[Please note I had written this post on Thursday morning, fortunately in a text file so I didn't lose it, but couldn't post it because of our blog woes.]

Some in the media have made much of Ms. Hillary’s attempt yesterday Wednesday to play flight attendant on her campaign plane yesterday. I even saw a clip of this stunt on FoxNews.

What struck me about what AP called a “humorous riff” was two things, first, that it wasn’t humorous and, second, it was all about politics.

Many politicians, in doing such stunts, eschew the political references to show their more personal side. It seems Ms. Hillary’s personal side is all politics.

All this “riff” was was an attempt to draw more media attention to her attacks on the GOP and her campaign slogans, note her comment that the view from the left of revealed “an America with a strong middle class at home and a strong reputation in the world” and the excessive references to “experience.” (I guess for Ms. Hillary sleeping in the White House counts as executive experience.)

This whole lame “riff” only increased my animosity toward the former First Lady for in her attempt to show a more light-hearted side, this woman revealed that how completely political she is.

It made me wonder if she has any other interests besides politics. One more reason to defeat her as quickly as possible. For as person as political as she will have fewer resources on which to draw to unite the nation if, in the unfortunate event she wins his fall, she becomes president.

This failed attempt at humor makes it increasingly clear why we must defeat Ms. Hillary.

Before John McCain gets too arrogant and obstinant about his win last night (it is probably too late)…. I thought it was time for a reality check for Senator Arizona Amnesty.

Here is the vote total from last night’s SC GOP Primary (with 97% reporting):

McCain — 143,224 votes
Huckabee — 128,908 votes
Thompson — 67,897 votes
Romney — 64,970 votes
Paul — 15,773 votes
Giuilani — 9,112 votes
Hunter — 1,035 votes

TOTAL:  430,919

BUT… here are the vote results from the 2000 GOP Primary — Bush vs. McCain:

George W. Bush — 301,050 votes
John McCain — 237,888  votes
Alan Keyes — 25,510  votes
Others — 1,256 votes

TOTAL:  565,704

That means almost 135,000 voters from 2000 skipped yesterday’s vote.  And more importantly for Senator McCain is this number:   94,664.   Those are the number of  LESS votes he received in yesterday’s SC primary versus the votes he got in 2000.

So before Sen. McCain is too excited about his 2008 SC Primary win he should wonder why he got more votes in 2000 than yesterday.   And he should stop and realize that 67% of SC Republican voters yesterday voted AGAINST John McCain.

The answer is that the MAJORITY of South Carolina’s ”regular Republicans” either sat home or voted against McCain.  In any case they certainly are not supportive of Senator John McCain and his trusted man-panion, Senator Lindsey Graham-nesty.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

A must read from today’s Washington Post.

Making Iraq Safe for Politics – Fred Kagan, Jack Keane & Michael O’Hanlon

Iraq’s parliament this month passed a new de-Baathification bill, which awaits only expected approval by the five-member presidency council before becoming law. Much remains to be done, but this is an important step toward political reconciliation — and it further strengthens the case for America to remain committed to its crucial mission in Iraq in the months and years ahead.

The reformed de-Baathification legislation is one of half a dozen key political issues codified into American law last year by President Bush and Congress as “benchmarks” we expected Iraqi leaders to address. Other matters so identified are hydrocarbon legislation; a provincial powers act (clarifying the roles of Iraq’s 18 provinces vis-a-vis the central government); a provincial election law to facilitate the next round of local elections; a process for holding a referendum on the political future of Kirkuk, the disputed northern oil city (and for compensating individual property holders and sectarian groups who lose out in such a vote); and a more transparent and trustworthy process for purging sectarian extremists from positions of government authority.

These benchmarks are reasonable goals. It is regrettable that insufficient progress has been made on the others (with the exception of the long, slow progress of purging extremists from official positions). What really matters, however, is that Iraqis come to view themselves as a single people working together to build a new nation, and address their inevitable differences legislatively rather than violently.

This political progress resulted from a year’s worth of substantial effort to reduce violence in Iraq. Proponents of the surge always said that getting violence under control was an essential prerequisite to reconciliation, not the other way around. The full surge has been in place and operating for just over six months, and already violence has fallen dramatically across the country. The achievement in such a short time of significant legislation that requires all sides to accept risk and compromise with people they had been fighting only a few months ago is remarkable. It would have been unattainable without the change in strategy and addition of American forces that helped bring the violence down.

Many people in Washington (mainly from one political party) are still urging, hoping and pushing for America to slink away from Iraq and give a victory to al-Qaeda.  Luckily, our brave men and women on the ground (around the world) are taking this World War to the enemy….. and keeping further attacks on our homeland.

God Bless America and our brave US military.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)