H/t: Jennifer Rubin.

I have some advice for Senator Obama, “Next time call John McCain.”

What a great speech.  What a line!  I’m too transfixed right now to blog this.  Guess it’s the energy of the auditorium.

I like the bit about in choosing Sarah Palin, McCain is choosing for the future.

The first guy I backed for ’08 is up on stage, but I’m not sure how to cover it.

We’re all just awaiting Sarah Palin.

I like Rudy’s line about McCain passing every test.

He’s giving us some of our nominee’s biography, contrasting it to that of Barack Obama.  We hear laughter as he mentions Obama’s work as a community organizer and chants “Zero” again. “He couldn’t decide whether to vote yes or no.  It was too tough.”

He notes the number of times Obama voted present while in the Illinois legislature.  ”I didn’t know about this vote present when I was Mayor of New York City. . . . For president of the United States, it’s not good to enough to vote present.”

“John McCain has been tested.  Barack Obama has not.”

I’m loving this–”Hope is not a strategy.”

Again, he follows Linda Lingle in noting Obama’s absence of executive experience.  Seems to be a common thread in the attacks on Obama tonight.

The LA Daily News published my case for Rudy Giuliani:

WHILE this presidential campaign features a number of strong Republican candidates, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, with his record of leadership and espousal of conservative principles, is best suited to unite the party and lead the nation.

In many ways, Giuliani is the Ronald Reagan of the 21st century. Just as the Gipper helped reform the Golden State, Giuliani brought the Big Apple back to life at a time when many talked about that city’s inevitable decline.

Even before the terrorist attacks of 9-11 tested his mettle, proving him able to keep his head in a crisis, Giuliani had shown his leadership qualities. As mayor, he held the line on city spending, stood up to the public-employee unions, reformed welfare and worked with police to develop tough anti-crime policies.

Click here to read the rest.

God help us all.   Please don’t me wrong:  I *highly* respect both Senators, mostly because of their determination and willingness to fight World War III.   But I also *vehemently* disagree with both Senators on a variety of important issues facing this nation.

The idea of McCain (as nominee) picking Joe Lieberman makes me want to completely vomit.   I have repeatedly suggested to PatriotPartner that McCain will do precisely this, since the Arizona Senator he has frequently used the term “unity governing.”   And we all know that McCain and Lieberman are now almost as close as McCain and his man-panion, Lindsey Graham.

But, for crying out loud… how would this work?   First of all, as PatriotPartner reminds me, it isn’t the nominee who ultimately choses his/her running mate:  It is the party delegates at the convention who vote.  

Would the Republican Party really choose a pro-choice, former Democrat Senator from Connecticut to be on its National ticket with a top-ticketer who already draws ire from the conservative base?

Since I’m not the only one thinking this…. I guess we need to get it out there to discuss.

Excuse me while I go expunge these thoughts in the nearest toilet.

Rudy… please save us in Florida from the madness we are about to endure!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Now that the 2008 Election is in full steam (i.e. — voters are actually voting as opposed to pundits blathering), I’ve paid much more attention to the campaign strategies, the televised debates, and Iowa voting turnout and the issues that were important to Iowa voters.

My preferred candidate, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, has chosen to mostly skip Iowa and New Hampshire and mostly focus on the Super Tuesday/Big States voting on Feb. 5th.  On the face of it, it seems like a good strategy given the compressed voting schedule this year.  However, as we are seeing on the Democratic side with Obama, momentum can play a huge factor in the next voting state following a win or loss in the last state.

Time Magazine weighs in today:  Is Giuliani Waiting Too Long?

The problem for Rudy Giuliani, the onetime front-runner in the G.O.P. race for President, is that he keeps writing himself out of the movie.

After spending 40 days in the state, however, Giuliani is now spending minimally on ads in New Hampshire and has largely put his wallet away, saving his money for later contests. Yet the risk Giuliani is taking by all but kissing off another state is considerable.

After Huckabee’s victory in Iowa, the G.O.P. is searching frantically for an establishment candidate to take him on and appeal to independents — a hunt made all the more urgent by the success of Barack Obama, who also does well with independents. But because he isn’t really contesting New Hampshire, Giuliani is not really part of that new and worried sweepstakes — remarkable for someone who proclaimed himself the national front-runner for so long.

It is probably still too early to know since the Republican side could be still muddled by Feb. 5th.   But every news cycle where Rudy isn’t a factor can’t be a good thing for his nomination prospects.

-Bruce (GayPatriot) 

For Southern Conservatives the question is…. what’s worse than a pro-choice Republican?  

Answer: President Hillary Clinton.

Southern Conservatives Open Wallet for Rudy Giuliani – NY Daily News (hat tip – GP Reader and PatriotFriend Dan Moho.)

The White House hopeful has raised more money than any other Republican across much of those Christian conservative strongholds.

The former mayor has collected more campaign cash than his GOP rivals in reliably Republican Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina, an analysis of fund-raising records shows.

He’s also tops in Bible Belt states such as Oklahoma, West Virginia, Florida and Texas, giving the ex-mayor a clear majority of Southern states.

Giuliani’s dominance in the Southern money race – while not necessarily translatable into votes – underscores his surprising strength in places where many may recoil at his pro-choice, pro-gay-rights views, experts say.

And it comes at a critical time. He heads tomorrow to a Values Voter Summit in Washington, where many of the nation’s top evangelical leaders will be listening closely to Giuliani’s comments on abortion, gun control and other social issues.

Some experts believe Southern voters are increasingly being swayed by Giuliani’s stance on other pressing issues – principally his conservative views on anti-terrorism and the economy, as well as a growing sense that he may be the best-equipped to take on Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

“Some people are surprised by the Southern support he has, but it’s not that surprising to me – given the importance of national security and economic issues,” said Prof. Earl Black of Rice University in Texas, an expert on Southern politics.

“That’s particularly true if Hillary Clinton is the nominee,” added Black. “Giuliani may not look that good, but she’s going to look even worse to these voters.”

The more likely Hillary seems as the Democrat nominee, the more independents and conservatives will want a strong candidate to stop four years of Clinton Nightmare, Part II.  We are already making that clear by talking with our wallets.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

In a major development in the GOP nomination campaign, Governor Rick Perry of Texas yesterday became the first sitting governor in the nation to endorse a Presidential candidate.   Perry’s choice:  Rudy Giuliani.  (Hat tip: GP Reader and Patriot Friend Dan Moho.)

As Governor of the great state of Texas, I know the value of experience and proven leadership.  Over the last few months I studied all of the candidates, and in the end, I knew that Rudy Giuliani was the man most qualified to unite America and lead with a clear sense of purpose and vision for moving our country forward.  The next four years will present our great nation with many challenges.  To overcome those obstacles we will need an experienced leader.

Recently I have spent a great deal of time with Rudy, talking about his beliefs and his vision for America.  I was fully convinced that Rudy is the one who will keep this nation safe, move our economy forward, secure our borders and put strict constructionist judges on the Supreme Court.

But don’t just take my word for it.  This week both USA Today/Gallup and CNN came out with polls showing Rudy as the clear frontrunner and the only candidate capable of beating Hillary next November.  Rudy’s double-digit lead demonstrates that his optimistic vision for change in America is resonating with voters all across the country.

I am proud and excited to do everything I can to make sure Rudy becomes our next President.  I’m asking you to do the same. It doesn’t take much.  Any support you can give will help Rudy win the nomination and defeat Hillary next November.

I’d also ask all of my readers to do their part to help Rudy’s campaign.  Click here to donate or volunteer for our next President.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)