What Is This Woman Thinking?

What I want to know about Margurite Engle is how in the name of God she is still alive?
Miss Engle tops the South Dakota record for highest blood alcohol content. E V A H!
Miss Engle came in at a rip-roaring .708-the state record. And to my knowledge, the record.
It is common knowledge that one can be dead at .50 and up. The fact that Miss Engel is still alive is just, well, amazing.
And it seems that Miss Engle, to be kind, has fallen on hard times as she had been living in a hotel after recently arriving in South Dakota from Minnesota.
Miss Engle is currently in jail and being held without bond. As it should be. Miss Engle is not just a threat to herself but to all in the community.
Miss Engle will have to be sent to jail for a long time. And a serious stint in rehab. This is a woman with a serious alcohol problem.
Again, it is a miracle that no one has been killed by the driving of Miss Engle. Or that she her self has not died. From driving drunk or drinking herself to death.
Her record is not one to admire, but to serve as a lesson to those that have an alcohol problem.
Hopefully, Margurite Engle will get off the booze and get the help that she desperately needs.

Rush Limbaugh Hospitalized

Radio talk-show icon Rush Limbaugh has been rushed to a hospital in Hawai'i complaining of chest pains according to reports.
Details are sketchy, but according to the report, a 58 year-old male was taken from the Kahala Hotel and Resort where Mr. Limbaugh was on vacation. The male was taken about 2:41pm according to the report.
Mr. Limbaugh is reported to be in serious condition.
Pray for a quick and speedy recovery.
Remember this from Kathrine Jean Lopez over at The Corner on National Review online.

What Is A Real Threat?

As I asked over in the comments of this post at The Other McCain, what is it that Americans worry about the most.
Do Americans worry about Mormons and their "Spiritual undergarments" or radical Islamics with exploding underwear?
I ask this question because there are some people that would get their undies in a bunch over the Mormon rather than the radical Islamics is worrisome. And there are some that just do not care about any of this.
Look, I am sorry but I worry much more about radical Islamics that have found a new and even more diabolical way to wreck havoc against their mortal enemy. That is the Judeo-Christian West.
So, do not worry about Mormons, their "Spiritual undergarments" or their beliefs. They do not want to kill you over that. Radical Islamics do.

Is Ben Nelson Stupid?

I know that Sen. Ben Nelson (D Sellout-Neb.) has to explain his vote in favor of the so-called health-care "reform" scam. I know that he needs the largest audience possible. But does the man really think that the people of his home state, Nebraska, want to see his mug. . .during the Holiday Bowl football game?
If you do not know, Nebraskans, are shall I write, very crazy for their Cornhusker football. Even though the Cornhuskers are having an average year, they are in a bowl game. The Holiday Bowl is played in San Diego and the Cornhuskers are playing the Arizona Wildcats. It is a sellout. And no doubt the majority of attendees are going to be from Nebraska. And it will more than likely be the highest-rated program in the state of Nebraska.
Enter Sen. Nelson. He voted for the so-called health-care "reform" scam. A Rasmussen poll came out yesterday is, well devastating. It showed that if the election for his seat were held now, he would be trounced by the sitting Republican governor, Dave Heineman, 61% to 30%. And support for the so-called health-care "reform" in Nebraska is coming in at a rip-roaring 17%. Yet Sen. Nelson voted for the scam.
Now, Sen. Nelson needs to explain to the voters that are ready to throw him out now, why he voted for something that 53% of his constituents strongly oppose.
And he picks a 30-second commercial. . .during the Holiday Bowl.
What another way to make your voters hate you even more. Interrupting their football game to explain why you are stupid enough to vote for a scam that you sold out your pro-life cred for. Yes, I am certain that should send your numbers to the stratosphere. NOT!
Not that I want to offer advice to such a sellout, but if he wants it, here it is. Sen. Nelson, scrap the sound bite and get some interviews with local media. Find some friendly places to get your message out there. Bothering people right before New Years and in the middle of a football game is just not the way to do it.
It just shows that this guy has no clue what his vote has done to a once stellar rep. It is beyond tarnished. A sound bite is not going to save it.
What it shows is that Sen. Nelson is stupid.

Can The GOP Make A Better Effort In Massachusetts?

UPDATE:
Jim Geraghty takes an opposite view on this race. I agree, it is Massachusetts. And it is an uphill fight. But my point, and that of Ed Morissey is that the GOP can and should make some kind of effort. I still submit that it comes down to perception. If the GOP will spend almost $1,000,000 to elect a candidate that would have probably voted for the so-called health-care "reform" (that being Dede Scozzafava), all we are asking for is maybe half to possibly elect a candidate that may, just maybe the 41s vote to kill the so-called health care "reform".


With almost all reputable polling showing that the Dear Leader, President Obama, tanking and the Democrat agenda equally tanking, what is the Republican party doing to take advantage of it?
Well, it appears not very much.
In a special election in Massachusetts next month, there is a Democrat (Martha Coakley) and a Republican (Scott Brown) vying for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's seat.
Too bad the GOP does not pluck a few more bucks than $50,000 to see if possibly, just maybe there can be an upset in the making.
There is no question that Massachusetts is as blue a state as there is in the United States. But even there, people get a little tired of the excesses of big government. The current governor, Deval Patrick, has George W. Bush popularity numbers.
With that, why would the Republican National Committee not spend the same amount as they did to try to elect a very liberal Republican in the infamous New York state 23rd congressional district race last month?
The powers that be, and that includes RNC chair Michael Steele, need to give Mr. Brown a lot more cash and volunteers.
It gets to a point that drives me crazy about my party.
The GOP is way to quick to give up where the Democrats never give up.
So what happens is that the Democrats can actually elect a Democrat congressman from very conservative Idaho.
Because the Democrats just keep plugging away.
The Republicans just give up.
Here is what we need to do.
RUN CANDIDATES EVERYWHERE AND ANYWHERE!
This is a big nation. We proved that given the right circumstances, Republicans can win anywhere. In 1994, the Republican party actually won two congressional seats in Massachusetts.
I think that we are at that point once again in the United States.
But if the RNC does not get it and lets this race be a Democrat blowout, it will have a big problem recruiting candidates. Said potential candidates will wonder if they will get any backing from the RNC.
And, as Matthew Continetti in the Weekly Standard points out, the Republican party needs to reach out to the Tea Party folks and give them reason to vote for the GOP. Which is what I pointed out recently.
If the GOP is not willing to fight for the old Ted Kennedy senate seat, then I wonder where they will fight.
Time for Michael Steele to get in the game and make a race of it in Massachusetts.

What Happened To All That Hope And Change?

I know that I am late to this regarding the attempt to bomb a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day. Yes, there is a lot that has been said, written and will be said and written about this near disaster.
But what I want to know is this.
Why did not someone tell Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the suspected attempted bomber, that this is the Obama Era? This is the era of Hope and Change? That now we are led by the Dear Leader, Barack Hussein Obama, all this terrorism stuff should end? After all, it was created by the former president, George W. Bush, right?
Well, it is a facetious set of questions, but let us face the reality that a certain bloc of supporters of the Dear Leader, President Obama, really believe that this should not have nearly occurred. These supporters really, really believe, or should I write believed, that so-called hatred of the United States would end because the people elected such a worldly leader as the Dear Leader, President Obama. After all, the Dear Leader, President Obama, has been in the Islamic world as a youngster. He should have an understanding of how these people think. Oh, let us not forget that dear ol' dad, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. was Islamic.
To stipulate, I do not believe that the Dear Leader, President Obama, is or has been a practitioner of Islam. I am simply trying to make the point that many of those who have supported the Dear Leader, President Obama, put their hopes on his own narrative.
This should take that thought out of the attitude that all would change if we did not have former President Bush to kick around. And thankfully we don't have that crazy POW Sen. John "F--- You" McCain as the president.
The fact is that the radical Islamics do not care who is in the White House. Be it George W. Bush, Barack Obama, who ever the president is.
These people hate the West and all that we stand for.
Mr. Abdulmutallab is from a wealth Nigerian family. This is not some uneducated yuck-yuck-yuck from the mountains of Afghanistan. He is from an elite that is gravitating to radical Islam.
And that is what we need to be aware of and focus on.
But, I just want to know why, oh why did no one help Mr. Abdulmutallab know that the Dear Leader, President Obama, is Islam's friend? And that the War Against Islamofascist Terror is at a merciful end?

A Christmas Greeting For Everyone

Thank you Andy McCarthy over at National Review Online!
This is one of the funniest Christmas greetings I have seen in a long while!
So, for all my friends, relatives, etc, I wish all a Merry Christmas and a safe rest of this year!

Santa Tracker

Once again, NORAD is helping out parents everywhere by tracking the moves of the big guy, Santa Claus, as he works on getting the toys to all the good boys and girls around the world.
As of this post, Santa is at South Africa.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Some Christmas Reading

On this Christmas Eve, I came across a couple of columns that are directly tied to the struggle within the Anglican Communion and especially the Episcopal Church.
The first is this from Dr. Ephraim Radner as to trying to stay in the Episcopal Church but realizing that it is all but dead as a faithful Christian witness.
It is a really great way that Dr. Radner frames what ails the Episcopal Church, the struggle between the establishment and the "global South". It also provides a hope for those of us that want to remain in the Episcopal Church, but very pained at the course that it is on.
But, if one is tired of the war within the Episcopal Church, here is George Will and his take on the Roman Catholic Church, especially Pope Benedict and his attempt to woo disaffected Anglicans and by extension Episcopalians to the Roman church.
I want to share this from Mr. Will's column:

The election of a gay Episcopalian as New Hampshire's bishop was one brick over a load for conservatives, who think the Episcopal Church has become a Moveon.org at prayer -- liberal politics in vestments.

And that is what so many of us think of the current state of the Episcopal Church. That is has become a shill for the Democrat party.
I do not know how many Anglicans and or Episcopalians will become Roman Catholics. I know that for me it is a bridge too far. Although I love and respect a lot of High Church worship, I do not accede to Roman Catholic doctrine. And it is not talked about how many will leave for other Protestant Christian demonstrations of faith. And worse of all is how many will leave the Christian faith all together.
If nothing else, it makes for great Christmas reading.

Democrat Christmas Gift To The Republicans

Yes, the Christmas season makes it hard to harp on the ongoing saga of the Democrat train wreck that is their attempt to nationalize one-sixth of the American economy. Tomorrow morning, the senate will vote on their version of the the so-called health-care "reform" scam tomorrow morning. And it will pass in a party line vote, 60-40.
So, it is no big deal.
However, because of this, the Democrats have given the Republicans an early Christmas gift.
His name is Parker Griffith.
Mr. Griffith is a first-term congressman from Northern Alabama. And, until yesterday, Mr. Griffith was a Blue Dog Democrat.
Today, Mr. Griffith is a Republican.
Mr. Griffith had enough of the Democrat march to the far-left. Especially on the so-called health-care "reform" scam.
As little as four years ago, Mr. Griffith was such a Democrat that he gave $1,500 to the Howard Dean presidential campaign.
YEEEHAW!
What also makes this switch very important is that Mr. Griffith is also Dr. Griffith, a retired oncologist.
Dr. Griffith is one of those that is on the front lines of what the Democrat congress will do to American medicine.
It also should beg this question.
When will the Obamawhore media ask if the Democrat party is too far to the left? Are there room for moderates in the Democrat party? Even-DA HORROR-conservatives? And even more horrific, pro-lifers?
Yes, I hear those crickets chirping.
Oh well.
The Democrats leftward swing is driving moderates out and into the hands of the Republican party.
I say welcome to the party Parker Griffith.
And Merry Christmas!

Postscpipt: I do not share the disdain that RedState has for this party switch. We need more people like Mr. Griffith in our party. Remember people, one Ronald Reagan switched from the Democrat party to the Republican party. And Mr. Reagan was as staunch a supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt as Mr. Griffith may have been for one Howard Dean. Let us bring Mr. Griffith along and not throw him to the wolves. It is how we will get a majority in the next congress.

The Five Reasons So-Called Health-Care "Reform" May Still Fail

Yesterday, I noted that there is still a slew of possibilities as to why the so-called health-care "reform" scam may yet not reach the Dear Leader, President Obama's desk any time soon.
This analysis by Rich Lowry and Robert Costa over at National Review lays out five reasons why we may still have no "reform" scam.
I would highlight the first and most important point the gentlemen make.
That the public is not for this bill. The public is showing less support than ever with this so-called "reform" scam. While Democrat voters are lining up to support it, the Republicans are digging in their heels and the valued independent voter is siding with Republicans on this one. So far the Democrats in congress have been successful at getting this far. But the longer the process goes and more of what is being proposed gets into the public eye, it will be harder for the Democrat congressional leadership to nip at the heels and hope all just clicks right. Worse for the Democrats is that the senate version of so-called health-care "reform" includes more tax increases. And while the reform will take five to six years to get in, the tax increases are immediate upon the Dear Leader, President Obama's signature.
One thought I will add is that conventional wisdom says that while the Republicans will make some gains in congress next year, many old Democrat congressional hands are safe and have nothing to worry about.
Hmm, ask Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND). In a poll just released by Rasmussen, Sen. Dorgan trails potential rival Republican governor John Hoeven, 58% to 36%. And Gov. Hoeven is popular while Sen. Dorgan, hmm, not so popular. Sen. Dorgan has been around quite a while in the senate. When he is potentially on the chopping block for this monstrosity, Democrats need to worry.
If the mood of the American voting public is a combination of 1980 and 1994, it could very well be a bloodbath for the Democrat party at all levels.
As we say, read the whole thing. There is still hope that this monstrosity never makes it to the Dear Leader, President Obama's desk.

Ben Nelson And Rudy Guiliani-Why Moderates Can Not Be Trusted

Look at this. It appears that the former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, is not going to run for the senate. Or any other office for that matter.
Mr. Giuliani does have a lot of baggage indeed. But, it is all out there for the world to see. And it would be pointless for fellow Republicans and opposition Democrats to harp on the baggage.
But what it shows is something that both parties, Democrats and Republicans, are beginning to recognize.
That moderates can not be trusted.
Sure, Sen. Ben Nelson held out his hand to the Democrat majority leader in the senate, Sen. Dingy Harry Reid. Sen. Dingy Harry said how much and where do you want it. And now, the rest of the 49 states get to give Nebraska Medicaid recipients a free ride. If the so-called health-care "reform" scam makes it through the conference between the House and Senate.
Thus, a supposed pro-life Democrat showed that for the right price, he will go out with a whimper and let the federal government fund elective abortions. Something that Sen. Nelson has long said that he is against.
For us Republicans, the list of moderates that cave when push comes to shove is long and not so illustrious.
Right here in the once Golden State, we are led by supposed moderate "Republican" governor Benedict Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yes, we overlooked the liberal stands on social issues. We figured that he would be right on the state budget, taxes and the economy. What we have been treated to is Democrat former governor Gray Davis, with a personality. On taxes, Gov. Benedict Arnold caved. On growing the state budget, Gov. Benedict Arnold caved. On the economy, Gov. Benedict Arnold has no clue as he continues to worship at the altar of the Globaloney Warming Fraud Cult.
But, that is here in California.
There are so-called moderate Republicans that permeate within the party like bad Limburger cheese.
For the Democrats, it well maybe a moderate such as Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Mich) that may kill the so-called health-care "reform" scam. And, unlike Sen. Payoff Nelson, Congressman Stupak may jettison the whole bill and take a lot of pro-life House Democrats with him. Whether it will be enough with a unified Republican party to kill the bill in conference remains to be seen. But, with all the clamor on the left, well I do not think that it is all just huffing and puffing.
Thus the base of each party caters to so-called moderates and get burned in the end. And the people that suffer are the American people. And the people in any given state. Any given county. Any given city.
Moderation is sometimes a virtue. But, by and large, it is done with the moderate looking out for his or her own skin. Not for the people he or she represents. Not for what he or her ran on. Just how can I win the next election. How can I climb up the political ladder.
Thus, it is a plague on both parties. And how sometimes we get hoodwinked by moderates.
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) said that he would rather have 30 good conservatives in the senate rather than a bunch of moderates. And I understand why he said it. And while I do agree in a sentimental way, I am still willing to look at moderates so long as they have a line in the sand and stand by it. I do not like nor support a moderate that sticks his or her finger in the wind and goes with the tide. It is not leadership. It is just looking out for self interest.
Thus, both parties may get burned in the next year by moderates. And we shall see if the American people want to continue playing this game. And trying to trust people that show no backbone when it counts.

The Health-Care "Reform" Is Not A Done Deal

Yes, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb) is a political whore. And a cheap one at that. He caved. And he is giving the senate a green light, and the critical 60th vote, to invoke cloture and move the so-called health care reform along to the eventual House-Senate conference to iron out the massive differences in the health-care "reform" scam.
But, do not think that this is a done deal just yet.
Remember, the language in the House regarding abortion is stronger than that of the senate. If Michigan Democrat Congressman Bart Stupak does not get what he wants, how many like-minded Democrats will he have to join Republicans in opposing what a conference committee tries to iron out?
And while the abortion language is stronger in the House, so too is the whole "public option". It is non-existent in the senate version. Will those allied with Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, vote for in conference for a bill that has no public option?
These are real opportunities to kill this monstrosity before it can get to the Dear Leader, President Obama's desk.
I am not being Pollyanna about this. More than likely, the Democrats will figure a way to pay off everyone they can to get this monstrosity through and on the Dear Leader's desk by the State of the Union speech.
But, since it has taken this long to get something when the Democrats have had all the marbles, maybe those who let it get this far may take another look. Do they want their party totally wiped out in the 2010 midterm elections? Do they want to truly make the health-care delivery system in the United States about the same as a high-end, third-world nation? Do they really believe that nationalizing the health-care delivery will really lower costs without lowering services and supposedly covering more people? Do they really believe that everything they rail about the eeevvviiilll health insurance companies will not happen under a nationalized health-care delivery system?
That is why I think that there may be enough nervous Democrats to do serious enough damage to the bill in conference that could kill it.
It almost happened in the House. And once we get into next year and the midterm elections, many Democrats may come to realize that this is a bridge too far.
Again, I am not all that hopeful. It does appear that the Democrats are willing to jump the shark and ram this through. But, this pesky conference to iron out differences may indeed exacerbate the differences.
It will also prove the late humorist Will Rogers right.
He said that he does not belong to a political party. He is a Democrat.

Right View

Here is a great way to thank those who are making the ultimate sacrifice this Christmas season. Those that are serving in our armed forces, especially in the front lines of the War Against Islamofacsist Terror, are far from home and loved ones.
This is one small way that we Americans, no matter our politics, can say thank you.

HT: Mrs. Right View From The Left Coast

Support Sen. Ben Nelson

It is the rarest of moments that I ask you, my readers, to support a . . .Democrat!
But, now is the moment that we the people, those opposed to the attempt by the Dear Leader, President Obama, Sen. Dingy Harry Reid, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and their left-wing minions to stand up. And to do so means we have to encourage the only somewhat conservative Democrat in the senate, Sen Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) to not vote for cloture when the so-called health care "reform" bill eventually comes to be voted on.
Sen. Nelson is facing enormous pressure from Team Obama.
Team Obama is all but threatening to close down an air force base to force Sen. Nelson, who is pro-life, to vote for something he can not do so in good conscience.
So, it is time to show our support.
Follow the link to Sen. Nelson's website. Ask him to vote no on cloture.
It is time that a sane Democrat stands up for the people of the United States.
And that sane Democrat is Sen. Ben Nelson.

Faith-An Inspiration For The Christmas Season

This is Faith.
Do you notice something unusual about this dog?
Look closely.
Yes, she is on her hind legs, but what seems to be missing?
It is her two front legs.
Faith was born without two front legs in a junkyard around Christmas in 2002. And she was rejected and abused by her mother.
But, Reuben Stringfellow found the pup and took her in. He was 17 years old at the time and asked his mom if there was anything that could be done for her condition. Jude Stringfellow said no, nothing could be done medically. But that they could simply help her.
Now, Mrs. Stringfellow is Faith's owner and while Faith did not start out all that well in her dog life, she has learned to walk on her hind legs. And she has become an inspiration to many people. Especially soldiers who have returned from war with debilitating conditions due to injuries.
But in the article, it was not a soldier that Faith had a profound effect on.
It was a woman that had lost her legs due to complications of diabetes. She was on her way to get a gun and end it all. Here is Mrs. Stringfellow's recollection of that moment:

"She was in her wheelchair and saw us. She was crying. She had seen Faith on television. She just held her and said she wished she had that kind of courage." Stringfellow said. "She told us: 'I was on my way to pick up the gun.' She handed the pawn ticket to a police officer and said she didn't need it anymore."

WOW! A humble dog, not realizing that she had such a problem, made a human being change her mind and not end her life but to go on.
That is what make Faith's story one of inspiration this Christmas season.
That a dog can have a real effect on people. Can make people forget the pain of war. Or the pain of losing both legs due to diabetes. Or the simple fact that Faith does not realize that she is different. That she walks like no other dog. That she brings so much curiosity, joy and happiness into the lives of so many people.
Faith is a true story of the Christmas season. She gives of herself freely. She does not realize what she does to her human friends. Yet, just seeing her on her hind legs, walking like a person because she does not have her front legs is amazing to most people.
Sometimes, we are inspired not by another human being, but an animal that can bring one out of despair and hope.
And that is what the Christmas season is and should be about.
And of course Faith has her own website.
Faith is an inspiration for all of us that sometimes wallow in the world of self-pity. I will think of her when I fall into that place in my life.

Da Thug In Da White House

Yes, we do have a thug in the White House!
What, you did not know that?
Well, its true. And da thug is none other than the POTUS (President of the United States) himself, head thug, Dear Leader, Barack Hussein Obama.
Really, the Dear Leader, President Obama, and his handmaiden, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, are taking their Chicago style politics to a new, odious level.
Exhibit one.
Yesterday, the Dear Leader, President Obama, had bankers over to the White House for some tea and crumpets. And those that could not attend were there in spirit, aka a conference call. Officially, the meeting was suppose to find ways that banks could get more money out in the economy in the form of loans. But, the Dear Leader, President Obama, told the truth in an interview with CBS News 60 Minutes this past Sunday evening.
This is what the Dear Leader, President Obama, had to say in the interview:

"I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street."

Really?! I am shocked, shocked I tell you.
But, that was just the beginning of a Chicago-style shakedown of many of the nation's leading banks.
In the meeting, the Dear Leader, President Obama had this to say:

Responsible actions they (banks) can take to get lending going again to small businesses, to deal with compensation practices that encourage risk taking, to make sure that responsible homeowners can stay in their home."

Well, that is code for relax the tight lending standards that have been in place since the financial market meltdown of 2008. That is what should be in place for people, business and government that can not live within its means and can not pay back extravagant loans made to these groups.
It is how the banks got into the mess in the first place. It is how the TARP scheme came into being.
In other words, it is attempting to twist arms the way that the political hacks in Chi Town do it.
It remains to be seen if the banks will cave into the demands of the Dear Leader, President Obama.
But in a naked political act that has permanent repercussions, da head thug, Dear Leader President Obama and Rahmbo Rahm Emanuel are putting blackmail on Nebraska Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson to make him the 60th vote for the so-called health-care "reform" scam.
According to Michael Goldfarb of The Weekly Standard, a senate aide told him that the White House is threatening to put the Orfutt Air Force base on the BRAC (Base Realignment And Closure) list.
Orfutt Air Force base is in the center of the United States, in Sen. Nelson's home state of Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the US Strategic Command and that is the successor to the Strategic Air Command. Orfutt Air Force base employs over 10,000 people in Southeastern Nebraska.
The reason for the strong arm thuggery of Team Obama?
Because they can not find any Republican willing to commit political suicide and sign on the the eventual massive take over of one-sixth of the American economy. And because of the stellar leadership of the Democrat senate majority leader, Sen. Dingy Harry Reid (D-Nev.), they are still at least one vote short of passage.
Sen. Nelson is a rarity. A pro-life Democrat. Without a doubt, Sen. Nelson is the most conservative Democrat in the senate. A lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 46%. And it was Sen. Nelson pursing a senate version of the House passed Stupak amendment that would ban and money used in the health-care scam to be used in performing abortions.
The amendment failed in the senate last week.
But, Sen. Nelson has said he can not and will not vote for a bill that allows any federal money used to perform abortions.
For Sen. Nelson's principles, he is being forced to possibly make a decision that does not look like a winner any way one slices it.
Sen. Nelson can vote against cloture thus insuring that the bill will die this year. He will rile the left-wing of his own party. Or Sen. Nelson can vote for cloture and making socialized medicine a real possibility of passing this time around. And he will potentially save 10,000 jobs in his home state. But he will raise the hackles of pro-lifers in the Democrat party and out side the party. Either way, Sen. Nelson could come out a loser.
But, Team Obama will employ the Chicago hard-ball tactics if it has to to pass this abomination.
Which should prove once and for all that all those who voted for the Dear Leader, President Obama, hoping he was a moderate and post-partisan were fooled.
The Dear Leader and his minions seem to think that Washington is just the Chicago city council writ large. That a lot of threats and arm-twisting will make some people roll over.
Here is hoping that the bankers and Sen. Ben Nelson stand up to the thuggery and da thug in chief, President Obama, once and for all.

Memo To GOP-Embrace The Tea Party People

Any minute now. Yes any second now. David Frum's head will explode at the thought! The thought that the Republican party should wholeheartedly embrace the Tea Party people.
I know that the Frums', David Brooks, all those "inside" people in Republican circles think that bringing the Tea Party people under the Republican banner is a disaster.
But, doing just that sends a message that the Democrats will not.
That the Republican party has learned its lesson. That it is not the party of conservative big government. That it will return to its roots. That government is best when it is the least. And that government needs to start at the level closest to the people. In other words, that it works best from the bottom up and not top down.
The Tea Party folks get that. They see that the current administration is embarking on a course that will deliver more and more power to Washington, D. C. And that the states will be burdened with more federal mandates that it will never be able to afford on its own. Thus the states will have to suck on the teat of the federal government. Same for counties and cities of all sizes. And where will the federal government get that money for it's teats?
From you and I, of course. In the form of higher taxes.
While the Democrat party is trying to offer the government as a security blanket for the public, the public is beginning to realize that the security blanket will not only come at a financial cost, but a cost of one's freedom. And that is what the Republican party has always stood for. And many Republicans stand for it today.
Why should the Republican party reach out to a leery group such as the Tea Party folks?
Because that is exactly what Ronald Reagan did.
Ever wonder what became of the conservative Democrat? Well, the conservative Democrat became conservative Republicans.
Same goes for traditionalist blue-collar workers.
Many independent voters pulled the lever for a Republican for the first time when Ronald Reagan ran for president in 1980 and for reelection in 1984.
It is because Mr. Reagan understood the dreams and aspirations of many of these people. They did not want a handout from the government. What they wanted was a government that worked for them. Not a government that over regulated. Not a government that made similar mandates on entrepreneurs that it makes on other divisions of government. These people, like the Tea Party people understand that a government that is large enough to give you so-called security is a government that can take away freedom and individual innitive.
That is why from Republican National Committee chair, Michael Steele, down to the county level GOP must reach out and get the Tea Party people into the fold.
If they are convinced, suicidally, that they do not need the Republican party and can have some kind of third-party surge, it is bad news all around.
See, the Frums', Brooks' and the insiders' world never gets that this is truly the big tent that the Republican party needs. I am very sorry to burst the bubble of Mr. Frum, but the New Haven crowd is not real interested in hearing anything remotely Republican. Let alone conservative. No matter how much Mr. Frum can convince some Republicans that if they only compromise more and more on so many issues, the type of voter Mr. Frum believes will come to the Republican fold will not. A few will. And I do not think we should not make some effort. But we can not keep rejecting basic principles. And that is what happened under the second George W. Bush presidential term.
Tea Party people are very well versed in the critical issues of the day. And they have a passion that middle-of-the-road voters rarely have. There are some very good people that maybe candidates for office from these people. We have to make every effort to make them feel a part of the Republican banner.
There is no doubt that these people are ready for November, 2010. They need a vehicle for their passion.
And that vehicle must be the Republican party.
So, fellow conservative Republicans, it is imperative that we embrace the Tea Party people to expand our party and to win back congress in 2010.

Send Sen. Dingy Harry Reid A Real Message

One thing that most politicians understand is when the people are ready to get rid of them. I mean, the only message they get is when poll numbers a year away from an election show them in the crapper.
However, there is one very important politician in the United States who is either dumb, unaware or just plain does not care what the voters think.
That politician is Sen. Dingy Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the Senate Majority Leader.
The Democrat leader continues to find any which way he can to force a so-called health-care "reform" bill that a stunning 61% of Americans oppose. That opposition to this bill is stronger than opposition to a proposal by former President George W. Bush to reform Social Security.
Yet, inexplicably, Sen. Dingy Reid keeps pushing on. Trying like the little engine that could to ram down the most radical legislation since any given piece of New Deal legislation rammed through by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Sen. Dingy Reid keeps tweaking it, lying and just ready to pass anything. Absolutely anything. So that the Dear Leader, President Obama, can sign so-called health-care "reform".
That maybe why Sen. Dingy Reid wanted to take a pass debating on the matter this weekend. So that he could attend a $1,000 a plate fundraiser in New Orleans. And take along the latest political whore, fellow Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu. Thankfully, the Republicans said, uhh, Dingy, you said we will work weekends until this scam, er bill, passes.
Why is Sen. Dingy Reid so hot to break negotiations on such historic legislation to attend a political fundraiser?
Because he is certainly reading the polling back in the home state, Nevada. The polling shows that Sen. Dingy Reid will lose to any Republican candidate.
Sen. Dingy Reid is trailing Danny Tarkanian in the Real Clear Politics average, 48%-42%. That is on the outside of the margins of error.
And poor Sen. Dingy Harry. He is losing also to state senator Sue Lowden, 49.3%-41%.
In other words, Sen. Dingy Harry is a Dead Man Walking.
And yet, he continues to pursue the most monumental piece of legislation in most of our lifetimes. So desperate is the Majority Leader that he all but accuses those of us opposed to the nationalization of one-sixth of the American economy of being like those opposed to ending slavery.
That is rich considering that one of his Democrat compadres is none other than former Grand Keagle of the Ku Klux Klan, Robert Byrd (D-WV).
Here is how to send a message.
Do what radio talker Hugh Hewitt suggested.
Send $10 for Tark.
Don't want Tark?
Hell, fork out $6 for Sue.
Any bit of money to either leading Republican opponent of Sen. Dingy Harry has to send some message. It may be that Sen. Dingy Harry won't quite get the message until election day next November. But it is important to show the Majority Leader that the Republicans are ready and will be loaded for bear.
My own preferred choice is Danny Tarkanian.
One of the reasons is that Mr. Tarkanian is not the choice of the establishment. He is an outsider and that is what will be needed to mop the mess the Democrat congress will leave in Washington.
I take The Other McCain's approach about Mr. Tarkanian.
Most important is that Mr. Tarkanian is not afraid to speak to the Tea Party people. And that is enough for me to know that Mr. Tarkanian will not be afraid to take on Sen. Dingy Harry right in the jugular.
Either way, keep sending the money to either Republican (but more to Tark!). It may be the only way to stop Sen. Dingy Harry and his fellow Democrats from ruining our economy for years to come.

How Tiger Woods' Personal "Transgressions" Became Public And Why It Matters

I really did not want to write about the Tiger Woods saga. But, so many people have missed an important point about the Woods saga.
Some people think that it is a private matter between Mr. Woods and his wife, Elin. Fair enough. Except for a little fact that law enforcement became a part of the story. And that changed a private matter, that of Mr. Woods multiple and numerous "transgressions", which is what adultery is now called.
Late on Thanksgiving night, Mr. Woods was trying to escape his mansion in Florida. It was about 2:30am in the morning when Mr. Woods did not past his huge driveway. Mr. Woods hit a tree and a fire hydrant and was in fact treated for injuries at a hospital.
Now it is becoming clear that Mr. Woods was suspected of drunk driving and while prosecutors have dropped criminal charges, it is clear that there was a reason for the Florida highway patrol officer, Joshua A. Evans, to file the report that he did.
Hence, there was a reason that Mr. Woods was driving, oh just a wee bit erratically.
More than likely, he was arguing with Mrs. Woods, Elin. More than likely over continuing tabloid rumors of more than a few trysts with women other than Mrs. Woods.
It appears that these rumors are true. And the count of women coming out of the woodwork is currently at 11. And it includes two porno actresses, a pancake house waitress and a cocktail waitress.
Now, Mr. Woods is not your average, run-of-the-mill athlete than can not keep his shlong in his pants and his vows to his wife.
This is a man that changed the game of golf forever. With what some would call the brutal training from his late father, he became the greatest golfer in the world. Mr. Woods did not come from a background of privilege. And he was not white but a very exotic mix. And he single handily brought the snooty game of golf to the masses.
Mr. Woods projected an image of being squeaky-clean. No drugs. No booze. A single determination to be the best golfer. Evah.
Eventually Mr. Woods met and married a Swedish model, Elin Nordegren, married her and has two children with her. There is no question that the current Mrs. Woods is a rather attractive woman.
Yet Mr. Woods apparently had more than a wandering eye. As noted, the ol' shlongaroo wandered. And a lot.
When one is busted for "careless" driving and is named Tiger Woods, did anyone really expect that this saga would not be made public?
Of course not.
And the fact is that a public image of being an all around good guy went into the toilet. Along with a slew of endorsement deals. And worst of all, more than likely a marriage.
One would think that Mr. Woods actually cared about all of that. But if all these women are telling the truth, the man was on the road to self-destruction. And a lot of women are littered on that road.
It all matters because of the fact that for all the good Mr. Woods has done to make golf more accessible to the masses, this behavior will for many, throw all of that away.
Whether athletes like it or not, people look up to them. For the athletic ability as well as the kind of people they are.
When you have a great person in that of Tiger Woods, it is really hard for people to believe that he was nothing more that a manslut.
It is a sad day not for Mr. and Mrs. Woods. But for their children. They will grow up having to know that their father is not what he wanted them to see but something kind of dark and sinister. One that seemed to probably have a gal in every town. And then some. These children may grow up having a rather skewed view of right and wrong. And they will have dear ol' dad to thank for that.
I hope that Mr. Woods does somehow heal with Elin. And becomes the father that the children can look up to .
But the reason this is no longer a "private" matter is that a bad ride by Mr. Woods made it a public debacle.

British Soldiers Tell Gordon Brown To Stuff It

This is clearly a very, very bad thing for an elected leader to go through. To be snubbed by the very soldiers that you are sending to war. Soldiers that know you are only doing so because you can not figure out how to leave the Afghanistan theatre in the War Against Islamofacsist Terror without it being a defeat.
But, soldiers at a British hospital in a real sense told the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, to go to hell. They did so by asking that their hospital curtains be drawn as Prime Minister Brown was visiting the injured soldiers from Afghanistan. And when some did meet with Prime Minister Brown, they had the reaction of this soldier,

“I wanted to find out how the guy’s head worked,” he said. “I was interested in what he had made of his trip to Afghanistan and what he had learnt from it.
“I feel that even if someone is a moron, he should have the opportunity to defend his moronity. [His response] all seemed rather textbook and not from the heart.
“It is quite obvious to anyone that Brown is not concerned, it is almost as if we [the soldiers] are the product of an unwanted affair.
“The straight fact is this: we don’t like the man, he has done nothing for us and continues to kick us in the teeth over equipment and compensation.”

So, what was Prime Minister Brown's job before he became the Labour party leader and successor to Tony Blair?
Mr. Brown was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, essentially the equivalent to the United States treasury secretary.
And what did Mr. Brown do in his tenure as the chancellor? Why he cut the defense budget. According to this article, the defense budget fell from 2.8% of the budget to 2.2%. While, surprise! Welfare programs saw dramatic hikes in their budgets.
An example that The Times' article cites is that as prime minister, Mr. Brown has sought to cut 17,000,000 pounds from the Territorial army training budget. And the government is taking two soldiers to court in a test case that seeks to slash compensation payments to wounded soldiers.
And Gordon Brown wonders why these soldiers, all volunteers as are those here in the States are angry with him. The majority of the soldiers think that this prime minister is setting them up to fail. And while they are at it, for the privilege, asking these brave soldiers to pay for it as well.
One of the commenter's on this article said it perfectly:

Philbert Desenex wrote:
Mr. Brown,When you lose your soldiers, you have lost the war. Seems to me you have lost your soldiers. Time to leave Mr. Brown!

Exactly! When a leader such as Mr. Brown did not want to enter into the Afghanistan and or the Iraq theatre in the War Against Islamofacsist Terror, this is the result.
Prime Minister Brown needs to decide now one thing. To leave with dishonor or to go all the way to win.
Your call, Prime Minister Brown. Your soldiers are waiting.

HT: Russ from Winterset @ www.ace.mu.nu

Los Angeles Episcopalians Elect Lesbian Bishop-What Can Go Wrong?!

Ahh, my Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles did not disapoint as they elected an openly lesbian priest as suffregen (assistant) bishop in seven rounds of balloting.
The Rev. Mary Glasspool was elected as the second openly homosexual person to be elevated to bishop in the history of the Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Glasspool has been a canon to the the bishops in the Diocese of Maryland. Essentially a bishop without the title.
And needless to say, the modernist bishop of Los Angeles, the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno is orgasmic over seeing an openly homosexual priest elevated to bishop in his diocese. Here are his "thoughts" on the election:

He (Bruno) said he is looking forward to working with Glasspool because of "her congeniality and willingness to work together to bring us to a place of abundance. She's not afraid of conflict and she is a reconciler," Bruno said. He added that Glasspool and her partner of 19 years, Becki Sanders, are an example of loving service and ministry.

Bada bing!
There you have it. The Rt. Rev. Bruno continues to lead the decline of the Episcopal Church by such wondrous acts as apologizing to Hindus for daring to try to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Oh, he thinks that was a terrible thing to do. And the Rt. Rev Bruno had been a leader in promoting open homosexuals in high levels of leadership. Now, with the Rev. Cesspool, er Glasspool, he has achieved a dream.
For the traditionalists that have not fled yet, the Rt. Rev. Bruno has opened the floodgates and increased the chance that some parishes on the fence may take the chance and leave the Los Angeles diocese and the Episcopal Church.
Currently, there are two churches in the Los Angeles diocese that essentially are under the leadership of the traditional bishop of Northern Indiana. Maybe that will no longer be enough. Maybe they will vote to cut their ties to the Episcopal Church. They can choose to fight for their property as four other churches have done. One has lost, St Luke's in La Crescenta. Now, the Los Angeles diocese has a phony congregation while the real St. Luke's Anglican is free from the legal hassle and thriving and leasing a chapel at a Seventh Day Adventist church in Glendale, California.
And do not think that many communicants and congregants may have enough and will head for the exits.
There is a lot of reality that can be peeled back about this. But the most pressing is this.
While the modernists push their agenda, they are not really doing the Great Commission. They are spreading and gibberish gospel that says Anything Goes. They are "led" by such heretics as the retired Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong, late of the Diocese of Newark, New Jersey. He took a once thriving diocese and with his ridiculous secular agenda lost over 40% of communicants. Now, he has denied all that most Christians accept as the underpinnings of our faith. Under his stellar leadership, churches have been closed and people fleeing for other churches. Since he has left his diocese in tatters, more people that are staying are giving more money. But attendance continues to fall.
And that is one of the reasons the national church fights to the death to retain the churches and dioceses that are leaving for the traditionalist Anglican Church of North America. Because the Episcopal Church is on a downhill spiral. It is not growing. There is no church planting. There is no evangelism. It is pleasing a secular agenda, but not necessarily God's agenda.
Thus, the modernists have another notch in their buckle. And the traditionalists will hear the message loud and clear. Head for the hills!

Cop Killer Killed, The Rev. Mike Still Blames Others

Maurice Clemmons, the man that was accused of executing four Tacoma, Washington area policemen was himself shot and killed last night in Seattle.
If there is any good news, it is that Mr. Clemmons is now with his maker. Or down in the depths. No matter. He is no longer here with the living.
But, the man that may have indirectly played a role in these events is busy blaming everyone else but himself for fighting to commute Mr. Clemmons very long prison sentence.
The former Arkansas governor, the Rev. Mike Huckabee, is blaming the judge in the original cases that Mr. Clemmons was convicted on for asking then Gov. Rev. Mike to ask for a reduction of sentence and the probability of parole. Mr. Clemmons was sentenced for a total of 108 years. Gov. Rev. Mike asked the parole board to reduce the sentence and it was to 47 years. And Mr. Clemmons was paroled. Thanks also to a pathetic letter that tugged at the Rev. Mike's heart.
Here is what the Rev. Mike said today:

“It really does show how sick our society has become that people are more concerned about a campaign three years from now than those grieving families in Washington,” Huckabee said during an interview on Joe Scarborough’s radio show. “It is disgusting, but people use anything as a political weapon.”…
“If he were a white kid from an upper middle class family he would have gotten a lawyer and some counseling,” Huckabee said. “But because he was a young black kid he got 108 years.”…
“It’s a lot easier to be a pundit or a commentator or a blogger than to govern the state and have to make tough decisions,” he said. “People are talking about this from a political standpoint, but what they need to be asking is how did the system break down?”

Nice. Real Nice. Oh, don't forget a little class and race warfare too, Rev. Mike.
This is reason alone to realize that the Rev. Mike was never ready to be president. He can not take responsibility that he had the most clemencies of any governor in his region for the time he was governor. That he took way too much interest in many cases.
This comes from a guy that bashed the hell out of Mitt Romney and his Mormon religion. Was it not the Rev. Mike who "innocently asked" a New York Times reporter about a Mormon belief that Jesus and Satan were brothers? And how about the Rev. Mike and his Christmas television commercial with the floating cross? One that he denied was there, even with overwhelming evidence. Yes sir, real classy that Rev. Mike.
One thing that this episode shows is that the Republican party traditionally has been the party that is not soft on crime. Under the reign of the Rev. Mike in Arkansas, one would not know it. Remember, 703 clemencies in his time as governor. More than the six surrounding states combined with extra to spare.
Advice to Rev. Mike.
Please, Do The Right Thing and peddle your Christmas book. Stay away from this story for a while. Like, forever.
And thankfully, a Seattle police officer put an end to a mad man, Maurice Clemmons, and his "reformed" life before he could kill again.

HT: Allahpundit @ www.hotair.com

Chris Matthews Is An A--hole

I can not believe that I am defending the Dear Leader, President Obama, twice in a row, but when Wiffleball, er Hardball host Chris Matthews refers to our soldiers and West Point as the "enemy camp", it is a given I'll support the Dear Leader.
Mr. Matthews was giving his "analysis" for the underwhelming MSNBC cultists when he spouted off this gem:

The president chose to address tonight and I thought it was interesting. He went to maybe the enemy camp tonight to make his case. I mean, that's where Paul Wolfowitz used to write speeches for, back in the old Bush days. That's where he went to rabble rouse the "we're going to democratize the world" campaign back in '02. So, I thought it was a strange venue."

Hey, Matthews, the Dear Leader, President Obama is the, I will spell it for you, c o m m a n d e r - i n - c h i e f. West Point, the military acadamy, is a perfect place for the COC to speak about not just the future of these cadets, but many others serving our armed forces.
A strange venue? Yes, I suppose for someone that served in the Peace Corps, a COC actually addressing the troops, you know the ones with the guns, is strange. Where would have wanted the COC to make his address? In Williams Ayres living room? In the pulpit at the Trinity United Church of Christ? Before the United Nations? Tell us Chris, where should he have made this speech?
Our brave men and women that serve in the armed forces do so for love of country. They serve no matter who the COC is. It could be Snoopy and they will serve with honor, duty and integrity. They will also listen when the COC addresses them on the status of the War Against Islamofacsist Terror. Even if they are not in full agreement, they will not tell anyone. They will do their job. It is not the "enemy camp". It is a reflection of us, the people of the United States.
Hey Chris, have you rediscovered the Devil's urine? Are you hitting the bottle? How can you say such a thing with a straight face? Chris, you are a worthless piece of crap!
I am glad that the Dear Leader, President Obama did address those through the teleprompter at West Point. He told those that serve, to their faces, what his plans are in Afghanistan. For a guy not exactly a fan of the armed forces, it showed that when push comes to shove, he can appreciate the situation enough to address those he will ask to pursue his convoluted goals in person.
Chris Matthews, you a--hole piece of crap, not only do you owe our soldiers and West Point an apology, you owe my president, the Dear Leader, President Obama, one as well!

The Dear Leader Kind Of Gets It Right In Afghanistan

The Dear Leader, President Obama, did the best that we could hope for and is sending an additional 30,000 troops to the Afghanistan theatre in the War Against Islamofacsist Terror.
That is the good news.
The bad news, and there is a lot that was in the speech tonight to cadets at West Point, is that these troops do not know if they are going into a war zone to win or to contain and then leave.
The Dear Leader, President Obama, of course had to deflect any criticism of his dithering and cutting the difference regarding Afghanistan by attacking former President George W. Bush. No, the Dear Leader, President Obama did not attack Mr. George W. Bush by name. More with digs such as this:

Then, in early 2003, the decision was made to wage a second war in Iraq. The wrenching debate over the Iraq War is well-known and need not be repeated here.

But, the Dear Leader, President Obama, did mention it and did not stop at that point. He continued:

It is enough to say that for the next six years, the Iraq War drew the dominant share of our troops, our resources, our diplomacy, and our national attention - and that the decision to go into Iraq caused substantial rifts between America and much of the world.

OK Mr. Dear Leader, President Obama, we get it. You did not support the Iraq theatre in the War Against Islamofacsist Terror. We know, you, Sen. John "Lurch" Kerry and the Democrat gang think it was wrong and that we should have poured everything into Afghanistan. You feel you are mopping up your predecessor's mess. As every president has when succeeding another.
Now, later in the speech is this curious line:

Over the last several years, the Taliban has maintained common cause with al Qaeda, as they both seek an overthrow of the Afghan government.

Mr. Dear Leader, President Obama, that is precisely the reason we went to war in Afghanistan in the first place. Because the brutal Taliban dictatorship was harboring al-Queda operatives and the big man himself, Osama bin-Laden. And, al-Queda was very involved in the highest levels of the Taliban dictatorship. It was a marriage made in radical Islamic heaven. So, it has not been just the last several years. It went on before George W. Bush became president.
Now, I support the Dear Leader, President Obama, sending the 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. But, I do not feel that it is to achieve victory. It is to, at best, contain a situation that the Dear Leader, President Obama says himself is perilous.
Most telling, the Dear Leader fell back on an unrealistic time line of 18 months for there to be progress as he and the commanders on the ground see it. And the Dear Leader, President Obama, did provide some benchmarks for that 18 month timetable to be met. The short outline is this:

These are the three core elements of our strategy: a military effort to create the conditions for a transition; a civilian surge that reinforces positive action; and an effective partnership with Pakistan.

But, can this be done in an 18 month period? Realistically, probably not. After all, this is not some video game war. It is the real deal. And in real wars, the unexpected is what happens, not the game plan.
And the one word I want so desperately hear from my president, the Dear Leader, President Obama is V I C T O R Y. That we in in it to win it. Period. No excuses.
What we got was a cut the difference, set up for failure and the possibility that those being sent to the Afghanistan war theatre are being sent to a failure.
But we have to understand why the Dear Leader, President Obama, is doing what he is doing.
First, he spent a whole Death March of a presidential campaign railing about the Iraq theatre and how wrong it was and Afghanistan was right. The Dear Leader, President Obama, could not look totally weak. He knows that he has to put some effort to the fight against al-Queda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Second, the Dear Leader, President Obama, is setting himself up to bug out before the end of his first, and God willing only, term. Win or lose. No matter what, the draw down begins in 18 months. This is to please the far left of the Democrat party. They want us out yesterday. And in the speech, the Dear Leader talks about the economy and paying for the the war effort. So, this is a bone to the Democrat lefties.
Third, the Dear Leader, President Obama, is still hoping that the so-called allies will put in the troop difference and some how pull their weight in the Afghan effort. The Dear Leader, President Obama, cited the fact that NATO invoked Article Five. That the terror attacks of 9/11 was an attack on all. And that NATO had to act as one, especially in Afghanistan. News Flash, Dear Leader. If you want to leave Afghanistan in 18 months, the NATO allies wanted to leave 18 months ago. And as far as combat, do not expect much from the NATO allies.
What I hope the coming days and months does is change the Dear Leader's mind into achieving victory in Afghanistan. Not containment. Victory. The speech tonight kind of sort of got something right. But, here is hoping that the Dear Leader grows into being a commander-in-chief that wants a win. That is what we all hope for.