, not the other way around.


Of course, the final decision will be made in the big state primaries that follow. There, the delegates will be selected to the nominating conventions and the winner will emerge. But the quarter finals will be held on Fox News.


So the quarter finals will be waged over Fox News and ratified by the voters in the early, small state primaries.


The semi-finals will take place in the big state primaries later on.


Give John Wayne for Christmas!


Will Obama's Legacy be the End of the American Empire?


New Cancer Treatments Are Proving Better Than Chemo

Cartoon of the Day: Who Gave Obama a Fat Lip?

NET RIGHT DAILY Must Reads for November 30, 2010

To view in your web browser, click here



The danger of a global double dip recession is real


Boehner and McConnell: Where we and Demcorats can work together


Pay freeze locks in historically high government wages


Federal pay freeze is an empty gesture


Pay freeze the beginning of Clintonian triangulation strategy?


The appearance of corruption


Politicians' time is not much more important than ours


The conquering bureaucracy


The misguided economics behind small business Saturday


Read more at NetRightDaily.com.

RedState Morning Briefing For November 30, 2010

1. The Climate Conference Echo Chamber


2. Council on American Islamic Relations: A Co-Conspirator to Terror


3. The American Idol-ization of Abortion


4. Have Some Irish Coffee


5. Fred Upton’s Shocking Votes on Energy-Related Bills


——————————————————
1. The Climate Conference Echo Chamber


Phelim McAleer is a journalist. In his capacity as a journalist, he is a skeptic. The role of skeptic - the one who asks the questions, the one who demands answers - is generally a lauded role in modern society. At least .. as long as there’s a Republican on the hot seat. But in climate circles, they have another word, a pejorative term, for skeptics: deniers. The church of global warming has no tolerance for heresy, and even less for probing questions or investigations. And so it is that the journalist Phelim McAleer was denied press credentials for the UN Climate Change Conference taking place in sunny Cancun, Mexico this week. (Certainly a better PR choice than frigid Copenhagen.)


Please click here for the rest of the post.


2. Council on American Islamic Relations: A Co-Conspirator to Terror


Power Line brings us the news that the Council on American Islamic Relations (”CAIR”) has been found by both the executive and judicial branches of the United States Government to be an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case.


If you recall, the Justice Department prosecuted the Holy Land Foundation for providing support to a terrorist group. In the particular case it was Hamas.


As Power Line notes, the Justice Department named CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case and both a federal district court and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals concurred.


Maybe now the media will stop trying to pretend that CAIR is some innocuous civil rights group. Hahahaha. Who am I kidding?!


Please click here for the rest of the post.


3. The American Idol-ization of Abortion


Last week the smut-peddlers at Gawker.com introduced us all to Pete and Alisha Arnold. Alisha Arnold is apparently 17 weeks pregnant, and the Arnolds have allegedly decided to let the Internet vote on whether Alisha will carry their son to full term or abort him. I say “allegedly” because I am fairly skeptical of whether the Arnolds intend to follow through with their plan. In fairness, the Arnolds have left themselves a pretty substantial loophole, declaring essentially that they have veto power over the Internet poll. This seems to be fairly transparent way of saying that the Arnolds will check the results of the poll and then do whatever their hearts desire.


To my mind, the question of whether this episode is a hoax or publicity stunt is quite beside the point. What ought to concern us more are the hordes of American citizens voting in the Arnolds’ poll and publicly obsessing over their gratuitous display of moral vacillation.


Please click here for the rest of the post.


4. Have Some Irish Coffee


Yesterday afternoon, Ireland finalized terms of a bailout valued at 85 billion euros, from the ECB, the IMF, a government pension fund, and several European states. So far, the bailout is NOT having a calming effect on Europe’s capital markets.


Credit spreads on so-called “peripheral” European sovereigns are blowing out this morning, and government bonds of Portugal and Spain are falling sharply. Italy managed to tap the credit markets earlier today, but the interest rate was high and the subscription level was disappointing.


This can’t keep up. If investors continue to dial up the interest rates they charge Europe’s governments, there’s little chance of a sustained recovery. And that makes European states even less credit-worthy.


Please click here for the rest of the post.


5. Fred Upton’s Shocking Votes on Energy-Related Bills


Fred Upton’s liberal voting record is a textbook example of why Republicans were kicked to the curb. From taxes to energy to federal government land grabs, Upton is no conservative.


Upton’s proudest energy achievement is co-authoring the ban on incandescent light bulbs with über-liberal Rep. Jane Harman (D.–Calif.).


A big believer in global-warming-consensus “science,” Upton told a Subcommittee on Energy and Environment hearing in 2009—just last year—that the global warming debate is over: “I have said at nearly every climate change hearing that for me I don’t dispute the science. Right or wrong, the debate over the modeling and science appears to be over.”


Please click here for the rest of the post.

Washinton Post Morning Fix: Raised stakes, lowered expectations ahead of bipartisan summit

washingtonpost.com/thefix

Raised stakes, lowered expectations ahead of bipartisan summit


1. President Obama finds himself in an odd quandary on the day of his much-anticipated bipartisan sit-down with congressional leaders.


On the one hand, what had already been a high-stakes meeting (before some last-minute rescheduling) has become an even more closely scrutinized affair thanks to the myriad issues confronting Congress as it enters the final stretch of its lame-duck session.


On top of that, the summit is Obama's first bipartisan, bicameral meeting with congressional leaders since Republicans' sweeping wins earlier this month; others expected to be in attendance include Vice President Biden, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew.


The tone both sides strike at the meeting will give hints as to whether the White House intends to curtail its agenda -- and whether congressional Republicans are willing to compromise on theirs -- at a time of divided government.


On the other hand, by late Monday it appeared that both sides were working hard to play down expectations, starting with the length of the meeting itself. The gathering is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. and last no more than an hour, making it unlikely that any comprehensive deals may be made.


And according to White House aides, the summit isn't even a "summit" anymore, but rather "just one meeting" of several.


Republican leaders, too, in setting out their goals for the meeting, placed their focus squarely on one main issue -- the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts -- and played down the possibility that agreement might be reached on other issues.


In an op-ed in Tuesday's Post, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-Ohio) advocated again for a permanent extension of the tax cuts for all income levels and accused Democrats of having "misplaced priorities" by pushing legislation unrelated to jobs and spending.


Democrats' "focus for the brief post-election 'lame duck' session is on controversial items such as immigration, a repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell,' more spending and environmental regulations," Boehner and McConnell write. "Indeed, their actual legislative plan for the rest of the lame-duck session is to focus on anything but jobs."


What all of this points to is that the takeaway from Tuesday's summit may simply be that it took place, and that it's the first of many steps to come. But with the clock ticking on the lame-duck session, will either side begin to ratchet up the pressure -- and if so, when?


2. Former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) could face a feisty primary if and when he seeks a return to the Senate, and it could come in the form of Corey Stewart, the GOP Prince William County Board of Supervisors chairman.


Stewart, in a TV appearance Monday, guaranteed that Allen will run and proceeded to question his time in office and his political stature.


"Sen. Allen was a great governor of Virginia. He really was," Stewart said. "But his record in the United States Senate was mediocre. And I don't think most people in Virginia think of him as a great United States senator. They think of him as a great governor."


Stewart also said that Allen's base has eroded since his last campaign in 2006, even though he remains formidable.


"He's going to have a tough time, but yes, he's absolutely the frontrunner," Stewart said.


Allen is widely expected to run for Sen. Jim Webb's (D-Va.) seat. It's less clear whether Webb will seek a second term.


Stewart faces a less-than-ideal timeframe for a potential Senate bid, given that he must seek reelection to his current post in 2011. After that, he said, he will make a determination about running for Senate.


3. The recount of the Minnesota governor's race began Monday, with Republican state Rep. Tom Emmer's campaign employing an aggressive effort to challenge ballots cast for former Sen. Mark Dayton (D).


By the end of the day, Emmer's campaign was challenging several times as many ballots as Dayton's, according to numbers released by Dayton's campaign.


Dayton's numbers indicate that it challenged 34 ballots, compared to 138 for Emmer's campaign. What's more, Emmer's campaign had 221 challenges immediately denied because they were deemed frivolous, compared to just five for Dayton.


Dayton's campaign also estimates it made a very slight gain in the early stages of the vote-counting - less than 50 votes overall. Considering Dayton leads by nearly 9,000 votes, the recount would have to yield much more significant inconsistencies or fraud for Emmer to make a comeback.


Still, Dayton's campaign urged Monday that it respects Emmer's right to pursue a recount and that it wants Dayton's win to be legitimized beyond a doubt.


4. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) remains largely unknown to New Jerseyans and has plenty of work to do building his brand as he prepares for his 2012 reelection bid, according to the new poll.


The PublicMind poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University finds that Menendez is viewed favorably by 31 percent of people in his home state, compared to 25 percent unfavorable and 29 percent who had no opinion or said they were unsure.


Having a hard name recognition number (favorable rating plus unfavorable rating) below 60 is very unusual for an incumbent senator and suggests Menendez remains a blank slate to many voters.


"Those are fairly anemic numbers for an energetic guy who has already served nearly six years," said Peter Woolley, who conducted the poll for FDU.


Of those who do know him, he's not overwhelmingly popular, either. That means there are a lot of votes out there for whoever might challenge Menendez.


Potential GOP challengers include Menendez's 2006 opponent, state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr.. as well as Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, state Sen. Joe Kyrillos and state Assemblyman Jay Webber, who is also the state party chairman.


5. Illinois Republican Mark Kirk was sworn in as the Senate's newest member Monday night, nearly four weeks after edging out state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) in the race for President Obama's former Senate seat.


The five-term congressman became the first of more than a dozen new GOP senators to be seated after winning both the regularly scheduled election for a full six-year term and a special election for the remaining weeks of Obama's unexpired term.


Speaking with reporters after the swearing-in ceremony about his goals for the lame-duck session, Kirk said that he plans to introduce a bill in the Senate as early as Tuesday that would aim to cut spending. He also said that he has requested seats on the Appropriations, Commerce, Banking and Agriculture committees once the 112th Congress convenes. (In the meantime, Kirk takes on the committee assignments of his predecessor, Democrat Roland Burris.)


With the addition of Kirk, the power balance in the Senate now stands at 56 Democrats, 42 Republicans and two independents who caucus with the Democrats. Kirk's departure from his House seat will leave the current balance in the lower chamber at 255 Democrats, 179 Republicans and one vacancy.


Burris's departure from the Senate, meanwhile, means that the upper chamber is without any African Americans for the first time in nearly six years.


By Felicia Sonmez and Aaron Blake

One Reason Why The Arizona Cardinals Are The WORST Team in the NFL!

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Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Derek Anderson explodes ...


Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Derek Anderson explodes against reporter after 49ers MNF game*I do not own any rights* *NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED* Property of NFL Properties LLC, 49ers, Cardinals, ESPN Inc, The Walt Disney Company & Hearst Corporation.

Can anyone see a pattern here? By HJS

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!



HJS Comments: In our Revolutionary War George Washington knew the importance of the war and that it depended upon each soldier to do his duty from the foot soldier on up. General Washington visited the lines often, ensuring that each soldier knew that he and the rifleman on each side of him were important enough to receive such encouragement. British Major Patrick Ferguson, a sniper, could not believe the man in his sights could be General George Washington and passed up the shot. Bravery takes many forms, as does cowardice, and both bravery and cowardice sometimes have effects that outweigh the moment and the times and the people. The cowardice shown by the British and French Governments in the run up to the Second World War showed us that failure to stand one's ground to avoid a small conflict, can very well lead to a much larger one. They failed to protect one country and because of that lost Europe! The Muslim armies were taking country after country and appeared to be unstoppable when after winning half the world, they attacked Europe. Everyone wanted to negotiate, but Muslims would not negotiate--why should they bother; they were unstoppable. One person, Charles Martel seemed to be the only leader who did not believe they were unstoppable and destined to rule the world. He rode out against them and beat them, saving Europe despite itself. Yes, both bravery and cowardice sometimes have effects that live well after the singular event. Leaders always have to choose what they are.

George W. Bush stood tall and firm in a national emergency and said, "Bring it on!"

With Obama, we hear the door slam and a helicopter warming up.

We know what history had to say about George Washington, Neville Chamberlain, and Charles Martel. George W. has to survive the liberal historians somehow. What will they say about Obama? So far, it may be a footnote.





Can anyone see a pattern here???

Fort Hood Massacre: Two weeks after if happens he puts in a very brief appearance at the post and did not bother to visit any of the wounded nor speak to any of the victim’s families.

Gulf Oil Spill: The week it happened he and family went on a vacation in Maine and one week later vacationed at Martha’s Vineyard. About three weeks after the disaster he goes down to the gulf states for a profiling mission and offering no solutions.

Korean Crisis: The morning that the IDIOT in North Korea announces his country is on the brink of war with us and South Korea, guess what? Our useless leader arranges a pick up basketball game with his family and close friends when he should have been in the Oval office attending to whatever was necessary if North Korea had opened warfare with us and South Korea.

I think it is very evident at this point that he has no concept at all when it comes to facing any kind of crisis, and when one happens, he runs and hides so that he won’t have to make any decisions. One very pathetic individual.

SEN. JOHN McCAIN ON "CNN's State of the Union"

CNN's Candy Crowley talks to Sen. John McCain about Sarah Palin, the Army-Navy game and which actor would play him.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

Republican Sen. John McCain, appearing on CNN's State of the Union, tells Candy Crowley that China is the key to resolving tensions on the Korean Peninsula but so far it is "not playing a responsible role."

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

SEN. JON KYL ON "NBC'S MEET THE PRESS"

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

CLICK HERE TO SEE SEN. KYL ON MEET THE PRESS

RedState Morning Briefing For November 29, 2010

1. Impotence & Salad


2. Karma: SEIU Kicks Members’ Kids to the Curb




3. Stopping START


4. Airport Security as Parody


5. Sore Union Losers at Delta Air Lines


6. White House Expedites Wind Farms; Stalls Drilling


7. Rothman chief of staff arrested on child solicitation charges.


——————————————————
1. Impotence & Salad


Welcome back. I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. There are a few stories that came out over the holiday weekend and I think they are best tied together by one word — impotence.


Barack Obama increasingly appears to be an impotent President and no among of viagra funded through Obamacare seems capable of helping the man.


Please click here for the rest of the post.


2. Karma: SEIU Kicks Members’ Kids to the Curb


You remember how ObamaCare was all about making health care more affordable and protecting the most vulnerable, right?


And, surely you remember how much money and resources (i.e., members’ dues) the purple behemoth known as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) put into the fight for ObamaCare—even going so far as (allegedly) beating Kenneth Gladney at a St. Louis town hall meeting.


Heck, it was SEIU’s then president Andy Stern who pushed for the tactic known as “demon pass” that gave us final passage of ObamaCare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act.


Well, somehow we missed this last week.


“One of the largest union-administered health-insurance funds in New York is dropping coverage for the children of more than 30,000 low-wage home attendants, union officials said. The union blamed financial problems it said were caused by the state’s health department and new national health-insurance requirements.”


Please click here for the rest of the post.


3. Stopping START


The US Senate has before it a proposed treaty with Russia which according to the administration is nothing more than a benign extension of Ronald Reagan’s “doveryai, no proveryai” or “trust, but verify.” For reasons that are more than a little unclear, the Obama regime has chosen to make ratification of this treaty its highest priority insisting that the ratification take place during the upcoming lame duck session of Congress, an act unprecedented in our history. Far from being benign is exemplifies not only weakness and arguably some kind of a 1960s idealism it is nothing more than political desperation.


The US Senate should refuse to act upon this treaty during the lame duck session or at anytime in the future.


Please click here for the rest of the post.



4. Airport Security as Parody


Pejman Yousefzadeh has a great post on airport security. You’ve probably seen similar things.


Throughout the country the full body x-ray machines were turned off for travel the day before Thanksgiving and have largely been unused for several days.


Now, the TSA says there is no official policy, but it seems hard to believe it is sheer coincidence that on the busiest travel days of the year at the largest airports across the country the full body scanners were just . . . randomly?. . . turned off.


Please click here for the rest of the post.


5. Sore Union Losers at Delta Air Lines


There’s big money at stake for unions at Delta Air Lines, Inc—over $22 million in annual union dues. As the only (primarily) union-free major airline (Delta’s pilots are unionized), unions have long targeted the Atlanta-based carrier. However, now, with the National Mediation Board members being controlled by unions*, as well as Delta’s recent merger with unionized Northwest Airlines, the unions have declared it open hunting season on Delta. So far, however, the unions have lost eight out of the eight elections they’ve called for—and now are going to rely on the union-controlled NMB to overturn the results so they can hold rerun elections.


Please click here for the rest of the post.



6. White House Expedites Wind Farms; Stalls Drilling


Interior Secretary Salazar has decided that America has serious energy needs - needs which must be addressed through an emergency effort to activate new sources quickly. Is this a sudden move to expedite offshore drilling - and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil? Not quite.


Please click here for the rest of the post.


7. Rothman chief of staff arrested on child solicitation charges.


Bob Decheine, chief of staff for Rep. Steve Rothman (D, NJ), has been abruptly fired. This came as a bit of a surprise, as Decheine has been a notable figure in NJ Democratic politics: he was a senior adviser to the Obama campaign in 2008, and as Rothman’s CoS had just shepherded his boss to another win in Congress, by fair means or foul. In other words, a bit of a surprise, no? Turns out Decheine got arrested last week for soliciting sex from a minor. It was a sting operation, which means that - thank God - no kids were hurt by this guy.


Please click here for the rest of the post.

Washington Post Morning Fix: Palin as Reagan, and why McCain is right

washingtonpost.com/thefix



Palin as Reagan, and why McCain is right


1. Sen. John McCain was asked for the umpteenth time on Sunday about his former running mate, Sarah Palin. And while his previous responses elicited plenty of headlines, his latest might take the cake.


The Arizona Republican, responding to a question from CNN's Candy Crowley about Palin being "divisive," noted that Ronald Reagan was often seen as divisive as well.


It wasn't a direct comparison to Reagan (McCain never said Palin is similar to Reagan), but it was a comparison nonetheless. And the reaction was swift, as it often is when it comes to Palin.


So the big question follows: Is it a valid comparison? The answer: In many ways, yes.


The fact is that Reagan has benefited tremendously from the years since his presidency, and people look back on him in a much favorable light than they did during his presidency.


According to Gallup polling data, Reagan's average approval rating during his presidency was 53 percent -- lower than John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.


As for the operative word here -- "divisiveness" -- Reagan had a claim to it. Many more Republicans approved of him than Democrats, and even at his peak, just 68 percent of Americans approved of him, a number lower than everyone but Richard Nixon over the last 65 years.


The reason Reagan couldn't get higher than that was because there was a segment of the population, about one-third, that was dead-set against him. Reagan is often listed in polls of people's favorite presidents, but because of that one-third, he's also among the leaders for people's least favorite presidents. His detractors often feel just as strongly as his supporters about Reagan's legacy.


Recent polling shows Palin is on par with all of that. According to Quinnipiac University, nearly three quarters of Republicans view her favorably, while just 8 percent of Democrats do. And a recent AP-Gfk poll showed 34 percent of people viewed Palin "very unfavorably." Those are people that will be difficult for Palin to satisfy under any circumstances, much like the one-third of people who refused to support Reagan even after he was shot in 1981 and the economy improved in 1986.


Where Reagan differs from Palin, though, is the so-called "Reagan Democrats." Even in his darkest days, about 20 percent of Democrats supported the former president.


Palin hasn't gotten anywhere close to that; there are basically no Palin Democrats. And given the passions she evokes, it's hard to see how such a group would form. Right now, she has plenty of work to do just to woo independents, who oppose her more than they support her right now.


No comparison is perfect, because unlike Reagan, Palin has never been president. But if you're asking whether Reagan was divisive, the answer is yes.


Is Palin similar to Reagan? That's a different question.


2. Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (D) is up with his second TV ad in the race to succeed Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (D).


The minute-long spot features John Dudlak, the president of the Chicago Paper Tube and Can Company, praising Emanuel for his "tenacity" in helping to keep the company from moving to Wisconsin.


Emanuel "made the city and the state and the developer see the logic of keeping employees in Chicago," Dudlak says, adding: "It's just that he wants to do what's right, and he will just latch on to it and he'll pursue it and pursue it and get it done."


Late last week, Chicago election law attorney Burt Odelson filed a challenge to Emanuel's residency status, claiming that the Democrat should not appear on the Feb. 22 ballot because he has lived in Washington, D.C., not Chicago, for the year leading up to Election Day. Emanuel's camp has contended that the argument his residency is moot because he has voted in Chicago, owns a home in the city and left for the purpose of government service.


Fifteen residency challenges have been filed against Emanuel, and more may be on the way ahead of tomorrow's deadline. Even if the arguments are baseless, as Emanuel's camp contends, they're likely to prove an unwelcome distraction for his camp in the race.


3. All eyes are (again) on Minnesota, as the hand recount in the race to succeed retiring Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) officially kicks off today.


Former Sen. Mark Dayton (D) led state Sen. Tom Emmer (R) by 8,770 votes on Election Day, a margin that puts the Democrat comfortably ahead of his rival but is still slim enough to send the race to an automatic recount.


State election officials are slated to finish counting ballots by Dec. 7, with the winner expected to be certified by Dec. 14. If neither side contests the results, the winner could be sworn into office early next year; a court challenge could mean that Pawlenty remains in office until the process is resolved.


Despite the comparisons to the 2008 Senate recount in the race between Sen. Al Franken (D) and former Sen. Norm Coleman (R), a protracted battle appears unlikely this time around: Dayton's lead is much larger than Franken's 215-vote margin was in 2008, meaning that Emmer will be hard-pressed to make up ground; and Minnesota changed up some of its election rules after the 2008 Senate battle in an effort to make it more difficult for either side to challenge ballots.


4. Attorney Joe Miller's (R) challenge in the Alaska Senate race continues, more than a week after the ballot count ended with Miller's main rival, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R), besting him by five percentage points in the three-way contest.


Miller's camp is disputing about 8,000 ballots in the race, but even if all of those ballots were to be thrown out, Miller would still come up short in his bid to unseat Murkowski, who waged a write-in bid after Miller beat her in the GOP primary.


That slim window of opportunity has led to increased criticism of Miller; the Alaska Republican Party and former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) are among those who have called on Miller to end his challenge.


Still, Miller is pressing on, urged by his supporters to continue his fight to ensure the integrity of the election. His challenge is not only an exercise in principle, however; the longer the battle lasts, the greater the risk that Murkowski may lose her seniority.


5. Former Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) will decide in early 2011 whether to seek a rematch with Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), according to the Associated Press.


Talent told AP that he is "seriously considering" a return to elective politics.


"I do feel like this is a time where everybody has to think about what they can do to help the country," Talent said. "This is an obvious possibility for me. I have done it before, and I think I could put on a strong race."


The other big name in the mix is former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, who stepped aside for Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) in the open 2010 Senate race which Blunt won. After running an insurgent campaign against the party-favored candidate in the 2008 governor's race, Steelman earned some goodwill by stepping aside and supporting Blunt.


She told AP that she has no timeframe for a decision but that she will make it irrespective of other candidates' deliberations.


"I've been talking to people around the state," Steelman said. "I've had a lot of encouragement, very positive feedback."


McCaskill is thought to be among the most vulnerable Democrats in the country in 2012, as her state has turned sharply against President Obama over the last two years. McCaskill on Sunday emphasized her independence from the president and the Democratic Party in an interview with Fox News's Chris Wallace, noting that she bucked her party on cap and trade, omnibus spending bills and comprehensive immigration reform.


Other potential GOP opponents for the senator include Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and former Ambassador to Luxembourg Ann Wagner.




By Aaron Blake and Felicia Sonmez

Today in the Washington Examiner November 29, 2010

Byron York - Politically correct Portland rejected feds who saved city from terrorist attack



That Mohamud was arrested and no one was hurt is a testament to good intelligence and law enforcement work. Having Mohamud behind bars has undoubtedly saved lives in Portland; had he not encountered the undercover FBI agents, he might have worked with actual terrorists to construct a bomb, or he might have simply gotten a gun and carried out "an operation here, you know, like something like Mumbai," as he told the agents.


What is ironic is that the operation that found and stopped Mohamud is precisely the kind of law enforcement work that Portland's leaders, working with the American Civil Liberties Union, rejected during the Bush years. In April 2005, the Portland city council voted 4 to 1 to withdraw Portland city police officers from participating in the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Mayor Tom Potter said the FBI refused to give him a top-secret security clearance so he could make sure the officers weren't violating state anti-discrimination laws that bar law enforcement from targeting suspects on the basis of their religious or political beliefs.
After his own loss, a general salutes two brave Marines


This article is adapted from a speech that Lt. Gen. John F. Kelly delivered in St. Louis on Nov. 13, four days after his son, Robert M. Kelly, was killed in action in Afghanistan. The younger Kelly was on his third combat tour, his first as a second lieutenant, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines:


I don't know why they hate us, and I don't care. We have a saying in the Marine Corps that there is "no better friend, no worse enemy, than a U.S. Marine." We always hope for the first, friendship, but are certainly more than ready for the second. If it's death they want, it's death they will get, and the Marines will continue showing them the way to hell if that's what will make them happy.


Michael Barone - For tottering states, bankruptcy could be the answer


We won't be able to say we weren't warned. Continued huge federal budget deficits will eventually mean huge increases in government borrowing costs, Erskine Bowles, co-chairman of President Obama's deficit reduction commission, predicted this month. "The markets will come. They will be swift and they will be severe and this country will never be the same."




Timothy P Carney - Rhetoric aside, Dems tops with special interests


Final campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission have come in, and they show a very different picture from the one painted by Obama and most of the media. The Democrats' advantage in money from traditional PACs was just about 10 times the size of the Republicans' advantage from the new Super PACs.


The Obama line -- special interests, upset about the Democrats' tough reforms, favored the GOP -- got plenty play this cycle, and fit neatly into many journalists' prejudices. But the truth is more complicated. Both parties are probably equally cozy with special interests.




Julie Mason - WH condemns "in strongest terms" the latest Wikileak


The State Department also is warning ominously of "grave consequences" for those who distribute the classified documents. Wikileaks now claims it's under some kind of cyberattack. The website has previously released documents from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.


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